Blog Archive

Friday, October 08, 2010

The Enviro Show On-air Biomass Regulations Hearing



Greetings Earthlings. Time for another Enviro Show first! Rather than drive all the way to some overheated auditorium to sit in uncomfortable folding chairs and go all wall-eyed listening to bureaucrats drone on-and-on with all that jargon and all those acronyms about the Biomess, why not have a hearing right here on the radio! A draft proposed regulation to establish criteria that woody biomass facilities must meet under the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard has been proposed by the state and public hearings have been called for the Berks and Central Mass., but not here in the Valley, sooooo.... WE'LL HOLD OUR OWN HEARING! Ray Weber of Friends of Robinson State Park: Chris Matera of Mass. Forest Watch; Meg Sheehan of the Stop Spewing Carbon campaign and Glen Ayers of The Enviro Show (who?) will testify. Given that it will take up most of the show we'll have to set aside our usual segments, but we'll post them here on the blog so Enviro Show listeners don't have to suffer withdrawal symptoms. Of course, there's one segment we simply cannot do without......Revenge of the Critters! Attacked in the Forest with A Million Eyes!



The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we lead off with some actual GOOD NEWS (can you believe this?). Remember when Ronny Ray-gun took Jimmy Carter's solar panels off the White House? All very symbolic, yes? Well, after months and months of conjouling and pleading by so many citizens, including yours truly, Obama has finally agreed to put the panels back up. Ta-da! On to the bad news, actually the REALLY bad news of the masive toxic spill in Hungry. Now this long and arduous piece from The New Yorker about our broken government: How the Senate and the White House missed their best chance to deal with climate change.



Time to Meet the New Boss again. So, while it's good news Obama finally went for the solar panels, it's not so good on his handling of the BP disaster. Mother Jones rips the boss a new one.



Our new Fool-on-the-Hill segment puts the spotlight on John McCain who does a perfect 180 on the climate crisis.



In the E-Valley-uation department we slip across the border to Pownal, Vermont (OK, OK, so it's the Hoosic River Valley, it's still a valley, right?) where Beaver Wood Energy (gosh, they must be friends of the beavers!) wants to erect yet another Biomess. The folks in Pownal got an ear full from our own Chris Matera and Josh Schlossberg on forestry issues and health effects related to biomass incineration and pellet production. Now for some evaluation of that 10/10/10 horse so many folks in this valley and elsewhere have hitched their wagons to.



Then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:


October, 14-16. Beginning Thursday morning Forum (C building) Holyoke Community College at 9:30am. The Forest Summit. HCC in association with the Eastern Native Tree Society is hosting a long term lecture series to focus on the history, current status, and the future of the Forests of the Northeast and beyond. Go to: http://www.hcc.edu/forest/

Saturday,October 16, 9am. 350.org's 10/10/10 events. Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst will organize a parish-wide work party on the Saturday after 10/10/10 that will focus on implementing the recommendations from our top-to-bottom energy audit.

Saturday, Oct. 16 , 7:30 pm - Colleen Kattau at The Echo Lake Coffee House, Leverett Town Hall. Call (413)-548-9394, or email: diacrowe@yahoo.com

Thursday October 21, 7:00pm. The True Cost of Coal. The True Cost of Coal is an elaborate narrative illustration that explores the complex story of mountaintop removal coal mining and the broader impacts of coal in Appalachia and beyond. Beehive Design Collective at Food for Thought Books, 106 N Pleasant St., downtown Amherst. Call: 413-253-5432

Friday, October 22, 7pm. Friday Night Film Series. "Farm for the Future". Alarmed by the world's energy insecurity and her farm's dependence on cheap oil, a farmer seeks a low-energy future. Screening at MEF, 60 Masonic Street in Northampton. Enter via Woodstar Cafe, at the front of the building. The venue is accessible. Contact: info@northamptoncommittee.org

Friday, October 22 at 5:00pm. Mountain Justice Fall Summit 2010. Kayford Mountain, West Virginia A weekend of workshops, trainings and direct action! For more info, contact mjfallsummit@gmail.com or 304-854-1937

Saturday, October 23, 4pm. Roots to Resistance - Art & Activism Project. 186 Federal Street, Florence.

Tuesday, October 26, 7:00-8:30pm. First VT Yankee Decommissioning Forum. Marlboro Tech Center, 28 Vernon St Brattleboro. What will life look like once Vermont Yankee stops operating in March 2012? What options are there for clean up? How can citizens impact these decisions? Call: (413) 339-5781

Friday, October 29, 7pm. Friday Night Films. "Gasland" . Natural gas drilling is moving into rural communities irresponsibly, contaminating the groundwater. Screening at MEF, 60 Masonic Street in Northampton. Contact: info@northamptoncommittee.org

Sunday, November 7, 4pm, Unitarian Meetinghouse in Amherst. A kick off event for a series of movies on climate change issues: Film and discussion: Scarred Lands and Wounded Lives: The Environmental Footprint of War.



This hearing is hereby adjourned.....O, and remember to listen to your Mother, OK?

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