This is the 580th edition of the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue). Here is the November 10 edition. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
Haricot Blue writes—The Speech That Saved The Planet: “One month ago, I received a report from the world’s leading climate scientists. The report states that we have only twelve years to drastically curtail our emissions of greenhouse gasses or risk calamities ranging from drought and crop failures, wildfires, water shortages, the death of ocean ecosystems, and sea level rise that would inundate our coastal cities. This nightmare will unfold, not in thousands or hundreds of years, but in the lifetime of our own children and grandchildren. Some of it is happening now. Indeed, it may already be too late to prevent this catastrophe. But there may still be time. My fellow Americans, we must take this last, best chance to preserve a habitable planet for children and theirs. We must act boldly. We must act selflessly. But above all, we must act now.”
FishOutofWater writes—Top Firefighters Rip Trump for his Reckless, Insulting & Demeaning Response to Fires: “Twenty five people have been killed by the most destructive wildfires in California history. Firefighters, law enforcement and search and rescue teams are continuing to search for the missing and assess the destruction, while firefighters are valiantly attempting to contain the fires. A new episode of hot, bone-dry winds, intensifying this morning, will make firefighting across California extremely dangerous today. Extremely critical fire weather conditions are forecast for the next 3 days in southern California. The threat of new fires will be very high from southern California to northern Baja California for the next 5 days. Firefighters from California, Arizona and western states are mobilizing to reinforce the exhausted firefighters who were first to respond to these deadly fires. [...] That was why it was so shockingly inappropriate when Donald Trump threatened to cut support for fighting California’s fires. Our firefighters and law enforcement officers have risked their lives to protect us while their own properties were at risk of destruction.”
OceanDiver writes—Dawn Chorus: “...And the bays are full of ducks, and geese, and swans...!” “Imagine that feeling of awe that washes over you when there are vast numbers of something of the natural world wherever you look. The quote above is a version of one you may remember at the end of Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: Space Odyssey, Bowman’s reaction to the ineffable mystery of the universe, ‘Oh god...It’s full of stars!’ I’ve apparently conflated that with the mindblown reactions of the characters in Isaac Asimov’s stunning short story ‘Nightfall,’ wherein a planet with multiple suns always in daylight for once experiences the darkness of an eclipse, revealing stars stars and more stars thickly scattered across a night sky in the crowded galactic center: The sky is full of stars! I have morphed these sentiments into a similar expression to evoke the awesome feeling of looking up and all around while scuba diving, seeing gazillions of fish swimming every which way: ‘The sky is full of fish!’ Well, that sense of glorious awe is what I’m feeling these days — no exaggeration — now the winter water birds are returning to my local bays and wetlands… And the bays are full of ducks and geese and swans!”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - November swans: “The Trumpeter Swans have arrived! Later than usual, which means it was a longer warmer summer than usual in the Arctic, as they migrate south just ahead of the ice. A consequence of global warming. A few roost and feed in the little wetland pond across the road from my house. I hear their melodious tootling more than I see them since the pond is difficult to access. Usually I get a peek down driveways and across the field. [...] On the 8th I crept up a bit closer to see how many there were and whether there were any juvs. I don’t do that often since they get agitated by human proximity, and I don’t want to spook them into flying off. These giant birds need all the energy they can get. I was quiet enough on this occasion: they noticed me but didn’t depart. No grey youngsters this year so far. Two pairs. Swans maintain pair bonds from year to year.”
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - November Salish Seascapes: “For our bucket today, here are some recent peaceful scenes of the sea in my corner of the world. Since then, storms have been rolling in. Some photos taken on walkies along the bay. [...] Overcast and heavy mist today in the Pacific Northwest. Moderate SE breeze and fairly warm for mid Nov, low 50s.”
Angmar writes—The Daily Bucket: Rockhounds part 3- Semi precious stones Open thread for stones [and whatever...]: Photo diary.
Dan Bacher writes—Breaking: West Coast Commercial Crab Fishermen Sue Fossil Fuel Industry: “On the day before the commercial crab season was scheduled to begin on most of the California coast, the West Coast’s largest commercial fishing association filed a landmark lawsuit against Big Oil. The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) today filed the litigation to hold 30 fossil fuel companies, including Chevron, Exxon-Mobil, BP other oil industry giants, accountable for losses caused by four straight years of fishery closures that have harmed crabbers, their businesses, their families, and local communities in California and Oregon. The fishermen filed the suit in California State Superior Court in San Francisco, asserting state law claims, including ‘negligence, defective product liability, nuisance, and failure to warn about the dangers associated with products the fossil fuel companies knew would cause, among other things, warming of the oceans and atmosphere’.”
6412093 writes—The Daily Bucket--Throwing Shade: “I’d heard rumors about steelhead gutting it out, and making it way upstream in Rock Creek. I’d hiked it for years and seen eagles nesting in its big trees, and scores of ducks in the lakes and ponds that overflowed from its high waters. [..Although Rock Creek has been channelized and culverted, it runs twenty miles, drains a big area and carries lots of water. In some places its suckles hundreds of acres of adjoining wetlands that harbor unusual creatures for the suburbs, including elk. Rock Creek often floods. Here’s pictures from 2014 [...] A few months ago, I joined the local country club which is a quarter mile from my house. For the first time, I could walk the half mile of Rock Creek that ran through the private golf course. I’d walked public trails along the creek both north and south of the Course, but never on the Course itself. Here are pictures from today’s walk along the Creek through the Course.”
CLIMATE CHAOS
Pakalolo writes—Brazil's fascists promise genocide for indigenous tribes, incineration for the Lungs of the Earth: “ ‘Where there is indigenous land, there is wealth underneath it.’ President-Elect Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil Yet another inconvenient truth folks, this time occurring right under our noses in Brazil. The razing of what remains of the Amazon rainforest is game over for the planet. It will not be able to grow back in time to help stabilize the Earths atmosphere from climate change. So I don’t apologize for the above headline, see, I don’t think when it comes to extraction industry crimes, paired with a worldwide fascist kakistocracy - the media headlines are simply not apocalyptic enough. It is not a stretch of the imagination that the recent election in Brazil may be, bluntly, game over for the planet. But. Don’t give up. Really don’t give up.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Even If Volcanoes Are Undercounted CO2 Source, It Wouldn’t Disprove Climate Change: “A post from the denier aggregation site climatechangedispatch about volcanoes, written by former petroleum geologist James Kamis, erupted last week. He was a relatively new name for us, so to quickly catch up on where he’s coming from, Kamis says on his blog that he believes that tectonic plate activity, and the release of heat from the Earth’s crust, could be an alternative explanation for global warming. The theory Kamis lays out in this post, though, is more specific. Kamis claims that CO2 emissions from volcanoes have been vastly undercounted, and that non-erupting volcanoes around the world are actually emitting the CO2 that’s changing the basic composition of our atmosphere.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—In Not-So-Subtle Nod to Climate Change, South Park Shows a ManBearPig Denier Eaten by ManBearPig: “ ‘The climate system is an angry beast and we are poking it with sticks,’ Dr. Wallace S. Broecker warned humanity, decades ago. Now it looks like the beast is awakening, and even former critics seem to be coming around to the idea that we should stop poking it. This reversal is even showing up in what we watch after work. The libertarian-leaning sensibilities of South Park’s creators have been plainly evident on TV for years. Humor like South Park’s fuels the sort of nihilistic ‘both parties are the same’ rhetoric that allows edgy young men to feel superior to both parties, without having to actually make a political choice. Climate change has come up in the show multiple times, from skewering the over-the-top dramatics with a Day After Tomorrow parody to lampooning the smug self-satisfaction of Prius driving liberals. But the episode that has continued to resonate, particularly in the deniersphere, is the ManBearPig episode. This infamous 2006 bit mocked Al Gore’s pandering to the press and public while promoting his Inconvenient Truth movie.”America Adapts writes—#MeToo Meets Climate Adaptation: Author Elizabeth Rush Rises to the Climate Challenge: “In episode 77 of America Adapts, Doug Parsons is joined by author and professor, Elizabeth Rush. Elizabeth discusses her recent book, Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore. Doug and Elizabeth dig in to the positive reaction it’s received, her book tour, and they take a deep dive on how vulnerability to climate change relates to the #MeToo movement. It’s a provocative and enlightening conversation. And we have a bit of fun too.”
Sher Watts Spooner writes—Rising Arctic temperatures triggering alarms about climate change: “Higher temperatures during winters in the Arctic are more than just a temporary rise—they’re further signs of the warming of the Earth, and they’ll affect more than just polar bears. Last year’s temperatures in the Arctic were the warmest on record. “Of nearly three dozen different Arctic weather stations, 15 of them were at least 10F (5.6C) above normal for the winter,” said a story in The Guardian. The Arctic is warming twice as fastas the rest of the planet. When we experience heat waves in the summer (no matter where we are in the world), the consequences of the high temperatures are often immediately obvious: drought, multiple health issues, higher death tolls from heatstroke, more severe wildfires, and crop failures, just to name a few. When temperatures are abnormally high in the Arctic, the general population in the rest of the world doesn’t notice the effects immediately. The higher temperatures can have an immediate devastating effect on local inhabitants and the wildlife in the area, but they will hit us all in the long run.”
Pakalolo writes—Crimes against the Planet - China, Canada, and Russian policies portend a catastrophic 5C world: “’People are going to die because of the decision Trump made’ — John Kerry. The United States and Australian policy choices will lead us to a slightly less deadly 4C warming world above pre-industrial levels. Even Europe will lead us to a 3C world. None of those policy choices will keep us from catastrophic climate impacts by the year 2100. I hate hearing about the year 2100 projections of likely climate scenarios because it is the delusional and selfish notion that we can kick this looming crisis down the road for the kids to solve. The IPCC report states we have exactly 12 years to decarbonize or, it is game over for our civilization. That was the IPCC best case scenario, not the worst. Recently, the conclusion of a newly released study, published in the journal Nature Communications, evaluates ‘the relationship between each nation’s ambition to cut emissions and the temperature rise that would result if the world followed their example.’ It is not remotely promising. The Guardian reports: Policies of China, Russia and Canada threaten 5C climate change, study finds.”
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
Lefty Coaster writes—Overnight the Camp Fire jumped over Lake Oroville in three areas: “Just a short post on the Camp Fire which has continued to grow overnight. Now the blaze has jumped across Lake Oroville, setting three peninsulas aflame. I’ve seen the area of Lake Oroville that the fire jumped last night, and I’m aghast. The California Statewide Fire Map shows the Camp Fire has reached the far eastern outskirts of Chico, and has crossed Highway 99 south of Chico, east of Durham. This remains an extremely dangerous fire.”
Meteor Blades writes—Arrrrrgh. Trump, who took the side of the fires, plans to visit California survivors Saturday: “Jerry Brown could do the Golden State one more good turn in these last two months of his fourth term as governor by hiding the welcome mat, meeting Trump at whichever airport he flies into, and sending him scuttling back to Mar-a-Lago. That would no doubt violate some rule of federal-state etiquette. ‘So, sue me,’ Brown could say. The last thing we need here this weekend is this pathetic climate science denier mouthing off about how to handle wildfires. He’s already had his say in that matter, and he was wrong. [...] The implication that the state should be penalized for these fires is especially grotesque given that just 3 percent of California’s forests are owned by state agencies. Fifty-seven percent are owned and managed by the Forest Service and the Department of Interior. [...] So, stay home this weekend, Donnie. Tweet some crap about the Mueller investigation or how the real reason you hid out in your Paris hotel from Armistice Day ceremonies wasn’t to avoid getting your hair wet in the rain or how you’re having second thoughts about how swell a guy North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is. But leave us the hell alone.”
ursulafaw writes—'Haven't We Suffered Enough?' Californians Less Than Thrilled Trump Is Coming To Visit: “Will anybody join me in a rain dance for a good cause? California needs the rain desperately and it’s the only sure fire way to keep Donald Trump from coming here. Trump announced Thursday that he’s planning to come to California this weekend and people here are either groaning or laughing. The latest fires are the third set to have occurred since Trump took office. He hasn’t visited before and we don’t need him now. He’s been here once since taking office to look at prototypes for his effing wall. The only reason he wants to come here is because the Camp Fire is the deadliest in the state’s history and he and Wildfire Barbie want to come and mouth platitudes and do a photo op in windbreakers and baseball caps. We don’t need bad theater here, we’ve got enough real drama, thank you. Seriously, what’s he going to do, same as he did in North Carolina, say ‘Hi, everybody, how’s your house?’ California has had ‘to fight not only killer fires but also combustible rhetoric from the Oval Office,’ as The Washington Post put it, from this jerk who threatens to withdraw federal aid and admonishes our officials to ‘Get Smart!’ ”
Walter Einenkel writes—Meteorologist hoses down Trump's claims on the historic California wildfires: “Donald Trump is an incompetent person. He’s a dumb man. He’s a racist dumb incompetent man. While the wildfires in California continued to rage over the weekend, ‘President’ Trump decided that the smart thing to do was not offer help, was not send some kind thoughts and prayers. No, the best course of action was to spew out more of his idiotic vitriol.
The obvious ignorance of everything in this tweet is astounding. So astounding that CNN decided that they would allow meteorologist Tom Sater to use his weather green screen to both hand hold and admonish the white supremacist in chief. Asked about this response by the Pasadena Fire Department, to Trump’s dumb claims, Sater showed pictures of the fire and explained a few things.”
annieli writes—Trump in California: Not seeing the Forest for the Trees Management: “The unraked leaves did it. Does POTUS* believe the 24 million acres of California forest need to be raked. Perhaps Jarvanka told 45* he needs to at least pretend he cares about the lives of Californians, because his subsequent tweeting has the same backtracking corrections we recall from WH responses to Puerto Rico. And California isn’t even an island. Can he make this trip more than a photo-op. [...] The president said he had seen the firemen at work and saw them raking under trees near the flames of the fires. Trump said that had the areas around the trees been raked out earlier, there would have been no fire burning.”
Doctor Jazz writes—Catastrophe Beyond Belief--Thousands Homeless, 600+ Missing, Toxic Air All the Way to SF: “I grew up in Chico, a few miles west of Paradise. I currently live in Southern California but have immediate family still living there, with both of my daughters living in the Bay Area, and I am in constant communication with them as well as many childhood friends, several of whom have lost their homes in the Camp Fire, who are updating me on details of the horrific circumstances. Donald Trump is set to visit California on Saturday to meet with individuals affected by California fires. While details on the exact time and place have yet to be announced, here is what he is likely to find, should his staff actually allow him out into the toxic soup that is the air in Magalia, Paradise, and Chico. As of this morning, 631 people are missing, 63 confirmed dead, and 8,756 residences are confirmed destroyed. The reason the number of missing keeps growing is that the fire did not just burn Paradise. The Sierra foothills are filled with small and medium-size communities like Magalia and Pulga, where many thousands of people live, many in isolation, and authorities are only now discovering just how many people have not been accounted for.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Wildfires Latest Example Of How Burning Fossil Fuels Leads To Burning California: “With at least 40 lives taken and thousands of acres burned, the fires currently raging across California are an unpleasant reminder of what’s at stake in the climate fight. Those who are opposed to the clean energy solutions that, while obviously wouldn’t put out the flames but would at least quit fanning them, haven’t let this moment go without their own commentary. For example, we heard that Dr. Jane Orient of the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) sent out a press release on Sunday with two broad claims. One was that since warming has paused and more acres were burned in the 1930s, CO2 emissions aren’t the cause of increased wildfires. Orient also says that if the US adopted ‘California-like renewable energy mandates’ that fight climate change, it still wouldn’t prevent forest fires. The claims link to 2-year-old page on a Doctors for Disaster Preparedness (DDP) website, one on wildfires, the other California energy policy. Now before one dives into the veracity of these claims, one should consider their source. One association of doctors linking to another group of doctors certainly sounds respectable... But are they? No. Not at all. Not even the slightest little bit.”
Gabe Ortiz writes—As some Californians are urged to stay indoors due to toxic smoke, farmworkers continue working: “As multiple deadly fires have forced some school districts in California to shut down classes and led some workplaces to urge employees to work from home for a few days, another group of workers is still laboring outside and breathing in toxic smoke. Multiple viral images show farmworkers continuing to labor in fields as heaps of dark smoke from the Woolsey fire in southern California loom overhead. In one photo, no visibly-clear air can been seen as several figures harvest in the fields. At least one worker does not appear to be wearing a protective face mask. The Central Coast Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) told Pacific Standard that “even though California's labor laws call for employers to determine if conditions are too harmful for farmworkers to work … state officials rarely travel to rural areas to enforce these protections.” Many work because they simply have no choice but to work. ‘Unfortunately, when farmworkers can’t work due to the hazardous conditions,’ CAUSE’s Lucas Zucker told Remezcla, ‘they lose income because they are often paid piece rate (by the box picked), and if they are undocumented are unable to qualify for federal disaster relief.’ Yet undocumented workers pay billions in taxes annually.”
Kelly Macias writes—Trump is back to lying about Puerto Rico so he can deny the island the recovery funds it needs: “Donald Trump is once again trying to punish Puerto Rico. Nearly fourteen months since Hurricane Maria hit the island and became one of the deadliest storms in US history, the island continues to recover. Nearly 3,000 people have died so far and there are residents who remain without power. But Trump could care less. He’s apparently gone back to the racist lies and conspiracy theories he touted last year about Puerto Rico’s government mishandling recovery funds. And that’s why he wants to end disaster relief funds to the island, according to a recent Axios report. [...] ”From the beginning, he pretty much ignored what was happening—instead spending his days and nights obsessing over NFL players who were kneeling during the national anthem to protest police violence against black and brown bodies. He then attacked San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz every chance he got while she desperately pleaded for help to any media outlet that would listen. He finally went to Puerto Rico and threw paper towels at hurricane survivors, all the while praising his administration for their response and lied about the death toll.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
Dan Bacher writes—Action Alert: DSC workshop on staff report finding CAWaterFix inconsistent with Delta Plan 11/15-16: “This is today’s action alert from North Delta Cares regarding the public workshop to receive comments on staff-prepared draft findings regarding appeals to the California WaterFix certification this Thursday and Friday in Sacramento: What: Public workshop to receive comments on staff-prepared draft findings regarding appeals to WaterFix certification. Comments should be no longer than 3 minutes. When: 9 a.m. on Thursday Nov. 15, 2018 and, if necessary, continuing at 9 a.m. on Friday Nov. 16, 2018. Where: Ramada Inn, 1250 Halyard Drive, West Sacramento. Last week the Delta Stewardship Council released a draft staff report determining that CA WaterFix is not consistent with the Delta Plan, and recommending that the Council remand the plan back to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) for ‘reconsideration’.”
Dan Bacher writes—Memories: Secret Meeting Participants Flee from Delta Residents, Fishermen: “This article published here on Saturday October 09, 2010 covers the bizarre experience of four of use who tried to attend a secret meeting of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the predecessor to the California WaterFix plan to build the Delta Tunnels, in Sacramento on September 30, 2010. It’s over 8 years since I wrote this piece, but in spite of the multitude of protests and lawsuits by fishermen, Tribal leaders, Delta residents, environmental justice advocates, family farmers, elected officials and Northern California cities and zombies, this project continues to limp forward like a hard-to-kill zombie.”
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
eretznod writes—Women of Color Leading the Environmental Way: “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the newly elected leftist congresswoman from New York, joined a protest on Tuesday morning inside the offices of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to call for immediate action on climate change [...] The group’s demands include a push for Pelosi and House leadership to back a “Green New Deal,” a broad plan supported by Ocasio-Cortez and a number of other newly elected Democrats. It’s always good to see a young woman of color demonstrably standing for issues that will be critical for the people’s future. It’s also important to hold leadership’s feet to the fire to make sure they don’t forget to tout these issues. People of color are disproportionately impacted by the worst effects of climate change, so making noise about such matters are of critical importance to preserving these communities and guaranteeing them a prosperous future. [...] That the Climate Hawk youngest woman ever elected to Congress would join youth climate activists in pressuring the most powerful members in the Democratic Party to act more forcefully shouldn’t surprise us but should be welcomed and appreciated.”
A Siegel writes—.@Ocasio2018 joins @SunriseMvmt in pounding on Pelosi's door for #GreenNewDeal to #ActOnClimate: “Youth climate activists didn’t put their passion away last Tuesday evening at the end of balloting. The likely next Speaker of the House, who has indicated that (a) there will be recreation of a Climate-focused committee but (b) climate won’t be top of the agenda, has a few hundred passionate, knowledgable Sunrise Movement activists pounding on her door. [...] From Sunrise Movement: This morning, hundreds of young people are taking action in DC to deliver our climate demands to the newly elected Congress. The newest science tells us we have just 12 years to transform society and our economy to stop climate change. But recent comments have surfaced showing that Dem leaders have no intention of fighting for a real climate plan anytime soon. We’re on Capitol Hill taking action this morning because the only thing standing in the way of a just future is the failure of political leadership. Our demand is simple: Champion a Green Jobs for All platform.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS & OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
Dan Bacher writes—Indigenous Forest Guardians, Sky Protectors Rally in Sacramento to Denounce Tropical Forest Offsets: “On Friday, Nov. 16, environmental justice groups, indigenous people’s organizations, scholars and international forest protectors will hold a press conference and rally at the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in Sacramento to denounce the agency’s misguided plan to endorse the proposed Tropical Forest Standard. Friday’s event marks a continuing push by affected community members in California and the Global South to alert policymakers to the destructive and divisive nature of tropical forest offsets programs like (REDD+) and to call on the CARB to exclude them from the state’s cap and trade system. Leaders from Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria and California are rejecting the Air Resources Board’s proposed forest carbon credit scheme.”
ENERGY
Fossil Fuels
Walter Einenkel writes—In the most hypocritical move, Trump's Interior secretary moves to block drilling in his home state: “Trump’s secretary of the interior, Montana Republican Ryan Zinke, has decided to ingratiate himself with his state’s voters by hypocritically immunizing them from his actions as a shill for big industry and an environmental nightmare. The Great Falls Tribune reports that Zinke, using his position of power, plans to push the U.S. to appeal a judge’s ruling that allows a private drilling lease on the land—something that was canceled by President Obama—to go forward. Zinke said it would be inappropriate to allow drilling in northwestern Montana's Badger-Two Medicine area, site of the creation story for the Blackfoot tribes. He's asked government attorneys to appeal a September ruling that reinstated a nearly 10-square-mile oil and gas lease in the area bordering the Blackfeet Reservation and Glacier National Park. The good news is that this is the kind of thing one would hope our government would do to protect not only Native lands, but all of our public lands. The bad news is that this move is about as genuine as a Trump-dollar bill.”
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Increasingly, It's Cheaper To Build New Wind Than Burn Existing Coal: “There’s a trio of words often used to lobby against renewables and defend fossil fuels, all of which DOE Secretary Rick Perry recently invoked: abundant, affordable, reliable. The basic talking point is that fossil fuels are so plentiful that we don’t have to worry about running out, so cheap we can’t afford not to burn them, and, supposedly unlike renewables, they’re reliable enough to keep the lights on. Obviously these three traits don’t address the fact that burning fossil fuels cause climate change, and burning all the oil and gas and coal we can will make the planet fundamentally inhospitable for humanity. But there’s an ever-growing body of evidence that even on their best three traits, fossil fuels are losing to renewables. First off: abundance. As we see every day, there’s nothing more abundant than the shining sun and blowing wind. But by invoking the abundance of fossil fuels, its industry boosters are pushing back on the idea of Peak Oil, which is prediction that at some point we’ll run out of fossil fuels and have no choice but to embrace renewables. The peak oil scare has definitely subsided in recent years, as fracking has dramatically increased the amount of oil and gas available for us to dig up and burn. But is the abundance of fossil fuels actually all that good?”
REGULATIONS & PROTECTIONS
Meteor Blades writes—Trump finds another fox to guard the chickens, appointing climate science-denying Wheeler to run EPA: “To absolutely nobody’s surprise, Donald Trump announced Friday that he is nominating the acting chief of the Environmental Protection Agency to become its administrator. Three things can be expected from this replacement of the disgraced grifter Scott Pruitt: little or no spending of taxpayers’ money for personal gain and probably no other ethics scandals, a better understanding of but no better attitude toward environmental law and regulations, and big fat smiles for the fossil-fuel energy companies he used to represent as a lawyer and lobbyist. Key client: Murray Energy Corporation, owned and run by Bob Murray, a ruthless 21st Century coal baron with a taste for wholesale violation of mining regulations and a roster of dead miners to prove it. [...] Wheeler must be confirmed by the Senate, but that’s highly unlikely to be a problem with that body still in control of Republicans, including his old boss, Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, arguably the most extremist of the 200 or so climate science deniers in both houses of Congress.”
Mark Sumner writes—A Trump EPA official has been indicted in a bribery scheme, and Jeff Sessions may be next: “It’s not quite the indictment that everyone is waiting for, but Mother Jones is reporting that one of Trump’s top EPA officials has been indicted in a bribery case that’s connected to now-former attorney general Jefferson B. Sessions III. The Alabama Ethics Commission announced Tuesday morning that a grand jury had indicted Onis ‘Trey’ Glenn, the EPA official, and Willie Scott Phillips, his former business partner, on a variety of state ethics charges. Glenn was named administrator for the EPA’s southeast region by former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt. But before he immersed himself in the Trump swamp, Glenn was involved in a scheme to protect Drummond Coal Company from having to follow the laws that required it to clean up its mine sites. Drummond found it was cheaper to line a few politicians’ pockets than it was to actually carry out the required remediation, and since the communities affected were mostly poor and black, Alabama politicians found it easy to ignore the issue.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Regional EPA Admin Indicted as Trump Nominates Koch-y DeRegulatory Czar for DC Circuit Court: “On Tuesday, an Alabama grand jury indicted Trey Glenn, the man Trump chose to lead the Southeast region’s EPA office, on charges of violating state ethics laws concerning public officials taking gifts from lobbyists. Glenn is charged with breaking Alabama’s Ethics Act on multiple counts, stemming from his time as a lobbyist fighting against the EPA’s efforts to clean up a few polluted neighborhoods in Alabama. While the specifics of the case aren’t particularly relevant to a national audience, what is clear is that Glenn lobbied against EPA efforts to clean up pollution. Then, Trump hired Glenn to run the region’s EPA office--meaning Glenn went from trying to prevent the EPA from doing its job in Alabama to overseeing how the EPA does its job in Alabama (and Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi). When Glenn took the EPA position, he reported income from a variety of sources. One of his jobs: working with Big Sky Environmental, the company made famous by its ‘poop train,’ which carried human fecal waste from New York to dispose of in Alabama.”
Karen Feridun writes—Senate, Don't Approve Trump's Climate-Denying Appointee to Manage Our Energy Future: “It’s no longer remarkable when Trump appoints the worst imaginable person to an important federal post. Bernard McNamee is among the latest to be dredged from the depths of his talent pool. On Thursday, he will be before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee as Trump’s nominee to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the five-member panel that regulates the nation’s energy market and reviews interstate natural gas transmission pipeline and other fracked gas infrastructure proposals. In an Earth Day op-ed for The Hill earlier this year, McNamee wrote, ‘America is blessed with an abundant supply of affordable natural gas, oil and coal. When we celebrate Earth Day, we should consider the facts, not the political narrative, and reflect about how the responsible use of America’s abundant resources of natural gas, oil and coal have dramatically improved the human condition — and continue to do so.’ Yes, Bernard McNamee is a climate denier, but not just your run-of-the-mill climate denier. He’s a pro.”
kernals writes—WPB, CAFE, and what they tell us about our most likely solution to Climate Change: “Experts and pundits say that the best way to stop climate change is internalizing its costs. They suggest slapping a tax on carbon emissions which will encourage people to produce less of it. They are correct. A carbon tax is the ideal solution to climate change. It is simple to create and generates money for the government. But there’s the simple problem that people don’t like taxes. Voters in Washington have twice rejected putting a fee on carbon as it would mean higher gasoline and electricity prices. [...] During World War 2, the government needed to force citizens to consume less so that materials could be freed for war. [...] Fast forward 30 years, the US is in the midst of an energy crisis and the government feels the needs to force people to use less gas. They could’ve raised the gasoline tax, but that wouldn’t have been popular. So instead they imposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, or CAFE. By 1985, each car brand had to have an average fuel economy of 27.5 mpg. This solution was again bureaucratic and complicated, but it worked in forcing automakers to sell smaller cars and reducing oil consumption. The EPA would also slap on energy efficiency standards for refrigerators, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, heat pumps etc. These more energy efficient appliances and cars were more expensive to make, but because there was no explicit tax, Americans didn’t care.”
ECO-ACTION & ECO JUSTICE
Arilca Mockingbird writes—Ocasio-Cortez Was Not Protesting Pelosi: “I thought this deserved to be highlighted in a diary of its own. So with a hat tip to Chaboard, Catte Nappe, & Angry Scientist, please read the following.
1. Something happened at the Capitol Tuesday to reaffirm my long-held view that liberals should stop believing what conservatives say liberals believe.
2. One of the biggest obstacles in the history of American liberalism has been this tendency among liberals to accept as true things liberalism’s enemies say about it and them.
3. Newly elected members of the US Congress arrived for orientation.
@Ocasio2018spoke at a sit-in featuring about 200 people outside Nancy Pelosi’s office.
4. The “protest,” as it was called, was organized by an advocacy group aiming to raise awareness about climate change and to advocate for more green-energy jobs. [...]
7. But then came this bit of disinformation from the spokeswoman of Paul Ryan to Capitol Hill reporters, which set the tone for the entire day: "Huh, well this is unconventional," AshLee Strong wrote in an email. "The incoming speaker is getting protested by one of her freshman’.”
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
robctwo writes—Saturday Morning Garden Blogging Vol 14.46 First Frost: Photo diary. “We did not have any freezing until Nov. 9, down to 27 overnight. It wiped out the annuals. We had a good run.”
MISCELLANY
Arilca Mockingbird writes—6 Democratic Congress Members have signed on to the Green New Deal: “Some interesting and welcome news from Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez [...] And for those ready with their condescension, ridicule, and anger for these kids over their action this week please take a moment to watch this and tell me that they don’t deserve your respect.”
Arilca Mockingbird writes—Update: Make that 7 Congress Members have signed on to the Green New Deal.
Meteor Blades writes—Open thread for night owls: 'Green New Deal' activists want Dems to confront fossil fuel industry: “Weeks after the UN released its report on the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions in order to avoid ‘potentially irreversible’ effects of the climate crisis, critics say Democrats have the opportunity to stand firmly on the side of progressives who are advocating for a Green New Deal in order to help save the planet—instead of continuing to rely on incremental measures aimed simply at ‘exploring’ the climate crisis. The Green New Deal is comprised of an ambitious set of proposals aimed at transitioning the U.S. to 100% renewable energy and employing millions of Americans to aid that transition. In The Guardian, journalist David Sirota noted that in order to take meaningful action to help stop the climate crisis, Democrats must fundamentally change their outlook on the oil and gas industries which poured $100 million into midterm campaigns.The fossil fuel sector, Sirota wrote, helped fund the fight against Proposition 112, aimed at keeping new oil and gas drilling operations away from schools, hospitals, and water sources in Colorado; an anti-carbon emissions measure in Washington; and a pro-solar energy proposal in Arizona.”
Meteor Blades writes—Open thread for night owls: Democrats should rally round 'Green New Deal' set of ideas: “Some of us environmental advocates have argued for 20 years or more that what the U.S. needs to address the climate crisis isn’t just the spread of solar panels and electric cars but a comprehensive ‘Green New Deal’—even when we haven’t always labeled it precisely that. More and more people are coming to the same conclusion. Environmental justice must reside at the heart of that deal. Not just lip service or a few crumbs, but the genuine article. The deal must not be built on the backs of the poor but rather developed in a manner that will help them surmount their economic problems while improving the health and sustainability of the operating system that the powers-that-be have imposed on society, with the attached collateral damage. This week, Eric Holthaus at the environmental website Grist reinforces the Green New Deal perspective in light of what happened in the midterm elections to state ballot issues designed to ameliorate the climate crisis and accelerate the transformation of the world’s energy system into one that doesn’t kill us and wreck our blue orb. Here’s an excerpt.”