As California Burns, Trump and Zinke Use Catastrophe to Benefit Industry | Earthjustice

U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wrote recently that “radical environmentalists would rather see forest and communities burn than see a logger in the woods. ” In Zinke’s zero-sum equation, the devastating wildfires in California would stop if those radical environmentalists would let the timber industry cut down more trees.

The truth is that Zinke and House Republicans are using the destruction across the West as an excuse to chip away at bedrock environmental laws created to ensure that science drives decisions about the future of our nation’s forests.

Everyone agrees that we must protect homes and lives from the catastrophic effects of fires, but Zinke’s argument is dangerously oversimplified, cynically disingenuous and downright false. And that’s not the worst part. He also proclaims that climate change has “nothing to do” with these wildfires, even as scientists and firefighting officials unanimously assert that climate change is creating the conditions that allow destructive wildfires to thrive. These types of fires will only grow in intensity and frequency if we do nothing to address climate change…

more: As California Burns, Trump and Zinke Use Catastrophe to Benefit Industry | Earthjustice

see also: 

Trump, offering no evidence, blames deadly California fires on “gross mismanagement of the forests”

Camp Fire: The Terrifying Science Behind California’s Massive Blaze | WIRED

Backing Interior Away from Steep National Park Fee Hike • Friends of the Earth

Yosemite. Yellowstone. Grand Canyon. Zion. These national parks are iconic symbols of the beauty of the United States, and our dedication to protecting our most beautiful landmarks.  Since their creation in the late 19th century, national parks have become a very big deal—for the U.S., and for the visitors from around the world who love them.

And they’re a big deal for good reason. The National Park Service (NPS) designates and preserves our lands, creates equal access to the outdoors for all Americans, and ensures these natural spaces will exist far into the future-not just for latter generations, but also, for the integrity of the land itself. 

What’s not to like? Maybe paying $70 to take your family on a visit. 

In October of 2017, NPS proposed a controversial idea: increase the entry fee of the 17 most visited national parks in the U.S., with fees at the most popular parks jumping from $30 to $70. 

The idea of pricing millions of Americans out of visiting these beloved spaces is wholly un-American. Secretary Ryan Zinke’s decision prioritizes money over public access, and further undermines the challenges facing low-income families and individuals. National parks should be for everyone, and affordability should not be a deterrent…

more: Backing Interior Away from Steep National Park Fee Hike • Friends of the Earth

How the United States Looked Before The EPA | Fortune.com

Here is a selection of some of the best photographs among the EPA's "Project Documerica" collection that shows the impac

... VIEW MORE

Back in 1970, then-President Richard Nixon signed an executive order establishing the Environmental Protection Agency. Just after its creation, the EPA created a photo-documentary project called "Project Documerica." Its purpose? To "record the state of the environment and efforts to improve it."

Similar to the famous photography program by Rex Tugwell's and Roy Stryker's Farm Security Administration, which depicted daily life in Depression-era America, the project examined the "rapid decaying" of the United States' environment. It focused on "environmental concerns of the early 1970s: water, air, and noise pollution; unchecked urbanization; poverty; environmental impact on public health; and youth culture of the day." The project also showed the country's commitment to solving these problems by showing "positive images of human life and Americans’ reactions, responses, and resourcefulness…"

VIEW ::: How the United States Looked Before The EPA | Fortune.com

The Assault on Environmental Protest | American Civil Liberties Union

More than 50 state bills that would criminalize protest, deter political participation, and curtail freedom of association have been introduced across the country in the past two years. These bills are a direct reaction from politicians and corporations to the tactics of some of the most effective protesters in recent history, including Black Lives Matter and the water protectors challenging construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock…

more: The Assault on Environmental Protest | American Civil Liberties Union

SCANA, Santee Cooper pull plug on V.C. Summer !!!

As of April 2017, Construction at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Facility is 34 percent complete and billions of dollars over budget.

Efforts to build two state-of-the-art nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Plant in Fairfield County have gone inert.

Citing escalating costs, uncertainty over tax credits and the amount of Toshiba's recent financial pledge, SCANA Corp., the majority partner at V.C. Summer, said in a statement it plans to file a notice of abandonment with state regulators.

The decision follows a similar by minority partner Santee Cooper to suspend construction efforts. Santee Cooper said doing so would save its customers $7 billion...

...Green groups opposed to V.C. Summer declared victory shortly after news the reactors would be abandoned became public.

“We applaud Santee Cooper and SCE&G for making the right decision to protect their customers," Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said in a statement.

"This project has been a multi-billion dollar disaster," Smith continued. "We also call on Georgia Power and their utility partners to protect their customers from the similarly risky, mismanaged project in Georgia at Southern Company’s Plant Vogtle.”

Representatives for Friends of the Earth, which has also called for a V.C. Summer shutdown, say consumers who helped pay for the reactors deserve refunds.

"The damage that this bungled project has caused to ratepayers and the state’s economy must be promptly addressed by SCE&G, Santee Cooper and regulators and all effort must be made to minimize that damage," Tom Clements, a senior advisor for Friends of the Earth, said in prepared comments.

"It’s time for money to be refunded as it was collected from them under the false pretense that advance payment for the nuclear project was sound," Clements said...

complete article: SCANA, Santee Cooper pull plug on V.C. Summer | News | aikenstandard.com

Petition | Decommission the aging Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant | Change.org

In fault-ridden San Louis Obispo County, stands California's last two operating nuclear reactors in the aging Diablo Canyon Power Plant (circa 1973). It is located proximally to the Los Osos, Hosgri, San Andreas, and Shoreline Faults, along shores near Avila Beach... [more]

SIGN NOW > Petition | Decommission the aging Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant | Change.org

more at whats up: 3 PETITIONS to SHUT DIABLO CANYON & MAPS OF EARTHQUAKE FAULTS:



SEE ALSO
 >>> whats up: Tell Chairman Macfarlane: Shut down Diablo Canyon! | Friends of the Earth


• recent articles on Diablo Canyon at "whats up nuclear blog" (tagged posts)

EU pressing Obama to expand U.S. fracking, offshore drilling in secret

Twitter / PCGTW: Leaked Text: #EU pressing #Obama ...

Global Trade Watch‏@PCGTW

Leaked Text: #EU pressing #Obama to expand U.S. #fracking, offshore drilling in secret #TAFTA: http://huff.to/1jMFklf  pic.twitter.com/ciFMQvpAwv

 

#NoFRACKING #Fracking ::  #NoKXL |  #RE_TOOL NOW!

Tell Congress: don't slide backward on renewable energy | Friends of the Earth

Tell Congress: don't slide backward on renewable energy.

Solar and wind power have seen an explosion of growth in recent years, due in large part to tax credits.

Unless Congress acts by December 31, a critical incentive for investment in renewable energy will expire.

Tell your senators not to let critical funding for renewable energy expire on December 31.

sign now > Friends of the Earth

#ForwardOnClimate videos

WASHINGTON DC

Forward On Climate Rally & March - Washington DC - YouTubeThe Largest Climate Rally in History: February 17, 2013 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. RSVP today or find more info at ForwardOnClimate.org. Presented by 135 different organizations and their members, including 350.org, the Sierra Club, the Hip Hop Caucus, Greenpeace, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Green For All and Forecast the Facts.

LOS ANGELES

National Day of Protest Against Environmental Destruction - YouTubeNational Day of Protest Against Environmental Destruction, Los Angeles 2.17.13The Eco Logic Channel - YouTube

Tens of Thousands Rally to Stop Keystone XL Pipeline & Urge Obama to Move "Forward on Climate"

We play highlights from the "Forward on Climate" rally that drew tens of thousands to Washington D.C.’s National Mall Sunday. Protesters from across the United States and Canada urged President Obama to reject the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, which would deliver tar sands oil from Alberta to refineries along the Gulf Coast. Organizers described Sunday’s protest as "the largest climate rally in history," and Reverend Lennox Yearwood compared it to Martin Luther King’s 1963 March on Washington for civil rights. We hear from speakers including Van Jones, Obama’s former Green Jobs advisor, Canadian indigeous leader Chief Jacqueline Thomas of the Saik’uz First Nation, and Bill McKibben of 350.org. [Includes rush transcript]

GUESTS:

Van Jones, President Obama’s former Green Jobs Advisor.

Jacqueline Thomas, Chief of the Saik’uz First Nation from British Columbia, Canada.

Bill McKibben, longtime environmentalist and founder of 350.org.

Evangeline Lilly, Canadian actor.

Casey Camp, indigenous leader with the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma.

Tens of Thousands Rally to Stop Keystone XL Pipeline & Urge Obama to Move "Forward on Climate" | Democracy Now!

more from DNow! Keystone XL Oil Pipeline | Democracy Now!

see also

what next: #ForwardOnClimate - photos | 350

whats up: photos: Coalition Against Nukes U.S.A. joins with Forward on Climate! to Bust the Nuclear Myth in Washington D.C.

#ForwardOnClimate - photos | 350

photos of #ForwardOnClimate in Washington, DC, on February 17, 2013 via 350.org's flickr stream

more: Largest Climate March in US History |  350.org

see also: whats up: photos: Coalition Against Nukes U.S.A. joins with Forward on Climate! to Bust the Nuclear Myth in Washington D.C.

photos: Coalition Against Nukes U.S.A. joins with Forward on Climate! to Bust the Nuclear Myth in Washington D.C.

photos courtesy Lisa Marie Prescott

Nuclear Energy Information Service

"Nuclear has a huge carbon footprint from the mining and milling to the enrichment process and all the way through the fuel cycle," said Priscilla Star, executive director and founder of Coalition Against Nukes. At todays rally in Washington D.C., C.A.N. joined with our partners Beyond Nuclear, the Nuclear Information Resource Services, Sierra Club Nukefree Campaign, Nuclear Energy Information Service, Friends of the Earth and the Green Party to march in unity and solidarity to demand POLITICAL CHANGE not CLIMATE CHANGE! and a Green New Deal for America that will be both Carbon and Nuclear Free!

more: whats up: photos: Coalition Against Nukes U.S.A. joins with Forward on Climate! to Bust the Nuclear Myth in Washington D.C.

see also

whats up: Coalition Against Nukes U.S.A. joins with Forward on Climate! to Bust the Nuclear Myth in Washington D.C.

whats up: 2.17 #BustTheMyth :: Forward on Climate Rally
whats up: "Nukes are not carbon-free" | C.A.N. Coalition Against Nukes
whats up: NUCLEAR POWER’S OTHER FOOTPRINT

whats up: NO NUKES • #RE_TOOL NOW

Attendance and public comments critically needed at NRC Nuke Waste Con Game environmental scoping hearing

Beyond Nuclear | Radioactive Waste What's New -

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has announced that it will hold environmental scoping sessions on Wednesday, November 14th to take public comments about what should be included in its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on court-ordered changes to its Nuclear Waste Confidence Decision and Rule. See NRC's meeting notice, as well as the agenda for the hearing sessions, the associated Federal Register notice, and NRC's Waste Confidence website.

NRC has not done an EIS on the risks of on-site storage of high-level radioactive waste in pools and dry casks. Last June, a coalition of several state attorneys general and environmental groups won a landmark victory when the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals nullified NRC's 30 year old Nuclear Waste Confidence Decision and Rule, and ordered the agency to carry out an EIS at long last. In 2010, NRC had flippantly ruled that high-level radioactive wastes were safe and sound at reactor sites for at least 120 years, and was considering extending that ruling out to 200 to 300 years. The court nullified such nonsense, ordering an EIS. The EIS -- which realistically should take on the order of seven years to carry out, if done properly -- will cause at least two years of delay in final NRC approval of new reactor construction and operations licenses, as well as old reactor license extensions.

It is critical that concerned citizens and environmental groups attend and provide public comments at these environmental scoping hearing sessions on Nov. 14th. The two sessions will be identical.

The first session, to be held from 1-4 PM Eastern (10 AM-1 PM Pacific) will involve both an in-person public hearing at NRC's HQ in Rockville, MD (in the One White Flint North Commissioners' Hearing Room), as well as the opportunity to take part by webcast and teleconferece. The second session will be webcast/teleconferenced only (no in-person meeting), and will be held from 9 PM-12 Midnight Eastern (6-9 PM Pacific).

To present comments by telephone during the webcast, dial 1-800-475-8385; when prompted, enter passcode 3682386, followed by the # sign.

To access the webcast, go to http://video.nrc.gov for connection information.

Register to participate and request to present oral comments, whether in-person or via teleconference, by contacting Ms. Susan Wittick (extension 3187) or Ms. TR Rowe (ext. 3133) at the following phone number: 1-800-368-5642. You can also register by email at WCOutreach@nrc.gov.

As Beyond Nuclear urged in our weekly email bulletin last week regarding the NRC Chairwoman, please also consider sending letters or emails, or making phone calls, to the five members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (click on each Commissioners' name to see their contact info.), as well as to NRC Staff liaison Sarah Lopas (NEPA Communications Project Manager, Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards, U.S. NRC, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, Sarah.Lopas@nrc.gov, 301-492-3425), requesting an extension of time for the hearings, as well as an extension of time for the entire environmental scoping process, as the NRC has not provided the public with enough time to study the issues and prepare either written or oral comments. Point out that the lack of adequate information in the Federal Register Notice, which the NRC should have provided in the first instance -- such as what the proposed action is, and what are reasonable alternatives to it, basic components of any National Environmental Impact Statement (NEPA) environmental impact statement process. Ask the NRC Commissioners and Staff liaison to withdraw the scoping notice and re-publish it in form that passes legal muster under NEPA. In addition, urge the NRC Commissioners and NRC Staff liaison to hold regional hearings, so that those living in the shadows of nuclear power plants and their stored high-level radioactive waste can attend and talk to NRC officials in person. See Diane Curran et al.'s letter below for ideas about what to say.

Please see below for additional background information, including strategic ideas for key public comments you can make.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

See Beyond Nuclear's pamphlet on the Mountain of Radioactive Waste 70 Years High (cover, above left). A key message to deliver to NRC: "It's time to stop making it!"

See Beyond Nuclear's backgrounder on the risks of GE Mark I reactor high-level radioactive waste storage pools, in light of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear catastrophe.

See Beyond Nuclear's backgrounder on radioactive leaks from high-level radioactive waste storage pools, into soil, groundwater and surface water (note this is not an exhaustive list -- Hatch in Georgia, and recently Davis-Besse in Ohio, have also suffered pool leaks). Beyond Nuclear's report "Leak First, Fix Later" has an entire chapter about the pool leaks at Entergy's Indian Point reactors near New York City.

Diane Curran, Geoffrey Fettus, and Mindy Goldstein, the attorneys who led the environmental coalition's effort in the Nuclear Waste Confidence lawsuit, have written to the five NRC Commissioners on behalf of 25 groups, urging that the current environmental impact statement proceeding be suspended and corrected, due to major legal errors in NRC's notice and approach, which violate the National Environmental Policy Act.

Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL), one of the four environmental groups (also including Natural Resources Defense Council, Riverkeeper, and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy) which joined the States of New York, Vermont, New Jersey, and Connecticut's Attorneys General in suing NRC over the Nuclear Waste Confidence Rule, has put out a helpful fact sheet about the upcoming Nov. 14th environmental scoping sessions, as well as related Dec. 5th and 6th NRC webinars.

An important comment to make is that Hardened On-Site Storage (HOSS) is a wise, interim alternative to risky radioactive waste transport, as well as risky pool and dry cask storage. Nearly 200 environmental groups have endorsed HOSS for well over a decade, but their call has fallen on deaf ears at NRC. (To learn more about the risks of radioactive waste transport, see Beyond Nuclear's website sub-section on this subject, as well as that of NIRS and the State of Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects.)

To learn more about the risks of on-site pool and dry cask storage, see Beyond Nuclear's relevant website section, as well as that of NIRS.

To learn more about the risks of permanent dumpsites, see Beyond Nuclear's and NIRS'swebsites. To learn more about the risks of the Yucca Mountain dumpsite proposal in particular, see the State of Nevada's website.

To learn more about the risks of "centralized interim storage" (parking lot dumps), see Beyond Nuclear's and NIRS's websites.

Beyond Nuclear - Radioactive Waste What's New - Attendance and public comments critically needed at NRC Nuke Waste Con Game environmental scoping hearing

see whats up nuclear blog | whats up: #OccupyNuclear

Bill McKibben on Hurricane Sandy and Climate Change: "If There Was Ever a Wake-up Call, This Is It"

Much of the East Coast is shut down today as residents prepare for Hurricane Sandy, a massive storm that could impact up to 50 million people from the Carolinas to Boston. The storm has already killed 66 people in the Caribbean, where it battered Haiti and Cuba. "This thing is stitched together from elements natural and unnatural, and it seems poised to cause real havoc," says Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org. New York and other cities have shut down schools and transit systems. Hundreds of thousands of people have already been evacuated. Millions could lose power over the next day. Meteorologists say Sandy could be the largest storm ever to hit the U.S. mainland. The megastorm comes at a time when President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have refused to make climate change an issue on the campaign trail. For the first time since 1984, climate change was never addressed during a presidential debate. "It’s really important that everybody, even those who aren’t in the kind of path of this storm, reflect about what it means that in the warmest year in U.S. history, ... in a year when we saw, essentially, summer sea ice in the Arctic just vanish before our eyes, what it means that we’re now seeing storms of this unprecedented magnitude," McKibben says. "If there was ever a wake-up call, this is it." We’re also joined by climate scientist Greg Jones from Southern Oregon University. [includes rush transcript]

Bill McKibben on Hurricane Sandy and Climate Change: "If There Was Ever a Wake-up Call, This Is It"

Democracy Now!

Food Fight: Debating Prop 37, California’s Landmark Initiative to Label GMO Food

On Election Day, California voters will decide on Proposition 37, which would make their state the first in the nation to require the labeling of food products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The California Department of Public Health would be responsible for labeling everything from baby formula and instant coffee, to granola, canned soups and soy milk. Many major corporations, including Monsanto, Dow Chemical, Pepsi and Coke, are spending millions fighting the measure, which stands to impact labeling practices across the country. We host a debate on Prop 37 with two guests: Stacy Malkan, a longtime advocate for environmental health and spokesperson for the Yes on 37 California Right to Know campaign, and David Zilberman, professor of agricultural and resource economics at University of California, Berkeley, and director of the Center for Sustainable Resource Development. [includes rush transcript]

Food Fight: Debating Prop 37, California’s Landmark Initiative to Label GMO Food

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! Expanding the Debate

Exclusive: As Obama and Romney Agree on Afghan War, Israel and Syria, Third Parties Give Alternative

In the last of our exclusive "Expanding the Debate" series, we bring you highlights of our coverage of last night’s final presidential debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney, with the added voices of third-party candidates. As Obama and Romney faced off for the last time before the general election, we once again broke the sound barrier by inserting Jill Stein of the Green Party and Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party into the discussion. In an evening focused on foreign policy, both Obama and Romney shared wide agreement on issues including support for the Israeli government, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, and opposition to U.S. military involvement in Syria. But they clashed over a few key points, including military spending, negotiating with Iran, and responding to the Libyan embassy attack. Before a live audience in San Rafael, California, we aired the Obama-Romney debate and paused the tape to give Stein and Anderson a chance to respond in real time to the same questions put to the major-party candidates. [includes rush transcript]

WATCH: Full Expanding the Debate Special on Foreign Policy Featuring Jill Stein, Rocky Anderson

Watch our full three-and-a-half-hour "Expanding the Debate" special featuring Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein and Justice Party nominee Rocky Anderson responding to the same questions posed to President Obama and Mitt Romney in the final debate of the campaign. In addition, we speak to Ai-jen Poo of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, University of San Francisco Professor Stephen Zunes, and Norman Solomon, co-founder of RootsAction.org.

Democracy Now!