What Green Means

An agenda that eviscerates property rights, enlarges the regulatory state, increases taxes and forces egalitarianism isn't an easy sell in a nation with a legacy of liberty and free markets. But some time ago, eco-activists and their allies in Congress understood that they could march the country to the left by small degrees if they disguised socialism as environmentalism. And thus the environmental movement was hijacked. Now, frustrated with their inability to have forced a deeper leftward shift, the environmental activists feel the need to recast the language of the debate. Using polling and focus groups, ecoAmerica, an environmental group that develops marketing and messaging strategies, has forged a list of recommendations. It was obtained by the New York Times, which says it's one of "a number of news organizations" that was accidently e-mailed a "summary of the group's latest findings and recommendations." Rather than talk about "global warming," which is already being replaced by the less-specific "climate change," ecoAmerica suggests that alarmists should discuss "our deteriorating atmosphere." And instead of picking on carbon dioxide per se, it proposes we simply abandon "the dirty fuels of the past." What's clear is eco-activists and their allies will do anything to avoid talking about their real goals, which have less to do with cleaning up the environment than with pulling down capitalism. Every solution they offer to the problems they exaggerate erodes economic freedom, increases regulation or both. Blurring the real meaning of words can't change that...IBD

Klamath Agreement: Part I

J.C. Boyle Dam is one of four hydropower dams along the Klamath River. Starting in Upper Klamath Lake, the river flows over 250 miles through Southern Oregon and Northern California. It is a source of recreation and business for fishermen, water for farmers, and a vital part of the culture for Klamath tribe members. Casey Spinks is a member of the Karuk Tribe, and has lived all 67 years of his life along the Klamath. "About late 70s, early 80s, the fish started to get less and less. I mean, there was still a good number of them. You could go out and catch a lot, but not like the old days, where people go out and catch all the fish they ever wanted, catch them all day long," says Spinks. The Karuk, along with the Hoopa and Yurok Tribes, are working to remove J.C Boyle, Copco 1, Copco 2, and Iron Gate dams from the river to restore the fisheries and help salmon swim upstream to spawn. "The Klamath has several impacts on the fisheries on the river. It blocks over 350 miles of spawning habitat the fish once used," says Karuk Tribe Spokesperson Craig Tucker. The Klamath Tribes have been fishing on the Klamath River for thousands of years. Salmon is the cornerstone of their diet. They also gather plants and wildlife along the banks of the river...KRDV-TV

Klamath Agreement: Part 2

The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement has brought many groups to the table; tribes, farmers and fishermen, who have battled for years over water. However, not everyone that has a stake in the outcome of the KBRA is involved in its development. Some feel that removing the dams will actually do more harm than good. Copco Dams 1 and 2 were the first of four hydropower dams built along the Klamath River. Copco 1 forms Copco Lake in Northern California. Many homeowners living on the lake do not want the dams out. German Diaz and his wife Jeannie built their dream home on Copco Lake. Now the Diaz's are worried about their property value. "We're concerned that there's going to be a decrease in value. Honestly, with the cost of government, I don't see us getting any benefit of tax reduction," says German Diaz. Copco Lake Resident Herman Spannaus' great grandfather settled here in 1856. His family owned land now under Copco Lake. "When people see where we live, they think we've got the best kept secret in the world," says Spannaus. "There's no economy here. It's just going to destroy what little is left of people's ability to make a living," says Siskiyou County Supervisor Marcia Armstrong...KDRV-TV

Klamath Agreement: Part 3

The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, aimed at settling decades of water dispute on Oregon and California's Klamath River, is likely entering its final stages. A final draft resolution is set to be reached among parties involved in the KBRA. That document will be made public by June 30th. A large part of the KBRA hinges on what is being called the hydro-agreement, essentially, the 'dam removal' part of the KBRA. PacifiCorp has signed off on an Agreement In Principle, or AIP, which outlines the framework for dam decommissioning. "We understand the passion that is associated with those down in the Klamath Basin. We have a lot of customers, who, this is all they've ever known, are these dams, and especially in the Klamath, where water distribution is so tricky," says PacifiCorp Spokesman Art Sasse. PacifiCorp owns all four hydropower dams on the Klamath River. While tribal members, farmers and fishermen have been working together on the KBRA, they've also committed to supporting the hydro-agreement, outlined as Part Two of the eight-part KBRA. The hydro-agreement calls for "the removal of the lower four Klamath River dams under conditions that protect and advance the public interest"...KDRV-TV

Salmon Salvation

Can the Pacific Northwest -- indeed the nation -- fulfill Van Bergen's dream of wild salmon recovery? For the first time in decades, the answer may be yes. Many biologists have long been clear about the best way to achieve it: Remove four dams on the Lower Snake River so the fish can reach millions of acres of pristine habitat in central Idaho and northeast Oregon. For nearly 20 years, however, the powerful federal agencies now appearing before Redden -- including the Bonneville Power Administration, which markets the region's hydropower, and the Bureau of Reclamation and Army Corps of Engineers, which run some of the region's 200 major dams -- have strenuously avoided dam removal. They've spent $8 billion on almost every conceivable alternative with little consequent improvement in the fortunes of wild fish. And they've cultivated allies among inland ports, utilities, the barging industry, the vanishing aluminum industry and politicians, including Washington state's senior senator, Democrat Patty Murray. Some of those formidable obstacles to dam removal remain, but there are signs that the balance is tipping. President Barack Obama appears dedicated to science and transparency; a well-respected fisheries scientist is now in charge of a key federal agency; and new Northwestern politicians have signaled their willingness to help solve the salmon crisis. Some eastern Washington farmers and other dam beneficiaries appear willing to contemplate a future without the four Snake dams, and renewables in the region already produce as much electricity as these dams provide. A ban on commercial salmon fishing along the Oregon and California coasts for the second consecutive year will cost fishing communities hundreds of millions of dollars, adding urgency to salmon restoration. Most of all, Judge Redden is determined to make government agencies finally follow the Endangered Species Act...High Country News

Protecting grizzlies could close campgrounds, hunting areas

Protecting grizzly bears across a 4,560-square-mile swath of the Selkirk and Cabinet mountains will require closing hundreds of miles of backcountry roads used by hunters and huckleberry pickers, the Forest Service says. Grizzlies need secure areas to avoid contact with people, according to a new agency report. Despite two-inch claws and a fierce reputation – grizzlies’ Latin name is Ursus actos horribilis, or “bear horrible” – bears are typically the losers during encounters with humans. Since 1982, people have killed 87 grizzlies in two grizzly bear recovery zones in the Selkirk and Cabinet-Yaak mountains of northeastern Washington, Idaho and Western Montana. Seventy percent of the human-caused deaths occurred near roads. Poaching, or mistaking a grizzly for a black bear, were two frequent reasons grizzlies were shot and killed on Forest Service lands. Self-defense by hunters was also a factor, particularly during elk season. Over the past decade, environmental groups brought a series of lawsuits against the Forest Service, arguing that the agency needed to do more to keep people and bears apart by restricting motorized access to prime habitat areas. The litigation triggered forest plan revisions on the Idaho Panhandle, Kootenai and Lolo national forests...Spokesman Review

Police shoot bobcat that attacked 13-year-old girl and her mother

Prescott Valley police and a state wildlife officer were able to track and kill a potentially rabid bobcat Monday after it attacked two people in Prescott Valley. Officials hope it was the same bobcat that attacked a dog about an hour earlier, especially since it had blood on it before the second attack. It was the latest in a string of odd rabid wild mammal attacks against people in northern Arizona in recent months. "People should really keep their eyes open and be careful if they're hiking outdoors and take precautions to protect themselves, especially if they see a wild animal," Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Manager Scott Poppenberger said. State lab officials said they will test the bobcat Tuesday for rabies, related Zen Mocarski of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. sisters at a rope swing along Lynx Creek near Stoneridge Drive when the bobcat lunged at her, scratching and biting her lower right leg. Her mother Lisa grabbed the full-grown, 40-pound male bobcat by the neck as it rolled over and bit her on both arms. "I started screaming and I threw rocks at its face," said Christina's sister Talisa, who called 911 as the bobcat ran off. Poppenberger and PV police found the bobcat within 10 minutes, and it continued to be abnormally aggressive...Daily Courier

Fox attacks two hikers

Craig Leicht and Paul Janowski were enjoying their regular stroll along the three-mile loop of Prescott National Forest Trails 347 and 341 when a fox took a deadly interest in them. At 6:45 p.m. Thursday, the Prescott neighbors were ending an otherwise routine hike on a trail near Granite Mountain, a mile west of Prescott's municipal boundary and little more than a mile away from their homes, when the male animal attacked them. Thanks to a quick response, Leicht, who moved here from Texas in February, and Janowski fended off and killed what they think was a rabid fox close to the trails' far junction toward the bottom of a ravine. Neither of the men suffered bites or injuries. "I looked ahead and saw something crouching on the trail, and I thought it was a bobcat in a hunched-down, crouching position," Leicht said Friday about the fox encounter. "It was probably about 100 feet ahead or maybe more, so I bent down and picked up a rock just to scare it. By the time I stood up, this thing was about five feet away from me."...Daily Courier

New, Fast-Evolving Rabies Virus Found -- And Spreading

Evolving faster than any other new rabies virus on record, a northern-Arizona rabies strain has mutated to become contagious among skunks and now foxes, experts believe. The strain looks to be spreading fast, commanding attention from disease researchers across the United States (U.S. map). It's not so unusual for rabid animals to attack people on hiking trails and in driveways, or even in a bar—as happened March 27, when an addled bobcat chased pool players around the billiards table at the Chaparral in Cottonwood. Nor is it odd that rabid skunks and foxes are testing positive for a contagious rabies strain commonly associated with big brown bats. What is unusual is that the strain appears to have mutated so that foxes and skunks are now able to pass the virus on to their kin—not just through biting and scratching but through simple socializing, as humans might spread a flu. Usually the secondary species—in this case, a skunk or fox bitten by a bat—is a dead-end host. The infected animal may become disoriented and even die but is usually unable to spread the virus, except through violent attacks...National Geographic

White House Steps Up Support for Biofuels

The White House made its first major statement on ethanol on Tuesday, mustering three Cabinet members to outline a plan to shield corn ethanol producers from the credit crisis, work with them to cut their use of natural gas and coal in ethanol production, and nudge the auto industry toward production of vehicles that can use ethanol at concentrations of up to 85 percent. In pursuing these goals, the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy, Tom Vilsack and Steven Chu, along with the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson, announced during a press conference the formation of a “Biofuels Interagency Working Group,’’ comprised of the three agencies. Through the working group, the federal government announced several goals, including helping to refinance existing ethanol and biodiesel factories whose owners were having trouble obtaining credit, guaranteeing loans for the construction of new biorefineries, and expediting funding to help producers of cellulosic crops...NYTimes

Flu fears prompt 20 countries to ban meat imports

Twenty countries worldwide have banned imports of pork and other meat in response to a flu virus that has infected both people and swine, according to documents from the World Health Organisation. While the new H1N1 strain is not food-borne, fears that it may spread through animal products have prompted restrictions on live pigs, pork, cattle, poultry, livestock, feed and animal semen from countries with reported infections, according to the documents obtained by Reuters on Monday. Most affect products from Mexico and the United States and some block imports from Canada, New Zealand, Spain, France, Israel, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic...Reuters

Editorial from Sec. Vilsack on NAIS

The United States has an incredibly prosperous agricultural industry. Our livestock and poultry are among the healthiest in the world. However, even with all the preventative measures the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) already has in place, animal disease can still strike. A disease event can have far-reaching consequences, impacting more than just farmers with sick animals. A disease event also affects other farmers and the livestock industry through movement and international trade restrictions. Not only do the farmers' communities feel the economic pinch, but so does the entire country. In these times of economic uncertainty, we must do everything in our power to help ensure that any animal disease events that do happen are contained effectively so things can go back to business as usual--as quickly as possible. The best way to do this is through animal disease traceability. While there are costs associated with a traceability system, these costs are far less than the costs of dealing with a major disease outbreak like foot-and-mouth disease without the tools animal health officials need. The U.S. already has a program for animal disease traceability, the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). As the program stands now, around 35 percent of the country's farmers are participating. Much work has been done over the past five years to engage farmers in developing a national system they could support. However, many of the original concerns that were raised-- such as cost, impact on small farmers, privacy/confidentiality and liability--continue to cause debate. In order to provide the level of animal disease traceability we need in the U.S., changes must be made that will increase the level of participation in NAIS. Today, I am asking farmers and stakeholders to engage with USDA in a more productive dialogue about NAIS...

Foreclosure Trouble Spreads to Those Who Bet the Farm

The home-foreclosure crisis, which began in cities and suburbs, has spread to rural America. When the mortgage mess erupted, some economists believed that rural America wouldn't be heavily affected. Farms were prospering. The housing boom largely bypassed small rural towns. And exotic, new mortgages at first were seen as an urban and suburban phenomenon. But rural homeowners, it turns out, were just as susceptible to subprime loans and easy lending as the rest of the country, often refinancing existing mortgages to take out cash or pay off debts. Foreclosure rates remain higher in cities and suburbs than in rural areas, and the change in home values from boom to bust hasn't been as severe. Since the peak, values have dropped 13% in rural areas and 23% in urban areas, according to Moody's Economy.com, while from 2000-2006, home values appreciated 45% in rural areas compared with 84% in urban areas. Still, defaults in rural counties are rising rapidly and setting off concerns that the population in these already sparsely populated towns will decline further...WSJ

Postal Service to Unveil Seabiscuit Stamped Envelope

Walter Mondale, former vice president of the United States and U.S. Ambassador to Japan, and his wife Joan, member of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, will lead a special first day of sale ceremony at noon May 11, for the new commemorative U.S. Postal Service (USPS) stamped envelope of legendary racehorse, Seabiscuit. The Mondales will be joined by Winifred Groux, USPS San Francisco District Manager, and a San Francisco Bay Area woman who met and petted Seabiscuit in the winner's circle. Hosted by the Seabiscuit Heritage Foundation in cooperation with the USPS, the by-invitation-only ceremony will take place at the horse's historic home and final resting place at Ridgewood Ranch in Willits, Calif. Champs Lil'Biscuit, a Seabiscuit descendant, will be on hand to apply her personal "stamp of approval," and the Mondales will mail a stamped envelope to Pimlico, Md. for it to be showcased at the racetrack's annual Alibi breakfast for Preakness Stakes jockeys, trainers, owners, and media May 14. The stamped envelope commemorates Seabiscuit's memorable win at Pimlico in 1938 against Triple Crown winner War Admiral, whom the stamp also features. The race drew 40,000 spectators and was broadcast by radio to President Franklin Roosevelt and 40 million other listeners across the country...The Horse

Man ticketed for drunken riding

Police in Colorado said a cowboy who was having trouble staying on his horse was ticketed for riding an animal while under the influence of alcohol. Brian Drone of Arvada was cited for the Class B traffic violation, which carries a $25 fine, after the rider and his horse were pulled over in a strip mall parking lot, KUSA-TV, Denver, reported Monday. Arvada Police Sgt. Jeff Monzingo said it was his first case of drunken riding in 15 years on the job. "This is kind of a tricky call," Monzingo said. "Unlike in a DUI where you can tow a car, we had to do something with the horse." Monzingo said a local stable owner who knows Drone offered to take the rider and his horse home. Drone said he and his horse, Cricket, were out for a "joyride" when they were pulled over. UPI

Tyranny is upon us!

Mad Cow

A woman trampled by an angry cow during a nature walk is entitled to sympathy -- but not compensation -- ruled a San Francisco District Court judge. In October of 2007, hiker Jo Dee Schmidt was mauled by a cow or bull -- she really doesn't know which -- owned by rancher John Hoover while she was hiking in the Acalanes Ridge Recreation Area. The bovine assault put Schmidt in the hospital for 11 days and left her with a case of post-traumatic stress disorder. The hiker filed suit against the City of Walnut Creek and Hoover on Dec. 31, 2008 claiming the rancher knew he had dangerous animals grazing on the public right-of-way, and the city ought to have as well. Last month, however, Federal Judge Phyllis Hamilton took the bull by the horns and dismissed Schmidt's case...SF Weekly

I suffered from cow-caused PTSD many times. I didn't seek compensation, I sought to keep my Dad or Uncle from finding out what happened.

Song Of The Day #035

Milton Brown (1903-1936) was born in Stephenville, Texas. A tobacco salesman and singer, he joined with Bob Wills and Herman Arnspiger to form a group to become known as The Light Crust Doughboys and whose radio show was sponsored by Burris Mills, the makers of Light Crust Flour. Needing money to take care of his parents, Brown left the group, moved to Fort Worth and formed The Musical Brownies. Many consider this group to be the first western swing band. Brown was also the first to introduce the electric steel guitar to this music. He recorded over 100 sides for Victor and Decca during the period 1934-1936. He died shortly after being in a car wreck in April of 1936. For more about Brown see Cary Ginell's excellent book Milton Brown and the Founding of Western Swing. The best collection of his music is Complete Recordings of the Father of Western Swing, a 5 CD box set from Texas Rose Records.

The song I've picked today isn't illustrative of his western swing style, but Little Betty Brown is one I damn sure like. It was recorded in 1935. That's followed by a video/photo presentation of his If You Can't Get Five Take Two.

Obama Not Seeking Quick Climate Action Under Ozone Treaty

After a brief but lively internal debate, the Obama administration has decided not to seek an immediate phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC’s), a potent group of climate-warming gases, under a treaty aimed at protecting the ozone layer. A number of lawmakers, foreign governments and environmental advocates had urged the administration to offer an amendment to the Montreal Protocol, the international treaty on ozone-depleting substances, calling for the rapid elimination of HFC’s. Some officials at the State Department and the Environmental Protection Agency had pushed for such a course, but the White House decided on a more moderate approach to give it negotiating room in upcoming rounds of climate and environmental talks. HFC’s are used as refrigerants in air conditioners, refrigerators and freezers, as well as in some fire-fighting foams. They are sometimes referred to as “super-greenhouse gases” because they are hundreds or even thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide, molecule for molecule, in heating the atmosphere...NYTimes

Lobbyists help Dems draft climate change bill

Democratic lawmakers who spent much of the Bush administration blasting officials for letting energy lobbyists write national policy have turned to a coalition of business and environmental groups to help draft their own sweeping climate bill. And one little-noticed provision of the draft bill would give one of the coalition's co-founders a lucrative exemption on a coal-fired project it is building. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman, both of California, were among the Democrats -- then in the minority -- who slammed Vice President Dick Cheney for holding closed-door meetings to draft energy policy early in the Bush administration. But the sweeping climate bill Mr. Waxman and Rep. Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts Democrat and chairman of the panel's key environmental subcommittee, introduced at the end of March includes a provision that benefits Duke Energy Corp., a founding member of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), whose climate plan released in January the lawmakers have frequently called a "blueprint" for their climate legislation. The exemption would save Duke Energy -- along with other firms now building new coal power plants -- from having to spend millions of dollars outfitting its Cliffside, N.C., power plant currently under construction with "clean coal" technology...Washington Times

Nothing really changes, the model for congressional action is the same. The only difference between the two parties is who gets invited to the drafting table. The outcome is always the same - disastrous

Democrats duel over climate bill

President Barack Obama’s ambitious first-year agenda has some House Democrats fearing a repeat of 1994, when the priorities of a new president collided headfirst with the prerogatives of senior leaders on Capitol Hill and the party lost control of both the House and the Senate. While few leaders would predict a similar collapse at this early stage in his presidency, those fears provided the backdrop for a leadership meeting Thursday in the speaker's Capitol conference room, people present said. In the run-up to the meeting, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) argued in several newspaper interviews that the House should move cautiously on a cap-and-trade bill if it doesn’t look like the Senate will approve it. Van Hollen doesn’t want vulnerable House Democrats — especially the freshmen under his care — to be forced to take difficult votes on the measure if it’s not going to pass anyway. But Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, a 34-year veteran of the House who knocked off his longtime predecessor last fall to push an ambitious climate change bill, took umbrage with Van Hollen’s public stance during Thursday’s leadership meeting, people present said...