‘Green News Report’ – June 7, 2016

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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: Tropical Storm Colin batters Florida, as Paris begins to dry out; Oil train explodes in Oregon, railroad keeps running trains right by it; Alaska wildfires now a ‘significant contributor’ to global warming; Chile has so much solar energy it’s giving it away; PLUS: The Libertarian Party has its presidential nominee — we have his position on climate change…All that and more in today’s Green News Report!

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): EU Countries Refuse To Back New License For Glyphosate Weed-Killer; Groups Urge U.S. Congress To Reject TPP Over Environmental Concerns; Environmental groups reject Rep. Lamar Smith’s request for information on Exxon Mobil climate case; Rand Paul Withdraws Block On Chemical Safety Bill; The western US grid is fragmented; The land transfer movement’s great public-lands hoax; Poo-to-Power Breakthrough Appears in China… PLUS: For Oil Industry, Smog Fight Was Dress Rehearsal for Climate Denial… and much, MUCH more! …

STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…

• Tropical Storm Colin hits Florida as a record-breaker:
• Flooding from Tropical Storm Colin Still Causing Issues in Florida (Weather Channel)
• Why Colin is a record-breaker (NY Magagazine):
  This is the earliest a C storm has formed since records began in 1851.
• Disappearing Beaches: a line in the sand (ABC News)
• Floods begin to recede in Paris and Europe after torrential storms:
• TV Networks Backslide By Omitting Link Between Climate Change And Destructive Texas Floods (Media Matters)
• Here’s What Caused the Deadly Floods in Germany and France (The Weather Channel):
  A pair of European countries were swamped this week by an atmospheric phenomenon that was responsible for widespread flooding…Portions of northeast France (near the border with Belgium) received six full weeks of rain in just a 24-hour period during the multi-day event.
• This is why the Paris region is enduring its worst flooding in over a century (Washington Post):
  Some of Europe’s longest and deadliest heat waves have been caused by an omega block that refused to budge.
• Something Horrifying is Happening to Paris’ Weather (Attn)
• The Louvre’s closure proves art cannot survive climate change (Guardian UK)
• Another oil train explodes, this time in Oregon:
• Oregon derailment likely to reignite oil-by-rail safety concerns (Reuters)
• VIDEO: Oil Train Derails in Columbia River Gorge, Rally Calls for Ban on ‘Bomb Trains’ (EcoWatch)
• Anger as trains resume after Oregon derailment, fire (US News):
  “This is all about money. They’re willing to risk us blowing up again for their money to keep coming in,” said Loretta Scheler, who rents out a two-story building just a few hundred feet from the tracks. “It’s just insane.”…Mosier Fire Chief Jim Appleton said he had been a supporter of Union Pacific’s right to move oil through his town until the derailment.
• Oregon oil-train crash damaged town’s water and sewer systems (Guardian UK)
• Alaska wildfires now a ‘significant contributor’ to global warming:
• Spike in Alaska wildfires is worsening global warming, US says (Guardian UK):
  Report from US Geological Survey says northern wildfires must now be seen as significant driver of climate change, not just a side-effect…Alaska is a far bigger storehouse for carbon than the lower 48 states, according to the USGS. The state’s boreal forests, peat-rich tundra, and permafrost hold about 53% of US carbon. Alaska accounts for about 18% of US land mass.
• Chile giving away solar energy for free:
• Chile Has So Much Solar Energy It’s Giving It Away for Free (Bloomberg) [emphasis added]:
  Chile’s increasing energy demand, pushed by booming mining production and economic growth, has helped spur development of 29 solar farms supplying the central grid, with another 15 planned. Further north, in the heart of the mining district, even more have been built. Now, economic growth is slowing as copper output stagnates amid a global glut, energy prices are slumping and those power plants are oversupplying regions that lack transmission lines to distribute the electricity elsewhere…“Growth was disordered. You can’t have so many developers in the same place.”
• Overpowered: Too much solar electricity makes Chile give it away for free (RT)
• Libertarian Party nominates former Gov. Gary Johnson for President:
• Gary Johnson for President 2016 (Gary Johnson):
  When it comes to global climate change, Gov. Johnson believes too many politicians are having the wrong debate. Is the climate changing? Probably so. Is man contributing to that change? Probably so. The important question, however, is whether the government’s efforts to regulate, tax and manipulate the marketplace in order to impact that change are cost-effective – or effective at all. Given the realities of global energy and resource use, there is little evidence that the burden being placed on Americans is making a difference that justifies the cost.
• Gary Johnson’s Plan Of Inaction On Climate Change (irregular Times):
  The important question, however, is whether the government’s efforts to regulate, tax and manipulate the marketplace in order to impact that change are cost-effective – or effective at all. Given the realities of global energy and resource use, there is little evidence that the burden being placed on Americans is making a difference that justifies the cost.”
• Presidential hopeful Gary Johnson is no Libertarian. He’s a pro-pot Trump (Guardian UK)

‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (Stuff we didn’t have time for in today’s audio report)…

• For Oil Industry, Smog Fight Was Dress Rehearsal for Climate Denial (Inside Climate News):
  Through the Smoke and Fumes Committee, industry blurred the science surrounding air pollution and worked to forestall unwanted regulation.
• EU Countries Refuse To Back New License For Glyphosate Weed-Killer (Reuters):
  EU nations refused to back a limited extension of the herbicide glyphosate’s use on Monday, threatening withdrawal of Monsanto’s Roundup and other weed-killers from shelves if no decision is reached by the end of the month.
• Groups Urge U.S. Congress To Reject TPP Over Environmental Concerns (Reuters):
  More than 450 groups on Monday called on Congress to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership if it comes up for a vote this fall, saying the trade deal would allow fossil fuel companies to contest U.S. environmental rules in extrajudicial tribunals.
• Environmental groups reject Rep. Lamar Smith’s request for information on Exxon Mobil climate case (Washington Post):
  The environmental groups and foundations said the request was unreasonably broad, violated their rights to free speech and free assembly, and interfered with their right to petition government officials.
• Rand Paul Withdraws Block On Chemical Safety Bill (The Hill):
  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is withdrawing a hold that prevented Congress’s bipartisan chemical safety overhaul bill from moving forward in the Senate.
• The western US grid is fragmented. Stitching it together is a no-brainer. (Vox):
  It might have made a little sense back when power plants could be built anywhere, in any territory. But these days everyone is trying to integrate more wind and solar – and you can’t put wind and solar just anywhere. They work better where there’s more wind and sun. They’re going to be concentrated in certain areas, not always near big loads.
• The land transfer movement’s great public-lands hoax (High Country News):
  Idaho has sold off 40 percent of its state lands. Why would it do any different with formerly federal lands?
• Poo-to-Power Breakthrough Appears in China (Scientific American):
  An innovative plant turns sewage sludge into energy.
• Another Giant Pension Fund Divested From Oil, Coal, And Gas Companies (Climate Progress):
  The move comes amidst worries about the long-term viability of fossil fuel investments. Last year, California’s public pension funds lost $5 billion on fossil fuel investments thanks to declining oil and coal prices. The state government subsequently mandated California’s two largest public pension funds to divest from coal. The District of Columbia faces similar concerns.
• Bush, Nader, and the Lost Years of Climate Policy (Legal Planet):
  From 2001 to 2009, the US sat on its hands while the atmosphere filled with carbon. Much of that carbon came from the US itself, at six billion tons per year up to the 2008 crash. The story of how this came to pass is yet to be fully written. It is, in part, a tale of misguided idealism (in the person of Ralph Nader) and of broken promises (by George Bush).
• Obama Administration Sets New Plan To Stop Ocean Noise Pollution (Washington Post):
  NOAA has released a new plan for researching and managing ocean noise and its impact on marine life.
• As Expected, McCrory Vetoes Coal Ash Commission Bill (AP):
  Gov. Pat McCrory vetoed legislation late Monday reviving a special commission tasked in 2014 with managing the cleanup of coal ash in North Carolina that Duke Energy keeps in pits.
• Bionic Leaf Sucks Up Carbon Dioxide As It Makes Liquid Fuel (LA Times):
  A team of scientists at Harvard University says it has come up with a bionic leaf – a system that could use solar power and hydrogen-eating bacteria to generate liquid fuel. The findings, described in the journal Science, offer an alternative path to making carbon-neutral solar fuels.
• Court Upholds Storage Of Nuclear Waste At Power Plants, Rebuffs States (The Hill):
  A federal appeals court Friday rejected a plea from four liberal states to overturn a regulation allowing long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel at power plants.
• Widely Used U.S. Farm Chemical Atrazine May Threaten Animals: EPA (Reuters):
  One of the most popular herbicides in U.S. agriculture can be dangerous to animals and fish and leaves behind worrisome residue levels, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday in a draft report that sparked outrage among farmers.
• Want to fight climate change? Here are the 7 critical life changes you should make (Grist) [emphasis added]:
  So, given the imperfections of this world, what is a lone wolf such as yourself to do? Here are some conclusions gleaned from this study: 1. Buy the most fuel-efficient car you can afford, then drive it as little as possible….

FOR MORE on Climate Science and Climate Change, go to our Green News Report: Essential Background Page

• NASA climate change video: This is the U.S. in 2100 (NASA).