September 3, 2010

Shameless.Nike/WVU Football Introduce Uniform to Honor 29 Miners That Passed on April 5;Greenies Pressure Nike to Change Design on Bases That Uniform "Promotes"Mountain Top Mining. The AP(9.2) reports, "After angry environmentalists objected to a Nikepromotional ad for a new West Virginia University football uniform, theathletic apparel giant said Thursday it will modify a graphic depicting amountaintop removal mine. Nike issued a statement through the university,repeating what the school had said earlier in the day: The new black and whitePro Combat uniform was designed to honor the heritage of coal mining and 29 menkilled in the April explosion at Upper Big Branch mine. "We are modifyingthe graphic of the player on our website to address concerns," thestatement said. The Oregon-based company did not return repeated messages fromThe Associated Press. The Mountaineers will wear the coal-themed uniform foronly one game this season, the Nov. 26 Backyard Brawl at Pittsburgh. Nike paidfor the new gear. The problem environmental activists had with the ad was notthe color of the gear – off-white that appears coated in coal dust – or thenumber 29 on the coal-black helmets. It’s the depiction of a mountaintopremoval mine behind the image of a player, complete with flat, treelessmountaintop, the sound of an explosion and the image of falling rock." Click HEREfor Nike/WVU Promotional Video.

One Week, TwoFederal Judges Rebuke Obama Admin. Anti-Energy Agenda. This Time, Court Rules77 Leases in Utah Were Revoked Without Merit, Slazar "exceeded hisstatutory authority." Oiland Gas Journal (9.2) reports, "US Interior Sec. Ken Salazar exceededhis authority when he order 77 federal oil and gas leases in Utah withdrawn inearly 2009, a federal court judge ruled on Sept. 1 in Salt Lake City. But USDistrict Judge Dee Benson also ruled that plaintiffs waited too long tochallenge Salazar’s action. Commissioners from three eastern Utah counties andthree area independent producers who brought the suit indicated that the judge’sdecision keeps an unacceptable precedent from being established. Salazarordered the leases canceled early in 2009, soon after he became Interiorsecretary, after the US District Court for the District of Columbia issued atemporary restraining order on Dec. 22, 2008, preventing the US Bureau of LandManagement from issuing them. The tracts were among 116 parcels sold at aregularly scheduled lease sale on Dec. 19. The Southern Utah WildernessAlliance had sued 2 days earlier to block their being offered. "In this case,the secretary exceeded his statutory authority by withdrawing leases afterdetermining which parcels were to be leased and after holding a competitivelease during which the BLM named the plaintiffs high responsible bidders," saidBenson. "Ultimately, though, the plaintiffs’ claims are time-barred," hecontinued. "Faced with a strict statute of limitations, the plaintiffs failedto file their suit within 90 days of the secretary’s final decision."

Anti-EnergyAdvocates/POLITICO/Waxman Licking Their Chops After Rig Catches Firein Gulf, We’re Just Glad Everyone’s Safe. The AP(9.3) reports, "Stark differences exist between the oil platform fire inthe Gulf of Mexico and the blast that led to the massive BP spill. Mostnotably, no one was killed and no crude was gushing into the water, but thedistinctions don’t end there. Even though the Mariner Energy-owned platformthat erupted in flames Thursday was just 200 miles west of the site of thespill, everything from the structures to the operations to the safety deviceswere different. Yet, when word spread of the latest mishap, Gulf Coastresidents could only think of the three-month BP spill that began after thedrilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers. "It’sunbelievable," said Sophie Esch, 28, a graduate student at Tulane who isfrom Berlin, Germany. "They should finally stop drilling in the Gulf. Theyshould shut down all the drilling out there and not give permission to do anymore. They’ve shown that it’s just unsafe." Mariner Energy officials saidthere were seven active production wells on its platform, and they were shutdown shortly before the fire broke out. The Coast Guard said they wouldcontinue to monitor the platform to make sure no leaks. Houston-based MarinerEnergy said it did not know what caused the fire. The platform was still intactand a small portion appears burned, Cassidy said. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindalsaid the company told him the fire began in 100 barrels of light oil condensate."

Are Weather andClimate One in the Same? According to the UN, No, Except When it Suits TheirArgument. TheHill (9.2) reports, "Environmental ministers meeting in Geneva todaywere told a series of weather disasters point to the need for action on climatechange. The ministers are attending a session at the United Nations focused onfinancing a shift to green technologies in poorer countries. More than 40countries are attending the meetings. Christiana Figueres, the U.N.’s climate chief, said a string of weathercalamities point to the need for swift action, according to AFP.  Figueres mentioned the devastatingfloods in Pakistan and fires in Russia, which she said were a wakeup call forthe need for a new global climate-change agreement. "Science will show whetherand how those events are related to climate change caused by humanity’sgreenhouse-gas emissions, but the point is clear: We cannot afford to faceescalating disasters of that kind," she said, according to AFP. The talks inGeneva run until Friday and are focused on how to provide financing for poorercountries to shift from fossil fuels."

Double-Dip.Congressman Submits Earmark Request for "Non-Profit" to DevelopOffshore Wind Technology. Weeks Later, Same Congressman Signs Letter in Supportof Same Project for Energy Dept. Funding. PittsburghTribune-Review (9.3) reports, "Rep. Joe Sestak said Thursday he made amistake by failing to connect two requests from the same person, one of whichcould have led to a $350,000 earmark going to a for-profit company in violationof House rules. The requester, Drew Devitt, applied for the earmark in Marchfor his nonprofit Thomas Paine Foundation, to develop a type of wind turbinethat could be located miles offshore. A month later, he asked Sestak,D-Delaware County, to write a letter to the Department of Energy supporting thesame project. This time, the letter identified Devitt’s for-profit company, NewWay Energy, as well as his nonprofit. "On April 12, I signed and sent theletter forward," along with about 4,500 similar letters he signed thatmonth, Sestak said. "In that, I made an error: that I failed to put twoand two together." Devitt issued a statement saying he was up-front withSestak’s staff when he made the request. "I am an inventor, writer,entrepreneur, and employer of people who actually make things," Devittsaid. "I believe that the U.S. government has unwisely spent its funds onthe purchase of foreign wind turbines that have not been placed in zones thatwould be the most effective at generating energy. My efforts have been topromote what I believe is a better plan for wind energy."

Who Said Chinais Going Green? Remember that 75 Mile Traffic Jam in China Last Week, Turns out10,000 of Those Trucks Were Carrying Coal (!?!). WashingtonExaminer (9.3) reports, "Did you hear about that epic 75-mile longtraffic jam they had in China earlier this week? Yes, you read that right, itwas a traffic jam that stretched for 75 miles. Here in the nation’s capital,people are amazed when I-95 heading south of town or the Beltway around thecity develop jams that go for 10 miles. But incredible as a 75-mile traffic jamis in and of itself, there was something else of importance worth noting in theChinese traffic choker – it was mainly caused by trucks hauling coal. Accordingto China Daily, "more than 10,000 trucks mainly carrying coal are stuck ina 120 km (75 mile) traffic jam in the north Chinese region of Inner Mongolia,in the latest dramatic snarl-up on the country’s roads." Imagine that,10,000 trucks hauling coal. There is a reason for that, however. China’smassive manufacturing economy runs on coal, a fact that somehow gets lost inPresident Obama’s frequent exhortations to Americans that we must go greenbecause China allegedly is doing it faster than we are."