This is the 537th edition of the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) usually appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Here is the Dec. 16 Green Spotlight. More than 28,195 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
Rei writes—Integrating Food Production With Society: A Biodome in Reykjavík: “Reykjavík is in a construction boom. The ever-growing tourism industry is taking over downtown for shops and hotels. Reykjavík itself keeps growing, and the growing economy makes a need for more commercial and retail space as well. And while Iceland is proud of its nature — it’s our main attraction — we’re also often, like all too many people, disconnected from it. We often live, and usually work and shop, in structures devoid of plants (beyond the occasional mistreated houseplant). Our food shows up in great diversity in stores — picked, packaged, and usually quite processed. Who grew it and how? Who knows. You’re lucky if you even get a country of origin label. Do you even know what the plant that grew it looks like? [...] Which is why I was thrilled when I heard about this. They’ve been working with a local incubator since they founded in 2015, and now finally have land approval (although there’s still several stages left before they can bring it to fruition). The concept is simple: rather than disconnecting commercial space with nature, integrate them together. Biodomes (designed to eventually be a chain, first around Iceland and later the other Nordic countries) would have space for coffee shops, restaurants, a year-round farmers’ market, conference areas, corporate office space, etc in the middle of a dome cultivating warm-weather plants. Aka, your workspace could be on a platform in the middle of the branches of a 20-meter-tall rainforest fruit tree. Plants would include things people are familiar with (bananas, mangoes, pineapples, etc, but in exciting varieties you don’t find at the store) alongside more exotic plants providing new taste experiences (garcinias, eugenias, artocarpus, etc). It would be a real, working greenhouse, with tours and activities for children, and the products of which end up in the marketplace and restaurants.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Pulling Back The Curtain On the Red Team, CPP and Pruitt’s Agenda for the EPA: “As Rebecca Leber of Mother Jones pointed out this summer Scott Pruitt and his closest cohorts at EPA are uniquely reluctant to engage with journalists outside the conservative echo chamber. The agency’s new approach to press has also been revealed to be rather stormy: see the press office’s bizarre interchanges with New York Times reporter Erik Lipton and attacks on the AP’s Michael Biesecker this fall. Because getting past the wall of Heartland-and-Koch-ghostwritten talking points during an interview with an EPA official can be a bear, we like to highlight when a reporter’s pushed through. This month’s hat tip goes to Robin Bravender at E&E. In December, Bravender wrote on a meeting between EPA air chief Bill Wehrum and the White House, in which she reported that the White House put the Red Team attack “on hold.” Then yesterday, E&E published an interview between Bravender and Wehrum that offers up some intel into the EPA’s otherwise opaque thinking on the Clean Power Plan repeal process, the Red Team, and Pruitt’s priorities for 2018. As Wehrum told Bravender, the Red Team project is still in the ‘talking and thinking about it’ stage. While Wehrum indicated the agency has no ‘current plans’ for a Red Team, Pruitt ‘would very much like to initiate a process to at least solicit additional input on the scientific basis for the endangerment finding’.”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
6412093 writes—The Daily Bucket--The Solstice Heron returns: “I dug three ponds in my backyard west of Portland Oregon, 17 years ago. I stocked two of them with 7 for a dollar goldfish. I figured raccoons and frogs may frequent the pond and catch a few. But the goldfish grew to 8 inches long, and rapidly bred into hundreds, and I wouldn’t miss a few. I had named several of the distinctly marked, larger goldfish (Goldie, Blackie, Sharkie, Jaws, and so on) and the fish would eat from my fingers. I was overjoyed when a Great Blue Heron abruptly appeared the second year. I’d never seen such a beautifully colored large graceful bird at close range before. However, The Heron swiftly ate Sharkie, Blackie, and all of the slower goldfish, tempering my happiness. The Heron could wolf down a fish per minute. and they often visited for over an hour. Sometimes I wouldn’t see the backyard Heron for months. I noted when it returned to fish in my ponds. It appeared consistently around the Winter solstice; December 21. This year I saw it on December 30. The Heron is stealthy; I probably missed many visits.”
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - heron “fight”: “Skagit River Delta, Pacific Northwest. The birds are active on the Delta flats right now, and not just the Snow geese. The other day when we stopped at our usual observation site on the dike, a couple of Great Blue herons were interacting in a way that showed off their beautiful plumage and distinctive language. The title photo was through the car window as we drove out, nice and close. I watched a territorial interaction a few minutes earlier from up on the dike that separates Skagit Bay from the agricultural fields of the delta. At this time of year it’s all about fighting over hunting territory, although ‘fighting; is not what we humans usually think of when we hear that term. Wild animals often just display their assets, demonstrating superiority, without actually coming to blows, and the lesser individual accepts it and backs off. That’s what these two were doing.”
OceanDiver writes—Dawn Chorus: Out of Range: “This week’s Dawn Chorus was inspired by an observation the day before Winter Solstice: I saw a solitary Whimbrel strolling down the beach near my house. We all read about vagrants and accidentals, like the spectacular Galapagos Swallow-tailed gull that showed up in Seattle last summer for a few weeks, but I’m going to focus on birds I’ve seen personally where I live in northwestern Washington State, in the San Juan Islands, that are out of their normal range. Thinking about the lone Whimbrel, I realize that out-of-range can be as much an issue of timing as of geography. Whimbrels are rare birds in Washington state since they breed in Alaska and winter in Central/South America. A few stop on our beaches on their way north in late spring and heading south in late summer but they are always uncommon, and never here in winter. At least there are no reports of them in this county in winter on eBird (before mine). I can’t help but wonder how it got so separated from others of its kind, and what it can do to get back with them.”
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - ducks in winter dusk: “I’ve been playing around with video recently now I’ve found the button on my camera. Still have a lonnnnggggg way to go skill-wise (still working on keeping it steady, in focus and with critters in view), but it’s been fun to capture some wildlife behaviors in motion. Ducks are a natural focus these days: abundant, here for the winter from their freshwater rivers and lakes up north where they breed. They’re also constantly busy, mostly feeding, but also grooming, drinking, and generally sorting out their social situation. Most ducks hang out in flocks. These are some short videos I’ve taken recently from the beach.”
Pakalolo writes—After 60 million years of extreme living, seabirds are crashing: “The global seabird population may have fallen by almost 70 per cent since 1950, a 2015 study suggests. The study, published in PLOS ONE, analyzed data on 162 species, representing 19 per cent of the global seabird population. Every single continent and every coastline of every single continent is represented in the study according to the authors. Jeremy Hance of The Guardian writes: Every day for sixty million years, seabirds have performed mind-boggling acts of derring-do: circumnavigating the globe without rest, diving more than 200 meters in treacherous seas for a bite of lunch, braving the most unpredictable weather on the planet as if it were just another Tuesday and finding their way home in waters with few, if any, landmarks. Now, deteriorating environmental conditions worldwide maybe more than these evolutionary marvels can handle in their day to day struggle to survive.”
Mark Sumner writes—Scientists sequence the DNA of the extinct 'Tasmanian tiger' and find stress written in its genes: “A research team has, for the first time, produced the complete DNA sequence of the extinct Thylacine, also known as the ‘Tasmanian tiger.’ An international team of researchers led by associate professor Andrew Pask from the University of Melbourne used DNA from the 106-year-old preserved remains of a juvenile thylacine or Tasmanian tiger to sequence the animal’s genome, making it one of the most complete genetic blueprints for an extinct species. The last known Thylacine died at a zoo in Hobart in 1936. The dog-sized creatures with tawny-brown fur and striped hindquarters originally lived in both Tasmania and the Australian mainland, though it was already rare before British settlers began arriving in the late 18th century. The animals got a bad reputation as killers of cattle and sheep and … Australia. Sheep. Extinction. Just about that fast.”
matching mole writes—Backyard Bird Race - Rebirth: “Happy New Year Everyone! After a year on hiatus the Backyard Bird Race is making a triumphant return in 2018. Apparently it will be a front page item on dkos in a couple of weeks. This is an opportunity to ‘jump the gun’ and post your January 1 totals. If you kept a list last year, PHScott has a diary up to publish your final lists. [...] Welcome to the start of the 2018 Race! The final tally of the 2017, with Grand Bragging Rights to be determined as sightings up to midnight Dec 31, 2017 trickle in is in PH Scott’s diary. We’re looking forward to hearing about everyone’s first birds of the 2018 Race in this diary. Here's what the race is all about: The Daily Kos Backyard Science Yardbird Race is a birding competition where, over the course of one year, participants strive to identify the most bird species - by sight and/or by sound - from the confines of their yards. Everyone is welcome - new birders, experienced birders, and anyone in between. We're a very supportive group and will help as much as we can. If you're not sure about an ID, just do your best to give us a good written description. Images, even mediocre ones, can be a great help, too.”
PHScott writes—2017 Backyard Bird Race - Final Tally: “This is the final tally of the 2017 Backyard Bird Race. While posting monthly results went by the wayside this year, many of you have kept track of birds you see for this race or for other reasons. Because of this, and to encourage all of you to be more observant or to use this race to learn more, the final Official Tally of the 2017 Backyard Science Yardbird Race is now open. [...] Here's what you need to report - Your location, as close as you are comfortable revealing. Your yard category. Number of species seen so far, including your other tallies if you have any. Any comments you have about your sightings.”
owktree writes—Daily Bucket: Sunday Pot-au-Feu - Cones: “Well, why not ‘cones’ to follow ‘shells.’ (Was having a bit of a time thinking up a subject, but this seemed to hit a small, but interesting, mix.)”
Besame writes—Daily Bucket: My New Year's Day training session for 2018: “I decided to make the most of the sunny warm day that began the new year. I hiked a local trail that, in order to start, I had to overlook something I usually shunned. Then I paid attention to foundational details and different perspectives en route to where I could take a broad view. And it all was great fun and good practice for dealing with whatever happens in 2018.Right at the beginning I ignored my aversion to the small park where the trail originates. The park is at the top of the mountainside and landscaped to pieces, ecologically speaking. Cute bridges arch over a wannabe babbling brook that usually oozes, albeit artistically, through carefully-casually arranged boulders. There’s a lawn, and even a faux-grotto carved into the steep rocks below the lowest bridge. On January 1st, though, I determinedly reframed ‘cute’ into ‘charming’ as an exercise in tolerance because I had to cross through the park to reach my path.”
CLIMATE CHAOS
Meteor Blades writes—Trump again uses winter to tweet sneers at climate change. It's just part of his schtick: “We could, as a couple of Daily Kos diarists have done here and here, put forth some facts about climate change not being the same as weather. We could point out the record heat waves in the Arctic and elsewhere, the record wildfires, the intensified storms, the extended seasons, the rising seas, the acidification of the oceans, the threat to a million species. And present a few graphs like this one:But that’s all pointless. Donald Trump is impervious to facts. And he depends on his audience to be likewise. It’s impossible to know the actual climate change views of this nation’s most prominent grifter. Years ago, he accepted the science of climate change but has since found that making a joke of it, calling it a ‘hoax,’ and implying it’s a liberal conspiracy works for him politically regardless of any pesky facts. just meeting the existing Paris pledges isn’t enough. The Democratic agenda should be a climate hawk agenda. We knew when the agreement was signed that these wouldn’t achieve the results called for: keeping average temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline. Given that Climate Change Is Happening Faster Than Expected, and It’s More Extreme, we have to adopt more extreme policies to deal with it faster, too.”
Hunter writes—Goodbye, Santa's workshop: the Arctic ice is melting, and it's not coming back: “No matter what happens in the next battles to cap carbon emissions in an attempt to stave off the most catastrophic effects of ongoing climate change, some effects of mankind's industrial rise will remain baked into our future climate. One of those now-unstoppable changes, according to a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report, is the collapse of our planet's northern ice cap. The region is now definitively trending toward an ice-free state, the scientists said, with wide-ranging ramifications for ecosystems, national security, and the stability of the global climate system. [...] In an interview with NPR, marine scientist Jeremy Mathis, director of NOAA’s Arctic Program, went a step further. When it comes to the Arctic, Mathis said ‘there is no normal’ anymore: ‘The environment is changing so quickly in such a short amount of time that we can’t quite get a handle on what this new state is going to look like.’”
Jamess writes—On the road to somewhere -- some Scientific Proof of Climate Change: “Heard this on NPR on my road trip to the coast a few days ago (to hike a ‘new’ Old Growth trial that I discovered a few months ago). Thought I’d pass it along. First I’ve heard of ‘Weather Events’ so Extreme, that they reportedly would have been ‘impossible’ in a standard Climate model — one without the anthropomorphic CO2 in the quantities we see today. Scientists say these 3 weather events of 2016 would have been impossible without climate change: Deadly heat wave in Asia; Far-north Pacific Ocean warming; The third Extreme Event ‘scientifically link’ with Climate Change was ‘the 2016 record global heat’ [which was “was 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit above the average in the 20th century’ ... ”
News Corpse writes—Trump's Idiotic Wish for Some of 'That Good Old Global Warming' that Will Kill Millions: “After nearly a year, no one is particularly surprised when Donald Trump demonstrates just how stupid he is, but it is sometimes jarring to see how proud he is of it. And on Thursday night Trump provided a perfect example of both his painfully weak grasp of common knowledge, along with a massive dose of callous insensitivity toward the needless suffering of others. This example came in the form of a thoughtless tweet that served no purpose other than to belittle sincere advocates for the health of the planet and its inhabitants. Trump tweeted:
By wishing for ‘a little bit of that good old Global Warming,’ Trump is in effect wishing that millions of people suffer and die. He clearly doesn't have even the slightest understanding of Climate Change, and thinks it's cute to pray for more of it.”
Pakalolo writes—What the $*@% were we talking about while climate calamities swept over the earth? “So asks Zoya Teirstein who than provides the answer in a brilliant piece for Grist titled: Trump tweets overshadowed these major climate stories in 2017. It’s been a brutal year for the earth. Climate change disasters have engulfed the world, and it is only the beginning of what promises to be a looming dystopian world with more powerful and intense hurricanes, wildfires, ice shelf collapse, horrifying losses of sea ice at both poles that will have devastating ripple effects, flash droughts, water shortages, disease and on and on. Given the seriousness of the issue, one would think that climate stories would be the top news story every single day planet-wide. But it hasn’t been. Instead the world is focused on the illegitimate imbecile that currently occupies the oval office along with his idiotic and chaotic tweets.”
Pakalolo writes—Alaskan snowfall patterns are the most dramatic the region has seen in at least 1,000 years: “Chelsea Harvey, on December 20, 2017, writes in Scientific American about a study that has found that snowfall in Alaska has increased over the past 150 years due to climate change. Chelsea notes that the study found summer snowfall rose 49% since the mid-19th century, and winter snowfall has increased by a whopping 117 percent. It may sound counterintuitive — after all, Alaska is experiencing the fastest rate of warming in the country, and the central part of the state has already seen its temperatures climb by 2 to 3 degrees over the last 50 years. But warmer air can hold more moisture, the researchers say, allowing for greater amounts of precipitation, including snow. Scientists say it's not just the local warming that's played a role. The study suggests that rising temperatures in the western Pacific and Indian oceans might be an even bigger factor, helping to strengthen a low-pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska that drives warm, moist air — perfect conditions for snowstorms — north across the state. It's another reminder that the effects of climate change in one location can sometimes produce rippling effects around the world.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Trump Admin is Pro-Pollution, For All Intents and Purposes: “The Washington Post ended 2017 with a look at how Scott Pruitt has reshaped the EPA into a more industry-friendly organization. One particular word stood out to us as emblematic of how Pruitt is treating the relationship between regulator and industry: intent. Pre-Pruitt, EPA administrators from both parties knew industry would try to be as cheap as possible about their pollution problems. In the past, part of the agency’s responsibility to ensure public health was protected from bad actors cutting corners was to make sure polluters weren’t hiding pollution--for example, by having someone independent double-checking reported emissions. But Pruitt seems to believe that as long as industries promise not to pollute and don’t intend to pollute, well then by golly, we should just take their word for it. [...] Time and again, we’re seeing that the Trump administration is going to trust industry’s professed intentions--even when it’s proven that the intentions aren’t good enough to protect the industry’s own employees. We should be smart enough to know better than do the same with the Trump administration’s intentions, and always keep an eye on the actions.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Some Skepticism of Fake News and the Bottom Line on Climate Communications: “We ended last year with an exploration into fake news, the alternate reality conservative donors constructed, and the potential of technocognition as a solution. But is it as bad as all that? Maybe not, according to some new studies. A new study released late last month and covered by the New York Times Tuesday uses the media consumption of 2,525 Americans to find that while the older and most conservative users were by and far the biggest consumers of fake news, even their media diet was primarily real news. The study shows that a quarter of its participants went to a fake news site in the weeks around the 2016 election. However, stories from those fake news outlets constituted only 1% of Clinton supporters’ media viewing, and only 6% of Trump supporters’ news clicks. We may be living in a fake news world, but, if this study is indicative of a larger whole, we are mostly consuming the real stuff.”
A Siegel writes—Climate Change & Security: 2018 Iranian edition: “Iran is in turmoil. People are protesting in the streets — calling for more openness and, even more strongly, policies to boost economic performance. As to the latter, for example, frustrations over what are seen to be as inadequate economic boosts from the deal re nuclear weapons; subsidies for Mullahs/etc ...; and, calls to end Iran’s major support for various militant and military forces (Syria, Hamas, otherwise ...) and use that money at home. The protests are serious. There have been a variety of crackdowns, with at least several dozen killed so far. It is serious enough that the Tweeter in Chief, @RealDonaldTrump, has spoken up. As to the last, amid Trump’s apparent belief that ice cubes in the freezer disprove climate science, Team Trump is unlikely to recognize how human-driven climate change is a serious contributing factor. A 14-year drought caused, in part, by human-driven climate change is a major contributing factor to the unrest in Iran.”
hkp11 writes—2009 Climategate blueprint for 2016 US elections attack: “Mother Jones had an article in Dec 2017 regarding the 2009 Climategate hacked emails of climate scientists being a blueprint for the 2016 US elections cyber warfare: ‘Stolen Emails. WikiLeaks. White Supremacists. Donald Trump. It All Happened in 2009. Was it a blueprint for 2016?’”
grumpynerd writes—Where Did All That Global Warming Go? “Just a quick one here: I’ve been hearing a lot of denialists in the last few days asking, ‘Where has all the Global Warming gone?’ The answer, as you can see from the above, is ‘everywhere in the world except for some parts North America, Greenland, and a small patch in Asia where Kazakhstan and Mongolia meet.’ Here you can see the Asian bit, which is surrounded by regions experiencing pretty remarkable warmth (relatively speaking): Next time it’s cold outside and your crazy relative insists that means the entire world must be cold, you can do this yourself by visiting cci-reanalyzer.org, run out of the University of Maine. If the NSF funding is still there.”
wagatwe writes—New York and Columbia University team up to reinstate climate advisory panel disbanded by Trump: “A big part of the Trump administration’s agenda is to undo everything and anything that might be seen as something that helps the vulnerable—or simply liked by progressives. One of the ways he does that is through undermining America’s efforts to understand and effectively grapple with climate change, which is why he disbanded the US climate advisory committee in August 2017. A coalition is aiming to undo Trump’s advisory committee destruction by reinstating it—outside of the reach of Trump’s tiny little hands, of course. The coalition includes the State of New York and Columbia University’s Earth Institute, which announced: Effective Jan. 1, the Earth Institute has brought on Richard Moss, the former chairman of the Federal Advisory Committee for the National Climate Assessment, as a visiting senior research scientist in the Earth Institute’s Research Program on Sustainability Policy and Management. In his role, Moss will reestablish the panel, and deliver the report that the committee originally set out to write. The Earth Institute is supplying financial and logistical support as well as office space for the effort. New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) will also help reinstate the committee.”
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
PHScott writes—The Daily Bucket: Snow in Tallahassee!!! “Yeah I know, but if you’ve never seen snow then it is a big deal. January 2018. SNOW!! Well, more like ice in some places but big news all thru the Tallahassee region - from the Gulf Coast, across the Big Bend and up into South Georgia. Since I’m to the west of this rare event, I totally missed it. My daughter and 2 grandkids closer to the coast got a smattering of it and, like so many others, had multiple photos and videos posted to FB. Why not, when you are a youngster it’s something you’ll remember forever. Growing up in upstate NY, enduring lake-effect storms, experiencing the Blizzard of ’66 when roads where closed for almost a week, I understand the excitement.”
Angmar writes—The Daily Bucket: Brrrr...Bomb Cyclones?!? [Winter 2018 in NY & the N.East]: “ Photo Essay.
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
poopdogcomedy writes—IL-Gov: JB Pritzker (D) Lays Out His 5 Point Environmental Plan To Tackle Climate Change: “Received this e-mail today from JB Pritzker’s (D. IL) gubernatorial campaign: Illinois could be a leader on environmental protection, but instead Bruce Rauner has resisted policies and even worked against protecting our environment. He proposed scrapping existing limits on carbon pollution from coal-powered plants, defunded agencies that protect the environment, and refuses to say whether he will commit to upholding the Paris Climate Agreement. As governor, I will be 100 percent committed to protecting our environment and making Illinois a state that is leading the charge to do so.”
ENERGY
douglassmyth writes—Energy Dominance? You've Got to be Kidding! “Mr. Zinke said the drilling plan was part of ‘a new path for energy dominance in America.’ NYTimes 1/5/18 Energy dominance! What idiocy. They (Zinke, Pruitt, Trump) claim that the US, or their oil companies, are going to achieve world energy dominance by drilling more oil and gas—and coal?—than everyone else Everyone else knows what we know. We have an 11.6 Kwh solar array (above), and heat pumps that run off it, and we’ve reduced our power and heating costs dramatically. (Total cost to us of all heat and power last year was the bimonthly connection fee of $47+ and a one time fee of about $92, mostly for the heat. This, for an older four bedroom house in the mid-Hudson NY countryside with only moderate insulation). This year I added a plug-in hybrid and we have the polar vortex freezing us for weeks now, but I doubt we’ll have to pay more for the whole year for power, heat and AC than the costs most people pay in a monthly winter bill for electricity and gas or fuel oil. The rest of the world (everyone else) is developing alternative energy as fast as they can. Places like Beijing and Delhi know they’ve got to get off fossil fuels. They’re suffocating themselves with cil and coal air pollution, but also, they can see that the climate is changing, not for the better. And they know why.”
Fossil Fuels
Mark Sumner writes—These coal mining deaths brought to you by Donald Trump: “Mining deaths almost doubled in 2017, while mining employment barely budged—despite astounding claims from the administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows 2017 going out with the number of mining jobs within two percent of where they started. Employment barely budged. It was deaths that really made gains over the year. And why would that be? The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm David Zatezalo, a former coal mining executive who faced harsh criticism over his company’s safety record, to lead the federal government’s mine safety agency. Donald Trump wants to take credit for another year of safe travel by the airline industry … fine. But he should also take credit for this.”
Mark Sumner writes—Trump to open up federal waters to oil drilling on both coasts: “There are currently 32 drilling platforms off the California coast. Before leaving office, President Obama did his best to make sure that number would not increase. Working to lock in environmental protections as the clock runs out on his presidency, President Barack Obama on Friday released a plan for offshore oil drilling in federal waters that bans until 2022 any new drilling off the coasts of California, Oregon or Washington. But naturally, Donald Trump views the fact that President Obama set it up as sufficient reason to knock it down. However, in this case, Trump seems to be going beyond simply reversing the protections set up by Obama. Indications are that Trump plans to announce the opening of all federal waters to drilling. This would include areas off Florida and California that have been blocked since the 1960s.”
Laura Clawson writes—Republicans let a tax on oil companies expire, and oil spill response could pay the price: “ Congressional Republicans let a tax on oil companies expire this week, giving the companies a big tax break (another one!) and taking money away from a federal oil spill response fund: The tax on companies selling oil in the United States generated an average of $500 million in federal revenue per year, according to the Government Accountability Office. The money, collected through a 9 cents-per-barrel tax on domestic crude oil and imported crude oil and petroleum products, constituted the main source of revenue for the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. The fund has at least $5.75 billion in reserve. Intended to help the government respond quickly to accidents on land or offshore, it was established in 1986 but only got a stable source of funding in the wake of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill. Republicans haven’t ruled out bringing the tax back retroactively, and Democrats are pushing for just that.”
murfster35 writes—Thanks to Trump, forget about olive oil on your shrimp. How about some nice crude instead? “Anybody remember the ‘Deepwater Horizon?’ You should, they made a movie about it and everything. The oil drilling rig disaster killed 11 workers and dumped millions of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It also killed the Gulf coast tourism and fishing industry for years. After the Deepwater Horizon accident, some serious studies were done, and surprise, they found that the deep water oil drilling industry was run about as efficiently as a street corner 3 card monte game. Regulations were lax to begin with, and what regulations there were had a habit of being regularly ignored or circumvented. Newer, tighter safety and prevention regulations were put into place, and for once they were enforced. Happy endings all around, right? well, no, not really. The Deepwater Horizon occurred back in 2010. The increased safety regulations were Obama administration regulations. And His Lowness is taking a damp cloth to the national Presidential whiteboard, desperately trying to erase every speck of Obama ink. The way he's going, I'm just glad that Obama didn't directly order anything be done in Flint, Michigan, or Trump would have the EPA putting the original lead pipes back in.”
Dan Bacher writes—Trump Administration Releases Plan to Expand Offshore Oil Drilling! “Ryan Zinke, Trump’s Secretary of Interior, today released the Trump administration draft plan to open up nearly all U.S. offshore waters to oil drilling. At a time when we urgently need to put the brakes on the development of fossil fuel and transition to clean and renewable energy, President Donald Trump aims to expand offshore drilling. The plan for nationwide offshore oil and gas leases would significantly expand offshore drilling by offering new leases in waters off Alaska, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and Eastern Gulf of Mexico. If approved, the plan ‘would open up oceans that have largely been off limits to oil drilling, including areas in the Arctic and Atlantic where Trump is trying to revoke permanent protections,’ according to the Center for Biological Diversity. ‘The proposal includes seven lease sales off the Pacific, including off all of California, Washington and Oregon where new leasing is opposed by West Coast governors, numerous coastal communities and has not occurred since 1984. Areas in the Atlantic are on the table despite broad opposition of local communities on the East Coast,’ the Center said in a news release.”
Dan Bacher writes—California, Oregon and Washington Governors blast Trump plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling: “On January 4, California Governor Jerry Brown joined Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Washington Governor Jay Inslee in condemning Trump's plan to expand oil and gas drilling in federal waters - at the same time that California regulators have expanded offshore oil drilling by 17 percent in state waters. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s plan for nationwide offshore oil and gas leases would significantly expand offshore drilling by offering new leases in waters off Alaska, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. If approved, the widely opposed plan would open up oceans that have largely been off limits to oil drilling, including areas in the Arctic and Atlantic where Trump is trying to revoke permanent protections, the Center for Biological Diversity reported. The new offshore drilling plan would have a devastating impact on fish, wildlife and the ocean ecosystem, as well as the fishing, Indigenous and coastal communities that depend on them for their economies, livelihoods and culture.”
Dan Bacher writes—Jackson and Muratsuchi Reintroduce CA Bill to Halt New Federal Offshore Oil Drilling: “In the wake of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s announcement yesterday to open federal waters along the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf Coasts to new federal offshore oil drilling, California legislators yesterday announced that they are reintroducing legislation to protect California from new federal offshore oil drilling. The spending of millions of dollars lobbying against the bill by Chevron and the Western States Petroleum Association resulted in the legislation being stalled last year. Below is the text of the news release from Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson’s Office: ‘SACRAMENTO – In response to the Trump Administration announcement yesterday to expand offshore oil and gas drilling in federal waters, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) and Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) reintroduced legislation to ensure that pipelines and other infrastructure cannot be built in California waters to support any new federal oil development’.”
m2c4 writes—Trump, GOP Take Care Of Big Oil: “The horrendous tax bill the Republicans just passed was already a big payoff to the oil and gas industry. Besides lowering the nominal tax rate to 21%, it provides for the repatriation of profits at an even lower rate of 15.5%. The bill allows drilling in ANWR. Capital expenses will be fully deductible for the next five years, an important element for a capital intensive business like oil and gas. In addition, the corporate alternative minimum tax was repealed. But that just wasn’t enough winning for the industry. Yesterday, Trump announced that the government would lift virtually all restrictions of offshore oil and natural gas drilling. Even though it will take months to finalize these new plans, this will result in multiple lawsuits and may even prompt attempts at legislative action as Democrats may be joined in their opposition to the plans by some Republicans from coastal states. In addition, the Trump administration has already moved to repeal safety regulations that were put into place after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that decimated the environment and the coastal tourist industries of Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.”
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
gmoke writes—Rebuilding the Caribbean After the 2017 Hurricanes: “I’ve been working on a panel for the upcoming Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s Building Energy conference in March in Boston (www.nesea.org/...) on PDPVD: Post-Disaster Renewables Deployment:
Up-to-the-minute review of efforts to deploy renewables post-catastrophe, particularly throughout the Caribbean, but also elsewhere in the immediate post-2017-hurricane-season landscape. As of this draft, 10/18/17, not even one month after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, much is unsure about the future of energy systems, especially electricity, in many areas. In the course of my work, I’ve come across at least two efforts to envision how Puerto Rico’s (and the Caribbean’s) energy infrastructure may be rebuilt: Build Back Better: Reimagining and Strengthening the Power Grid of Puerto Rico. This is a joint NY state and Puerto Rico initiative. A Resilient, Cost-effective Energy Future for Puerto Rico (https://rmi.org/news/resilient-cost-effective-energy-future-puerto-rico/) (https://d231jw5ce53gcq.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Insight_Brief_Puerto_Rico_Resilient_CostEffective_Energy.pdf). This is from Rocky Mountain Institute which has been working for a few years with 10 island nations in the Caribbean on their Islands Energy Project (www.rmi.org/...), a transition from fossil fuel energy to renewables for the whole region.”
SouthernLeveller writes—Green Energy News for the New Year: “I’ve seen lots of Green/Renewable Energy News updates on the daily Good News Roundup diaries, but there are enough of them worldwide that I thought I would begin a weekly series on developments. I invite additions in the comments. Now, this series is no substitute for reading other environmental diaries—and certainly not for eco-action. But I hope it will keep up excitement for pressuring faster change from our carbon-based energy economy to a renewable Green Energy Economy. The faster this change happens the sooner we can stabilize climate change and the more we stave off or reduce the impact of, the changes underway because of global warming. Here goes: 1) UPS is ordering 125 Tesla Electric Semis for its trucking fleet for 2019; 2) Mongolia’s Clean Energy Goals Attract Global Investors; Nissan is giving free solar panel installations to Japanese customers of the Nissan all-electric Leaf; In the market for an electric vehicle (EV)? Here’s the models coming to market in 2018. Here’s a 2nd list for comparison; U.S. states and cities continue to bypass Trump and work harder to fulfill Paris Climate Pledge.”
Tony Nwazor writes—American Power and Gas’ Tom Cummins on the Mega Shift to the Use of Renewable Energy in America: “According to American Power and Gas CEO, Tom Cummins, ‘Renewable energy is really becoming a matter of good sense regardless of one’s stance regarding global warming or pollution. If you could power houses without polluting the environment, then you should do it. There is a lot more information on the topic that has been released to the public and society as a whole. This information gives us good reason to take action now.’ However, despite increasing public awareness, the sitting government seems unperturbed about the repercussions. It was reported for instance, that Donald Trump's 2018 budget proposal doesn't encourage research into renewable energy. Aside from the intention to sell off major American energy resources and infrastructure, he also cut $3.1 billion for energy research programs at the energy department. This is quite scary when you consider how much of a threat non-renewable energy is to life. However, Tom believes that the government's unwillingness will not stop concerned private individuals from taking action.”
REGULATIONS & PROTECTIONS
Mark Sumner writes—Scott Pruitt is turning the EPA into a tool to forward his personal agenda—and you're paying for it: “The utter insanity of what’s going on at the Environmental Protection Agency is hard to capture. Forget the fact that the agency that’s supposed to protect the environment is engaged in jetting around the world to actively campaign for fossil fuels. Forget that the whole thing is run by a climate change-denier whose first actions on taking office included burying access to some of the most vital information on climate. Forget that scientists have been banned from the agency’s science advisory boards in favor of industry lobbyists. All that stuff is nuts, sure. But it’s not as nuts as the other things Scott Pruitt has been up to. Which includes hiring a Republican opposition research firm, on a no-bid contract, at taxpayer expense, to track news about the EPA and dig up dirt on those who dare oppose Pruitt.”
Jen Hayden writes—Banking exec who got a lifetime ban from ever working in banking again was hired for a top EPA job: “In the first year of the Trump administration, the New York Times reports that 700 dedicated scientists and employees have fled the Environmental Protection Agency amidst new leadership that appears to be aiming to destroy the agency itself. The departures reflect poor morale and a sense of grievance at the agency, which has been criticized by President Trump and top Republicans in Congress as bloated and guilty of regulatory overreach. That unease is likely to deepen following revelations that Republican campaign operatives were using the Freedom of Information Act to request copies of emails from E.P.A. officials suspected of opposing Mr. Trump and his agenda. Clear water, clean air and pollution clean-up … who is in charge now? Yet another grossly unqualified person who has no background in environmental research or environmental policy. EPA Chief Scott Pruitt hired a banking friend after the banking industry banned him for life.”
Jen Hayden writes—Amidst raging wildfires, Interior Secretary used wildfire preparedness funds for private flights: “In July, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke took a delightful helicopter tour of Nevada. He tweeted that he was ‘hearing all sides’ of the debate, presumably referencing the Trump administrations decision to shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments and turn over some of the land to their Big Gas and Oil swamp buddies. Turns out that faux listening tour cost taxpayers $40,000. Must’ve been some luxury helicopter! If that weren’t bad enough, they initially dipped into critical wildfire preparedness funds to pay for it. They were forced to find another coffer to dip into after the news became public.”
MindysTURN writes—PG&E: Bombshell or Business as Usual? PG&E Tries to Sweep New Back Door Deals Under the Rug: “Newly public emails show that back door channels between PG&E and the CPUC ran deeper than previously known. And involved a broader cast of characters that included controversial former Schwarznegger aide Susan Kennedy. Kennedy apparently leveraged her connections at the CPUC to not only win lucrative contracts with utility companies but also lobby top officials on their behalf. Corruption at PG&E is hardly news, especially when it comes to PG&E’s cozy relationship with the California Public Utilities Commission. E-Mails between PG&E’s top brass and CPUC disgusted the public and everyone here at TURN, since they joked about muzzling our executive director Mark Toney, and compared him to the Boston Strangler. A meeting in which former CPUC President Peevey traded away rate hikes with a PG&E lobbyist ‘over a few good bottles of pinot’ was especially shocking. Those emails were not only reprehensible but also violated the CPUC’s rules that required ‘ex parte’ meetings with Commissioners to be publicly disclosed. The CPUC was forced to investigate these violations, and PG&E ultimately agreed to pay $86 million to settle accusations of unreported back door communications with public officials. The settlement, negotiated by TURN and our allies at the City of San Bruno and the Office of Ratepayer Advocates, must be approved by a vote of the full Commission before taking effect.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS, OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
Ojibwa writes—Public Lands: The Arboretum of Los Angeles (Photo Diary): “The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden occupies 127 acres in the heart of historic Rancho Santa Anita. About 3,000 years ago, Native Americans who would later become known as the Gabrielino occupied this land. In 1771, Spanish missionaries founded Mission San Gabriel and in 1800 Rancho Santa Anita was established as an agricultural outpost of the mission. In 1875, Elias Jackson ‘Lucky’ Baldwin purchased Rancho Santa Anita. In 1947, the State of California and County of Los Angeles purchased 111 acres of Rancho Santa Anita to create an arboretum around the Baldwin homesite and in 1953 two additional parcels of land were purchased to bring the Arboretum to its present 127 acres. In 1955, the Arboretum was formally opened to the public. In 1978, voters approved California State Proposition 13 and as a result staff positions were lost, the Youth Education programs were terminated, and entrance fees were initiated. In 1979, four ongoing research programs were terminated and in 1981 the entire research division were shut down.”
BugSpire writes—Preserving wild places: “That crick in the California coast, the place where it goes west then north, that ninety degree angle visible from space, has been protected in perpetuity from development. In a time when the very notion of public land, as well as the very land itself, is under attack this is good news. Pubic land is exactly that, public. One of the best things about our National Forests is that as a general rule anyone can camp there, anyone, for free. It belongs to us. The use of a public resource is best done with respect of course, respect for the land, and respect for those who will come after. This however is a story of our times and one of many approaches that are required to make positive change. It’s story about the philanthropy of a generous and determined couple of means and their seeking to set an an example for others to follow in the preservation of wild places and ecological function. The acquisition and ‘setting aside’ of this ecologically significant piece of Californian coastline is remarkable. The first effect is what it does directly, to preserve habitat. The simple fact is that without this move, sooner or later this ecologically, aesthetically, and even spiritually important land would have been bulldozed away. Now that will not occur.”TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
m2c4 writes—Republicans’ 40 Year Refusal To Invest In Infrastructure Begins to Cripple US Economy: “The ideological blinders that have guided the Republican party since the Reagan administration are slowly but surely crippling our economy. One area where that is most evident is in our transportation infrastructure where the Republican refusal to consider any federal investment as valid has led to the deterioration of the very pathways that fuel our economy. In one of its last acts of stupidity for 2017, the Trump administration has cancelled the agreement that the federal government had with the states of New York and New Jersey to not only restore the badly damaged rail tunnels between those two states but also build a new, third tunnel as well to relieve the congestion at that critical rail hub. The agreement meant that the federal government would split the cost of that project with the two states. This is the second time an agreement to restore this important rail link and the busiest transit hub in the entire country has been sabotaged by Republicans.”
palop writes—Hybrids and EVs now count for more than 50% of new car sales in Norway: “Some interesting news from Norway regarding car sales in 2017. Car sales were the highest since the Yuppie years of 85-86. The interesting part, however, is that hybrids, plug in hybrids and electric cars took the top 13 spots of the most sold car makes. Also, Hybrids and electric cars also accounted for more than 50% of all new car sales. If a country like Norway, with low population density and large distances between population centers, is capable of transitioning from internal combustion engine cars to hybrid and electric ones, then there is no technical reason why the US can’t do the same. It’s a matter of will, not ability. Mangled story through google translate can be found here.”
MISCELLANY
Steven Andrew writes—The science and technology that changed America: “America has been called a Christian nation, a conservative country, a progressive nation, the Great Satan, and a lot of other things. Some flattering, some accurate, and some at times insulting. But throughout the 20th century and into the new millennium, most would agree that America has been an unusually innovative nation. The basis of that innovation has been technology built on a foundation of science. The transcontinental railroad made possible by the industrial revolution, the telegraph and telephone by electro-mechanics, and commercial radio and TV by the solid state electronics that followed are just a few of the notable technologies that changed the day-to-day life of every citizen. A case can be made that we are in large part a science nation, despite long-standing efforts to the contrary when the findings of science clash with the narrow pursuit of profit and power. If anything, the pace of change wrought by technology has accelerated.”
Steven Andrew writes—This week in science: Hollow Earth caps the year of governing dangerously: “Move over flat-Earthers, stand aside anyone who believes the universe is less than 10,000 years old, make way for Hollow Earth, the strange belief that our entire planet is hollow and all kinds of interesting people and adventures can be found inside. Why, it’s a veritable paradise, one that just happens to include Nazis. It's hard to gauge how serious the alleged leaders of this odd group really are. Maybe the whole thing is a year-end prank by the alleged believers. But the article is a hoot either way, and this last graph is a case study in comic irony: Inside the Earth also, there is the sun that is divided by day and night sides. Cluff said that he believes that the shell of the Earth is around 800 miles thick, from the outside to the inner surface. Cluff is against the claim made by the flat-Earthers. ‘I don’t know how the flat-Earthers can be so confused. They are obviously wrong. The world is not flat – it’s hollow. They reject all the evidence,’ he said.”
Mark Sumner writes—Abbreviated Science Round-up: In Memoriam: “It’s that season. Not only are there few new papers to consider this week, it seems almost requisite that we do a look-back at those people whose contributions literally shaped the world we live in — often without our knowing it. On this list is a man who helped create almost everything you’re using at this very moment, and both men and women whose work on everything from antibiotics to imaging is likely responsible for several of us being present to read about their departure. And there’s Maryam Mirzakhani, whose loss at age 40 is almost unfathomable. If the list seems a little space-heavy … that’s my fault. I’m still that kid who stuck mission stickers from Mercury and Gemini on his lunch box and we’ve reached that point where the people who worked on those missions — and on Apollo and on Skylab — are becoming fewer and fewer. The number of human beings who walked on the moon and are still here to tell the story is down to six. There are 15 people still alive who have ventured beyond Earth orbit. I’m still hopeful that new members will join that club before the number dwindles to zero. Come inside let’s say goodbye.”
Mark Sumner writes—Abbreviated Science Round-up: Killer parrots, microbial forensics, the species diet: “Sure, you’ve probably counted calories at some point in your life. And, depending on which ‘expert’ was last on your screen, you may have cut back on carbs, restricted red meats, searched out ‘good fats,’ or all of the above. But a large international team (that includes a good number of scientists from Belgium and Italy, so you know they were eating well) the best way to measure your diet may be one you haven’t thought of before: How many species are you eating? Biodiversity is key for human and environmental health. Available dietary and ecological indicators are not designed to assess the intricate relationship between food biodiversity and diet quality. The 6,226 participants in their study chowed down on 234 species of plants and animals. Those who ate more broadly across the spectrum of living things were rewarded with a better quality of diet when measured broadly against a set of vitamins, minerals, and other micro-nutrients. In fact, every species added to a diet helped fill in nutritional gaps. However, despite a study that visited many countries and worked across age and income spectra, just nine species accounted for 61 percent of calories consumed. In the United States that’s probably corn, corn, and seven more corns.”
AKAlib writes—Summer Science Images from the Antarctic: “Here are some recent images from the great continent of Antarctica. Not about climate change per se, but just some beautiful pictures of the cold continent, mainly from the viewpoint of scientists and researchers. It is summer time there now and researchers, like migrating birds and marine life, flock there along with their science equipment on ships, planes and snow mobiles, to get the best out of a few months of summer, when daylight lasts 24 hours and the weather is less treacherous than that in the brutal winter. Science in the Antarctic broadly addresses the following issues, according to www.nature.com/… 1. Define the global reach of the Antarctic atmosphere and Southern Ocean; 2. Understand how, where and why ice sheets lose mass; 3. Reveal Antarctica's history; 4. Learn how Antarctic life evolved and survived; 5.Observe space and the Universe; 6. Recognize and mitigate human influences.”