The Enviro Show vs. Evilsourse

Greetings Earthlings. You're probably aware of all the bad press Eversourse has garnered over the years, yes? When it comes to utilities, which should be publicly owned btw, these privateers have a long list of customer and public interest group's grievances that are about to be multiplied by their purchase of Columbia Gas. Susan Lemont and Alex Chambers from XR-Boston join us to drill down into the issues. As always we will also bring you along to meet this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and, sadly do some Backslidin' with Biden as well as remind the MAGA-minded that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and more, but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters!  Do Not, Repeat, Do Not Stick Your Arm in the Tiger Cage.  

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is rootin' tootin' six gun shooting Repugnican Lauren Boebert, the "cartoonishly absurd Republican representative from Colorado, [who] pranced across the CPAC stage like a country music singer with a head injury, crowing "don't come knocking on my door with your Fauci ouchie," referencing Anthony Fauci, the country's leading infectious disease expert." reports the Chicago Tribune. Of course, it takes a real fool to actively support a deadly pandemic but Boebert goes the extra mile by condemning the effort to overcome it. 

We have a point/counter-point edition of Abidin' with Biden vs. Backslidin' with Biden this time around. First, the Prez gets bonus points for  "proposing" to restore environmental protections to Alaska's Tongass National Forest, the world's largest temperate old growth rainforest. "In a statement, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would move to restore the Clinton-era Roadless Rule protections to the Tongass, conserving 9.3 million acres of the largest U.S. national forest. The agency also said it would end large-scale old growth timber sales in the Tongass and focus resources on forest restoration, resilience and recreation." Can we move from "proposing" & "would" to just doing it??   On the other hand why isn't Biden actively pushing for restrictions or an end to the filibuster in the Senate?  It is the ONLY way to push the seditious Repugs aside and pass legislation that will literally save the Republic. Also, As Biden works to uphold his promises to address climate change and environmental justice, we must urge him to establish strong, ecologically-sound, and environmentally-just protections for our forests, as they are central to fulfilling these pledges. Let him know! Go HERE. 

Here's a real eye opener for you from the New York Times showing "How Wildfire Smoke Spreads.." across North America. If you're asking why there are so many wildfires lately may we remind you that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!". Our last show with Chad Hanson got into many of the contributing reasons for these mega-fires but what's dominating the headlines lately? Massive flooding in Europe! If you are thinking End Times you are.......correct! And it's not like we haven't been talking about this on the show since the beginning 16 years ago. Wait, did we just say The Enviro Show is 16 years old? 

After you have sung us a few rounds of "Happy Birthday" and sent in your presents it should be time for The Enviro Show Quote of the Week: 

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."     --Albert Einstein

And, after our conversations with Susan and Alex we go to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Friday August 6, 4:30 pm.  Put Peakers in the Past Action. Please Join Us - standing up for clean air for Pittsfield neighborhoods! Come join our Put Peakers in the Past Coalition for this stand-out protest to let folks know about Pittsfield Generating’s peaker power plant, now filing for renewal of its Air Quality Permit. Corner of Dalton & Thorndyke Ave. (Dalton Ave. Plaza, near Zucco's, across from Plastics Ave.) Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/674772667254134/ 

Saturday & Sunday August 7 & 8, 10am to 5pm.  8th Annual Pocumtuck Homelands Festival:A Celebration of Native American Art, Music, and Cultures.  Go to:  https://nolumbekaproject.org/pocumtuck-homelands-festival  /

Friday August 6, 7pm.  August 6 and 9, 2021, will mark the 76th anniversary of the atomic bombings of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, and exposed thousands to lethal radiation. Join us in Easthampton, Mass., to express solidarity with the remaining Hibakusha survivors and hear from speakers who are calling for a rapid phase-out of nuclear weapons. Divest from war, invest in peace! 7:00 p.m. Meet at Emily Williston Library, 9 Park St. Easthampton. 7:10 p.m. Peace Walk departs Williston Library for Nashawannuck Pond. 7:30 p.m. Peace walkers arrive at Nashawannuck Pond with candles. Peace walk will be followed by reflections, performances, and lantern-floating on the pond.

We're off to snag some sweet sixteen B-Day cake now but want to remind you to listen to your Mother!

 

The Burning Question Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Remember those unbelievable wildfires out west last year? Suppose we told you old-school logging practices contributed to all that massive destruction? Chad Hanson, scientist and author of "Smokescreen: Debunking Wildfire Myths to Save Our Forests and Our Climate" joins us to extinguish the myths on this hot topic. As always, we will also take you along to meet this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to remind the distracted that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!". We will also check in to see if there's been any Back Slidin' with Biden and present you with The Enviro Show Quote of the Week but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters! Don't feed the animals....they will bring the entire family next time.

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill must have slept through the part of high school history class that taught about McCarthyism. Repugnican Sen. Martha Blackburn has her panties all up in a twist about nonexistent Marxist Socialist boogeymen going after Hollywood stars and pop culture icons like Taylor Swift  and....what? sending them to the gulag? censoring their work? Yes, it's Repugnican Fascist Talking Points 101, this time with 21st century sheen.....wait, maybe slime?

We guess it's time for some Backslidin' with Biden given the Biden-approved, treaty-violating Enbridge Line 3 pipeline. "The Line 3 project, a rerouted expansion of the existing Enbridge Line 3, will initially carry some 760,000 barrels per day of highly toxic, carbon-heavy, tar-sands crude from strip-mined First Nations land in the boreal forest of Alberta to Superior, Wis., crossing pristine Indigenous wetlands in northern Minnesota and threatening the headwaters of the Mississippi River", reports The Nation. The piece goes on to state: "Some 1,500 miles to the east... on Tuesday, June 29, a group of 60-some climate-justice protesters converged unannounced on the office building in Waltham, Mass, where Enbridge has its northeast US headquarters. Eighteen nonviolent resisters, ages 22 to 80, blockaded the entrance to the Enbridge suite on the third floor, prepared to be arrested."  Checkout the link for more. Then this: In a recent statement, Food & Water Watch policy director Mitch Jones warned about a White House  memo (pdf) on the reconciliation legislation. "The White House continually praises far-fetched, pro-industry projects like [industrial] carbon capture as a viable solution to drastically reducing climate emissions. This approach is foolish and dangerous. The Biden administration has consistently pledged support for a clean energy standard, but only a weak one that would qualify dirty energy sources like fracked gas and nuclear power as clean," said Jones. Checkout the Biden Climate Watch   HERE.

Like we said last week, maybe we need to remind the Prez that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!"? Surely he missed where meteorologist Bob Henson and former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hurricane scientist Jeff Masters wrote: "It's not hype or exaggeration to call the past week's heatwave the most extreme in world weather records. The only heatwave that compares is the great Dust Bowl heatwave of July 1936 in the U.S. Midwest and south-central Canada. But even that cannot compare to what happened in the Northwest U.S. and western Canada over the past week." Of course, there's no real distinction between climate chaos and the Sixth Great Extinction, they are inherently intertwined. The Endangered Species Coalition just announced the need for Congress to take bold action to conserve and expand habitat, fully fund protections for species, and ensure a sustainable and equitable future for our communities -- before it’s too late. Trainings for their lobbying effort will be over by the time you read this but you can TAKE ACTION anyway.   And with that in mind, checkout this disturbing alert from CT Audubon stating "An unknown affliction has been killing songbirds in southern, mid-Atlantic states, and mid-west states. Although it seems as if it hasn’t reached Connecticut yet, it’s time to take precautions." Some of those precautions include taking down all bird feeders, cleaning birdbaths with disinfectant (and rinsing thoroughly), and documenting any dead birds you encounter without handling them. Click on the green link for more. 

Now it's time for The Enviro Show Quote of the Week: 

“One of the most cowardly things ordinary people do is to shut their eyes to facts.”

                                                                                                    ― C.S. Lewis,

 After our conversation with Chad it's on to The Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday July 22, 5 to 6pm. South Hadley Peaker Plant Webinar. Did you know that South Hadley has entered a 30-year contract with other municipal utility providers to construct a new oil and gas “peaker” power plant in Peabody, partially financed by our ratepayer funds? At Mothers Out Front, we believe that all children deserve to breathe clean air. We should be building clean energy for their future, not adding pollution to the air that children in another community like ours will have to breathe. Join us for an educational webinar to learn more about the proposed “peaker” plant, how South Hadley is involved, and what we can do together to push for a cleaner alternative. RSVP to get the Zoom link:https://www.mothersoutfront.org/.../ma-south-hadley.../

Monday June 28, 7 to 8:30pm. Climate Action Now Monthly Meeting via Zoom:  Go here to register.  First Hand Report on Line 3 Pipeline Protests! 

Friday July 30, 5pm.   Pull the Plug on Eversource Rally. Join us for a rally demanding Eversource stop profiting at the expense of the people of Massachusetts and beyond! This rally will be part of a decentralized action at multiple locations in New England. We need a plan for a just transition AWAY from fossil fuels and toward a livable future. Instead Eversource is lying about the climate emergency, expanding fossil fuel infrastructure, committing environmental justice crimes, and spreading propaganda in schools. Communities have the right to make decisions about their own energy futures. Energy companies should be placed under control of communities, not executives and investors! All are welcome! We'll gather at Elwell state park and spread out on sidewalks along and near the Coolidge Bridge. We will NOT disrupt traffic. Let us know how we can help make this event accessible for you. Masks are strongly recommended for anyone who is unvaccinated or at higher risk for COVID, or anyone who prefers one. Go HERE. 

Saturday July 31, 1 to 4pm.  Massachusetts Statewide Rally Honoring the Land. No Clearcutting Forests for Solar! In Person - Two Locations: Wareham, Gibbs Park (Onset VFW) & Greenfield, Energy Park, Miles Street with Yours Truly attending! Learn how to take action now! It will feature speakers, tabling with booths/posters, and networking aimed at encouraging people to get involved in local government and state policy/legislation on forest protection issues, especially deforestation for solar. Go HERE!    

Saturday & Sunday August 7 & 8, 10am to 5pm.  8th Annual Pocumtuck Homelands Festival:A Celebration of Native American Art, Music, and Cultures.  Go to:  https://nolumbekaproject.org/pocumtuck-homelands-festival  /

Tuesday, August 3, 10:00 am. and  5pm. Biomass Alert! Proposed Amendments to MassDEP GHG Emissions Reporting Requirements.  The proposed amendments and a background document are available on MassDEP’s website at: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/massdep-public-hearings-comment-opportunities.  Please join the public hearing from your computer, tablet or smartphone. You can also dial in using your phone. Testimony may be presented orally at the public hearing, or written comments may be submitted until 5:00 PM on August 16, 2021. Written comments must be submitted via email to climate.strategies@mass.gov    Here are the Zoom links: 10AM https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAqcO6pqDopE932Trvt-FqAAI7FRYAa_HgK   5PM  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqfuCvrD4tH9BgY0c6aLjbiLeVi3ugj1Dm 

Until next time please remember to........LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!