Today's generation of Republican leadership has long since abandoned its party's historic tradition of supporting science and conservation, selling out their values to everyone from Big Tobacco to the Koch brothers. Nowhere is that generational contrast more stark than here in Virginia, where George Allen's fancy designer cowboy boots have replaced John Warner's muddy riding boots.
"Ronald Reagan signed more wilderness bills than any other president, before or since his administration. And what we're trying to say is that conservation is conservative. It is part of the conservative ethic to care for the land and to be good stewards."
Of the 19 bills, two were sponsored by Virginia Republican Congressman Rob Wittman. One promotes restoration of Chesapeake Bay and the other deals with an extension of the Wetlands Conservation Act. [ REP spokesman Jim] DiPeso understands that Congress has been swamped, but says there is no good reason to delay bills that lawmakers actually agree on.
"When we wrote that letter to Speaker Boehner, we were pointing out, 'Look, you have all these conservation bills that have Republican sponsors. Let's go ahead and pass 'em.'"
I wish REP luck, but the truth is its party's leaders have long since turned their backs on anyone who'd dare stand up for America's natural resources. Moderates like Lincoln Chafee, Jim Jeffords and Arlen Specter knew it all too well and left the party, while others like Bob Bennett, Mike Castle and Charlie Crist have been cast out as insufficiently extreme. The GOP misses leaders like Teddy Roosevelt who knew the outdoors were a place to be men - a literal man cave. But today's Republican leaders only like the great outdoors when they're using it as cover for extramarital affairs.
Virginia took its next step to clean up the Chesapeake Bay on Friday when it submitted its revised cleanup plan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The revised plan seeks to decrease runoff pollution from land during rainfall that runs out of sewage plants or washes off farm fields, just to name two point sources of pollution.
According to Ann Jennings, Virginia director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), the plan needs more specifics that are supported at the state level.
The lack of specifics isn't surprising given the McDonnell administration's antagonistic relationship to the EPA regarding the Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan in particular.
In a more general sense, the lack of concrete goals and clear state-level support for environmental projects is a mainstay of Virginia's current Republican body of politicians.
Nevertheless, understanding the importance of environmental conservation and the political benefits that accompany it, Republican political figures in Virginia have paid lip service to the idea of conservation while avoiding any substantive moves to promote environmental conservation in a sustainable way.
That is, Republican politicians in Virginia like Gov. McDonnell have attempted to score political points for promoting green policies that are less than certain in their goals and long-term financial support.
It is supremely unfortunate that such a clear cut issue like the cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay has been bogged down by the politics of our day (and many days before!).
Virginians must therefore keep pushing to set a precedent in Virginia: conservation of our historic sites and places will not be sacrificed to parochial political considerations either now or in the future. It's time for Virginia's leaders to finally do the right thing and restore the bay.
The following press release is from the Democratic Party of Virginia. I would just add a link to this article, which notes that Allen "was one of the largest recipients of oil industry campaign contributions" when he was in the Senate, "feted by oil billionaire Charles Koch at the 2005 secret planning meeting Koch Industries organizes to coordinate conservative and corporate influence," and funded/paid off by "oil and polluter industry fronts" since he was defeated in 2006. Can we say "100% bought and paid for?"
Allen continues to support taxpayer handouts to big oil Former Senator's campaign confirms his continuing support for showering big oil with tax dollars
Richmond, VA - As Democrats around the Commonwealth called him to account for spending years in the U.S. Senate doling out taxpayer dollars to highly profitable oil companies, former Senator George Allen's campaign confirmed yesterday what Virginians had good reason to suspect: if elected, he would continue to force Virginia taxpayers to subsidize the big oil companies that are filling his campaign coffers.
Yesterday the Virginian-Pilot reported that Allen spokeswoman Katie Wright responded to Democratic pressure by defending the taxpayer subsidies for oil companies that don't need them, even as Americans pay more and more at the pump.
"As big oil companies reap huge profits on rising gas prices, George Allen is running for reelection on the promise that he will continue to shower billions of taxpayer dollars on those highly profitable companies," said DPVA Executive Director David Mills. "By defending these subsidies, George Allen sent a clear message to Virginians who want to stop funding big oil both at the pump and with their tax dollars: 'Don't vote for me.'
"Virginia families deserve a Senator who supports developing all of our energy resources, not one who puts his thumb on the scale to benefit his campaign contributors and block the development of clean energy and the jobs that come with it."
P.S. On this same subject, check out the video of our own Miles Grant talking about the absurdity of taxpayer subsidies for super-rich Big Oil companies.
[NIMBY activist Miguel] Walker also says the quality of Hickory schools would draw families with school-age children to the Chapel Hill Apartments.
"I couldn't blame anybody who would want to," he said. "But it also comes down to renters. I don't know if this sounds terrible: Renters aren't really going to be invested in the community."
A similar saga played out last month in Western Branch, but on a larger scale, when City Council killed the massive Breckinridge development. Walker said he's expecting a call from John Arthur, who spearheaded the fight against Breckinridge, but he also has picked up pointers about the Western Branch efforts from reading newspaper accounts.
That Breckinridge development would've brought 1,500 new living spaces and millions more in economic development to an area in decline, but Chesapeake blocked it anyway, again citing concerns about new students. As Matt Yglesias points out, "'the schools here are good and people will want to send their children to them' operating as a reason to not let people move to a neighborhood has a particularly toxic impact on educational equity and effectiveness."
You often hear people say that Americans must want sprawling suburban lifestyles, because otherwise more people would live in dense developments and any attempt to say otherwise is a secret UN socialist plot. But here we have two very real examples of existing single-family homeowners preventing new apartments from being built, forcing hundreds of people to live further out.
350.org's Bill McKibben and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network's Mike Tidwell says when it comes to investing in clean & secure energy sources, Virginia fouls out:
The problem is the state's largest utility, Dominion Virginia Power. While states like Minnesota and Iowa get 10 to 20 percent of their electricity from wind power alone, creating thousands of jobs, Dominion generates zero electricity for Virginia ratepayers from wind or solar.
Instead, the utility invests overwhelmingly in dirty fossil fuels. Despite rising global warming concerns and smog-filled summer skies in Shenandoah National Park, Dominion plans to increase the renewable-energy slice of its cumulative energy pie by a microscopic 0.4 percent over the next 15 years. You read that right: 0.4 percent.
There's no sign things will change without some loud and much-deserved booing from the crowd. Which is why ratepayers from across the state have set Saturday as "The March to End Dominion's Power Madness."
The rally will be Saturday (March 24) at noon outside Dominion's Richmond headquarters, sign up at EndPowerMadness.com.
How low can George "Felix Macacawitz" Allen go? Based on this abysmal new website, the answer is clearly "as low as it takes to get elected." First, though, here's what Allen has to say on his "Too Much at the Pump" website:
It's been 3 years since President Obama took office and appointed Tim Kaine Chairman of the DNC, in those three years gas prices have skyrocketed for families across the country. While they profess to be for an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy the White House has prevented Virginia from exploring for natural gas and oil off our coasts. Sign up today if you believe it's time to unleash our American energy resources and put an end to President Obama and Chairman Tim Kaine's counterproductive energy policies.
Where do we even begin to delve into the ignorance, idiocy, and demagoguery embodied in this paragraph, and in this line of attack generally speaking? A few points.
1. This is rotten cherry picking at its rotten worst. Want to play this demagogic game? Sure, we can do that (tongue firmly in cheek of course, as this is all utter malarkey): according to EIA, gasoline prices in the United States hit a high point of $4.165/gallon in early July 2008, when George W. Bush was president. The latest weekly average was $3.923/gallon, which is below what we were paying when Bush was president. Ergo, President Obama has lowered gasoline prices since Bush was president. Yipee! Happy days are here again! Whatever.
2. By the time President Obama took office, gasoline prices had plummeted to about $1.84 per gallon. Why? One reason, and one reason only: the world economy was in free fall, panic gripping markets of all kinds, expectations of Great Depression Part II rampant. Is George Allen calling for a return to those days? Well, if he seriously wants gasoline prices back to those levels, that's about the only way to do it - destroy huge amounts of demand, as economists say, by inducing a massive economic collapse. Of course, given that it was Allen's party that presided over the meltdown on Wall Street in the fall of 2008, and the acceleration of the nation's worst economic downturn since Herbert Hoover (also a Republican) was president, perhaps we shouldn't be particularly surprised?
The global warming-fueled heat wave that's gripped much of America this month may be good news for March picnics, but it's terrible for Virginia wine lovers. Wine grape vines are already waking up, posing a twofold threat - hotter temperatures can mean less flavorful wine, and a sudden frost could devastate the crop:
Workers at Tomahawk Mill Winery in Chatham are certainly concerned. They say they are usually working in the cold right now wearing two pairs of socks and gloves. But while it's nice to work in this weather, the grapes don't like it one bit.
Corky Medaglia, owner of Tomahawk Mill Winery, always says: "When God gives you lemons you make lemonade. And when God gives you grapes, you make wine."
But within his 17 years working the vineyards, he has never seen a winter like this one. "Sap is coming up because the temperatures are going up. And this guy thinks it's spring time," said Medaglia.
Meteorologists say there's a 50/50 chance of a surprise frost. And looking ahead, hotter summers are no kinder to wine grapes - when temperatures top 95 degrees, the vine's respiration system can shut down. (To be clear, the photo with this story is from 2007, not a photo of what the grapes look like right now.)
Amid all the screaming signs about Global Warming's increasingly serious impact on the world around us and on human civilizations future prospects, the 'luxury' symbolic canaries in the coal mine always create mixed emotions. Global Warming's threat to skiing (and declining viable Winter Olympics locations), and to wine making and bourbon and beer and chocolate and maple syrup and ... production, etc ... Yes, these are tangible examples of how global warming impacts the world around us and impacts us. On the other hand, compared to increasing natural disasters, devastating storms and droughts threatening vulnerable populations and disruptions to global agricultural production systems, these are "luxury" items that (in and of themselves) whose disruption does do not represent a fundamental threat to human civilization (no matter how important the maple syrup for your pancakes or that bourbon for warming up after a day on the slopes). Yet, as we all know in our Madison Avenue dominated world, symbols matter and cherished symbols even more so.
As a native of the Washington area, the Cherry Blossoms are perhaps the quintessential universal symbol of nature's beauty. While those around the Tidal Basin are "the" trees for the Cherry Blossom festival, there are numerous communities with large numbers of these trees and it is hard to be a resident without having some connection -- year in and year out -- with this blossoming sign of spring, even if one doesn't deal battle the tourist hordes to see the Washington Monument framed by blossoms. (Note, the photo above from GHBrett wonderfully captures the framing using a tree that I am almost certain that I have known for decades and have likely taken 20 photos over the years of various visitors/tourists/family members.)
The National Park Service now agrees with what the Capital Weather Gang first predicted - our warm winter will have the Tidal Basin's cherry blossoms challenging the earliest peak bloom record, continuing the global warming-fueled trend. As this photo from Flickr's Richard Cline shows, they're already beginning to emerge.
A 2000 Smithsonian study showed the climate crisis already has the cherry blossoms emerging about a week earlier than they used to - but a new report says that could be just the tip of the iceberg:
Now comes a team of scientists theorizing that with drastic warming of the globe, future decades could see blossom times not just a few days early but advanced by almost a month.
That could mean a bloom process that begins in January, rather than February, a blooming period in February instead of March, and a peak bloom in early March, instead of early April, the research suggests.
Oddly, the study doesn't frame the challenge not as one of limiting our use of carbon-intensive fuels like oil and coal, but one strictly of limiting population growth:
Sea levels have already risen 8 inches since 1880 and thanks to global warming are forecast to rise at least several more feet in the lifetime of a child born today. A new study from Climate Central takes a look at what that means for people who live on America's coasts:
The studies look at people who live in homes within three feet of high tide, whereas old studies looked just at elevation above sea level, according to work published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Research and an accompanying report by Climate Central.
That's an important distinction because using high tide is more accurate for flooding impacts, said study co-author Jonathan Overpeck, a scientist at the University of Arizona's Institute of the Environment. And when the new way of looking at risk is factored in, the outlook looks worse, Overpeck said.
"It's shocking to see how large the impacts could be, particularly in southern Florida and Louisiana, but much of the coastal U.S. will share in the serious pain," Overpeck said.
And what about here in Virginia? I entered a very modest number - three feet of sea level rise, storm surge & tide - into the ClimateCentral.org model & here's what I got:
Reporters make covering the relationship between extreme weather and climate change seem really hard. It doesn't have to be! Take today's story from WJLA's John Gonzalez:
It's much warmer than average
That's good in some ways and bad in others
Climate science tells us it fits a long-term pattern and we can expect more of it if we don't cut our carbon pollution
Moms doing their exercises outdoors! With cute babies!
And that's it! Not controversial. Not political. No sound bite from the American Petroleum Institute necessary. Just the facts.
Many reporters think the way to dodge politics and controversy is to avoid mentioning the connection between climate change and extreme weather altogether. Just the opposite! Omitting facts and leaving a void of confusion in their place is no better than manufacturing a false "balance" with he said, she said reporting.
Pretty straightforward, right (also see the primer on how gasoline prices are determined on the "flip")? Yep, despite the fact that Republican'ts are demagoguing this issue, despite absolutely no evidence to support their assertions, it basically is (and no, spare me the conspiracy theories about the oil companies colluding or the evil "speculators" doing whatever they supposedly are doing). So, can somebody please explain to me exactly what the president's supposed to do about any of this in the short run, given that about his only lever is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is ONLY supposed to be used in the even of a severe oil supply disruption (which we do NOT have now)? Uhhhhhhhhh.
Here's a new TED Talk from Dr. James Hansen, NASA climate scientist. Dr. Hansen explains how he wrote a paper in 1981 predicting "the 21st century would see shifting climate zones, creation of drought prone regions in North America and Asia, erosion of ice sheets, rising sea levels, and opening of the fabled Northwest passage. All of these impacts have since either happened or are now well underway."
To put it mildly, the "debate" over energy policy, "gas prices," etc. in this country is not exactly at the highest levels. To the stark contrary, it's mostly demagoguery, misinformation, ignorance, fossil fuel industry talking points (aka, "lies"), and utter lack of understanding of Econ 101. For instance, on "gas" (aka, "gasoline," or as we called it at the Energy Information Administration, "motor gasoline"), we have the Newt Gingriches of the world "promising" to get us back to a specific price ($2.50 per gallon, apparently). How would he do that? Pretty much by "drill baby drill"ing here in the United States. Of course, noone who knows anything about oil markets believes that has even a remote chance of working, but so be it, this is the Republican presidential primary we're talking about, basically a fact-free (or at least fact-optional) zone.
Then, of course, the "rise" in "gas prices" is all "Obama's fault," even though pretty much none of that is even close to being on point. For starters, "gas prices" have only "risen" in relation to their Great Recession low point reached in late 2008/early 2009. As Econ 101 tells us - unless we were asleep or flunked the class - when the economy's collapsing, demand for goods and services like...uh, gasoline, will plummet as well. And, ceteris parabis ("all else being equal," as economists like to say), that will mean plummeting prices as well. Which is exactly what happened. Then, when the economy starts recovering - as it's going now - demand and prices will bounce back as well. Exactly as is happening now. Add in concerns over Iran (exacerbated by irresponsible, loose talk of warwarwar by Republican presidential candidates), some degree of "speculation" by commodities traders, and a slim margin of "spare production capacity" worldwide, and prices soar. Which, again, is exactly what's happening now.
Meanwhile, in the alternative universe known as the "Republican Party," "gas prices" apparently are a function of one thing and one thing only: U.S. oil production. Despite the fact that the oil prices are set on the world market, and that any increments in U.S. oil production we could possibly see in the next few years would make up only a tiny percentage of that world oil market. In other words, what they're saying is utter nonsense. As is the part about President Obama having much, if anything, to do with any of this. But don't worry, that won't stop them; remember, they live in a fact-and-reality-free zone -- must be comforting.
Just for sake of argument, though, let's say President Obama's responsible for higher "gas prices" (which, again, he isn't, but let's just run with this for a minute). If that's the case, then shouldn't he also be responsible for the fact that U.S. oil production, drilling, etc. are booming? And shouldn't he ALSO be responsible for the fact that natural gas production is exploding (not literally, let's hope - lol) and prices plummeting?
There have been a series of votes on amendments to the massive highway bill. As you can see, several of them (actually, most) have basically nothing to do with the transportation bill's ostensible purpose - building and maintaining roads, bridges, rail, transit, etc. Here are the amendments related to energy and the environment, with votes by Senators Webb and Warner and my comments in italics.
Hoeven Amendment ("To approve the Keystone XL pipeline project..."): Warner NAY, Webb YEA (Amendment failed to pass the Senate)
This bill was an attempt to ram through the expensive, environmentally-hazardous, job-killing, gasoline-price-increasing Keystone XL dirty tar sands export pipeline. Clearly, the correct vote here was NAY. Thanks to Senator Warner for getting this one right, boo/hiss to Senator Webb for getting it totally wrong.
Wyden Amendment ("To ensure the expeditious processing of Keystone XL permit applications consistent with current law, prohibit the export of crude oil produced in Canada and transported by the Keystone XL pipeline and related facilities unless the prohibition is waived by the President, and require the use of United States iron, steel, and manufactured goods in the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and related facilities with certain exceptions.") Warner NAY Webb NAY (Amendment failed to pass the Senate)
Senator Wyden's amendment got at some of the absurdities of Keystone supporters' "arguments." The correct vote was "YEA," as it would have shown this entire thing to be the absurd boondoggle that it truly is. A big Bronx cheer for both Senators Warner and Webb, as they both voted wrong on this one.
Collins Amendment ("To provide additional time for the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to issue achievable standards for industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers, process heaters, and incinerators.") Warner NAY Webb NAY (Amendment failed to pass the Senate)
This horrendous amendment would have - as NRDC explains - "abolish[ed] clean air standards for the 2nd largest source of industrial toxic air pollution in America," standards that "will save up to 8,100 lives annually that are lost to air pollution-induced heart attacks, strokes and other ailments." The correct vote here was NAY. I'm happy to report that both U.S. Senators from Virginia got this one right. Thank you.
Vitter Amendment ("To provide for an extension of the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2010-2015.") Warner NAY Webb YEA (Amendment failed to pass the Senate)
This amendment, by "Diaper Dave" Vitter," would have ramped up offshore drilling, including "[the extension of] drilling off the Virginia, California and Florida coasts as well as Bristol Bay and Cook Outlet in Alaska." The correct vote here was most definitely a NAY. Thanks to Senator Warner for getting it right. As for Senator Webb, perhaps at this point I should follow the saying, "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything."
The cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC are expected to peak between March 24 and 31, the National Park Service announced today. That's 5 to 10 days earlier than normal and right in line with our global warming-fueled trend - a Smithsonian study found the blossoms come out about 4.5 days earlier than they used to, part of a shift that all plants are feeling.
Of course, reporters can't say any of that! The peak's just early somehow, and the warm weather must be described as unusual or unseasonable and reporters must never mention that the changes are exactly in line with broader global warming trends.
Just look at coverage of our warm winter. DC's fresh off its 3rd-warmest winter on record and 2 of the top 4 have come within the last 10 years, exactly the type of changes climate scientists say we can expect in a warming world. But on local weather blogs, neither the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang nor WJLA's StormWatch 7 would even say the word climate.
People sometimes ask me if I'm frustrated that a minority of Americans still don't accept climate science. Just the opposite - I'm amazed the poll numbers are so strong! Even though the media won't connect the dots, Americans are doing it on their own, telling pollsters that changes in their own backyards are convincing them that our climate is warming.
For generations, out-of-state coal corporations have used West Virginia like a colony, bleeding away mineral wealth and leaving little behind but poverty and ravages. The industry invests heavily to sway the Legislature. Traditionally, it wielded enormous power.
But coal is fading. The number of West Virginia miners dwindled from 125,000 after World War II to around 15,000 today, as machines displaced human workers. All studies say easy-to-reach Appalachian coal is being depleted, and production will decline severely in coming years.
Under these circumstances, it's remarkable that coal lobbyists still have power to steer the Legislature, like the tail wagging the dog.
Replace "West Virginia" with "southwest Virginia" and "Legislature" with "General Assembly" and this editorial could just as easily be talking about our own state.
The World Wildlife Fund accuses a Virginia company of destroying the rainforest habitat of tigers, elephants and other wildlife in Indonesia to turn it into toilet paper:
By some estimates, the world is losing 50 million acres of tropical rainforest a year -- an area double the size of Virginia. On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, much of the destruction has been traced to a Chinese Company called Asia Pulp and Paper or APP. The family that owns APP also owns and supplies Mercury Paper -- a company that moved to Virginia after [Gov. McDonnell] offered a $250,000 incentive to relocate from California. APP was recently singled out by Greenpeace, when laboratory analysis showed its paper towels, cardboard and toilet paper were made from rainforest trees. [...]
The company points proudly to a sanctuary it established for critically endangered tigers, but World Wildlife's Jan Vertefeuille says APP's taking down that rainforest too: "We found out, through satellite imagery, that APP was clearing part of its own tiger sanctuary. They had told the government that they were going to protect this area, and they were actually clear cutting it."
Instead of urging the company to clean up its act to make its Virginia operation sustainable in the long term, McDonnell has parroted the company's attacks on anyone who would dare accuse Mercury of wrongdoing. No wonder McDonnell spends so much time trying to regulate women's bodies - otherwise people might realize the only way he can create jobs is by shoveling your tax dollars to companies accused of harming wildlife.
Even through the GOP's war on women's rights in Richmond, a few rays of sunshine are emerging from the smoke:
Today the Virginia House of Delegates unanimously passed Senator Chap Petersen's "Cost Effective" Public Buildings Act (SB160) which requires state agencies to use environmentally-friendly protocols, such as LEED design and recycled materials, in constructing or renovating state buildings.
"This bill is about saving taxpayer money. It does that by using natural light, conserving electricity and water and reusing materials in new construction. Using these techniques, we will save money," [said Petersen.]
SB160 will require new state buildings to achieve standards such as the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) 'Green' and 'Silver' ratings. LEED buildings use modern technology to recycle materials, conserve energy and water, and lower operational costs. According to Petersen, LEED design techniques increase construction costs by 1-3%, but deliver immediate savings through cheaper utility costs.
Congratulations to Sen. Petersen for sticking with this effort through five frustrating years of inaction in Richmond, and congratulations to Virginia taxpayers, who (assuming Gov. McDonnell signs it) will start saving money soon.
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Richmond, VA - As 
How low can George "Felix Macacawitz" Allen go? Based on 
To put it mildly, the "debate" over energy policy, "gas prices," etc. in this country is not exactly at the highest levels. To the stark contrary, it's mostly demagoguery, misinformation, ignorance, fossil fuel industry talking points (aka, "lies"), and utter lack of understanding of Econ 101. For instance, on "gas" (aka, "gasoline," or as we called it at the Energy Information Administration, "motor gasoline"), we have the Newt Gingriches of the world "promising" to get us back to a specific price ($2.50 per gallon, apparently). How would he do that? Pretty much by "drill baby drill"ing here in the United States. Of course, noone who knows anything about oil markets believes that has even a remote chance of working, but so be it, this is the Republican presidential primary we're talking about, basically a fact-free (or at least fact-optional) zone.
There have been a series of votes on amendments to the 
