Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Here is the most recent previous Green Spotlight. More than 25,790 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
David Armiak via EXPOSEDbyCMD writes—Kochs Invest in Corpus Christi City Council as New Refinery Is Built: “As the Koch brothers continue construction of a massive expansion at their Flint Hills Resources refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, they are also making political investments in that city. An October 20, 2016, Federal Elections Committee (FEC) filing from the Koch Industries, Inc., Political Action Committee (KochPAC) shows that the Kochs are backing seven candidates at different levels of government in the city: a candidate for Mayor, five candidates for City Council, and one for the Nueces County Commissioner Court. In 2000, a federal grand jury issued a 97-count indictment of Koch Industries, subsidiaries, and employees for an array of environmental crimes. After the Kochs backed George W. Bush in the presidential election that year, Bush’s U.S. Department of Justice allowed a Koch subsidiary to plead guilty to a single count of concealing violations of wastewater testing laws at the Kochs’ Corpus Christi refinery. Koch paid $20 million in fines despite evidence the corporation had released more than 90 metric tons of the cancer-causing toxic benzene into the city’s water and air. Now, the Kochs have a refinery expansion, called Project Eagle Ford, underway to process more oil. The project will cost around $600 million, according to the Kochs’ Flint Hills operation.”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Besame writes—Daily Bucket: new ecosystem managers, a gray wolf pair, confirmed in Lassen County CA Besame: “Two resident grey wolves scouting out western Lassen County were announced by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) yesterday. The newly documented male/female pair includes a wolf initially seen late last year. Earlier in 2015, the first pack of seven wolves formed in Siskiyou County. Thus nine wolves now live in the state. As wolves re-introduce themselves into California and Oregon where they had been viewed as pests and extirpated, we need to think like a mountain, to consider broad landscapes not individuals. All pieces of a natural environment are interdependent and hold value. Scientists continue to learn more about the essential ecosystem roles of wolves and other predators. Yet some people still cling to archaic unscientific beliefs that drive trigger-itch. In Oregon at least five wolves were poached in 2015 and ten since 2007. A canid was documented by trail cameras in 2015 and spring 2016, but biologists weren’t certain it was a wolf and not a dog or coyote. I wrote about the sightings in late June. Subsequently, CDFW placed more trail cameras in potential use areas, noted tracks, collected scat, heard from eyewitnesses, and discovered the pair.”
foresterbob writes—The Daily Bucket - Larches in the Fog at Sherman Pass: “Last Friday, as I drove to my cabin in northern Washington, I chose a route with good fall colors. In the Inland Northwest, this means lots of yellows: Cottonwoods and aspens along the drainages, and aspens mixed with larches higher up. The larch species are unusual (but not unique) among conifers, because they shed their foliage in the fall. Their contribution to the autumn spectacle is appreciated by all who venture into the chilly mountains this time of year. Going northwest from Spokane on US 395, the city clutter gradually gives way to scenic countryside. Much of the route runs through valleys with rolling mountains on either side. Beyond the towns of Colville and Kettle Falls, State Highway 20 splits off and winds its way into the higher terrain. About halfway between Kettle Falls and Republic is Sherman Pass, slightly more than a mile high at 5,587 feet. East of the summit is a scenic vista that is almost always worthy of a stop. When the larches (commonly called tamaracks) are in full color, a long stop is in order.”
owktree writes—Daily Bucket: Of Hawks And Men: “Birds of prey and man live in close proximity in a large number of cities. Philadelphia is no exception to this — as Peregrine Falcons nest on a ledge in City Hall and a family of Red-tailed Hawks live in the general vicinity of the Philadelphia Art Museum and Franklin Institute. This diary is focusing on the latter group. [...] A female hawk has been nesting in the one area for a number of years. A nest on a ledge of the Franklin Institute even had a hawk-cam installed. And there are blog sites, such as Hawkwatch dedicated to following the goings on with this family of hawks. Therefore, any walk up around the Art Museum also includes a chance to see the hawks — though usually it’s at a distance since they are flying, or perched high in a tree or on a building.”
Walter Einenkel writes—The American bison gets its designation as the national mammal of the United States: “Back in May, Congress approved designating the American bison as our national mammal. The largest land animal in North America’s journey to becoming an official national symbol took six years of work from between the Wildlife Conservation Societyand our lawmakers. On Tuesday, the designation became official. Tens of millions of bison, also known as buffalo, once thundered across a range stretching from central Canada through the Great Plains and northern Mexico. After a century-long slaughter driven by commercial hunting for buffalo pelts, the population dwindled to a thousand or fewer by the late 1800s. About 30,000 wild bison now roam the country, with the largest population in Yellowstone National Park. Bison also are scattered in public, tribal and private lands in the U.S. and Canada. The ceremony which was held on Tuesday was set to coincide with the month of November which is Native American Month, and the first Saturday of the month—National Buffalo Day.”
Lenny Flank writes—Photo Diary: A Hunter Becomes the Hunted....”While visiting the Albuquerque BioPark Botanical Garden, I happened to see a miniature wildlife drama play out in front of me as I watched.”
Lenny Flank writes—Florida's Invaders: Kudzu: “The Kudzu may well be the most famous invasive plant species in the world. It has been celebrated and condemned in poetry and in folk music, and has been notably referred to as ‘the vine that ate the South.’ [...] In 1876, as part of its 100th birthday celebration, the US sponsored a Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Countries from around the world were invited to participate and set up pavilions to show off their national culture and heritage. In the pavilion set up by Japan, hostesses handed out a lovely little potted vine related to the peas, native to Japan and China, with sweet fragrant flowers and attractive leaves. It was the Kudzu, Pueraria lobata. Two of the Centennial's visitors were Lillie and Charles Pleas, who owned the Glen Arden Nursery in Chipley FL. Enchanted with the attractive little plant, they took a few back to Florida with them. The Kudzu vines found the Florida climate to their liking. In their native Asia, cold temperatures killed the vines back to the rootstock each winter, which limited their growth. But in subtropical Florida they were warm all year round, and grew freely. [...] Expanding as much as a foot a day during good summer weather (some legends assert that you can hear a stand of Kudzu vines growing) the runners reached out to cover everything around them.”
Dan Bacher writes—A once in a generation opportunity to win one for salmon: “We have a very rare opportunity right now to increase desperately needed river flows for salmon but we're going to need your help to make it happen. Everyone knows we've been struggling with low and wavering salmon populations in recent years. The drought has hit us all hard on top of a growing population, and ever more landscape being converted to irrigated agriculture. And with five times more water already promised than nature delivers, California is now in a permanent drought, even when it rains.... In addition to losing historic prime salmon spawning and rearing habitat both above and below Central Valley dams, salmon are badly harmed by a lack of water in the rivers today. In the spring baby salmon need big volumes of runoff to hide in the stirred up sediment from predators and move quickly downstream to the ocean. But big runoff flows are short supply these days. Help us get some back.”
CLIMATE CHAOS
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Guess Who’s Coming to AGU? Watts! Also, CO2 Coalition’s WSJ Op-ed Debunked: “Perhaps indicating just how awful Monday’s CO2 Coalition op-ed in the Wall Street Journal was, Climate Feedback already has a page up debunking it. And the response from scientists was unequivocal, earning the phony piece the absolute lowest rating for scientific credibility. Wolfgang Cramer said that the points made in the piece “can be easily proven wrong by referral to standard textbook knowledge.” James Renwick described it as “full of half-truths, untruths, and red herrings.” But Victor Venema, who in addition to his work at University of Bonn also writes a blog with generally very long, detailed and technical posts, was by far the most concise: ‘This has nothing to do with science.’ Speaking of things that have nothing to do with science, Anthony Watts and side-kick Willis Eschenbach are going to AGU [American Geophysical Union] this year, provided they hustle enough funds from readers to pay their way. According to Anthony, they’ll be presenting something about water vapor based on a pair of posts from July, the first of which Sou at HotWhopper addressed quite comprehensively.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Leo’s Climate “Flop” Clears 7 Million Views: “It’s apparently the season for climate TV, with three significant efforts from National Geographic, as Denise Robbins at Media Matters points out. While many were worried when Murdoch bought National Geographic that its environmental coverage would suffer, it appears as though they are doing everything they can to put those fears to rest with season two of Years of Living Dangerously, an IMAX movie on extreme weather and a documentary from Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Never one to let facts get in the way of a post, Anthony Watts has a post (picked up by Drudge) mocking the ‘Dismal Ratings’ of DiCaprio’s Before the Flood. He suggests that the ‘snoozer’ did so poorly because of its ‘stellar cast of characters,’ apparently being sarcastic about the fact that the film features boring nobodies like Elon Musk, Presidents Obama and the Pope. Not mentioned by Watts is the inconvenient truth that in the couple of days it’s been on Youtube, the full movie has been watched over 7 million times and the Spanish version has another 100,000 views.”
Walter Einenkel writes—Boss of TX multinational energy co. says he's 'not smart enough' to know how much we affect climate: “Ian Anderson is the Canadian head of the Texas multinational energy company Kinder Morgan. Right now he’s pushing an expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline which has been controversial in the exact same way that the Keystone XL was. It’s a big environmental risk for very little reward to anyone not making big money at Kinder Morgan. Canadians have been staging sit-ins and protesting the proposed expansion the same as activists in the United States did. One of the strongest arguments against expanding the pipeline is the idea that this means hampering Canada’s climate change goals. Anderson was speaking at the Vancouver Board of Trade meeting when he addressed the subject of climate change. He wants you to know that he is not a scientist. Anderson said there are two distinct paths of climate science and he wouldn't ‘judge one path versus the other,’ as he touted the economic and employment benefits of the project. ‘We won't all agree on the science or the degree to which man influences greenhouse gases and climate change,’ he said. ‘I've read the science on both sides and don’t pretend to be smart enough to know which is right.’”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
enhydra lutris writes—Great Environmental News - I think: “I received an e-mail from Point Blue Conservation Science (formerly Point Reyes Bird Observatory) announcing a conservation agreement concerning the Ross Sea. The gist of it is that the 24-nation Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) unanimously agreed to establish the Ross Sea as the world's largest marine protected area. The CCAMLR's 24 members include the EU and the Russian federation as well as the US (list is here: www.ccamlr.org/... Certain human activities such as fishing will be largely curtailed, though some fishing for the Antarctic toothfish will be allowed within a designated zone. The agreement sunsets after 35 years, but at least some protections are in place for the near future.”
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
Jason Hackman writes—Al Gore supports Hillary Clinton on Climate Change in a new ad: "Every single vote counts”: “Nobody knows the pain of falling short by a few hundred votes than former Vice President Al Gore. For those of us who watched as the presidency was snatched away from him during the 2000 election that wound is still fresh our minds and many of us still wonder how far ahead America would be now in dealing with the climate change crisis had George W. Bush never become president. It’s not too late to stop the worst effects of climate change, but the time for waiting for a perfect solution is over. We need to act now. Al Gore lays out the stakes in a new ad for Hillary Clinton: ‘We’re paying the cost of carbon pollution every single day in so many ways and solving the climate crisis is the single most important thing we can do to choose a brighter future. It’s also the greatest opportunity we have ever confronted to create tens of millions of new jobs in every American community. The choice in this election is whether we will really speed up these solutions and solve the climate crisis in time, or whether the United states will move backwards. Hillary Clinton has put forward an ambitious proposal to dramatically expand our use of renewable energy and to continue providing world leadership whereas her opponent has said that he’s in opposition to all of those things, so it’s a pretty clear choice.’”
ZenTrainer writes—Help Get Out The Vote for Standing Rock in North Dakota: “With the whole nation, and even many parts of the world, watching with growing interest what is happening at Standing Rock, this is the perfect time for us to reach out and help North Dakota. As outside oil interests, with the help of current government officials, try to steamroll a pipeline past citizens and the First People of North Dakota, it’s a chance for us to go into action. There are people running for office in North Dakota who would not have allowed this in the first place, would have stopped it in the second place and never would have let peaceful protesters be attacked in the third place.”
Dan Bacher writes—Tom Steyer's Group and Western States Petroleum Association Lead CA Lobbyist Spending: “The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) usually captures the top spot in the quarterly lobbying expenses listed on the California Secretary of State’s website, but Tom Steyer’s Next Generation Climate Action, a campaign committee, actually beat the oil industry trade association in spending in the seventh quarter of the 2015-2016 Legislative Session. WSPA dumped $2.6 million into lobbying legislators and state officials in the seventh quarter, while Steyer’s group spent an unprecedented $7.3 million, almost 3 times the oil industry group’s expenses. Steyer’s committee also topped the previous record for one quarter, $6.7 million, set by WSPA in the the third quarter of the session. The spending by Steyer’s group helped propel the passage of Senate Bill 32, legislation that reduces greenhouse gas level to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, in spite of strong opposition by the oil industry. Prior to the passage of this bill, virtually no legislation opposed by the oil industry in the past few years was able to make it out of the Legislature without being gutted, as in the case of Senate Bill 4, considered the ‘greenlight for fracking’ bill by anti-fracking activists.”
TRASH, TOXIC BYPRODUCTS & RADIOACTIVE WASTE
Walter Einenkel writes—West Virginia chemical spill and water poisoning settlement reached—$151 million: “There has been a tentative agreement between the two companies involved in the 2014 chemical spill that left 300,000 West Virginians without water. The two companies paying out are the West Virginia American Water Co. and the Eastman Chemical Co. West Virginia American will pay up to $126 million and Eastman Chemical up to $25 million under the deals, according to court records and lawyers in the case. Exact distribution plans for the money still are being worked out, but lawyers for the plaintiff class said they believe the settlements will compensate everyone affected by the spill — from residents who had to purchase bottled water to businesses that had to close when they couldn’t use their water, to individuals who sought medical attention after being exposed to the chemicals that contaminated the region’s drinking water supply following the Jan. 9, 2014, spill at Freedom Industries. This is the culmination of an incredibly large class action lawsuit.”
ENERGY
Nuclear
MarineChemist writes—Citizen Scientists Sampling for Fukushima Contamination in Port Renfrew BC (August 2016): “Last evening I spoke at the monthly meeting of Surfrider Vancouver Island, one of InFORM's non-governmental organization partners, to provide them with an update on our most recent results and progress. Surfrider VI helps to coordinate our citizen science volunteers who sample coastal seawater every month to monitor for Fukushima derived contamination along our beaches from Victoria in the south to Lax Kw'alaams in the north of BC. Surfrider VI is primarily responsible for sampling in Port Renfrew BC which is on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. I was pleasantly surprised by Lynn Wharram (Volunteer Coordinator and Combing the Coast BCU team lead) who had produced a short video chronicling her family collecting InFORM's August 2016 seawater sample from the dock near the Port Renfrew Hotel. You can watch the video below.”
Fossil Fuels
PhotonDemon writes—Coal mining jobs lost for ever: “The other night I saw a guy on TV who said he was voting for Trump and the republicans because Hillary and the democrats were against coal and he thought Trump would get him his coal mining job back. Unfortunately for him no one can get his coal mining job back. Coal mining jobs are lost for two reasons and they have nothing to do with anything Obama or the democrats did. The main reason is coal is more and more mined by machine needing fewer and fewer workers. Second, fracking has made domestic oil and gas plentiful and cheap. I think we now import less oil and even export some. And if it wasn't against the law we would export natural gas.”
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
Mary Anne Hitt writes—Floridians want more solar in the Sunshine State—Vote NO on Amendment 1: “Florida’s utility companies are spending tens of millions of dollars backing this amendment saying it’ll make solar more prevalent, but a huge and diverse coalition of groups - from environmental organizations like Sierra Club to consumer groups to solar industry trade associations - are calling the industry’s bluff. The Emmy-award winning climate series Years of Living Dangerously chronicled this drama in their season premiere on the National Geographic channel this week - click here to watch a behind the scenes video about the Florida ballot fight. In a dramatic turn of events, leaked recordings exposed the devious plot. The New York Times and Miami Herald have uncovered some of the shady dealings behind the scenes by the state’s utility companies.”
Ismay writes—Amendment 1 Florida is Deceptive! Don't Fall For It!
Pipelines & Other Oil and Gas Transport
e2247 writes—Sanders to President: Intervene in Dakota Access Pipeline Dispute; letter from Arvol Looking Horse: “ Friday, October 28, 2016 — Press Release: BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 28 — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sent a letter to President Barack Obama Friday requesting he intervene to protect Native Americans peacefully protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. ...[...]...more...[...]... To read the letter, click here. @POTUS must take all appropriate measures to protect the safety of the peaceful protesters gathered to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline. — source: Bernie Sanders @SenSanders. Friday, 10-28-16 — letter to Obama from Načá (Chief) Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle ‘You told us that you realized our treaties were violated and you would address these violations against our people if you became President. This was your Word.’”
Jen Hayden writes—GRAPHIC VIDEO: Reporter is shot by police while interviewing a Standing Rock protester: “Reporter Erin Schroder was interviewing a Standing Rock protester across the river from a line of police in riot gear when she found herself on the wrong end of a rubber bullet. Without any provocation whatsoever, a police officer fired on her and protesters. WARNING—GRAPHIC VIDEO. Erin Schroder shared her horrifying account on Facebook.”
Mel Reeves writes—Oregon, Standing Rock and Manifest Destiny: ”The treatment of the Oregon occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon and the Standing Rock protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) by the US government, again highlight the double standard when it comes to the treatment of Colored folks and Whites. But at the heart of the different responses to the protests (one is pandered to and the other is violently resisted) they share in common something equally sinister: profiteering.The Oregon occupation at bottom is about the exploitation of public property for private profit and the DAPL is about exploiting the environment (no matter the cost,in this case the Standing Rock water supply) for private profit. [...] The disparate treatment of the two protests reveals that those who run this country still have no respect for Indians, their culture or their land. This presents an opportunity for all justice loving peace loving and environmental conscious people to show solidarity with those who are ultimately fighting the same enemy the greedy rapacious power structure and its corporate partners.”
dcrowe writes—Striking a blow in Texas for #NoDAPL: “Today, I joined about 200 people to rally in outside a meeting of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission in Austin to express our solidarity with the water protectors at Standing Rock and to protest the presence of Kelcy Warren, CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, on the commission. Energy Transfer Partners is the company constructing the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota, as well as the Comanche Trail and Trans Pecos pipelines in West Texas. The protest was organized by the Austin Environmental Justice Team. We won two surprise concessions: Warren and another commissioner recused themselves from a vote on pipeline construction in East Texas after we called out their conflict of interest, and Warren committed to meet with representatives of the Society of Native Nations about the destruction and desecration of Native sacred burial grounds. The local FOX affiliate put together a surprisingly good segment explaining the action, as did the Texas Observer’s Naveena Sadasivam. Instead of just rehashing the details related in those pieces, I’ll just share a few quick observations as an attendee.”
JoanMar writes—Solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. We Stand with the Water Protectors #NoDAPL #StDD: “If you were to judge by news report you’d never guess that there’s a fierce struggle going on in North Dakota right at this very minute. They have had no breaking news banners on cable news, little to no attention from the networks, but the Standing Rock Sioux tribe have been putting up a valiant fight for Mother Earth and a clean water supply. Indigenous people — and their allies — from all over North America have joined their brothers and sisters in their struggle to protect their water source. The primary objective of this diary is to record our [StDD] support for the Water Protectors and to show solidarity with the brave men, women, and children risking life, limb, and liberty in this months-old fight. For a history of the struggle and for cogent commentary please check out the diaries written on the subject by Daily Kos’s Front Pagers navajo and Meteor Blades.”
Randle Aubrey writes—Ten Ways You Can Help Make #NoDAPL Victorious: “Want to help those brave folks protesting against the Dakota Access Pipeline, but don’t know how? My good friend Lisa Baroni compiled a short list of things that, short of bodily throwing ourselves in the line of fire, ordinary citizens can do to help the Standing Rock Sioux and all of the other tribes at Sacred Stone Camp to kick the oil barons out once and for all. Call North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple at 701-328-2200. When leaving a message, don’t mince words, but please be professional. [...] 3. Sign the petition to the White House to Stop DAPL: petitions.whitehouse.gov/...”
MINING
EARTHWORKS writes—No more mining disasters: “Nearly one year ago, on November 5, 2015, a mining waste dam failed at the Samarco iron mine in rural Brazil, unleashing an enormous torrent of chemical-laden sludge into the Rio Doce. At least 19 people died and some 700 people were left homeless. Aquatic ecosystems were wiped out by the plume of pollution that reached the Atlantic Ocean. What remains is a polluted river that locals will have to contend with for decades to come. This catastrophe was preventable. The Samarco mine is owned by two of the top five largest mining companies in the world — Australia’s BHP Billiton and Brazil’s Vale. The companies’ own investigations into the fatal disaster revealed that a change in design of the dam caused a buildup of mine waste that the dam wall could no longer contain, thus releasing the orange flood of contaminated waste. Prosecutors assert that company executives knowingly dismissed the engineering flaw in order to continue production. On October 20, 2016, they charged 21 people, including senior BHP and Vale executives, with qualified homicide for their alleged roles in this disaster. The companies were also charged with 12 environmental crimes. Sadly, disasters involving poorly managed mine waste storage are not unique to Brazil.”
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
6412093 writes—The Daily Bucket--My Illicit Allegiance: “Twenty-foot-high arborvitae once towered over our side yard, shrouding it in shadows. Between the darkness and the tree roots, we couldn’t plant much there. Over the years, some of the arborvitae (a type of tall, thin pine) died. I cannot stand to look at a dying tree. It erodes my soul. So we cut them all down, and completely re-landscaped the area, moving a waterfall, and adding a pond and creek. [...] With the arborvitae gone, the area became a blank canvas. We expanded the water feature, replanted the area, and trimmed the Comice pear tree. The pear tree had grown too tall and spindly, as it competed against the arborvitae for a glimpse of sunlight. Then we began serious landscaping, starting at dirt level.”
Katherine Paul writes—Why Are Taxpayers Being Asked to Pay to Promote a Failed Ag Technology? “Last weekend (Oct. 29), the New York Times ran a piece on how the biotech industry has failed to deliver on its promises for GMO crops. The article followed less than a month after the biotech industry asked congressional leaders for $3 million in taxpayer-provided funding to ‘educate’ the public about biotechnology and agricultural production. Congress should turn down this request for two reasons. First, the biotech and food industries should spend their own money to market their products. And second, Congress shouldn’t use taxpayer money to promote what scientists and international organizations have said for years, and the latest investigation by the Times reveals, is a technology that not only doesn’t live up it its hype, but is counterproductive to resolving the critical issues of global food sovereignty and global warming.”