Federal Judge Forces Action On President Bush’s Interior Department Regarding Polar Bears And Global Warming

The Bush Administration has dragged its heels so long with the matter over saving the polar bears that a federal judge has been forced to press the Interior Department to make a decision.

A federal judge has ordered the Interior Department to decide within 16 days whether polar bears should be listed as a threatened species because of global warming.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken agreed with conservation groups that the department missed a Jan. 9 deadline for a decision. She rejected a government request for a further delay and ordered it to act by May 15.

“Defendants have been in violation of the law requiring them to publish the listing determination for nearly 120 days,” the judge, based in Oakland, Calif., wrote in a decision issued late Monday. “Other than the general complexity of finalizing the rule, Defendants offer no specific facts that would justify the delay, much less further delay.”

Allowing more time would violate the Endangered Species Act and congressional intent that time was of the essence in listing threatened species, Wilken wrote.

The ruling is a victory for conservation groups that claim the Bush administration has delayed a polar bear decision to avoid addressing global warming and to avoid roadblocks to development such as the transfer of offshore petroleum leases in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska’s northwest coast to oil company bidders.

I say in November that we put Bush and Company, and all their allies, on the endangered list in government.

Technorati Tags: PolarBears, PresidentBush, InteriorDepartment,

Monitoring Bears In Maine, And Protecting Them Everywhere

 

There have been a few loves that never have faded in my 40-plus years, bears being one of them.  Whether it is preserving their area for feeding in the west, or preventing the extinction of the polar bears due to global warming, my first reaction is always what is in the best interest of the bears.  They were here first, and need us to be their advocates.

When I read of a study in Maine where collared bears were examined I was curious about the findings.  The pictures of how entry was made to the bear cave is remarkable and worth the time of my readers.  But when I saw the pictures of the mother bear and her cubs I again feel so strongly that we must do right by them as a species.  I suspect my readers will too.   It is imperative that we strive to insure their long-term survival, and control our ever-consuming lust for the habitat area that is rightfully theirs.

I find it galling to read of people in the western states who find it surprising that bears might be foraging for food in the trash bins of humans……on land that once was the feeding grounds for the wild bear.  I find it troubling that too many in Washington, D.C. fail to understand that the environmental policies of our country must factor in when considering if the polar bear should be placed on the extinction list.

These large wonderful creatures, whether they are brown, black, or white, need our attention.   We have to do everything we can to insure that they remain a part of our future, not because they are cute….but because it is the moral and proper thing to do.

 

 

Technorati Tags: Bears, Maine, BearMonitoring,

Al Gore: A New Powerful Slideshow About Climate Change

I am not sure how wide spread this video has been distributed, but I feel it is so well done with such a powerful message, that I wanted it here on my site regardless where else it may be posted.  I found Gore’s message so remarkable due to the angle that he takes on climate change.  The ‘democracy crisis’ must be addressed so that the climate changes can be addressed.  A mission of a whole generation is required to do the work to save the planet.  This is worth your time, and I know you will feel rewarded as a result of watching.  I ask that you pass this video around to friends.  Need not be my site….just get the Al Gore video out to the world.

Technorati Tags: AlGore, Environment,, Election08,, Ethics,, Society

 

Can Al Gore Solve The Democratic Election Fight? Would He Want To?

I am not sure that Al Gore wants to be involved in this fight for the Democratic nomination, either as a mediator or as a potential nominee himself.  His position in the nation, indeed around the globe, is almost one of being above mere politics.  His laudable work for the betterment of the world in the fight against global warming places him in a most respected position from which he can work to persuade others to see the correct path on policy issues.

Yet there are articles every day on the possibility that Al Gore will step up and address the fight that is dominating this election year, the battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the nomination.

The New York Observer weighs in with their views.

Uniquely among the fraternity of failed Democratic nominees, Mr. Gore has regained his standing within the party, and then some. His early opposition to the war in Iraq and tireless advocacy for combating global warming—a cause he basically personifies—made him a liberal supernova. He won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Nobel Peace Prize. He shed his suit and tie, started dressing in black shirts and jackets and cowboy boots, and took a job with Apple. His resistance to impassioned pleas leading up to the elections in 2004 and 2008 to run again only further cemented his reputation among Democrats as the unflappable Goracle.

Mr. Gore declined, through a spokeswoman, to comment for this article.

“There is no Democrat who can dictate the nominee,” said Robert Zimmerman, a former fund-raiser close to Mr. Gore who is now supporting Mrs. Clinton. “However, Al Gore can play a unique role in uniting the party and bringing an end to the fighting after the primary and caucuses have concluded.”

“Certainly, if anybody has earned the right to do whatever he wants in political life after 2000, he certainly has earned that right,” said Alan Kessler, a former Gore fund-raiser who is supporting Mrs. Clinton for president. He added that an endorsement “might be perceived as a little bit unfair for him to do, because he is so influential.”

It is taken for granted by most Democratic insiders, with good reason, that if Mr. Gore did weigh in, it would be on the Obama side.

Technorati Tags: AlGore, NewYorkObserver, HillaryClinton, BarackObama, Election08, Democrats

Great Lakes Compact Needs Statewide Republican Support

How the essential big ticket items dealing with our environment and natural resources, such as the Kyoto Accord on the international level, or the regional Great Lakes compact, get strangled by Republicans mystifies me.  How the bottom line for a “golf course expansion” as State Representative Frank Lasee said recently, is more important than the greater good for the Great Lakes and the states that surround them truly baffles me.  How can Republicans have such a disconnect from what most of us see as sound public policy?

As we well know the lakes need protection from large water diversions to faraway states, and to achieve this result the Great Lake states have banded together in an attempt to conserve the precious resource that we have long taken for granted.  The Wisconsin State Senate has shown the way by passing the measure, only to see it stall for the most base of reasons in the State Assembly.  That reason being pure politics, and the special interest money that comes along with it.

If the measure is not passed the concern is that others outside of the region will decide what is best suited for the Great Lakes.  Wisconsin Lt. Governor Barb Lawton made that point again recently in northeastern Wisconsin.

Lawton said failure to enact to the compact likely would result in lengthy litigation of that bill and it would eventually cede control of the lakes over to courts or lawmakers outside the region.

“(Lake Michigan) out here sparkles like a jewel and we can see the lust for it,” said Lawton, speaking in front of a 143-foot yacht under construction at Burger Boat Co. in Manitowoc.“For the first time in history there is a well-defined, regional effort to sustainably manage Great Lakes water inside the basin and it produced a regional agreement.”

The State Assembly Democrats failed in their effort to  force the Republicans to pass the bill, while providing many valid reasons to act at once. 

Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) called the attempt to force a vote a last-ditch effort to pass the compact this session, saying there is no guarantee of a special session.“We are literally one act of Congress or one bad court decision away from those lakes having no protection at all,” Richards said on the floor.

The fact that this matter may have to be decided during a special session, which Governor Doyle has said he will call, is yet another sign that the political process is not working as the voters of the state wish.  Why waste money on a special session when the legislators are now under the dome?  Have the Sergeant-at-Arms pass out the Ritalin to the Republicans in the State Assembly and let us pass the Great Lakes compact!
Technorati Tags: GreatLakesCompact, FrankLasee, WisconsinLegislature, GreatLakes, JimDoyle

Look What Business Lobby Wants From This White House

What must be considered a must read in the Sunday newspaper is the following wish list from the business community, as it comes to understand that Democrats may lead Washington in 2009.  The big bad guys have to make their move now while President Bush is still in office.

Businesses are lobbying the Bush administration to roll back rules that let employees take time off for family needs and medical problems. And electric power companies are pushing the government to relax pollution-control requirements.

At the Transportation Department, trucking companies are trying to get final approval for a rule increasing the maximum number of hours commercial truck drivers can work. And automakers are trying to persuade officials to set new standards for the strength of car roofs — standards far less stringent than what consumer advocates say is needed to protect riders in a rollover.

Coal companies are lobbying for a regulation that would allow them to dump rock and dirt from mountaintop mining operations into nearby streams and valleys. It would be prohibitively expensive to haul away the material, they say, and there are no waste sites in the area. Luke Popovich, a vice president of the National Mining Association, said that a Democratic president was more likely to side with “the greens.”

Technorati Tags: BusinessLobby, BigBusiness, Election08, NewYorkTimes

Google Maps The Bay Bridge Oil Spill

See the areas affected by the 58,000 gallons of fuel that spilled into the bay after a container ship rammed the Bay Bridge.    Great pictures and coverage.

Technorati Tags: BayBridge, OilSpill, GoogleMaps, Maps

Great Lakes Story A Must Read From Sunday Newspaper

At the northern tip of Door County, Rock Island State Park (top) is nearly joined to Washington Island (bottom). Even now, with water levels near record lows, waves and currents make crossing by foot a treacherous journey, officials warn. 

Having lived and worked in Door County I was shocked to see this photo today in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  (For better view click here.) To pretend that there is not a problem that deserves prompt attention is pure folly.  The fact that man is severely altering and abusing the environment is not up for debate.  The only question the remains is how quickly can we start to reverse the damage.

Today the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a great read that you will not want to miss.

As angst mounts and debates rage over the causes behind the distressingly low water levels on the Great Lakes, some influential regional leaders are tired of waiting for answers.

The Great Lakes Commission is urging the U.S. and Canadian governments to immediately start working on a plan to plug the “drain hole” on the St. Clair River, which is the major outflow for Lakes Michigan and Huron.

Technorati Tags: GreatLakes, St.ClairRiver, DoorCounty, RockIslandStatePark

Follow Up On British Petroleum America..This Time It Is Air Pollution

The latest case example of why the corporate world needs close watching by the public can be found with British Petroleum America.  (BP America)  After weeks of public pressure to insure that this oil giant would not use their Whiting, Indiana plant to increase pollutants in Lake Michigan there is a new concern.  The Chicago Tribune reports that Indiana granted a variance to the company so that the same amount of tiny particles can be emitted into the air from their plant rather than abiding by tougher clean air standards as required by the Environmental Protection Agency.  A cozy deal to be sure, and one that must be viewed in the context of the turn around the company made only late last week with the great lakes deal. 

The company has a duty to help keep the environment clean.  And we as citizens have a duty to keep corporate America honest with the public.  Once again the public needs to become engaged with this oil gaint and force them to do the right thing. 

Technorati Tags: BritishPetroleumAmerica, WhitingIndiana, Environment