This is the 527th 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 Sept. 16 Green Spotlight. More than 27,775 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
SemDem writes—I had to tell her she could lose her job here if she said "Climate Change": “Here are three primary reasons Rick Scott has made things demonstrably worse for Irma and every other hurricane coming down the pike: 1. Not only does he ignore climate change risks and refuses any preparation, you are punished for even mentioning it. Miami, on its own initiative, has undertaken a roughly half-billion quest to raise roads and build storm water pumps. St. Petersburg hired a climate specialist to convince state officials and planners to work on combating the clearly visible impacts. However, most communities in Florida can't afford to make these preparations. A Florida coastal planning specialist said trying to adapt to our changing climate without state support is ‘like trying to have a team without a coach.’ With Trump in office, he said it's pretty much now damn near impossible. However, Rick Scott has gone waaaaaaaaaaay beyond denying climate change, and well beyond refusing to prepare. You are not even allowed to utter the words. Right after Rick Scott’s election, the Office of General Counsel instructed all state agencies, via conference call, that they could not use the following words in any official communication: Climate change; Global warming; Sustainability; Sea level rise.”
Sylvanus Prince writes—The Daily Bucket: Fall's just around the corner: “Just a couple more days ‘till fall, Bucketeers! Get your rakes and leaf mulchers ready. [...] I am tempted to say that fall is my favorite time of the year, but that would be less than truthful. I love all the seasons of the year pretty much equally. I love winter, although maybe not so much as when I was a kid and looked forward to the snow, and skiing, and building snow forts, and sledding and going snowmobiling. I love summer and getting out and hiking in the woods and taking nature and wildlife photos. I love spring and the return of the birds and watching the flowers and trees come back to vibrant life and bloom. However, it’s hard to beat fall if you’re in the right place at the right time. Speaking of right place and time, here’s where I plan to go at the end of the month or around the first week of October:”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
matching mole writes—Dawn Chorus: Petrel in My Backyard (sort of): “On Tuesday evening I discovered that a black-capped petrel had been seen over Lake Jackson the day before, maybe a mile from my house at best. Some enterprising birder had rushed to the lake as Hurricane Irma was exiting the vicinity of Tallahassee to see if any sea birds had been blown inland by the storm. This black-capped petrel is a remarkable testament to the power of the storm. This bird wouldn’t have been blown in directly from the Gulf of Mexico where it doesn’t occur, but would have been picked up either off the Atlantic Coast of Florida or from the Caribbean and carried hundreds of miles.”
Lenny Flank writes—Photo Diary: A Walk Along the Ohio River: “Photos of some critters, bugs, birdies and plants seen during a walk along the Ohio River in Louisville KY.”
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - reflections on the creek in late summer: “Pacific Northwest. September 16, 2017. Two hundred years ago the little creek I visit in the western Washington lowlands was hidden under a mixed canopy of old conifers, alders and water-loving brush where intermittent wetlands opened it to the sky. There are still hints of that creek, even after the farms and subsequent development of the explosive population growth in the Northwest changed the land all around it. This Western Redcedar stump has been slowly decaying during the past half century I’ve known it, and at least another half century before that. A springboard notch, left from the early hand method of felling trees is still visible in the wood a few feet up. Loggers placed boards in notches to stand on as scaffolding above the brush, then used a two-man crosscut saw (some historical photos here: www.miss604.com/...). The stump has been settling into the ground and a large huckleberry bush is growing out the top now. Fallen alder leaves collect along the side of the creek, dry now. Once the rains start the creek will roar past this spot, up into the ferns.”
owktree writes—Daily Bucket: Mirror Alphabet - "N": “Mirror Alphabet starts the second half with the letter ‘N’.”
owktree writes—Daily Bucket: I am ready for my closeup...”Nice weather in the Philadelphia area on the weekend facilitated an extended walk on a loop along the Schuylkill River with camera in tow on Saturday the 9th of September. As the plants go the jimsonweed has mainly gone to seed, as has the velvetweed. The Mountain Mint is almost done blooming as well. The main bloom that was drawing insects was the large patches of White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) growing along the trail on the far side of the river from where I live. (White Snakeroot is toxic to livestock, and the poison can be passed on to those who consume milk from poisoned animals. Said poisoning was known as Milk Sickness, and it was a serious thing in the Midwest in the first half of the 19th century.)”
CLIMATE CHAOS
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—From Maue in WSJ to PewDiePie on YouTube, Hurricane Games Continue: “Meteorologist Ryan Maue doesn’t often make appearances in this column. Maue, fortunately, primarily stays in his lane and sticks to talking about the weather. But Maue sometimes does stray to the edges of the deniersphere with the occasional WUWT post or interview with Rush Limbaugh. Now, having left private forecaster Weatherbell to join WeatherOK (a small, private weather company) and ‘Make Weather Great Again,’ Maue may be looking for a larger profile--as this year’s uptick in his CATO activity may indicate. Maue’s Sunday op-ed in the Wall Street Journal is also a sure sign of his search for more denier creds. In the piece, Maue plays the now-common game of criticizing those who talk about how climate change makes hurricanes more destructive. He avoids too much substance, really only criticizing science in two ways: one is to point to the NOAA page that says it’s too early to see the climate signal in hurricane trends. The other is to point to a study of his from 2011 to say there’s been no upward trend in Cat 4 and 5 hurricanes.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—We All Gloat Down Here: Lamar Smith and the Deniers Still Wrong About Basically Everything: “Last month, our take on the latest ‘warming is natural’ paper from Jennifer Marohasy, for example, pointed to some preliminary criticisms. Since then, Climate Feedback has done a more in-depth analysis, which confirms and builds on previous criticisms. It is flat out incorrect to assert that most warming could be natural, Climate Feedback finds, and the physics-blind, curve-fitting exercise laid out in Marohasy’s faulty study is, in the words of one expert, ‘scientific nonsense.’ On the legal front, we flagged earlier this month that Trump’s regulatory rollback was apt to run into legal troubles for being arbitrary and capricious. Well, that’s exactly what the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in regard to the Bureau of Land Management's claim that coal mines shouldn’t be judged on climate factors (because, they said, if the coal isn’t burned in one place it will be in another). It turns out that when doing Environmental Impact Assessments, you still have to address climate impacts and the possibility (and likelihood) that cleaner sources of energy will replace coal.”
Jen Hayden writes—'We might not recover': Neil deGrasse Tyson gets emotional and sounds the alarm. All the alarms: “Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson joined CNN’s Fareed Zakaria to discuss the massive, record-setting hurricanes that have been pummeling Texas, Florida and the Caribbean in recent weeks and he is sounding the alarm. All the climate change alarms, even wondering if we’ve reached the point now where we might not be able to recover. It’s a sobering interview that all should see. [...] TYSON: The longer we delay, the more--I worry we might not be able to recover from this because our greatest cities are on the oceans and water's edges historically for commerce and transportation and as storms kick in, as water levels rise they are the first to go and we don't have a system, we don't have a civilization with the capacity to pick up a city and move it inland 20 miles. This is happening faster than our ability to respond. That could have huge economic consequences. The full interview and transcript are below. The time to act is right now.”
A Siegel writes—Trump Administration Silencing Climate Science: data is in: “Donald Trump's and his GOP acolytes anti-science attitudes created a flurry of activity in the interregnum prior to their White House occupation to capture key U.S. government science (especially climate science) information on servers accessible to the world's researchers (and, well, everyone with internet access) that are outside U.S. government control (good example/discussion). [...] The Guardian provided an excellent overview of worst of the first 100 days, In the more than 100 days since, the administration has largely opted for a chisel and scalpel approach to refashioning its online content, but the end result is much the same – mentions of climate change have been excised, buried or stripped of any importance. Federal government websites are being combed through to apply new verbiage. The state department’s office of global change, for example, has removed links to the Obama administration’s 2013 climate action report and mention of the latest UN meeting on climate change. Text relating to climate change and greenhouse gases has also been purged.”
A Siegel writes—Turning one's back on science: the New Mexico derivative: “Amid the drive to tackle this challenge, the Next Generation Science Standards ‘to create a set of research-based, up-to-date K–12 science standards. These standards give local educators the flexibility to design classroom learning experiences that stimulate students’ interests in science and prepares them for college, careers, and citizenship.’ The NextGen Standards were state driven and funded, with several dozen states involved. These standards are having impacts in science classrooms around the country. New Mexico is next in line, it seems, with a proposal of new teaching standards (sort of) based on the NextGen Science Standards. Why 'sort of'? omit references to evolution, rising global temperatures and the age of Earth from the state’s science curriculum. Right ... New Mexico's state Public Education Department has proposed that public school science education does not educate students about The Scientific Theory of Evolution; •the reality of Global Warming; let alone humanity's driving of a warming earth, and, of course not, • the risks that unchecked climate change creates for humanity let alone; • the risks of making the desert Southwest virtually uninhabitable with the potential for massive droughts amid hotter temperatures; • geology's scientific learning as to Earth's history.”
Meteor Blades writes—27 companies publicly support Paris climate accord, but donate millions to GOP group undermining it: “Twenty-seven companies that urged the Trump regime to stick with the Paris climate accord also contributed a total of $3.3 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) that has worked assiduously to dump President Obama’s signature Clean Power Plan. That plan was designed specifically to reduce greenhouse emissions from U.S. power plants in 2030 by 32 percent over 2005. It’s the key U.S. government effort to help meet the emissions goals of the non-binding Paris accord. And it’s in limbo. The excuse from the companies that responded to investigators from the Center for Public Integrity who revealed the contributions? It’s just politics. They said they had also contributed to the Democratic attorneys general association. In other words, all that cash was Just pragmatism on their part. Uh-huh.”
Eric Nelson writes—Industry to Trump: Keep Obama climate policy: “Here is some good news posted by Any Harder several hours ago. It turns out that Industry prefers Obama regulations to uncertainty: The world's biggest air conditioning and chemical companies are urging President Trump to defend one of his predecessor's landmark climate policies — and so far, it's working, Axios' Amy Harder writes in her weekly "Harder Line" energy column. The big picture: This is the most aggressive example of how different types of industries are urging Trump to use caution with his regulatory rollback, in the name of business certainty. Some executives in the fossil fuel and electric power sectors are urging the administration not to issue wholesale repeals of several regulations, including a rule cutting carbon emissions from power plants. Here is Amy Harder’s Report: Industry to Trump: Keep Obama climate policy.”
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
terrypinder writes—Maria to make a Category FIVE strike on Dominica tonight, St. Croix and Puerto Rico tomorrow: “This is breaking as I write this, recon is finding intense winds within the core of Hurricane Maria. [,,,] Dominica has taken the brunt of multiple intense hurricanes over the last decade, and one tropical storm that actually came through far to the north last year. Erika flooded Dominica severely. I’m kind of at a loss for words now. I’ve spent most of my childhood, and entire adult life, tracking these storms and … I kind of don’t want to do it anymore.Please keep the people of Dominica in your thoughts. They’re in for a horrible night.”
terrypinder writes—Dkos WxCenter: Peak of the hurricane season means big activity: “Top story in the tropics tonight are Maria, Jose, and Lee. Maria is headed to the Leeward Islands this week. Jose is headed northward, perhaps grazing southeast New England, and Lee, thankfully, may fall apart. Maria became a hurricane as of 5pm AST today. [...] Here we go again. Some of the same islands devastated by Irma earlier this month are now in the path of Maria, and places Irma largely spared, like St. Croix and Puerto Rico, are directly in Maria’s crosshairs. This morning Maria didn’t look that great but it’s worked the dry air within it. Unfortunately this probably means it may intensify rather rapidly as it moves through the Leewards tomorrow, and it may be an intense hurricane on approach to Puerto Rico.”
Denise Oliver Velez writes—And the wind cries "Maria": “As relief and rebuilding efforts are still underway in the Caribbean for Hurricane Irma, a new threat is headed for the island nations. Maria. Some of the places in her current path have already been hit — and others who were spared the brunt of Irma are now threatened. [...] I’m sure our Daily Kos weather watchers will be posting more detailed information as Maria moves on and strengthens. I’ll update as more information becomes available. My heart goes out to our Caribbean neighbors, and folks who have friends and family there.”
Denise Oliver Velez writes—Maria slams into 'the enchanted isle' of Puerto Rico: “For many people who hold Puerto Rico near and dear to their hearts — it has always been known as ‘La isla de encanta.’ Close to 5 million people of Puerto Rican heritage live on the U.S. mainland and there are approximately 3 and a half million ‘Boricuas’ on the island.The enchantment is now a horror story — as hurricane Maria hits the island — still not recovered from Irma, which caused flooding and did damage to the island power grid. [...] The first hit was to Vieques — the island the U.S. Navy bombed for decades: Puerto Rico has Superfund sites—23, to be exact—that risk contaminating soil and groundwater, one of which is among the most complicated, expensive Superfund sites in the U.S. For six decades, the military used the Puerto Rican island of Vieques as a bomb-test site, resulting in widespread contamination of three quarters of the small island. Many claim this contamination has caused the heightened cancer rates among the 9,000 people who live there. Unexploded bombs, bullets, and projectiles are all over Vieques, according to Judith Enck, the former EPA administrator for Region 2, which covers Puerto Rico. ‘I am concerned that the ones on the land will wash into the sea,’ she said.”
Stephen Dreyfuss writes—Global Warming Exacerbates Hurricanes: “Right after the total eclipse passed right over Greenville, we had at least twenty protestors show up. But the day after Hurricane Irma, only two showed up—including me—even though the remnants of the hurricane were now merely cloudy skies and a stiff breeze. Nevertheless, I held high my sign that took hours to prepare. It read GLOBAL WARMING EXACERBATES HURRICANES. Much of the preparation was cramming as much information as I could from the internet to be sure my protest sign was scientifically accurate. Climate change deniers argue that we have always had hurricanes. This is true; global warming doesn’t cause hurricanes. However, global warming does exacerbate hurricanes—it makes them bigger, stronger, and more deadly. As one climatologist put it, with increased temperatures, hurricanes are now on steroids. Global warming has already raised the level of oceans, and has increased the temperatures of both the Atlantic Ocean and especially the Gulf of Mexico.”
FishOutofWater writes—Hurricane Maria Cat 5 Devastating Dominica, on track to St Croix V.I. & Ponce Puerto Rico: “Hurricane Maria has developed explosively this afternoon as it passed north of the island of Martinique on track to the west coast of the beautiful island of Dominica. When Maria hit the deep pool of warm water that has built up in front of the islands its eyewall tightened up, the eye became clear and the cloud tops rose up so high that they cooled to -74º Celsius or -101º F. This combination of cold cloud tops and warm pinhole eye has an objectively estimated wind speed of 140 knots or 160mph if the hurricane has had sufficient time to spin up. At 5pm the National Hurricane Center determined that Maria’s wind speed was 115 knots or 130 mph conservatively, a minimal category 4 hurricane. Expect the speed to be raised considerably when new airplane radar wind speeds are determined later this evening. The largest towns on Dominica are on the leeward side so most of the people and infrastructure of Dominica will escape the worst winds and most of the storm surge. The island is mountainous so the towns on the Caribbean may get some protection. However, downslope winds can be extremely destructive coming through gaps in the mountains. The quaint east side shown in the picture above, facing the Atlantic, will be devastated.”
FishOutofWater writes—St Croix Virgin Island Horror Night: Cat 5 Maria Intensifies Will Hit Port, Fuel Tanks & Airport: “A catastrophe is developing in the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix as Category 5 Maria continues to intensify to a pressure of 916mb and sustained winds of about 170mph at 5pm EDT as Maria approaches the south side of St Croix. [NHC:] 700 PM AST POSITION AND INTENSITY UPDATE...>>>» EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE MARIA STILL STRENGTHENING...Reports just received from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that the maximum sustained winds have increased to 175 mph (280 km/h). The estimated minimum pressure based on data from the aircraft is 909 mb (26.84). A wind gust to 63 mph (102 km/h) was recently reported in the eastern portion of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. 7:00 PM AST Tue Sep 19. Location: 16.9°N 64.1°W; Moving: WNW at 10 mph; Min pressure: 909 mb; Max sustained: 175 mph Maria now has a central pressure that is significantly lower than Irma’s and Maria continues to strengthen at 7pm EDT.”
Greek Goddess writes—Hurricane Irma: Why I Stayed: “Meanwhile, we prepared. We boarded windows and assessed our belongings for their value. We concluded that our priceless possessions consisted of our dog, our cat, and four boxes of irreplaceable photos and documents. If we had to leave in a hurry, these could easily fit in the car. Reasoning that media outlets' primary source of information was the National Hurricane Center, we monitored its website exclusively and watched no television. Based on the storm's track, we knew that it wasn't going to make landfall close to us. The big question was, where was the eye going to turn northward? If it tracked along the west coast or even up the middle of the state we would be spared. If it tracked along the east coast we would be direct path. We decided that if we were in line to receive a Category 4 or 5 hit, we would leave. When Gov. Rick Scott announced a mandatory evacuation for our area, our mothers in Alabama and Indiana were frantic: ‘You have to leave, it's mandatory!’ However, the decision to leave seemed more complicated than merely obeying an announcement.”
jrooth writes—Hurricane Maria Intensifies to a Major Hurricane - Update: Now Category 4: “Hurricane Maria continued to intensify overnight and as of the 11 am advisory is a category 3 major hurricane with sustained winds of 105 kt (120 mph) and a minimum central pressure of 959 mb. On it’s present course the storm will pass near or over the islands of Martinique and Dominica this evening. There is considerable prospect that Maria will intensify further before a likely landfall on Dominica, likely as an upper-end category 3. [...] There is no significant change in the model guidance over the next three days. Maria is expected to impact the islands of Martinique and Dominica, with significant effects felt in the islands both a little to the south and especially a little to the north. After that, Maria is expected to continue on a west-northwest course in the direction of the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, intensifying significantly as it does. The islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat and St. Kitts & Nevis will likely avoid a direct impact but will see at least significant tropical storm conditions as well as very heavy rains.”
jrooth writes—Tropical Storm Maria: A Significant Threat To Some Vulnerable Areas: “Good morning. Maria has continued to gradually organize overnight and as of the 11 am advisory is now a tropical storm with sustained winds of 55 mph. Environmental conditions are conducive to further (possibly rapid) development and there is every reason to expect that it will affect the southern leeward islands as a significant if compact hurricane, most likely category 2. Mid-week, it (I’m trying hard to stick with ‘it’ here, but I hope you’ll forgive me if I fall into old habits of ‘she’ for Maria and ‘he’ for Jose) is very likely to pass close to or over the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as a major hurricane, most likely category 3 but category 4 is not out of the question. A basic rule of thumb is to always prepare for one category higher than you are forecast to get. The Virgin Islands in particular are very vulnerable, having been severely impacted by Irma. Puerto Rico’s infrastructure is also far from up to dealing with this kind of impact. The same is true for the Dominican Republic.”
jrooth writes—Powerful Hurricane Maria Striking Puerto Rico. Update: 11 am Advisory & Discussion: “Hurricane Maria underwent an eyewall replacement cycle last night as its core passed just barely south of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. That reduced Maria’s maximum sustained winds from 175 mph to 155 mph and raised its minimum central pressure from 909mb to 917mb. Maria made landfall this morning on the southeast coast of Puerto Rico as a top-end category 4 hurricane. That is the (very small) silver lining in what is an ongoing natural disaster of devastating proportion. [...] It appears the northeastern core of Maria crossed the western tip of the island of Vieques. Again, I have yet to see any post-storm reports from there but we can expect very substantial damage.”
InteGritty writes—How You Can Help Survivors Of Hurricane Maria: Dominica, St. Croix, Puerto Rico: “As Maria slams into St. Croix and Puerto Rico this morning, you may be wondering how people cope with a catastrophic hurricane — and how you can help alleviate their pain and loss.For an idea of what may lie ahead for St. Croix and the affected areas of Puerto Rico, consider what the storm did to the vibrant, gorgeous Nature Island nation of Dominica (population 74,000). After the eyewall of the Category-5 monster swept over the country late Monday night, all contact of any kind with its population was lost for upwards of 24 hours. When images of the aftermath finally began trickling out from aid flights this morning, the video was heart-wrenching and sobering.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
Dan Bacher writes—CA Indian Water Commission and three environmental groups challenge Delta Tunnels financing: “The California Indian Water Commission has joined three environmental groups — the California Water Impact Network, AquAlliance and California Sportfishing Protection Alliance — in filing a legal challenge to the financing of Governor Jerry Brown’s Delta Tunnels today. A recent landmark 9th Circuit ruling that federally reserved Indian water rights have precedent over all state and federal water rights puts a new twist on how much water there really will be available for the tunnels or any other project — and could put a big wrench in state and federal plants to build the massive 35 mile long tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. “The state is asking for $11 billion in bonds without identifying the sources of revenue or indicating how total costs will be shared with the Central Valley Project, its Federal partner in the WaterFix,’ according to a joint news release from the four groups. ‘The State would like a blank check from rate payers to finance the Governor’s tunnels,’ said Carolee Krieger, President of the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN.) ‘With only 10% of the WaterFix engineering and design completed, there is no reliable cost estimate for the tunnels’ financing. This Validation proceeding is premature until these important issues are settled’.”
Dan Bacher writes—Westlands Water District Votes No on Delta Tunnels Project! “In a major victory for Delta Tunnels opponents, the Board of Directors of the Westlands Water District today voted 7 to 1 against their participation in Governor Jerry Brown’s California WaterFix project. Growers in the massive district, located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, cited the high cost of the state-federal proposal as their reason for rejecting the project. Politically powerful Westlands is the largest irrigation district in the country. The district would be one of the key beneficiaries of the proposed 35-mile long twin tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — and their rejection of the project is a major loss for the Brown administration’s campaign to fast-track the construction of the tunnels. It also sends a message to other water districts that the cost of the controversial plan is not worth the potential benefits. The Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California board is slated to vote on the tunnels in early October, but the Westlands vote delivers a major blow to the project.”
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
A Siegel writes—Powering Minnesota to prosperity through energy leadership: “A positive vision for the future is too rarely part of America’s political conversation at the moment. Today, Minnesota’s Rebecca Otto put out a serious marker to change that. Otto’s Minnesota Powered Plan targets leveraging Minnesota’s envious position as a manufacturing state with excellent wind and (yes) solar resources to transform the state into a clean energy powerhouse, with serious economic benefits for all of the state’s citizens and a true leadership position in creating a prosperous, climate-friendly future. While Otto’s plan merits a read (in no small part for the substantive supporting material), its core focus is on achieving desired results through reforming our energy system toward a basic sensible path: a well-regulated market economy that enables private business to flourish while recognizing/strenghthening our social contract.”
ENERGY
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
m2c4 writes—Solar Powered Floridians Forced To Sit In The Dark Because Of FPL And State Government: “A Miami New Times article points out the billions in dollars that FPL gained through rate increases in order to be more prepared for hurricanes was apparently totally ineffective, as 90% of FPL’s customers lost power when Irma hit. That includes areas on the east coast of the state where winds only reached the strength of a Category 1 hurricane. Despite supposedly spending $2 billion to reinforce more than 500 critical power lines and trimming trees near power lines, a major cause of power loss, the damage to the power grid was substantially more extensive than the Category 2 hurricane, Wilma, that struck the state in 2005. Now, obviously, there were differences between the two hurricanes, especially as Irma’s more destructive side hit Florida. But the billions of dollars spent by FPL preparing for a storm just like this does not seem to have had much effect. FPL had also set up a new information system for customers so that they could check online to see when the power returned to their home and plan their return accordingly. That system was not only often unreachable but also continually provided false information, as homeowners returned only to find out that there was still no power despite what the FPL site said.”
REGULATIONS & PROTECTIONS
Mary Anne Hitt writes—Meet the Four Horsemen of the EPA-pocalypse: “Every week, another decision that endangers our families seems to come out of Scott Pruitt’s and Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The latest facepalm/outrage comes in the form of confirmation hearings that start this week for four completely unacceptable nominees to critical leadership positions at EPA. This Wednesday, September 20, the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works will decide whether to confirm Bill Wehrum to lead the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, David Ross as chief of the EPA’s Office of Water, and Michael Dourson to head up the agency’s chemical safety programs. Later this month, they will hold a hearing on the nomination of Andrew Wheeler as EPA’s Deputy Administrator, the agency’s second-in-command. We can thank EPA administrator Scott Pruitt for these four horsemen of the EPA-pocalypse — four people who will gladly choose polluters over public health and clean air and water standards every time.”
Mark Sumner writes—Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wants to return national monuments to 'traditional' mining and logging: “The Washington Post has obtained a copy of a report from Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke suggesting that millions of acres of public land be given away while millions more should be open to mining and logging. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended that President Trump modify 10 national monuments created by his immediate predecessors, including shrinking the boundaries of at least four western sites … Zinke actually produced the report back in August after a review of national parks and monuments created all the way back to the Clinton administration. Expectations were that Zinke was going to go on a tear, recommending big reductions, if not outright elimination, of multiple monuments. However, when the report was completed, the White House assured everyone that no monuments were to be destroyed. Then … they promptly hid the actual report and produced only a summary that failed to give details about what the Interior secretary was actually suggesting. Even with the entire report in hand, it’s still impossible to tell just where and how much public land Zinke wants to take away from the public and give to ‘affected industries’.”
Meteor Blades writes—EPA chief Pruitt diverts agents to protect him 24/7, cutting the time they spend probing eco-crimes: “Scott Pruitt’s round-the-clock personal security detail, which demands triple the manpower of his predecessors at the Environmental Protection Agency, has prompted officials to rotate in special agents from around the country who otherwise would be investigating environmental crimes. The EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance has summoned agents from various cities to serve two-week stints helping guard Pruitt in recent months. And while hiring in many departments is frozen, the agency has sought an exception to hire additional full-time staff to protect Pruitt. Instead of the half dozen people usually assigned to EPA security details, Pruitt’s order requires 18. This at an agency that has seen in recent years a 20 percent cut in its budget, which peaked at $10.3 billion in 2010. Pruitt sought to cut another 31 percent in the fiscal 2018 budget, knocking it down from $8.1 billion to $5.65 billion. This would have forced a staff reduction from 15,000 to less than 12,000. If Pruitt were in the private sector and pushed through cuts like that, he would, of course, get a fat bonus at the end of the year, increased compensation and praise for his impact on ‘the bottom line’.”
Hunter writes—EPA administrator Scott Pruitt continues to be terrible at his job: “New Trump EPA administrator Scott Pruitt had two choices after hurricanes Harvey and Irma. He could rise to the challenges of his office, or he could tool around the country pooh-poohing people who asked about climate change, giving friendly interviews to conspiracy sites like Breitbart and issuing furious ad hominem attacks on journalists who questioned the EPA's seemingly less-than-robust response to the chemical explosions and spills accompanying the storms. He, of course, chose the latter. And mind you, I suspect most of us were prepared for how beholden to polluting industries Scott Pruitt would be, because that is precisely how he auditioned for his current position; what's more surprising is just how petulant the man would be. He appears to be running the entire department as an exercise in self-gratification and extended bouts of pouting.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Pruitt Confirms Planning Red Team Project, Despite Concept’s Past Failure: “Yesterday, everyone’s favorite fossil-fuel-flunky-turned-EPA-administrator did one of the few thing he does well: talked to his conservative media friends. Pruitt’s day of denial kicked off in the morning with a visit to the assorted idiots of Fox and Friends, followed by a chat with Fox’s Dana Perino at the Concordia 2017 Summit. [...] Pruitt also confirmed that agencies are working out a framework for the long-rumored red team/blue team exercise. After a protester called out his harmful denial, Pruitt said the US needs ‘a thoughtful discussion’ on some of the nuances of human influence on climate change--a discussion he claims ‘hasn’t [yet] occurred.’ Except, of course, this debate has happened--and not only in the realm of peer-reviewed science, which, by its nature, tests every paper with the sort of skepticism the red team would provide. In multiple appearances, Pruitt has cited an WSJ op-ed by Obama admin official Steve Koonin suggesting the idea of a red/blue team debate. It’s worth noting that in the piece, Koonin mentions in a parenthetical aside that he’s conducted a similar red/blue team exercise on climate before, for the American Physical Society in 2014. Koonin even links to the testimony on the exercise heard as part of the APS’s reassessment of its 2007 statement on climate change.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS, OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
officebss writes—You Can't Make America Great By Destroying Our Natural Wonders - Contact Your Senators NOW! “The Wilderness Society just emailed me this list of what’s at risk — SO FAR.
It will probably get much longer. We now have a partial list of national monuments where President Trump's ax will fall first. According to news reports, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended significantly altering Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, Katahdin Woods & Waters in Maine, Cascade-Siskiyou in Oregon, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte in New Mexico, Gold Butte in Nevada and marine monuments in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. We have to make sure Trump doesn't get away with this: contact your senators and make sure they won't stand for gutting our natural wonders. Acting on these recommendations would represent a shocking assault on and public lands and set a terrible precedent. It's just one step on the path to selling out our shared wildlands for oil and gas drilling, mining and other development. Especially if you live in Utah, Maine, Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada or on the West or East Coasts, please contact your Senators NOW.”
Colorado Blue writes—Zinke is a Plague! Latest assault on our priceless national treasures: “I swear this administration is trying to do us in, crush our national spirit and our joy even as they destroy our environment and steal our healthcare and our civil rights. Just in from Washington Post, a detailed explanation of the four national monuments Zinke will recommend that Trump “trim” and allow mining and other forms of exploitation and six others, including two in the Pacific, where of course reefs and other priceless ecosystems are truly in danger of total collapse. Apparently somebody leaked a document outlining this threat to our treasures. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended that President Trump modify 10 national monuments created by his immediate predecessors, including shrinking the boundaries of at least four western sites, according to a copy of the report obtained by The Washington Post.”
Karen Hedwig Backman writes—Montana Wildfires: “Whatever I have suffered for months, people in Montana have it far worse. If my job were only about fires and how the smoke moves, it would be simple. Not easy, mind you: Wildfire smoke is flashy and weird, and if anyone tells you they can reliably predict its behavior, they’re lying. It’s just that purely focusing on the science would be fun for a smoke nerd like me. But in July, thunderstorms trekked across western Montana, igniting a ring of fires around Missoula County. One by one, they started blowing up, smothering small towns in smoke. The massive Rice Ridge Fire burns directly above the community of Seeley Lake, and every night, smoke fills the valley, building by the hour and creating dangerous breathing conditions the likes of which we have never seen. To our south, the Lolo Peak Fire sends daily smoke to the Bitterroot Valley, creating frequently hazardous, unbreathable air for its residents. Never have we seen so many wildfires so close to home for so many weeks. Montana is situated in the center of drought country.”
MISCELLANY
Karen Hedwig Backman writes—IT. IS. RAINING: “It is REALLY raining, which is why it must be stated so emphatically in the title. It is REALLY raining in the Pacific NW, FINALLY! It is raining enough to actually get damp in the rain. It is raining enough to clean the air. I wonder what the washoff is going to do to the Pacific and its inhabitants. I hope they like smoky water. Maybe we ought to dump a little barbecue sauce into our waterways to make the water tastier. All kind of drought records have been broken in the Pacific NW. This is Trump weather and drought now, He owns it by backing out of the Paris Accord. The air we breathe, at least very locally, has been washed of smoke muck and is finally breathable. As to wildfires in the region, the source of our unbreathable air? Apparently there are NO new wildfires.”
goldflame writes—Nationalism, The Key to Earth's Survival? “Addressing the world, speaking directly to its leaders, at the United Nations General Assembly, the President of the United States stated that he will put America’s interests first before any other nation’s interests, and that leaders around the world should do exactly the same, put their nation’s interests first. What is, or should be the most basic interest of America, of any nation? Survival. At first glance this admonition of nationalism does not just ignore, it flies in the face of what is tantamount to what America, indeed all nations need to do to survive: we must cooperate globally to face global threats to ensure global survival. Quite simply, if all nations want to survive, then they are going to need to cooperate. America first? America wants to survive? Then America needs to cooperate, work with others in order to survive, as do all nations. It is in our collective “best interest”. The threats the planet faces know no borders. In order to ensure our collective survival we have to address global problems that threaten the planet as Our Problems.”