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IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Surprise! 2015 was the hottest year ever recorded on Planet Earth; MI Gov. Rick Snyder apologizes and promises action for the lead-poisoned residents of Flint; New York breaks up with coal; Denmark sets a new world wind power record; PLUS: More bad news for Big Oil... All that and more in today's Green News Report!

Got comments, tips, love letters, hate mail? Drop us a line at GreenNews@BradBlog.com or right here at the comments link below. All GNRs are always archived at GreenNews.BradBlog.com.

IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Graphs of the Day: The Pause no More; EPA shuffles its feet over bee die-offs; No jail time for Delta 5 in historic civil disobedience case; Global fish catch drastically under-reported; Canadian sue to stop wolf hunts by helicopter; Did EPA fail to protect community from environmental racism?; UT representative announces bill proposing Bundy-style land seizures... PLUS: Fox anchor, guest suggest government focus on climate change and "PC stuff" helped cause Flint water crisis... and much, MUCH more! ...

STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY'S 'GREEN NEWS REPORT'...

• VIDEO: Climate Change+Sea Level Rise+Big Storm: What Could Go Wrong? (Climate Crocks):
  
  While the snow is certainly the most notable and visual phenomenon, parts of the East Coast could also face a major storm surge event that could wreak havoc and up the damage. The fact that the storm is slow moving and showing up during the highest tides of the month means prolonged flooding is possible..
• 2015 Hottest Year on Record, By Record-Breaking Margin:
• NASA, NOAA Analyses Reveal Record-Shattering Global Warm Temperatures in 2015 (NASA)
• U.S. Agencies Say 2015 Was Hottest On Record, Shatters Records (Reuters):
  
  Last year’s global average temperature was the hottest ever by the widest margin on record, two U.S. government agencies said on Wednesday, adding to pressure for deep greenhouse gas emissions cuts scientists say are needed to arrest warming that is disrupting the global climate.
• The hottest year on record signals that global warming is alive and well (The Conversation)
• Scientists: 2015 was Earth's hottest year (Politico):
  
  But Ted Cruz still denounces climate change as a 'pseudo-scientific theory,' and Donald Trump has called it a Chinese invention.
• Flint Water Crisis: Gov. Snyder Promises Action, Accountability:
• Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan Apologizes in Flint Water Crisis (NY Times) [emphasis added]:
  
  "What took the governor so long to do something about this?" asked Dan Reyes, 46, an autoworker and Flint resident who brought bottles full of the city's tap water to offer to legislators. "The message is clear to us: Flint is a predominantly minority, poor community. In Flint, you don't matter to Snyder's brand of politician."
• Flint water crisis: emails reveal governor Snyder informed of problems a year ago (Guardian UK)
• VIDEO: Obama addresses 'terrible tragedy' of Flint water crisis while in Michigan (Guardian UK)
• VIDEO: As Water Problems Grew, Officials Belittled Complaints From Flint (NY Times)
• How government officials failed the people of Flint, Mich. (Washington Post)
• The poisoning of Flint (Katrina vanden Heuvel, op-ed, Washington Post) [emphasis added]:
  
  Today, Flint has become a nightmarish example of how misguided austerity policies can literally poison the public.
• GOP lead-poisoning truthers say Flint water crisis ‘vastly overstated’ — and might even be ’a hoax’ (Raw Story)
• More Trouble For ExxonMobil:
• California to investigate whether Exxon Mobil lied about climate-change risks (LA Times):
  
  alifornia Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris is investigating whether Exxon Mobil Corp. repeatedly lied to the public and its shareholders about the risk to its business from climate change - and whether such actions could amount to securities fraud and violations of environmental laws.
• California's Attorney General Is Now Investigating Exxon (Climate Progress)
• Global Oil Prices Slump Leads to Negative Pricing:
• The North Dakota Crude Oil That's Worth Almost Nothing (Bloomberg) [emphasis added]:
  
  Flint Hills Resources LLC, the refining arm of billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch’s industrial empire, said it offered to pay $1.50 a barrel Friday for North Dakota Sour, a high-sulfur grade of crude, according to a corrected list of prices posted on its website Monday. It had previously posted a price of -$0.50... it underscores how dire things are in the U.S. oil patch.
• Today Was a Wild Day for the Oil Market: Crude prices are tumbling. (Bloomberg)
• New York State Breaks Up With Coal:
• New York Gov. Cuomo calls for closing all coal plants in state by 2020 (Utility Dive):
  
  To address the economic impact of shuttering the plants on communities and workers, Cuomo said the state will use a $19 million mitigation fund to help offset financial losses.
• New York Is the Latest State to Join Worldwide War on Coal (Bloomberg),/li>
• We Might Have Finally Seen Peak Coal (Climate Progress):
  
  Chinese coal use peaked back in 2013, as Climate Progress first reported in May.... "Will a handful of developing countries, particularly India, see enough growth in coal consumption to overcome that drop?" Goldman Sachs, among others, says the answer is no. "Peak coal is coming sooner than expected," Goldman told clients in a September research note.
• Global Mercury Emissions Down 30 Percent As Coal Use Drops: USGS (Reuters):
  
  Global emissions of mercury from manmade sources fell 30 percent from 1990 to 2010, in part from decreasing use of coal, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported on Wednesday.
• Denmark Breaks Wind - Wind Records, That Is:
• Denmark Just Set a Wind Power Record…Again (Climate Central):
  
  Denmark’s electric utility, the country’s turbines accounted for the equivalent of 42 percent of all electricity produced for the year. It’s the highest proportion for any country — breaking a record the country set just last year — and represents more than a doubling compared to just 10 years ago.
• Iran Set to Pump More Oil Into Market Glut (NY Times):
  
  With international sanctions lifted, the Iranian government called on its oil industry Monday to open the taps on production, a move that could add to a global glut of crude that has sent prices into a tailspin.

'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (Stuff we didn't have time for in today's audio report)...

• Graphs of the Day: The Pause no More (Climate Crocks)
• As Bees Die Off, the EPA Shuffles Its Feet (Civil Eats):
  
  The agency says tiny amounts of “neonics” can harm bees and beekeepers file suit over treated seeds.
• No Jail Time for Delta 5 in Historic Case That 'Welcomes Jurors to Climate Movement' (Common Dreams):
  
  Activists who blockaded oil train in September 2014 will not face financial restitution claims or jail time.
• Study: Global Fish Catch Drastically Underreported (VOA News):
  
  over the past several months there have been many significant changes made to the bill, turning it from a gesture of compromise to a divisive bill that includes Bundy-style public land giveaways, pseudo-wilderness protections, accelerated oil and gas development, and the marginalization of several original stakeholder groups.
• Canadians Are Suing to Stop the Killing of Wolves From Helicopters (VICE):
  
  Environment groups are taking their fight to stop British Columbia's wolf cull to court, arguing it violates proper wolf management techniques.
• AP FACT CHECK: Ted Cruz Misstates Science Of Climate Change (AP):
  
  Answering a question this week about climate change during a campaign stop in New Hampshire, Ted Cruz was worlds apart from the scientific consensus that sees a world that is warming because of human activity.
• Did EPA Fail to Protect a Black Community from Environmental Racism? (Ebony):
  
  Tallassee, Ala., wants the agency to defend them from a landfill company, but residents say proposed rule changes would not be effective enough.
• Fox Anchor, Guest Suggest Government Focus On Climate Change And "PC Stuff" Helped Cause Flint Water Crisis (Media Matters):
  
  AESCH: Well, you look at the debate that we want to have over climate change for example, while we don't have the ability to provide people in Flint with clean drinking water. You know, coming here today, as we all did to the studios, we had a one in nine chance of driving across a bridge that is structurally deficient, and we simply can't continue to have these ---
  NAUERT: And you also go on to say that we're spending too much time on PC stuff.
• Rep. Rob Bishop (RT-UT) Announces Bill Proposing Bundy-Style Land Seizures (Climate Progress) [emphasis added]:
  
  [O]ver the past several months there have been many significant changes made to the bill, turning it from a gesture of compromise to a divisive bill that includes Bundy-style public land giveaways, pseudo-wilderness protections, accelerated oil and gas development, and the marginalization of several original stakeholder groups.
• Consensus Reached on Residential Air Conditioner and Heat Pump Efficiency Standards (NRDC Switchboard):
  
  Once finalized, updated standards for these products will add to the large savings achieved last year through updated standards for rooftop commercial air conditioners and other product categories. For comparison, the commercial AC standard - the largest standard ever set will save 15 quads. At approximately 2.8 quads, the updated standards for residential central air conditioners and heat pumps are quite significant.
• Study: Man-Made Heat Put In Oceans Has Doubled Since 1997 (AP):
  
  The amount of man-made heat energy absorbed by the seas has doubled since 1997, a study released Monday showed.

FOR MORE on Climate Science and Climate Change, go to our Green News Report: Essential Background Page

• Video Proof That Global Warming is a 'Hoax'!: NASA Temperature Data 1888-2011 (The BRAD BLOG):



• NASA climate change video: This is the U.S. in 2100 (NASA).

                 

Article Categories: California, New York, Environment, Michigan, Green News, Coal, North Dakota, Oil, Wind energy, Climate change, Extreme weather, Election 2016, Exxon Mobil, Mining, Andrew Cuomo, Rick Snyder