See OceanDiver's post here.
Many environmentally related posts appearing at Daily Kos each week don't attract the attention they deserve. To help get more eyeballs, Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) normally appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The most recent Saturday Spotlight can be seen here. More than 20,400 environmentally oriented diaries have been rescued for inclusion in this weekly collection since 2006. Inclusion of a diary in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
[As we are on our vacation schedule, the Green Spotlight is only being posted on Saturdays for today and Jan. 3.]
How Gondolas and Hip Hop Transformed the Most Dangerous City in the World—by
citisven: "Medellín went from being ground zero of Colombia's drug war to UN poster child for urban equality—and the people made it happen, by designing the city they wanted. 'I’m sorry about the look of that house, we haven’t gotten around to painting it yet.' The woman leading us down the steep hillsides of the Comuna 13 neighborhood in Medellín, Colombia, is pointing at the lone faded building in a row of homes that looks like a tidy, earth-tone color guide. My friends and I—visiting Medellín for the United Nation’s Seventh World Urban Forum—are riding down escalators that have replaced 357 arduous steps. Luminous murals cover the walls below us, while above are flower-filled planters and skylights. At the end of each flight there are public patios where kids play soccer and people sit on benches to enjoy the view. Meanwhile, the escalator stereo plays Frank Sinatra singing 'I did it my way.' There’s something uplifting about an apology for a matter as small as an unfinished paint job in this neighborhood. Until a few years ago, residents here kept their doors and windows shut against the bullets exchanged by street gangs. Our guide Maria, one of the young people who work on the neighborhood’s escaleras eléctricas security and maintenance crew, is also a community ambassador and docent. She tells us how her community collaborated on the international prize-winning design for the escalators and how much life has improved in her neighborhood since the completion of the project in 2012. 'There used to be a lot of stairs,' she says, 'but now people with disabilities, the elderly, and kids— who have to make frequent trips to school—have a lot more mobility.'"
An escalator carries pedestrians up a steep hill in Comuna 13. Photo from Creative Urban Projects and Rex Features.
Challenging the Divine Right of Big Energy—by
Rebecca Solnit via TomDispatch: "In that little junk shop on a quiet street in San Francisco, I held a relic from one of the great upheavals of the last millennium. It made me think of a remarkable statement the great feminist fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin had made only a few weeks earlier. In the course of a speech she gave while accepting a book award she noted, 'We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings.' […] To use Le Guin’s language, physics is inevitable: if you put more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the planet warms, and as the planet warms, various kinds of chaos and ruin are let loose. Politics, on the other hand, is not inevitable. For example, not so many years ago it would have seemed inevitable that Chevron, currently the third biggest corporation in the country, would run the refinery town of Richmond, California, as its own private fiefdom. You could say that the divine right of Chevron seemed like a given. Except that people in Richmond refused to accept it and so this town of 107,000 mostly poor nonwhites pushed back. In recent years, a group of progressives won election to the city council and the mayor’s seat, despite huge expenditures by Chevron, the corporation that also brought you gigantic oil spills onshore in Ecuador and offshore in Brazil, massive contamination from half a century of oil extraction in Nigeria, and Canadian tar-sands bitumen sent by rail to the Richmond refinery. Mayor Gayle McLaughin and her cohorts organized a little revolution in a town that had mostly been famous for its crime rate and for Chevron’s toxic refinery emissions, which periodically create emergencies, sometimes requiring everyone to take shelter (and pretend that they are not being poisoned indoors), sometimes said—by Chevron—to be harmless, as with last Thursday's flames that lit up the sky, visible as far away as Oakland."
Carnivores embraced in Europe, feared in US—by
jroberthall: "Carnivores are gaining in Europe, thanks to the public and governments' willingness to embrace them. But in the US, they're still feared by a largely ignorant population. What is the difference between Americans and Europeans when it comes to large carnivores? It is that that many Europeans believe they can coexist while Americans believe that a definite separation must be kept. The governments of both reflect the attitudes of their respective public opinions. At least that's what the latest from the US journal
Science tells us. In Europe, the populations of wolves, bears, lynxes and wolverines have seen gains, according to the article. This is also in a place with much less land area than the US and untouched natural habitat is pretty much unknown. Of course, there are still conflicts when it comes to farmers and carnivores. But unlike the US, instead of killing the predators, the farmers are compensated by the government. That's something that would get the Limbaughs and Hannities of the world to scream bot eco-extremism and socialism in the same breath."
'The Pale Blue Dot'—by
jamess: "Just heard this for the first time tonight. (... or the first time since a very long time ago). It speak volumes in such an understated, simple way. Carl Sagan's famous 'The Pale Blue Dot' speech."
You can find more rescued green diaries below the orange garden layout.
Critters & the Great Outdoors
Gray Wolf Relisted Western Great Lakes—by ban nock: "In a surprise ruling issued late Friday a federal judge relisted under the Endangered Species Act all wolves in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Usually it takes the lawyers a couple days to go over these decisions and figure out exactly what is said in the 100-plus-page ruling, and even more time trying to guess where it will eventually lead. In the short term there should be no effect on either wolves or other wildlife in the Western Great Lakes, (WGL). The annual hunts are past, and so few wolves were harvested that populations were expanding anyway. Wolf advocates though surprised have been appreciative of what is a "win" for their side. David Mech America's widely accepted leading wolf researcher and founder of the International Wolf Center said of the ruling, "It sure is going to surprise a lot of people, especially wolf biologists.’’ Star Tribune Unfiltered comments coming as they did Friday evening after the sun had crossed the yardarm, from directors of conservation orgs and state wildlife agencies were less sanguine."
Candystick (Allotropa virgata) in bloom
The Yearly Bucket - The Best of 2014—by
Milly Watt: "
10. Surveying Chum. This fall, I got the opportunity to help with the Chum salmon survey being done by the North Olympic Salmon Coalition (NOSC) on Chimacum Creek, here on the NE corner of the Olympic Peninsula. Walking through the creek in chest-high waders with live salmon swimming around our legs was an incredible experience. It was also rewarding to know that we were contributing data about this year's run of spawning Chum.
8. Late summer wildflowers on Hurricane Ridge. We regularly take a couple of trips each summer up to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park to see wildflowers. I've made it a project to try and collect enough data to be able to compare different years and have some expectation for what might be blooming at different times during the short summer season.
6. Humpback whale off Westport. Matching mole proposed a pelagic birding boat tour out of Westport WA. Not surprisingly, many of my 2014 highlights come from that trip. I'd seen Humpback whales before in Alaska, but these were the first I'd seen in WA waters.They put on quite a show for us. […]
2. Chocolate lillies at Hurricane Ridge. On our first-of-the-season wildflower walk up at Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park, I had my first sighting of the Fritillaria affinis. I imagine that it has been blooming on previous hikes, but I've never seen it before. You really need to be looking for it since it doesn't stand out in bright colors. It is also known as Mission bells and Checker lily."
Dawn Chorus: Where's my pear tree?—by lineatus: "California partridges make do sans fruit trees as best they can. Yup, you might be able to tell that I'm behind schedule again. This is my first year as a real compiler for our Christmas Count, and wouldn't you know it - our signups are about 50% higher than last year. Putting together assignments is taking way longer than planned!"
The Daily Bucket - using eBird, a global citizen-science resource—by
OceanDiver: "A while ago the question arose in the comments of a Bucket whether it is complicated to access and contribute bird observations at eBird, after several folks referred to it as being a handy tool for bird watchers. eBird is a citizen science project, meaning a database of observations from volunteers using specific protocols, and it is large enough for the observations to be useful to bird watchers. You might ask whether data gathered and submitted by regular people over the internet is as scientifically valuable as that collected by trained scientists...the general consensus from studies about citizen science reliability […] is that their larger sample size compensates for possible data inaccuracy, given clear objective protocols, redundancy and a large number of observations. eBird is a project of Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which also runs Project FeederWatch and others. The Audubon Society runs the Christmas Bird Count, the longest running citizen science project in the world. There are many other citizen science projects out there, from butterflies to moon craters. I find the eBird website nicely set up for both participating and for reference, so here's a brief rundown on using it."
Daily Bucket: A Gallery of Ibis...Ibises...Ibii...—by Lenny
Flank: "A photo gallery of some Ibis species from around the world. What the heck DO you call a group of ibis, anyway. ...?"
Bald-Headed Ibis
The Daily Bucket - winter solstice—by
OceanDiver: "
December 21, 2014. Today is the shortest day and longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. All living things who pay attention to the natural world celebrate the renewal of the year, in their own ways. For those of us with calendars we note it today, knowing each day will be a little longer until midsummer. Wildlife and plants recognize increasing light and warmth and respond on their own "calendars" in their own time. Molting into breeding plumage, migration, flowering, aquatic blooms, sweetening of fruits, basking in the sun. The sun's energy fuels life on earth. In recognition of this fundamental reality of our world, I celebrate. Here are a few photos that evoke that feeling for me. Light and life."
❄ frozen creek revisited ❄—by blueyedace2:
The Daily Bucket: A Giant Falls to Earth—by
PHScott: "I've been looking out the window a lot this week, the ever constant rain, 1/2" to start the week, 4.2" yesterday, 2.5" overnight, another inch so far this morning. So, the dead pine started leaning a couple weeks ago, a degree or 2 off-center. This week it leaned more and this morning it had a crick in it, very obvious in the first photo which is why I went out. Being right there in front of it, right then between rainstorms, I feel like my backyard has given me the most pleasant Yuletide gift. Closeup of the remaining snag - maybe 15-20' high. I'll know more once it stops raining and I can measure it. I especially want to peek into all the woodpecker holes."
The Daily Bucket: Here Comes the Flood—by matching mole: "The Tallahassee airport recorded 7.44 inches of rain yesterday, the highest daily total ever recorded in the month of December. Street flooding has been recorded around the city as well as some downed trees. Currently it is warmer outside (72) than inside and, as a result condensation is covering the outside of the house. One more line of storms is approaching but for the moment it is calm. I have heard spring peepers calling and some Carolina wren song. Now I am hearing chickadees calling—probably hungry. Heard some gunshots about 10 minutes ago indicating a very avid hunter out on the water. Our swimming pool is an interesting brown color from dirt being washed into it but other than that all is well."
The Daily Bucket: Rainy Day Dream Away—by
PHScott: "
December 2014, Florida Panhandle. Rainy day and a great day for a bucket of photos from yesterday's hike at Ft Braden in Lake Talquin State Forest. It rained all night and was still misty in the morning so the wimps backed out and left us 6 hardcore hikers to enjoy the drippy woods. This hidey-hole was dry tho. This forest type is known as Beech-Magnolia from the predominance of these species. Beech trees are the last leaves to turn and drop each winter. The leaves are a lovely brown and some persist till spring while most cover the ground and hide the trail. […] Small streams snake thru the slopes; heavy rains can flood and rip away at the banks and trees. […] So this is the 3rd or 4th day of rainy weather for the Gulf Coast. We won't see the sun till Thursday or so. But all this moisture is great for mosses."
Endangered salmon die in drainage canal in Sutter Bypass—by Dan Bacher: "Endangered Sacramento River winter run-Chinook salmon, protected under both the state and federal Endangered Species Acts, are swimming up the Sacramento River toward their spawning grounds. Unfortunately, many of these fish, once one of the most abundant runs of fish on the Sacramento, are taking a wrong turn into a drainage ditch in the Yolo Bypass—a mistake that eliminates their chance of spawning and endangers future generations. Over 60 adult salmon were found dead recently in a drainage canal in the Yolo Bypass. The dead salmon, weighing between 5 and 30 pounds, were scattered along the banks and in the water. The cause of death was not immediately known, but the adult salmon were lost in a drainage system guaranteed to block their successful reproduction."
Climate Chaos
Here's three-and-a-half optimistic video minutes about climate change, narrated by Morgan Freeman—by Meteor Blades: "After a big holiday meal, the last thing the family wants to hear is you battling with your Uncle Denier about the destructiveness of climate change—rising sea levels, tropical diseases spreading into new territory, dying species, mega-droughts and crop failures. So here's an uplifting alternative. A video not much longer than the usual commercial break that points to a thoroughly positive future. It should leave everyone smiling instead of snarling just in time for the dessert to be dished out."
2015 Climate Change Forecast—by Marcia G Yerman: "It’s mid-December and I should be looking forward to the holidays and a brand new year filled with promise. But I’m worried. It may not seem sensible, but I’ve actually been having trouble falling asleep at night—thinking about what is going to happen to the environment when the 114th Congress gets to work. Big campaign dollars from the fossil fuel sector reaped major benefits, and those who have been itching to cut the Environmental Protection Agency off at the knees now have a majority in both houses. Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), climate denier extraordinaire, is poised to step into the role of chairperson of the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW). Inhofe has been quite busy lately—engaging with Barbra Streisand on Twitter—about her nefarious role in promoting 'environmental alarmism.'"
Energy & Conservation
Reducing electricity consumption I: Lighting—by kos: "Conservatives want you to pry their 100w incandescent bulb from their cold, dead hands, but very few things provide a better bang-for-the-buck in savings than upgrading your lighting. The potential savings are nothing short of dramatic, and it was here that I began my energy conservation journey. When I first decided to reduce my carbon consumption, I created this spreadsheet tracking the consumption of every single electrical device in my house. I don't expect you to make sense of that spreadsheet, it's basically my scratchpad, and I'm not going to organize it better for public consumption. But to summarize, back in late 2011 I was burning about 9.3 kWh per day in lightning alone, about a third of my overall usage. After my upgrades, my lighting load is around 937 watts, a reduction of 90 percent. Projected annually, I went from 3,395 kWh per year to 342 kWh per year. At $0.19 per kWh, that's a savings of $580 per year. And the cost of those upgrades? Head below the fold for the details. Suffice it to say, I've already made back my investment, and I've done so without sacrificing any comfort, and I'm still finding places to save money (like replacing my outdoor security flood lights with solar-powered ones)."
Reducing electricity consumption II: vampire/standby power—by kos: "Welcome back to this very long, excruciatingly detailed look at how you can save a crap-ton of money by retrofitting your home for better energy conservation. We've first taken care of lightbulbs, some of the lowest hanging fruit. But that only accounted for about a third of my impressive energy savings (as we saw in part I of this series, down $1,800 per year over the last three years, or nearly 48 percent, despite having a larger household). The next big chunk? Eliminating standby power—that continous 24/7 sucking of electricity by myriad devices in the house when they're otherwise not performing their main function. That's why it's also called "vampire power" or 'phantom loads.' When I first began looking at standby power, I was losing about 396 watts per hour to plugged in devices, for the most part of the day doing nothing. That meant 9.5 kWh per day, or 3.469 kWh and $659 given my average electricity rate here in California of $0.19/kWh. Today, my standby power losses are 178 watts per hour, or 4.272 kWh per day, or 1559 kWh and $296 per year. That's a 45 percent reduction, and that $296 accounts for about a sixth of my overall savings. And I've got a roadmap to dramatically slice that number down even further, so that I'm paying just $63 per year in standby power, or over 90 percent less than when I began this journey."
Reducing electricity usage III: the big power draws—by kos: "Welcome back to my epic series on reducing your power consumption, keeping dollars in your pocket and doing your tangible part to save the environment. If you've followed from the start, you know that my efforts over the past three years have delivered significant energy savings, from $3,687 in consumption costs in 2012, to $3,200 in 2013, to $1,900 in 2014. And with my solar array offsetting a huge chunk of that, my total energy costs this year will be around $500. Next year, the utility company will be paying me, as I will be generating more electricity than my increasingly svelte house consumes. And while some of these efficiency upgrades are pricy (the solar wasn't cheap), I've already detailed many inexpensive upgrades that can pay off huge financial dividends down the road. Today's edition, on major appliances, won't deliver on the "inexpensive" side of things, but certainly on the long-term savings."
World Nuclear Roundup #36—by davidwalters: "Where Putin travels reactors and reactions follow. In a state visit to India this week Russian Premier Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Naranedra Modi signed an agreement for Rosatom to build nuclear reactors there. Despite wildly inflated reports in the Indian press that Russia would supply up to 20 reactors, a more realistic assessment is that at a minimum it will build two more units built at Kudankulam (right). There Rosatom recently completed and commissioned two 1000 MW VVERs. Ignored in the hoopla of the joint announcement by the two leaders is that the Russian deal may finally put enough pressure on the Indian government to make substantial changes to a nuclear liability law that has locked all outside vendors out of the country’s market."
Scientific Study of Radioactive Cesium Accumulation by Salmon—by MarineChemist: "The purpose of this diary is to report a recently published study (behind pay wall) that examined how and how much radioactive cesium is accumulated by salmonids (e.g. salmon and trout). This diary is part of an series started in 2013 to communicate the results of scientific research into the impact of the Fukushima Dai-ichi triple meltdowns on the environment. Yamamoto and colleagues carried out two experiments (one lake cage experiment and a laboratory experiment) to examine the accumulation of radiocesium from water and food by kokanee (Oncorhynchus nerka) and masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou). The conclusions of the study were as follows: 1. Fish released to a lake on Honshu Japan accumulated significant radiocesium in the muscle tissue demonstrating that contamination of freshwater fish was still an ongoing problem at the time of the work 1.5 years after the disaster. 2. 90 day tank experiments where the water and feed activities of radioactive cesium were controlled showed that no transfer of contamination directly from water to fish was observed while fish fed contaminated feed were themselves contaminated. 3. Contamination of these fish will occur through the food chain while direct intake of radioactive cesium from water (through skin, gut, and gills) has little impact on muscle tissue concentrations."
How Low Oil Prices Can Be Good for the Environment—by David B Goldstein: "Santa delivered Americans a holiday gift of lower oil prices. Environmentalists can enjoy this gift as well. Here's why: Over the past few weeks, oil prices have declined from over $100 a barrel to under $60 a barrel. Should environmentalists be worried that this will cause people to turn away from clean energy and fail to meet climate pollution goals? In my judgment, no. On balance, the break from high oil prices can be good for the environment. I believe we should celebrate our good fortune if we are entering a period of lower energy prices. But we must make sure that we do not squander the (short term) benefits by weakening our resolve to transition to efficiency and clean energy supply. We must instead expand our efforts to provide a suite of carrots and sticks, new regulations in some areas and reduced regulation in others, to encourage more efficient transportation systems, which account for the lion’s share of oil use. Low prices do not mean that oil is “cheap”, since the true costs of oil include the damage to our health, to the world’s climate, to American national security, to economic stability, and to the environments where oil drilling takes place. These costs are usually invisible to the consumer. But they are real, and they represent an irresponsible if unintended policy to shift costs from producers and consumers of oil to the general public."
Renewed passionate plea: Tell BOEM "NO Shell Drilling"—by e2247: "I renew an impassioned plea from last Friday to you motivated Kossaks to make comments ("Public Submissions") to BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) about keeping Shell from extending a 2008 original lease to drill in Arctic seas for another 5 years. The deadline to do so is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, 12-22-14, tomorrow! Two alternative ways to do so are here. Contrary to public belief (if I understand just published findings) the time from carbon emission to maximum warming is about the time it takes for a kid to enter 1st grade and exit 10th grade. Burn a lump of coal, a molecule of "gas", a piece of tree, loose a bubble of methane from melting permafrost (or wherever) and 90% of maximum warming from that event will happen between 6.6 to 30.7 years later […]"
Millions of us say: "NO Shell Drilling"! Add your voice today before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time!—by e2247: " Friday I put up a diary on this issue with links to facilitate citizen action about Arctic drilling in the continental shelf of northwest Alaska by giving comments ('Public Submissions') to BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) about keeping Shell from extending a 2008 original lease to drill in Arctic seas for another 5 years. Yesterday I put up another diary that cut the issue differently. Here is a thoughtful Public Submission on behalf of 2, 400, 000 persons that was received by the U.S. Department of the Interior, agency Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), via Office of the Federal register (Regulations.gov) regarding the Chukchi Sea Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193, a lease that Shell wants to extend for another five (5) years."
32 environmental law professors say Revise the Draft Second SEIS by BOEM for Lease Sale 193—by e2247 : "This is a about a specific Comment on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Notice: Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea Planning Area, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 that was submitted by 32 environmental law professors from 23 law schools who have extensive knowledge and expertise concerning NEPA and its history, function, and interpretation by courts. National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 (“NEPA”, 42 U.S.C. § 4321 et seq.), is one of the United States's earliest and most important environmental statutes. The statute was enacted in the wake of the 1969 Santa Barbara offshore well blowout and oil spill, which was, at the time, the worst oil spill in the nation’s history. The story of the spill is remarkably similar to the more recent 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster for which were made outstanding reports by The New York Times December 25 2010 and by Nature international weekly journal of science September 1 2010."
Sundarban on the Solstice: Still Cleaning Up an Oil Spill With Spoons—by ruby red shoes: "Last week, news of an oil spill in the world's largest mangrove forest reached a few media channels but remains for the most part under the radar and under-reported. In a previous diary, Let Them Eat Oil, I take a brief look at poverty and development in general in Bangladesh. Labeled a "basket case" during the cold war, Bangladesh's large and rather congested population must share the River Ganges, the jungles of Assam, the world's largest mangrove forest at the Sundarban UNESCO World Heritage Site now covered in oil, with some of the most vulnerable and endangered wildlife in the world including elephants, dolphins and tigers. These people need our help. These creatures need our help. The few pristine wild places left on the planet are the current generations' charge to honor and maintain with the deepest respect for life and the utmost care. I am not talking about making a deal with strings attached that tie assistance to permanent development contracts shaping Bangladesh's 'emerging economy'—attractive to 'strategic investors' for its abundant 'human capital' workforce and terrific potential for urbanization. The business-as-usual development model that relies on prisons and sweatshops is an insult to the elephants and to each and every Bangladeshi child. The world needs to care about Bangladesh and the Sundarban reserve without asking, 'Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?'"
Fossil Fuel Emissions
Koch-connected American Energy Alliance compares EPA rule-making to CIA torture—by Meteor Blades: "In a sucker punch against the EPA, the American Energy Alliance, a fossil fuel shill tied to the billionaire Koch Bros., published a short blog post along with a made-for-AEA cartoon with the same message: Whether it’s the costliest regulation in history or the coal-killing power plant rules (that Obama’s law professor says raise 'constitutional questions'), it’s clear that the CIA isn’t the only government agency engaged in torture. At least the CIA isn’t torturing Americans. The cartoon shows a copy of a so-called EPA Torture Report, the implication being that regulations are killing jobs, crushing businesses and raising energy prices and that this is as bad, even worse, that what the CIA did in secret prisons and the Guantánamo Bay military prison. Shameless and deeply offense propaganda on the AEA's part. But given where much of its funding comes from, not a bit surprising."
Fracking
The Fracking Boom is a Fracking Bubble—by brasch: "Although corporations drilling into Pennsylvania have agreed to fund repairs of roads they travel that have less than two inches depth of asphalt on them, the fees don’t cover the full cost of repair. Had the state imposed an extraction tax on each well, instead of a much-lower impact tax, there would have been enough money to fund road and bridge repair without additional taxes for motorists. Every state with shale oil but Pennsylvania has an extraction tax. Gov.-elect Tom Wolf, who supports fracking, says he wants the state to begin to impose those extraction taxes. The politicians, who benefitted from campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry, claim the industry—and all its jobs—will leave the state if the taxes are too high. There are several realities the oil/gas industry knows, but the politicians, chambers of commerce, and those who believe everything politicians and corporations tell them don’t know or won’t publicly admit knowing. First—As long as it’s economical to mine the gas, the industry won’t leave the state, even if they have to pay a 5 percent extraction tax, which is at the low end of taxes charged by other states. Second—Tthe expected $1 billion in extraction tax per year, even if the legislature approves, should not be expected. The industry has already found most of the 'sweet spots,' and production will likely fall off in 2015, leading to less income to the state and to leaseholders."
Santa Arrested at Seneca Lake protesting Fracking—by windsong01: "Yesterday morning nine people dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus and their elves were arrested and charged with trespassing as they blockaded the gas storage facility, owned by Texas-based Crestwood Midstream, located on the shore of Seneca Lake in upstate New York. The project the group was protesting will store pressurized methane in abandoned salt caverns much like the Bayou Corne sinkhole that was created from a collapsed underground salt dome cavern operated by Texas Brine Company and owned by Occidental Petroleum. The Crestwood Project had faced tremendous public opposition due to unresolved questions about geological instabilities issues similar in nature to the Bayou Corne Sinkhole along with concerns about lake contamination. But Don’t worry, Santa assured us that he will be out of jail in time for Christmas said as he was being handcuffed …"
Why the frackers suck so bad at fracking—by TXSharon: "And suddenly there was Chris Faulkner. He just appeared oozed like an oily fog without the little cat feet onto the fracking scene. Who is he and where did he come from were questions asked. Real oil men don't just materialize, they are bred and raised or, at least, groomed. Chris Faulkner of Breitling Energy: Who are you? As I have many times before, I sought The Caterpillar. The Caterpillar sent me to Google where I learned from Rip Off Report that Faulkner owned CI Host, a web hosting company that is generally not held in high regard. There is something about not paying for marketing merchandise and something else about a lawsuit for damaging a house he leased. The damage was assessed at $18,498.00 and $658 to clean the yard. (Good heavens! How dirty would a yard be to cost that much to clean.) Faulkner appealed the trial court decision but it was upheld under appeal."
Florida Public Service Commission Urged to Reject Venture-Fracking Scheme—by jtietz: "Florida's Public Service Commission (PSC) has the opportunity to act in the best interests of Florida's environment and its citizens. The PSC is the agency tasked with regulating fees and rates charged by utilities that operate in the state. Florida Power and Light is petitioning the PSC to be allowed to charge customers for its pursuit of environmentally damaging fracking projects. […] Readers will recall that Duke has already benefited from the state allowing it to collect fees from customers for a failed nuclear powered electric plant in Levy County. As reported in the Tampa Bay Times, critics find the fracking proposal similar to the Levy county deal, which cost Duke's customers $1.5 billion. So do we. We also agree with Mark Cooper (from the Vermont Law School), who observes that granting the request of FPL and Duke is a form of 'national socialism,' in which the power companies are given government sanction to force rate-payers to assume the corporations' risk. We urge the Florida Public Service Commission to reject FPL's request to charge customers for venture-fracking projects. This is the right course of action for the citizens of Florida and the environment."
Keystone XL & Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
Keystone XL gets presidential seal of disapproval—by VL Baker: "This past Friday at President Obama's last press conference of the year he made his strongest statements yet against approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. This president will enjoy watching the Republican heads explode when he rejects the pipeline; and so will I. Some highlights from the press conference: 'There's been this tendency to really hype this thing as some magic formula to what ails the US economy but it is hard to see on paper where exactly they're getting their information from.' —President Obama on Keystone XL 12/19. 'At issue on Keystone is not American oil, it is Canadian oil that is drawn out of tar sands in Canada. That oil currently is being shipped through rail or trucks, and it would save Canadian oil companies and the Canadian oil industry an enormous amount of money if they could simply pipe it all the way through the United State down to the Gulf. Once that oil gets to the Gulf, it is then entering into the world market and it would be sold all around the world. … There is very little impact, nominal impact, on U.S. gas prices, what the average American consumer cares about, by having this pipeline come through."
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
US will export its health killing, climate killing industrial agriculture to Cuba—by VL Baker: "Big US corporate agri-business can't wait to get their hands on Cuba. They want to open up the market for its industrialized health killing and climate killing, unregulated, over processed, antibiotic and hormone laced, pesticide soaked crap. Since the early 1990's Cuba has been a model for sustainable agriculture. Although the circumstances which led to Cuba's transition to a local, sustainable agriculture model began through no choice of their own, they have taken the issue and through perseverance and necessity have become an international beacon to those wanting to learn how to transition to a sustainable agriculture future. Studies by the UN have shown that a local sustainable food production model is the path to helping solve our climate issues and prepare us for the larger mass of humanity our planet will have to house by 2050."
Saturday Morning Garden Blogging vol. 10.44: Hawaiian Gardens—by blue jersey mom: "Good morning, gardeners. I hope that you are all enjoying the holiday season. Right now, almost nothing is happening in my garden in central NJ. I am beginning to receive seed catalogs in the mail, and I am starting to plan next summer's garden. Blue jersey dad and I are headed back to Turkey in late July and August, so I need to focus on spring crops and plants that will mature early in the summer. Since blue jersey dad and I came home from our archaeological field work the day before school started in September, we decided that we needed a vacation. We cashed in our frequent flyer miles and spent a few days in Hawai'i on the Big Island before the Christmas holidays. Here are some pictures of the Hawaiian gardens. The garden honoring Lili'uokalani, the last queen of the Hawaiian kingdom, is located in Hilo Bay. It is a lovely formal garden that was a short walk from our hotel."
Transportation & Infrastructure
Infrastructure advances in the rest-of-the-world will blow your mind.—by james321: "While we're "debating" torture, access to basic health care and the veracity of climate change, the rest-of-the-world is simply advancing transformational infrastructure like you would not believe. In Switzerland, the world's longest rail tunnel—straight through the Alps—is about to open. […] Italy now boasts Europe's fastest high-speed train—capable of speeds up to 400 km/h (249 mph)—that will cut travel times between Rome and Milan—about the distance between Washington, D.C. and Providence—to two hours and some change. […] Meanwhile, outside Eurasia, Brazil—the second-largest economy in the Americas—is choosing to bypass the United States—and its tech companies—in laying the groundwork for its high-tech future. There's a new wrinkle in Brazil's plan to build a $185 million undersea fiber-optic cable that would connect it to Portugal and help the country avoid surveillance by U.S. intelligence authorities, reports Bloomberg: The cable will be built without the help of any U.S. companies. While Brazil arguably led the world's outrage over the Edward Snowden disclosures, its ire has mellowed a bit in recent months. But that Brazilian authorities are still talking about a U.S.-free undersea link to Europe only underscores something that may be especially destructive to U.S. tech companies: Once you write foreign policy into fiber-optic cables, it stays that way for a long, long time These developments aren't just cool—as in fast trains and long distances—but they herald the end of American economic dominance; they are concrete symbols of our relative decline versus the other great nations—and regions—of the world."
Infrastructure advances in America could bypass rest-of-world—by gnosticator: "Hyperloop, the ultra-fast tube transport dreamed up by SpaceX founder and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, could be ready for passengers in as few as 10 years. In a 76-page report released on Dropbox on Thursday, a new startup called Hyperloop Transportation Technologies laid out plans for building Musk's futuristic transportation system, which could cut travel time between Los Angeles and San Francisco down to 35 minutes. The trip takes up to 12 hours by Amtrak train, and more than six hours by car. […] Musk believes the Hyperloop, with giant vacuum-like tubes and an air-bearing suspension system, could ferry riders from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 35 minutes. That's a roughly 350-mile trip, meaning the futuristic capsules would be zipping along at almost 700 mph—faster than most commercial airliners and slightly less than the speed of sound."
Trade & Eco-Related Foreign Policy
Big Meat swallows the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership)—by VL Baker: "Which global corporations are controlling the organization and forced implementation of the 'held in secret' negotiations for the TPP (trans pacific partnership)? It's becoming glaringly clear that the Big Agri global corporations are behind the curtains looking to expand their markets regardless of the environmental destruction their practices create. This is a corporate global grab of increasingly scarce natural resources of water, land and cheap labor."
Sustainability & Extinction
The connection between the Winter Solstice and Global Warming—by don mikulecky: "The predictions just keep coming. The scientific conspiracy to boondoggle people about Global Warming seems to be growing. At least it is growing louder. This one is really grim: Why is Near Term Human Extinction Inevitable? So what does the expression ‘near term human extinction’ mean? In essence, according to those scientists who use the term, it means that human beings will be extinct by about 2030. For a summary of the evidence of this, with many references, listen to the lecture by Professor Guy McPherson on ‘Climate Collapse and Near Term Human Extinction.’ Why 2030? Because, according to McPherson, the ‘perfect storm’ of environmental assaults that we are now inflicting on the Earth, including the 28 self-reinforcing climate feedback loops that have already been triggered, is so far beyond the Earth’s capacity to absorb, that there will be an ongoing succession of terminal breakdowns of key ecological systems and process—that is, habitat loss—over the next decade that it will precipitate the demise of homo sapiens sapiens. End of the world predictions have always seemed humorous to me. This one makes me nervous."
Ending Hunger and Countering Climate Chnage at the Local Level—by treesfieldssky: "There is a county in Illinois, in the heart of Monsanto Country, where one dedicated group of volunteers is going about the work of creating the world they want. DeKalb County Community Gardens is working to provide access to fresh, sustainably grown, vegetables and fruit, for all the citizens of the county. The group is using marginal land to create productive gardens that can be accessible to all. Take just 90 seconds to watch a short video about their work. If you like what they are doing you can support them by casting a vote for their effort."
DC, State & Local Eco-Politics
Overstock.com has rejoined ALEC. What's up with that?—by VL Baker: "Overstock.com has said they have rejoined ALEC to fight on internet tax increase. Let's reiterate; there is no good excuse to be a member of ALEC. Controversial lobbying group Alec has received an early Christmas gift from Overstock.com. The online retailer recently rejoined the group, bucking a trend among tech companies, many of which have recently disassociated themselves from it.
[…] Alec, the American Legislative Exchange Council, has lost the support of a number of top tech firms in recent months over its stance on climate change. Last week eBay became the latest to cut ties to the group, which lobbies for legislative change at the state level. Ebay’s decision followed an exodus by tech firms that started after Microsoft quit the group. Following Microsoft’s exit, Google chairman Eric Schmidt said his company could no longer be aligned with people who deny climate change. 'They are just literally lying,' he said. Alec denied Schmidt’s charges."
Districts most endangered by climate change still represented by science deniers—by Hunter: "An irony of climate change denial: Many of the places in America that will be most severely affected by climate change are represented by Republican science deniers. [Rep. Cory Gardner’s] home turf, one of the 10 largest congressional districts in terms of agricultural area, will likely face a temperature increase of more than 8 degrees Fahrenheit and a more than 9 percent drop-off in precipitation by 2100—among the most extreme projections for the country. That’s according to analysis from a forthcoming peer-reviewed study in the journal Ecosphere by Brady Allred of the University of Montana and colleagues. Allred’s study looked at political representation, agricultural and natural-resources land cover, and projected climate disruptions across the nation’s 435 U.S. House districts. The researchers discovered that the districts with the most agriculture and natural resources are predominantly represented by Republicans who, like Gardner, generally deny the science of global warming. Those districts also likely face the most severe climate changes. Which you might be tempted to write off as a bit of Darwinian justice, if it were not for the expected impact on national food supplies. That will affect the whole country, not just those rural districts."
Eco-Justice & Eco-Action
A Dozen Reasons 2014 Was Awesome for Clean Energy & Beyond Coal Victories—by Mary Anne Hitt: "Before the year is out, I just had to try my hand at a "Best of…" year-end list because 2014 was so full of amazing victories by hard-working community activists nationwide. From small towns to big cities, we saw inspiring coalitions of diverse groups and organizations working together to protect communities from coal's pollution and ramp up clean energy. While there are many more highlights than I could possibly list here, I narrowed it down to a dozen—and here they are. If I left out an important victory in your backyard, please share it in the comments. […] #2- Austin charts a course beyond coal: In the final weeks of 2014, the city of Austin made a Texas-sized announcement—it's charting a course to 100 percent clean energy! The city council adopted a plan that had been in the works for months, which will phase out not only the city's polluting coal plant, but also a natural gas plant, and will make historic commitments to solar power, wind, and energy efficiency."
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
Unraveling The Mysteries Of American River Salmon And Steelhead—by Dan Bacher: "The American River, Sacramento’s unique urban fishery, is located in a beautiful parkway that provides a refuge from the insanity of city life. It is my “home river” and first stream I ever fished as a kid and teenager in the 1960s. In its clear waters I caught my first-ever steelhead, king salmon and legal-sized striped bass anywhere. I have spent thousands of hours since my first trip to the river nearly 50 years ago. Species I have caught, besides steelhead, salmon and stripers, include largemouth bass, bluegill, green sunfish, carp, yellow suckers, pike minnows and one lone smallmouth bass. I have experienced my best-ever steelhead fishing on this river, even though I’ve fished the Trinity, Smith, Chetco, Eel, San Lorenzo, Klamath, Feather, Sacramento and other renowned steelhead streams."
Oceans, Water & Drought
Federal appeals court backs pumping restrictions protecting salmon—by Dan Bacher: "On December 22, a federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled that a 2009 “biological opinion” that protects the habitat of endangered salmon in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers from increased water exports to San Joaquin Valley agribusiness and Southern California water agencies would stand in its entirety. The decision by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit preserves "science-based guidelines" for managing water flows through the San Francisco Bay-Delta at levels that protect imperiled fish and orcas and help to restore the Delta ecosystem, according to a statement from Earthjustice. A three-judge panel ruled in favor of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in appealing a lower court’s decision that would have invalidated several of the water pumping limits and other protections established under the biological opinion."
Forests, Wilderness & Public Lands
Expanding the National Parks System #24- Mississippi—by MorrellWI1983: "This is the Twenty-fourth diary in my Expanding the National Parks series. Links to the prior diaries in the series will be found at the bottom of the diary. This time I'm in Mississippi. Mississippi has 7.3% of its land under federal protection, good for 21st in the country. Mississippi currently has six national forests, 15 wildlife refuges, and seven historic sites and other NPS units. This diary will propose giving Mississippi its first national monuments."
Georgia: Our Vanishing Barrier Island Spit—by hannah: "The Coast of Georgia is protected by a string of sea islands, one of which is actually called Sea island and has an eroding Spit at its southern end. Other Sea Island claims to fame revolve around visits by U.S. Presidents, the 2004 G8 Summit, and a spectacular bankruptcy soon after. Sea Island's history is somewhat significant because, to maximize the "opportunities" attendant to the bankruptcy, the new owners have an interest in selling off the real estate quickly, before the ocean takes it. I've posted about Sea Island on Hannah Blog, here and here and on Like the Dew, not because I'm obsessed, but because it's in my back yard. Much credit for showing us what's going on/down goes to James R Holland, our very own flying dutchman. Every couple of weeks he takes to the air and tracks what Mother Nature giveth and taketh away."
Trash, Pollution & Hazardous Waste
ExxonMobil Settles Clean Water Act Enforcement at Natural Gas Sites in West Virginia—by LakeSuperior: "One more new piece of evidence that everything you think you know about the Clean Water Act and the oil and gas industry from watching Gasland is completely wrong. … ExxonMobil gets Clean Water Act Section 404 EPA-West Virginia enforcement action at natural gas development sites. If Josh Fox and Gasland were correct in their claims that the oil and gas industry is exempt from the Clean Water Act, then this action announced today by EPA could never have happened because EPA would not have had the authority to carry it out. But happen it did which illustrates that Gasland is not a reliable source of information on which Democrats can depend for decisionmaking about environmental matters. […] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today that XTO Energy, Inc. (XTO), a subsidiary of ExxonMobil and the nation’s largest holder of natural gas reserves, will spend an estimated $3 million to restore eight sites damaged by unauthorized discharges of fill material into streams and wetlands in connection with hydraulic fracturing operations. XTO will also implement a comprehensive plan to comply with federal and state water protection laws at the company’s West Virginia oil and gas extraction facilities that use horizontal drilling methods."
Eco-Activists in Sanford NC fight to protect local cemetery—by skeyewalker: "PVT McKinley Johnson was a WWI solider assigned to F Co, 811th Pioneer Infantry, his is one of several known graves in the vicinity of Colon and Post Office roads in Lee County NC. The significance of this location is the fact that soon it will become the location of a proposed 410 acre coal ash storage site. If Duke Energy does not actually dump coal ash on the graves there, this location will still be part of the buffer of the toxic waste dump. The map of this location is above the fold. In addition to this, the community of Osgood, one of the oldest black communities in Lee County, will be connected to this storage site. According to environmentalee.org, Local volunteers asked people in the community familiar with the history of the area about the background of the gravesides."