Great Blue Heron. See RonK's post
here.
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 Wednesday Spotlight can be seen here. More than
22,200 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.
Bombshell video shows Chevron covering up its lethal tracks in the Ecuadorian Amazon!!!—by
citisven: "A week after Chevron CEO John "Hell Freezer" Watson received a "Distinguished Citizen" award from the Commonwealth Club, the gods of irony must have felt compelled to present the public with documentation of just how distinguished this man's work is when it comes to running one of the most ruthlessly irresponsible corporations in the world. They did it in the form of The Chevron Tapes, a treasure trove of Chevron misdeeds and corporate malfeasance shot by the oil giant's own technicians and consultants and sent by a whistleblower to rainforest watchdog group Amazon Watch. Revealing in their own words to what length this oil giant has gone to cover up its dirty tracks that have caused so much death and misery for indigenous communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon, the company's consultants are caught on tape frustrated by their inability to find soil samples without oil, and then mocking the contamination, in an obvious attempt to pre-game the judicial inspections to defraud the court."
The Mighty Rio Grande—by Desert Scientist: "In Late February of this year as I walked down the trail along the Rio Grande at Leasburg Dam State Park in southern New Mexico, I was struck by the relative lushness of the area. A reasonably deep stream ran in the river bed and I could see the shadowy shapes of carp swimming just below the surface of the mud-brown water. I was told by the park ranger that the stream was fed only by a local hot spring, not by the runoff from the Rocky Mountains headwaters as it should be. South of Leasburg, there was no water in the bed at all at La Llarona Park and only a trickle from irrigation runoff (from wells!) at the Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park. The river bed in winter is normally dryer than when the water is let down from the dams, but there always was some water. During the summer season we measured the irrigation water in acre feet; now it is measured in acre inches! The Rio Grande used to be a great river, but that distinction seems to be overstated now, at least in southern New Mexico. As water is pumped from the bolson (basin) and the runoff from the headwaters in the Rocky Mountains has failed, the valley water crisis gets worse."
On the left, the Rio Grande in May of 2011 at Broad Canyon near Radium Springs, New Mexico. On the right, in March 2015.
You can find more rescued green diaries below the orange garden layout.
Energy
Hit piece on #wind in @Newsweek. Do editors even care when basic "facts" are wrong?—by A Siegel: "Recently, The New Yorker's editors failed their readers by publishing Jonathan Franzen's Birds-Climate without—it seems—giving a serious look at assertions and basic failures. Newsweek's editors have done a similar—if not more serious—disservice to their readers with the publication of Randy Simmons' broadside attack on wind power. Simmons, in short, argues that government subsidy of wind power (such as the Production Tax Credit) is counter-productive and too costly. As with Franzen's piece, books could be dedicated to dissecting this one article and providing more accurate discussions to support public debate and discussion. This article gets things wrong on so many levels: from misstatements on basic facts, to misrepresentations, to playing with statistics, to not addressing fundamental issues to ... Follow after the fold for three examples."
Bad for planned Pacific NW Coal Mega-Ports: China's demand for imported coal fell 42%—by Lefty Coaster: "The business case for ever building two coal export mega-terminals in the Pacific Northwest is falling apart. From the Guardian: China’s coal imports fell by nearly half in the first three months of the year as the slowing economy and tougher rules on pollution took their toll. Imports by the world’s biggest coal consumer reached 49.07m tonnes in the first quarter, a fall of 42% on the same period a year ago according to data from the Chinese customs office. Trade figures for March showed that imports were down overall by 12.3% while exports badly missed expectations, falling 15% from a year earlier."
global oil output continues to hit records, leaving big banks on the hook for fracking losses, et al—by rjsigmund: "among the highlights of this weeks news, legislators in Maryland have banned fracking in that state until at least October 2017, as their House passed a measure on Friday by a 102-34 margin to prohibit issuance of drilling permits for the process at least until that time... more than 100 business owners in the Western part of the state thought to have exploitable shale had signed a letter to the leadership of the General Assembly in support of the fracking moratorium...earlier in the weektheir Senate had passed a similar measure by a 45 to 2 margin, so although the governor has taken no position on the measure, the margin in both houses in obviously veto-proof... the week also saw the publication of a new study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health that found elevated levels of toxic radon gas in Pennsylvania homes near sites where fracking was taking place... researchers analyzed more than 860,000 indoor radon measurements from a Pennsylvania Department of Environment Protection database and found that overall ambient levels of the gas, the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, have been on the increase since 2004, and that buildings in areas with fracked wells nearby had significantly higher readings of radon compared with buildings in low fracking-activity areas..."
Fukushima Unit-1 Inspection: Another One Bites the Dust—by Joieau: "On Saturday, April 10 TEPCO inserted IRID's nifty new shape-changing robot into the first floor level of containment in Daiichi unit-1 to inspect damage and maybe find the missing core. This was the same unit that was muon scanned last month by two units from the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization [KEK] in Tsukuba, Japan. The scanners revealed that there is no fuel in the reactor vessel, so it was hoped the robot could get all the way around the interior containment catwalk to take photos, video and readings on radiation levels and temperature. Unfortunately, the robot only made it 2/3 of the way around, and then it died. Well, it didn't die completely, it just stopped taking commands from its operators and cannot move or change shape. For awhile there, it was still transmitting data. According to an IRID official, the operators tugged on the robot's cable and sent instructions for it to change shape, but it still would not move. The robot's camera, dosimeter and temperature gauge were not damaged, and the robot was still capable of transmitting data. Neither TEPCO nor IRID have released any of the inspection data so far, but there was apparently 'debris' in the area where the unit stopped moving."
Renewables & Conservation
How to Make Solar "Plug and Play"—by HannahMiller: "The thousands of solar installers in Colorado – as in many other states – have a hard time developing energy regulation. As with most other green businesses, they are often small shops in a nascent industry. Since the rules about rooftop solar are local (decided by towns or counties), more than half the cost of installation are now the “soft costs” of permitting and inspection, said Rebecca Cantwell, executive director of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA). But COSEIA’s Solar Communities program has made strides so far in streamlining the installation process, offering a $500 discount for customers of participating companies. The organization now hopes to expand its program to the rest of the country. Solar Communities is a program sponsored by a Department of Energy grant through the Sunshot Initiative and managed by COSEIA, which works directly with local governments to help them implement 12 best practices for rooftop solar. So far, Solar Communities has certified 16 communities in Colorado as 'solar-friendly' cities, ranging from Denver to Lyons. This covers over half the population of the state."
Fracking
The Mother Frackers think we are stupid—by DWG: "They are celebrating over in Frackerville. They scored a peer-reviewed paper in a decent journal. According to industry astroturf Energy in Depth, this new paper will 'discredit Duke methane papers.' Those 'flawed' studies found that the concentrations of methane, ethane, and other gases were substantially higher in wells close to active hydraulic fracturing operations. Heads exploded in Frackerville when they read this research article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Distance to gas wells was also the most significant factor for Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses (P < 0.01). For ethane concentrations, distance to gas wells was the only statistically significant factor (P < 0.005). Isotopic signatures (δ13C-CH4, δ13C-C2H6, and δ2H-CH4), hydrocarbon ratios (methane to ethane and propane), and the ratio of the noble gas 4He to CH4 in groundwater were characteristic of a thermally postmature Marcellus-like source in some cases. Overall, our data suggest that some homeowners living <1 km from gas wells have drinking water contaminated with stray gases. <.i> That conclusion probably gave more than a few investors heartburn. It invites meddlesome regulations and requires larger campaign contributions to keep politicians turning a blind eye. Really dangerous in the hands of the good lawyer."
Keystone XL & Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
Obama Administration Issues Pipeline Safety Bulletin for Submerged Water Crossings—by LakeSuperior: "The Obama Administration Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issues a pipeline safety bulletin in today's Federal Register pertinent to operations throughout the United States: Pipeline Safety: Potential for Damage to Pipeline Facilities Caused by Flooding, River Scour, and River Channel Migration. Some of the recent spills on the Yellowstone River were mentioned."
Climate Chaos
How Hot Can It Get? Here's How Hot.—by Dartagnan: "Most reputable climate scientists project a global environmental catastrophe (such as the irreversible loss of the Greenland ice sheet, for example, causing sea levels to rise on the order of 23 feet) if and when temperatures reach 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above the mean temperature that existed at the start of the Industrial Revolution. We have already warmed the Earth approximately 1.7 degrees F. since that time. Utilizing current technologies (and with a nod towards profitability), extraction of currently known recoverable fossil-based fuels will warm the planet an additional 2.8 degrees F., or 4.5 degrees F., well beyond the 'disaster' consensus. Michael Greenstone of the University of Chicago has now calculated how hot the world will get if we extract and use all of the available fossil fuels accessible (though not necessarily cost-efficiently), through current technology, including coal, shale and oil, rather than leave them in the ground. In an article written for The New York Times, Greenstone concludes:[T]he use of all reserves and resources would lead to a total increase of 16.2 degrees. Today’s climate and planet would very likely be unrecognizable."
Greenland permafrost thawing a lot faster than we thought causing danger of 'feedback loops'—by VL Baker: "We're living in a time of extreme weather and crisis. And now, it seems that the dominos are falling faster and faster as dreaded 'feedback loops' begin to kick in. A new study published this week in Nature Climate Change shows that Greenland's permafrost may be thawing faster than we thought. [T]he research shows that tiny microbes trapped in Greenland’s permafrost are becoming active as the climate warms and the permafrost begins to thaw. As those microbes become active, they are feeding on previously-frozen organic matter, producing heat, and threatening to thaw the permafrost even further. [...] The big worry climate scientists have about thawing permafrost is that the frozen soil is chock-full of carbon. That carbon is supposed to be strongly trapped inside the soil, precisely because it’s supposed to be permanently frozen — hence, 'permafrost.' However, as temperatures in the Arctic have risen due to human-caused climate change, permafrost is thawing, and therefore releasing some of that trapped carbon into the atmosphere."
Trouble at Totten Glacier—by greenman3610: "The latest “This is Not Cool” video is the third in a trilogy of very important, and sobering, pieces I’ve posted over the last year. I didn’t start with a trilogy in mind, but the developments of the last few months have been jarring and momentous. Chris Mooney wrote recently in The Washington Post, “A hundred years from now, humans may remember 2014 as the year that we first learned that we may have irreversibly destabilized the great ice sheet of West Antarctica, and thus set in motion more than 10 feet of sea level rise.”. He added, 'Meanwhile, 2015 could be the year of the double whammy—when we learned the same about one gigantic glacier of East Antarctica, which could set in motion roughly the same amount all over again.'"
Climate is a world wide system—by don mikulecky: "Recent articles about the climate have been disturbing not only for their predictions but because they demonstrate the problem that dealing with pieces of the system can create. For example: West coast 'blob' may be to blame for drought and cold. This is but one of many 'explanations' for last winter's weather that may or may not be accurate and may or may not be tied to climate change as the author says very clearly. Then there is this one talking about the 'Tipping Point.' It lists a lot of things to be concerned about but makes the notion of tipping point a bit confusing because it is used in so many different ways. Then there is a bit of waffling here: Permafrost may not be the ticking 'carbon bomb' scientists once thought. There are plenty more but we need no more to ask some serious questions about the effect of all this on the public. Read on below and I will once again make my case for using systems science rather than a piecemeal approach."
Merchants of Doubt: More than just a movie review—a challenge to conservatives on climate change—by David B Goldstein : "I don’t see a lot of movies, except on airplanes, and this is not the kind of movie that airlines like to show. The film is a documentary about how climate change deniers twist the truth and cast doubt on theories that are scientifically well established, reflecting a combination of interest-group money and personal ideological motivations. [...] First, they argue that climate science is not conclusive about the risks of climate pollution. The film showed how through having high-visibility spokesmen say things that were just plain incorrect they were able to create public doubt and to make climate denial a touchstone of faith for conservatives. But one thing the show talked about, but didn’t note the significance of, was that the denial faction had managed to frame the issue incorrectly. The issue, as we have all heard it debated, is 'are we sure that human activity is already causing climate change?' But that is not the policy issue we have to deal with as a nation and as a civilization. If we have already affected climate, that may be a problem, but it is a fact. What is interesting is the question: 'Will future greenhouse pollution cause climate change?' Because when the question is framed properly the evidence is not just overwhelming, it is beyond doubt."
Deniers Defend Denier-for-Hire—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "In a rather bizarre move, the co-authors of Willie Soon's most recent paper have issued a letter to Soon's employer, essentially throwing Smithsonian under the bus in a futile effort to salvage Soon's reputation. The letter argues that Soon was right to hide his fossil-fuel-funding in the conflict of interest disclosures for his studies, because he was required to do so by his contract, even though he himself did not sign it! Southern Company and the Smithsonian were the signatories, so of course they are to blame and not Soon, who actually took the money and wrote industry-friendly studies without disclosing the financial relationship, thereby breaking journal disclosure rules. It's surprising the co-authors would attack the Smithsonian, considering that Soon's affiliation with this highly regarded institution is about the only thing giving his name any credibility at all. In a post at WUWT, Monckton, Legates and Briggs call attention to the letter and request that, "all supporters of Dr. Willie Soon" sign on to the letter. They didn't specify whether Soon's fossil-fuel-funders were who they meant by 'supporters.'"
As sea level rise accelerates, buying shorefront property becomes a game of musical chairs—by Ivy Main: "Although Hampton Roads gets most of the media attention, sea level rise threatens the entire Virginia coastline and the tidal portions of rivers, including the Potomac River all the way up to Alexandria and Washington, D.C. A whole lot of people should be consulting topographic maps before they make their next real estate decision. fThe Sierra Club report focuses in on specific timeframes that matter in real estate decisions: twenty-five years for short-term projects, fifty years for new homes, and a hundred years for infrastructure projects. With a one-foot margin of safety added in, the report recommends that anyone considering a new project or building today with a 50-year expected life should plan for as much as 3.7 feet of sea level rise over the 1992 baseline. That number becomes 5.5-7.2 feet when the planning horizon is extended out a hundred years, to 2115."
Climate change = positive feedback loops galore.—by don mikulecky: "Once again the ability to predict and anticipate depends upon models created by the same species that is at the root of causing the problem. No one seems to seriously question the fallibility of our minds as long as we have our "science". Yet that very reductionist science turned nature into a machine to be manipulated by anyone capable of using the limited knowledge the scientists generated. Now we are confronted daily, it seems, with hard evidence of how little we really know. Once again as scientists look deeper into what is happening their eyes become opened a little more. I say this as a scientist who spent his life learning about how little we really know. Today I read this: Why This New Study On Arctic Permafrost Is So Scary. Scientists might have to change their projected timelines for when Greenland’s permafrost will completely melt due to man-made climate change, now that new research from Denmark has shown it could be thawing faster than expected."
Requiem for glaciers (and climate science) in Canada—by DWG: "Nature Geoscience just published a sobering look at likely deglaciation in Western Canada during the 21st century with continued carbon emissions. The research team led by Garry Clarke of the University of British Columbia developed models that incorporate ice dynamics physics with existing surface mass models. Using global climate models to project temperature and precipitation projections with "business as usual" carbon emissions, the models indicate that glacial ice mass in this region will decrease by 70% from its 2005 footprint by the end of the century. [...] Think of this as yet another chapter in the water crises that will be the hallmark of the 21st century. Climate change and unsustainable agricultural uses of water have conspired to put California into a drought with profound economic implications. Syria fell into civil war after a prolonged drought wiped out agricultural productivity in rural parts of the country. Blood shed in South Sudan and other sub-Saharan countries has become all too common during water shortages. Freshwater reserves in China are under pressure from climate change, industrial use, and pollution. Ditto in India. The list goes on. And on."
WSJ Continues Climate Contrarianism—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "The Wall Street Journal has an opinion piece, "Calling Obama's Bluff on Climate Change," by Steven Hayward, who is identified as a visiting professor at Pepperdine. What the WSJ fails to mention, however, are his numerous ties to fossil-fuel-funded groups—Hayward was formerly the director and treasurer for Donors Capital Fund, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and a board member of CFACT. The piece, while relatively short, is packed full of the WSJ's usual climate misinformation. Hayward's intention is to explain how 'the GOP Congress can get ahead of Mr. Obama' before the upcoming Paris climate change agreement. He suggests Congress can pass some bills to tie Obama's hands, but acknowledges this advice is of limited utility, because ' Mr. Obama would surely veto the bills.' Hayward is basing most of his objections on the false belief that the agreement shaping up for Paris is identical to the Kyoto Protocol. (Spoiler: the Paris agreement is designed to overcome the challenges of Kyoto, so it's as though Hayward wrote his article about Kyoto and just changed the name without bothering to read up on the new agreement.) For more detail, Neil Bhatiya explains all the pieces that Hayward gets completely wrong."
25,000 March for Climate Action (in the Snow)
—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "At WUWT, frequent contributor Bob Tisdale has posted an open letter to three of the Senate's leading climate change deniers: Ted Cruz, James Inhofe and Marco Rubio. In it, Tisdale poses four questions to the senators about climate models and taxpayer funding, and then provides long-winded explanations for each. The first question asks why taxpayers are funding models when models aren't simulating Earth's climate. Tisdale bases his question on a 2007 essay by Kevin Trenberth (borrowing his scientific credibility). Trenberth's essay is relatively complex, dealing with the difference between predictions and projections. Tisdale, of course, mines for quotes and misrepresents the essay to suggest that climate models "are not simulating Earth's climate" and model funding is wasted. In reality, Trenberth's essay says that it's imperative we have a "climate information system that ... initializes models and makes predictions.' Models are the best way to see what the future has in store, which is the reason why they get funding. Next, Tisdale asks why we're funding new model research when each generation of models provides the same basic answer. Well, that's because the models don't just show 'climate change is happening,' but each generation of models provides a finer-grade resolution with important implications for regional impacts. Tisdale might as well ask why we kept inventing new microscopes when they give the same basic answer as Leeuwenhoek's original, way back in the 1600s."
Critters & the Great Outdoors
In Defense of "Clean" coal -OR- Can't a Couple of Crawdads Take One For the Team?!?—by docclay: "I woke up this lazy Saturday morning and checked out the Twitter feed and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a Scientific American Tweet about Conservation Group Seeks Protection for Endangered Crayfish, Gets Newly Discovered Species as a Bonus. Now normally you'd think that this would be a generally good finding (or at least neutral depending on how you view your freshwater crustaceans). Ah, but there you would be wrong. It seems that some intrepid laissez-faire culture warrior, Trumandog22, opines in response to said article claiming that there are entirely too, too many species being offered up by an outfit called the Center for Biological Diversity, or CBD (a pinko name if ever I heard one). They proposed governmental protection of the Big Sandy crayfish and the Fish and Wildlife Service is actually going to do it! So upon much intense internal debate on my part, I decided to become a fellow Supply Side Warrior and take up my pen (or keyboard in this case) to join in battle against such eco terrorists and other forces of the "left" in this country who would gladly sacrifice our nations energy security and economic future, all to save a few mudbugs. Don't that beat all?"
Dawn Chorus: It's A Cooper's Hawk (Or Is It?)—by
matching mole: "Our title references two things. One is an experience I had long ago while doing field work in Phoenix. I stopped to take a look at a raptor flying by and some guy who was passing called out 'It's a Cooper's Hawk.' I told the friend I was with that, whatever else it was, it was not a Cooper's hawk (it was buteo of some sort). My memory of the details of the event are hazy and the only reason I remember it is that my friend (he was a biologist but definitely not a birder) was quite taken with the phrase and would often repeat it, saying 'It's a Cooper's hawk' imitating the rather yokelish accent of that long ago passer by whenever any kind of sizable bird might be seen. The second reference is to the notorious difficulty of distinguishing Cooper's and Sharp-shinned hawks. The most obvious difference between the two is size but there is overlap and size is not always easy to estimate from a distance."
Sterling Nature Center - April 15, 2015 - A Photo Diary—by boriscleto:
The Daily Bucket - gleaming cormorants—by
OceanDiver: "
April 7, 2015. Salish Sea, PNW. Pelagic Cormorants are never so gleaming as they are in spring. With the start of the breeding season their freshly donned plumage is bright and unworn, patterned and accented to attract the perfect mate. Considering that these are essentially black birds, and that males and females are alike, their appearance is spectacular. To me anyway - I've been watching these birds at the Anacortes ferry dock for the last few years, and this spring display is a special treat to catch, even for just a few minutes at a time when I am en route home from the mainland. Their iridescence is at maximum. How many colors do you see in those black feathers?"
The Daily Bucket: Some Random Photos—by Lenny Flank.
A Giant Conflict of Interest: Big Oil Lobbyist's Oversight of Marine Protected Areas—by Dan Bacher: "In one of the biggest and most overlooked environmental scandals in recent California history, a prominent oil industry lobbyist served as a high ranking official overseeing the creation of marine protected areas in Southern California, as well as sitting on a federal marine protected areas advisory panel. Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), the most powerful corporate lobbying group in Sacramento, chaired the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create so-called 'marine protected areas' in Southern California from 2009 to 2011. [...] During the period from 2004 to 2012, she also served on the task forces for the Central Coast, North Central Coast and North Coast. Under her leadership, she and other corporate interests made sure that oil industry operations, including fracking operations in Southern California waters, weren’t impacted at all by the creation of so-called -marine protected areas.' In the violation of the provisions of the Marine Life Protection Act of 1999, these 'marine protected areas' fail to protect the ocean from fracking, oil drilling, pollution, military testing and all human impacts on the ocean other than fishing and gathering."
The Daily Bucket: The Great Blue Heron on Bellingham Bay – Heronries and Habitat Preservation—by
RonK: "My favorite picture of a GBH taken in the Padden Creek estuary within a quarter mile of the Heronry. This was taken a few years ago in early spring, about now. The Great Blue Heron (GBH; Ardea herodias) is found in all parts of North and Central America. Although many areas like to claim them as their own, residents of Puget Sound and the Salish Sea in particular, feel a strong affinity for these statuesque creatures. To most locals, they are right up there with eagles and gulls as being part of our “native” landscape and part of our ecosystem. While not endangered at this time, they are considered a species of interest. As is probably of true a large number of heronries and their habitats around the country, our local ones have been encroached upon by development, polluted by industry, and degraded by loss of habitat. We have four such heronries in Whatcom County (the far northwestern corner of Washington State), and all have required preservation and reparation efforts to keep them viable. Recently significant restoration efforts have been taken locally and the Great Blue Heron (GBH) seems to be holding its own. This diary shows our local GBHs from one heronry that has survived in spite of habitat loss and industrial encroachment to within 30 yards of its closest nesting trees."
Natural Wanderings: Angus Gholson Jr. Nature Park—by
PHScott: "
April 2015, Chattahoochee, FL. Well, another volunteer day out in my favorite piece of woods. I'll be honest, it may be a workday but mostly I'm out there deep in the woods to explore and see wonderful plants in bloom. So, let's jump right into the photos with one of the most beautiful, endangered plants: Fringed Campion. This plant (
Silene catesbaei) is endemic to South Georgia/North Florida. Its endangered status is because of loss of habitat like so many others. It doesn't take kindly to clearcutting timber or burning or disturbance or any number of things we do to the land and call it progress. This plant's little bit of territory is on the slopes by the Apalachicola River. It may be endangered but we saw dozens of them; 'locally abundant' as my friend Leigh would say."
Someone released their goldfish and now there are thousands of goldfish taking over a Colorado lake—by Walter Einenkel: "As beautiful as it may seem to watch thousands of goldfish swim about in late afternoon light of a Boulder, Colorado day, for the Parks and Wildlife, it's a huge headache. The exotic species, which were first noted by Boulder Open Space Rangers March 13, are now present in the thousands and will likely need to be removed to maintain the integrity of the lake. 'Goldfish are not a native species and are very harmful to the local aquatic ecosystem,' said Kristin Cannon, district wildlife manager for Boulder. 'We strongly encourage the public not to dump their unwanted pet fish in our waters. It is bad for our environment as well as illegal.' This is a big problem, as any non-native species in an area can knock out the balance of a sensitive ecosystem."
The Daily Bucket - Lake Chabot Herons—by enhydra lutris: "Lake Chabot (Castro Valley), CA. I've been reporting on the Great Blue Heron rookery at Lake Chabot, California for some time. The final (I think) 2013 bucket is The Daily Bucket - Lake Chabot Heron Report wih a link to its predecessor, etc. Last year was kind of messed up, herons in general started nesting early in this area, but this particular rookery failed completely. There are buckets on that too. So far this year it has been a dud, but we got good news on April sixth. One of the Park staff told us that there were at least two if not three nests on the island they had relocted to after the eagles drove them out of their traditional site. While we did not see them ourselves, this person is a reputable source and we did see tow out foraging."
Top Comments: Spring Flora and Fauna in Austin, TX—by
bastrop: "It's springtime in Austin and that's pretty nice. It isn't hot yet and nights and mornings are still cool for the most part. We have had a ton of rain in the last 6 months, bringing much needed relief from this major drought. I see Austin is just outside the color lines and into normal territory and that means everything when the Edwards Aquifer and Lake Travis (52.5 feet below full), both sources of drinking water for the region, are still way, way low after years of parching, out-of-control impermeable development and wasteful usage. Fingers crossed, prayers, smudges, chants and meditations for a similar relief for our friends on the West Coast and everywhere rain is needed. These last months of rain have made for a gorgeous opening to the year. While underground and in the waterways there remains a serious problem, wet soil up top promotes a lovely show of flora and fauna alike at the edge of the Hill Country. Bluebonnets abound and so do oxeyes, phlox and many others. Ladybird Johnson's legacy of highway beautification is really picking up steam and now is the time when sunny weekends have folks pulled over alongside vast stretches of flowers, sometimes in their fanciest clothes, to take family portraits and pictures of their kids or themselves or their partners sitting amongst the booming colors of a Central Texas Spring."
California's Twin Tunnels Plan Abandons Fish Protection, Public Participation—by Dan Bacher: "The Center for Biological Diversity also responded to the Brown administration’s revelation that the twin tunnels project to divert water from the San Francisco Bay-Delta to Southern California and industrial agribusinesses “no longer includes provisions to protect habitat for endangered salmon and smelt and more than 50 other imperiled species.' 'The new plan is a giant step backward,' said Chelsea Tu, a staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. If it goes through, this massive project’s boosters will be able to build these tunnels without having to do anything to protect our wildlife and waters — and will neatly sidestep input from the public.' 'This backdoor process will waste more taxpayer money and kill more Delta species like endangered salmon and smelt,' she stated."
Environmental Matters: Election 2016
Marco Rubio is in. But he doesn't believe and this could derail his candidacy—by VL Baker: "Marco Rubio has declared his candidacy for the presidency. Two of the major republican 2016 candidates from Florida? How does this make sense for the GOP? But both Rubio and Bush have a major problem in confronting their Florida constituents; they both, to different degrees, don't believe in climate change. Climate Change happens to be the most important issue facing Floridians; it will affect their economy, health, homes and maybe even their survival. Well, Marco used to believe in climate change, but of course, now he's running for president."
Carly Fiorina Prepares Herself for GOP Presidential Run, Blames Environmentalists for CA Drought—by Doctor Jazz: "In preparation for a Presidential bid, failed CEO and failed Senatorial Candidate, Carly Fiorina, has been busy establishing her conservative credentials accusing liberals and environmentalists of causing the California drought. Yes, you heard that right folks, libs and tree huggers are to blame. Without any hint that she recognizes the irony in her statement, science denier Fiorina calls the drought 'man made.' She made her case to Glenn Beck. 'It is a man-made disaster,' she told Glenn Beck during a Monday radio interview.'With different policies over the last 20 years, all of this could be avoided.' 'That’s the tragedy of California, because of liberal environmentalists’ insistence—despite the fact that California has suffered from droughts for millennia, liberal environmentalists have prevented the building of a single new reservoir or a single new water conveyance system over decades during a period in which California’s population has doubled,' Fiorina said. Now Fiorina is not a scientist, and neither am I, but her logic here is stunningly myopic. She is correct that environmentalists have opposed building new dams, for good reason. But of course Fiorina and other conservatives do not think that saving habitat for birds, frogs and fish are good reasons for allowing rainfall to run into the ocean."
About that emerging right-wing divide on climate change—by Cassiodorus: "In a recent piece posted to the Grist website, David Roberts tells us that "there's an emerging right-wing divide on climate change.' Now I suppose that by 'right wing' Roberts means Republicans, because of course all of the Important People want to give the Democrats some space to claim that they are not conservatives. Even so, I wanted more evidence from Roberts that this was in fact a 'divide.' I felt reinforced in my belief that Republicans have no solid opinions on climate change, but rather that they have a knee-jerk reaction to anything like climate change that would threaten their precious capitalist system (as Naomi Klein points out at the beginning of her book This Changes Everything). What appears to be most prominently the case is that prominent Republicans are backtracking on claims that climate climate change isn't happening, or that it isn't caused by human beings. They're starting to waffle on denial claims. This appears most prominently in the Dana Milbank piece which Roberts cites."
DC, State & Local Eco-Politics
Wisconsin Climate Change Gag Order Part of Multi-Front, Industry-Tied Attacks—by Steve Horn: "On April 7, Wisconsin's Board of Commissioners of Public Lands voted 2-1 to ban those employed by the agency from doing any work pertaining to climate change or global warming while doing public lands related work. Although the story was covered by multiple media outlets, lost in the public discussion so far is how the vote fits into the broader multi-front industry attack in America's Dairyland-turned-Petro State and which industry interests may have played a role in the vote. The historical roots of the vote appear to trace back to an April 2009 congressional testimony given by Tia Nelson, executive secretary for the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands and daughter of former Wisconsin Democratic Governor Gaylord Nelson, in favor of passage of the American Clean Energy Security Act of 2009. That bill is better known as the controversial and eventually nixed Waxman-Markey climate bill, a bill opposed vigorously by the fossil fuel industry (and some environmentalists, too)."
Wisconsin Bans Public Employees from Working on/Discussing Climate Change—by Windtalker: "The Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands has voted 2-1 to prohibit its nine employees from working on or discussing global warming and climate change 'on board time.' According to Republican State Treasurer Matt Adamczyk who is on the board, he was upset that the board's executive secretary worked on global warming issues on board time years ago. He also said that the the topic has nothing to do with the board's mission of 'generating investment dollars for public school libraries and providing loans for municipal and school projects.' The executive secretary? Tia Nelson, daughter of Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson. The work she did on 'board time?' Serving as co-chair of a global warming task force formed by former Governor Jim Doyle until 2008. The lie? It IS part of the mission of the Public Lands board to protect the environment on school lands."
West Virginia Sticks to the Science. Mostly.—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "Closing the loop on the West Virginia science standard 'creditability' story from January, the state's Board of Education voted yesterday with a much better than expected end result. That said, enough damage was done to warrant Junk Science tweeting that the standards are a 'climate skeptic win over the forces of warmest brainwashing' and for CFACT to declare 'victory.' But don't get too worried; in classic JunkScience fashion, the reality is much different from what they're pitching. In fact, the changes made are much less egregious than the original changes that cast doubt on climate science. The recent changes include temperature 'rise' being replaced by temperature 'change,' as well as the addition of 'natural forces' as a possible climate change contributor that scientists are currently studying. While the addition of natural forces may seem like a major coup to deniers, understanding natural climate signals is an important part of climate science and serves as an entryway to understanding which signals are natural and which are human-caused. Junk Science thanked 'all who helped' get this 'win in West Virginia,' while CFACT sent an email to members praising them for taking action and making a difference. This is ironic given that out of 7,000 public comments submitted, 6,468 supported the standards teaching kids that climate change is real and man-made. But when you ignore 97% of climate scientists on the consensus, it's no surprise they consider 6% a victory."
Whitehouse, Boxer, Warren, Franken, Sanders to Governors: Don't Listen to McConnell on the EPA—by Liberty Equality Fraternity and Trees: "Last month, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sent a letter to the National Governors Association, telling the governors of the 50 states to disobey the EPA's new regulations for carbon pollution. Today, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Al Franken (D-MN), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wrote to the NGA to tell governors to ignore Mitch and pay attention to the many expert voices across the Bluegrass State instead. The letter highlights how stakeholders in the business and academic community across Kentucky believe that action on climate change is needed. The letter concludes, '[F]ailing to act gives up your state’s right to set its own course of action toward a clean energy future. His [McConnell's] is not the voice from ahead saying the trail is not safe; his is the voice obstinately staying behind saying, "Let’s not even try."'"
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
Will GMOs Solve The Coming Food Crisis?—by gregladen: "According to the best available research, we are going to have to double the production of food, globally, by 2050. Think about that for a moment. Children born today will be in their 40s at a time that we need to have already doubled food production, yet during the last 20 years we have seen only a 20 percent increase in food supply. Assuming a steady rate of increase in production (which might be optimistic) we should expect to fall far short of demand over the next few decades. This is a problem. The problem is expected to most severely affect poorer people, people in less developed nations, and poor farmers, but if the entire world is double digit percentage points short of food, almost no one is going to get by unscathed. And, at some point, when nearly everyone is seeing some sort of food shortage or extraordinarily high prices, the totally unscathed are going to start looking pretty tasty to the rest of us. [...] And water. This will all require more water, when we are facing increasing shortages of water. How do we address this problem? Will Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) save the day? Are there other approaches to quickly increase agricultural output? Can we eat different foods that are less difficult or costly to produce?"
Saturday Morning Garden Blogging- Early Bird Edition—by skohayes: "I'm a huge fan of easy to grow flowers like petunias, because all they need is water and some nice flower booster fertilizer. I may have gotten carried away with the fertilizer when I had this combination in my front planters! I found that petunias can make your containers look good without a lot of effort. They come in many varieties and colors, and any habit, from upright grandifloras, to the perfect hanging basket type, the Wave petunias. There are solid colors, striped, and the veined variety, one of my favorites."
Red Flag on the Daily Kos Track: GMOs—by serendipityisabitch: "When the explanation involves relatively new and fairly in-depth science... When it has the potential for making major, unpredictable changes in the world we live in... When there are large corporations involved... When the genii won't go back into the lamp, and people are afraid it might not be friendly... And when a few people have realized that they can start a fight simply by mentioning it, and are itching to do so ... Then we generally have a problem. Today's Red Flag is—ahem—Genetically Manipulated Organisms. Well, actually, it isn't. The immediate segues into pesticide and insecticide use, industrial and agricultural runoff, modern farming practices, the ignominy that should be overtaking Monsanto in a just world, food labeling, all the odd diseases and conditions that have been identified but not solved in the last fifty years that might be attributable to one or more of the previous items, scientific ethics, and a handful of even more loosely related problems and complaints, has kept any actual discussion of GMOs to a minimum. And part of the problem is that if there are six partially related items being argued in the same comment thread, the potential for throwing an argument for or against one item up against an argument for a significantly different item, and confusing the hell out of both issues, is tremendous."
Transportation & Infrastructure
New Tesla battery factory will pay $25 per hour—higher wage than nearly all U.S. automakers—by Jen Hayden: "Elon Musk and Tesla Motors continue to impress: Tesla Motors plans to pay an average hourly wage of $25 at its huge battery factory under construction near Reno, Nev., the head of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada said. That is higher than nearly all automakers in the U.S. are paying new hires and nearly double what most parts suppliers pay. It's also above the $17 starting hourly wage of Tesla workers who assemble its Model S sedan in Fremont, Calif., near San Jose. The plant will be built in Reno, Nevada—which is ranked as "excellent" on the Consumer Price Index because of its low cost of living. The 6,500 people expected to fill those soon-to-be-open Tesla jobs are going to be able to make a fair living wage."
Sustainability & Extinction
Ocean Acidification Caused by Carbon Emissions Tied to Permian Extinction. Sound Familiar?—by Steven D: "Scientists studying the Permian extinction event, the greatest die-off in Earth's history, when 90% of all life in the oceans went extinct roughly 250 million years ago (along with the extinction of two thirds of all land species), are finding troubling similarities to that crisis and the current mass extinction which is occurring in our lifetimes. Specifically, a new study shows that increased ocean acidification similar to what we are seeing today, was one of the prime drivers of extinction during the Permo-Jurrasic boundary. From the abstract of the research paper published in Science: Ocean acidification triggered by Siberian Trap volcanism was a possible kill mechanism for the Permo-Triassic Boundary mass extinction, but direct evidence for an acidification event is lacking. We present a high-resolution seawater pH record across this interval, using boron isotope data combined with a quantitative modeling approach. In the latest Permian, increased ocean alkalinity primed the Earth system with a low level of atmospheric CO2 and a high ocean buffering capacity. The first phase of extinction was coincident with a slow injection of carbon into the atmosphere, and ocean pH remained stable. During the second extinction pulse, however, a rapid and large injection of carbon caused an abrupt acidification event that drove the preferential loss of heavily calcified marine biota. In laymen's terms, increased absorption of carbon released from volcanic activity into the oceans led to an rapid increase in ocean acidification, much like we are observing today. The result? The mass die-off of ocean species."
The Buddhist Ecology Movement: Street Prophets Coffee Hour—by Ojibwa: "I live in a community in which logging has a long history. “Tree huggers” are seen as traitors to the local economy and culture; “Earth First” simply means that the other planets will be clear cut later. Destruction of timber resources, the clear cutting of forests, is not just a problem of my community, but it a global concern. The forests in places like Thailand and Brazil are being cut down at an astounding rate to feed American and European demands for lumber. In Thailand, Phrakru Pitak Nanthakthun, a Buddhist monk, has been battling the destruction of forests for 25 years by ordaining trees. Once a tree is ordained, it becomes sacred and the people are hesitant to destroy it. By people, I am referring to humans with souls and feelings, not to the soulless, immortal, greedy corporations."
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
Climate Change Banned in Wisconsin—by Heywaitaminute. In a satire, the author writes: "In an unexpected move, the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands has voted to ban climate change within the borders of the Badger State. The surprise announcement from Matt Adamczyk, one of the three commissioners on the board, was made to a crowd of reporters on the Capitol lawn. Also quite surprising to onlookers was the manner in which Mr. Adamczyk issued his statement, which began: 'Lit veh veginf vy shayinvk vat viwf zish polshiy changh, zhe Refublkinth leadershit honozhh zhe Progresif trudishin ov zith greath shite,' he said."
Why You Shouldn't Run from Bears—by AKBear: "It should be self explanatory why you shouldn't run from bears. But, for those needing a quick primer: 1) they can run faster than you 2) they get hungrier than you 3) does there need to be a #3? Black bears are the most unpredictable—best to wave your arms around wildly, making a bunch of noise and make yourself look much bigger than you are. They scare pretty easily, comparatively. But, if they insist on eating you, drop to the ground and play dead (see 'Brown bears' for more on playing dead). Brown bears also will generally flee if you wave your arms around wildly and scream loudly. If they don't and come closer for a meal, drop to the ground, face down, covering the back of your neck with your hands and play dead until they leave. Polar bears, will eat you no matter what, so whatever you do, try to sock them in the nose, gouge their eyes or stuff mittens down their throats before you run: as Cobra Kai was wont to say, 'If he can't breathe, see or run, he can't fight!' Or something like that. And now, what I really wanted to talk about: Nationalism versus Patriotism."
Oceans, Water & Drought
Nestlé has been pumping water from a national forest with an expired permit for over 25 years—by FaithGardner: "The lack of regulation here is stunning. The U.S. Forest Service in Southern California just caught wind of the fact Nestlé's permit to pump water out of a national forest expired over 25 years ago. An investigation by the Desert Sun found that Nestle Waters North America's permit to transport water across the San Bernardino National Forest expired in 1988. The water is piped across the national forest and loaded on trucks to a plant where it is bottled as Arrowhead 100 percent Mountain Spring Water. Nestlé is the #1 bottle water producer in the country and own the brands Arrowhead and Pure Life. The company's response? Don't worry, folks. Nestlé "monitors its water use and the environment around the springs where water is drawn.' The California drought has gotten so bad we've been warned there is only a one-year supply left in the reservoirs. In Sacramento, Nestlé has recently been under fire from environmental activists, calling the company's unregulated tapping of California aquifers a 'corporate giveaway.'"
Water Works (Part 5): Why Can't California Stop Exporting Its Water?—by GregWright: "Agriculture accounts for 70 percent of total world water consumption. The amount of water a country uses on agriculture decreases as the country’s wealth increases. Wealthier nations require more water for industrial practices and poorer nations must prioritize food supplies. For example, in the US, water used on industrial agriculture accounts for 38 percent of total freshwater withdrawals, while it accounts for over 80 percent of withdrawals in India. In the US, water usage varies greatly by state as production needs vary by state. Western states are responsible for much of the country’s food production, but are notably arid as four different deserts, the Great Basin Desert, Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Desert, all call the American West home. As you might expect, farming in the desert requires tremendous amounts of water. This being the case, western states use more of their water on agriculture than their eastern counterparts."
City of Sacramento responds to my questions about Nestlé—by
Dan Bacher: "Rhea Serran, Media and Communications for the City of Sacramento, today responded via email to my questions about Nestlé's water bottling plant in Sacramento. On March 20, environmental and human rights activists, holding plastic 'torches' and 'pitchforks,' formed human barricades at both entrances to the Nestlé Waters bottling plant in Sacramento at 5:00 a.m., effectively shutting down the company's operations for the day. [...] The response has arrived a couple of weeks after I finished the article, so I couldn't include it in the original article."
You think the California water crisis is bad? Get ready for US megadroughts says NASA—by VL Baker: "NASA is predicting megadroughts in US in the coming decades. By megadroughts they mean droughts lasting decades or more. As we struggle with the consequences of the California drought, how that drought is managed will have a profound impact on our species survival. How the California drought is managed will speak volumes about our ability to foresee and plan for the long term effects of climate change. California has been an environmental leader in many ways. This drought gives them the opportunity to be a global leader in paving the way for a realistic approach to managing our future while mitigating the effects of climate change."
Restore the Delta to Hold Anti-Tunnels Meeting—by Dan Bacher: "The public is invited to provide comment to the Fish and Game Commission on the proposed emergency regulation to close all fishing on the 5.5-mile stretch of the Sacramento River from the Highway 44 Bridge in Redding upstream to Keswick Dam to protect endangered winter-run Chinook salmon. The California Department Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recently submitted the proposal to the commission, arguing that the closure 'in this critical holding and spawning area' would “ensure added protection for the federal and state endangered winter-run chinook, which face high risk of extinction.” The CDFW argues: 'Given the gravity of the current situation, it is imperative that each and every adult fish be given maximum protection. Current regulations do not allow fishing for Chinook salmon, but incidental catch by anglers targeting trout could occur.' 'At the department, it pains us to propose this action for the state,' said Stafford Lehr, CDFW Fisheries Branch Chief. 'But we are in unchartered (sic) territory here, and we believe this is the right thing to do if we want to help winter run and be able to fish for big rainbows in the long-run.'"
California Water Restrictions MUST Include Big Ag, Big Oil and Nestlé!—by Dan Bacher: "The mainstream media, state officials and corporate "environmental" groups have for years tried to portray California as the "green" leader of the nation. In reality, California suffers from some of the greatest environmental degradation of any state in the nation, since corporate agribusiness, the oil industry and other big money interests control the majority of the state's politicians and exert inordinate influence over the state's environmental policies. California is currently in a state of emergency, with NASA scientists saying that California has only about one year of water left in reserves, according to Food and Water Watch. This is largely due to the gross mismanagement of California's reservoirs, rivers and groundwater supplies, during a record drought, to serve the 1 percent. California Governor Jerry "Big Oil" Brown's recent water restrictions on cities and counties are woefully inadequate. Big agribusiness, oil interests and the Nestlé corporation and other bottled water companies continue to deplete and pollute California's precious groundwater resources that are crucial for saving water. It's clear that the severity of this drought calls for much more than just individual action like cutting back on your showers or flushing your toilet less."
WATER: California Needs its Democrats to Step Up—by Wolf10: "The California drought has set the stage for a great battle between the urban based economic interests and agriculture. Agriculture trumped mining by way of court cases and legislation as the dominant organized economic force in California in the late 1800s. But since then, in spite of the burgeoning abundance of agricultural production in California, it has been outpaced by the growth of other economic sectors to the point that agricultural sales now represent less than 2% of California's gross state product. Most of the state's publicly owned water supplies are the product of massive and complex public works systems and is derived from rain and snow melt runoff. There's only 1 year's worth of this water left stored in reservoirs. Groundwater (i.e. subsurface aquifers) belongs to those who own the land above them. Although it is estimated that there is perhaps 3 years of water in these aquifers nobody knows because landowners have not been required to monitor or report how much water to which they have access or use. I have no idea how long it would take or even if it would be possible or desirable for the state to wrest control from these aquifers from their current owners. Should the public get control of this water, deplete it, and the drought persists for more than three years, what then?"
Amy Goodman, speaking truth to power, takes on the livestock connection to California water crisis—by VL Baker: "Speaking truth to the powerful California livestock industry, Amy Goodman, as usual, doesn't pull punches. Her article on Alternet exposes the meat industry's major role in causing the California water crisis which I wrote about here. She interviews the creators of the documentary 'Cowspirary' which I wrote about here."
California Water Wars being won by meat & dairy; use 47% of all water—by
VL Baker: "Let that sink in. 47% of all consumptive water in California (water that has been extracted and cannot be replaced) is consumed by the production of meat and dairy!At a time when California is in its fourth year of extreme drought, a drought which is exacerbated by climate change, and with the drought's end nowhere in sight, 47% of its water is being consumed by its meat and dairy industry. California Governor Brown has instituted the first ever California mandatory water restrictions, seeking a 25% reduction in household water use which utilizes 4% of California's consumptive use. Even if California is successful in reducing household use by 25% it will only reduce consumption by 1%. [...] Many are looking to grass-fed beef as a possible eco-alternative to the factory farmed product, but that's not looking like a viable alternative."
Trash, Pollution & Hazardous Waste
Kelp Watch 2015: Most Recent Results Looking for Fukushima Contamination—by MarineChemist: "The purpose of this diary is to report the most recent results of Kelp Watch 2015, a program dedicated to monitoring for the presence of Fukushima contamination off our Pacific Coast. This post is the latest in a series dedicated to the public dissemination of information about the impacts of the Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster on the health of the North Pacific Ocean ecosystem and health of North American residents. New results from the third sampling period (January through March 2015) of Kelp Watch 2015 were released on April 6, 2015, and can be found here. As with previously reported results here, here and here no radioactive isotopes from Fukushima were detected in kelp growing at sampling sites spread along our Pacific coast. The absence of 134Cs in kelp suggests that ocean transport of Fukushima contamination had yet to reach North American coastal water. As the contaminated water reaches the shoreline in the coming months Kelp Watch 2015 will help to track the arrival of the plume in time and space."
The South Bronx Fights Air Pollution in "Asthma Alley"—by Marcia G Yerman: "Parents want the best for their children. Lois Gibbs said of her fight to clean up the poisonous dumpsite of Love Canal, 'The government wouldn't help me, so I decided to do it myself.' From necessity, activists are born. In the South Bronx, a father who cares about his infant son and the other denizens of his community, has taken up the call to arms. A. Mychal Johnson, co-founder of South Bronx Unite, has squared off against a formidable foe—the food delivery service FreshDirect. In a story with more twists and turns than a political thriller, Johnson's narrative of the facts pits him against the Bronx Democratic Machine, public officials, and big money. On his side are those who live in Mott Haven-Port Morris, where elevated death rates and children with high levels of respiratory disorders are the norm. This area is not called Asthma Alley without reason."
Water Works (Part 4): Getting A Grip On Industrial Pollution or Cap & Trade Vs. Corporate Collusion—by GregWright: "A strong and united government provides communities with the best defense against industrial pollution. Companies follow money. If it is cheaper for a company to pollute than to not pollute, they will pollute. When governments impose limits and fines that make producing waste and emissions more expensive than not producing any, the companies will compete for ways to pollute less… or move operations to a country where they can pollute freely in the name of profit. Industries that pollute heavily and their indentured servants in the US government often shout rhetoric to the effect that taxes are 'job-killers' or that 'government is getting in the way of business.' Government officials who are not beholden to these industries will point out that these taxes are both an incentive for corporations to do the right thing and an insurance policy that funds the clean-up effort when the companies violate regulatory policies. The Cap-and-trade system was adopted as national law in 1990 to combat the emerging problem of acid rain. The system limited the amount of sulfur dioxide that coal-fired power plants and other sulfur emitting facilities could expel. A company that emitted less than its allotted amount of sulfur dioxide could sell its unused credits to a facility that went over its limit. The number of credits issued in total was set at a number that was low enough to significantly reduce the amount of emissions over time. Did it work?"
Forests, Wilderness & Public Lands
Study shows that tropical deforestation has accelerated, not slowed as previously reported—by Walter Einenkel: "Finds in a study published two months ago by University of Maryland researchers has revealed some disturbing news.The rate at which tropical forests were cut, burned or otherwise lost from the 1990s through the 2000s accelerated by 62 percent, according to a new study which dramatically reverses a previous estimate of a 25 percent slowdown over the same period. That previous estimate, from the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Forest Resource Assessment, was based on a collection of reports from dozens of countries. The new estimate, in contrast, is based on vast amounts of Landsat image data which directly record the changes to forests over 20 years."
Mining
Bundy Redux? Oregon Miners in Dispute With BLM Calls for Militia Help And Gets It—by Steven D: "Yes, we may have a repeat of the Le Affaire Bundy in in southern Oregon where a dispute between the Bureau of Land Management and gold miners may erupt into another standoff with domestic terrorists "Constitutional rights activists" such as the Oathkeepers, after the BLM ordered the miners of the federal land they'd worked for regulatory violations. Rather than fight the matter in the courts, the miners had a better idea. They put a call out for help from the men with the long guns who rallied around racist and Sovereign Citizen supporter Cliven Bundy in Nevada last year. From Raw Story: The owners of the Sugar Pine Mining Claim reached out to the Oath Keepers of Josephine County for help, and the pro-gun group issued a nationwide call for assistance that was picked up by websites such as Infowars and Before It’s News. So, what is the BLM saying about all this? Acting like the jack booted thugs they must be, right? Well, not exactly. It seems the dispute is over the miners' surface rights and whether a 1955 law canceled any right the miners may have. The miners are relying on documents to support their claim, documents the BLM asserts were canceled out by a 1955 law. According to the BLM they have already been in touch with a lawyer representing the miners. But I guess either the miners don't trust the courts or they aren't all that confidant about their claims, because they asked for armed back-up from the same folks who aided Bundy and terrorized Federal officers, local law enforcement and an entire community in Nevada last year."
Miscellany
Chesapeake Bay Restoration—by hughesrowe: "I am always curious why people with enormous wealth don't take advantage of it by funding a single eye-catching initiative that would enhance everyone's life and reap a tremendous amount of dignity and respect. The Idea? Restore the Chesapeake Bay. The entire watershed. I think 5-7 billion dollars of dedicated funds could return it to the best protein factory the world has ever known, similar to when Captain John Smith first laid eyes on it. Citizens could consider giving up its naming rights like a municipal stadium. Call it Buffet Bay, Bloomberg Bay, Apple Bay, Google Bay, or my personal favorite, Cisco Bay. Want to keep it regional? Call it Carlyle Bay. Or personalize it, Ellison Bay. Mr. Ellison you have a wealth of 40-50 billion dollars. You could invest 5-10 billion dollars in Oracle Bay. You like a challenge, as I can see from the whole yacht racing passion, and the engineering needed for this enterprise would also be transformative. With the science now available at places like SERC, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Md, I'm sure restoration guidelines are available."
The Future of the Recycling and Packaging Industry—by erichlawson: "Over the past few decades, it has become a well-known fact that the packaging industry has had a huge impact on the environment. With each passing year, tons of plastic waste from packaging containers and bags end up in landfills and the ocean, at increasingly alarming rates. Marine life is under threat, greenhouse gases are seeping into the atmosphere, cities face the menace of scattered litter, and drains along with sewer systems are being clogged by plastic bags. Due to these issues, the need for recycling waste packaging instead of producing more of it has become a serious cause for concern. While recycling programs are still continuing success stories, we still have a long way to go. The future of recycling and packaging industries looks promising as governments and other stakeholders across the consumer supply chain continue to work together. As far as sustainable packaging and recycling is concerned, the following are some of the outcomes to expect from the zero waste strategies being implemented in different nations today."
Legally Screwed—by hannah: "Some people prefer to believe there are some most powerful people who are doing them in. I'm not sure why. I'm more inclined towards the proposition that the U.S. has a very long history depriving some group or other of their rights surreptitiously, by screwing them legally. Perhaps that's the legacy of the explorers having arrived with charters in their hands. The Europeans have long relied on documents. And so it continues. I am about through reading the 261 pages I got from the Glynn County Attorney when I asked for the rewrite of Chapter VII of our ordinances, the zoning code. But, although I already have some 25 questions and comments to pull together, Section 762 deserves special consideration. It's not very long, but instructive. Although entitled Beach and Dune Protection Overlay Zone, 762 is not about protecting the beaches or dunes. That is, the law does not do what it says. Surprise, surprise!"
'Tea party' holds protest against Everglades conservation. There's just one problem...—by FaithGardner: "Well, this is just pathetic. The Tea Party of Miami put up a convincing demo last week to oppose a 'land grab' that would see 46,000 acres of sugar farm land restored for Everglades conservation. Just one problem - the 'protestors' were actors each being paid $75 for the two-hour shift. [...] The protest took place last Thursday outside the South Florida Water Management District and was staged by the Tea Party of Miami and Florida Citizens Against Waste—a group that, according to the Palm Beach Post, 'has no contact information on its website and is not registered to do business in Florida.' The call for actors to appear at the protest originally appeared on Facebook—although they have since deleted it. Luckily, some folks took screenshots before the post was taken down. [...] This stunt is almost laughable—but the environmental problems the area is facing are no joke."
Fishery Legend Zeke Grader, PCFFA Executive Director, Honored At Sausalito Gathering—by Dan Bacher : "Hundreds of people attended an event honoring Zeke Grader, Executive Director of The Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman's Associations (PCFFA) and The Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR) on Friday, April 10, at the Bay Model in Sausalito. A number of special guests spoke at the event, including Representative Jared Huffman. Congressman Mike Thompson and former Secretary of Defense and Congressman Leon Panetta gave moving video tributes in recognition of Zeke’s many accomplishments and members of his family told stories about Zeke’s adventures growing up in Fort Bragg, California. [...] Probably the most entertaining moment of the evening was when Linda Sheehan of the Earthlaw Center and her daughter, who works as an intern for IFR, performed a humorous song about 'Zeke, Our Hero,' to the accompaniment of a ukulele."
Powerful wildfires raging in Siberia have crossed into Northern China—by Pakalolo: "Grassland wildfires have been raging across the Siberian Republic of Khakassia killing 23 people at last count, and seriously injuring 47. Homes in 19 different settlements have been destroyed and thousands left homeless according the Tass News Agency. The flames are being driven 20 meters per second by gusty winds according to meteorologists. The Xinhau news agency in China has reported that the wildfires have crosses the border in China and are now surging in the region of inner Mongolia. [...] In a warming world we can expect more and more wildfires. Longer and hotter summers will extend the wild fire season in many regions of the world. Interestingly, wildfires in grasslands may become less of an issue in a warming world. Not because they will regrow after a fire as we would expect, but because intense drought will provide no fodder to burn."