cross-posted at Bleeding Heartland and La Vida Locavore

Iowa's legislature and state agencies have been notorious for doing nothing to address huge pollution problems stemming from confined-animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

But some big news came out of the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission today.

In the really green part of Oregon, Gordon Smith has a long tradition of presenting himself as the moderate, anti-drilling, good guy. In fact, one of his infamous ads in which he tries to pretend he's been endorsed by Obama, trumpets

"Who says Gordon Smith helped lead the fight for better gas mileage and a cleaner environment? Barack Obama!"

Clean environment? Tell that to the Oregon Department of Environmental Equality, not to mention the folks in Weston, OR.

For the second time in about a year, wastewater from the frozen-foods plant owned and operated in Eastern Oregon by the family of U.S. Sen Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) overflowed into a nearby creek in violation of state environmental regulations....

Smith Frozen Foods has a long history of wastewater violations.... According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, an employee of Smith Frozen Foods contacted the state agency on July 29 (while the plant was processing corn) to report an overflow from the company's wastewater lagoon that "resulted in a milky discharge to Pine Creek."

...[T]he incident is considered a serious "Class 1" violation, meaning it "can harm aquatic life, contaminate drinking waters, and impair recreational, commercial and agricultural uses of water."...

On July 30, 2007, at the height of last year's corn season, Smith Frozen Foods had a similar violation. That violation resulted in a $3,000 fine — a small sum compared with the $25,000 DEQ fine in 1992 for another infraction. Between those two events, Smith Frozen Foods has been cited or fined by the DEQ more than a handful times.

After one of those fines in the early 1990s, Smith received $766,000 in state and federal grants to bring his plant into compliance with environmental regs. And then he had the gall to run his first, losing campaign against Wyden on "the principles of less government and unfettered free enterprise."

The most recent spill (there have been six or seven in the past 15 years) is hardly the same scope as the massive fish kill of 2002 that Smith helped engineer with Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, an environmental and economic disaster that killed over 60,000 fish, including naturally raised Chinook and endangered Coho salmon.

But it does put the lie to Smith's claim that he's a friend to the environment. And it's one of the reasons Oregon's environmental and conservation communities are lining up behind Jeff Merkley.

McCain has flopped from opposing  wind energy to supporting wind energy. Has McCain really flipped or has he only embraced a pseudo flop to publicly pander for renewable energy votes while he more quietly takes actions to block wind energy progress? McCain can be very clear and specific when talking about nuclear energy, or coal, or off-shore oil drilling, yet he can not even muster up one "yes" vote out of 8 chances on renewable energy tax credits legislation.  His actions are consistent with blocking wind energy, which is a competitor for oil industry subsidies and may transform oil barons into barren businesses no longer needed.  

Last Sunday was another one of our summer days of threatening rain and occasional downpours but I biked down to Henry Street for the first local weatherization barnraising.  Lots of people showed up as did the rain while we crowded into the garage to arrange the work parties.  One group worked on pipe insulation in the basements, another group worked on weatherstripping doors, and two groups worked on weatherstripping windows, one for simple weatherstripping and another for complex weatherstripping which required the removal of sash.

I worked on the pipe insulation crew.  We finished one basement and I believe made a good start on the second.  At first, we thought there wasn't enough pipe insulation to go around but it worked out.  We spent about three hours getting organized and working on windows, doors, and pipes, and ended up with pizza, pot luck, and a jam session.

Two city councillors and the new head of the Cambridge Energy Alliance attended as well as a reporter from the local newspaper.  Whether the reporter did any weatherization work I do not know.

From Former Vice President Al Gore:

"Today, I announced my endorsement of Bob Tuke to be the next U.S. Senator from my home state of Tennessee. I have known Bob for a long time, and I am glad to call him a close friend ... "

Great news out of California, Pacific Gas and Electric recently agreed to purchase power from new 800 MW PV soalr installation..

Sound great, but there is a twist in the tale that is not just an issue for this project, but for practically every large scale wind and solar renewable project out there.  A almost throwaway at the end of the article reveals all:

PG&E has said the deals are contingent on Congress reauthorizing several tax credits for renewable energy that are due to expire at the end of this year. Although there is broad bipartisan support for the credits, their renewal has been caught up in the debate over other controversial issues like offshore oil drilling and how to pay for the tax credits.

"This is contingent on the (renewable-energy tax credits) being reinstated," Borenstein said. "If Congress screws up and lets that lapse, this could be put on a shelf."

Today this will be an open thread to discuss the many benefits of going veggie; including the environment, health, animal rights andthe global food crisis.

We are also giving support to Paul McCartneys(Macca) request forMeatless Mondaysand we will listen to some of his great music with The Beatles, Wings and solo. And of course we will share some great recipes!

I will be in and out of the discussion today as here in Florida we are preparing for the arrival of storm(hurricane?) Fay and am getting my house and garden fortified! Also posting a little early.

The Washington Post ran an article today discussing the passing of a 2004 ballot initiative in Colorado requiring that energy companies produce 10% of their electricity from renewable sources.  The largest utility in the state, Xcel Energy, fought the initiative tooth and nail as you might expect, but they lost.  Then, when they turned around and actually got to work on meeting the goal, they met it 8 years ahead of schedule and later agreed to double the goal.  Musings below the fold on the incredible power of government policy to change incentives for energy producers for the better, and lessons the rest of the nation can take from this.

We all know that coal poisons our planet, removes our mountains, and pollutes our precious water sources. A connection that we often miss, is how big coal and fossil fuel industries have a significant hand in dirtying up American politics.

Appalachian Voices and Oil Change International are proud to release a new interactive tool providing the first comprehensive look at the cash mined by Members of Congress from America’s coal industry. Check out how much coal money is going to your member of congress at FollowtheCoalMoney.org

Senator Inhofe,

This may come as a surprise to you but over here in Europe we are worried sick about climate change. It doesn't seem to concern you as your position does not seem to have budged from your speech given on the Senate floor on July 28, 2003:

"much of the debate over global warming is predicated on fear, rather than science." I called the threat of catastrophic global warming the "greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people"

to this from your latest rant, on July 22 last month:

More and more prominent scientists continue to speak out and dissent from man made global warming. In June, the Nobel Prize Winner for Physics, Ivar Giaever, declared himself a "skeptic" and said "global warming has become a new religion."

Bushie's new rules will hasten the extinction of many species by redefining when and how protection is provided to endangered and threatened species covered by our Endangered Species Act.  Bush is changing the law by rules because he failed to obtain these changes by legislation.  Bush is using administrative rule changes even though one court rejected a similar rules maneuver by Bush.

If you are already convinced that Bushie is up to his evil-doer ways, then please skip to bottom of diary to the links provided to post a comment to oppose these rules or to send an email to Kempthorne.  Thanks.

You might be surprised to find out that despite being the number three wind producer in the world, Spain is dead last among developed countries in meeting its Kyoto targets.  In this diary we'll take a look at how that happened and why Spain (and the rest of the United States) needs a dose of Californication.

According to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the European Union is to cut its emissions of greenhouse gases by 8% relative to 1990 levels by the period 2008-2012. Because at the time the agreement was signed, Spain was considered one of the less developed economies (it currently ranks 5th) among the then 15 European Union members (there are currently 27), its emissions target was set at a 15% rise over 1990 levels. (Greece, Ireland and Portugal were also allowed to grow their emissions.)

However, as of 2007, Spain is 52.3% above its Kyoto target and despite optimistic government promises that it can still meet the target it seems extremely unlikely that the Spanish will be able to reduce emissions by 35% relative to 1990 levels in only 4 years.

One of my friends is very active in Waltham, MA city politics and invited a couple of us energy mavens to a meeting on July 29 to hear the preliminary results from an audit of the greenhouse gas inventory, a proxy for total energy use in that city.  The methodology was based upon the ICLEI Cities for Climate Protection program and software.  The work was done by an intern, Jake Yarmus, and a Brandeis professor, Eric Olson, and funded, after a state grant fell through, by Genzyme, a local business.

Such an inventory is one of the requirements for joining the Cities for Climate Protection program and 20 cities and towns in Massachusetts are now members.  Waltham joined in 2007 and the program requires
a baseline inventory and forecast
reduction targets
local action plan
implement policies and measures
monitor and verify results

This first draft of the baseline inventory provided an enlightening view, that is, if you are an energy maven.  Here are this energy maven's notes.

Huh?

What, you may be asking yourself, do Grizzy Bears have to do with birds? Well, if you spend any time in southwest Alaska, you are bound to run into a Grizzly or two. Join me below for more about our adventures, including encounters with a bird or two.

In a July 21, 2008 article for the National Review Online, Rep. Michele Bachmann (MN-06) makes several statements about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the environmental impact of drilling for oil.

Bachmann claimed that "it was simply not true" that drilling in Alaska "would hurt the abundant wildlife and natural resources there." She claimed that "Energy exploration would be limited to a small 2,000-acre lot with in ANWR," and the proposed drilling area was "comparable to a postage stamp sitting on a football field." She stated that "visiting ANWR...revealed that almost no wildlife exists in the 2,000 acre area," and that it was "flat arctic tundra with absolutely no trees in view." She also told readers that "caribou and wildlife were nowhere near the possible drilling sites." (continued)

This diary was originally posted to Daily Kos on September 6, 2006. Normal diary schedule should resume starting next week. Sorry for the absence this summer.

A while back I posted a diary on the American Eel. There is another species of eel on the New England shores that is less well known.  The conger eel (Conger oceanicus) is rarely seen, even by the most dedicated fishermen.  It is extremely shy, spending most of its time hiding out in caves or rock crevices.  It is also strictly nocturnal, active only at night when it comes out to prey on fish and crustaceans.

Congers are true eels, having a continuous vertical fin. That is the dorsal, ventral and caudal (tail) fins are all joined with no breaks in between.  And they get huge.  An adult conger can reach a length of nine feet and weigh over a hundred pounds.  It is perhaps the largest shallow water fish on our coasts.

On NPR's Science Friday, Ira Flatow had David Blume on in the last segment.

If you didn't catch the show, here is the segment. Start at 13:20 for the part about cattails. http://www.npr.org/... Here's a couple of audio snippets from the show. Blume claims that cattails, that ubiquitous plant that seems to be more of a nuisance than anything else can yield over 7,000 gallons of ethanol per acre [?!?]   http://www.sciencefriday.com/... http://www.sciencefriday.com/...

Cattails have been a food staple [yes, the things that grow in marshes] of American Indians, something I did not know up until today. If someone had told me you could eat these, I would have said "you're nuts".

As has been mentioned before here there are now dead zones off the coasts of California, the east coast of the US, the Gulf Coast, Mexico, Venezuala, Portugaul, Britain, the channel islands, Scandinavia, the Adriatic, the Black Sea, the Caspian, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Dead zones – areas of oxygen-depleted bottom waters – are spreading at an alarming rate in coastal waters, killing off huge amounts of marine life, a new study has found.

The number of dead zones has doubled every decade since the sixties. Thats 2^5 times as many areas where the reefs are barren, the fish are floating belly up and the fisherman are watching their boats and gear rot and their families starve.