Following the money

Oil-fattened Congress well on way to preventing EPA from regulating greenhouse gases

On Friday, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce -- whose leaders are backed by ag, chemical, and fossil fuel industries -- voted to strip the EPA of its existing powers to regulate carbon dioxide, methane, and other agents of global warming. That sucks. What sucks worse: Their efforts might just survive a presidential veto and become law.

Disgusting.

Rush aboard the Crazy Train

Image by DavidErickson via FlickrWill Environmentalists 'Cheer' About Japan Earthquake?

On his Friday show, Rush Limbaugh wondered if environmentalists will "cheer" the earthquake in Japan, since the quake and subsequent tsunami hit the region of the country that thrives on car manufacturing.


"This has to be a tough call out there for the environmentalists around the world," Limbaugh said. "They're scrambling now to blame this on global warming...much of the damage seems to have happened in that part of Japan most heavily involved in manufacturing cars. So do environmentalists cheer or do they pretend to be saddened by this? It's a legitimate question."


Limbaugh then wondered if the Prius or any electric cars were made in the area, saying this would create a real dilemma for environmentalists.

"Ass" would be too nice a word for him.

Great Interview JHK

James Howard Kunstler: The old American dream is a nightmare

Kunstler has long warned of the horrendous hangover we're going to wake up with after our "cheap oil fiesta," but he's not gloating as global instability and climate destabilization become the new not-so-normal. Unlike some dystopians, he's motivated less by the desire to say "I told you so" than by the hope that we might still manage to reinvent the American dream on a scale that better suits our current circumstances.


"...we are mounting a foolish campaign to sustain the unsustainable, to defend our previous investments in things like suburban living, instead of making new arrangements. That's what we do when we invest half a trillion dollars of "stimulus" capital in building new circumferential highways around our hypertrophied metroplex cities instead of repairing the railroad system.


There is, sadly, much truth in the old saying that people get what they deserve, not what they expect. We are an extremely demoralized nation, unable to construct a coherent consensus about what is happening and what we might do about it, and floundering as a result."

Read the entire article.
I  think the "disaster" that will make us change (or completely destroy us) is here.  Peak oil, $200 barrel prices, unrest, floundering economy...that should move us to action.  But then again...

$200 a barrel?

Image via WikipediaIs the House of Saud Next?

Most disconcerting to oil markets has been repeated reports of Shiite protests in the oil-rich Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Despite King Abdullah's attempt to buy off the potential protesters with $36 billion of new spending in the kingdom, authorities are bracing themselves for two "days of rage" planned for March 11 and March 20 to protest double digit unemployment and the lack of political freedom in the country.


Is the Royal House of Saud next on the growing list of deposed Middle East despots?
Certainly, their political right to rule isn't any more legitimate, and perhaps no more sustainable, than Mubarak's or Gaddafi's.


If so, the path to $200 a barrel oil is a lot shorter than you think. Not only is Saudi Arabia's limited spare capacity of heavy sour crude incapable of replacing what has been lost from Libya, but the kingdom's own nine million barrels a day output may also be soon at risk.

Staycations, crowded mass transit, shortages -- summer is going to be fun.

It may be us!

The Earth's Sixth Mass Extinction May Be Underway

A "mass extinction" event is characterised as a period during which at least 75% of the Earth's species die out in a period of a few million years or less. In the past 540 million years, five such mass extinction events have occurred, but according to a study by UC Berkeley's Anthony Barnosky and colleagues recently published in the journal Nature, there are signs that we may be entering a sixth such event....
In short, human influences, including our impacts on climate change, are causing extinctions at a rate faster than the average during a mass extinction event. If we continue down our current path, we may face a sixth mass extinction event within the next few centuries. However, we're still relatively early along in the process, so although it will be a difficult task, there is still time to change course and prevent a huge loss in biodiversity. If we fail to do so, it may take millions of years to recover from the human-caused extinction event, and we're quickly running out of time to avoid this fate.

So we are not just casual or separated observers of the extinction taking place.  We may be a prime cause.  And if we are not careful, we may be one of the species labeled "extinct."

Talking out of both sides of the mouth

USDA chief flatters industrial ag while Obama honors its greatest critic, Wendell Berry

Two events last week offered a nice snapshot of what might be called Obama's dual policy on ag.


1) In Washington on Wednesday, President Obama honored Wendell Berry with the National Humanities Medal. "The author of more than 40 books, Mr. Berry has spent his career exploring our relationship with the land and community," Obama declared, before ceremoniously draping the medal around Berry's neck.


Berry, 76, is probably industrial agriculture's fiercest critic. He is certainly its longest-running. His seminal book The Unsettling of America came out in 1977 -- long before other prominent critics like Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, or Vandana Shiva published their own famous critiques. In an interview after the ceremony, Berry told his local paper, the Louisville Courrier-Journal, that "the president whispered to him during the ceremony that he admired his poetry." (In addition to his nonfiction, Berry also writes poetry and novels.) Berry added that he had the chance to thank Michelle Obama for planting her famous organic garden on the White House lawn.


2) Two days later down in Tampa, Fla., USDA chief Tom Vilsack addressed the Commodity Classic, the annual confab thrown by the big corn and soy growers groups and funded by the agribusiness corporations that supply their inputs and buy and process their produce. The trade show's exhibitors list reads like a roster of the globe's dominant agribusiness players: corn-processing giants Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill; seed/agrichemical titans Monsanto, BASF, Bayer, Syngenta, and Dupont; and synthetic/mined fertilizers behemoths Mosaic and CF Industries.

Mixed messages with the Berry honor but the recent GMO decisions... Trying to keep everyone happy? Sorry but it won't work.

A bleak look from JHK

Reality Optional Nation

..the matter that the world is suddenly exploding in an epic phase-change rearrangement of the political order, starting with the lands that own most of the world's exportable oil. In this vein, a message to readers of George Will and other old-line "thought-leaders" of America's commentary regime: If you think the action in the streets will be limited to these sandy outlands seven thousand miles away, then your last thoughts will not be comforting when the zombies you helped to create turn up slavering in your driveway.
By the way, this doesn't let President Obama off the hook. His consistent failure to tell the truth about the fragility of our situation, to make the case for getting our citizens out of their car-prisons, to promote modes of living that comport with reality - the president's apparent cluelessness in every dimension of this crisis is something that historians of the future will shake theirs heads over in wonder and nausea (if the notion of history even survives the oil age). And for the moment we'll put aside some other rather pressing matters such as the AWOL rule-of-law in our banking operations.
One historian, Michael Klare of Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass, made the trenchant point last week that oil nations which undergo political upheaval invariably end up producing far less oil, permanently, no matter whether the political outcome is better or worse than before. So, notwithstanding the media fantasy in our land to the effect that America's founding fathers have been reincarnated in places like Egypt the past month, it is unlikely that there would be anything but an extreme downside effect on the world's oil supply, even if the successor to Hosni Mubarak (as yet unknown) turned up in a powdered wig and waistcoat, with the Bill of Rights magically translated into Arabic in his beneficent hand.

Bleak but real. We are deluding ourselves that "this" is just a small bump in the road. Get ready for those $5 to $10 per gallon gas prices. Get used to mass transit, bikes... Get used to doing with less... Growing your own.

Pigeons in our future?

Image via WikipediaChinese Army to Enlist 10,000 Pigeons, Just in Case

From their humble beginnings along the rocky cliff sides of Africa and Asia some 20 million years ago, pigeons can now by found pretty much anywhere there´s a statue being erected or sandwich being eaten -- though long before we they were merely pests, they served a vital purpose that has evidently not been lost. It was recently revealed that China plans to increase its military spending 12.7 percent, but evidently not all that money will go towards tanks and fighter jets. According to China Central Television, the People's Liberation Army will soon be training 10,000 pigeons, to act as couriers if traditional communication equipment fails.

Don't laugh.   We may all be relying on past techniques and skills.  Remember after 9/11 how many were without cell phones and internet?
It is not so far fetched that communication lines may break down and we are all without or iPads, Androids... Pigeons or just walking to the town to hear the news may be the only way to find out the news.
And as the recent "No Reservations" showed, pigeons make a good meal too!

Garden Oil

Oil-Free Gardening Tips (PHOTOS)

The disastrous BP oil spill reminded the world that drilling comes with a heavy cost. But oil is a fact of modern life. Gasoline powers our cars, plastics encase our lunches, and asphalt paves our streets. Petroleum shows up in our organic gardens as plastic mulch, vinyl fences, polypropylene row covers, and PVC hoses. But if synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are not welcome, why embrace oil-based products? Here are a few ways to root out the worst petroleum offenders from the garden.

From eliminating PVC barriers, using twine and composting - all great ideas.
Today was the day I battled the mud and remnant snow to fix my garden's fence.  Some new posts - some new metal wire - some wet shoes....come on spring.
Also worked on the grape arbor - dreaming of picking those your leaves for some stuffed grape leaves.

GMO Beets - Destroy Them

California Court Overturns Order to Destroy GMO Beets

It seems that GMOs are again steamrolling their way through our legal system. Back in December it seemed there may be a light at the end of the tunnel when a federal judge ordered that 258 acres of genetically modified sugar beets be destroyed. But now we're back to square one, if not worse. A federal appeals court in San Francisco has overturned a previous ruling to destroy the genetically modified sugar beets, ruling in favor of Monsanto and the USDA, according to Food Quality News.


In December, Judge Jeffrey White ruled that the crops be destroyed because the risk of gene contamination in Oregon's Willamette Valley was so great. Then the USDA started easing off when they announced that farmers be allowed to grow genetically modified sugar beets this season, "while it finishes work on a full environmental impact statement on the beets' effect on other crops and the environment." It seemed strange to allow a potentially harmful experiment to continue when you were currently conducting an environmental impact statement on it.


And then the most recent court ruling said: "We hold that the district court abused its discretion in granting the preliminary injunction...The Plaintiffs have failed to show a likelihood of irreparable injury. Biology, geography, field experience, and permit restrictions make irreparable injury unlikely," according to Food Quality News.


GMO sugar beets account for 95 percent of the crop and there are real fears that the wind can cross-pollinate GMOs with the organic variety. Why is the USDA on the side of Monsanto when Tom Vilsack said just a few months ago that "We have an obligation to carefully consider...the potential of cross-fertilization to non-GE alfalfa from GE alfalfa--a significant concern for farmers who produce for non-GE markets at home and abroad?"

Why are they on Monsanto's side? What a silly question. It is called money, cash, coin, moola...  And we know that always takes center stage over planetary or human health.

Koch boys are everywhere

Kochs’ BFF is GOP’s styrofoam dealer

So, remember how Republicans triumphantly reinstated styrofoam cups in congressional cafeterias, presumably as part of their plan to save jobs and mom and apple pie and small businesses and stuff? Well, they got the "business" part right: The cups they'll be using are made by a company belonging to a former Koch Industries executive. Those little scamps do just crop up everywhere, don't they.


GOP leaders didn't dictate the choice of WinCup, owned by former Koch fiend George Wurtz. So this isn't some kind of Koch conspiracy. (What, AGAIN with defending the Kochs? We're no fun anymore, are we?) But it does underline two things:

1. Once you get rich enough, anything you can think of is probably owned by you or someone you know. The Kochs are like the Kevin Bacon of every planet-unfriendly business in the world.
2. The GOP's decision to literally trash the country doesn't just harm the environment. It also -- what a shock -- puts money in the pockets of the ultra-rich.

Are we really sure they didn't "dictate the choice." I would not put it past them. Money has a strange way of running Congress.

Wonder who is funding Joe

Joe Manchin Joining GOP Mission To Restrict EPA

Senator Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) is breaking party ranks in co-sponsoring a bill aimed at advancing Republican efforts to restrict the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases.


The West Virginia senator is the only Democratic member of the upper congressional chamber getting on board with the political mission.


Politico reports that in a statement, Manchin said, "It's time that the EPA realizes it cannot regulate what has not been legislated. Our government was designed so that elected representatives are in charge of making important decisions, not bureaucrats."

Coal bucks? Say it ain't so Joe.

You Gotta Wanna Change

Can we get smart fast in an oil crunch?

As political turmoil continues to rage across oil-producing regions in the Middle East and Northern Africa and the price of Brent crude climbs past $115 a barrel, now might be a good time to look at how we could speed up the transition to a smarter, more energy efficient society.


Organisations from the US military to the UK Industry Task Force on Peak Oil and Energy Security have released a number of reports in recent years arguing for the need for smart energy grids, renewables and conservation. While advances are taking place in these areas, the changes are occurring on a long-term basis. But what if we need to — or are forced to — make that change far more quickly? What sorts of smart (and dumb) measures could help reduce our fossil-fuel demands dramatically, and fast?


Following are several strategies that could help:


A mobility makeover: Road transport — both cars and trucks — accounts for the vast majority of our oil consumption, so this would be the first place to start. Governments would have to take the lead here, mandating quick implementation of everything from congestion pricing and car-pooling to tradable energy quotas and petrol rationing. Individuals and businesses could also do their part by putting a stop to car idling, switching over to telecommuting wherever possible and converting vehicles from petrol to liquefied natural gas. (The last measure’s not cheap, but is readily doable and could prove well worth it if oil moves deeper into triple-digit territory.) Limiting air travel and shipping more goods by rail rather than trucks would also save on oil consumption.
A Victory Garden redux: Great Britain did it during World War II, Cuba did it after the fall of the Soviet Union — growing more food locally. Today’s industrial-style agriculture might be highly productive, but it’s also highly oil-intensive, thanks to fossil-fuel-based fertilisers and mechanised farming practices. And then there’s the footprint of food shipping: an estimated average of 1,500 miles from farm to plate. Every additional pound of home-grown produce would mean oil saved across the supply chain.
An end to oil heating: In places like the Northeastern US and Northern Ireland, many people still rely on heating oil for their homes … a fact that contributed to staggeringly high energy bills this past winter. In a sudden oil crunch, governments could move quickly to help such homeowners convert to natural-gas heating, as natural gas is — for now, anyway — cheaper, more abundant and more readily available from sources closer to home than is oil.
How much of a dent could such measures make quickly? A lot would depend on how well formulated and enforced strategies are, but with gasoline, diesel and jet fuel accounting for around 85 per cent of US petroleum use as of 2010, the savings could be considerable.


Considering the current global state of affairs, governments looking to become more energy- and technology-savvy in years to come would be wise to also have an emergency smart-city plan in place today.

Can we and will we make changes? Looks like we won't have a choice but to make the changes if we want to survive - at least in our own homes.

Listen up John

Image by DonkeyHotey via FlickrIs China Planning a Massive Environmental About Face?

China's Environmental Minister penned an unusually frank op-ed that took the issue of climate change head-on. He acknowledged that some of the nation's development policies have been destructive and dangerous, and emphasized the need to move towards greener policies. Could this be the first sign of a huge about-face from one of the world's most notorious polluters?

This is occurring when at the same time our Congress, led by crying John, is shredding the EPA, bringing back styrofoam...
And I always thought that John wanted our nation to lead the way for other nations.