This is the 525th edition of the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) usually appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Here is the Sept. 9 Green Spotlight. More than 27,735 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
Silent Spring writes—Washington State wildfires: a personal picture diary of majestic beauty and destruction: “I can barely look at any pictures or coverage of the endless wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, Montana and California, let alone natural settings near and dear to me, and so I have chosen not to post any directly, yet I’ve provided links to horrific pictures for those who’d like to see the devastation to 3 fires in my location (that I’ve showcased below) and beyond. My own pictures and outdoor recreation links are meant to: remind all of us of the majesty of nature right now during this awful time in our nation; of its ability to humble mankind; of the fact that we share this planet with amazing creatures; to heed a never-ending call to keep our footprints light; and perhaps to remember to teach our children well.”
liberalismiscommonsense writes—My journey to emit less CO2: electrify, get rid of fossil fuels: “As Irma is upon us, I thought now would be a good time to talk about how I’m slowly but surely getting rid of fossil fuel in my daily life to mitigate my CO2 emissions. My house is already fairly efficient in energy use (since it was only built 2 years ago), and I recycle everything. But I felt I wasn’t doing enough. And since the disastrous Trump election, I redoubled my efforts at ‘cultivating my garden,’ a la Candide. This is by no means what I expect everybody to do. It does require some capital and planning, and I do not expect to recoup my investments for another 8-10 years. 1. Getting solar panels. Started the process to get them last summer. Maybe it was because of the annoying Solar City ad with the bird on Spotify, or maybe the hot weather from a La Nina year got to me. Took almost 6 months from start to finish to get the panels approved. Installed in 1 day. Took another 2 months for the city inspections and for the utility to change the meter so that they can account for the solar power produced (‘net-metering’). Cost: $12,000 after federal rebate. (There are other options such as leasing). Benefit: haven’t paid an electric bill (except for the $11.75/month grid connection) since March of this year, with 650+ kWh banked for the winter.”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Sylvanus Prince writes—The Daily Bucket. Plumas County, CA. Natural wildfire and other nature: “I’ve just returned from a week in my home country of Plumas County, California. We had a bit of lightning. [...] It took many people and not a few pieces of firefighting equipment to knock this ‘small’ fire down over the next couple of days. It flared up and spread, the next day, following the initial suppression. [….]Fortunately, this was about the worst it got. There had been another lightning fire only a few miles away three days earlier that claimed several structures. I count myself lucky that this one didn’t result in a major blazer. ”
Tevye writes—To Help Ensure Animal Welfare, All Slaughterhouses In England Are To Be Fitted With CCTV Cameras: “To improve animal welfare and to help enforce animal cruelty laws, all 287 slaughterhouses in England must be equipped with closed-circuit television cameras where there are live animals, with 24- hour unrestricted access by FCA vets and backed by an independent monitoring system. This came after a massive backlash by the public when an animal welfare group, Animal Aid, went into 11 random abattoirs and secretly filmed. They uncovered clear evidence of animal cruelty which was against all of the already established laws. 10 out of the 11 showed acts such as workers putting out their cigarettes on animals faces, animals beaten and blinded, newborn calves being stomped and other acts of cruelty even more heinous. Abattoirs found continuing the cruelty can have their licenses pulled and face prosecution and jail. Those welcoming the decision went far beyond just animal-rights organizations.”
Owktree writes—Daily Bucket: Chimney Bluffs State Park: “Labor Day weekend adventures included a visit to Chimney Bluffs State Park along Lake Ontario in New York. The site is interesting in both a visual and geological sense. [...] At this point the lake is eroding a drumlin. A drumlin is a glacial feature that hold unconsolidated and poorly sorted till. So the soil, sand, and stone mix may have layers, but they are not as cleanly divided as water deposition leaves. And the stones in the drumlin will be a mix of rocks scoured from local sources and also some brought by the glacier from further away. Such glacial erratics in this area usually come from sources in Quebec to the northeast. They can be fairly easy to spot since the local rocks are sedimentary in nature and the erratics are often of igneous origin such as granites or metamorphic gneisses. Some of the transport is short range, such as finding cherts 40-50 miles south of where the outcrops reach the surface.”
Owktree writes—Daily Bucket: Mirror Alphabet By the Numbers: “As we reach the halfway point of the Mirror Bucket — we pause to give recognition to the numbers and other characters.”
Passionfruit Flower writes—The Daily Bucket: What I did for my summer vacation...”This is a mainly pictorial bucket featuring my favorite pictures during my summer vacation in Utah and Arizona. I began my trip in Deer Lake State Park, just east of Provo, UT in Provo Canyon. We drove up there to see the eclipse and had about 90% coverage. There was a lake at the campground which was used for watersports and swimming. [...] On to Zion National Park: Being a first time visitor, I was wowed by the sheer walls of red sandstone with their unique vertical and horizontal stripes. Unfortunately it was very hot when we visited, so much of our sightseeing was done via the tour bus (no cars are allowed on the main valley road to protect the environment and limit traffic). Zion is Utah’s first national park. The Zion National Park lies at the intersection of three diverse ecosystems―Colorado Plateau, the Great Basin, and the Mojave Desert. Due to this, the national park has a variety of plants and wildlife. Several plants―as many as 900―are found only in Zion National Park and nowhere else in the world. The California Condor, an endangered species of bird, is among the 288 bird species found in Zion National Park. This is why the park is considered a great place for bird watching. (I actually saw a condor when we were at Bryce Canyon, but wasn't quick enough to get my camera out to get a shot - what an amazing wingspan!)”
Kestrel writes—Dawn Chorus: If Trump Were A Bird … “We can’t escape him. But we can make fun of him. There are so many characteristics of Trump’s fractured, disordered personality and psyche that I thought it might be fun to attach a word or phrase describing him that can be characterized by a bird. Let’s have some fun. Join in with your own contributions to the theme or join in with whatever birdy thing you want in this open thread. Trump is creepy.”
CLIMATE CHAOS
chewbacca writes—NOT discussing climate change is "politicizing the issue": “I am sick and tired of sugar coating and pussyfooting about on this issue, despite what some scientists have suggested. See, I’m a scientist too, I study brains, and I get it: we are generally a conservative bunch. That’s fine and dandy when you are studying something that doesn’t have immediate, deadly, world-ending impact. But when it comes to climate change, that mentality needs to go: we need to get aggressive, and we need to get terrifyingly crystal clear when communicating the matter at hand. Because here’s the thing about climate change: it’s not about being 95% certain, or whatever p-value threshold you want to set. It’s actually much more about the tail risks. When you factor risk, the simplest model is the size of impact multiplied by the probability. The impact of climate change is so massive that even a 5% probability of you being correct necessitates massive action.”
First Amendment writes—Neil deGrasse Tyson, In One Brilliant Tweet, Destroys Climate Change Deniers Favorite Argument: “Scientists are in cahoots with each other. That’s either pure stupidity to believe or those folks arguing Climate Change doesn’t exist are practicing willful blindness. This argument is one of many deniers use to argue Climate Change doesn’t exist. In the meantime, human activity continues to exacerbate our Climate Change crisis. Witness, for the first time ever, two Atlantic Category 4 hurricanes making landfall in the United States in the same year. Neil deGrasse Tyson destroys their uninformed argument in 1 brilliant Tweet.”
AlanC writes—Florida was never supposed to be prime real estate. Is the borrowed time running out? “Great article from Michael Grunwald in Politico Magazine: ‘A Requiem for Florida, the Paradise That Should Never Have Been.’ He cites some really interesting history, noting that descriptions in the 1830s called Florida a muggy, swampy hellhole of a place. The consensus among the soldiers was that the U.S. should just leave the area to the Indians and the mosquitoes; as one general put it, ‘could not wish them all a worse place.’ Or as one lieutenant complained: “Millions of money has been expended to gain this most barren, swampy, and good-for-nothing peninsula.” But someone saw a chance to make money, so of course money had to be made, right? It’s the American way. But now the consequences are becoming evident. Most South Floridians don’t think much about climate change, either, even though it’s creating more intense storms, even though the rising seas around Miami Beach now flood low-lying neighborhoods on sunny days during high tide. People tend not to think too much about existential threats to the places they live. They just live.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—The Story That Never Ends: Trump Draining The Swamp Right Into The Government: “Another day, another round of troubling Trump staffing stories. But you can help, dear reader. In addition to the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee nominations we highlighted a couple weeks ago, E&E reports that the larger Science Advisory Board (SAB) is now open for comment. There’s 132 candidatesto sift through, but here are some highlights (or rather, lowlifes) you should consider warning carpenter.thomas@epa.gov about by September 28th. There’s Alan Carlin, who, as we mentioned yesterday, thinks the Climate-Industrial Complex is worsening the coming ice age. Other denierland favorites on the list include Joe D’Aleo, Paul Driessen, Craig Idso, H. Leighton Steward, David Legates, KevinDayaratna, Donald van der Vaart, Robert Phelan and James Enstrom. (Phelan and a few others got a nod from JunkScience, who told its readers to support their nominations.) We’ll have to wait and see how many of these obviously biased voices get to bring their fossil-fuel-friendly (if not funded) views to the advisory committees. But there is some good news, as inspectors general are now looking into hiring decisions made at the EPA, as well as Zinke’s decision to relegate a climate expert to cashing fossil fuel checks.”
jamess writes—Senator's Simple Explanation of Climate Change: “I heard this impassioned but simple explanation of Climate Change from a U.S. Senator, over the week-end: Ali Velshi: "[Is it important ...] for people like the Mayor, like you, who do believe in Climate Change, to make this an important discussion -- Florida remains ground zero for rising sea levels." Senator Bill Nelson: "Absolutely. And the Measurements -- not Forecasts -- show that up to eight inches in South Florida over the last four decades, but as the Earth heats up because of trapping the greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, the Earth will continue to heat up, and that heat is absorbed by the oceans. And when water is heated, what happens? -- It expands. And that’s the phenomenon of sea level rise. And that's particularly happening in South Florida." Or to paraphrase what others have said, in other contexts: It’s the Measurements, stupid!”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Climate Awareness Makes Us Less Prepared, Apparently: “The contortion of logic that one must endure to embrace climate denial is no doubt difficult and mentally taxing, like living your life through a mirror where everything’s backwards and left is right, industry-paid is independent, political correctness is scientific, and up is down. So we’re amused but not surprised to see the latest convoluted denier argument beginning to bubble up. We’ll let the Breitbart headline speak for itself: ‘The Climate Change Lobby Is Complicit In America’s Unpreparedness for Natural Disasters.’ The argument is as simple as it is stupid. Money spent on climate change research is a waste when it could be spent on adaptation and preparations instead. This makes sense only if one is in denial of the fact that climate research is what helps us understand and therefore prepare for what’s to come and, more obviously, that research informs how we adapt. How can we adapt for that which we do not know might happen?”
Xaxnar writes—About that climate change hoax...”Folklore has it that you can look at a wooly bear caterpillar and tell what winter is going to be like by looking at how big the brown stripe is compared to the black stripes. As you can see, looking at the little guy I found in my backyard yesterday, we just might be in for it this year...”
pollwatcher writes—Move Along, No Global Warming Here, Harvey, Irma; And Jose Is Still Out There: “How many 500-year storms and storm seasons do we have to suffer through before the denialists are swept away like the possessions of so many of those who’ve had to go through these disasters? When are the denialists held responsible for the damage they’ve done to civilization’s future? When are the voters and non voters who empowered them going to wake up and never support their Oligarch enabled agenda? 500-year weather events are now 50-year events, 100-year flood plains are now 10-year flood plains, and we are all taxed more and more to cover for the lack of sensible land use regulations that denialist governments promote. I hate to see the suffering that so many people are undergoing, but if we think we can drop $100 billion or more to have people rebuild and repeat the same mistakes every time the increasing Global Warming disasters happen, then we all are mathematically and economically challenged.”
stonehenge writes—Climate Change is Happening -- the Time to Act is Now: “Why is the Trump administration, and too many Republicans in Congress, not addressing climate change head on? It is no mystery to me. These so-called climate change deniers have made a self-interested political decision, rather than a scientific one. By denying climate change, they have an excuse to do little or nothing about it; they don't want to alienate their friends in the fossil fuel industry. It is not coincidental that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and 21 other Republicans, whose campaigns have collected more than $10 million in oil, gas and, coal money since 2012, sent a letter to the president urging him to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.”
Dartagnan writes—Head of EPA Under Bush Slams Pruitt's Turning Agency Into A Climate Denial Propaganda Mill: “Christine Todd Whitman headed the Environmental Protection Agency during the George W. Bush Administration, known as one of the most anti-environment Presidencies in memory. While Whitman’s faults were many (including, notably, altering reports about the air quality in Lower Manhattan in the days and weeks after the 9/11 attacks), according to all accounts she took her responsibilities seriously, and when compared to Scott Pruitt, the current director of the Agency, her tenure at EPA seems almost benign. Whitman has reacted with alarm at the dismantling of the EPA under Pruitt’s and Trump’s direction, warning that the Agency is systematically and deliberately being nullified and rendered ineffective in furtherance of climate change denial ideology. As a result, the EPA’s entire purpose—to protect Americans’ health and preserve the environment—is being intentionally undermined: The past few months have confirmed my fears. The agency created by a Republican president 47 years ago to protect the environment and public health may end up doing neither under Mr. Pruitt’s direction.”
Walter Einenkel writes—Stevie Wonder on climate deniers: 'Must be blind or unintelligent': “On Tuesday, multiple networks aired Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief. The proceeds for this fundraiser are set to go to the people living through the destruction caused by both Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida. Stevie Wonder began his performance of “Lean on Me,” with a few thoughts on the nature of nature. We've come together today to love on the people that have been devastated by the hurricanes. When love goes into action, it preferences no color of skin, no ethnicity, no religious beliefs, no sexual preferences, and no political persuasions. It just loves. As we should begin to love and value our planet and anyone who believes that there is no such thing as global warming must be blind or unintelligent. Lord, please save us all. Well said.”
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
FishOutofWater writes—Irma Hits Florida Keys. Shelf Wave & Storm Surge Could Devastate Fort Myers & Naples: “Update 11am: The NHC reports Irma remains a powerful category 4 hurricane with 115 knot winds and 933mb central pressure. A science-based storm surge prediction looks bad for Naples, Florida. Note that the water levels will go from very low levels to very high levels within a few hours as the eye passes by offshore. Moreover, there is likely to be a captured wave fetch that will bring waves surging from the south southwest as the tides rapidly rise. This will be an extraordinarily dangerous situation for anyone trying to ride the storm out near Naples. [...] Irma’s eye has made landfall at the Florida Keys just east of Key West. Wind shear, land interaction with Cuba and dry air at midlevels have contorted Irma’s eyewall but Irma is still a large powerful category 4 hurricane with 130mph winds and a central pressure of 929mb according to the National Hurricane Center.”
TexMex writes—ShelterBox diary 8: tracking Irma and in Mexico! “ Hurricane Irma is currently set to impact the west coast of Florida. Our highly-trained ShelterBox Response Team is standing by to understand how we can help the families who have lost everything. We already have 2,000 ShelterKits stored nearby in Panama. Charity Navigator lists ShelterBox USA as one of the highly-rated charities responding to Hurricane Irma. The IRMA/Hurricane Relief Fund has been launched which provides support for all costs associated with ShelterBox’s response to Hurricane Irma and other 2017 hurricanes. Donate here and scroll to choose to direct your money to Irma or Harvey in the designation choice. donate…..www.shelterboxusa.org/...”
Jen Hayden writes—After surviving Hurricane Irma, a Marriott rescue ship left behind frightened U.S. tourists: “After Hurricane Irma slammed into the Caribbean, Marriott chartered a boat to rescue tourists trapped in St. Thomas. They hadn’t been able to escape the storm’s path once the airport closed and given the airport was damaged in the storm, escaping by boat was the only realistic path out. Several hundred tourists were gathered on a pier, desperate to flee before Hurricane Jose approached. That storm ended up changing course, but it was originally predicted to hit the island right after Irma and the rattled tourists were anxious to leave. A relieved group of approximately 500-600 people loaded into the boat, which had 1800 seats, but Marriott made the decision to leave approximately 35 people behind because they were not guests of Marriott hotels: ‘We just felt hopelessness,’ said Cody Howard, a professional storm chaser who had been contracted to shoot weather footage on the island. His exit strategy evaporated when the island’s airport closed.”
Karen Rubin via News & Photo Features writes—Climate Disasters Should Force Re-think of Trump (‘Cheater-in-Chief’) Tax Plan: “Hurricane Harvey had just devastated Texas, the worst natural disaster up until two weeks later when the entire state of Florida was about to be destroyed by Hurricane Irma, as whole Caribbean island nations as well as the US territory of Puerto Rico had their infrastructure utterly decimated. And Hurricane Jose was on Irma’s tail. Meanwhile, Los Angeles and Oregon were being consumed by record wildfires. Congress had authorized $15 billion toward Hurricane Harvey relief and to replenish the nearly depleted funds of FEMA. [...] Does this get you thinking that Trump and his administration, especially EPA Administrator and shill for the oil industry Scott Pruitt, should rethink their self-serving notion of climate change denial (self-serving because it is used to fuel their argument that they can overturn environmental regulations on the massively profitable fossil fuel industry)? Of course not.”
noweasels writes—Hurricane Check-In: Irma: “Dear Florida, Georgia and U.S. Virgin Islands Kossacks (and families and friends of those living in Florida, Georgia and the U.S Virgin Islands): We Cares! This is a community, first and foremost. We know that there are community members here who are in distress and who have family or friends in distress. And we are worried about you. Please let us hear from you. Please let us know how we can help. Please know that you are not alone. Please check-in at the second comment.”
TOXIC AND RADIOACTIVE WASTES
Meteor Blades writes—Superfund sites at great risk from hurricanes, but EPA chief Pruitt is their bigger problem: “Within two decades, 1,000 sites had been named. Since then, more keep being added, with the total now at 1,342 on the National Priorities List, with nearly 1,200 having completed their decontamination. Forty-six more sites are on a recommended list to join those. But only about half of the 406 original Superfund sites named more than a quarter of a century or more ago, half still await action. One reason for that is that there’s not always an easy fix, but the bigger problem is money. As usual, industry objected to the Superfund tax and Republicans (with a small cohort of go-along Democrats) repealed it in 1995. So who pays to clean up orphan sites now? Taxpayers. And in those instances when the responsible company is still around, it’s often the polluter vs. the victims when clean-up is demanded, the former (together with their state legislative puppets) pushing a cheap option, the latter advocating for something that actually does the job. EPA chief Scott Pruitt said in May that Superfund clean-ups ‘will be restored to their rightful place at the center of the agency’s core mission.’ In a statement, he noted, ‘We will be more hands-on to ensure proper oversight and attention to the Superfund program at the highest levels of the agency, and to create consistency across states.’ That sounds great. And it’s utterly bogus.”
m2c4 writes—Houston’s Toxic Mess Is A Harbinger For Florida: “The NY Times today has an article detailing just how bad the toxic mess is in Houston as the failure of waste treatment plants and the flooding and failures of the numerous chemical plants, such as the Arkema plant, essentially leached toxins and hazardous waste across the city. Water on one of the city’s parkways contained E. coli levels over four times the levels considered safe. One home showed levels 135 times those safe levels as well as containing arsenic, lead, and other toxic chemicals. [...] As the Houston Chronicle reports, the dangers will continue even as the area recovers. OSHA has suspended inspections in the Houston area, meaning that there will be no oversight of these facilities as they begin to start back up, the most dangerous time for these kinds of plants. According to the Chronicle, ‘Restarting a chemical plant or refinery already is the most dangerous period in the life of a plant, because it entails regenerating complex chains of chemical reactions that require a perfect balance to prevent uncontrolled releases and explosions’.”
ENERGY
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
ian douglas rushlau writes—Renewable energy sources are clean (of course), reliable, and... cheap: “There is no better time to discuss the effects of carbon combustion on climate than now. That would be true even if two Category 5 hurricanes hadn’t hit the US within the span of two weeks, with a third in the Atlantic approaching Category 5 strength. Because the warming of the planet represents an existential threat to every living creature on the planet (including humans), right now. [...] The UK government today awarded contracts worth £176m to 11 low-carbon electricity schemes, with offshore wind the big winner. These projects will generate nearly 3% of UK electricity demand. Two offshore wind schemes won contracts at record-lows of £57.50 per megawatt hour (MWh). This puts them among the cheapest new sources of electricity generation in the UK, joining onshore wind and solar, with all three cheaper than new gas, according to government projections. The offshore wind schemes are also close to being subsidy-free: the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) expects wholesale power prices to average £53/MWh in the period from 2023 to 2035, covering the bulk of their 15-year contract period…”
REGULATIONS & PROTECTIONS
Meteor Blades writes—EPA-hating EPA chief Pruitt gets court okay to weaken or end plan to control Utah's coal-plant haze: “A federal appeals court Monday granted the Trump regime’s request to stop implementation of an Obama era Environmental Protection Agency plan requiring new pollution controls at two of the nation’s oldest and dirtiest coal-fired power plants in Utah. The plan was designed as part of the EPA’s ‘regional haze rule’ promulgated under the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments. The rule itself, dating back to 1999, is an attempt to reduce visible pollution at U.S. national parks, national monuments, and wilderness areas that is created as a byproduct of burning fossil fuels, particularly coal, to generate electricity and for industrial purposes. In addition to the visibility issues in scenic areas, particulates making up the haze are linked to increased respiratory illness, decreased lung function, and premature death. States were allowed to come up with their own compliance plans. But many did a half-assed job of it, kowtowing to utilities in several states. So the EPA stepped in with plans of their own.”
ban nock writes—Former Interior Secretary Jewell Gave an Interview: “For any of you Sally Jewell fans she gave a short interview with High Country News. I mention it in case there are any other Jewell watchers out there. I really liked Sec Jewell as well as the other Interior Obama appointee Ken Salazar. Jewell is going to be teaching at the Kennedy School for a short time and then returning home. I’ll be staying in the West. Other than three more months in the East, I’m a Westerner. That about sums it up, Sally Jewell, the quintessential Westerner.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS, OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
JohnPDottson writes—Putting Public Lands Back Where They Belong-- In Industry’s Hands: [It’s snark.] “After years suffocating under erroneous and burdensome government regulation, it is evident that true energy dominance is now here. In late August, Secretary Zinke and industry’s hard work payed off when the Department of the Interior announced that they had recommended to the President that he shrink the size of at least four national monuments, including Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument, which are stifling energy development across the West. And just last week, the bountiful landscapes on the doorstep of Dinosaur National Monument and Utah’s San Rafael Swell were approved for oil and gas leasing by federal land managers. Not only are these recent decisions victories for American energy companies, but they bring the American energy industry that much closer to total dominance -- at a speed that simply cannot be contained. [...] We look forward to continuing down this path to achieve complete energy dominance, and we know that with the administration on our side, pursuing our wish lists, the number of places off-limits to development will continue to shrink and our businesses and paychecks will continue to grow. As each day passes, and as more public lands are put back in industry’s hands where they belong, we are getting closer and closer to achieving greatness for the American West.”
Dan Bacher writes—PEER: Bureau of Reclamation Now 'Beyond Reclamation': “The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), the group that filed the original complaint resulting in the audit exposing the $84.8 million in illegal Bureau of Reclamation payments to the California Department of Water Resources for the planning of Governor Jerry Brown’s Delta Tunnels project, today issued a statement concluding that the Bureau of Reclamation is ‘now beyond reclamation.’ ‘Three recent federal audits have found the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation misspending more than $100 million in funds but the agency has not committed to any meaningful reforms nor to punishing any responsible officials,’ according to PEER. ‘The latest audit, last week, identified $84.8 million in improper Bureau of Reclamation payments to the State of California for its controversial Delta Tunnel Project. Despite this finding, the Bureau has no stated plans to recover even a penny.’”
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
Walter Einenkel writes—China becomes the newest country to announce plans to phase out gas and diesel powered autos: “Last year, Norway became the first country to ban gas and diesel cars. A couple of months ago, the United Kingdom announced its plans to phase out internal combustion automobiles by 2040. Arstechnica reports that China is adding its name to the list of nations publicly discussing the end of gas and diesel cars. The news comes from an automotive policy forum in Tianjin. China's vice minister of industry and information technology, Xin Guobin, said that his ministry has begun work on a timetable to phase out fossil fueled vehicles. The Xinhua news agency also reports that Xin told automakers they need to begin to ‘readjust their strategies’ accordingly. For foreign car companies hoping to sell EVs in China, that will mean investing in the country, as imported vehicles come with stiff import duties attached. Unlike France and the UK and Norway, China has not put a date on their plans; but openly discussing the end of the internal combustion engine in one of the world’s largest economies is a big deal, as Bloomberg News points out.”
KellyOD writes—China: We're setting a deadline to ban fossil-fuel vehicles: “If you've watched Chinese industrial and environmental policy over the past fifteen years, you knew this moment was coming: China will set a deadline for automakers to end sales of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles, becoming the biggest market to do so in a move that will accelerate the push into the electric car market led by companies including BYD Co. and BAIC Motor Corp. Xin Guobin, the vice minister of industry and information technology, said the government is working with other regulators on a timetable to end production and sales. The move will have a profound impact on the environment and growth of China’s auto industry, Xin said at an auto forum in Tianjin on Saturday.”
CANDIDATES AND STATE ECO-POLITICS
The Tazewell Devil writes—The fight for Virginia's Coalfields: “In the Appalachian Coalfields of Virginia there is a fight looming for the future of all of Appalachia and perhaps it's the beginning of a new phase in the never ending war which is our political system. In Virginia's 3rd district House of Delegates seat the incumbent Republican Delegate who first won the seat in 2009 in the early days of the tea party wave faces an unexpected challenger. Bill Bunch, the progressive firebird of Southwest Virginia, former candidate for the Democratic nomination for congress in Virginia’s 9th district and national delegate for Bernie Sanders has been nominated by the Democratic Party to run for the seat. Bunch has spent his life serving the area as a rural carrier for the U.S. Postal service and helped protect workers jobs as a union steward. Bunch’s strong labor ties echo that of the former long time representative the late Jackie Stump, the United Mine Workers hero and organizer who won a write in campaign for the seat in the late 80’s.”
GreenpowerCA writes—Stop the Attack on Locally Controlled Green Energy in California! “California Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) came under serious attack late last week with a pair of new bills, AB 726 and AB 813, and proposed amendments to groundbreaking renewable energy legislation SB 100. CCA is a state-legislated method by which communities can enjoy greater local control over their electricity purchases by pooling together to form their own electric utilities. The current attacks would effectively freeze new CCA development in the state (wasting the millions of taxpayer dollars already invested in their creation), cripple existing CCAs, and open California's energy regulatory system to manipulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)—which Trump is busy staffing with fossil fuel advocates. These actions are linked to backdoor dealings by energy provider PacifiCorp, the parent company of which is run by billionaire Warren Buffett. PacifiCorp generates about 70% of its power from fossil fuels and has large wind farms in Wyoming and Idaho, and this appears to be a tactic to boost PacifiCorp's sales.”
Rmuse writes—Republican Mayor Condemns Trump for Not Addressing Climate Change: “Just as Hurricane Irma was beginning to wreak havoc on Florida, Miami’s Republican Mayor Tomás Regalado criticized President Donald Trump and his administration for refusing to acknowledge the connection between climate change and more intense and destructive storms. Mr. Regalado told the Miami Herald: ‘This is the time to talk about climate change. This is the time that president Trump and the EPA and whoever makes decisions needs to talk about climate change. If this isn’t climate change, I don’t know what is. This is a truly, truly poster child for what is to come.’ Regalado is right, of course. Just as climatologists and climate scientists have predicted for decades, the intensity and ferocity of weather events going forward will be monstrous and wreak damage never before seen.”
poopdogcomedy writes—FL-Sen: Bill Nelson (D), "Republicans Who Reject Climate Change Are Denying Reality": “Sounds like fighting words: Republican members of Congress and Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) are ‘denying reality’ by refusing to acknowledge the role that climate change has played in the two recent hurricanes that have rocked U.S. coastal communities in the past month, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) told Politico Tuesday. ‘It’s denying reality,”’Nelson said. ‘You can call it politics or whatever, but the Earth is getting hotter. This storm is another reminder of what we’re going to have to deal with in the future.’ As a former astronaut, Nelson said climate change and the greenhouse effect have warmed the waters and caused sea levels around Florida to rise in recent decades, which helped fuel the size of Hurricane Irma, he said, saying the issue is not political.”
MISCELLANY
durrati writes—On This Week-end of Wind and Water, Naomi Klein Writes Compellingly of...Smoke and Fire: “Naomi Klein has a love affair with British Columbia’s ‘Sunshine Coast,’ it is where her parents live and where her grandparents spent their last days. All through the bitter winter of our collective discontent and into this spring and early summer of burgeoning and discomforting new growth of outrage and catastrophe, she and her husband Avi had promised their five year old son that they would all take a break from the increased workload and stress that a proper response to the multitudinous drumpf maladministration’s solecisms had demanded. ‘B.C. in August’ they had promised the youngster, painting a glorious mental diorama in his mind of kayacking and camping, of nights enthralled under a crystal clear Canadian sky full of chatoyant blue and yellow stars, of days spent splashing and frolicking, picking blackberries and ignoring, if only for a few precious days, the troubled world they had left behind. But something is terribly wrong. The hundreds of wild fires that blanketed the North American Western Coast from Los Angeles to Prince Rupert cast a pall that threatens to ruin their holiday.”
whiffleberry writes—Short History of Fire in the Western US: “From the outset: I do not think that the current fire cycle is preventable. I believe fires will continue to intensify and this will be the ‘new normal.’ That being said I can see a ‘New Deal’ type of program that could pay researchers and workers to work on problems like these. But that would be a political order scarcely imaginable at this point. What many of us think of as nature or the forest is really something that is being constantly managed, shaped and impacted by humans in ways visible and invisible. European settlers wanted lands in the west for farms and loggers wanted logs from forests. So the land was ‘settled’ by being plowed and clear cut which removed topsoil, increased erosion, and led to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. With warmer temperatures, and dry lightning, the Western US in now a tinder box that will burn yearly in ways that we have not experienced in the past. Our health will decline due to months of smoke inhalation which will decrease life expectancy for people in the region. Our culture thought it was so advanced and superior but it was all hubris and myopia. Europeans thought they knew better than the natives so they killed them without learning anything about how to live from them. Now we want to turn the clock back and fix all of the damage but there is no going back from this, it is scary and haunting.”
TheCriticalMind writes—Ted Cruz's Porn Habit Diverts Attention From Global Warming: “The second piece of news was a survey that revealed only 26% of Americans could name all three branches of government. And 37% couldn't name one of the five rights guaranteed by the 1st amendment. [...] Americans are uneducated, and the press reports civic life as a reality TV show. Two major storms in two weeks are treated as an epic movie/sports event. Good pictures and a shitload of statistics. Looting stories and endless analysis of the quality of Trump's reaction. And Joel Osteen failing at his one job. [...] But the story not told is how the severity of these hurricanes—along with devastating forest fires and increasing temperatures—are symptoms of a global emergency. Any urgency to tackle what the Pentagon says is the primary future cause of global instability is lost in pictures of downed power lines and video of well-coiffed reporters oohing over roofs lying in neighbors' lawns. A classic case of not being able to see the forest for the trees.”
TheCriticalMind writes—Irma, Climate Denial, And Some Other Stupid People Stuff: “Too soon? Scott Pruitt, the EPA Administrator, says that we shouldn’t talk about climate change while Irma is bearing down on the US. That’s absurd. If we waited until there was no polio to start working on preventing polio, there would still be polio. The cancer of climate denial. Big tobacco denied the connection between smoking and disease for years. Put it down to a corporate addiction to profit. They enlisted malleable scientists, venal politicians, and pro-business shills to promote their alternate truth. Now the same motley crew is waging war against climate science. None louder than Rush Limbaugh. And then came Irma. At first, he called it a liberal hoax. But, as the hurricane headed inexorably toward his Florida bunker, he could no longer deny the truth. And the bloviator packed his bags and fled. But left behind were those who put their faith in this denier and his assurances of safety. Much as once many smokers stayed with the habit based on a lie.
xaxnar writes—Those Whacky Socialists - What Crazy Idea Will They Come Up With Next? Evacuating Florida by Rail? “Part of the run-up to Hurricane Irma arriving in Florida was the stories about people trying to get out of her way. Traffic jams on the highways, gasoline shortages… seems like the American reliance on cars can be an Achilles heel. (Imagine if everyone was trying to get off Long Island ahead of a monster hurricane! They do get them.) Escaping by air? Good luck. See, there’s a problem with relying on transportation that is vulnerable to weather conditions to… escape a weather condition. Getting a ticket doesn’t mean there’ll be a flight — especially if labor issues complicate things. Let’s not forget, not everyone has a car. Not everyone has the money to hop on a plane. And if you have medical issues, are disabled, elderly? It’s hard enough for healthy people to have their lives uprooted. Well, the the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) at the Worldwide Socialist Web Site asks a question: Why Aren’t Trains Evacuating People From The Path of Hurricane Irma?”