Happy Earth Day...from Santa Barbara, California home of the national disaster that helped Nixon to create the EPA and spark the Environmental Movement and Earth Day Celebrations.
Ecological disaster brought reality check. Crude oil blasted nine stories into the air on Jan. 28, 1969, from a pipeline that blew out in the Santa Barbara channel. For the environmental movement, this disaster was the spark that launched Earth Day. Bridgeport Connecticut Post
The story goes that Earth Day was conceived by Senator Gaylord Nelson after a trip he took to Santa Barbara right after that horrific oil spill off our coast in 1969. He was so outraged by what he saw that he went back to Washington and passed a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the earth. - CEC
Speaking of politicians...It's not as sexy as flag label pins nor as immediate as video of "sniper fire", but the environment is an issue that still doesn't get the respect it deserves on the Campaign trail. Even on Earth Day, But...there is some analysis of why "no news"....and a few stories.
In primary, it's not easy being green. There's been a lot of discussion as this primary season unwinds about which Democratic presidential candidate has more red state appeal or more blue state appeal, but little chatter about their very real "green" credentials. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Climate control & the candidates. Presidential candidates must be salespeople of the first order. They take to the stump peddling their ideas and watch which issues catch voters' eyes and which ones leave them cold. The environment has always been one of those no-sale issues. Time Magazine
Clinton, Obama walk delicate line hunting votes in coal states like Pennsylvania. Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are walking a delicate line as they promise to aggressively tackle global warming while trying to assure voters that they continue to believe in the future of coal. AP via Star Tribune
Obama adviser talks energy policy in Oregon. The United States may be late to the battle against global warming and the move toward energy independence but decisive action can still save the day, a Barack Obama adviser who was stumping for the Democratic presidential candidate in Oregon said Thursday. Eugene Register Guard
Coalfields turn into battlefields. The race for the Democratic nomination hinges on a handful of states where coal is still king. That puts Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in a bind. Wall Street Journal.
Democratic convention ready to ride Denver's green wave. Democratic officials revealed further details Monday on how they plan to use Denver's hosting of the party's national convention to showcase what they hope to package as their commitment to the environment. Denver Post
Delivering on energy and the environment. Would Hillary Clinton have the political will to deliver on her ambitious plans for energy and the environment? Living on Earth's Jeff Young finds the answer depends on which part of the Clinton record you look at. Living On Earth.
Obama, Durbin concerned about chemical waste at Clinton landfill. Illinois' two U.S. senators have expressed strong concerns about the possibility of storing chemical wastes at a Clinton landfill. Bloomington Pantagraph
Our favorite planet. The bottom line is that none of the candidates focus adequately on climate change, for this will be one of humanity’s great tests in the coming decades — and so far we’re failing. New York Times.
And now...more ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS TO USE on this Earth Day.
All at Sea. Along Alaska's northern coast, as permafrost thaws and the Arctic ice pack no longer buffers the coast from winter winds, global warming is threatening not just the traditional way of life of isolated communities but their very existence. Sydney Morning Herald
The big thirst. To many experts, the steadily rising price of oil underscores longer-term fears about the future of a system that has supplied cheap oil for more than a century. New York Times.
As fish die in droves in Virginia, scientists seek clues. Last spring, fish started turning up dead in the upper James River, near Buchanan, and farther west in the Cowpasture River, which until then was considered one of the most pristine waterways in the state. Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot
Carbon cookout? From start to finish — from planting seeds to disposing scraps — the food sector accounts for roughly 25 percent of an American’s ecological footprint. New York Times. (NYTimes Magazine - Green Issue)
Environment group seeks Chattanooga residents’ visions. In 16 years, the amount of carbon dioxide pollution — the kind that scientists say creates heat-increasing greenhouse gases — rose by almost 23 percent in Chattanooga, and officials want to reduce those levels and better conserve energy. Chattanooga Times Free Press
Look north for the energy of the future. The similarities between the Gulf states and the isles of Orkney (population: 20,000) aren’t immediately obvious, but the Scottish archipelago has been branded the Saudi Arabia of the renewable energy world. London Times
Earth day activities: the sharing of the green. The Bay Area was awash in composted coffee grounds, redwood saplings and fluorescent lightbulbs Saturday, as thousands celebrated Earth Day at fairs and cleanups from the bay to the hills. San Francisco Chronicle
Fish farm antibiotic leak fear. The salmon industry has rejected fears that antibiotics used in farming have been found at high levels in wild fish. Hobart Sunday Tasmanian
Dusting off Mother Earth -- one block at a time. More than 400 volunteers, armed with brooms, rakes and trash bags, fanned across the city yesterday to take part in the annual Adopt-a-Block clean up effort on a day perfect for a bit of spring cleaning. Manchester Union Leader
Better pest control. A perfect storm is brewing, which is raising the price of pesticides to an all-time high and increasing interest in integrated pest management. York Daily Record
Eco goals getting trashed in N.D. In 1991, as the nation's love affair with recycling blossomed, North Dakota lawmakers set an eco-friendly goal: reduce municipal solid waste dumped in the state's landfills by 40 percent by 2000. Fargo Forum
Tick Riders' guard US from deadly pest, one cow at a time. They are not looking for drug smugglers, human traffickers or illegal immigrants, instead they are looking for stray livestock that might be carrying a tick, a tiny pest with a deadly disease, into the United States. Associated Press.
Is the planet's future in God's hands or man's? If you are hardened to the concept of miracles, consider this. Televangelist Pat Robertson is a convert to man's role in global warming. Austin American-Statesman
Spreading around trouble. Congress should stop ignoring the use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer on farms, parks, gardens - and on the yards of poor black families. Lakeland Ledger
A mess of emission cuts. The gist of the special announcement on climate change delivered by U.S. President George W. Bush at the White House on Wednesday left us doubting our ears. What could Bush be thinking? In that address, Bush spoke on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. He stated America's new national goal of halting the growth of such emissions by 2025. Yet this statement may also be construed as a declaration that his administration is content to allow emissions to continue growing in the United States over the next 17 years. Asahi Shimbun
Judge: study scientifically inadequate. A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that water regulators failed to consider the effects of global warming and other environmental issues related to the decline of California salmon populations when they approved increased pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Associated Press.
Chance of Midwest drought heats up. Extremely dry weather in the Corn Belt this summer would put a squeeze on corn and soybean supplies, sending prices higher and hurting global food stocks. Chicago Tribune
Drought leaves 840,000 people short of water in NE China. A prolonged drought in northeast China's Liaoning Province has left 840,000 people short of drinking water and affected spring farming in many areas. Xinhua News Agency
Planners: Floridians need to grow up, face water limits. Like youngsters that eat unhealthy food with abandon, Floridians have used water willy-nilly with no thought for what would happen when it runs out or how it might affect their neighbors. Daytona Beach News-Journal
U.S. jet stream creeping north, leaving Southwest drier, raising potential for more hurricanes. New research shows that the jet stream is creeping northward and weakening, which potentially means less rain in the already dry South and Southwest and more storms in the North. Associated Press.
Colorado River to drop to 500-year low as world warms. The Colorado River may shrink to its lowest level in at least 500 years because of global warming, threatening water supplies to California and six other states, researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey said. Bloomberg News.
TAKE ACTION....
Kennedy clan vs. clean power. Your last chance to be heard about Cape Wind. The federal agency in charge of the formal review of the Cape Wind project, the Minerals Management Service, is receiving public comments through Monday, April 21. It's the last opportunity for ordinary citizens to outshout the Kennedys and other plutocrats who would rather keep subjecting Cape Cod waters to oil tanker spills than sully their viewsheds with matchbox-sized spinning blades (which is how they'll appear from land). - Gristmill