This is the 547th 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 February 21 Green Spotlight. More than 28,450 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
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Big Energy Spends Big To Avoid Climate Responsibility: “A new report released yesterday by the 50/50 Climate Project looks at how 21 of the US’s largest utilities and energy companies are preparing for a future where low-carbon energy and fossil fuel regulations are the norm. The report finds that instead of managing these climate risks to protect shareholder value, companies are instead spending hundreds of millions on influencing elections and regulations. Despite the existential threat posed by climate change and regulations to address it, these companies have done next to nothing to adapt their fossil-fueled business model. For example, 20 of the 21 companies highlighted in the report don’t even mention climate change in corporate governance documents. Six of them, including Scott Pruitt’s friends at Devon Energy, don’t even have a board-level environmental risk management function. What’s more is that these companies are actively fighting against public protections. They’ve spent over $50 million to fight citizen initiatives for clean energy and greenhouse gas reductions, the report finds, putting them in direct opposition with voter-led ballot measures.”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - lower low tide in winter daylight: “As winter eases into spring, low tides in the Salish Sea are beginning to shift into daylight hours. Beaches widen. Lots more marine life to see. Yesterday I took a stroll on one of the few sandy beaches we have and ran into thousands of tube worms. [...] In the title photo, between the rocky upper half of the beach and the seaweedy water’s edge, the muddy sandy area has two distinct zones of tube worms, with each individual worm tucked inside a vertical leathery tube embedded deep into the sand. The upper zone is inhabited by the Bamboo Tubeworm (aka Jointed Three Section Tubeworm), Spiochaetopterus costarum, a filter feeder whose thin tubes extend two feet deep.”
6412093 writes—The Daily Bucket--Hidden Mysteries in the Frog Mitigation Area: “ ‘Everyone take your seat, please, I’m Commissioner Otto Kerner, and this meeting of the Frog Environmental Regulatory Commission or FERC is called back to order.’ The Commissioner sat behind a podium on a stage. He was above the audience, whom squirmed on cheap fold out chairs, arranged in rows. The drab carpet was even more banal than the faded walls. ‘Redwoodman, please explain this photograph (pictured above),’ he added. ‘Commissioner,’ I began, ‘That’s a recent picture of the modified Frog Mitigation Area. I excavated this area 4 years ago, to create breeding ponds for the native chorus frogs that live in and near my yard. It contains two ponds, connected by a small creek, and it’s fed by water pumped over a 3 foot high waterfall.”
Mahdalgal writes—Saturday Morning Garden Blog Vol 14:08 Diamonds, Bloomers, Birds and a Potting Bench: “Meteorological Spring is here. It brought colors, blooms, surprises and something as precious as gemstones — rain. And, of course, the usual highly deviant behavior of Texas weather. Rain began falling on Sunday Feb 18, 2018 (68o) and continued for the next six days. North Texas has been teetering on the moderate to severe drought line for 6 months. [...] Green shoots, buds and jewel-tone blooms appeared last Sun/Mon as if by magic. And with that magic came the harbingers of Spring — robins. Even in the cold rain my heart is singing.”
Dan Bacher writes—A new steelhead run record set on the Mokelumne River: “It’s official; a new record for the number of steelhead returning to the Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery in one season has been set. The hatchery has received 530 adults and 638 juveniles this year to date, a total of 1,168 fish. That compares to 719 adults and 402 juveniles last season, a total of 1,121 fish. ‘We’re still spawning and taking eggs,’ said William Smith, the manager of the hatchery. ‘We’ve taken over 1 million eggs to date. Our goal is to raise 250,000 steelhead smolts for release into the river next year.’ He plans to keep the hatchery open into the first week of March, since fresh steelhead are still arriving every week, with 15 new fish reported last week.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT:
Dan Bacher writes—Investigation of DWR Director Nemeth Reveals Major Conflict of Interest: “Documents acquired by Restore the Delta from a recent a public records act request to Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) confirm that newly appointed California Department of Water Resources Director (DWR) Karla Nemeth was a MWD employee from 2009 to 2014, earning over $900,000 in total compensation. During her MWD tenure, she was contracted to work for Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) planning under the CalFed program, and then by the California Department of Water Resources, according to today’s press release from Restore the Delta (RTD). All PRA documents sent by MWD to Restore the Delta can be read here. Representatives from various state water agencies and policy groups downplayed Ms. Nemeth’s pro-tunnels employment history with MWD in a recent Sacramento Bee report, while Restore the Delta maintained that Ms. Nemeth’s work history should be further scrutinized as a conflict of interest. Specifically, Restore the Delta noted that a report from Transparent California indicated Ms. Nemeth’s complicated employment history between MWD and California Natural Resources Agency.”
Dan Bacher writes—Former Panoche Water District Staff Charged With Embezzlement, Illegal Disposal of Hazardous Waste: “Just when you thought the corruption that infests California water politics couldn’t get any worse, it does. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Thursday announced the arrest and filing of felony charges against five people for the misuse of public funds and illegal disposal of hazardous waste “amidst widespread corruption” at the Panoche Water District (PWD) in Firebaugh. The scheme resulted in an estimated loss of over $100,000 in public funds, according to a news release from the Attorney General’s Office. The arrests were the product of a joint year-long investigation by the Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). [...] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Wednesday arrested and booked into Fresno County Jail Dennis Falaschi, the water district's former general manager; Julie Cascia, the former office manager; and Atomic Falaschi, the manager of the San Joaquin River Improvement Project.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS & OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
Walter Einenkel writes—A major collection of fossils discovered in Bears Ears National Monument, now in jeopardy: “The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology released a statement concerning the Bears Ears National Monument and its import to the scientific community, back in December. They pointed out that Bears Ears has yet to be comprehensively studied but as a site it offered up the potential for some great discovery. Bears Ears National Monument was established only last December, 2016, following a long history of advocating by Native American tribes, conservationists, and scientists. Bears Ears is in the southwestern part of Utah near the Four Corners area. While paleontological research has been carried out there for more than 90 years, the short time that Bears Ears has enjoyed monument status means that it has not yet been as extensively studied as GSE NM. Nevertheless, Bears Ears has the potential to be as paleontologically spectacular as Grand Staircase. Bears Ears is stratigraphically older. Extensive exposures of the Pennsylvanian- and Permian-aged Cutler Group preserve some of the oldest terrestrial vertebrates, as well as highly fossiliferous sites that document vertebrate ecosystems before the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. The Triassic-Jurassic transition is especially well preserved in the Red Canyon and Indian Creek parts of the Monument, and the Jurassic sections near Monticello and Blanding, Utah have produced many important finds, including the prosauropod Seitaad. They released this statement to point out that the Trump-proposed ‘cuts’ to Bears Ears National Monument could be devastating to scientists.”
BYPRODUCTS, TRASH, TOXIC & RADIOACTIVE WASTE
Observer343 writes—Are paper beverage cup lids the next step in plastic waste reduction? “Several restaurants these days sell beverages in paper cups, and some of those restaurants even sell several sizes of said beverages in paper cups. From big restaurants like Wendy’s to smaller restaurants, paper beverage cups have become more common. However, paper cups have yet to replace all disposable drinking containers of all sizes for all companies that sell them. There is currently a campaign to get McDonald’s to switch from plastic drinking straws to paper drinking straws in order to reduce pollution and reduce damage to the wildlife. I hate McDonald’s (for both their food and the horrid way they treat their employees), but if this campaign succeeds, it could put pressure on other restaurant chains to switch to paper cups as well. Whether in the dirt or the water, paper degrades significantly faster than either plastic or styrofoam. However, modern disposable beverage containers have 3 parts. The cup, the straw, and the lid. These parts will only be used once to maybe a handful of times before being tossed away, buried, maybe recycled, or lit on fire, so it would seem to be more logical to use materials that would degrade a lot faster if the finished products got loose in the environment.”
ENERGY
Fossil Fuels
A Siegel writes—Also in from CPAC: Fascists, NRA, Trump-istas ... and coal enthusiasts: “From CPAC emerges glimpses of the immoral, unethical, corrupt, authoritarian threads that have taken control of “conservative” American politics. Whether the hosting of French fascist Marion Maréchal-Le Pen or the rantings of the NRA president, thinking people can’t think seriously about CPAC without getting sick to the stomach.Amid all this comes news about the heartless Heartland Institute, a leader purveyor of climate/tobacco/pesticides science denial gibberish and go-to space for Trump-ista ‘science’ policy concepts. Heartland announced an initiative to battle the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, ‘We want to make the future as the past was. We are here because of coal, and we need it going forward,’ said Fred Palmer, a Heartland fellow who previously worked as an executive at Peabody Energy Corp., America's largest publicly traded coal company. Consider that, consider CPAC, consider #MAGA … ‘we want to make the future as the past was ...’”
Rickman writes—Reality unfolds for Coal Miners: “In recent attempts to resuscitate the coal industry, President Trump has come forward with a ‘Coal Rescue Plan.’ However, more than a year has passed and despite of Trump’s promises Power Generation based on Coal has experienced a record decrease of 30% in market share. Remember back in 2017 when Donald Trump pledged he is going to revive the ‘coal industry.’ Forecasters have anticipated that coal industry shouldn't rely on Trump’s administration anymore. The recent figures project 2018 as a rival year against 2015 with an estimation of shutdown more than half of coal plants across the country. Statistics indicate a hike for coal production and exports, yet Trump Government has deliberately over looked the bleak outcome of ‘Mining’ on health of coal industry workers.”
Emissions Controls & Carbon Pricing
Dartagnan writes—Court Blocks Trump's Attempt To Repeal Rule Curbing Methane Emissions As "Untethered To Evidence": “ ‘Untethered to evidence.’ Sounds about par for the course for the relentless efforts of this Administration to allow the disastrous accumulation of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere to proceed by curtailing or repealing the Federal regulations established to slow its process: A U.S. District Court judge has blocked the Interior Department from suspending an Obama-era rule meant to prevent planet-warming methane from escaping during oil and natural gas operations. The ruling marks the latest setback for the Trump administration as it seeks to roll back regulations aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change. It illustrates the challenge President Donald Trump faces in defending his deregulation agenda against a torrent of lawsuits after swiftly moving last year to wipe out much of his predecessor's environmental legacy. Methane is a gas which has been shown to contribute to global warming to an exponentially higher rate than its cousin, carbon dioxide.”
REGULATIONS & PROTECTIONS
Pakalolo writes—'Sloppy and careless'-courts call out Trump on environmental rules: “In 2017, news of climate extremes was a shot across the worlds bow. There was the record-breaking heat across the planet, California’s biggest wildfire occurred during the winter, an ex-tropical cyclone slammed Ireland, and the unprecedented Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria barreled through the Atlantic. The major TV news networks reported on these disasters. What they did not share, was the connection between these environmental disasters and climate change. Given that 2017 marked the first time that peer reviewed scientific papers concluded that theses events could not have happened in a world where warming didn’t exist, the lack of reporting was a disservice to the public. What the media did cover was the shenanigans of the buffoon occupying the oval office and his ignorant statements on the environment and climate change. Finally, the Trump administrations virulent anti-environmental and his eco and social-justice crimes have met resistance. They have become stymied in the court process. Make no mistake, Trump is determined to destroy the environment and gift the fossil fuel industries and other major polluters with all kinds of deregulated goodness. The resistance must remain vigilant.”
committed writes—it is (way past) time to impeach Pruitt: “this is clearly illegal, unconstitutional and impeachable. he has crossed another line here. Pruitt: Bible says ‘harvest the natural resources’. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt said his desire to use the Earth’s resources like oil and coal is grounded in the Bible. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network published Thursday, Pruitt spoke about how his Christian views inform his views on the environment and environmental policy. ‘The biblical world view with respect to these issues is that we have a responsibility to manage and cultivate, harvest the natural resources that we've been blessed with to truly bless our fellow mankind,’ he told CBN’s David Brody.”
ECO-ACTION & ECO JUSTICE
Dan Bacher writes—Water Protectors to Paint Mural in Protest of Wells Fargo in San Francisco Saturday: “Idle No More SF Bay and the Indigenous Environmental Network will organize a non-violent direct action and paint a live mural protesting corporate greenwashing by Wells Fargo in front of the Wells Fargo Bank in the financial district of San Francisco on Saturday, February 24. The event will run from 10am – 12pm, at 420 Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA, 94104. As Wells Fargo continues to fund oil and gas pipelines, a coalition of Indigenous, environmental, and climate justice groups is urging the bank to divest from pipeline companies. Speakers at the action will include: Isabella Zizi, Idle No More SF Bay Area; Daniel Illario, Idle No More SF Bay Area; Joye Braun, Indigenous Environmental Network; and Joseph White Eyes, Indigenous Environmental Network.”
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
Walter Einenkel writes—New study says that organic food diets promote significant benefits to our environment: “A large study of almost 35,000 people reports that environmental sustainability could be greatly enriched if we all began taking on more plant-based organic, healthier diets. Many organizations, including the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, advocate the urgent adoption of more sustainable diets at a global level. Such diets include reduced consumption of animal products, which have a higher environmental impact than plant-based products. This is mainly due to the high energy requirements of livestock farming as well as the very large contribution of livestock to greenhouse gas emissions. Intensive livestock production is also responsible for significant biodiversity loss due to conversion of natural habitats to grass and feed crops. [...] The good news is that this kind of dietary change is something that would benefit each and every one of us. The bad news is that this study doesn’t take into account the fact that we may have crossed the Rubicon.”