The Enviro Back to the Pleistocene Show

One of our favorite local wildlife biologists, Jennifer Seavey, returned to talk about....well, bringing back the mastodons! We checked out the latest from the usual suspects at Wild Earth and their plans to re-wild Turtle Island (never heard of that place? YOUR LIVING ON IT!...unless you're reading this from somewhere other than the U.S.). Also, wildlife overpasses! Not many U.S. flags hanging from them.....we hope.

It’s Revenge of the Critters once again. This week: Bambi Attacks! Then we had a listen to another of Neil Young's latest whacks at the present occupants in the White House and their neocon goons, "After the Garden is Gone". That set us up nicely for our traditional Bush bashing. It’s the Neocon Crash & Burn Watch! We love it! Some folks make maps of other peoples oil fields,like Iraq's for instance, when Darth Cheney’s Energy Task Force divided up the spoils back in March 2001 waaaaay BEFORE 9/11...hmmmmm, interesting timing, no?. Others make bioregional maps, but we’ll get to that shortly.

Also, A study commissioned by the Bush regime concluded that the lower atmosphere was indeed growing warmer and that there was "clear evidence of human influences on the climate system". What? No rewrite?? The enemies of the Earth in the White House took some other hits too. We had a gloat-in.

"They had small brains" by Dana Lyons brought us Back to the Pleistocene! Hang on to your...um..bear skin? This was the retro part of the show.

Then it was on to our Bus Stop Billboard:

THE REACH OF CHERNOBYOL and THREE MILE ISLAND REVISITED
Reel World Film Series
May 31, 2006, 7-9 pm
Arms Library, Shelburne Falls, MA
Information: (413) 625-9543

Clamshell Alliance Meeting
June 4, 3 – 6 pm
Cathedral of the Pines, Rindge, NH (outside of Keene)
The Clams are coming back to work on shutting down the Vermont Yankee Nuclear reactor. Join them in their efforts to organize NH.
For more info call Chris Nord (603)382-8153

Tack Back the Public Meeting!!
NRC Environmental Scoping Meetings on Vermont Yankee
June 6, 2-8 pm
Quality Inn, 1380 Putney Rd, Brattleboro, VT
Informal open house to provide information about the environmental
review process.

June 7, 1:30-4:30 pm, 7-10 pm
Lathchis Theatre, Brattleboro, VT
Request an opportunity to participate in the scoping process.
Contact Richard Emch by phone at 1-800-368-5642
or email at RLE@nrc.gov no later than May 31, 2006.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is conducting Public
Participation meetings for the Scoping process of the Generic
Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for the Relicensing Application of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Reactor for an additional 20 yr

CAN Meeting
Thursday, June 8, 5:30- 7:30 pm
Meeting Room, Greenfields Market Coop, Greenfield, MA
Learn what CAN is up to and how you might get involved. We have ongoing efforts to shutdown Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor (just over the border in Vernon, VT). There is much going on! Broader public involvement is essential!

Friday, June 9, 7pm. Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic Street in downtown Northampton NORTHAMPTON COMMITTEE FRIDAY NIGHT FILM SERIES
"The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil"
As the world faces the end of affordable oil, it can look
to Cuba, for whom cheap oil ended 15 years ago when the
Soviet Union collapsed. The country survived through a
rigorous crash program of community-based organic agriculture.

Next time: The Enviro Filthy War Machine Show, Part II
That's it. Don't forget: listen to your Mother! AND: Boycott Exxon/Mobil!!

The Enviro Blowin' in the Wind Show

Jean’s away in Portugal hugging trees and who knows what all. We opened the show with a few short riffs on news of the planet. In the Revenge of the Critters Dept. this week: Bug smasher blows himself up!

Elenor Tillinghast of Green Berkshires rejoined us along with Tina Clarke of Clean Water Action for our continuing discussion of industrial windpower. This civilized debate took up most of the show. Let us reason together. We set the scene with Para Noise's "Private Power".

"Spit on the ground", by the Commonwealth's own Reagan Babies will brought us up to the Bus Stop Billboard:

·Friday, May 19, 7pm Activism, Deep Ecology, and the Gaian Era:
A Panel Discussion, A Wisdom Council With Stephen Buhner, Lynn Margulis, & John Seed Moderated by Larry Buell of Earthlands at Stirn Auditorium, Amherst College, Preregistration is not required. Seating will begin at 6:30pm. For more info, email John jcryan@earthlands.org or call (978) 724-3428

·Monday, the May 22, in Agawam the Friends of Robinson Park are hosting a forum regarding the pending timber sale of both sick and healthy trees within a 130 acre section of Robinson State Park. Contact Owen at: owen.broadhurst@gmail.com

·Friday, May 19, 7pm, “Lovejoys’ Nuclear War”, Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic street. Northampton

·Monday, May 22, 4:30pm Regional strategy session to replace Vernon nuke with sustainable energy. Kellogg Hubbard Library in the East Montpelier room (in the basement), Montpelier, VT. CAN at 413-339-5781

*Saturday, May 27 thru Monday 5/29 University of the Wild - Series III - Permaculture: Hands on Training for Creating Sustainable Culture. Earthlands, Pertersham, MA. Contact: Jono Neiger (413)367-2304; jononeiger@earthlink.net

*Sunday, May 28, 1pm, The Stories of the Forest. Meet at the Village Co-op, Rattlesnake Gutter Rd., North Leverett. Join Mark Gamble to stroll the woods and discover the tales recorded in the manuscript of the land.

*Wednesday, May 31, 7pm. Films: The Reach of Chernobyol & Three Mile Island Revisited. Arms Library, Shelburne falls, MA. Contact: (413)625-9543



We went out with Gina Citoli's "Breakdown of imagination". D.O. wants to dedicate that one to the good citizens of Leverett who voted to loosen septic regulations. That stinks!

Speaking of D.O., he still wants to bend your ear some more about Cape Wind: the right project in the wrong place. Maybe next time. For now you'll have to be satisfied with the anti-cape wind screeds he's plastered below and in thr links.

Next week: The BIG VFR fund drive. Time to pay the piper folks. You won't find this stuff on National Public Relations....errr..Radio.

Cape Wind proponents in bed with the enemies of the Earth

Proponents of the Cape Wind project, the industrial windfarm proposed for public waters in Nantucket Sound off the coast of Massachusetts, are now supported by the far-right anti-environment Bush regime. Why? Could it have something to do with future placement of offshore oil-drilling? Duh!

Here's the story from the Boston Globe:

>>US official opposes Cape Wind measure
Calls it unwise to give state veto
By Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff | May 6, 2006

The Bush administration weighed in on behalf of the wind farm project proposed off the Cape and Islands yesterday, urging Congress to drop a measure that would allow the governor of Massachusetts to block the controversial project.

In a strongly worded letter dated Thursday, Under Secretary of Energy David K. Garman called the measure backed by US Senator Edward M. Kennedy unwise and said it could threaten future renewable energy projects that the administration hopes to foster.

"More broadly, singling out wind generation in this manner could have a chilling impact on the continued investment and growth of this promising renewable energy resource," Garman wrote to the House and Senate chairmen of the committees involved with the legislation.

The statement put the Bush administration at odds with Kennedy and Governor Mitt Romney, who oppose the offshore wind farm, which would be the first in the nation.

Under the measure backed by Kennedy, the governor would be given the authority to block the project, even though it would be built in federal waters.<<

So, forget about State control over future oil rigs off the Massachusetts coast in PUBLIC WATERS (remember the theft of the commons?). If Cape Wind and its supporters have their way, future oil rigs off the Massachusetts coast may be a shoe-in.

If Cape Wind proponents think they have just had some sort of victory, think again! Their pyrrhic victory will come back to bite them in the ass as the proposals for renewed offshore oil drilling continue to increase. Big Oil just LOVES Big Wind!

The Enviro Beltane Show

It’s an ill wind that blows for the Bush regime and their friends in Big Oil these days, but there’s also some ill wind blowing in the realm of alternative energy. Eleanor Tillinghast from the group Green Berkshires joined us to talk about the problems with industrial windpower. Also we looked a bit at the Cape Wind project proposed for Nantucket Sound and the controversy within the ranks of environmentalists, present company included! Centralized energy? Windfarms as the answer to climate change? We don’t think so!

But first Gina Citoli set the stage with her blues tune, "Natural order of things", followed by Tamara, our resident witch, who joined us to clue everyone in on Beltane, the celebration that came waaaay before Easter, Passover or International Workers Day. We didn't erect a maypole in the studio....umm...hmm..not much room for that and we guessed the traditional bonfire was REALLY out of the question!

Speaking of May Day, d.o. couldn't resist sounding-off about his hometown's move toward total build-out. His commentary Leverett residents celebrate May Day by trashing the town" gave us the impression that all those raised septic mounds really do stink!

Then it was on to our regular Bush bashing (they give us so much to work with!) We checked-out King George and the court’s latest attacks on the planet and You! Of course, their neocon friends on the Hill weren't spared either: witness the House Repugnicans handing over $5 billion in tax breaks to Big Oil even as they make record profits and YOU empty out yur' piggybank to fill-up at the pump. And hey, checkout these clowns: talking fuel economy and driving around DC in their SUVs!

On the Bus Stop Billboard this week:

The Bees are here! Checkout the tour
Wednesday,May 3rd at Williams College Central Courtyard at 4:15pm in Williamstown.
Thursday, May 4th at Simmons College, Main College Building 3rd
Floor, 300 The Fenway, Boston at 6:00 pm

Sunday, May 7, 2006, 7 pm. at First Churches, Northampton, MA. Our own Harvey Wasserman on SOLARTOPIA: WHY WE CAN'T WAIT! Closing Nuclear Power Plants & Opening the Door to Renewables

Sunday, MAY 14, 2006 NOON TO 2 PM. MOTHER'S DAY FOR MOTHER EARTH
Come to the annual Mothers Day Peace & Justice March
A WORLD FOR THE CHILDREN - PEACE JUSTICE TRUE DEMOCRACY
JUST/ SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY DIVERSITY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
11:45 AM meet at the Bridge Street School in Northampton
12 NOON, march downtown for a speakout of prose, poems & song.

Next time around: Eleanor rejoins us to go head-to-head with Tina Clarke of Clean Water Action on the industrial windpower issue. Also a looooong set by Para Noise with a reasonable request concerning the King.

The Enviro Water Show, Part 2

It was Part 2 of our ongoing coverage of water, THE issue of the 21st century. We had a look at privatization issues around water with Jean and with Jonathan Leavitt of Mass Global Action. Also, local film-maker/videographer Liz Miller called in about her soon to be released work "Water Warriors". First off though we had a peek at what the enemies of the Earth in the Bush regime are up to recently and then we failed to move on to some of the threats industrial civilization is throwing at the ocean. Also: more ticket giveaways! We had three pairs of tickets to "Marx in Soho", a CAN fundraiser in Shelburne Falls on April 22 but the phone was busy w/the interview!

We listened to "Get out the Bushes, Get out the Theives" by Stephanie Lee before we engaged in our traditional Bush-bashing. The Bush regime declares wet land are wetlands! Also, King George and the Court of Big Oil are licking their greasey lips over new coastal oil drilling plans. Things looking dim at home? How about a new war!

we were listening up to "Veolia" by Tom Neilson from the "Only Outlaws will be Free" album which set us up for a conversation with Jean, Liz, Glen, d.o. and Jonathan Leavitt on privatization of water. That went on and on and on. Soooo many people, sooooooo many thoughts, so little time.

Then it was on to Bus Stop billboard:

>April 17 – 21, Tent State UMass, UMass Amherst Student Union Lawn

>Thursday, April 20, 2006 NRC Meeting on Vermont Yankee, 2pm Brattleboro Quality Inn,Brattleboro, VT . Let NRC know what you think about how Entergy is doing.

>Saturday, April 22, 2006, 8pm, Memorial Hall, Shelburne Falls, MA. "Marx in Soho" by Howard Zinn . Join us for a great evening with Jerry Levy, who will present this one man play written by Howard Zinn about Karl Marx and his return to earth for one day. This is a benefit for CAN!! $15/$10 students, retired or unemployed
Tickets are available at World Eye bookshop and Boswell's books.

> Sunday April 23rd, 10 – 5pm. Amherst Earth Day on the Amherst Common.
Environmental organizations offering information on the Amherst Common. Come to hear Deb Katz and others speak of the latest developments regarding our aging Vermont Yankee reactor. There will be a tribute and annual Amherst Earth Day award given to CAN, Deb and Fred at 12:40. 11 - 12 Interfaith Prayer Circle including Sacred Circle Dances with Rowan. All kinds of wonderful music from 12 - 5 including local folk singers Annie Hassett, Molly Scott, with Sarah Benson - country bluegrass - accoustic raggae - blues - alternative indie rock - folk pop. Please join us. 413 549 5503.

> Tuesday, April 25-26 Brattleboro, VT Chernobyl Action and Rally
check the website for more info as it develops. www.nukebusters.org

Hattie Nestel is initiating a three-day water only fast. She will be in
front of the Wells Fountain on Main St. in Brattleboro, which is less than 10 miles from Vermont Yankee on April 25, 26 and 27 from 10:00 A.M. until 4:00 P.M. and invites anyone to join her. Info: hattieshalom@verizon.net

This is the twentieth anniversary of the catastrophic accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Northern Ukraine.

>Friday, April 28, Arbor Day, from 3 to 7 pm on Skinner Green, Mt. Holyoke College, The First Annual MHC Roots of Community Festival. The festival will bring the Five College community together with local businesses and organizations working towards sustainability. Everyone is invited to join for an afternoon of community exhibits, music and entertainment, local sustainable businesses and community organizations, outdoor games, a "Green Parade" put on by the Environmental Action Coalition, and a May Pageant. email: rootsofcommunity@gmail.com.

NEXT TIME: Back to the Pleistocene! Sweep out that cave, industrial civilization (such as it is) is headed down the tubes. Hang on!

Sea Shepherd opposes Cape Wind project

Add to the growing list of opponents to Cape Wind's proposed windmill farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound the no-compromise direct action organization Sea Shepherd. Captain Paul Watson, founder and president of Sea Shepherd and once co-founder of Greenpeace International, told this reporter that "this project is a threat to seabirds and as a marine wildlife conservation organization, we represent our clients, marine wildlife and this Cape Wind project is not in their interest".

Back in December, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. came out against the project in an op-ed piece in the New York Times. Kennedy, a seasoned and highly respected environmentalist, wrote "Environmental groups have been enticed by Cape Wind, but they should be wary of lending support to energy companies that are trying to privatize the commons". In the article Kennedy went on to point out the ecological drawbacks of the project point by point in a reasonable and respectful tone. Important questions of the projects potential air and sea traffic safety have also been raised. Almost before the ink was dry on the page however, a storm of controversy arose and it has been brewing ever since.

Some backers of Cape Wind took the low road, attacking Kennedy and using some of the same corporate tactics and name-calling they themselves have been subjected to in the past. It hasn’t been very pretty. Others, like John Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace USA, cast doubt on the integrity of Cape Wind opponents with statements such as "The opponents of Cape Wind would have you believe that to protect the environment, we need to oppose the wind farm", as if their efforts were contrived and their motives of concern for the environment were less than genuine.

Paul Watson says, “The position of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on Cape Wind is that we are in full support of Bobbi Kennedy Jr.’s position. We also agree with Mike Roselle". Roselle, one of the founders of Earth First! also sided with Kennedy and took his attackers to task on his website. It makes for strange bedfellows given that Kennedy is very much a product of establishment politics, a lawyer and NRDC stalwart, while Watson and Roselle are leading voices in the radical direct action segment of the environmental movement. In addition, while most working class fisher organizations oppose Cape Wind's plan, as do many area residents, some of the members of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound are millionaire yachtsmen. Perhaps even stranger is the fact that Massachusetts Republican governor Mitt Romney also opposes Cape Wind's plans, though more likely for reasons having to do with his presidential aspirations rather than any concern for Nantucket Sound and those who dwell there.

Regardless of the strange alliance of opponents, what seems lost in the ongoing argument brings us back to Kennedy's statement about privatizing the commons. While it may seem odd coming from a nominal patrician, the fact is that Cape Wind, the combined corporate entity of Energy Management Inc. and Wind Management LLP, intends to errect their industrial operation in public space, and not just any public space. Nantucket Sound, like the adjoining National Seashore where Thoreau walked the "Great Beach", is a national treasure. The question begs to be asked: would Cape Wind and its supporters propose errecting its derricks on the edge of the Grand Canyon? Maybe the Grand Tetons? Yellowstone? We think not, but proposing a windfarm or ANY industrial facility to be built in Nantucket Sound seems just as absurd when other already developed sites exist. In fact, given the growing intensity of storms in this day and age, one wonders why anyone would wish to build on the ocean at all.

Yes, climate disruption driven by a collapsing industrial civilization is a critical issue for the health and wellbieng, indeed the very survuval of the biosphere. Alternative energy facilities like windmills and solar voltaics, along with REAL energy conservation efforts, can help ease the increasing CO2 loading of Earth's atmosphere if they actually replace fossil fuel power plants (not anywhere near the needed attention is being paid to on-site power production for individual homes and businesses). But the question remains: just what are we going to sacrafice in order to stem the tide of global climate change? Will our grandchildren inherit a world of ruined land and seascapes developed for the maintainence of contemporary consumer lifestyles? Do we cast aside ecological integrity, the lives of countless other creatures and indeed unparralelled natural beauty so that we can continue shopping for the next big thing? We don't need to trash our natural biogems to "save the planet", we need to trash our unsustainable lifestyles, our deadly mindsets.

- d.o.

The Enviro Water Show, Part 1

Jean was off to Gene Town this week (that’s with a "G", formerly Bean Town but now what with all the Frankenstein genetic engineering going on...). In any case, Steve McCormick of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Conti Fish Research Lab in Turners Falls joined us to talk endocrine disrupters in the water. Yes, water, water, everywhere but not a whole lot to drink. We talked water quality on the show: in the brooks, rivers, ponds, lakes, the oceans, how about that stuff coming out of your tap? We had a look at some local water issues as well as broadening our scope onto the big picture. AND another Enviro Show First: Ticket giveaways! No, we're not going corporate rock jock on you, just helping our friends at the Citizens Awareness Network (CAN) stage a showing of "Marx in Soho" in Shelburne Falls on April 22nd.

Also, we didn't find time to ship out to the high seas for a bit and see what kind of damage humans are contemplating or already engaged in, such as oilwells off the Atlantic coast, ocean dumping, over-fishing and other assorted threats. Being here in the hills of Western Mass it's often easy to forget what's going down off the coast, but even a cursory look is liable to make you feel a bit....err...sea sick? Maybe we'll get to this on the Enviro Water Show, Part 2.

This week pasted on the Bus Stop Billboard:

Saturday, April 8th, 10 am – 5 pm. GREEN FAIR at Indoor Action, Bernardston Rd (near the Greenfield/Bernardston town lines), in conjunction with the Better Living Show. Presented by the Greenfield Business Association, Green Fields Market, and Franklin First Federal Credit Union.

April 5 to 7
HURRICANE RELIEF VISIT
Curtis Muhammad of the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund will visit
Western Mass. Local Katrina Solidarity Committee needs help with his visit,
such as with petitioning at the events he is speaking at and collecting
funds for relief. There have been a lot of promising developments in the
people’s movement for a just rebuild of New Orleans and the Gulf States.
Info: Chris Darrow, mailto:peilapush(at)yahoo.com.

April 7 to 9
REV BILLY & THE CHURCH OF STOP SHOPPING GOSPEL CHOIR
Friday: 7:30-9pm, The Church, 120 Main St, Brattleboro VT.
Saturday: 8-9pm, Hampshire College Gymnasium, Rt 116, Amherst.
Sunday: 3-4pm, All Souls Unitarian Church, 399 Main St, Greenfield.
Suggested donation $8 - no one will be turned away. Nationally-known
playwright and performance artist Bill Talen, aka Reverend Billy, and his
NYC-based Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir are bringing us their
anti-consumerist "Fabulous Worship!" service.

Sat, April 22, 8 PM, Memorial Hall, Bridge St, Shelburne Falls,MA
Marx in Soho is a one man play by Howard Zinn, historian and social activist.
To benefit CAN, the Citizens Awareness Network
Tickets available at: World Eye Books, Greenfield, Boswell's Books, Shelburne Falls and at the door. For info call 413.625.6177

Friday, April 28, Arbor Day, 3 to 7pm, Mt. Holyoke College Green, S. Hadley; "Roots of Community Festival: Environment, Equality, and Economy". Rain or Shine. Green Parade; music; games; maypole, you get the picture! The Enviro Show will be there with "The Question of the Day". C U there? Info: lmbrunie@mtholyoke.edu

OK folks, tune in Tuesday night, April 18 6-7pm, 103.3fm, same bat channel, same bat time!

The Enviro 2006 Rites of Spring Show

What a week! You name it: say hello to the new boss at Interior, same as the old boss [except maybe Kempthorne wasn't in the sack with Abramoff, but hey! ya' never know!]; new nukes globalization [Jean will have more on that]; ANWAR provision passes in the bust-the-budget bill; Russ Feingold goes after King George here and here; more bad news on the global meltdown; and a perhaps brief reprieve for the so-called Clean Air Act. BUT, in spite of all that, another vernal equinox is upon us: IT'S SPRING! With that in mind [and with any luck] Tamara, our resident witch will be joining us to get on with the rites of spring. Later in the show, former Northampton Conservation Commissioner, Joanne Montgomery will join us to talk about the DPWs beaver eradication program.

Nuclear madness! Jean tells us about the new corporate-global push for the next generation of nukes; PLUS: what's up w/the Vernon nuke? Dare we ask?? We'll play a cut from Tom Neilson's just released disc titled "Fools no More". The tune, appropriately is called "Just a little meltdown". Tom is joined on the cut by Kat Allen and Derrik Jordan.

On our Bus stop billboard there are still anti-war events happening. Checkout WMass Indymedia here or WMass AFSC here. March 28 is the anniversary of the Three Mile Island meltdown. CAN has some events planned w/that in mind:

March 23, 2006
Regional Planning Board Meeting
Franklin County Council of Government
Greenfield Community College Downtown on Main St.
7:00 PM

NRC will presen the county on relicensing of Vermont Yankee. Come and express your concerns about the NRC dog and pony show.
****

*** **** **** *** *
March 25, 2006
Non-Violence and Peacekeepers Training
Greenfields Market - upstairs meeting room
9-12 pm non-voiolence training
1-5 pm peacekeepers training

for more info contact 413-339-5781

*** *** *** *** ***
March 28, 2006
10:00 AM
Brattleboro Commons

*3 Miles for **Three Mile Island*

To commemorate the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor in Pennsylvania, there will be a walk from the Brattleboro Commons to Entergy's corporate headquarters. The walk will begin at 10 AM. This is the 27th (3 cubed) anniversary of Three Mile Island accident which started at 4 AM, March 28th, 1979 near Harrisburg, PA.
Entergy Corporate Headquarters

12:00 PM
There will be a rally and action at Entergy HQ, on Old Ferry Rd. in Brattleboro, VT.

for more info contact 413-339-5781

Tune in, same bat time, same bat channel!

The Enviro Filthy War Machine Show

We’re closing in on the anniversary of the Bush regime’s illegal and highly immoral invasion of Iraq so we took a look at the ecological impacts of war and the filthy war machine itself. We screwed up w/the recording of a talk Ray Shadis gave in the Valley recently. D.O. thought Shadis, Staff Technical Advisor for the New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution, had spoken about depleted uranium (DU) when in fact his talk was all about the bogus Vernon nuke. For DU info checkout Traprock's page here. We'll be doing another show on the nuke issue soon. Checkout that scarey disaster zone map Jean spoke about here.

So, war, what is it good for? You know the tune: We’ll it’s great for business, right? That is if your business is munitions or like, Dick Cheney’s Halliburton, building and supplying military bases and infrastructure. We’re talkin’ former president Eisenhower’s dreaded "military-industrial complex" here. But if you happen to be just plain folk, war will tear your world apart. From Sherman’s torching a swath through the South, to the trench warfare of WWI, to the leveling of civilian cities like Dresden or Hiroshima, war may be the greatest ecological disaster ever conceived by the human mind. We had a look at the Bush regime’s footprint on Iraq and elsewhere.

Then it was on to the just plain day-to-day Earth trashing done by the Pentagon. The U.S. Department of Defense is the largest polluter in the world, producing more hazardous waste than the five largest U.S. chemical companies combined. The types of hazardous wastes used by the military include pesticides and defoliants like Agent Orange. It includes solvents, petroleum, perchlorate, lead and mercury. And most ominously, depleted uranium. Health problems that have been documented with regard to these various toxins include miscarriages, low birth weight, birth defects, kidney disease and cancer. Military pollution most directly affects those who are targeted by our weapons, soldiers and anyone living near a military base, both in the U.S. and abroad. In the U.S., one out of every ten Americans lives within ten miles of a military site that has been listed as a Superfund priority cleanup site. Also, given where chemical and nuclear weapons are used, tested, manufactured, stored and disposed of, the burden of health impacts and environmental destruction falls disproportionately on poorer communities, people of color and indigenous communities. Women face particularly severe problems because of their sensitive reproductive tissues and children because their immune systems are not yet fully developed.

The US Military is responsible for generation of over one-third of the county's toxic waste. Millions of acres of US Military property are being environmentally cleared for transfer to local communties. These environmental clearances are often completed with a total disregard for human health and the environment. Ok, Valley people, let’s talk about Westover Air Base in Chicopee. The folks from Isis who’ve been looking at this will be on a future show, but here’s some of what they’ve found:

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) opened Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts in 1942. The Base served as a Strategic Air Command facility from the mid-1950's into the early 1980's when its mission shifted to USAF Reserve. Today, Westover continues to operate as the world's largest Air Reserve Base and as Tactical Wing, and is one of the country's two centers for Galaxy C-5A military transport aircraft. Fifty years of military operations at Westover have created a complex set of hazardous waste sites. USAF has identified over two-dozen sites on the active Base and on nearby Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) that were sold off as the Westover has downsized.

For many years, residents in surrounding communities have voiced concerns about Westover's environmental impacts through meetings, surveys, and letters to public officials. Their concerns include potential for soil and groundwater contamination, noise, health risks for residents and cleanup workers, and impacts on the environment and several endangered wildlife species. Community interests include timely and impartial data review and expanded public involvement in the decision-making processes. We'll learn more about this when the folks from Isis join us in the near future.

In the Old news is NOT no news department:
Remember the “good news” about Big Mountain we went on about in a previous show? Turns out to be not so good. Peabody coal may continue trashing Black mesa and traditional Navajos may be kicked off their land to boot. Checkout: http://www.blackmesais.org/what_can_do.htm

Also, during our previous critters show we ran out of time before notifying you about a critter problem for the highly endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. The U.S. Navy in its "infinate wisdom" wants to perform sonar tests off the North Carolina coast that will place the migrating Rights in additional danger. See what YOU CAN DO.

Big week on the Bus Stop Billboard:

NATIONAL WEEK OF CAMPUS ACTION
Students Say NO to War in Iraq! College Not Combat, Troops Out Now!
Students will hold events at high schools and colleges around the country
demanding an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq and money for young
people's education, not military recruitment. This week of action leads into
the global days of protest on March 18-19, where students will join many
others in marking the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and demanding to
bring the troops home now! Info: mailto:RecruitersOut@yahoo.com,
www.campusantiwar.net.

Students Against War at Greenfield Community College are working to
organize to show films. Info: Halley Watkins, mailto:halwatkins@gmail.com.

Monday March 13
VETERANS FOR PEACE TEACH-IN
7pm, Bangs Center, Boltwood Walk, Amherst."WhoBenefits?" about the war in Iraq and war in general featuring local VFP
members. 659-3545, www.veteransforpeace.org.

Tuesday March 14 & 21
FREE TRAININGS ABOUT MILITARY RECRUITERS' TECHNIQUES
7-9pm, Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic St, Northampton. to register: 584-8975
Mark the 3rd Anniversary of the Iraq War with Us! at a Town Hall Meeting.

Saturday, March 18, 2-4 pm
First Spiritualist Church
33-37 Bliss St. Springfield, MA.
1 block south of State St. just off of Main St. Between Main and Columbus.

Sunday, March 19, 6:00-7:00 p.m., downtown Northampton.
We will hold a community-wide candlelight vigil for
people to mark the anniversary and express some of
their feelings.

Monday March 27 - Three Mile Island Anniversary
Transcending the Nuclear Age. Demonstrate at Entergy Headquarters.
Call Traprock at 413 773-7427

No Go Solo is an eight-day publicity campaign, from
March 13-20, to combat the culture of single-occupancy
automobiles and to encourage the alternatives of
ridesharing, public transportation, and bicycling.
Details forthcoming at a dedicated web site:
http://www.nogosolo.org

Finally, here's that LINK on the Roadless Area Conservation Act that Jean was talking about. We be covering this and other news on a forest issues show in the near future.

Clean it up or shut it down!

Listeners may recall Tina Clark from Clean Water Action was on our show a few months back. She's sending around the letter below to encourage more folks to submit testimony on the Mt. Tom coal-burning power plant (cough, gag) that's making such a mess of this valley. March 6 is the deadline for letters. Clean it up or shut it down!

Dear Friends,

Our hard-won regulation to reduce global warming gas emissions from the Filthy Five coal-burning power plants is being gutted by the Gov. Romney administration. These old, dirty plants produce about 17% of greenhouse gas emissions from the state! They are the SINGLE LARGEST SOURCE of global warming gases. We won a modest reduction of 10% by 2008 in 2001. Romney s proposed changes to the Filthy Five CO2 regulation would let power plant owners off the hook

Please send written testimony using the heading below. We must flood the MA Department of Environmental Protection with written comments to STOP this violation of the public trust and democratic process. Please FORWARD THIS MESSAGE to everyone you can.

Send your Written Comments to Sharon Weber at Sharon.Weber@state.ma.us or: Sharon Weber, Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Prevention, One Winter Street, Boston, MA 02108. Comments must be received by March 6, 2006.

Use this heading:

Written comments

RE: Proposed Greenhouse Gas Amendments to 310 CMR 7.29 & 310 CMR 7.00: Appendix B

Then write:
[your name], [organization name - if you re representing an organization]

[address]

[date]

SUGGESTIONS for your message:

[who you are. If you are writing on behalf of an organization, explain what the organization is about.]

[statement of opposition to the proposed changes to the regulation]

[why this matters to you - your personal perspective: concern for the kind of world your children and grandchildren will have, concern for the changes that could happen to the New England lifestyle and the nature of New England, etc.]

[Any Specific Concerns with Proposed Changes to the Regulation, such as:]


- Global warming is a massive challenge facing us and our children, and we must be sure that we are making real reductions in global warming pollution. This version of the regulations adds uncertainty to those reductions.

- If gone unchecked, global warming threatens New England s economy, food supply, public health, and community well-being. Weather disasters will intensify floods, heat waves, ice storms, high winds that damage homes and energy supply, etc., etc. In addition, we will damage forests, wildlife, foliage, coastline, lobster catch, and winter recreation some of the defining characteristics of our region.

- DEP not only has an opportunity to make a strong regulation that significantly reduces CO2 pollution from our oldest and dirtiest power plants, but it can also set an important precedent for other states and regions on how to structure their programs.

- Our state will not be able to meet its climate protection goals without effectively tackling power plant pollution. If Governor Romney is serious about the commitments he made to those goals, he should stop attacking this regulation.

- The public health, security, and environmental risks of nuclear power are well documented, and the this global warming regulation is not the appropriate place for the state to decide whether it wants to encourage such a controversial energy source as nuclear power. (Though in the draft regulations nuclear power is excluded from being an offset, DEP has asked for comment on whether it should be included.)

- The proposed changes to this regulation mean we may not get the pollution reductions promised in the regulation. Offsets programs are difficult enough to manage when they are well-designed, and adding loopholes to the Filthy Five CO2 regulation will only add more uncertainty to the program. The major loopholes:

- With the $6.50 price trigger for offsets, the geographic scope for offsets expands to the entire globe, and we lose the co-benefits of having the offsets in our region. Many offset projects would be happening in far-off regions, so we wouldn t enjoy, for example, the reductions in non-GHG air pollution that often come with offset projects. Also, accepting offsets from the entire globe further complicates oversight of the system especially determining when and how to enforce penalties.

- With the $10.00 Trust price trigger for offsets, power plant owners can simply pay into a state trust fund at a discount instead of continuing to make pollution reductions. They get to buy their way out of having to meet the emissions standard in the regulation at a cut price. The Trust price trigger also takes away the incentive for plants to invest in new, cleaner technology.

- The altering of the definition of permanent gives the power plant owners a loophole for avoiding their commitments and protesting DEP rulings. DEP should only be allowing offsets that can reasonably be called permanent, instead of giving plant owners leeway to argue for projects that have questionable staying power.

For more information: download the hearing kit at www.newenglandclimate.org/packet
If you have questions, please contact Brian Thurber, Clean Water Action, 617-338-8131, bthurber@cleanwater.org. He ll be delighted to support you.

This is a critical time to express your opinion! Please be sure to mail or email your comments so that the DEP receives them by Monday, March 6.

THANK YOU for taking action.

Tina Clark
Clean Water Action
office/home: (413) 549-6834
cell: (413) 658-8165
tclarke@cleanwater.org
www.cleanwater.org

The Man-made Disasters Show

Our friend Paki, one of the Raging Grannies here in the Valley, will be phoning-in from the Common Ground Collective in New Orleans. She'll clue us in on what's going down amongst the refuse of our most recent MAN-MADE DISASTER! But first a question: when is a disaster man-made? We'd say when man so screws up the environment so badly that natural disasters become mega-magnified! We're talking climate chaos and degraded ecosystems here, folks. Last weeks U.S. House Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina (whew!) report,even though it was a Republican panel, got all over the feds for their screw-ups in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It described FEMA's personnel shortfall as the most "difficult challenge", but said absolutely nothing about "preparation" with regard to reinforced levies, construction in flood zones, much less rehabilitated wetlands and barrier islands! A supplementary report by House Dems complained about a lack of attention to present problems in the Gulf region resulting from Katrina and called for head of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff to be removed. The NYT echoes that call in its 2/16 editorial.

In any case, apparently the House report is only about Homeland Security's lack of logistical preparation and response, not about preparing for disasters by living WITH the land. These guys are doin' a heck of a job, no?

Like we said, there's a mega man-made disaster that looms behind the disaster of Katrina. The warmer than normal water in the Gulf, and across the globe, intensifies storms. Those warmer waters are the result of massive climate change and the verdict is in on what powers the climate chaos growing all around us: you guessed it! Human activity, and we're not talking keg parties or street demos; we're talking industrial civilization. Now we read in Scientific American (http://www.sciam.com/) that glaciers in Greenland are already experiencing or may soon experience increased melting, meaning that Greenland's ice will contribute even more than expected to the world's rising seas. This is not good news for lowlanders!
But hey, don't take our word for it, even Fortune Magazine....er.. buys it?

Bhopal was truly one of the classic man-made disasters. The people living near Bhopal continue to suffer from the consequences of the Union-Carbide plant gas release. Glen has a clip from the Yes Men ripping a new one for UC, et al.

On our Bus Stop Billboard we see Traprock Peace Center is hosting a video showing of "Surviving the Vernon Reactor" at the Jones Library in Amherst immediately following our show at 7pm. The Vernon nuke, as you listeners know, is a man-made disaster waiting to happen. Also, March 6 is the deadline for comments on that bogus coal-burning power plant by Mt. Tom. In even a less-than-perfect world that sucker should be shutdown.

Stay tuned. Same bat channel, same bat time!

The Enviro Name the REAL Terrorists Show

Rob Skelton & friends join us this week to rock the REAL terrorists into oblivion (we wish). We’ll parse the definition of terrorist, as opposed to eco-TERRA-ists and have a comparative look at their deeds. There'll be talk about government surveillance there at the top of the hour as well. First they sneak around and spy on you, then they come crashing thru your door: it’s freedom on the march!

But first the news: Remember George’s sorry-ass State of the Union Address in which he stated "the U.S. would cut its Middle East oil imports 75 percent by 2025"? Errrrr! There’s the buzzer! Sorry, the real answer is: he lied! Energy Secretary Bodman had to perform some damage repair the very next day saying he didn’t mean that, it was "just an example". Yes! It was a perfect example of the Repugnican Scheme Machine! Checkout the story here.

Big Brother is Spying on Environmental Groups. Responding to ACLU FOIA requests filed in 20 states on behalf of more than 150 organizations and individuals, the government has released documents that reveal monitoring and infiltration by the FBI and local law enforcement, targeting political, environmental, anti-war and faith-based groups. Checkout Earthbeat Radio's piece on this story here in the land of the free.

We've got some serious music this week picked up from our friends over at Axis of Justice Radio Network. Two must hears are "Guns of Brixton" by Camille of Nouvelle Vague, and we close with "Get out of Iraq" by Simple Fears.

Sooooo, who ARE the terrorists, anyway? The thugs in black body armor crashing through your door ‘cuz you posted names and addresses on your website of people who torture animals? How about a foreign army invading your nation for oil and empire, killing and maiming half your family? Maybe a government that sits on its hands while you starve and dehydrate on your roof in the middle of a flood? People who cut medical benefits to poor children and old people? Let’s talk about this! Remember last time we read you that quote from Senator Inhofe comparing the ELF and ALF to Al Qaeda? This guy can’t be for real! How about these feds claiming enviro sab groups are America’s #1 domestic terrorist threat! WEAK!

On Bus Stop Billboard this week there's still some interesting programs over at the Hitchcock Nature Center in Amherst. Also, we're coming up on the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, you remember: the war for oil & empire? On Saturday, February 18 on the Amherst Town Common from 1:45pm on, there will be a Memorial for Gregory Levey & Community Gathering to end the US war in Iraq. Western Mass folks may recall 15 years ago on February 18, 1991 (President's Day), Gregory Levey took his life in a public act against the Gulf War. He wrote "PEACE" on a placard, set an American flag on fire and then immolated himself on the Amherst town common. Today, we remain trapped in the same war Greg resisted 15 years ago. Millions more are dead. The same regime is in the White House. Well.....that sucks!

Clean-up the Filthy Five Mt. Tom coal plant....NOW !

We just got this alert from Virginia Schulman about the Mt. Tom coal-burning power plant, one of the Filthy Five in the Commonwealth. There's yet another hearing about this plant from hell and still, nothing's done. We'll be at the hearing. SEE YOU THERE! I posted my response to Virginia below her alert:

>>Some years ago a study was done, and the Pioneer
Valley was one of the Top Ten . . . in BAD AND DIRTY
AIR QUALITY!

There is a public hearing in our area on the
Massachusetts Filthy Five (most polluting power
plants):

Thursday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m.
Holyoke Community College
Leslie Phillips Forum
303 Holmstead Ave., Bldg. C

This festering problem has been under "investigation"
for YEARS, perhaps DECADES. It's unconscionable that
it's still being "investigated"--this is what we of
Massachusetts get for continually electing Republican
governors. Yes, this is Romney's doing, this latest
stall.

Years ago, I took a camera and got five people to line
up and put mouth-and-nose masks on so I could say they
were worried about our air quality here in the Valley,
Happy Valley, and some other wonderful people with
toxic hazard suits came out with me and we all put
them on and someone photographed us in a row pointing
at the Holyoke plant. There was a public hearing that
year, too. I sent them to the Gazette, which didn't
publish them, but the Gazette did later publish a
great editorial saying that the proposed regulations
did not go far enough in protecting public health.

I can't remember all the facts, but the Filthy Five
have been studied like crazy, and they not only spread
dirty air in wide areas, they spread particularly
dirty and polluted air near the plants that emitted
them. Thus, if you live near the Holyoke plant, your
kids are more likely to have asthma, and more likely
to have MORE FREQUENT and MORE SEVERE asthma attacks,
than if you lived further away.

They were never intended to be allowed to go on and on
and on and on polluting. WHY IS THIS STILL HAPPENING?


Virginia Schulman, Northampton <<

Thanks for this alert, Virginia. I "remember the facts" 'cuz i was the one w/the bio-hazzard suits and the one who took some of the photos! :) As part of Mass Earth First! we also invaded a hearing on the Mt. Tom power plant held at the Bangs Center in Amherst. We wore those same white suits. We did it again on the shoulder of I-91 during the morning commute (not for long however, the state police kicked us off pronto).

It seems like nothing has changed and that's 'cuz IT HASN'T! The health and wellbeing of us, our children and grandchildren continues to compromised by that clunky old coal-burner that STILL does not comply with present clean air standards. I hope everyone reading your alert attends the hearing and that we all come together in one loud voice: ENOUGH! Clean it up, NOW!!

in solidarity,

d.o.

Adding insult to injury, last August it was reported that the Bush regime's cronies at the Environmental Protection Agency were preparing to issue a proposal that would allow coal-fired power plants across the country to increase their toxic emissions by crippling a key provision of the Clean Air Act. Where do we get these people?? From the indusrty, of course! See more here: http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/050831.asp

Also more on the emperor's dirty laundry here: http://www.nrdc.org/air/pollution/qbushplan.asp

The Enviro Critters Show, Part 2

Jennifer Seavey, from the Clark Science Center at Smith College joins us to talk about critters at the proposed new WalMart site in Hadley. She's a wildlife biology grad student who is very familiar with the habitat at the site. The critters that would lose their homes to WalMart are definately not into shopping. All pain, no gain.

In the news today: Phony “ecoterrorism” arrests across the nation. Alleged members of the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front were busted by the FBI out West and more arrests are expected. The federales have said these guys who destroy only property that destroys the planet and free caged animals are "the nation's leading domestic terror threat". One of our least favorite rightwingnut enemies of the Earth, Senator James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, chairman of the Senate Environment and Pubic Works Committee, has compared ELF & ALF to Al Qaeda. Our question: what are they smoking in DC?? Next question: Who’s next? pie throwers?

Next up: Big Oil casts its evil eyes on the Massachusetts coastline. Exxon/Mobil sucks! Take action and...did we mention BOYCOTT EXXON/MOBIL?

Like we said, it's the Critters Show, Part 2 so we'll have a look at some of the keystone species around the planet and how they fare in the face of six and a half billion humans and their toys. The whales; lions; wolves; lynx; sea turtles, to name a few.

What’s the matter with WalMart? Ask the Spotted Turtle or the Spadefoot Toad! Jennifer Seavey clues us in during the second half of the show on the critters who may be endangered by the new proposed WalMart in Hadley, MA Like the late Wampanoag medicine man, Slow Turtle used to say: "We don't need anymore stores".

On the Bus Stop Billboard we have FLOWN THE COOP: CHANGES IN MASSCHUSETTS BIRD POPULATIONS at the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Easthampton on Tuesday, February 7, 7 p.m. and TAMING THE BEAST: REDUCING ENERGY USE AT HOME at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 525 South Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA. Check the Hitchcock website for other programs.

That's it 'til next time: same bat time, same bat channel!

The Enviro Critters Show, Part 1

Sorry about the delay, folks. We were clueless until the last moment as to whether the show would be pre-empted a half hour (We were going to call it the "Half-ass Show" with a nod to wild burros) by the Alito hearings. With that in mind, we had a look at the designee's record (such as it is) on the planet. We came up with a bad report card from those o-so nice people at the Sierra Club.

Check-out the GOOD NEWS on Big Mountain (below). We read a little on this from the alleged "paper of record".

Brad Compton, wildlife biologist at UMass, joined us to discuss the Endangered Species Act(ESA) and the beating it's taking on Capitol Hill. We had a look at NRDC's take on Senator Crapo's (we're not making this up.....really!) assault on the ESA, as well as the police report on Rep. Pombo's assault on the ESA last year. Listeners might want to TAKE ACTION on this critical issue. After all, we DO share this small blue planet with others.....but hey, we don't need to tell you that, right?

We had a good laugh at the Bush regime for their bogus move to add hatchery fish to the wild salmon count. A reprint in Green Living caught our eye on this. The original article appeared in The Ecologist (sorry, have to sign-up for that one), talking about the Enemies of the Earth trying to inflate, skew, or otherwise fuck with the numbers so they can go on destroying the planet at will.

As you may have heard: Jean is REALLY back! She told us about her adventures in Hong Kong with the WTO and that low-life org's efforts to endanger just about EVERYTHING!!

Next time, for Part 2 of The Enviro Critters Show, we'll have a look at some local issues (naturally, WalMart figures in on this one). Sooooo, remember as you find your way through the mists in the doorway of 2006: Listen to your Mother.

Good news from Big Mountain

Some rare good news for the planet: a much under-reported story surfaced in the New York Times this past Tuesday about suspended operations at the horrific Black Mesa coal mining pit near Big Mountain in Arizona. Those of you with long memories will recall what a travesty that Peabody Coal site created for Hopi and Navajo families through forced relocations, depletion of the aquifer, and pollution of sacred lands.

The late Hopi elder and spiritual messenger, Thomas Banyacya made this statement to President Nixon in a 1971 letter about the travesty going on at Black Mesa:

"The white man, through his insensitivity to the way of Nature, has desecrated the face of Mother Earth. The white man's advanced technological capacity has occurred as a result of his lack of regard for the spiritual path and for the way of all living things. The white man's desire for material possessions and power has blinded him to the pain he has caused the Mother Earth by his quest for what he calls natural resources. And the path of the Great Spirit has become difficult to see by almost all men, even by many Indians who have chosen instead to follow the path of the white man ..."

aho! here's the good news excerpted from the New York Times:

>>For 35 years, the Black Mesa Mine has produced coal for a power plant in southern Nevada. But it suspended operations at the end of December....The mine is ceasing work indefinitely because the sole power plant it supplies, the Mohave Generating Station 273 miles away in Laughlin, Nev., is shutting down under a legal agreement with environmental groups that sued because of repeated pollution violations.
The power plant is owned by four utilities that have balked at paying the estimated $1 billion in upgrades to comply with the court order and keep the plant operating.

"Peabody has done us a favor by putting us in this situation," said Vernon Masayesva, 66, former Hopi chairman and longtime mine opponent. He said he sympathized with the workers, but added, "It's time for us to cut the umbilical cord to the company store."

Mr. Masayesva said that as a young man in the 1960's he listened to Hopi elders discussing the proposed mining of the coal beneath the Black Mesa, which gets its name from the low-slung pinyon trees that from a distance make the top of the 6,000-foot mesa look black. He said the elders believed that the coal could be of lasting value to the tribe, if mined at the right time, in the right way and for the right purpose.

But Mr. Masayesva said the agreements the Hopi and the Navajo struck with Peabody and the federal government were poor. "We should have waited until we were educated, until we had our own hydrologists, our own engineers, our own lawyers and economists," he said.

He said the mining had been destructive and wasteful, to the land and to the water. "Wasting water is criminal in our culture," he said. "It is the tribe's covenant with the earth, and we broke it."

Last, he said, the coal has been used for the wrong purpose. Rather than enriching the lives of all tribal members and contributing to a sustainable way of life, it is used to light the casinos of Las Vegas and heat the hot tubs of Los Angeles, he said."<<

The Enviro Old Year Show

Jean’s back? Well, she apparently brought back airline cabin fever from her frontal assault on the WTO in Hong Kong so we won’t know ‘til the last minute if she’ll be sitting in. Phone-in from the sick bed? Stay tuned.

We started last August with the sounds of the swamp that Ed captured. Giving voice to the voiceless, no? Well, sort of. We bashed you over the head with rants on climate change just as Katrina was bearing down on the Big Easy, reminding you that it’s really "just a theory"; you know, like Jor-al and his crazy ideas on the fate of Krypton.

Before we knew it, Halloween was upon us and we came up with a list of really horrific enviro woes like WALMART!!; the Bird Flu; and a bunch of yucky stuff no one can remember, like the Mt. Tom coal-burner or alleged Intelligent Design (why would anything intelligent design a Bill O’Rielly?). Given the season we thought it best not to do the show LIVE! Sooooo, we pre-recorded our Halloween special so’s we could do (ahem!) OTHER things around Halloween, but we made sure to remind everyone that their children are "Born as ghosts".

Then it was on to a healthy degree of toxic exposure; leaky old nukes (V-e-r-n-o-n N-u-k-e...remember?) and endless Bush-bashing. But no one can bash Bush like RFK, Jr. so we thought we’d..er.. cap-off? the year with an excerpt from his excellent "Crimes against Nature" speech given at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco (we know: the Commonwealth is here, yes?).

On the Bus-stop Bulletin Board we have an important hearing on climate disruption in Massachusetts coming up on the 17th in West Springfield. It's your chance to vent on Romney's minions for bailing on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

We'll go out with Dar Williams' “Better Things” in hopes they are too come, right?So....umm...happy new year (can't be as bad as the last one....it just can't....right?)

Romney bails on Northeast climate initiative - puts rightwing politics before planet

Hey, here's a piece posted on the WMass Indymedia site by Daniel Shays about Gov. Mitt and his ongoing lame-ass approach to climate disruption. And you thought Massachusetts was a green state!


ROMNEY PUTS POLITICS BEFORE PLANET

Today Governor Romney failed the citizens of Massachusetts yet again by bailing on the Regional greenhouse Gas Initiative(RGGI) that all other New England states, save Rhode Island, signed onto yesterday. The pact calls for freezing power plant emissions and then reducing them by 10 percent by 2020. Many feel that Romney’s initial support, more recent backsliding, and his final rejection has everything to do with presidential politics. The RGGI was scheduled for its debut at the Climate Change summit in Montreal last week, but Romney's objections concerning costs to industry prevented that announcement. In essence, the governor has done just what the Bush regime did at the talks: created roadblocks and put rightwing politics before the planet. Romney contends that Massachusetts' own plan to reduce greenhouse emissions from the state's six dirtiest power plants (most of which are called "The Filthy Five") would make Massachusetts the first state with carbon dioxide limits. His plan however includes thresholds allowing power plants to exceed emission limits if the cost of controlling them is too high for the industry. Always a friend to the corporados, it’s hardly surprising that the governor would defer to the bottom line.

According to the DEP’s website, a western Massachusetts public hearing will be conducted to receive public comment, both oral and written, on the proposed regulation on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 at 6 pm at the Best Western Sovereign Hotel,1080 Riverdale Street in West Springfield. This seems like an excellent opportunity to let the governor and his minions know how you feel about putting politics before the planet. The results of climate disruption caused by industry in the U.S. and filthy power plants like the Mt. Tom coal burner in Holyoke is the sorry legacy we leave to our children and grandchildren. It is our duty to everything in our power to lessen the impact upon future generations caused by our over-consumptive and wasteful lifestyle; a destructive way of life that is encouraged and enabled by corporations, utilities and governments like the one headed by Mitt Romney here in the so-called Commonwealth.

The Enviro Holidaze Glow Show

We are psyched for the season. Tamara sits in for Jean and rings in the Winter Solstice. Jean's off to India for more tree hugging. WATCH THAT WRIST JEAN!
Then we endure D.O.'s annual homage to Marley's Ghost (can't he be happy just shopping??) No way! We continue our grinchy trashing of the holiday shopping frenzy and over-all over-consumption in the Land of the Fatties. Happy Holidaze!

Then it's on to the answers for the Enviro Show's Question of the Day that we asked at the "Stroll-in on Climate Disruption" on December 3. Recall that was the International Day of Action on Climate Change? Well it must've been a BIG success 'cuz the streets of Northampton were FILLED WITH STROLLERS! Strangely though, no one brought any signs!!

Tom Neilson will be joining us to help put the glow in the show with live music on the joys of nuclear power. Like a bent fuel rod in an overheating pool of light water, Tom's tunes have a way of escaping into the atmosphere. Remember dear listener: nukes know no borders. You sure you don't want to SHUT IT DOWN??

Also, Debby Katz of the Citizens Awareness Network joins us for the lowdown on that leaky old Vernon nuke and its potential to give you the most radiant holiday you'll ever know. Deb rocks the region with seemingly endless energy directed at shutting down the enemies of the Earth. If it's about nukes,Deb knows it. Do not miss this interview.

Finally we visit the Bus Stop Bill Board (formerly the Bulletin Board but that sounded awfully boring!) for upcoming events like "Alternative Energy - Where do we go from here?". And, for our fellow pagans out there and in honor of the Solstice, we close with Dar Williams' "The Christians & the Pagans"; a real hoot. HAPPY HOLIDAZE!

Stroll-in on climate disruption

On Saturday, December 3 at 1pm on Main Street in Northampton the hosts of WXOJ-LP Valley Free Radio's Enviro Show will be observing the International Day of Action on Global Warming with a local call to action. A "Stroll-in on Climate Disruption" invites parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and future parents to promenade up & down Main Street with strollers, rollers, and whatever moves you (don't forget signs against climate change!) in an effort to further the growing campaign against global warming. We'll be on hand to interview participants for the show and to award a prize for the most creative stroller or roller.

The event is part of the international grassroots effort to stop global warming and the “Climate Crisis, USA Join the World!” campaign calling on Washington to GET REAL and sign the Kyoto protocol on climate change. From November 28 to December 9 representatives from over 150 countries will be meeting at a major United Nations Climate Conference in Montreal. We can add our voices to the growing cry for sanity. The health and well-being of our children, grandchildren and all inhabitants on planet Earth depend on us.

For more info email us at: enviroshow (at) valleyfreeradio.org
Also see: www.climatecrisis.us