This is the 557th edition of the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue). Here is the May 16 Spotlight. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
Besame writes—Daily Bucket: Deterring deer deaths is in the bag: “In a surprising twist, researchers studying vehicle-deer collisions discovered that one of the study controls was more effective than the object of the study. The cheapest effective way to reduce collisions between deer and vehicles may be white canvas bags. Of course the most expensive and reliable way is to construct an over- or under- pass crossing that can be used by deer and other wildlife. But state department of transportation agencies don’t have the funding (and sometimes lack the interest) to build wildlife overpasses at all the locations where road crossings are an issue. Also, some wildlife use areas aren’t suitable for such construction due to slopes and existing development. Death by vehicle is a serious issue for wildlife — 75,000 to 1.5 million wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) annually (this includes more than deer). It’s also a serious problem for us with around 200 human deaths per year and over a billion dollars in vehicle repairs.”
Pakalolo writes—Someone, somewhere, is releasing the man made gas that destroys the Ozone Layer: “In the late 1970s, NASA scientists proved chemicals (chlorofluorocarbons CFC-11) that were used in refrigerators, air conditioners, and aerosol cans were damaging the ozone shield. The depletion of the layer would have caused a surge of skin cancer and cataracts worldwide (Indeed, combined with climate change that would cause human skin to burn and blister within just minutes when exposed to sunlight.). ‘The chemical industry argued at the time that the science was uncertain, and more research was needed. But, in 1985, a gigantic hole appeared in the ozone layer over Antarctica, allowing dangerous levels of UV radiation to reach the surface.’ By 1987 the Montreal Protocol was created to reduce the amounts of these man made chemicals and we avoided the 2050 apocalypse that would have ended life on the planet. At the beginning of 2018, the world celebrated when scientific findings concluded that the Montreal Protocol had worked and that the ozone layer had begun to heal. But now someone is cheating and putting the ozone layer into serious jeopardy once again.”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Besame writes—Daily Bucket: Wildlife with white winter coats need evolutionary rescue zones if no-mo-sno: “Not being dressed properly for the weather is a PITA. But, we can easily change our clothes and adjust to unexpected weather. For animals with seasonal fur changes, however, once they put on their winter suit, they wear that outfit until spring. Prey animals, such as white snowshoe hares, are more likely to end up as predator dinner when their camouflage coat doesn’t match the habitat. Predators like Arctic foxes might be hungry because successful hunting depends on their winter white fur blending. And they, too, are more vulnerable to larger predators when their fur doesn’t coordinate with their surroundings. Global warming is creating a mismatch between wildlife’s seasonal coat color and their habitat as snow arrives later or not at all. Scientists studying wildlife species that shed their brown coats to turn white during winter discovered geographic havens. In these areas, both white and brown individuals of color-changing species live all winter. If we can protect them, landscapes with both color morphs may be refuges where the species can survive as climate change alters winter snow patterns.”
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - courteous gulls: “We often see gulls squabbling over food, even stealing from other birds. Unquestionably, gulls are smart, opportunistic and bold. And yet they have their quiet respectful moments too, as between a mated pair. On a couple of different occasions recently I watched a pair of Glaucous-winged gulls demonstrating admirable courtesy toward each other as they munched down on meals in the local bay. I suspect they were both mated pairs, perhaps the same pair. It’s early in breeding season; they will likely hie off to one of the offshore breeding islands soon. On May 10, they shared a Dungeness crab. Neither was being grabby or trying to keep it away from the other. They both spoke in soft friendly matey tones to each other, between bites of the crab.”
Hunter writes—Wyoming decides to allow Yellowstone-region trophy hunting of grizzlies: “It's not clear exactly why Republicans nationwide are so damn focused on shooting bears, but focused they are. Wyoming may be the next state to decide that what's really been holding their state back from greatness is the inability for rich jerks to put grizzly bear corpses in their houses—and it comes after intensive efforts to save the bears from extinction. A Wyoming wildlife commission will vote Wednesday on whether to approve the state’s first grizzly bear hunt in more than four decades, a proposal that could lead to the killing of as many as 22 bears just one year after Yellowstone-area grizzlies were removed from the endangered species list. There are currently about 700 grizzlies in the lower 48 states, total; that number being deemed sufficient—problem solved forever!—hunters and Republicans say it's time to start culling them back again.”
Walter Einenkel writes—Trump wants to make sure 'hunters' can use bacon and doughnuts when killing baby bear cubs: “The main thrust of the Trump administration’s move to have the National Park Service roll back grotesque and pathetic hunting ‘techniques’ is to allow ‘hunters’ a chance to literally shoot bear cubs in their den. It allows ‘hunters’ to shoot caribou from motorboats, while the caribou are swimming in the water. It’s pretty ‘sporting’ stuff. But as NBC News explained, being allowed to use spotlights and go into bear dens isn’t enough for these ‘wilderness enthusiasts,’ they need to make it a little more easy to pretend they’re Ernest Hemingway. The Trump administration is moving to reverse Obama-era rules barring hunters on some public lands in Alaska from baiting brown bears with bacon and doughnuts and using spotlights to shoot mother black bears and cubs hibernating in their dens. There is a balance between allowing ‘trophy’ hunting while creating a healthy ecosystem. Most people agree that it is an achievable goal. However, when one side defines ‘sport’ and “hunting” as a process by which you take away all ‘sport,; and just murdering things, the argument turns into one about cruelty to animals. You don’t get to have it both ways.”
owktree writes—Daily Bucket: Sunday Pot-au-feu - More Spring Flowers: “Some spring flowers from walks around Philadelphia.”
Angmar writes—The Daily Bucket:Beautiful skies (Open thread): Photo diary.
MEL in PGH writes—Dawn Chorus: Trip Report – Northwest Ohio 2018: “Hello and welcome to my first Dawn Chorus diary. Please be nice but do feel free to give me feedback and advice on what I can do better/differently and definitely correct any mis-identifications of birds! This is a field trip report on my visit to Magee Marsh and its surroundings in northwestern Ohio. The first weekend of May features an event billed as The Biggest Week in American Birding sponsored by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory. However, the spring birding in this area is good for at least 2 months, if not longer. This is, I think, my sixth time visiting the area during this event although I have never actually registered for it or availed myself to the huge array of planned events they offer. You can choose to spend your time on non-stop birding field trips, lectures, social events, etc. if that’s your goal. Or you can just come into the area and bird alongside many (did I mention MANY?)”
6412093 writes—The Daily Bucket--The Frog Whisperer: “For the 4th year, the native chorus frogs have returned to mate and breed in my backyard ponds in Northwest Oregon. I added a second fishless pond last year and the frogs exploited it by producing hundreds of tadpoles there, that morphed into tiny frogs by Bastille Day. This year, however, just a few frogs mated in the new pond. Bullfrogs were part of the problem. Non-native bullfrogs invaded the mating grounds and ate most of the mating chorus frogs. Then the water in the new pond abruptly appeared greasy. My best guess is raccoon misbehavior. I skimmed out the oily scum, but only about 10 of the 200 tadpole eggs have hatched in the new pond.”
CLIMATE CHAOS
AKALib writes—Oceans Rising - New and Novel Theories, that Rock! ”We all heard Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) (no, not Mel Brooks) explain to Dr. Philip Duffy, president of the Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts and former senior adviser to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, his new and novel theories on the rise of ocean levels. No, it wasn’t some new theory about global warming, greenhouse gases, Sun spots or cow flatulence, it was a rock-solid theory of ... rocks. We will let Mo explain it in his own deadly clueless style”:
Next Conservatism writes—Rocks, Rising Seas, and the Price Tag for Willful Stupidity: “In keeping with the GOP’s apparent need to meet a weekly quota, today’s public exercise in humiliating stupidity comes courtesy of Mo Brooks, Congressman from Alabama. As a member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, he was present yesterday at a hearing on technology and climate change. He suggested to Philip Duffy, president of the Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts and former senior adviser to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, that land subsidence and erosion are partly to blame for rising sea levels. ‘Every time you have that soil or rock or whatever it is that is deposited into the seas, that forces the sea levels to rise, because now you have less space in those oceans, because the bottom is moving up,’ Brooks said. Duffy responded: ‘I'm pretty sure that on human time scales, those are minuscule effects’.”
Runyonr writes—The Mo Brooks Rocks Theory:
“We should think outside the box,
Says Mo Brooks. It's falling rocks
And not those global warming lies
That best explain why oceans rise.
He's got this cockamamie notion
That stones are tumbling in the ocean,
The clutter on the ocean floor
Caused by an eroding shore.
It's an explanation missed
By every climate scientist.
They just didn't think it through!
But trust Mo Brooks to know what's true.
Though when asked he couldn't say
Why the oceans rise today
Faster than they used to do.
Are rocks falling faster too?
He's not cracked too many books,
Has he, Congressman Mo Brooks?”
Lenny Flank writes—Gopper: Sea Level Rise is Caused by Rocks Falling into the Ocean: “Every time the Goppers convince me that they cannot possibly get any more stupid, they always manage to surprise me…..The Earth is not warming. The White Cliffs of Dover are tumbling into the sea and causing sea levels to rise. Global warming is helping grow the Antarctic ice sheet. Those are some of the skeptical assertions echoed by Republicans on the U.S. House of Representatives Science, Space and Technology Committee yesterday. [...] Brooks then said that erosion plays a significant role in sea-level rise, which is not an idea embraced by mainstream climate researchers. He said the California coastline and the White Cliffs of Dover tumble into the sea every year, and that contributes to sea-level rise. He also said that silt washing into the ocean from the world's major rivers, including the Mississippi, the Amazon and the Nile, is contributing to sea-level rise.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Lamar, Dana, and Mo: The Three Stooges of House Science Committee: “But the winner for “Best Worst Argument” at the hearing undoubtedly goes to Republican Mo Brooks, whose defense of Roy Moore tells you everything you need to know about this Tea Party type. Apparently this infinitely wise Alabamian believes that silt from rivers washing into the ocean and rocks falling off the White Cliffs of Dover is what’s actually causing sea level rise. Yes, the White Cliffs of Dover, which were entered into recorded history by none other than Julius Caesar in 55BC, are, according to Brooks, regularly losing enough mass to the oceans that the rocks on the ocean floor are taking up enough space to cause the sea level rise all across the globe. Despite the obviously incorrect nature of this nonsense, the fact that sea levels are rising and causing concern even among conservatives means we can expect to see these deniers repeat their debunked SLR points, Dover and Dover again.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Sharp Story Shows Shell’s Sales Shaped Shrinking Sea Shores: “Back in 2015, InsideClimate News broke the news that ExxonMobil had known for decades about the damages its product caused. The story was huge: it spurred follow-on coverage, created the #ExxonKnew rallying cry, and, of course, inspired the ongoing wave of lawsuits. But as it turns out, Exxon wasn’t alone in drilling down on its responsibility. In 2017, Dutch journalist Jelmer Mommers of De Correspondent uncovered a video by Shell from 1991, in which the company warned of the impacts of climate change. This year, Mommers published a whole new tranche of documents at ClimateFiles.com Shell’s climate concern goes back even further than the video from ‘91, as a new DeSmog story by Mike Small and Chloe Farand details. The story digs into the documents to trace the company’s climate learning curve, starting with a 1981 report which breaks down the causes of rising CO2 levels: ‘the total emission of 5.3 GtC 44 percent came from oil, 38 percent from coal and 17 percent from gas’. ”
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
FishOutofWater writes—Kilauea Erupts Explosively - Ash Cloud Rises To 30,000 ft.: “Following decades of gentle, predictable lava eruptions Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has exploded ash to 30,000 feet. Scientists had evacuated the Hawaiian volcano observatory so no injuries have been reported. People living in the nearby town of Volcano have been warned by Hawaii’s civil defense to stay indoors to avoid falling ash. This turn to explosive eruptions was successfully forecast by USGS volcanologists based on falling lava levels in the central caldera. As lava levels dropped, rockfalls increased as expected. When lava levels dropped to the level of the water table, explosions of steam mixed with pulverized rock began. This morning’s eruption was the most explosive event of this eruption cycle and the highest eruption of ash at Kilauea documented by modern technology. The US Geological Survey reports that the volcano has quieted down after this morning’s explosive eruption, but more violent outbursts are possible as the eruption continues. Because Kilauea stores enormous amounts of magma underground in both the rift zones and magma chamber(s) below the volcano, there is no good way to predict how long this eruptive sequence of events will progress or how severe it will get.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
Dan Bacher writes—County Supervisors voice opposition at first Delta Conveyance Design & Construction JPA meeting: “County Supervisors from the Delta Counties Coalition voiced their opposition to the construction of Governor Jerry Brown’s Delta Tunnels during the public comment period at the first board meeting of the Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Joint Powers Authority on Thursday, May 17 in Sacramento. Contra Costa County Supervisor Diane Burgis stated, ‘Some have called the WaterFix a diabolical plan, bold, and presumptuous.’ ‘The Delta is a special and unique place. It is the largest estuary west of the Mississippi river and home to many historical legacy communities and towns, a thriving agricultural economy, diverse geography, and many natural resources. Those of us who are directly impacted are being locked out,’ said Burgis. ‘We are concerned because we think the ultimate costs of the project will be much, much higher than $17 Billion as witnessed with other megaprojects,’ remarked Yolo County Supervisor Oscar Villegas. ‘There is a finite capacity to generate ratepayer dollars for investment in water system improvements and WaterFix will effectively squeeze out the ability to invest in more beneficial and cost-effective projects’.”
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
Marcia G Yerman writes—Massachusetts AG Maura Healey: Protecting the Environment: “The dust has started to settle in the wake of the Schneiderman resignation. Yet, you have played a key role in the Exxon lawsuit. Specifically, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently rejected the company’s arguments that you were biased and that state courts lacked jurisdiction in the case. How do you see progress moving forward, both in the ExxonMobil case and the other pending lawsuits against the EPA? The work we do as state attorneys general isn’t about just one person. It’s about the dedicated women and men in offices across the country who enforce the law and protect people’s rights. Our commitment to protecting the climate and advancing clean energy is unchanged and stronger than ever. Together, we are advocating on a number of fronts to protect the environment and human health, and that work continues. With regards to Exxon Mobil, our state’s highest court has affirmed our office’s authority to investigate the company and ordered it to turn over documents. We look forward to continuing our critical investigation” …
joedemocrat writes—Is It Time For Rebecca Otto? MN Govenor/Senate Race & Copper Mining In The Boundary Waters: “Minnesota is lucky to have three high quality Democrats running for Governor. They are Tim Walz, Erin Murphy, and Rebecca Otto. I like all three of them, but I have been supporting Tim Walz because I think he has the best chance to win state wide. He represents MN-01, a rural district, so he’s used to talking to rural Minnesotans. In 2016, Trump came close to winning Minnesota as the Midwest and Rust Belt trended Republican. But there’s something bothering me. I’m wondering if it’s time for someone like Rebecca Otto? That’s the two copper-nickel mining projects. Two large corporations — Twin Cities Metals and PolyMet — want to build a huge copper-nickel mine near the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area (BWCA). The BWCA is one of the most beautiful areas of wildnerness in the U.S. It’s also a big tourist attraction drawing 250,000 visitors a year. Rebecca Otto is the only DFL gubernatorial candidate who opposes the BWCA copper-mining projects. That’s one reason DFL environmental caucus endorsed her. Tim Walz supports it. Erin Murphy supports it. Both Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith support it. Democratic Senate candidate Richard Painter opposes it.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS & OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
poopdogcomedy writes—CO-Gov: Climate Hawk Jared Polis (D) Vows To Protect Colorado's Public Lands From Trump In New Ad: “Received this e-mail today from Rep. Jared Polis’ (D. CO) gubernatorial campaign: Happy Colorado Public Lands Day! Our state is lucky enough to have 24 million acres of public lands available for hiking, climbing, biking, fishing, skiing, you name it. That’s a big part of why we all love living in Colorado. But over the last year, the Trump administration has carved up our public lands, gutted environmental protections, and abandoned renewable energy technologies. Jared Polis is ready on Day One to stand up to Donald Trump and protect our cherished public lands. [...] Donald Trump and his cronies in Washington are trying to steal our public lands and sell them to the highest bidder — while denying the basic fact of climate change and undoing commonsense rules to protect our environment. It’s up to the states to step up and fight back. That’s a big reason why groups like the Sierra Club are endorsing Jared to be Colorado’s next governor. It’s because Jared is an unwavering supporter of the environment and someone who is committed to combating climate change and keeping Colorado wild.”
billofrights writes—Memories of Nature's Fragments Which I Couldn't Save: a MoCo Forest Patch...and its Lost Creatures: “I received a note from some of the folks working to save Maryland’s Forests that a reporter for the Sentinel chain was interested in covering the Forest Conservation Act’s troubles in Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties — so please send him some data and specifics. Here’s what I typed out today. ‘Dear Peter: I'm the former Director of Conservation for NJ Audubon Society who left NJ in 2001 and moved to Montgomery County, Twinbrook area, in 2005. I served on the Twinbrook Civic Association Board for five or so years and followed development patterns in the county, with my name at one point put in the running for a Planning Board Seat. I can't give you overall data, but I can give you a first-hand observation of forest loss which occurred in the 2010-2014 time frame. There was a patch of forest of about 1/2 acre, maybe bit larger, right near the East Exit from the Twinbrook Metro Station Parking area, on the Red Line. It was always a marvel of survival to me, because it was surrounded by development; like a homeless tent city you knew wasn't going to last very long. I'm sure that this area was slated for development - almost all of the land inside the Beltway areas in Mo Co near the Metro stations was designated ‘Priority Funding Areas’ under Smart Growth negotiations during the Glendenning administration, and indeed the plan was to have ‘mixed-use’ condos and retail right next to the station. And I am sure that this was not the only patch of forest lost inside those boundaries; whether it was ever compensated for under the convoluted and inadequate ‘make whole’ formulas under the current, clumsy FCA (Forest Conservation Act) I don't know. Perhaps a planner with the county might have an answer.” [...]
Walter Einenkel writes—National Park Service quietly releases uncensored study they tried to censor 'climate change' from: “Early in April of this year, Reveal News reported that National Park Service (NPS) officials had ‘deleted every mention of humans’ role in causing climate change in drafts of a long-awaited report on sea level rise and storm surge.’ The report didn’t, and frankly couldn’t, dismiss that climate change was and is happening—but the new Republican tack is to say we don’t know if we are causing and exacerbating it, and even if we are there’s nothing we can do to stop it so … let’s set ourselves on fire? According to Think Progress, the NPS dumped the report on Friday, with zero mention of it by the NPS or Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and his department. The report, uncensored, has classics like this introduction: Global sea level is rising. While sea levels have been gradually rising since the last glacial maximum approximately 21,000 years ago (Clark et al. 2009, Lambeck et al. 2014), anthropogenic climate change has significantly increased the rate of global sea level rise (Grinsted et al. 2010, Church and White 2011, Slangen et al. 2016, Fasullo et al. 2016). Recent analyses reveal that the rate of sea level rise in the last century was greater than during any preceding century in at least 2,800 years (Kopp et al. 2016, Sweet et al. 2017). Human activities continue to release carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, causing the Earth’s atmosphere to warm (IPCC 2013, Mearns et al. 2013, Melillo et al. 2014). Further warming of the atmosphere will cause sea levels to continue to rise, which will affect how we protect and manage our national parks.”
ENERGY
Fossil Fuels
Dan Bacher writes—Indigenous leaders from Amazon and allies call on CA to phase out oil production & processing: “Richmond, CA – Beneath California’s green veneer is a toxic Big Oil underbelly, demonstrated by the fact that California is the nation’s third biggest oil producer and is home to huge oil refineries, including the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, that process crude oil drilled in the Amazon and elsewhere. While The New York Times, Rolling Stone and other media often hail Governor Jerry Brown as a ‘climate hero,’ the Brown administration has overseen a massive increase in offshore and onshore drilling in California, including the approval of 238 NEW offshore oil wells in state waters under existing leases off the Southern California coast. On Thursday morning in a big show of solidarity, Indigenous leaders from the Ecuadorian Amazon joined Idle No More SF Bay and other Bay Area allies at Chevron's Richmond Refinery to call on California's political leadership to phase out oil and gas production and processing in the state, including its importation of crude oil drilled in the Amazon rainforest, according to a news release from Amazon Watch. Gloria Ushigua and Manari Ushigua, leaders of the Sapara people, drew attention to the impacts that the fossil fuel economy, including Chevron's key role in causing destruction to people and planet.”
Dan Bacher writes—Report: California’s climate leadership requires a managed ramp-down of oil production: “A report published today by Oil Change International in collaboration with California-based and national environmental justice and climate groups reveals how California’s climate leadership requires a managed ramp-down of oil production. A review of state permitting records in the report ‘The Sky’s The Limit: California,’ shows that more than 20,000 drilling permits have been issued during the Brown administration. [...] The report, published by Oil Change International in collaboration with California-based and national environmental justice and climate groups, provides new data findings on the climate and budgetary impacts of three related policies: • • Ceasing the permitting of new oil and gas extraction wells • Implementing a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer around homes, schools, and hospitals in which existing wells would phase out; and • Placing a Just Transition Fee on oil extraction in the state exclusively dedicated to supporting affected workers and communities through the transition to clean energy. A review of state permitting records shows that more than 20,000 drilling permits have been issued during the Brown administration. Previous analysis has shown that, to achieve the goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement, no new fossil fuel development can be allowed and a significant portion of existing projects must be phased out before their reserves are fully extracted.”
Walter Einenkel writes—After coal and oil plants shut down in California, premature birthrates also dropped: “New research released on Tuesday shows that in a very short amount of time, communities in the shadow of the fossil fuel plants can begin to see health benefits—if those fossil fuel plants are closed down. Inside Climate News reports that a new study “found that the rate of premature births dropped from 7 to 5.1 percent after the plants were shuttered, between 2001 and 2011. The most significant declines came among African American and Asian women.” This study goes onto the mountain of accumulating evidence showing how air quality, amongst other things, is an enormous factor in our public health. Using birth records from the California Department of Public Health, the researchers found mothers who lived within 5 kilometers, 5-10 kilometers and 10-20 kilometers of the eight power plants. The women living farthest away provided a control group, since the authors assumed their exposure would be minimal. [...] A big part of that is environmental racism. Communities of color are usually on the front lines of our worst environmental abuses. Studies come out every few weeks showing how people of color are the first to receive the results of our country’s greed-driven deregulations. The majority of Californians living in close proximity to its oil industry are people of color.”
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—CEI’s Next Big Target is Apparently Big Dishwasher: “The industry-funded Competitive Enterprise Institute is out with a new campaign, urging its followers to submit public comments on an issue of vital importance to the national discourse. CEI has set up a microsite making it easy to submit a form letter to the federal register, letting Rick Perry and the Department of Energy know about a grave injustice. A blog post by CEI’s Devin Watkins directing readers to the site makes it clear that CEI is concerned with the issues that most impact real Americans: slow, energy-efficient dishwashers. Yes, dishwasherchoice.com is a real thing that actually exists. For the cost of handing over your name, email, phone number and address for CEI to spam you with, you too can send a generic email as a public comment complaining that your energy-efficient dishwasher doesn’t use enough water or power. Now, if Perry is anything like Zinke when it comes to public comments, he’ll probably ignore these responses anyway. But on the off chance he’s reading, CEI would like him to know that they have very serious concerns about dishwashers being too efficient, and would please like people to have higher energy bills and consume more water.”
Novie writes—Carbon Fee And Dividend Building Block of A UBI? “The concept of a carbon tax has been proposed by numerous economist and liberal politicians over the years. The idea behind a carbon tax is to make polluters pay when they emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and thus they will be incentivized to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency in order to cut costs. Last year a group of former Republican statesmen (James Baker and George Shultz) came out with a plan that they called a carbon fee and dividend that is in effect a version of a carbon tax. There plan would assess a fee starting at $20 per ton of carbon dioxide and then created a direct disbursement of this money back to the people. This strikes me as a way to not only address climate change but also to build a small scale Universal basic income.”
Pipelines & Other Oil and Gas Transport
Edwin Santana writes—Are pipelines the moral injustices of our time? Edwin Santana - VA-01: “If I see something in government that's a clear moral failure, I feel obligated to stand up and speak out against it- regardless of the consequences. People don't want a sycophant representing them; they want someone with the courage of their convictions, to stand up and say "This is wrong, and I won't stand for it- I'll do the right thing, even if it means I go home in November." Which is why I wanted to talk, today, about the two pipelines set to criss-cross Virginia- the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and the Atlantic Coast pipeline. I want to state here, unequivocally, that I am wholly and unabashedly against these two pipelines. I echo Virginia State Delegate Sam Rasoul of Roanoke, who called them the ‘injustice of our generation’ — the culmination of decades of political maneuvering by the company responsible for pumping more money into Virginia politics than almost all others combined. If you want to bring me an argument about jobs- great! I want to hear it! But these pipelines create no jobs here in Virginia.”
REGULATIONS & PROTECTIONS
NoAprilFool writes—Congressman Phil Roe's Backwards Vision Coming True: No Sunshine At the EPA: “Congressman Phil Roe (TN-01), while pretending to tell the good people of his district that he loves us, has repeatedly abandoned our interests in favor of corporations. Consider, for example, Roe’s repeated opposition to the important work of the Environmental Protection Agency — work that should matter to everyone who cares about protecting the purity and incredible natural beauty of our East Tennessee home. Whether it is toxins from burning low quality waste coal or hydraulic fracking, or the Clean Water Act, or the globally important environmental progress represented by the Paris Climate Pact — Roe can be counted upon to pay lip service to environmental values, while keeping his pledges to corporate interests by voting against environmental protections and telling us that government is too big and that we just can’t afford to protect our planet the way we wish or the way scientists tell us it needs to be done. Speaking of scientists — under the management of government executives whose approach has been praised by Roe, the EPA has suffered a mass exodus of demoralized scientific talent.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—ICYMI: Pruitt’s Pro-Smoking Policy Criticized, EV Attack Gets Context, SLR Denial Gets Buried: “Speaking of questionable takes--did you catch the op-ed attacking electric vehicles in Politico last week? In a recent blog post, the Energy and Policy Institute provided a lot of important context--including the author’s past pro-pollution work, which Politico conveniently forgot to include. The Guardian’s Dana Nuccitelli also debunked the bad take in his most recent column. In the same column, Nuccitelli also tackled last week’s absurd levels of sea level rise denial in the WSJ from Fred Singer. He was hardly the only one to do so: Dr. Scott Denning wrote a basic “laws of physics” debunking of Singer’s piece for USCS. Singer’s outrageous claims also got the Climate Feedback treatment. Our favorite quote from the Climate Feedback piece: one expert wrote that ‘If this were an essay in one of my undergraduate classes, [Singer] would fail’.”
Mark Sumner writes—EPA continues to block press from 'chemical summit,' Pruitt guard shoves AP reporter out of the room: “Under Scott Pruitt, the EPA has: Refused to regulate chemicals directly covered by the Toxic Substances Control Act, appointed chemical industry lobbyists to oversee a review of chemical regulations, named an unqualified lobbyist to head one of the agency’s top programs, eliminated the office that protects children from environmental threats, softened the rules on superfund sites without cause, and rejected the EPA’s own analysis to keep a dangerous class of pesticides on the shelves. So the news that the EPA would hold a two-day ‘summit’ with to discuss a class of chemicals that the EPA has been demonstrated to be much more toxic than previously realized, but where it’s been hiding the results of its analysis to prevent “a public relations disaster” would seem like a matter of great concern for the public. In fact, it is a matter of great concern. And extremely limited visibility—because the EPA is blocking the press from any access.”
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
Kishik writes—Saturday Morning Garden Blogging Vol 14.20 ~ May Musings: “It’s been a soggy week. Rain every day except Friday which was overcast, but at least no constant drip or shower. It’s May! It’s not been the best May, but it’s a better May than last May. It’s been cool and wet. And wet. Lawns are growing at a rapid pace with all the rain. And weeds. But when it rains, it’s not like you wanna go and mow the lawn or weed. Because it’s been cool, like low to mid-60s. One day it barely climbed to the upper 50s. I threw on an extra blanket that night! All the wintered over plants have been pulled outside — out into the light and the rain. They like the rain. They don’t like the cool temps. But they’re growing, slowly. My experiment these past five years of wintering over plants that are really zone 8 and up (and mostly from Austin, Texas) has been fairly successful. I complain about having to find room and drag them inside every late fall, but I like the challenge to keep them going.”