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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: Science slips onto Fox ‘News’; Climate activist Tim DeChristopher sentenced to 2 years in federal prison; Poverty rises near mountaintop removal coal mining; 54 mpg by 2025?; Oil industry profits jump — again; PLUS: Drilling for oil in the Arctic? Coast Guard says ‘we’re not ready’… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!

Green News Report with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen 7/28/2011

‘Green News Report’ – July 28, 2011  |  With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...   · · · · ·   ‘Green News Report’ – July 28, 2011  |  With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): EPA delays smog rule for fourth time; Record rain causes deaths, flooding, landslides in S. Korea; Tropical Storm Don bound for TX; Waxman calls out Obama: explain connection between pollution and extreme weather; CA Gov vows to ‘crush’ foes of renewable energy; Norwegians concede role in salmon virus; Only one deadly strain of e. coli is Illegal; Bad summer sequels: GOP rehashes attacks on environment; Court rules farmers can sue over pesticide drift; Japanese scientists push for more radiation tests on seafood Risks; Sen. Manchin’s (D-WV) ties to coal company … PLUS: The Plastic Bag Wars …

STORIES DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…

• VIDEO: Fox Anchor Wonders If Moon Volcanoes Mean Global Warming Isn’t Happening (Media Matters.org)
• Climate Activist Tim DeChristopher Sentenced to Federal Prison
• Tim DeChristopher’s Statement Before the Court: I Do Not Want Mercy, I Want You To Join Me (CommonDreams.org) [emphasis added]:
  This is really the heart of what this case is about. The rule of law is dependent upon a government that is willing to abide by the law. Disrespect for the rule of law begins when the government believes itself and its corporate sponsors to be above the law.
  …
  In both the December 2008 auction and the creation of the Resource Management Plan on which this auction was based, the BLM did not even attempt to follow this law.

  And this law is not a trivial regulation about crossing t’s or dotting i’s to make some government accountant’s job easier. This law was put into effect to mitigate the impacts of catastrophic climate change and defend a livable future on this planet. This law was about protecting the survival of young generations. That’s kind of a big deal. It’s a very big deal to me. If the government is going to refuse to step up to that responsibility to defend a livable future, I believe that creates a moral imperative for me and other citizens. My future, and the future of everyone I care about, is being traded for short term profits. I take that very personally. Until our leaders take seriously their responsibility to pass on a healthy and just world to the next generation, I will continue this fight.

• DONATE to the TimDeChristopher Legal Fund (Peaceful Uprising.org)
• Tim DeChristopher’s Imprisonment: Our Call to Action! (Peaceful Uprising.org)
• Why the prosecution wants a harsh sentence for Tim: To stop YOU from taking action (Peaceful Uprising.org)
• Activist who faked Utah energy lease bids sentenced to 2 years: Tim DeChristopher is also fined $10,000 for winning bids on 22,000 acres in Utah that he couldn’t pay for at a federal energy auction. Protesters in Salt Lake City block traffic; 26 are arrested. (LA Times)
• Eco-activist gains fame for civil disobedience (AP)
• Video: Juliana Schatz: Tim DeChristopher On Going to Prison (Huffington Post Green)
• DeChristopher Sentenced To Prison, 26 Protesters Arrested (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Activist Sentenced To Two Years for Oil Lease Fraud (Reuters)
• Poverty Highest Near Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
• Appalachian Poverty Concentrated Around Mine Sites, WVU Study Says (Charleston Gazette):
  Poverty in Appalachia is concentrated in the communities around mountaintop removal mines, and people living in those areas suffer greater risk of early deaths, according to a new scientific paper by a West Virginia University researcher.
• West Virginia’s boom-and-bust energy economy (Coal Tattoo)
• If coal is so good, then why is W.Va. so poor? (Coal Tattoo)
• 54 MPG by 2024?:
• White House, Carmakers Near Deal on Fuel Standards (LA Times):
  The Obama administration will require that vehicle fleets average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, according to people with knowledge of the talks. That would mark a sharp increase in efficiency.
• New EPA Mileage Standards Could Stimulate Auto Sales (Seeking Alpha)
• To boost future mileage, carmakers are likely to rely on today’s advanced technology (LA Times):
  To hit a 54.5-mpg target, the key will be applying what’s already known or on the drawing boards to almost every vehicle, not just a relative handful
• Crying wolf over fuel efficiency standards (John German, International Council on Clean Transportation, The Hill):
  In 1972, a vice president of General Motors said that requiring catalytic converters in cars would result in a “complete stoppage of production.” Of course, that didn’t happen. In 1966, Henry Ford II predicted that his company would “have to close down” over seat belt and safety glass standards. In 2008, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers said proposed new fuel economy standards went “beyond what is technologically feasible and economically practicable.” Two years later, they stood side by side with the president, endorsing those same standards, and pledging to average fuel economy of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016.
• Obama, Automakers Agree on New Mileage Rules (The Detroit Bureau):
  The new rules are expected to call for a two-stage phase-in, with mileage for passenger cars rising 5% annually while light trucks would see fuel economy climb 3.5% a year from 2017 to 2021, then by 5% through 2025.

  Administration spokesman Jay Carney confirmed that the changes to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standard is expected to save jobs and improve market demand while also reducing oil consumption and pollution.

• Use of advanced battery technology to expand with new fuel standard (LA Times)
• Automaker attack ads fair? What 56.2 mpg means for you (USA Today)
• Ford To Build New Factory, Employ 5,000 — In India:
• Ford bets big on India, to build plant in Gujarat (Reuters):
  Ford Motor Co plans to build a $900 million production plant in India, doubling its investment in the country, as the U.S. carmaker seeks to catch up with rivals in the second-fastest growing auto market in the world.

  Foreign car makers have been ramping up investment in a price-conscious Indian market, where small cars are the biggest sellers and domestic operators have long dominated the market.

• Oil Industry Profits Jump — Again
• Gas prices drive Exxon Mobil profit up 41% (CNN Money)
• Shell profit soars as big projects pay off (Reuters)
• BP Announces ‘Disappointing‘ Profits Of $5.6 Billion (Think Progress Green)
• Drilling in the Arctic? Coast Guard Says ‘We’re Not Ready’:
• Coast Guard Testifies It’s Totally Unprepared for an Arctic Oil Spill: “We Have Zero to Operate With at Present.” (Climate Progress)
• US not ready to respond to Arctic oil spills: Coast Guard chief (Platt’s):
  “If this were to happen off the North Slope of Alaska, we’d have nothing,” said Admiral Robert Papp, the agency’s commandant. “We’re starting from ground zero today.”
• VIDEO: Arctic Policy Hearing, Oceans Subcommittee meeting on the economic interests of the U.S. in a changing Arctic (YouTube, Sen. Mark Begich, D-AK)
• USCG not ready for arctic oil spill (UPI)
• Can anyone clean up an Arctic oil spill? (Alaska Dispatch)
• Shell VP makes case for Alaska drilling (FuelFix Blog):
  “Environmentalists who oppose Shell’s drilling plans have warned that it could be difficult to clean up any oil spilled in slushy Arctic waters. Cold, icy conditions also mean it could take far longer than in the much warmer Gulf for any spilled crude to naturally break up in the water. And they insist the risks are too great for seals, whales, walruses and polar bears that live in the region as well as the native communities that live off those resources.”

‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (Stuff we didn’t have time for in today’s audio report)…

• EPA delays smog rule for fourth time (Reuters)
• South Korea mobilizes to cope with flooding, landslides (CS Monitor) [emphasis added]:
  More than 20 inches of rain have fallen on Seoul since Tuesday, including 11.87 on Wednesday, the highest single-day total since record-keeping began.

  Tens of thousands of workers are repairing housing and railroad tracks, as well as searching for missing people.

  Thousands of rescuers used heavy machinery and shovels Thursday to clear mud and search for survivors after huge landslides and flooding killed more than 40 people in the country.

• Tropical Storm Don bound for Texas (USA Today)
• Waxman Calls Out Obama For Not Explaining Connection Between Climate Pollution And Extreme Weather (Think Progress Green)
• U.S. Cities Face Water-Related Climate Change Dangers: Study (Reuters):
  In the coming decades, Miami, New Orleans and Norfolk, Virginia were expected to be the coastal cities hardest hit by flooding and storm surges due to rising sea levels, the group said.

  In Boston, where the city’s airport is flanked by water, historic landmarks and critical transportation infrastructure were at a greater risk of flooding due to rising sea levels.

  Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco will face similar danger from rising waters, according to the report.

• Calif. Governor Vows to ‘Crush’ Foes of Renewable Energy (Greenwire):
  “When local communities try to block installation of solar like they did in San Luis Obispo, we act to overcome the opposition,” Brown (D) said, referring to the city where environmental groups have been protesting two large-scale solar plants over environmental and endangered species concerns.

  “In Oakland I learned that some kind of opposition you have to crush,” the former Oakland mayor said. “You can talk, but you have to move forward.”

• Norwegians Concede Role in Spread of Salmon Virus (NY Times):
  A virus that has killed millions of salmon in Chile and ravaged the fish farming industry there was probably brought over from Norway, a major salmon producer has acknowledged.
• Only one deadly strain of E. Coli is Illegal (USA Today):
  The food-safety world knows there are a half-dozen or more lethal forms of E. coli ending up in our meat or on our leafy greens that are so virulent they can send people to the hospital and even kill them.
  But in the United States only one, E. coli O157:H7, is officially termed an adulterant, meaning any raw ground beef that tests positive for it cannot be sold for human consumption.>
• MN Court Rules Farmers Can Sue Over Pesticide Drift (Minneapolis Star Tribune):
  The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday that Oluf Johnson and organic farmers like him can sue for damages from neighboring farmers who apply pesticides that drift beyond their fencelines.
• Japanese Scientists Push For More Radiation Tests On Seafood Risks (Bloomberg):
  Japan’s government has to release more data from ocean radiation tests to accurately assess the contamination threat to seafood, according to a statement by the Oceanographic Society of Japan.
• Quakes Push AR to Limit Gas-Waste Wells (Wall St. Journal):
  Sen. Manchin (D-WV) Maintains Lucrative Ties to Family-Owned Coal Company: (Greenwire):

  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is more than just a supporter of his state’s influential coal producers — he’s a full-fledged industry insider.
• Terrible Summer Sequels: Republicans Re-Hash Tired Political Theater Around Environmental Issues (Think Porgress Green)
• The Plastic Bag Wars (Rolling Stone):
  The world consumes 1 million plastic shopping bags every minute – and the industry is fighting hard to keep it that way.