Check out OceanDiver's post.
Many environmentally related posts appearing at Daily Kos each week don't attract the attention they deserve. To help get more eyeballs, Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) normally appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The most recent Saturday Spotlight can be seen here. More than 22,650 environmentally oriented diaries have been rescued for inclusion in this weekly collection since 2006. Inclusion of a diary in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
The Daily Bucket - Suspect Apprehended and Brought to Justice—by
foresterbob: "I have mentioned in previous conversations that a large snake has been living in my basement. The snake itself had eluded observation, but there were plenty of pieces of shed skins to convince me that my basement had a nonpaying guest. All this would be fine, except that said guest is not potty trained, and sometimes the basement reeks of snake excrement. The way my basement is constructed—concrete blocks with brick veneer—led me to believe that the snake was finding its way in and out of the house with relative ease. Inside, the blocks are not sealed at the top. By burrowing underneath from outside the house, the interloper could, um, snake its way through the blocks and hang out in the safety of the basement whenever it chose to. [...] Suspect was charged with trespassing, failure to pay rent, littering, and disorderly conduct. Efforts to handcuff suspect were unsuccessful, as was the effort to fingerprint. Suspect excercised fifth amendment right to remain silent during the entire proceeding. [...] After a brief trial, suspect was found Probably Guilty, and was sentenced to freedom at a local park. Suspect was transported approximately one mile, to the opposite side of an Interstate highway and a busy city street, and released in a wooded area. Mug shots were taken. Suspect elected not to appeal, and disappeared into the woods."
—by
LaFeminista: "A two step program: 1] Educate women. 2] Easy access to multiple forms of free birth control. In every country, even regions of rapidly expanding population [eg India] where women are educated and there are generally high literacy [eg Kerela] rates there are fewer children. In Kerela there is an average of 1.5 children per family. I don't believe you need laws and draconian programs. [...] It is obvious and I am not alone in this:
Surveys in developing countries indicate that most women of childbearing age would like to increase the spacing between their pregnancies or stop having children altogether. There are 300 million couples in the developing world who do not want any more children but who are not using any effective means of limiting family size. [...] If women who do not want to become pregnant are empowered to exercise that choice, population growth rates in the developing world fall by about 30%. [...] By making family planning services universally available, providing financial incentives to allow women to realize their goal of a smaller family, and improving prenatal and infant health care and the education of women, the world's population can be stabilized."
You can find more excerpts from green diaries below the orange spill.
Climate Chaos
Rex Tillerson
—by
Hunter: "ExxonMobil has a plan to deal with climate change. The plan is they're going to do whatever they want, and it sucks to be you.
The CEO of one of the world’s largest oil companies downplayed the effects of climate change at his company’s annual meeting Wednesday, telling shareholders his firm hadn’t invested in renewable energy because 'We choose not to lose money on purpose.' 'Mankind has this enormous capacity to deal with adversity,' ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson told the meeting, pointing to technologies that can combat inclement weather 'that may or may not be induced by climate change.' Until Rex Tillerson sees a gadget that can prevent climate change by burning copious amounts of Exxon-provided oil, he ain't interested. It's up to the kids to adapt to not having a Florida, via technology and whatnot."
Talking to Ourselves: Echo Chambers and Climate Change—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "A new study in Nature Climate Change finds that the political debate about climate change is falling prey to an echo chamber. This has created a situation where the overwhelming scientific consensus on the issue can be ignored as a result of the the echoing of misinformation by denier sources. The research 'shows how the echo chamber can block progress toward a political resolution on climate change' as those who go to sources with a single perspective 'may be under the impression that theirs is the dominant perspective,' according to the lead author. This helps to explain some of the disparity between Congress and their constituents, something brought to light by Yale research, as well as the obvious disparity between the scientific community and those who claim there are plenty of dissenting scientists. For a glimpse into the echo chamber, see the comments about this study on WUWT, which pretty much all sound the same."
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
Intense Precipitation Events on Rise in USA - Predicted by Climate Models in 2007 IPCC Report—by Steven D: "That graphic from Climate Central shows the top fifty cities in the United States with the largest percentage increase in intense rain events (comparing the decade 1950-1959 to the ten-year period 2005-2014). Those dramatic increases in heavy rainfall are no accident. They are the direct result of anthropogenic climate change. From Scientific American, dated May 27, 2015, 'Heaviest Downpours Rise across the U.S.' Record-breaking rain across Texas and Oklahoma this week caused widespread flooding, the likes of which the region has rarely, if ever, seen. For seven locations there, May 2015 has seen the most rain of any month ever recorded, with five days to go and the rain still coming. While rainfall in the region is consistent with the emerging El Niño, the unprecedented amounts suggest a possible climate change signal, where a warming atmosphere becomes more saturated with water vapor and capable of previously unimagined downpours."
Climate Change, well Maybe?—by windsong01: "More than 1000 people die in heatwave sweeping India, temperatures reach 118F (48C) in some areas.-BBC. 8 people missing in Wimberley, Texas, following historic flooding Saturday night, officials say-KXAN tv. An estimated 300 homes flooded in San Marcos, Texas, after record rainfall, official says-CNN. Hays County: Hundreds of homes damaged or destroyed, 1,000 people in shelters- KXAN TV. This is Just weather related headlines for today ... It seems that more often that not that you now hear main stream media using terms to describe weather such as 'Epic', 'Biblical',record and 'Historic' to describe weather phenomena happening around the globe. It is true that these are only isolated incidents of extreme weather around the world in a single day and you could call this cherry picking, but the season has only just begun. This is becoming a regular series of weather events that is hard not to notice."
Critters & the Great Outdoors
1 Percenter Spends $350,000 to Murder Endangered Rhino—by
noweasels: "There are perhaps 4500 black rhinos left in the world. As of last Monday, there was one fewer. One Percenter Corey Knowlton bid $350,000 to have the 'opportunity' to kill one of the last surviving members of this endangered species.
The Safari Club's auction on January 11 was attended by high-roller hunters who bid on the opportunity to shoot a mature male black rhino. Though predicted to net up to $1 million, the highest bid, reportedly made by Knowlton, was $350,000. The event was framed as a fundraiser, the proceeds from which would be earmarked for preservation of the species. Oh and just BS on this: paying to kill one of the last surviving members of a species to 'raise money' for "preservation of the species" is beyond specious. Just own up, Corey Knowlton and others involved with this rhino murder. You were willing to pay what amounts to seven times the average American family’s income to kill an animal so you could have the trophy. You and your fellow travelers are sick animal murderers. The idea that you were involved with this to "preserve a species" is absurd and you know it."
Sea Star Loss is Mussels Gain—by MarineChemist: "The purpose of this more visual diary is to report on a recent trip my students and I took to a local beach and what we saw there. Botanical Beach is renowned for its tide pools and part of the Juan de Fuca Provincial Park here on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia Canada. Botanical Beach is very near to Port Renfrew, one of the coastal communities where citizen scientists are collecting shoreline seawater samples to help our project Fukushima InFORM monitor for Fukushima derived radionuclides along the coast. There are strange conditions currently in the northeast Pacific from the "blob" of warm water related to anomalous winter mixing in 2013-2014 to the widespread disappearance of sea stars owing to wasting disease after infection by virus. Some link these changes in the marine ecosystem to the very low levels of Fukushima derived radioisotope contamination present offshore and recently detected at the shoreline although there is little evidence to support such views nor are such impacts very likely. There is indeed life abundant at Botanical Beach but it is changing. The sea star is a keystone predator whose removal has consequences. The most obvious of these on visiting the beach again was the predominance of California mussels to be found."
—by
hogly wogly: "This time 15 years ago, our yard was filled with butterflies. Boy did they lift the spirits. You couldn't walk down the street without at least 2 Monarchs fluttering in your path. This year, seeing one butterfly was such an event that I froze and watched it in the corner of my eye, until it flew away. As we all know, that one reason the Monarch is dying out is their main comestible is being annihilated. Milkweed is being rooted up and sprayed out of existence by Dow, Monsanto and other agricultural giants. And the disappearance of Milkweed means the end of the Monarch. According to NREC, Dow Chemical has come out with a potent new herbicide that destroys Milkweed."
The Daily Bucket - small gosling drama on a mudflat—by OceanDiver: "May 12, 2015. Fisherman Bay. Salish Sea, PNW. I was passing by looking for some ducks that had been reported on eBird - no luck on that. But I did see some Canada goose activity. I'm not sure how long the geese had been in the marsh grasses, but when I saw them, two families were moving off the drying pools and into the bay. The first family was off and away but 2 goslings from the second couldn't get out of the pool they'd been in. The parents and 2 other goslings kept going. Quacking by the adults and cheeping by the babies trapped in the pool. Could they get out?"
2015 Backyard Science Yardbird Race Tally #5—by bwren: "Welcome to the 2015 Daily Kos Backyard Science Yardbird Race! This is the fifth tally for 2015, and is the official place to post your sightings, ask for help, and brag some if you wish. Here's what the race is all about: The Daily Kos Backyard Science Yardbird Race is a birding competition where, over the course of one year, participants strive to identify the most bird species - by sight and/or by sound - from the confines of their yards. Everyone is welcome - new birders, experienced birders, and anyone in between. We're a very supportive group and will help as much as we can. If you're not sure about an ID, just do your best to give us a good written description. Images, even mediocre ones, can be a great help, too. There are a number of categories, so that people who live in urban centers don't have to compete against others who have a lot of open space or waterfront views."
Energy
Coal, Oil, Gas, Nuclear & Utilities
sHell No: Activists chain themselves to Arctic Challenger—by James Wells: "Protests against Shell's plan for Arctic drilling have received global attention. From the actions of kayaktivists around Seattle to Shell's annual stockholder meeting, Shell has been receiving a lot of unwanted attention when it comes to the Arctic. Over this holiday weekend, a protest at Shell's vessel Arctic Challenger made international news when activists climbed the anchor chain and refused to leave. Everyone will be happy to know that the last of the three, Chiara D'Angelo, came down safely this morning after three nights on the anchor chain. One of the first dairies I ever posted on Daily Kos was titled 'Pretty much the dumbest idea ever' and was about the proposed coal export terminal in our area (ship Wyoming and Montana coal to China?!?!?). At the time I didn't know a lot about the idea of offshore drilling the Arctic Ocean, which surely is a contender for the title. When this much action is being taken to protect our climate and environment, a backlash is totally expected. But what's interesting is the specific type of response - Purity Test Trolling. While that's an annoying form of obfuscation, the fact that this is the main reponse of deniers is revealing. If the Purity Test is all they've got, they've got nothing."
The Proposed Exelon-Pepco Merger: A Basic Primer—by Grassroots DC: "On March 20, 2015, the CEO of Exelon Chris Crane testified before the DC Public Service Commission about his company's efforts to buy Pepco Holdings, a company that owns three distribution utilities serving customers in Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. DC residents have until May 26, 2015 to submit comments in opposition or support of the proposed merger. According to Wikipedia, Exelon Corporation produces, trades and distributes energy in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. If the deal goes through, Exelon will become (if it isn't already) the largest competitive U.S. power generator and the dominant utility in our region. Little wonder that the DC Office of the People's Counsel (OPC) considers the proposed merger to be, 'by far the most significant undertaking in the local electric industry since Pepco's divestiture of its generation plants in 2000.' The sustainability contingent of DC's progressive community has come together to oppose this merger under the umbrella organization Power DC. We should know in the next few weeks whether their efforts will prove effective. I for one am on the edge of my seat. Although, I've been receiving emails from progressive list serves for months about this issue, I'm still trying to get my head around the deal itself and what it would take to stop it."
the Santa Barbara oil spill, a toxic Texas oil well blowout, and other news…—by rjsigmund: "the major oil story this week was the 105,000 gallon spill from a ruptured 24 inch crude oil pipeline on the Refugio State Beach coastline just west of Santa Barbara on Tuesday... not detected until beach-goers noticed the smell, the buried pipeline a few hundred yards inland apparently spewed oil into a culvert and then into a storm drain that empties into the ocean for 3 hours before the Coast Guard was able to shut it off.... first erroneously reported as a 21,000 barrel spill, it was then corrected to 21,000 gallons in later reports that same day, and then revised to the final 105,000 gallon total now being carried in all recent reports, with an estimated 21,000 gallons of that total reaching the Ocean...initial reports were of a 4-mile-long oil slick offshore drifting towards Santa Barbara; by Wednesday that had spread out into a 9 mile wide oil slick, which resulted in the closure of two state beaches and area fisheries, and as oil-covered birds and other ocean wildlife began washing ashore, Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency to free up state resources to deal with the spill and its consequences...for those interested in seeing what it looks like, the Boston Globe offers 31 full-size, full-color photos in their 'Big Picture' gallery this week...the cleanup is expected to take months, so once again the oil industry is delivering on the increased job opportunities that they've been promising us ... "
Renewables & Conservation
France passed law making rooftop solar or gardens mandatory on new commercial buildings—by Walter Einenkel: "Two months ago, France passed a law that requires the rooftops of new commercial buildings to be partially (at least) covered by solar panels or plants. The law, passed back in March, was a compromise with French environmentalists and more conservative* members of society. The law approved by parliament was more limited in scope than initial calls by French environmental activists to make green roofs that cover the entire surface mandatory on all new buildings. The Socialist government convinced activists to limit the scope of the law to commercial buildings. This isn't a first. Places like Australia and Germany already have green roofs as a part of their urban landscape. Toronto has had by-laws since 1998 mandating green rooftops."
Fracking
Texas oil tycoon: We aren't having more earthquakes, just better earthquake detection—by Jen Hayden: "Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens, who made his fortune in the oil and gas industry, was the featured guest at a Southern Republican Leadership Conference event this week in Oklahoma City and he made several jaw-dropping statements that would have been laughable had the topic not been so serious. Among them: 'Wastewater wells and fracking have nothing to do with — they’re not even earthquakes,' he told KFOR news anchor Kevin Ogle, who interviewed the oilman from Holdenville before a crowd of 300 guests at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. Let's stop there for a moment to offer clarification. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey most definitely believe there is a connection. Now, back to T. Boone Pickens and his response when asked about the wastewater injection-earthquake connection: 'What’s happened is that we’re monitoring (seismic activity) closer,' Pickens said. 'Until a few years ago, we were monitored out of St. Louis, Missouri. And that’s where we got the triggers. Now we come in with the monitors and low and behold we have got all of these "Oh my God; we’re having another earthquake" — the earth is moving all the time, that’s not unusual.'"
Halliburton fined $7,000 for fracking site explosion that killed 1 and injured 2 in Colorado—by Walter Einenkel: "The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined Halliburton seven whole thousand dollars for the safety violations that lead to the death of one worker at one of their fracking sites in Weld County, Colorado. [...] In the citation issued on May 12, 2015, OSHA said, '[Halliburton] did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to struck-by hazards associated with working in the red zone of the [gas] well.'"
Advocacy groups urge Governor Brown to stop irrigating crops with oil field wastewater—by Dan Bacher: "Oil industry representatives, in response to criticism over their use of water for fracking and steam injection oil drilling operations during the drought, have claimed that oil field wastewater can be used beneficially by farmers to irrigate crop in California. In a recent blog post, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) and former Chair of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create so-called 'marine protected areas' in Southern California, touted the use of oil field wastewater for irrigating crops in Kern County in the southern San Joaquin Valley. [...] However, earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times revealed that testing by Water Defense had found toxic industrial chemicals present in the recycled oil field wastewater used to irrigate crops in California’s Central Valley, effectively challenging the oil industry claims that oil industry wastewater could be safely used for irrigating food crops."
Keystone XL & Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
Have some fun: reply to TransCanada's clueless twit—by VL Baker: "Today, TransCanada — builders and promoters of both Keystone XL and the Energy East tar sands pipelines — had this to say about their commitment to protect the environment: 'We help protect the environment by burying pipelines below riverbed s, brooks and streams.'"
Candidates, DC, State & Local Eco-Politics
Mary Landrieu cashes out-Lands job at Oil industry lobbying firm—by Pakalolo: "Mary Landrieu, who lost her Louisiana Senate seat in 2014 to Bill Cassidy, has landed a job with Washington lobbying firm Van Ness Feldman This is not a surprise as she was besties with the biggest fossil fuel industries on the planet. Landrieu’s move to a firm filled with clients she helped promote continues Washington revolving door of politicians joining the industries she used to promote as Senator. According to the website Open Secrets, VNF's client base includes several companies dealing in oil and gas, as well as the energy field in general—a natural fit for Landrieu, who served as chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in 2014. The company has offices in Washington D.C. and Seattle. A December article in Politico, published shortly after Landrieu lost her bid for the Senate, described her as "a hot commodity on K Street,' adding, 'Several headhunters, veteran lobbyists and consultants said Landrieu’s status as a moderate Democrat and senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee make her a top recruit from Capitol Hill.'"
Eco-Action & Eco Justice
Victory for fossil fuel divestment! University of Edinburgh will divest from coal & tar sands!—by VL Baker: "I guess University of Edinburgh didn't like the divestment campaigners hanging out the windows of their Engineering Building or perhaps it was the at least 300 alumni pledging to withhold donations to school fund. Good News: The announcement follows a three-year campaign by The University of Ediburgh People & Planet student group, which has been calling for the university to divest from the world’s top 200 fossil fuel companies. The University of Glasgow, Bedfordshire University and SOAS, University of London have all committed to divest from fossil fuels, whilst the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has committed to divest from coal, and Oxford University has spurned coal and tar sands investments. Since Edinburgh University first announced its decision not to divest two weeks ago, students have staged dozens of actions including pickets, marches, rallies, banner-drops, die-ins and a ten-day occupation of the university’s central management building."
Hundreds to rally and protest against Monsanto at State Capitol Sunday—by Dan Bacher: "There will be a march and rally against Monsanto at the State Capitol in Sacramento on Sunday, May 24, starting at 10 a.m., part of a worldwide day of action against the corporate giant. [...] Hundreds of thousands—possibly millions—of people will take to the streets to protest against the Monsanto Company from the U.S. to Europe, Africa and other countries. March Against Monsanto will feature different prominent speakers, including former presidential candidates and health icons. The Sunday rally follows a half day shutdown of Monsanto in Woodland this past Thursday when about 100 activists closed down Monsanto's front gates."
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
Meat Grown In A Vat. What Could Go Wrong?—by Th0rn: "Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University in the Netherlands made the news in 2013 with the world's first lab-grown hamburger. He and his research team have been working since then to turn the exotic proof-of-concept product into something that will be within reach as an everyday food source: 'It was $350,000 when we first publicized the patty,' said Post. 'At this point we've already managed to cut the cost by almost 80 percent. I don't think it will be long before we hit our goal of 65 to 70 dollars per kilo.' That would drop the five-ounce burger to below $10, a number that Post hopes will eventually drop even further. Cultured meat, also known as in vitro meat, victimless meat, cruelty-free meat, shmeat, test-tube meat, and frankenmeat, is in the coming years going to be a thing."
Exclusive:Video shows tar balls & oil slick from fracking wastewater near CA produce irrigation site—by VL Baker: "Food and Water Watch has just secured this exclusive video from Water Defense's Chief Scientist, Scott Smith, who has been collecting samples from the Cawelo Water District in Kern county, CA. As Scott explains in video, these samples are of recycled oil field waste water used to irrigate produce grown in area which is then shipped within the US and around the world."
Transportation & Infrastructure
U.S. is paying the price for not investing in trains, and it's stupid—by Laura Clawson: "House Speaker John Boehner may think it's 'stupid' to suggest that the recent fatal Amtrak crash had anything to do with lack of funding, but the evidence keeps piling up that Boehner's the stupid one here. The United States spends far less than its peers on rail, and: As a consequence, industry experts say, despite having some of the least-extensive passenger rail networks in the developed world, the United States today has among the worst safety records. Fatality rates are almost twice as high as in the European Union and countries like South Korea, and roughly triple the rate in Australia. Analysts say the impressive safety record in Europe and Asia is the result of steady government spending of billions of dollars on development and maintenance of railroad infrastructure—including sophisticated electronic monitoring and automated braking systems developed over the past 20 years. As a percentage of gross domestic product, the American investment in rail networks is just a quarter of that in Britain and one-sixth that in France and Australia, while Japan spends nearly three times as much per person as the U.S. does."
Sustainability & Extinction
The Tiny House Interview—by earthyrobot: "We recently uploaded our new episode of The Earthy Robot Podcast, where we go on-location to interview Paul and Frank, who built a super-cool tiny home in Chicago, IL. [...] Unique to this tiny house, is that Paul is a furniture designer & architect-ish person. Frank is a musician that has built EarthShips in Argentina, and collectively, they've made a lot of well-thought aesthetic choices. The look of the house is important in order to develop a comfortable vibe. They talk about bridging the exterior and interior with paint choices and material. The use of fiberglass panels outside, juxtaposed with traditional wood has a great feel. The dissimilar products seem to work together in an unexpected way that I enjoy. For a better look at the exterior, visit their tiny house website where they have some cool photographs."
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
The Daily Bucket: Where Did Florida's Sand Come From?—by Lenny Flank: "Florida is of course famous for its sandy sunny beaches. Most people assume that this sand comes from broken and crushed coral, and for a small portion of the state that is true. But for most of Florida, the source of all that beach sand is far more interesting. [...] During the time of the dinosaurs, Florida was at the bottom of a warm shallow tropical sea. Over a period of millions of years, ocean sediments, mostly from the shells of tiny marine creatures, built up at the bottom of this sea and, as the layer got thicker and heavier, became compressed over time into limestone. At the same time, the Appalachian Mountains were steadily eroding away, grain by grain, as wind and rain inexorably wore down the mighty peaks. These eroded silica grains, weathered out of the rock, were carried as sand in meltwater streams down the side of the mountains and into creeks that flowed down the valleys. These in turn joined into rivers, some larger than today's Mississippi, and, eventually, ran all the way to the seacoast in what is now southern Georgia. Here, the powerful current carried the sand grains far offshore, until they lost enough energy to settle on the shallow sea floor, forming thick layers over the limestone."
—by
sninky poo: "Into this negative space I propose we kick-start and Earth YEAR. Not Earth Hour. Not Earth Day. EARTH YEAR. A whole year—a jam-packed annum—of solid ACTION and COMMUNICATION. Can we keep at it for a year? Is that too long for the average American attention span?"
Oceans, Water & Drought
Obama's EPA steps up for Clean Water—by RockyMtnHigh: "It has been a long time coming, but the EPA and Corps of Engineers have issued their final rule on what waters are protected under the Clean Water Act—helping ensure that the headwater, intermittent, and ephemeral streams that feed into our larger rivers—along with the connected, adjacent wetlands—are protected under our nation's flagship water protection law. The Act's coverage has been rolled back under Supreme Court rulings from 2001 and 2006 and subsequent interpretations. The new Clean Water Rule helps reinstate much of the protections that were lost, while maintaining compliance with the Court rulings by demonstrating that these streams and wetlands have a 'significant nexus' with U.S. navigable waters—the standard that Justice Kennedy set in his 2006 Rapanos decision."
The Water of Life—by Michael Brune: "Despite passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, safe drinking water is something no one should take for granted -- whether it comes from a mountain stream or the kitchen faucet. What many people don't realize is that divided Supreme Court decisions over the past decade have weakened the Clean Water Act by creating confusion over which U.S. streams and wetlands it covers. To fix that, the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have spent years working on a sensible Clean Water Rule that clearly defines which waterways are covered under pollution prevention and cleanup programs. The clarified standards will not only protect the drinking water for millions of Americans but also preserve fish and wildlife habitat and reduce the risk of flooding. Without this new Clean Water Rule, though, the drinking water sources for more than 100 million Americans will remain at risk. You might think that would make this a no-brainer, but you wouldn't be thinking like some fossil fuel companies and developers. They would prefer not to be accountable for what they dump in our waterways and, unfortunately, they have friends in Congress."
David Frum suggests that immigrants are drinking most of California's water—by VL Baker: "Unbelievable b.s. coming from David Frum, a conservative senior editor at The Atlantic, charging that immigrants are responsible for California's water crisis. 'Population has grown 10mn people since 1990—a 33% increase, almost all by immigration. Maybe that's relevant? Frum drew a rapid response on Huffpo from water expert Peter Gleick: Peter Gleick, a climate scientist and the president of the Pacific Institute, an organization dedicated to environmental protection, dismissed Frum’s argument that immigration is a significant factor in California’s water crisis. 'To claim California's water crisis is due to immigration and the use of water by immigrants is to grossly misunderstand California's true water challenges'" Gleick told The Huffington Post in an email. 'Population growth of course affects the use of all resources (land, energy, food, water), but the water crisis was here 30 years ago, urban demand is only 20 percent of total water demand, urban water use has been level for 30 years and per-capita water use is going down, not up.' [...] Frum, like so many others, misses the elephant in the room; the massive 80% of California's water used by agriculture and the fact that 47% of California's water is used primarily by meat and dairy production."
Tunnels critics blast Governor Brown for trampling laws, water quality and habitat—by Dan Bacher: "In their statements to the State Water Resources Control Board on May 20, Restore the Delta (RTD) and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) slammed the Brown administration regarding drought impacts, the installation of a drought barrier in the Delta, and violations of Delta water quality standards since the beginning of the year. 'The California drought is a fifty-eight county drought,' said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director for Restore the Delta. 'Previous workshops in front of the SWRCB have focused primarily on efforts to get water to a handful of the 58 counties in California, and less than equal time has been spent on the impacts of drought management on the five Delta counties, Delta fisheries, threatened species, and water quality standards.' 'The five Delta Counties are donor counties to the water export system, and have already suffered the negative impacts from the export of hundreds of millions of acre-feet of water over decades,' she said. 'This board determined in 2010 that greater outflows to the San Francisco Bay were needed for the protections of the estuary. Yet, the pumps have yet to be turned off one day in over four years of drought. The negative impacts of over pumping the estuary are now being exacerbated by drought emergency measures, and federal water quality standards are being violated on a daily basis.'"
Trash, Pollution & Hazardous Waste
Santa Barbara disaster the result of Big Oil's capture of the regulatory apparatus—by Dan Bacher: "The same region devastated by the Santa Barbara Oil Spill devastated of 1969 is now the scene of a massive clean up of crude oil by the state and federal governments and volunteers. The international and national media have spread throughout the world the startling images of the oil soaked beaches, birds, fish and ecosystem in a deluge of TV, radio, newspaper and internet reports. The big oil spill that began off the Refugio State Beach was inevitable, when you consider the capture of the regulatory apparatus by the oil industry in California. Until people challenge the power of Big Oil in California and the industry's control over the state and federal regulatory agencies, we will see more of the Refugio-type oil spill disasters in the future. For example, during the privately funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative process from 2004 to 2012, state officials and corporate 'environmental' NGOs made sure that Big Oil and other corporate polluters weren't impacted by the creation of alleged 'marine protected areas' along the California coast."
Forests, Wilderness & Public Lands
History of the Antiquities Act- Part 1- the beginning of Conservation—by MorrellWI1983: "This diary will be the first diary published in the new Group Antiquities Act Defenders and Supporters. The Goal of the group is to debate the Act, its importance to the country and conservation, its current use and future, and to ensure the Act stays on the books permanently. Only by gaining control of Congress, and keeping the White House in Democratic hands can we be assured that the Act will remain in force. [...] How did the Antiquities Act come to pass in the first place and why is it so important? For that We have to go back in time- prior to June 8, 1906- when the Act was signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt. The first area conserved prior to the Antiquities Act was not Yellowstone, but Hot Springs Arkansas, which came into being in 1832 as Hot Springs Reservation. Hot Springs was managed similar to how similar hot springs were managed in Europe- open for public use without special consideration for the protection of the springs or the land around it. It wasnt until 1922 that the springs were granted national park status by Congress. Hot Springs is one of the few national parks that were not monuments first and is the smallest park in the system at under 6000 acres."
Wildflowers at 7500' in the Southern Rockies ~Photo Heavy—by Thinking Fella: "Earlier this week, in between the much-appreciated & simultaneously disagreeable-to-hiking rain storms, I took my dogs out for a wildflower sight-seeing hike. We went to a close, common hike for us, Spring Creek Archaeological District. It is part of the San Juan National Forest(and 10,000's of acres), near Navajo Lake Colorado State Park & ~25 miles west of Chimney Rock National Monument. Thanks Obama! He signed the Legislation making Chimney Rock, a sacred Native American celestial/astronomical/ceremonial site, into a National Monument a few years ago."
Miscellany
New study suggests geoengineering may be the only way to save coral reefs—by Walter Einenkel: "A new study produced by a collaboration of scientists and researchers from the Carnegie Institution of Science, the University of Exeter, the Met Office Hadley Centre and the University of Queensland believes that the phenomenon of coral reef mass bleaching may only be reversible using the SRM techniques: The study compared a hypothetical SRM geoengineering scenario to the most aggressive future CO2 reduction strategy considered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and found that coral reefs fared much better under geoengineering despite increasing ocean acidification. The pioneering international study is published in leading scientific journal, Nature Climate Change. Lead author Dr Lester Kwiatkowski of the Carnegie Institution for Science said 'Our work highlights the sort of climate scenarios that now need to be considered if the protection of coral reefs is a priority.'"
Oil, Toil, Flooding & Trouble: 'BradCast' 5/26/2015—by TheBradBlog: "Good news and bad today on The BradCast. Then, horrific, deadly flooding in Texas and Oklahoma on the heels of a years-long drought there. Mashable.com's Science Editor Andrew Freedman joins us to discuss the ongoing disaster and the influence of climate change on events like this—which we seem to be seeing more and more of...just as climate scientists have been warning for decades. Also today, a report on our own weekend encounter with private security guards at the scene of the Santa Barbara, CA oil spill after the rupture of a crude pipeline owned by a company named Plains All American."
SXSW ECO PanelPicker voting extended through Sunday; please vote for my panel—by engine17: "The SXSW Eco conference has extended voting at their PanelPicker website; voting now closes Sunday night at midnight Central Time. [...] The concept of my panel is that a convergence of technologies emerging from the US science and engineering communities will allow businesses to profitably make fuels, chemicals and foods from carbon dioxide captured from the environment, in processes powered by renewable energy. The invited panel would bring together key players from each of the fields of technology involved, renewables, seawater carbon capture, and electrofuels, or industrial biology."
