Get ready with your hot air sickness bags listeners 'cuz The Mad King has been gassing off big time as he prepares for a "Major Weakening of Mercury Emissions Rules". According to the far from failing New York Times, "The proposal would not eliminate the mercury regulation entirely, but it is designed to put in place the legal justification for the...administration to weaken it and several other pollution rules, while setting the stage for a possible full repeal of the rule." But it's OK, remember His Malignancy says "...they’re taking out coal. They’re going to clean it". Who knew! On top of that outrage The Mad King's Bureau of Land Management issued a final rule trashing regulations mandating oil and gas companies drilling on public and tribal lands reduce methane pollution. This follows a recent proposal from His Malignancy's Environmental Protection Agency pushing back on similar rules for private lands." More methane in the atmosphere, what a concept! Pushback HERE! On another front The Mad King's Department of Transportation, run off the rails by evil Mitch McConnell's wife Elaine Chao, has repealed an Obama-era rule (of course!) that mandated upgrades for bomb trains to reduce the chances of derailments, spills or explosions of that unstable crude oil being shipped all over our rail lines. Those trains are running through much of the Northeast. Just sayin'! O, and speaking of speaking, that new deal with the old NAFTA? The word "climate" seems to have been omitted during the "art of the deal" and, surprise! it's a corporate giveaway for Big Oil & Gas. Remember "Toxic sludge is good for you"? How about radiation? Common Dreams informs us," The [Mad King's] EPA sent toxicologist Edward Calabrese, who has argued that loosening radiation regulations could have positive health effects on humans, as well as saving money for businesses that currently work to limit exposure, as its lead witness to testify before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee." If you're thinking of heading down to The Belly of the Beast to protest any of this you should be aware His Malignancy and Lyin' Ryan Zinke are thinking of taxing you for all that "free speech". Finally, His Malignancy's drunken predatory fratboy Supreme Court Justice is off to a bad start as the Climate Crisis induced typhoon grinds into the southern U.S.
Our latest Fool-on-the-Hill seems to be every Repugnican on The House Natural Resources Committee. The Hill news guys tell us they advanced five Endangered Species Act bills that "aim to strip all protections for Gray Wolves in the contiguous United States; give priority to the science submitted by state and local governments over the federal government’s when determining whether a species needs protection; and let the administration more easily de-prioritize certain petitions for protection." Of course Utah's own Rob Bishop heads that committee but why should we let him take all the discredit!
Did someone say endangered species? In our E-Valley-uation segment Karl Meyer continues to raise the alarm about all the extermination of critters in the Connecticut River. Go to his blog for some in-depth views into the troubled river that runs through this Valley. And on the subject of Vote for the Planet, Inside Climate News notes "Some of the most consequential elections for climate policy this fall could be the 36 governor's races, where a blue wave could position clean energy advocates as a significant counterforce against the Trump administration's fossil fuel agenda." That includes right here in the Commonwealth where Repugnican Gov. Baker leaves much to be desired. We're still waiting to hear from his challenger, Jay Gonzalez regarding dirty biomass and our state forests, especially the Wendell State Forest presently threatened by the MA Dept. of Cut & Run! Have you signed this petition yet? Please do! O wait! Did someone say dirty biomass? Palmer "Renewable" Energy just announced they going for that dirty biomass incinerator in Springfield.
We have Breaking News! NPR (National Public Relations?) informs us that the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "says pledges from the world's governments to reduce greenhouse gases, made in Paris in 2015, aren't enough to keep global warming from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees F) above pre-industrial temperatures." Of course, His Malignancy has pulled us out of that pledge in the spirit of "American exceptionalism" we gather. The announcement goes on to say, "Some of the world's top climate scientists have concluded that global warming is likely to reach dangerous levels unless new technologies are developed to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere." Wait, don't trees and soil do that?
After all of that we head over to the Bus Stop Billboard:
Saturdays, 11am to Noon. Stand Out Against Logging the Wendell State Forest! This logging project cannot be justified for ecological or forest health purposes, and has minimal if any financial benefits for the public. Freight House Antiques, 11 East Main St./Route 2, Erving, MA. Go to: savemassforests.com
Thursday, October 18, 6 to 8pm. "Saving Massachusetts Forests for Climate, Nature, and People"
Mohawk Trail Regional High School, Rt. 112, Buckland, MA. Massachusetts forests are vital in storing carbon to fight climate change, providing critical habitat for native plants and wildlife, preserving historic and sacred sites, and offering opportunities for nature-based recreation. Yet, almost all of our forests are currently open to resource extraction, which is undermining these values. We need to take action now to protect our forests, before it is too late. Speaker Michael Kellett is cofounder and executive director of RESTORE: The North Woods, a Massachusetts-based conservation organization. Free and open to the public. Email: restore@restore.org
Monday October 22, 7 to 9pm. Keep it in the Ground. Climate Action Now MA hosts Jo Comerford and Dan Carey to discuss the Movement Voter Project and the Columbia Gas resistance Campaign at First Churches, of Northampton, 129 Main Street, Northampton, MA. Email: climateactionnowmass@gmail.com
Monday, October 27, 7 to 9pm. Climate Action Now Monthly Gathering. Please join us. Everyone is warmly welcomed! Feel the warmth of community and the strength of collective action as we move forward together at this critical moment in history. Accessible/on bus line, First Churches,Main St, Northampton, MA. Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org
Monday October 27 to November 4. Walking into the Future - Listening the Call of the Great Spirit. "We walk towards the year 2020 - a major marker in time. It marks 400 years since the landing of the Mayflower in Plymouth in 1620. We can begin to understand the reality of the foundation of this country. For information call Tim at 413-485-8469
Sunday, October 28, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Pollinator Symposium. Susan N. McLane Audubon Center, Concord, NH. Fee: $75 (Member) / $90 (Nonmember). This is a great opportunity for a full day of pollinator-related knowledge, with a range of topics that includes selecting native plant seeds, designing pollinator habitats, overwintering pollinators, and capturing and recording pollinator data
Cosponsor: New Hampshire Audubon and New England Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife. TOO FAR? Email wmassbees@gmail.com to arrange carpooling. Register HERE.
Monday October 29—#TheTrialOfTheCentury begins. Solidarity in Greenfield 4:00 p.m.—Theater Action on the Commons, 4:45 p.m. —Panel—Hawks & Reed—21 youth sue Uncle Sam for violating their right to life, liberty, and property and for failing to protect the public trust in this time of Climate Crisis. Featuring Bill Newman of the ACLU plus local youth & climate activists. Sponsored by Greening Greenfield
That's it for this time. Please remember to listen to your Mother when you're out there, OK?
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