This is the 490th edition of the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) usually appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Here is the March 15 Green Spotlight. More than 26,675 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
Chandler Robbins
BoGardiner writes—A Legend Who Persuaded a Generation to Love Birds, Wild Places and Science Has Passed: “Thousands, maybe millions, this week will recall this gorgeous book with profound affection and tears in their eyes. I can attest, as I seem to be having a bit of trouble myself writing this. Chandler S. Robbins, co-author of the classic Birds of North America (1966), more widely known to birders simply as “The Golden Guide,” died yesterday, March 20 -- a legend of ornithology and citizen science. Let me tell you about this man and his work, even if you know nothing of birds. Many of you will recognize this book, and I hope some of you share your stories about its role in your life. For me, the tears are less about sadness -– 99 years is a marvelous run — than of gratitude for the incredible and lasting joy this book brought into my life. [...] In the same year Chan published the Golden Guide, 1966, he established with colleagues in the U.S. and Canada one of the most important citizen science tools we have today, the North American Breeding Bird Survey. The BBS is an annual largely volunteer bird census that gives us a long-term dataset on species distribution and population. There’s no other way to have early warning of population trends that could signal potentially harmful breeding habitat changes or other threats that might cause irreversible species collapse. Today, volunteers monitor thousands of tracts every year; the results are used by countless scientists and land managers.”
xirzon writes—Reviewing Nonprofit Media: Climate Central: “This series of posts examines nonprofit media in detail to support the growth of a diverse alternative media ecosystem that is not driven by the hunt for ratings and ad dollars. Today we're taking a look at Climate Central, which combines climate science with climate journalism. In addition to publishing news and features, they also publish scientific papers in peer reviewed journals. You may want to contrast it with InsideClimate News (review), which is a more conventional journalistic effort. They complement each other and (spoiler warning!) I can recommend them both.”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
6412093 writes—The Daily Bucket: Latest UFO Photos!! “Unidentified Froggie-like Objects are the UFOs referenced here, of course. Every Dusk I slip outside to the Frog Mitigation Area, where dozens of local tree frogs croak vigorously and loudly near two small ponds in my side yard. At first, they stopped singing when I was 30 feet away. I finally figured out that my shadow fell onto the pond at that point, spooking them. Ban Nock would have figured it out faster. If I approach from the side and sit quietly, they may stop croaking but will begin again, after a pause. They probably evolved to stay silent one second longer than a heron can wait them out. The frogs’ choruses begin with a guttural bark loud enough to make you jump. It sears the air like a Chuck Berry guitar riff. A few frog minions immediately begin trilling the two-tone ‘Ribbet’ sound of their mating chorus. More join in.”
wasplover writes—Bumble bee update -- some good news for once! “In a victory for conservationists, the rusty patched bumble bee was officially added to the U.S. Endangered Species List yesterday, March 21. The listing was originally scheduled for February 10, but was delayed when the Trump administration froze all regulations from the Obama administration that had not taken effect as of January 20. Ominously, the listing was to be subject to further review — as if over a decade of research documenting its decline, followed by three years of evaluation by Fish & Wildlife Service, had not been sufficient. No one disputes that the rusty patched bumble bee has disappeared from nearly 90% of its historic range, which spanned 28 states from the Dakotas to the Atlantic and into Canada. It was listed under the Canadian equivalent of the Endangered Species Act in 2010, and recognized as “critically endangered” by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the premier global listing agency for imperiled species), in 2014. Anticipating a fight, on February 14 the Natural Resources Defense Council sued the Trump administration in federal court.”
Angmar writes—The Daily Bucket: Vernal Equinox Bucket-Irondequoit Bay and Lake Ontario area, NY: Photo Diary. “On the vernal equinox, day and night are each approximately 12 hours long (with the actual time of equal day and night, in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring a few days before the vernal equinox). The Sun crosses the celestial equator going northward; it rises exactly due east and sets exactly due west.”
owktree writes—Daily Bucket: N is For...Photo Diary. ”Welcome to the fourteenth entry in our Backyard Science “Alphabet” series. Today’s Bucket is brought to you by the letter ‘N’.”
American Kestrel, male
Kestrel writes—Dawn Chorus: What Is Your Favorite Bird? “Do you have a favorite bird?I know, I know ... that’s like asking if you have a favorite song, as if there’s just one. But coming up with a topic every week for Dawn Chorus is a challenge, so the favorite bird theme is what I’ve arrived at for today. If you have a favorite bird, please share your choice in the comments. And yes, please feel free to share more than one favorite species. If you’re so inclined, tell us all why the bird(s) you’ve chosen is your favorite. I’ll start. As my name is a dead giveaway, my favorite bird is the American Kestrel. I think they are stunningly beautiful. The combination of colors, with the deep reddish brown of the wings and crown to the slate blue of its forehead, it’s a winning combination with great contrasts between its barred wings, its white cheeks and throat, and those dashing black malar stripes on its face. What’s not to love?”
dayla hepting writes—ERADICATING WOLVES: “Minnesota, Wisconsin and Wyoming have decided to get legislation passed to eradicate wolves (The War on Wolves Act). I posted something about it and received this comment from Bruce Hill (a local articulate repug): ‘Wolves are responsible for the unregulated killing of other species. They would kill the last remaining moose, elk, deer jack rabbit it whatever if it came down to it. A time is coming when the lion will lay down with the lamb.’ Of course not you dummy because you and your trophy hunting buddies will have eradicated the last remaining lion long before that! The truth is the wolf lived in this continent in harmony with mankind and all the other animals for many thousands of years until the coming of the Anglo Europeans. Then in just 300 years the wolf, the buffalo and the Indians were all but eradicated.”
ALIENSCRIBE writes—Congress Declaring War on Nature! Wolves First—Including Their Pups! Fight, Wolves for Wolves! “Every nation around the world who advocates for protection of every species — YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There are many people in America fighting against this — we need your aid now! Start slamming the GOP, Gun Lobby, Wall Street, Trump, Pruitt, the Current Cabinet and Congress, and all other murderer-rapists of Mother Nature now! Start aiding the progressive sanctuary cities who are resisting Trump and his party in every way! We will stand united — and no matter what happens, WE WILL BRING THEM TO JUSTICE! WE ARE WOLVES FOR WOLVES! WE ARE THE PACK AGAINST THE POACHERS!”
CLIMATE CHAOS
Pakalolo writes—Thousands of underground gas bulges, formed by thawing permafrost, set to 'explode' in Siberia: “Local Siberian media has reported that the very ground that people stand on is moving under their feet in the arctic regions of Siberia. Scientists have discovered 7000 gas filled bubbles according to the Siberian Times. These, bulges or 'bulgunyakh' in the local Yakut language, were originally discovered last year by researchers in Siberia's remote Bely Island. At that time only 15 of these bubbles had been identified, but a survey in the wider region of the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas has revealed the massive number of 7000 which some scientists fear may explode at any time. There is startling photo evidence in the Siberian Times article that is worth your time to see.”
Pakalolo writes—NOAA reports on an unprecedented Carbon Dioxide rise that is shocking the atmosphere: “Independently verified air samples from the Mauna Loa research site in the big island of Hawaii are shipped to NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, for verification. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which first began sampling CO2 at Mauna Loa in 1956, also takes independent measurements onsite. These air samples show an unprecedented and terrifying rise in carbon dioxide levels over a two-year period. NOAA has found that emissions from our relentless consumption of fossil fuels ‘have remained at historically high levels since 2011 and are the primary reason atmospheric CO2 levels are increasing at a dramatic rate, Tans said. This high growth rate of CO2 is also being observed at some 40 other sites in NOAA’s Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network.’ [...] National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is under attack by the Trump administration, the GOP held congress and conservative allies representing fossil fuel corporations. It is all part of a plan by conservatives to derail the climate change fight. On Friday, NOAA fought back against Judicial Watch by asking a DC federal judge to toss a Freedom of Information Act request made by the right wing organization which alleges that NOAA violated a federal information disclosure law by failing to turn over emails related to the measurement of global temperature data.”
ClimateDenierRound writes—Heartland’s Denier Conference Kicks Off, As Does Denial-Debunking Course: “Today begins Heartland’s annual Denier-palooza conference, where an esteemed group of so-called experts will be presenting their various versions of a reality where CO2 isn’t causing warming and fossil fuels are our lord and savior. Although there is generally scant coverage of this fringe event, the rise of a certain climate conspiracy theorist to the White House means the ideas discussed might be worth paying some attention to, if only to know what we’ll be fighting against over the next four years. By the looks of the schedule, it seems we can expect trumped-up versions of the same speeches we’ve heard in previous conferences. But unlike past years, the sponsor list this time around is pretty sparse. Instead of listing dozens of (Koch-funded) groups, the sponsor page shows only nine, as sponsors have fled in the years after the ill-fated Unabomber billboard comparing those who believe in climate change to Ted Kaczynski. […] For those who would rather learn about how to debunk denial than watch it in action, the online course ‘Making Sense of Climate Science Denial’ kicked off yesterday.”
ClimateDenierRound writes—Personnel is Policy, and Schnare Takes Mistreatment Personally: “David Schnare, former fatal scientology practice approver, EPA worker and climate scientist harasser, is out of the EPA. According to InsideEPA, his resignation was spurred by infighting among appointees and being frozen out of the decision-making process. Schnare complained about his treatment at the EPA to the Daily Caller’s Michael Bastasch. Surprisingly, it sounds as though the problem is between Schnare and Pruitt’s team, with Pruitt et al keeping Schnare out of important meetings. Among Schnare’s concerns were that Pruitt never met with most of the transition team, that Pruitt has no experience with the EPA and hasn’t hired anyone who does, and that Pruitt never even received the transition plan that the transition team put together ( which means that Myron Ebell, for all his sound and fury, had even less influence than we thought when we reported on his interviews as nothing more than ‘an attempt to remain relevant’) Schnare has promised to write more about resignation, and it sounds as though it’s his ideological allies among the political appointees who are to blame. Which means his eventual bean-spilling (self-serving as it will certainly be) may end up being yet another blotch on Trump’s already polka-dotted hiring record.”
rktect writes—IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and 2018 US elections: “The IPCC has determined the need for a special ‘peer reviewed’ report. The selection of authors has just occurred on March 12, 2017. IPCC acceptance/adoption/approval is scheduled for fall 2018 which means we could make the imminent release of the report a midterm election issue, that climate change is real, immediate and necessary to mitigate on pain of death for everything that lives on this planet. [...] I expect that when they start talking about ‘short lived and other climate drivers’ that includes methane releases and when they talk about ‘higher levels of warming’ than 2°C including over short time frames that suggests they may have begun to recognize whats happening in the Arctic now.”
francoispiquet writes—Davos and Climate Change: Where Do We Stand? Christophe Mazurier explains: “In an article published on the World Economic Forum’s website on 28th Jan two years ago, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Climate Change secretariat (UNFCCC) Christiana Figueres outlined four conclusions on climate from the 2015 edition of the WEF. It was the final run-up to the 21st Conference Of Parties on climate change (ie ‘COP21’) which was to be held in Paris in early December of that year. Observers and analysts were eager to find positive signs that international action was going to be taken against climate change, and they were looking at international fora and subsequent declarations to pick up any new information. Mrs Figueres’ four points were made in that context. First, she argued, renewable energies had become mature, citing ‘solar and wind [as] no longer marginal.’ Technological progress combined with low oil prices had to favour this. Secondly, the shifts in the oil market were making it less profitable, and oil was now a lot more expensive to produce. Thirdly, companies were transforming and ‘redirecting themselves toward low-carbon or zero-carbon operations in the understanding that the transformation is […] inevitable.’ Last but not least, she argued there was what she dubbed a ‘gateway effect’, which she explained as the necessity to act on climate change immediately because time was running out. [...] Sadly, it seems that the four key points that she had underlined in January 2015 as being favourable economic trends cannot help uphold the US and China’s commitments on environmental action. The political context and lack of political will are blocking the process.”
AmmoLady writes—San Diego Climate: “The Republican-led assault on reality and science, especially climate science is rapidly become a highway to the disaster zone … and clear out the other side! We here in SoCal have had a major drought, & we’re not entirely over it yet. Farmers in the south are having crops endangered by heat in summer & flood in winter. I have dear ones up north muttering about frozen-chosen, and others in the Pacific seeing the ocean come into places it never has before. Even allowing for the periodic precession of the earth’s axis, the climate change we are now seeing is obviously being greatly exacerbated by human activity, particularly the use of fossil fuels since the late 1700s. While we cannot stop the earth’s movements, we most assuredly CAN stop making the problem worse! There are many actions, large & small, that we can take as individuals, but we will have the most impact by taking actions that are in groups large enough to demand notice & acknowledgement by government and social leaders. 29 April 2017 is People’s Climate March day. If you are in the San Diego area, please RSVP to: www.peoplesclimatesd.org.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
Michael Kal writes—The Daily Bucket: The Wonderful West Branch of the Feather River: “The West Branch of the Feather River was a place I had never heard of before I met my wife. Her family had a deep history stretching back 100 years. Her grandfather was issued one of the first 10 badges of the fledgling California Game Wardens, and was an officer when the Board of Fish Commissioners changed the name to the Fish and Game Commission. He had a department issued horse for patrolling an area from Mt Lassen south to the entire Feather River Basin. My father in law, was born on the ridge and told me of his going out with his father with barrel carrying mules, to stock the high streams and lakes of Butte County after the devastation wrought by mining and the timber industry . The trout he helped stock, are the ancestors of the self sustaining Rainbow and Brown Trout which can be caught to this day all over the Feather River Drainage.”
Dan Bacher writes—Federal Scientists Find Delta Tunnels Plan Will Devastate Salmon: “Governor Jerry Brown and administration officials claim that the California WaterFix, a controversial plan to build two 35-mile long tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, is based on ‘science.’ ‘The best scientific thinking says California needs the project,’ Governor Brown told Dan Morain, Sacramento Bee editorial page editor in an interview in December of 2016. (www.sacbee.com/...) However, federal scientists strongly disagree with Brown’s claim that ‘best scientific thinking’ supports the construction of the tunnels. In fact, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has released a draft biological opinion documenting the harm the tunnels would cause to salmon, steelhead, Delta and longfin smelt, other fish and wildlife species, and water quality. An independent peer review panel found the NMFS findings are backed by ‘comprehensive analyses, new data, and modeling,; according to a statement from the Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA). The panel further found NMFS used the ‘best available science’ and produced evidence of ‘significant adverse impacts’ to species and critical habitat, including unacceptable harm to salmon.”
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
liberaliscommonsense writes—Pa. Republican lawmaker suggests God is a polluter: “Scott Perry is unfortunately my representative. In the local paper he usually toes a fine line between trying to sound like he’s doing a ‘wait-and-see’ approach on Trump. In reality, he’s all in for Trump’s policies. This might be his worst gaffe yet...not that it really matters in this red part of PA. [...] Perry, whose district covers parts of York, Dauphin and Cumberland counties, was asked at the forum how he proposes to reclaim and protect air and water reserves with the proposed budget cuts to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Perry said appropriate levels of protection are needed and pointed to the Chesapeake Bay cleanup strategy that he said focused unfairly on point sources of pollution and ‘left some violators out.’ ‘Some violators, if you are spiritual and believe God, one of the violators was God because the forests were providing a certain amount of nitrates and phosphates to the Chesapeake Bay,’ Perry said. His response swiftly generated a round of heckling from the several hundred district residents in attendance.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS & OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
hestal writes—Trump will destroy Santa Ana NWR, one of the most beautiful places on earth: “Here is a link to a map of Santa Ana. Please be patient, it is a little slow to load. Notice how Mexico and the United States fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Kept together, they make a beautiful part of Mother Nature’s plan, but broken apart and separated by walls, ditches, and scraped, barren landscapes, they make up a wasteland, which, it seems to me is just what Donald Trump is out to do. He wants to lay waste to everything good that is left of America. He is the personification of the stereotypical, evil land developer. Nature has no defense against Donald Trump and his lackeys.”
BYPRODUCTS, TRASH, TOXIC & RADIOACTIVE WASTE
Silent Spring writes—Silent Spring -- 55 years later: “It was the Spring of 1983, during my freshman year of college, that I first read Silent Spring. Looking now at a faded transcript, it was assigned reading for English 103 Modern Science and Sociology. I can’t exactly put into words why that book had such an impact on me other than to say it stirred some deep emotions connected to my love of nature for as long as I can remember. Rachel Carson’s work has given me pause to think, to act, and to appreciate the beauty of nature my entire life. So much so that whenever I find a hatched bird’s egg in late spring, I think of Silent Spring. Silent Spring was one of the landmark books of the 20th century and was motivated by Carson’s love of nature. It took her four years to complete and meticulously describe how DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) entered the food chain and accumulated in the fatty tissues of animals where its metabolites made bird eggshells thinner leading to egg breakage and embryo death. She described DDT as a human carcinogen contributing to cancer and genetic damage. She surmised that DDT and other pesticides had irrevocably harmed animals and had contaminated the world’s food supply. In one chapter, and most famously referenced, she depicts a nameless American town where everything from children to fish to birds to blossoms had been silenced by the harmful effects of DDT.”
ENERGY
thecriticalpolitical writes—Trump Legislation helps Big Energy while Destroying the Environment: “H.J.Res.41 nullifies the 2016 SEC regulation which was designed to ‘promote transparency about payments related to resource extraction,’ including payments made to the US government and payments made to foreign governments. By nullifying this SEC regulation, the Trump administration clears the way for foreign money and influence to roll unchecked into the United States energy market. It also allows US dollars to be paid to foreign governments to invest in resource extraction in other countries, but companies are no longer required to report how much money was paid or to what country it was paid. Essentially, energy companies may do business with anyone, including our enemies, and are not required to report that business. They are able to sell our resources to anyone, including our enemies and are not required to report that business. This will increase global environmental damage by continuing to promote the extraction of fossil fuels worldwide. It will undoubtedly increase corruption by reducing transparency and allowing money from corrupt, enemy states to flow through our economy. This is another example of the Trump philosophy: Industry before environment, and Money over ethics.”
Fossil Fuels
Walter Einenkel writes—Beijing closes last coal plant in hopes of saving itself: “China has finally closed the last working coal plant in Beijing in an attempt to save the city from becoming completely uninhabitable. Beijing is hoping to right the ship on what has been probably the most easily understandable example of what pollution can do to a major city. Right now, the fix has been to move to a combination of natural gas and nuclear power, but this too is unsustainable.The Huangneng Beijing Thermal Power Plant, the last coal utility in operation in the city, was first brought on line in 1999. Beijing has over five million more people living it since, meaning more energy, more coal, more cars, and more health problems associated with pollution. It has five coal-fired power plants with a total installed capacity of 845,000 kilowatts. Du Chengzhang, the plant’s general manager, told Xinhua news agency on Sunday that the plant was ‘an efficient and environmental friendly plant with advanced emission treatment equipment’. But after the suspension of the plant on Saturday, roughly 1.76 million tons of coal, 91 tons of sulfur dioxide and 285 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions a year will be cut, Xinhua reported.”
walterc writes—Mr. Peabody's coal train is back: “Peabody Energy is back in the news. In Politico: Trump administration officials have told lobbyists and European diplomats that the U.S. won't stay in the nearly 200-nation Paris climate change agreement unless it can secure wins for the fossil fuel industry, according to three people familiar with the discussions. In a series of recent conversations with industry groups and European officials, Trump advisers have said the White House decision on the Paris deal could hinge on international willingness to come up with a strategy to commercialize and deploy technologies that will reduce emissions from fossil fuels. […] In recent weeks, administration officials have met with many of the country's major energy companies and trade groups. Those who have talked to the administration include representatives from the American Petroleum Institute, as well as the Independent Petroleum Association of America, ConocoPhillips and coal company Peabody Energy, among others, according to people familiar with the meetings.”
Hydraulic Fracturing
billofrights writes—The Strangest Press Conference Ever: Sen. Zirkin and Gov. Hogan Act to Ban Fracking in Maryland: “Dear Senator Zirkin: I watched with great interest the clip from the Baltimore Sun of your press conference with Governor Hogan, et al. Here: www.baltimoresun.com/… It was very strange. You, however, were quite good and composed - Gubernatorial I would say. Governor Hogan's facial expressions were those of man who had opened a closet and found an unexplained corpse, horrified by the political turn of events seemingly beyond his control. His reasoning was equally tortured: we couldn't get the "'protective regulations' we wanted," so now we oppose fracking too. Missing from the stage was Maryland's permanent Governor, Democratic Senator and Senate President Mike Miller. He was quoted uttering some mealy- mouthed, back-tracking lines in the article, that he never had supported fracking, was for a referendum to let Garrett and Allegany county voters decide. Pretty skimpy cover story, Senator Miller: as if the process of fracking, transporting, processing and yes, exporting natural gas to Asia and India was not a matter of concern to all Maryland residents, and beyond, to all those who worry about fracking's contributions to global warming, habitat fragmentation and other direct pollution threats.”
Pipelines & Other Oil and Gas Transport
James Magaska Swan via Samuel Vargo writes—Lakota Rising: The garbage issue is nothing more than garbage! - By James Magaska Swan: “I have been thinking about this and watching this issue grow way out of proportion, this all-about-garbage fiasco, and many stories have been over-exaggerated by North Dakota’s Incompetent law enforcement and political leaders, then carried out further by a yellow journalism-driven, sold-out news media and other racist community leaders telling lies and mistruths to the public. Some of this fraud and spin doctoring has even shown photos of local landfills, just to make things look worse than they were — and then these horrid ink mongers, TV news-team hacks, and political prostitutes tried to make it look like the pictures weren’t taken at landfills, but at our encampments on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation. Yes, sure, they harped on and on about racism and the sold-out mentalities of our haters. But for once, we truly have the ‘fake news’ that You-Know-Who in Washington, D.C. has been harping on, and tweeting about, for all too long now.First off, if DAPL had listened to the tribal Leaders a couple years back when this pipeline was first mentioned, we would not be here today dealing with this. It is a documented fact that when this first meeting was held the tribal leaders of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe said NO! Not negotiable! We do not approve and will never approve of this pipeline! This is the reason you have not seen many tribal members from Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes at meetings afterwards. There was no reason to go! WE SAID NO! Simple as that! It should have been over at that point!”
REGULATIONS & PROTECTIONS
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Pruitt’s Deputy and Inhofe’s Tinfoil Hat: “During an interview on CNN’s New Day, everyone’s favorite climate-denying Senator Jim Inhofe said Trump’s proposed budget cuts to the EPA are ‘good for the American people’ and added, ‘we ought to take all this stuff that comes out of the EPA that's brainwashing our kids.’ We’re not sure what information Inhofe thinks the EPA is using to ‘brainwash’ children, unless he’s talking about EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s quickly debunked denial of the link between CO2 and climate change. In a separate interview with Politico, Inhofe did commend Pruitt’s ‘courage to stand up and tell the truth’ about CO2 and climate change because ‘the science isn’t there.’ Inhofe should talk to one of the many scientific groups that sent letters to Pruitt or released statements following his “courageous” statement. But we’re confident that kids these days are smart enough to see through Pruitt’s hot air. As it’s been pointed out many times since the denial heard round the world, the EPA’s website still bears the scientific consensus on climate change. (At least, for now. If these budget cuts go through, who knows if the EPA will even have a website anymore.)”
Idontknowwhy writes—Good news, he was brought in to help destroy the EPA and has apparently lost: “A senior member of the Trump administration’s transition team for the Environmental Protection Agency unexpectedly resigned last Wednesday, citing concerns of the ‘integrity’ of long time workers at the agency. He Waged Intimidation Campaigns Against Climate Scientists; Now He’s Helping giving up trying to help Trump Remake destroy the EPA. MANY OF THE LEADING scientists working on climate change research around the country have found themselves targeted by David Schnare, an attorney working for a coal-industry-backed nonprofit. In recent years, Schnare has hounded academics with lawsuits and voluminous record requests as part of a campaign the Union of Concerned Scientists has called ‘harassment’ designed to ‘chill their speech, and discourage them from tackling contentious topics.’ Then he got beaten down by EPA employees.”
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
DRo writes—Roundup Lawsuits Raise Doubts About EPA’s Integrity: “Files unsealed by Judge Vince Chhabria, who is presiding over litigation in federal court in San Francisco brought by people who claim to have developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a result of exposure to glyphosate suggested that Monsanto had ghostwritten circular research papers. (The litigation was touched off by a determination made nearly two years ago by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, that glyphosate was a probable carcinogen, citing research linking it to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.) [...] A recently unsealed brief in the nation’s largest lawsuit over whether chemical giant Monsanto’s Roundup causes cancer shows the extent to which the company tried to influence academic literature, and casts doubt on the procedural integrity of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”
cocob writes—US Congressman Calls for DOJ Investigation into EPA-Monsanto Glyphosate Collusion. “California Rep. Ted Lieu says: ’Reports suggest that a senior official at the EPA worked to suppress a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services review of glyphosate, and may have leaked information to Monsanto. I believe that a Department of Justice investigation is warranted to look into any potential misconduct by employees of the EPA. I also believe a congressional hearing is immediately warranted.’ We have fighters in Congress who don’t get the attention they deserve. [...] Rep Lieu has been fearless and isn’t backing down. He is what we need to see more of in Congress.Monsanto and the possible collusion with the EPA should be investigated now. California passed a law allowing a cancer warning label on Roundup.”
Not Christmas
Missys Brother writes—Saturday Morning Garden Blog V13.11: don't fix what ain't broken (warning - male nudity): “I hope you enjoy the yellow tulips that I received this past Sunday as they were very much needed this week. As you are aware, many of us saw Blizzard Stella come and go on Tuesday. My area in central Connecticut received 16 inches of snow. It was the most snow recorded during a March storm since records were started. And this happened just after we had enjoyed an early taste of spring with 70+ degree weather. More snow is arriving late this afternoon, possibly up to 5”.”
MISCELLANY
Apprenticegeezer writes—If Corporations Are Now Legally Persons, Can't Forests, Canyons or Mountains Also Be Given Rights? “Large sections of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are now dead, done in by climate change. The vaquita a unique marine mammal that calls the Sea of Cortez home, is down to perhaps thirty individuals and is almost certain to be extinct soon-- it is the world’s smallest marine mammal, only discovered in 1958. The several species of river dolphins are probably going soon—the baiji, also known as the Yangtze River dolphin, was declared extinct in 2006. Tropical forests are rapidly being cut—we’re losing 80,000 acres a day, along with an estimated 150 plant, animal and insect species a day—that’s losing 30 million acres and about 50,000 species a year. Human needs almost always win. Does it have to be that way? Does any natural object or any species or anything on earth have any inherent right to exist?”
