In the Pipeline: 6/12/13

Is this guy still alive? I figured he drowned after his beach house was overtaken by rising seas. Politico (6/11/13) reports: “Former Vice President Al Gore lamented today that scientists “will not let us link record-breaking” tornadoes in Oklahoma and elsewhere to climate change because of inadequate record keeping on the twisters… ‘But when you put more energy into a system, it gets more energetic,’ Gore said at an environmental event in Washington hosted by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.”

Everyone loves to jump out in front of a parade. This time, we hope the marching band doesn’t slow down and leaves these goons in the dust. RedState (6/11/13) reports: “So after restricting the food supply, starving children, driving up your grocery bill and increasing the cost of fuel, was the government done yet? Of course not! Because now they want to expand it!… Unbelievably enough, Republicans are jumping on board… Not content with the destruction currently in the RFS Mandate’s wake, Reps. Pete Olson and Joe Barton (R-TX) are pushing HR. 1959 which would expand the RFS mandate to include natural gas based ethanol.”

I wonder how the NRDC would feel if it were routed through the neighborhoods of rich, white folks. Or, as the NRDC likes to call them, donors. Daily Caller (6/11/13) reports: “The rail project will be built in Wilmington, a suburb located near the ports. The Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups, however, claim that the project targets LA minority communities… ‘The SCIG project typifies environmental racism,” David Pettit, director of the NRDC’s Southern California air program and urban program, said in a statement. “This project can be built away from where people live and children go to school, but the city of Los Angeles wants to put it in a low-income minority neighborhood because they think they can get away with it.’”

Again, what does it mean to “deny carbon”? Are we still talking about the same element on the periodic table? If these people want to have a serious debate about our energy future, they should first brush up on basic physics. Oh right… they don’t want to have a serious debate. E&ENews (6/11/13) reports: “‘Frankly, to be a carbon denier at this point in the development of the facts is to be one short step away from insane,’ he said. ‘You just can’t logically support that point of view.’… Whitehouse said the political tide appeared to be turning against members who dismiss climate concerns. Polls show that more Americans believe in climate change and support action on it. And he pointed to billionaire investor Tom Steyer’s involvement in the Massachusetts Democratic primary, which helped shift the race toward climate advocate Rep. Ed Markey and away from Rep. Stephen Lynch, who had voted in support of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.”

We already know that the Sierra Club doesn’t like human beings, but do they only like wolves, and not elk? What about chickens and cattle? The problem is that wolves in states like Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho are thriving unchecked, which leads to the less desirable policy of shoot, shovel, and shut up. At least now we can have a more open and honest discussion about hunting policies and resource management. Sierra Club (6/12/13) reports: “Wolves Thrown to the Dogs: On Friday, the Obama administration let us down, proposing to strip nearly all gray wolves of their Endangered Species Act protections. Delisting wolves now would turn back the clock on years of hard-won recovery work, and it could finish off this legendary species in the Lower 48 for good. We need your help.”

It’s hard to believe that this story was able to cut through all the noise. It’s a great read: “Please, frack beneath my farm”. NY Daily News (6/9/13) reports: “Being a farmer myself, I want to be clear: There is nothing in natural gas production that conflicts with the work we do. In fact, I am hard-pressed to see how utilizing the fertility of the space beneath our fields conflicts with being good stewards of the land above. I like to be consistent and rational, and no matter which way I look at this, it remains a win-win. Cleaner energy from below, crops from above… My family derives its livelihood from farming in upstate New York. Over the course of the past 25 years, we have milked cows, raised sheep and planted and harvested field crops. We have worked from sunrise to sunset, oftentimes seven days a week, all the time laboring to ensure our land is kept healthy and productive.”