Environmental News Highlights
03/03/17. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Brings Back Lead Ammo In Parks And Refuges, although lead poisoning from ammunition and tackle kills up to 20 million birds and animals a year -besides also contaminating our food... What does it mean for conservation then? And what can we do instead?
03/04/17. Bill McKibben Talks Climate Change (RollingStone). On a particularly bad day for Earth's wellbeing – the EPA revealed massive budgetary cuts while the Trump administration waffled on the Paris Agreement on climate change – environmentalist and 350.org founder Bill McKibben appeared on Real Time With Bill Maher to discuss the dire situation and how the American people can fight back.
03/05/17. It's not the first time in recent political history that the environment is under the knife, but this time is a bit different. So... a little explanation about why Trump's assault on the EPA will be worse than Reagan's or Bush's seems important to share.
03/06/17. Maybe we should enroll Scott Pruitt in a crash course explaining why environmental protections are critical... More than 1 in 4 deaths of children under 5 years of age are attributable to unhealthy environments. Every year, environmental risks – such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, second-hand smoke, unsafe water, lack of sanitation, and inadequate hygiene – take the lives of 1.7 million children under 5 years, say two new WHO reports.
03/07/17. Dakota Access pipeline could open next week after activists face final court loss. Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux lose argument to prevent pipe from being laid under a stretch of the Missouri river, the last piece of construction. A federal judge declined Tuesday to temporarily stop construction of the final section of the disputed Dakota Access pipeline, clearing the way for oil to flow as soon as next week…
03/09/17. The head of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, dismisses the basic science of climate change by denying that carbon emissions are a primary cause for global warming. If you want to reach him at the EPA and explain to him some basics science, here is his number: 202.564.4700. And here is a little text to help maybe: The drastic increase in the emission of CO2 (carbon dioxide) within the last 30 years caused by burning fossil fuels has been identified as the major reason for the change of temperature in the atmosphere.
03/10/17. On the ever painful EPA topic: EPA environmental justice leader resigns, amid White House plans to dismantle program. A key environmental justice leader at the Environmental Protection Agency has resigned, saying that a recent budget proposal to defund such work would harm the people who most rely on the EPA.
Want to know what's going on in the Congress? Check my Congress Watch page –This page highlights urgent issues (bills) with actionable items.
Meanwhile in Massachusetts
Summary
Baker Administration Takes Steps to Weaken Water Protections. Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) released the following statement today in response to a proposal from Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker to transfer control over the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting process from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Commonwealth. This proposal would allow a local process that has historically favored large polluters to control who is susceptible to Clean Water Act regulations. As a follow-up note, few of us called (617.725.4005) and were received with sighs when not simply dismissed. It is not acceptable that a government official and his aides behave this way!
MIT Professors Are Lobbying Trump — Against Their Former Colleague. MIT professor Richard Lindzen's contrarian views about climate change, which have long provided the appearance of credibility to those who deny human activity is causing the planet to warm, have caused deep angst among his colleagues at the university...
Report: Colleges and Universities Can Lead America’s Shift to 100 Percent Renewable Energy. America’s colleges and universities are positioned to lead the transition to 100 percent renewable energy, according to a report released today by Environment Massachusetts Research & Policy Center. The report stresses that a complete shift to clean, renewable energy is the best way for colleges and universities to achieve their carbon reduction goals and highlights schools across the country that are taking measures to make the transition to renewable energy.
Report: Colleges and Universities Can Lead America’s Shift to 100 Percent Renewable Energy. America’s colleges and universities are positioned to lead the transition to 100 percent renewable energy, according to a report released today by Environment Massachusetts Research & Policy Center. The report stresses that a complete shift to clean, renewable energy is the best way for colleges and universities to achieve their carbon reduction goals and highlights schools across the country that are taking measures to make the transition to renewable energy.
Local Environmental Conferences-Trainings-Events
03/05/17 (Sunday)
The Sierra Club hosted an activist training this past Sunday March 5h in Boston, providing an overview of Clean Energy and the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) –a legal mandate setting the lower limit of renewable energy that electric utilities are required to purchase.
People should consider supporting the State bill - Clean Energy Purchasing Requirement HD.2103 (still a docket at this time). Sponsor: Rep. Kay Khan. Bill that would increase the rate of increase in the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), from the current 1% to at least 2% a year, and require municipal electric utilities – currently exempt - to begin complying with the RPS. Our state wants to reach a target of a decrease of green house emission by 80% by 2050 (w/ 25% by 2020). We are not on target, and increasing our RPS would contribute greatly to meet this goal.
The second part of the training comprised of a few lectures informing on how to best reach your State legislators and prepare for meeting with them (These are my training notes that I shared with and published in Indivisible Somerville).
03/05/17 (Sunday)
The Local Environmental Action 2017 Conference took place this Sunday at Northeastern (03/05/17). I was there! And what a day it was! The 2 keynote speakers (Kandy Mossett and Lois Gibbs) shared powerful and emotional stories of activism, which made me understand more about the level of environmental criminality ramping in the offices of our government.
More than emotions those stories are backed up by scientific evidence, reproducible data. That the government chose in those cases (and still do) to ignore, dismiss, hide facts is unacceptable, unthinkable... Besides these 2 great speeches, this was a great opportunity to understand global and local environmental issues, to meet with local activists and to learn how to organize with experts activist in the field.
03/11/17 (Saturday)
How about joining this Saturday's Charles River Conservancy Clean-up event. The plan? Pruning trees and shrubs, removing litter and leaves in Herter Park. A great way to be involved and meet alike people. I'll be there!
The Sierra Club hosted an activist training this past Sunday March 5h in Boston, providing an overview of Clean Energy and the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) –a legal mandate setting the lower limit of renewable energy that electric utilities are required to purchase.
People should consider supporting the State bill - Clean Energy Purchasing Requirement HD.2103 (still a docket at this time). Sponsor: Rep. Kay Khan. Bill that would increase the rate of increase in the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), from the current 1% to at least 2% a year, and require municipal electric utilities – currently exempt - to begin complying with the RPS. Our state wants to reach a target of a decrease of green house emission by 80% by 2050 (w/ 25% by 2020). We are not on target, and increasing our RPS would contribute greatly to meet this goal.
The second part of the training comprised of a few lectures informing on how to best reach your State legislators and prepare for meeting with them (These are my training notes that I shared with and published in Indivisible Somerville).
03/05/17 (Sunday)
The Local Environmental Action 2017 Conference took place this Sunday at Northeastern (03/05/17). I was there! And what a day it was! The 2 keynote speakers (Kandy Mossett and Lois Gibbs) shared powerful and emotional stories of activism, which made me understand more about the level of environmental criminality ramping in the offices of our government.
More than emotions those stories are backed up by scientific evidence, reproducible data. That the government chose in those cases (and still do) to ignore, dismiss, hide facts is unacceptable, unthinkable... Besides these 2 great speeches, this was a great opportunity to understand global and local environmental issues, to meet with local activists and to learn how to organize with experts activist in the field.
03/11/17 (Saturday)
How about joining this Saturday's Charles River Conservancy Clean-up event. The plan? Pruning trees and shrubs, removing litter and leaves in Herter Park. A great way to be involved and meet alike people. I'll be there!
State Legislative Actions
- Massachusetts Sierra Club's Legislative Priorities — for the 2017-2018 (190th) session
- 350 Mass Legislative Agenda
- Environmental League of Massachusetts Legislative — 2017-2018 agenda
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