This is the 636th edition of the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue). Here is the March 14 edition. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
Besame writes—All is not lost: These groups are fighting Trump's environmental deregulations—and winning: “In the past three years, the number of actions to strip federal regulations protecting the nation has earned Donald Trump industry acclaim as “the all-time record rule-cutter.” Fortunately for the majority of Americans who don’t want to read nature’s obituary while the government signs a blank check to industry gluttons, conservation groups foresaw the Trump administration’s impending deregulation delirium. Beneath the surface of this delirium, more battles against the Trump administration’s environmental protection rollbacks have been won than against those of any previous administration. Conservation victories result from the organizations’ expertise with environmental regulations and the government’s flawed proposals that federal judges have described as arbitrary, capricious, and illogical.Trump has weaponized federal agencies to undermine environmental health by gutting regulations on clean air and water, overturning bans on harmful materials like pesticide and coal ash, opening public lands to industry abuses, and modifying legislation that protects wildlife (Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Act) and ecosystems (National Environmental Policy Act).”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
foresterbob writes—The Daily Bucket - Backyard Tree Race! “For years, the Daily Buckets have featured the Backyard Bird Race. Some of us are not so skilled at photographing and identifying things that fly away at the slightest provocation. So, for the first time ever (and maybe the only time), I offer to you the Backyard Tree Race. It could be argued that my back yard stretches across the continent. But if I were to use that definition here, I would be posting pictures forever. Thus the subjects of this diary all reside on a 120’ by 200’ lot in central Georgia. They range in size from small saplings, to a loblolly pine reaching 115 feet into the sky.”
6412093 writes—The Daily Bucket--Life Springs: “These frog eggs sacs presented a vivid image within a few dys of the mating. Shingy white eggs quivered, suspended in a light green jello. Less than one month later, dense algae has covered these once jelly-clear egg sacs. Pond scum’s weight has dragged the sacs to the pond’s bottom. This is the point where I usually lose track of the frog eggs’ progress. The sacs and eggs sink and vanish. I wonder if any of those early eggs live. This year I moved the two above photographed chorus peeper frog egg sacs out of their traditional spawning pond. These were the healthiest of some 30 sacs lain in early February, well ahead of typical frog schedules. I put each sac in a 10- and a 25-gallon water-filled flowerpot, each with snails and plants. The 25-gallon pot has minnows also. Now I could monitor the survival rates of these earliest-laid eggs. I hadn’t seen either sac for a couple of weeks. Today when I looked in the 10- gallon flowerpot, I saw the egg sac trembling like an algae bubble as the tadpoles struggled their way to freedom.
CaptBli writes—
The Daily Bucket - Silent Flight of Spring Bugs: “
What fun is there in quarantine? In my Mississippi, you go outside and avoid people. Walk around, get exercise, take in the sights and live a little healthier. As a wise man (in my own mind) I took my advice and now want to share my sights with you all (within the guidelines of social distancing). [...] The weather was a wonderful 70 degrees f and partly cloudy. A light breeze aided (and hindered some) of the insect flights. They all seemed occupied and didn’t mind my presence.”
CaptBLI writes—The Daily Bucket: Balancing eggs on the Equinox: “In twelve hours the official time will come and go. I had heard the myth about balancing eggs during either equinox most of my life. My mother kept me and my siblings busy for hours, twice a year, attempting this “natural phenomenon”. In the title photo, I used several alabaster, one brass, a few painted wooden and papier-mache eggs to prove the point shown in the short video below.”
CaptBLI writes—The Daily Bucket - The quiet times of the Day: “The title photo is the first of my Honeysuckle in bloom. Soon bees and hummingbirds will be enjoying the rich nectar. I will enjoy a long season of flowering as the circle of life continues. A few other things were in bloom, or just beginning, as I made my morning stroll around the yard and neighborhood. Another thing I’d like to show is the Wisteria that shares the bamboo fence with the Honeysuckle.”
Besame writes—Daily Bucket: All together in a sudden strangeness: “’All of a sudden, nowhere to go, nothing to do, streets empty, sky quiet, just birds. trees. buildings. I think of a poem called ‘Keeping Quiet’ by Neruda. tonight I’ll call it ‘COVID-19,’ tweeted Kierán Suckling, Executive Director of the Center for Biological Diversity. His words, and Pablo Neruda’s, reflect my thoughts about a population withdrawn into itself by pandemic, as humans step back and focus on surviving day by day instead of spreading out into the world. We shift into our animalness and by doing so relax our domination of nature. The skies are clear and quiet as airplane traffic diminishes. Freeways ‘without rush without engines’ are easier for mountain lions to cross as they move among habitat patches.”
Mollytraveler writes—SPRING IS SPRUNG! “In 2019 a wet winter brought forth a spate of wildflowers throughout the American west. My dear Friend D. M. Drake took these pictures last spring around Mammoth California. Behold some of Mother Nature’s bounty!”
CLIMATE CHAOS
A Siegel writes—FFS Trump: Coronavirus + Climate Science Denial in one tweet: “This afternoon, however, Trump did an impressive two-fer in just one sentence: with a celebratory combination of coronavirus science denial and climate science denial in one 14-word sentence. Amid growing restrictions on gatherings (with CDC guidance to not have gatherings above 50 people, shared out just yesterday in a Trump tweet) and clear evidence that social distancing is the most effective know weapon in the arsenal to reduce coronavirus deaths, Team Trump gathered a large crowd in the Rose Garden Friday to listen to a devotional crowd-given pat-on-the-back for a job poorly done. Thank, I guess, for that declaration of a national emergency but a basic expectation of a “leader” is leadership. And, that includes modeling the sorts of behaviors and actions expected of all of U.S.”
Angmar writes—"There's an unlikely beneficiary of coronavirus: The planet": “It seems the lockdown had an unintended benefit -- blue skies. Hong Kong (CNN)Factories were shuttered and streets were cleared across China's Hubei province as authorities ordered residents to stay home to stop the spread of the coronavirus. It seems the lockdown had an unintended benefit -- blue skies. The average number of "good quality air days" increased 21.5% in February, compared to the same period last year, according to China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment. And Hubei wasn't alone. Satellite images released by NASA and the European Space Agency show a dramatic reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions—those released by vehicles, power plants and industrial facilities—in major Chinese cities between January and February. The visible cloud of toxic gas hanging over industrial powerhouses almost disappeared.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Heartland Cleans House After Hiring Girl Who Marches With Neo-Nazis, While Doubling Down on Climate: “Recently, the Heartland Institute fired nearly half its staff, according to reporting by Alex Kauffman of HuffPost. According to Kauffman, the organization’s (former) events coordinator Nikki Comerford said that ‘Heartland is broke’ because president ‘Frank Lasee spent all of our money in six months including the savings.’ Heartland responded to the report with a press release about the ‘reorganization,’ promising two new initiatives ‘to counter the global alarmist Climate Delusion.’ What might these initiatives be? Well we have ideas, but first, let’s see if we can figure out who Heartland cut.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—When Gaslighters Discover Gaslighting, They Don’t Recognize Themselves: “The idea that the fossil fuel industry and its denial-defenders in politics and media are gaslighting America is hardly new. The term for how someone in an abusive relationship will use lies and deception to make their victim think they’re crazy (based on a 1938 movie where a man makes his wife question her sanity by dimming the gaslights every night, among other things) was injected into the political discourse in 2016 by a viral TeenVogue essay explaining how Trump gaslights Americans. Others have made the connection to how climate denial operates: Bill McKibben wrote about gaslighting last year regarding the myth that fracking is a climate solution; columnist Robert Gehrke used a scientist’s quote about gasllighting to describe former Interior chief Zinke’s approach to forest fires; Dave Roberts described shifting GOP climate rhetoric in 2018 as gaslighting; Emily Atkin 3 years ago described how congressional Republicans were gaslighting on climate...the list goes on. The Dixie Chicks just made their return with a new song called ‘Gaslighter.’ Even the “greenhouse gaslighting” pun we would make has already been done to death.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Milloy At Center of Censoring Science, Climate Denial and COVID-19 Conspiracies: “What does the EPA’s proposal to censor science used in decision-making (published in the Federal Register yesterday), COVID-19 myths and misinformation, and climate change denial all have in common? (Besides the fact that their underlying conspiracy theories can all be tackled the same way?) Answer: Steve Milloy. As regular readers know, Milloy was a Big Tobacco lawyer in the ‘90s, during which time he and Chris Horner came up with a plan to prevent regulations on second-hand smoke. It was justified by a conspiracy theory that public health scientists are secretly communists out to destroy industry using ‘secret science,’ a term tobacco lobbyists cooked up to describe public health studies based on confidential medical info. That plot failed, but when Trump was elected, Milloy, by then more a climate denier than tobacco shill, was put on the EPA Transition team. And so after a few years of back and forth at the EPA, the ‘secret science’ policy is now open to comment. UCS has a blog post about it and a public comment guide, so please take a minute to go let the administration know what you think about it.”
Pakalolo writes—Polar ice cap melt has increased six times faster than expected and tracks the worst-case scenario: “Antarctic and Arctic ice caps are melting six times faster than in the 1990s, according to climate scientists, who are sending even more urgent code red alarms for world leaders to act. They won’t move, of course, and as a result, we can expect ecosystem and economic collapse within decades. For those of us in the first world, the climate crisis is still treated as a future threat even though millions of people are currently being impacted. [...] The findings, published in two separate papers in Nature, show that Greenland and Antarctica lost 6.4 trillion tonnes of ice between 1992 and 2017 – pushing global sea levels up by 17.8 millimetres. Of the total sea level rise coming from melting polar ice sheets, around 60% (10.6 millimetres) was due to Greenland ice losses and 40% was due to Antarctica (7.2 millimetres).”
Walter Einenkel writes—Bernie Sanders explains why we need the Green New Deal and why cost cannot matter: “Surprise, surprise! Climate change was brought up to the candidates to discuss Sunday night! Both Sen. Sanders and former Vice President Biden talked about the need to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable, and the need to bring other countries around the world into a more progressive mindset when it comes to climate change. Sen. Sanders, asked about his absolute no fracking stance, decided to give a full-throated endorsement of the very radical Green New Deal, and more importantly why we need to stop worrying about the ‘cost’ to our deficit. He explained that unless someone could offer up a better alternative that would be great—but as far as he could tell, there were no better. And while the cost may be high, it’s our planet on the line. ”
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
poopdogcomedy writes—CO-Sen: Cory Gardner's (R) Two Faces When It Comes To Protecting CO's Ecology & Environment: “Colorado’s economy and its environment will receive a huge boost thanks in large part to Sen. Cory Gardner. At Gardner’s urging, President Donald Trump said recently he will sign a bill that injects $900 million into the Land and Water Conservation Fund and directs $1 billion a year into maintenance of American national parks. Yeah, that sounds nice but don’t fool yourself. Fran Silva-Blayney, a community volunteer for the Colorado Sierra Club, called out Gardner’s record in the Denver Post: [...] Gardner voted to confirm David Bernhardt as Interior secretary — a former oil and gas lobbyist. As we expected, Bernhardt is dismantling a century’s worth of advancement on environmental protection, trampling on human health and wildlife protections, and allowing corporate interests to dictate federal policies — like rollbacks to the Endangered Species Act, handouts to the oil and gas industry, and slashing of public lands protections. Gardner voted yes on a proposed amendment to fast-track drilling on public lands with less local input. He voted for a resolution against the Bureau of Land Management’s Planning 2.0 which would permanently eliminate rules intended to include communities and the public in conversations about oil leasing decisions. And he voted to fast-track pipeline construction across public lands by circumventing environmental reviews.”
eddiemauro writes—Live Town Hall with Eddie Mauro (IA-SEN) on Cannabis Legalization & Climate Policy. Video.
ENERGY
Fossil Fuels & Emissions Controls
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Save Big Oil Industry From Capitalists! (By Nationalizing It… Then Shutter It to Save the World): “With the Trump administration supportive of direct cash payments to impacted Americans and apparently poised to push through some trillion dollars in emergency stimulus with the support of Republicans who spent years railing against just such a bailout from the Obama administration, it’s safe to say we are living through some interesting times where anything could be possible. For example, over the past few years there have been murmurs of a truly extreme, yet reflective of the science, potential climate policy: nationalizing the fossil fuel industry and utilities. In light of the fact that the industry is suddenly failing and Trump would like nothing more than to be its savoir, Kate Aronoff at the New Republic has resurfaced the idea, building on a piece she wrote two weeks ago about how nationalization is plenty American and actually not all that radical. In a piece (cheekily) titled “A Moderate Proposal,” Aronoff offers nationalization not as the industry’s punishment for decades of denial and pollution, but instead as the industry’s “best way out” of the combined pressures of the current economic downturn, longer-term fiscal issues stemming from cheap credit, and the need to support existing workers in the industry even as it goes bankrupt.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Plastic Production Is An Oil and Gas Survival Plan, And They’re Using Coronavirus Concerns To Do It: “Earlier this month, Tim Dickinson at Rolling Stone and Rebecca Leber of Mother Jones published two revealing looks at an ever-present but often overlooked problem: plastics. Leber provided an excellent overview of how the fossil fuel industry sees plastics as a lifeline in a world of constrained carbon emissions, while Dickinson dove deep into plastic pollution, politics, and propaganda. As both Leber and Dickinson discuss, groups like the industry’s American Chemistry Council and Plastics Industry Association are following the industrial denial handbook. One of their targets has been local plastic bag bans. The industry, for example, set up the deceptively named Progressive Bag Alliance (that Dickinson notes recently rebranded as the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance) and another front group called Bag the Ban, intended to fight against local ordinances banning plastic bags. Last week, New York City’s ban on plastic bags went into effect, and deniers were quick to exploit the coronavirus pandemic to serve their rhetorical aims. The New York Post ran an op-ed claiming that tote bags would spread the virus – a piece that was originally published at the industry-funded Manhattan Institute’s City-Journal.”
Renewables, Efficiency, Energy Storage & Conservation
Mokurai writes—Renewable Monday: Banning Gas Guzzlers in Singapore: “I have told you about European countries going to 100% renewables, or even Carbon Neutrality, and now here's one in Asia. Singapore, a tech leader, set a target date of 2040. There won't be any ICE cars made after 2030 anyway, and remaining ICE engines will be worn out by 2040. Only coal rollers will be trying not to get with the program by then. Even Republicans have to pay attention when you talk to them • about saving real money • about almost never having your car in the shop • about driving with no noise and no stink • about maximum torque from a standing start.”
Mokurai writes—Renewable Tuesday: Ending Coal Imports to India: “This sounds like good news, but it isn't. The plan is to increase coal production within India, and fix the rail transport bottlenecks that have not allowed coal-fired plants to get enough coal delivered. Meanwhile India's vast solar potential is being ignored. At least it is bad news for coal mining in Australia, for which India has been one of its top customers. There is no reason to assume that any part of this plan will actually be achieved. For example, last year coal imports to India increased substantially. (Story below) As I explained in Renewable Friday: India Since COP21 tl;dr India will be one of the biggest markets for renewables in the world, but insists on doing it by fighting the forces of economics, instead of working with them. The Licence Raj Lives! There are perverse incentives pushing companies to do the wrong thing throughout the Indian economy.”
Mokurai writes—Renewable Wednesday: Oregon Gov. Orders Cap-and-Trade; Rs in Panic: “Oregon Republicans replayed their favorite stunt, fleeing to deny the legislature a quorum to vote on Cap-and-Trade. OR Gov. Kate Brown vowed to implement one by Executive Order, and has followed through with measures even stronger than the dead bill. Gov. Kate Brown Orders State Action On Climate Change. Oregon Republicans killed cap and trade this year. Now, they’ll have to contend with cap and reduce. Closing a loop on a pledge she made last year, Gov. Kate Brown issued an executive order Tuesday that aims to sharply curb greenhouse gas emissions with a full-court press by government agencies. The 14-page order comes less than a week after a Republican walkout killed Senate Bill 1530, Democrats’ signature proposal for a cap-and-trade system in Oregon. It contains ambitions that are at once equal to and much broader than that bill.”
Mokurai writes—Renewable Thursday: What the Green DK Groups Do: “This what we do, many of us, writing about environmental issues here on Daily Kos, including things we can do to move the world forward. And then Meteor Blades collects our writings once a week, and publishes a weekly roundup on Saturdays. For example: [...] I am working with Meteor Blades to spread the word further around Daily Kos, in part by identifying as many of these groups as possible, and working with them to spread the word further. We encourage readers to go to environmental Diaries, and to groups that include environmental topics within some larger concern. Then you can Rec them to make them more visible, and follow our environmental writers. You can also link to or republish our work elsewhere, or use the Facebook and Twitter links that come with each Diary to spread the word outside our circle.”
Mokurai writes—Renewable Friday: Helium-3 Moon Madness: “We are nowhere near practical fusion power yet, but already the quadrillion dollar helium-3 rush to the moon is on. It would greatly increase the energy available from fusion, and reduce neutron output. That in turn would limit radioactive buildup in the containment vessel. It has often been said that practical fusion energy is thirty years away, and always will be. Large-scale surface mining on the moon is even further away. So why the rush now, by India, China, and the US? Well, there is plenty of money and glory to be had in the quest, long before we can talk about practicality. Helium-3: Lunar Gold Fever | OpenMind - BBVA Openmind. Mar 14, 2019 — In 1986, scientists at the Institute of Fusion Technology at the University of Wisconsin estimated that the lunar ‘soil,’ called the regolith, contains one million tons of helium-3 (3He), a material that could be used as fuel to produce energy by nuclear fusion. According to the study, mining it would be a profitable undertaking: the energy produced by the helium-3 would be 250 times greater than that needed to extract this resource from the Moon and transport it to Earth, where the lunar reserves of helium-3 could supply human needs for centuries.”
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
Anoa Changa writes—How BART's Lateefah Simon uses public transportation to fight for justice and progressive values: “Last month, Lateefah Simon, president of the BART Board of Directors, sat down with Prism to talk about local leadership and how to lead from a strong value proposition aligned with progressive values. Given the current COVID-19 pandemic and the struggle over how to govern and provide relief to millions, Simon represents a profile in leadership, providing a perspective for viewing and engaging in public service work that offers some food for thought. Rooted in her commitment to making sure systems are accessible and accountable to the people most in need, Simon says that the historic nature of progressive advocacy has trended toward grounding advocacy work to the benefit of directly impacted people and communities. ‘Historically, progressive social movements have pushed government actors to see, understand, and implement policies on behalf of poor people and working class people. This is our duty … social movements and progressive [elected officials] have no choice but to push for support for folks who will lose their livelihoods’.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
Dan Bacher writes—DWR extends public comment period for Delta Tunnel to April 17 in response to COVID-19 pandemic: “There is a little bit of good news amidst all the bad news about the COVID-19 global pandemic — the Department of Water Resources has extended its new deadline for public comment on the scoping period for the Delta Tunnel to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2020, and cancelled the Stakeholder Engagement Committee meeting scheduled for next week. [...] All comments received during the scoping period will be considered in the development of the Draft EIR. DWR is seeking public input on the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIR and input about alternatives that meet the project’s objectives. Comments may be submitted in several ways:
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
FlaFayef writes—Gardening for Food: “I'm a conventional food grower utilizing 'best practices'. Growing food that I can eat sooner rather than later. Which means fertilizers and pesticides. While other food production methods, organic, OMRI, permaculture, etc. may be better, they take longer and are labor intensive. I'm disabled, my husband still has a job, and I'm interested in eating as soon as possible. Let's not take the time to discuss those methods for the moment. You can be eating your first harvest in 25 days! Of course it's just regular ole radishes, but hey, that's what Scarlet O'Hara was digging up during her ‘as God is my witness I'll never be hungry again....’ monologue. First question to ask: What ZONE do you live in? Everything depends on your zone. We're going for a speedy harvest so start small and expand. You'll thank me later.”
ninkasi23 writes—Saturday Morning Garden Blogging v.16.12: Happy Equinox! “The Equinox has passed and we are at the official start of spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. The rapidly changing world we are living in continues it’s annual shift in seasons as the small blue marble we call home continues to revolve around our Sun. With so much of our everyday ‘normal’ changing around us I need to get my hands in the dirt and smell the warm earth waking up. There is a slight change to the smell of the evening air that I can’t quite describe but my sense memory perks up and I really do ‘feel’ that it is now spring. It is a faint loamy scent that smells damp like when it first starts to rain. Petrichor. I think that is the term for that fresh new rain smell. It’s that but tinged with the icy clean smell of snow melting. [...] Garden planning continues if not even more prioritized now. I’ve dumped out all the containers that still had old soil and am currently waiting on a bag of Sphagnum Peat Moss and then I plan to get some perlite and vermiculite to add in.”
MISCELLANY
Pakalolo writes—Our obliteration of the natural world’s habitats create ideal conditions for pathogens to emerge: “Sane people understand that this pandemic is a virus and was not gifted to the world by some nefarious plot from China. Trump is incapable of doing nuance. He lacks the intellect to do so and the inability even to try. So here we are. Humans are to blame for this virus and other pathogens. We have invaded into and destroyed much of the natural world, and it is absurd even to attempt a finger pointed at the Chinese, at animal species, or even the virus itself. [...] It could have been a pangolin. Or a bat. Or, as one now-debunked theory that made the rounds suggested, a snake. The race to finger the animal source of COVID-19, the coronavirus currently ensnaring more than 150 million people in quarantines and cordons sanitaires in China and elsewhere, is on. The virus’s animal origin is a critical mystery to solve. But speculation about which wild creature originally harbored the virus obscures a more fundamental source of our growing vulnerability to pandemics: the accelerating pace of habitat loss.”