Tree Hugger Thread

[Vrede too]

Lawsuit Demands Feds Release Documents on Decision to Abandon Red Wolf Recovery

As Few as 45 Survive in North Carolina

[Vrede too]

Shill for Duke, corporate welfare, environment, shady dealings, education, illegal gerrymandering, coal ash, now this - it's embarrassing that McCrory even has a chance....

The unconstitutional (bathroom bill) law was passed and signed on March 23. Less than a month for such a complete turnaround is a little shocking.

Speaking of unconstitutional -

"It shall be the policy of this State to conserve and protect its lands and waters for the benefit of all its citizenry, and to this end it shall be a proper function of the State of North Carolina and its political subdivisions to acquire and preserve park, recreational, and scenic areas, to control and limit the pollution of our air and water, to control excessive noise, and in every other appropriate way to preserve as a part of the common heritage of this State its forests, wetlands, estuaries, beaches, historical sites, open lands, and places of beauty."
-- Article XIV, Section 5 of the Constitution of the State of North Carolina

"In recent years, there have been constant efforts to undermine our state's environmental policies. Last year the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) was effectively eliminated. Legislation is put forth every year of late under the name of "regulatory reform," but that's now code for weakening environmental protections." (Sierra Club)

Report critical of SolarBees goes online, then disappears

Some environmentalists fear state officials are suppressing information about efforts to clean Jordan Lake after the state Department of Environmental Quality published and then retracted a report critical of the “SolarBees,” water-churning devices designed to reduce the impact of algae in the lake.

Department officials say the report was a draft that was mistakenly published online. But the move prompted suspicion from the the Sierra Club and WakeUP Wake County, as well as state Rep. Chuck McGrady, a Henderson Republican who co-chairs the legislature’s Environmental Review Commission.

The state budget passed last year mandated that the DEQ produce the report by April 1. DEQ officials say the Legislative Analysis Division extended that deadline. But Paul Coble, a former Wake County commissioner who oversees the legislative staff, says the division did not grant an extension.

“The staff of the Legislative Analysis Division has no authority to extend a statutory deadline,” Coble wrote in an email Tuesday. “At no point did anyone on the Legislative Analysis Division staff ever state that an extension of the statutory deadline was being granted.”

McGrady, whose commission is scheduled to review the report, said he’s unaware of any statute that gives legislative staff or any individual legislator the power to amend state law.

“The report is part of a law, the law being the budget,” said McGrady, who added that he’s aware of the retracted report and is concerned.

In addition to being popular for recreation, Jordan Lake provides drinking water to 300,000 Triangle residents. The lake has been designated as impaired under the federal Clean Water Act because it often exceeds state standards for chlorophyll a, the green pigment in algae and plants that thrive off nutrient pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus entering the lake.

SolarBees, which stir the water in an effort to keep algae from forming, are at the center of a battle between those who represent the areas that use the lake and those who represent upstream communities where most of the pollution originates.

In 2014, the Republican-led General Assembly turned to SolarBees as a cheaper alternative to implementing stringent restrictions on upstream communities like Greensboro that the then Democrat-led General Assembly approved in 2009....

The changes didn’t sit well with Rep. McGrady.

“We’ve asked for these reports and don’t get them or they come out and then are altered,” McGrady said. “It doesn’t seem like the department has its act together.”

Pollute and lie, lie and pollute.

[Vrede too]

Global Wind Power Capacity Tops Nuclear for First Time

California Solar Capacity Surpasses Nuclear by 75 Percent

[Vrede too]

NC environmental chief backs restriction on solar farms, incentives for nuclear plants

With environmental chiefs like this, who needs polluting enemies?

DEQ flip-flops on drinking water safety

Now, also from Appalachian Voices:

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is attempting to push a bill through the legislature which would make it illegal for local health departments to notify private drinking well owners of possible health risks associated with contaminants in their water.

Call your legislator TODAY to let them know that this is a dangerous bill.

DEQ claims the bill would prevent “confusion” caused by the recent lifting of health advisories to well owners close to Duke Energy coal ash sites. Unfortunately, the real intention of this bill is to keep North Carolinians from knowing what harmful contamination is in their water and the possible health consequences. Making it illegal for local health departments to divulge information about health risk to well owners does not clear up confusion or uncertainty about water safety, it creates more.

Drinking water is not a partisan issue. We all have a right to know what’s in our water. Call your representative now and tell them to oppose the “Issuance of Advisories/Drinking Water Stds” bill!

Read more about the bill, and use the list of talking points below to help with your phone call. Thank you for taking the time to let your legislator know just how bad this bill is!

Talking points:

For many years, state Health officials notified well owners about contamination, natural or man-made, found in any well test at a concentration high enough to have short or long term health effects. State Health and environmental staff have researched and developed dozens of good, scientific, health-based “screening levels” in order to advise well owners, but this bill would make those standards illegal to reference.

DEQ wants this bill to stop the state's health-based notification program for residential wells and depend only on federal drinking water standards. Those standards, known as MCLs, exist for only about 60 of the hundreds of contaminants that have been documented in NC waters, and are often much weaker (less protective) than health-based screening levels for the same contaminants.


The bill would prevent health departments from issuing health-based notifications to public water customers, too! Sometimes pollution incidents happen involving a contaminant with no federal standard at all, threatening a public water supply, but this bill could keep the public or water customers from knowing.


For the mountains,
Sarah Kellogg
North Carolina Field Organizer

[Seth Milner]

I love a good protestor story!

FARMER SPRAYS POOP ALL OVER GREENPEACE PROTESTORS TRESPASSING ON HIS LAND

[Vrede too]

Conservative group says N.C. support for clean energy is growing

The latest poll on N.C. voter preferences involving energy shows strong support for renewables, declining support for nuclear plant construction and strong opposition to fracking in the state.

The poll also shows strong support for restoring state tax credits for renewble energy and legislation allowing independent producers to sell power directly to customers. Voters overwhelmingly say they would support candidates who advocate these positions, according to the poll....

[rstrong]

Your article though references the early 2014 numbers from when it first started up - merely generating more than four times the power as a gas plant using the same amount of gas. By 2015 it was 170% more efficient than the same time in 2014 - far less gas, far more power.

Hopefully they'll meet the output levels stipulated their power purchase agreement by the July 31st deadline. Just as long as nothing goes...

The World’s Largest Solar Plant Just Torched Itself

Oh, for Trump's sake.

[Vrede too]

Exelon announces three reactor closures: Clinton in 2017, Quad Cities 1 & 2 in 2018

[Vrede too]

Tell Gov. McCrory to demand the resignation of State Health Director Dr. Randall Williams

With doctors and Health Directors like these . . .

[Vrede too]

Orlando shooter worked for security firm that guards nuclear plants

It's a valid concern, what could one or more inside people with evil intent do? It's not as big an issue at wind farms.

Mercenary
If you learned that the man in this photo -- a professional assassin -- was the head of security at one of our nation's most vulnerable nuclear facilities, would it trouble you? Or would it sound like one hell of a story?

2007. Short version: His entire resume was faked. He even gave a DC presentation to the Department of Homeland Security and representatives from the FBI and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about the creation of an elite strike force from the ranks of nuke security guards. He had the job for over a year before resigning.

[Vrede too]

Another nuke, long one of the more dangerous and controversial ones, bites the dust.

Diablo Canyon nuclear plant to be shut down, power replaced by renewables, efficiency, storage

[Vrede too]

Subject: General Assembly Bulletin July 2, 2016
From: Rep. Chuck McGrady <McGradyla@ncleg.net>

Farm Bill. The House and the Senate completed work on S 770 [NC Farm Act of 2016]. The Senate agreed to withdraw one provision creating an exemption for agriculture from permitting requirements for groundwater >>> <<<, while the House agreed to compromise language relating to an agriculture exemption from the State’s soil sedimentation law >>> <<<. The bill passed in the House by a vote of 89-26, and I supported the bill.

Coal Ash. After Governor McCrory vetoed S 71 [Commission Appointment Modifications], legislative leaders entered into discussions with the Administration, and those discussions resulted in a new coal ash bill, H 630 [Drinking Water Protection/Coal Ash Cleanup Act]. I worked closely with Senate leadership on the bill, although I ultimately voted against it. The bill was good in that it provided water to households adjoining the coal ash basins and had a strong provision dealing with beneficial reuse of coal ash. The bill was unsatisfactory, in my opinion, because it will result in all of the largest coal ash basins being classified as low risk and likely capped in the place. Having no confidence in the Department of Environment Quality, I voted against the bill, although it passed by a vote of 82-32.

Having no confidence in "Duke" McCrory's Department of Environment Quality, coal ash caps or Duke Energy - Bastards!

[Vrede too]

Subject: Some bad. Some good. And what’s next:

I don’t usually get to say this after a legislative session. Thanks to you giving your time, money, and energy, we were able to help stop some of the most anti-environmental provisions proposed in the General Assembly in the last five years!

Here is a snapshot of what you helped to defeat over the last 10 weeks:

North Carolina’s electronics recycling program remains intact, keeping dangerous heavy metals out of our landfills and communities and saving jobs.

The NC Senate’s attempt to eliminate nutrient management plans (policies that keep pollution out of our waterways) in the state budget were blocked.

Wind energy development remains a ‘go’ in our state as the attempt to quash this vital renewable and economic driver failed.

The misguided policy to place a ‘cap’ on personal income tax via an amendment to the NC constitution, which would limit public funding to enforce clean air and water safeguards, was left behind.

Last week was a whirlwind. Dan, our director of governmental relations, worked the halls with our intern Jesse, reiterating the messages you were sending to your elected officials: stop the cuts. Stop prioritizing polluters over people. And, when it comes to protecting the environment and growing our state’s economy, it’s not a "this or that" argument. North Carolina must have both in place to remain an ideal place to live, work, and visit.

Now for the bad news:

We are greatly disappointed with the new coal ash bill (the "Duke Energy Protection Act") that allows the utility monopoly to further delay cleaning up its toxic mess and leaves already vulnerable communities in limbo. Since our Governor and lawmakers refuse to protect us and our natural resources, we are actively working with our partners to find other ways to hold Duke Energy accountable and ensure the voices of North Carolina citizens who participated in the public hearing process earlier this year are heard – not silenced – by partisan politics and corporate greed.

Furthermore, we will continue to speak out for implementing the Jordan Lake Rules and other common-sense clean water policies that lawmakers kicked to the curb...again. It’s clear that we cannot trust our Governor to protect our drinking water supplies. So, we’re seeking alternate of authority to ensure real action in addressing the pollution threatening the drinking water of more than 300,000 residents – and likely more to come.

Now that session is over, we are redirecting all of our focus on the November elections. We have the momentum on our side to chip away at the anti-environmental stronghold dominating our state’s elected offices. You will have the opportunity to vote for pro-conservation candidates who will prioritize our values and put North Carolina back on the path to a clean energy and healthy environment future. I’m ready. Are you?

I look forwarding to working with you to reclaim our state this fall.

Regards,
Carrie Clark, Executive Director
NC League of Conservation Voters

[Seth Milner]

FARMER SPRAYS POOP ALL OVER GREENPEACE PROTESTORS TRESPASSING ON HIS LAND

Hey Vrede . . . I read somewhere you were once a Greenpeacer.
Were you in on this party, and is this why you have such a shitty outlook on life?

[Vrede too]

http://appvoices.org/2016/04/18/votetra ... lmay-2016/

:cussing:

[Vrede too]

Solar dominates new U.S. power generation in Q1 2016

... Solar represented 64% of all new electricity generation capacity that came online in the United States during this period....

More solar came online than natural gas, coal, and nuclear combined.

Wow: The U.S. Built More Solar Than Natural Gas Last Year

The US Solar Market Is Now 1 Million Installations Strong

Stand up for rooftop solar (petition)

[Vrede too]

Report: Department of Energy fails to protect nuclear whistleblowers
Department of Energy took little action against contractors, federal report says
‘They are eventually going to terminate anyone who files a concern with DOE,’ employee told investigators
2 largest facilities didn’t implement pilot program to boost whistleblower protections

If any sector needs whistleblowers . . .

[Vrede too]

[Vrede too]

Ethical scientists that have had enough:

(NC) State epidemiologist resigns over coal ash controversy

... Davies wrote that she felt compelled to step down because of misinformation and misrepresentation of the process the Department of Health and Human Services uses to "set health screening levels and provide public health recommendations to well owners whose wells were tested under the Coal Ash Management Act."

Davies also wrote that she "cannot work for a Department and an Administration that deliberately misleads the public."

READ DAVIES' FULL RESIGNATION LETTER HERE (.pdf)

Davies wrote that a letter from top members of Gov. Pat McCrory's administration falsely blamed a colleague for contributing to fear and confusion of people who live near the pits and whose well water is tainted with cancer-causing hexavalent chromium....

Riggs’ Exit Leaves Void on (NC) CRC Science Panel

The recent resignation of a founding member of the science panel that advises the state’s Coastal Resources Commission leaves an imbalance in expertise, according to some of the panel’s remaining members.

East Carolina University geologist Stan Riggs resigned July 24 in protest over legislative decisions on coastal policy during the past five years, restrictions placed on the member panel’s work and, most recently, the commission chairman’s stated desire to reclassify currently designated inlet hazard areas on the state’s coastal barrier islands.

“What I see happening is people are not paying attention to what the science panel has done and what’s really happening in our coastal system,” Riggs said in a recent interview. “If we want a viable economy going into the future and help people living out there on the coast, we have to deal with the long term as well as the short term. We’re building infrastructure out there for at least 100 years. Our resources are too important for ignoring the dynamics of that system.” ...

It Started with Sea-Level Rise

The panel’s work on sea-level rise projections made it a political target and thrust the state into the national spotlight in the arena of climate science. The state General Assembly’s response to the report confounded geologists on the panel.

Riggs said that General Assembly’s reaction to the panel’s original, 2010 sea-level rise report, which forecast up to a 39-inch rise by 2100, was the beginning of the end for him.

“The original sea level report, things were still very healthy and the science panel was working. Things were exciting. We had the support of the division and the CRC,” Riggs said. “The atmosphere changed when Republicans gained control in Raleigh. It was at that point where the legislature rejected our report,” Riggs said.

First there was a bill that didn’t pass that would have “outlawed sea-level rise,” as Riggs put it. The next year, a bill did pass that put constraints on what the state could do with respect to talking about and planning for sea-level rise.

“That was the beginning,” Riggs said. “That’s when it sort of began to deteriorate, in my opinion.”

Riggs said the 2010 sea-level rise report with its outlook to 2100 was used as a model by other coastal states that were behind North Carolina in considering the implications. Here at home, the developers on the coast also began to realize what the report could mean for them and appealed to their representatives in Raleigh to block any rulemaking based on the projections.

“What really got the natives going on that was that the CRC at the time directed its staff that all future construction had to consider that (scenarios looking forward to 2100),” said Rudolph, who studied for his master’s degree at ECU with Riggs as his adviser and who also worked as Riggs’ research assistant. “The policy was the thing that got people all riled up and screaming to the General Assembly.” ...

Riggs said there were also other reasons why he and other geologists resigned. The nature of the panel had changed over the years, Riggs said, from purely a scientific endeavor to one that now includes members that he said may have a vested interest in coastal policy decisions.

“Some (panel members) run major companies that make a lot of money pumping sand and hardening shorelines. I wanted to let people know that it’s not working very well. Everything is not copasetic in the kitchen,” Riggs said....

The Final Straw

Riggs said the commission’s recently suggested inlet zone reclassification was the final straw for him. Softening the definition will only encourage irresponsible development, he said.

“You’re building on a sand pile that wasn’t there a few decades ago. That’s crazy. We need to do a better job of managing our resources and protecting people because sea level is changing and it’s going to have a big effect on inlets,” Riggs said....

Riggs, 78, said he plans to spend his remaining years finishing up books he’s been writing that deal with the dynamics of coastal systems. As a lifelong educator, he sees it as a higher calling.

“I can do far better working toward educating the public than I can fighting the legislature. It takes an educated public to get a good legislature,” Riggs said. “The decision was, what are you going to do with the rest of your life? I’m not going to piss away any more time. I’m not an angry person who is out to get anybody, I’m just trying to see that we take better care of the coast.”

[Vrede too]

Irony.

The Red Cross is calling this the worst disaster in the U.S. since Hurricane Sandy.

Louisiana is in a state of emergency from recent catastrophic flooding. And in the midst of this climate-fueled disaster, the Obama administration is still planning to move forward with a fossil fuel lease sale in New Orleans next week.

Over 24 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico will be auctioned off to oil and gas companies for drilling and fracking. This auction is set to take place in the New Orleans Superdome, just an hour’s drive from Louisiana cities and towns that have just been ravaged by unprecedented floods.

... Please read Cherri's message below and take action today.

For our communities and climate,
Dario Parra
Greenpeace USA

Friends,

This week, central and southwestern Louisiana have been slammed by unprecedented floods.

Over the weekend, I watched heavy rains pour down on my community and my own home sink into rising waters. Across the region, tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, thousands of homes damaged, and at least eleven people killed. This fills my heart with both a deep sadness and deep anger — at the fossil fuel companies driving this ongoing crisis, and at an Administration that continues to sell them the right to do so.

Next Wednesday, on August 24th, the Obama administration is planning to sell off an area the size of Virginia for offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

In the face of this climate emergency, we’re calling on President Obama to cancel the upcoming fossil fuel auction here in the Gulf.

We need to keep fossil fuels in the ground and stop treating the Gulf Coast like a sacrifice zone. Offshore drilling endangers both the people of the Gulf and the climate we depend on. In the midst of this climate-driven disaster, moving forward with this auction is unconscionable.

Not only that, the fact that this fossil fuel auction is set to take place in the New Orleans Superdome — the site of one of the most visible and tragic instances of climate injustice in recent history — is nothing short of insulting.

We’ve been organizing and resisting for decades here on the Gulf Coast, but right now, we need to come together as a movement and support both the organizing and the relief efforts that are underway on the ground. Like all climate crises, this flood will most gravely impact the already marginalized in our society — poor people, people of color, the elderly....

This climate event is being called a “1000-year flood” and a “truly historic event,” and according to the Red Cross, it’s the worst U.S. disaster since Superstorm Sandy. This type of storm is far from normal — but it could become normal if we don’t act now. This auction would enable the fossil fuel industry to do more of the very thing that is intensifying these floods in the first place.

Allowing next week’s fossil fuel auction to move forward is rubbing salt in the wounds of a region already in a state of emergency....

No more business as usual. My beloved Gulf coast is not for sale.

Love and liberation,
Cherri Foytlin
State Director for Bold Louisiana (and Gulf Coast mother of 6)