Small Earthquake Felt in Northern Virginia

If you're looking for the August 23, 2011 earthquake in Virginia, click here!

I just experienced my first earthquake, getting shaken awake at about 5:02am here in Falls Church. Not sure how long it lasted, but after waking up, it felt like my bedroom was inside a giant cell phone on the vibrate setting for about 15 seconds.

UPDATE 5:15am: US Geological Survey reporting a preliminary magnitude of 3.7, centered near Gaithersburg, MD.

UPDATE 5:26am: After being reviewed by seismologist, USGS puts quake at 3.6 centered a bit closer to Germantown, MD.

UPDATE 5:33am: I just glanced at my traffic stats and apparently thousands of people got shaken awake & rushed to Google to see what the hell that was. I'm sure plenty of people are rushing to their TVs & radios too, but it makes for an interesting media moment.

My first reaction was to go to USGS because I know from past quakes it's updated incredibly fast. It wasn't on there yet, so my second stop was Twitter. Sure enough, there were already tweets about it -- I think Van Jones' was the first I noticed.

UPDATE 5:45am: By the way, so much for this whole "animals as earthquake psychics" thing. I'd been blogging about the quake for 5 minutes when my cat stumbled out of my bedroom like "Hey! What are you doing up? Maybe it's because you were so eager to feed me, huh?"

UPDATE 5:58am: According to ArlingtonAlert.com, no reports of any quake damage in Arlington. But what of Not Larry Sabato's damaged self-esteem?

UPDATE 6:06am: Not Larry Sabato says it looks like a lot of people got woken up by the quake & just decided to stay up, tweeting, "Hysterical- the #DCQuake really woke a lot of people up. Traffic already tied up for morning commute in #Rosslyn outside my window."

UPDATE 6:10am: From NBC's Jeff Rossen via Twitter: "USGS: The quake was largest recorded within 50 kilometers of Washington DC since a database was created to track activity in 1974."

UPDATE 9:08am: Twitter's @capitolization jokes: "OPM says The Federal Govt is open today but liberal leave."

UPDATE Saturday: Just noticed USGS is also reporting a 2.0 aftershock about 10 minutes after the first quake.

Maybe The Most Annoying Thing About SUV Drivers

OK, so there are plenty of things that are most annoying about SUVs & their drivers.

You could be annoyed that their vehicles use almost twice as much fuel as everyone else's. That drives up gas prices, weakens our economy by sending $1 billion dollars a day to other countries to buy their oil, hurts our national security by boosting the economies of countries like Iran, and pollutes our air and water.

You could be annoyed they've wasted their money on vehicles that are big and bad and a terrible value. Markups on SUVs are massive and profits are huge. You're much better off getting a smaller car that's much more controllable in an emergency situation, much less likely to roll over, and much less likely to maim or kill the driver of the other vehicle.

Lately, I've been most annoyed by another factor. These people dumped a massive chunk of their annual salary on way more vehicle than they'll ever need, providing hundreds of horsepower to putter to the grocery store & to soccer practice. And yet when they're making a right turn into a shopping center, they practically come to a full stop as they gently crawl up the driveway. Come on, Canyonero, you can handle that six-inch mountain:

I have my old '99 Saturn with 121,000 miles on it that gets 35mpg highway, driving it on short trips around town about once a week. It could go at any moment anyway, so might as well squeeze every last drop out of the ol' shocks, right? I don't take any driveway slower than 45 miles an hour.

How Much Will McDonnell's Petty Poke at Enviros Cost You?

UPDATE: The Washington Post is picking up the story, now asking if McDonnell lifted the ban on bottled water at the behest of the industry.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch details how Gov. Bob McDonnell is reversing Gov. Tim Kaine's ban on state agencies buying bottled water except in emergency cases. Republican bloggers giddly applauded the move -- that'll show them treehuggers!

McDonnell's move reveals he puts petty politics over small government or conservatism. His move will waste tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars.

Corporate Accountability International, citing Virginia government's state spending tracking database, reports that in FY09 cash payments from Virginia agencies to at least several bottled water vendors were estimated to be at least $158,677. And whaddya know -- bottled water companies are thrilled McDonnell is going back to shoveling taxpayer dollars their way:

Chris Saxman, a former member of the House of Delegates, works for his family business, Shenandoah Valley Water Co., which distributes beverages, including water. He says they encourage recycling and balks at Kaine's singling out of water bottles over soda bottles.

According to Corporate Accountability International, Virginia taxpayers paid Shenandoah Valley Water Co. over $100,000 for bottled water in FY09. Somehow, Olympia Meola of the Times-Dispatch didn't see fit to mention that. Seems relevant, no?

If state agencies have a choice between using tap water & bottled water, every dollar spent on bottled water is taxpayer money wasted. Even though Americans spend $15 billion a year on bottled water, there's no evidence it's better for you than tap water (in fact, it could be worse). 

The petroleum needed to make the plastic bottles hurts our energy security -- the 1.5 million barrels of petroleum used to make water bottles each year could fuel 100,000 cars. The gas needed to fuel trucks to deliver bottled water wastes energy and pollutes our air & water. And on & on. You can learn more at ThinkOutsideTheBottle.org.

Olmos to Webb: Drill Baby Drill is the Definition of Insanity

The Green Miles Leaves Arlington

OK, so I'm only going two blocks outside Arlington into Falls Church. And I hope to put the savings that come from the move towards a condo in Arlington someday soon. But I couldn't pass up the vastly better deal that comes from moving literally 500 feet away from Arlington:

• In Arlington, I could've had a good quality apartment with a balcony in a high-rise with a pool & gym that was a 10 minute walk from Metro but not right next to anything for about $1600.
  
• In East Falls Church, I'm getting a good quality apartment with a patio area in a high-rise with a pool & gym that's a 15 minute walk from Metro but not right next to anything for about $1100.

I priced apartments in different areas, but to get to my target price range in Arlington, I'd have had to leave the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, give up proximity to Metro, or lose quality of apartment. Basically, an older apartment off the Pike with a longer commute would've been the same price as the nice place a short walk from Metro in EFC. And my new places is walking distance from some places I love in Arlington, like Upton Hill Regional Park & Westover.

And, much as I hate to admit it as a shameless Arlington homer ... my time in East Falls Church so far has been pretty nice. My apartment features this view of big old trees & I'm becoming reacquainted with how loud blue jays can be when they put their minds to it. My walk to Metro crosses Four Mile Run & I've now seen rabbits hopping past twice, making the 15 minute walk seem almost shorter than my previous 10 minute walk through the generic concrete office canyons of Ballston. And my building is much more pleasantly diverse than the filing cabinet for young professionals I'd been living in.

My friends have been reacting with mock horror when I tell them I'm leaving Arlington, especially after having run for Virginia House of Delegates here. To which I say, I don't know how to break this to you, but ... I lost. About the only fringe benefit of that is that I get to be a normal person & not be constrained by political boundaries. But it's also a statement about the guy who won -- Patrick Hope has been a great delegate in the 47th & I hope he continues to be for years to come.

So yes, I'd like to have stayed in Arlington, but I wasn't willing to spend an extra $6,000 annually just to keep "Arlington" in my mailing address for the next couple of years. I'll still be active in Arlington issues & politics (I'll be volunteering with Arlington Young Democrats this weekend), and am eager to learn where a mouthy treehugger might be able to help out on progressive issues in Falls Church. And maybe by the time I'm ready to move again, the bright line dividing affordable apartments in Falls Church from single-family homes on the Arlington side of the line will have been softened by the long-overdue EFC redevelopment plan.
 

Should We Feel Bad For Long-Haul Commuters?

It seems like every week, there's a new article telling us we should feel bad for long-drive commuters. Take, for example, this new Reuters article is titled Hate your commute? Then pity workers in Beijing, Mexico City. It reports on the results of the IBM Commuter Pain Study, saying traffic's getting worse, people hate it, and it's affecting their professional performance & personal health.

However, it closes with this:

But despite the frustrations and the economic downturn, few commuters had changed the way they go to work with 84 percent saying the financial crisis had not stopped them driving to work.

"Even though commuters say the traffic is getting worse, for some reason people seem fond of their cars," said Lamba who hoped the information from the survey could be used by transport officials to better understand and manage traffic flow.

So basically, long-drive commuters hate their commute so much, they aren't changing a thing. And that would be fine, except we're constantly being told by elected officials how we have to spend more tax dollars to ease the commutes of people who are doing nothing to ease their own commuting pain.

Should we help people who won't help themselves? I know there are few transit options in the far-out suburbs, but if there was public outcry, the options would be there. This study seems to indicate people would rather sit in their cars & complain than carpool or lobby for new a bus route.

DC Shatters Record for Hottest June

All the details at Capital Weather Gang:

John Boehner Contradicts John Boehner on BP Oil Disaster

John Boehner is a formidable opponent. For John Boehner.

You see, John Boehner thinks President Obama is doing too little to respond to the BP oil disaster. But John Boehner, on the other hand, thinks President Obama is doing too much.

It depends on which John Boehner you're talking to. Is it the John Boehner trying to pander to voters? Or the John Boehner trying to suck up to Big Oil?

Pandering John Boehner appeared on Hugh Hewitt's show on May 27th to complain President Obama was doing too little:

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Administration is not fulfilling their responsibility to the people of the Gulf Coast area or the people of the United States.

But Friend of Big Oil John Boehner told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review today that President Obama is doing too much:

Boehner said Obama overreacted to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The spill might warrant a "pause" in deepwater drilling, but Obama's blanket ban on drilling in the gulf -- which a judge overturned last week -- could devastate the region's economy, he said. Louisiana State University scientists estimate the ban could have affected more than 10,000 jobs.

While every job is needed on the Gulf Coast, it's important to remember that even those 10,000 jobs pale in comparison to the estimated 16,000 jobs lost and $1.15 billion taken from the area’s gross domestic product by the BP oil disaster -- and that's in the best case scenario, according to Moody's.

If there's anything both John Boehners agree on, it's that the GOP won't be trying to make a comeback by delivering fresh ideas & solutions -- they're sticking with bashing President Obama, no matter how incoherent that turns out to be.

Some Crackpot Conspiracy Theories More Valid Than Others?

Just a question that's been nagging me.

Why does the media treat people who think NASA is conspiring to falsify temperature data with any more credibility than they treat people who think NASA conspired to falsify the moon landings? Why is one valid and the other crackpot?

Meanwhile, DC is on pace to shatter its June temperature record. June has been so hot, it's actually 0.3 degrees hotter than a typical July.

But hey, I suppose there are more important questions to consider. Like, what are Elena Kagan's views on porn? That'll be sure to get a lot more click-throughs than a stupid science story!

Bob McDonnell: Aspiring Stand-Up Comic?

So I think I finally have this Gov. Bob McDonnell guy all figured out. 

When he talks about a "surplus," he really means Virginia is in debt. 

See? Bob McDonnell is using opposites as a source of humor. This is like pointing at President Obama and saying "He's fat!" Get it?

That must mean when he says he's not sure if carbon pollution causes global warming, he must really mean he he knows it does.

Therefore, as DC continues on pace to shatter the record for its hottest June on record, I expect lots of global cooling jokes today from Laughing Bob McDonnell! Clear those aisles, 'cause you're gonna be rollin' in 'em!

Dave Matthews Calls Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining "Unforgivable"

Check out this NRDC video with Dave Matthews on mountaintop removal coal mining:

Learn more at MusicSavesMountains.org.

The Daily Show: "'You Broke It, You Bought It' Is Not Extortion."

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Day 62 - The Strife Aquatic
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One Month Later: How Has BP Oil Disaster Changed La.?

The Green Miles just returned to Arlington from a week on the Gulf Coast, traveling from Venice, LA to Pensacola, FL to view impacts of the BP oil disaster. Here's a clip talking about the differences I noticed in the Mississippi River Delta from my visit a month ago to now:

You can also see pictures I took on Flickr & learn more about the Gulf Telethon at CNN.com.

Freak Floods? Or the New Normal?

UPDATE 6/14: And now floods hit Oklahoma City. An OKC official tells CNN, "Areas are flooding that have never flooded before."

Just weeks after flooding in Tennessee, Kentucky & Mississippi killed at least 31 people, floods in Arkansas killed at least 16 people this week. 

Should we keep calling this "freak floods" or "extreme weather"? Or, given that these kinds of severe storms are exactly what climate scientists have been predicting, do we have to re-adjust what we consider "normal"?

As Brad Johnson tweeted, welcome to the Anthropocene.

Arlington County Board Doesn't Flake Out, Passes Snow Removal Rule

If you'd ever tried telling Grammy Grant she was too old & feeble to be expected to clear her driveway, you'd be risking getting beaten with a shovel.

The Arlington County Board deserves our thanks for passing a sidewalk snow removal ordinance over the ridiculous objections of its opponents, who shamelessly conjured up images of little old ladies with a cane in one hand & a shovel in the other to cover for their own laziness, miserliness, or Tea Party anti-government dogma.

It's not Arlington's older residents who were the biggest problems in the recent snowstorm. Seniors have enormous pride in maintaining their homes & just like Grammy Grant did, they work damn hard to make sure no whipper snapper's gonna try to turn them into a snowbird.

The biggest problems weren't on the side streets -- they were on the main streets & trails that commuters rely on, where businesses and local & state governments often did a lousy job of keeping a path clear:

Look, this snow removal ordinance is going to go down in history with Virginia's smoking ban in bars & restaurants as something that was debated endlessly with predictions of doom from opponents that, once implemented, turns out to be no big deal.

A job well done by the County Board led by Chris Zimmerman & supported by Barbara Favola, Mary Hynes & Walter Tejada.

Global Warming Killing Lobsters, Jobs From Massachusetts To Virginia

Global warming isn't just raising air temperatures; it's raising ocean temperatures as well. And if you're a lobster living in already-warm Gulf Stream waters, even a small increase in temperature can push you past a tipping point, make you more vulnerable to bacteria & disease.

Scientists say it looks like that's exactly what's happening right now, with lobsters populations declining by as much as 50% off southern Massachusetts. It's not just devastating for the crustaceans -- it's disastrous for the people whose jobs depend on lobsters:

Lobster populations in a large swath of the Atlantic Ocean have declined so much that biologists are recommending a five-year ban on catching lobsters south of Cape Cod down to Virginia to allow the stock to bounce back. [...]

Lobstermen, many who learned about the proposal in recent weeks, said they were being blamed for a problem that was not their doing. Bernie Feeney of the lobstermen’s association said regulators are suggesting the moratorium because, unlike warming sea waters, "it is the only variable they have control over. And fishermen take it on the chin every time."

It's not like lobsters are going extinct anytime soon. But to lobstermen, there may not be much practical difference between "extinct" and "not vibrant enough to support a lobstering industry."

But Bernie Feeney is right -- the people feeling the effects of global warming have been far too silent about its causes for far too long. Will more lobstermen now speak up about the need to end our addiction to polluting fuels & move to clean energy sources? We'll see.

Cross-posted from BlueVirginia.us

Sen. Webb Needs To Hear From You Today

UPDATE 6/10: Just heard from Sen. Webb's office that he'll be voting against Murkowski's amendment! Major thanks to everyone who called Sen. Webb.

Apologies for the infrequent blogging lately, but I'm working long days for the National Wildlife Federation covering the BP oil disaster. I'll be heading back down to the Gulf in a few days & will post updates as I can.

A quick request today -- please take one minute (that's all it takes) right now to call Sen. Jim Webb at 202-224-4024. Ask him to vote NO on the amendment from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-BigOilAlaska) to weaken the Clean Air Act. 

If you're not from Virginia, just call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your senator. Learn more about why Sen. Murkowski's amendment would be so disastrous at NoDirtyAirAct.com.

Is This What Gov. McDonnell Wants to Bring to Virginia?

Take a good, long look, Gov. McDonnell:

More horrifying pictures at Examiner.com.

Photo via Flickr's GreenpeaceUSA

Virginia Newspaper Wants All the Benefits of Drilling, None of the Risks

It's not often you read an editorial that so perfectly encapsulates the complete fraud that is offshore drilling advocacy. Time for a quick fisking. Take it away, Staunton News Leader editorial board!

Of the three reactions concerning drilling for oil off the Virginia coast, we agree with the military's. 

OK, well, the military didn't really have a reaction so much as it issued a report on the facts, that offshore drilling off most of Virginia's shores would conflict with military operations & training. But yes, we get the gist. So far, so good.

The others, of course, are Gov. Bob McDonnell continuing his drive to begin drilling off Virginia's shore as soon as possible ...

Right, Bob McDonnell's clearly extreme position to, against the military's advice, let Big Oil drill right off Virginia's shores in even deeper waters than the Deepwater Horizon -- waters in which Big Oil just proved it can't stop a gusher.

... and President Barack Obama's outright cancellation of those plans.

And Barack Obama's apparently equally extremist ... cooling-off period delaying drilling until safety concerns can be addressed. STOP THE INSANITY!

Our governor and our president need to reach an agreement. On April 20, when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 people and causing an immeasurable amount of damage to the environment and fishing and tourism industries, it became crystal clear that yes, offshore drilling can create a disaster.

Right, offshore drilling is a very real, so-huge-it's-difficult-to-fathom risk. When it comes to offshore drilling, this is where I close my laptop, slide it into my backpack, get up, sling my bag over my shoulder, and stride calmly but briskly out the door.

With the Staunton News Leader, however, I'm sensing a but.

But ...

Thought so.

... the military already has said that only a narrow portion of the ocean floor off Virginia's coast would be suitable for offshore drilling, already limiting the impact here. 

Look, when it comes to massive, ecosystem-decimating oil spills, there's no such thing as "limiting the impact." Sure, there are more minor spills & leaks. But there's no "limiting the impact" of the Deepwater Horizon gusher. The Gulf is screwed and that's that. No "blowout preventers" or inflatable booms are stopping it.

And the process and industry bring much-needed jobs and fuel to the state and country.

So begins the unraveling of reality. Even the American Petroleum Institute admits drilling in the full range of Virginia's coast would only directly create 216 jobs -- and that's twenty years from now. But the Staunton News Leader is talking about going along with the military's plan to take much of the drilling territory off the table. How few jobs are we talking about now?

As for fulfilling our fuel needs, even under the most optimistic scenarios, drilling in all of the areas desired by Big Oil combined -- offshore, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Rocky Mountain states -- would only mean a 4-5 cent reduction (PDF) in the price of a gallon of gasoline by 2025. Now consider JUST off Virginia. And only a small piece of that. How thin can you slice a penny?

What we want to see is a carefully regulated compromise that explores the possibilities for drilling off Virginia's coast and assures us the environmental impact would be limited and any damage done is repaired and punitive measures taken against those responsible.

So the Staunton News Leader wants to drill in water deeper than the Deepwater Horizon, whose gusher can't be stopped, with full assurances that any gusher could be stopped. And all that irreparable damage going on in the Gulf? Assure us it can be repaired. DON'T ASK QUESTIONS, JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN.

When Obama canceled the plans without apparent wiggle room, he did as much harm as going too quickly. 

Hear that? Holding off on drilling to address safety concerns is EXACTLY THE SAME as rushing into drilling and having a Deepwater Horizon disaster off Hampton Roads. Identical.

We need the fuel, and we need the jobs and other revenue offshore drilling can bring. We also need to take care of the environment and be assured that scientific research into alternatives will continue at an accelerated pace.

And there you have it -- the Staunton News Leader wants all of the benefits of drilling with guaranteed protection from all of the risks. I guess I finally understand what the GOP's "all of the above" energy plans is all about!

Bad Day? At Least You're Not Tony Hayward's PR Person

No matter how much your job sucks, you have something to be thankful for this morning: At least you're not Tony Hayward's public relations person. Can you imagine coming into that job every morning? 

"He said WHAT? He wants his life back? For chrissake, can't that guy go one day without saying something stupid? Every day I think people can't possibly hate us any more, then Tony does something to prove me wrong." (Takes swig directly from flask, shudders)

BP Has New Plan to Distract Us From How Screwed We Are

As I reluctantly predicted last week, BP's "top kill" effort to stop the oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico didn't work. The inescapable conclusion is that offshore oil drilling technology is far more advanced than offshore oil spill stopping technology.

But wait! BP has a new plan to keep us from seeing this spill as an inevitable overdose of our ongoing addiction to oil! Put down that clean energy & climate legislation and check this out:

[BP Managing Director] Bob Dudley said there was a greater chance of success with this operation than with the "top kill" procedure that was tried last week.

"This is a better chance, definitely better. We're not working with those high pressures and pumping that we weren't sure we were able to even connect up. The guys that are running the robots, this is something that they know how to do. The cutting is probably the critical piece. We may have to try a couple of blades to do it. But from an engineering sense, this is much more straightforward. 

If this plan was really so much better than the "top kill" scheme, wouldn't BP have done this a lot sooner? Of course. Because this plan has one major drawback -- it inherently has to make the gusher a lot worse before it has any chance at all of making it better:

But a potential problem exists if the dome doesn’t work: A clean cut on the riser pipe would mean even more oil coming out than before.

"Well, there will be a little bit more oil, somewhere between zero and 20 percent more," said Dudley.

"Well, 20 percent is not insignificant, if thousands and thousands of barrels of oil are pouring out of there," said [CBS News Anchor Harry] Smith. 

Maybe it's time for our national debate to shift away from the gusher itself, which has very little chance of being stopped until a relief well is drilled months from now. Maybe it's time to talk about ways to ease our need for drilling in the first place -- more efficient cars, plug-in electric vehicles, and smart growth. Because maybe, just maybe, all these plans from BP are no more than parlor tricks to make it look like BP isn't powerless to stop this spill.

"Belief In This Matter Depends On Political Party Affiliation.”

Someone today talking about deniers of climate science? Nope.

Check out Joss Garman's post on relativity deniers.

Hey, Tony Hayward: Wanna Make a Bet?

BP CEO Tony Hayward predicts today's "top kill" effort to stop the oil spill has a 60% to 70% chance of success.

Look, no one wants to see the gusher stopped more than me. Having seen the spill's devastating effects firsthand, I have trouble even talking about the spill's impacts on communities, people's lives & wildlife without getting choked up.

But this is the same Tony Hayward who predicted the spill's environmental effects would be "very, very modest." That "60% to 70%" prediction translates to 2-to-1 odds. If Tony Hayward offered you a bet that another one of his predictions wouldn't come true at 2-to-1 odds, how much would you bet against him? I'd cash in my 401(k).

I hope I'm proven wrong & this post looks silly in hindsight. If the oil gusher really is stopped, I wouldn't be embarrassed, I'd be psyched. But an endorsement from Tony Hayward doesn't fill me with confidence.

Side note -- for some oil spill comic relief, follow Fake Tony Hayward & BP Global PR on Twitter.

Photo via Flickr's Truthout

June 7: Screening of "The Greening of Southie"

The Green Miles grew up in Boston, so I was excited to hear about this documentary about the first green building in Southie. A screening will be held on Monday, June 7th at 7pm on George Washington University's campus in DC, you can RSVP on Facebook. Should be wicked pissah:

Trailer - The Greening of Southie from Wicked Delicate Films on Vimeo.

What Do BP Oil Spill & Offshore Drilling Jobs Have In Common?

Nobody can provide an accurate estimate for either one.

On the same day BP finally admitted its figure of 5,000 barrels per day lowballs the actual size of the spill, the Newport News Daily Press reported Gov. Bob McDonnell may be playing games with offshore drilling job creation estimates:

Even before the Defense Department made known its objections to offshore drilling in Virginia, Bob McDonnell raised eyebrows with a letter he sent to the Interior Department in December.

The letter cites a 5-year-old study that predicts offshore natural gas production alone would generate 2,578 jobs in 10 years. That the then governor-elect would quote the study surprised its author, former Old Dominion University President James Koch, who called the document a "flyover from 30,000 feet."

"I've told them they shouldn't make too much of something done over the weekend," Koch said. "I don't even put that on my [curriculum] vitae."

So how many jobs would offshore drilling create in Virginia? Let's ask Big Oil:

A 2009 [American Petroleum Institute] study found that Virginia would gain 130 drilling jobs, plus another 291 related to drilling, by 2020. The figures jump to 216 and 415, respectively, by 2030.

Only 415 jobs 20 years from now? At the cost of risking this off Virginia's coast?

Former Virginia governor & current Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine says the spill should prompt a fresh look at our energy priorities:

"You have to weigh environmental safety. You have to weigh the significant naval operations and NASA operations off Virginia's coast," he added. "I think a third thing you'd have to weigh in Virginia's case is opportunity cost -- would it be better to do offshore wind?

"The same place where you might want to do oil rigs off the coast of Virginia, there's actually pretty favorable wind conditions," Kaine said.

"So you would look at all the options and you would put them all on the table, including the environmental conditions. And certainly the need to be diligent about that has certainly been escalated dramatically by what we've seen in the gulf." 

Tell Senators Mark Warner & Jim Webb it's time to stop letting Big Oil write our energy policies.

Pay No Attention To That $85,111 In My Pocket

"I have no connection to BP or any other oil company at all."

-- Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN) at today's House Transportation & Infrastructure committee hearing

According to OpenSecrets.org, Rep. Duncan has received $85,111 from the oil & gas industry since 1998.

The Green Miles at Huffington Post Green

As part of my work with the National Wildlife Federation, I'm now contributing entries to Huffington Post Green. Check out my posts here!

Redford to Obama: Put Clean Energy Ahead of Big Oil

Arlington Free Clinic Sets the (LEED) Gold Standard

Arlington's free clinic has become the first in the nation to become a LEED Gold certified green building:

The facility was designed by Perkins+Will in collaboration with the engineering firm Integral and builder Bognet Construction Associates.

“We wanted a space that would be welcoming and reflect our core values of excellence and respect,” said Free Clinic executive director Nancy Pallesen.

Building green “was the right thing to do,” said Mark Silverwood, a member of the Free Clinic’s board and an adviser during the design and construction process. “Earning LEED Gold shows that even a small non-profit can set the bar high and build a space that benefits the entire community.”

Congrats to the Arlington Free Clinic!

Watch The Green Miles Talk BP Oil Spill on PlanetForward.org

I joined PlanetForward.org this week to talk about my trip to the Gulf of Mexico with the National Wildlife Federation:

New NRDC Ad: Change Shouldn't Be This Hard

100,000 Thanks (and Counting)

Sometime last week while I was in Louisiana covering the BP oil spill for the National Wildlife Federation, The Green Miles passed 100,000 visits.

When I started this blog nearly four years ago, the environment was what I did to forget about work. I wasn't happy as a local TV news producer covering murder, fires & car accidents, so I began volunteering with Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment, getting involved in Arlington Young Democrats & reading blogs like Raising Kaine (now Blue Virginia).

I never imagined it would lead to anyone would pay me to write their blog posts for them. Or that if they did, they'd allow me to keep writing The Green Miles in my spare time with full editorial independence.

So I'm thankful that you've kept reading, I'm thankful for what all those clicks have helped me achieve & I'm thankful that even as The Green Miles becomes a comparatively "old" blog I still look forward to posting as often as I can.

I hope you'll keep reading for another 100,000 visits & beyond. Here are some ways to keep in touch:

• Bookmark this page or subscribe to my posts
• Follow me on Twitter
• Add me on Facebook

Finally, a bit of The Green Miles trivia -- all-time most popular post? How to recycle VHS tapes.

The Green Miles Meets The BP Oil Spill

The Only Thing Labs Love More Than Water ...

... is shaking it all over you.

The Green Miles works in the National Wildlife Federation's press office, which means that usually while something fun is going on (like a boat trip), I have to stay behind & take care of calling reporters, writing blog posts, etc.

But for once, I had more fun than the people doing the event, thanks to this boat captain's dog:

I'd thrown the block of wood for her a couple of times, then realized I needed to get my Flipcam to record it -- because years from now, when I'm having a stressful day, I will pull up this YouTube clip & instantly relax. I went out to my car & came back -- she saw me come around the corner & straightened up like, "I thought you were gone! YOU MEAN I CAN CHASE IT AGAIN?"

And if you have to ask what this post has to do with the environment ... you need to get yourself a dog & a stick. 

Quick Clip of Obama Motorcade Departing Venice, LA

The Green Miles is in Venice, Louisiana tonight, part of a National Wildlife Federation team getting a first-hand look at the Gulf Coast oil spill. President Obama made a stop at a nearby U.S. Coast Guard station earlier today, but I was only able to catch his motorcade on the way out:

One piece of irony: The Coast Guard station is on the same street as a Halliburton location. Halliburton's role in the spill is being investigated.

Even a Little Oil is Extremely Toxic

As we watch the Gulf Coast oil spill unfold, a little be perspective on oil's toxicity.

One time I wondered if motor oil bottles were recyclable. I was surprised how vehement a blogger was that they should never go anywhere but in the trash with the cap sealed tightly:

Taking a risk that I shall henceforth be known as a dasher of hopes, I’m going to have to give you a “no” on this one. Motor oil residue has become one of the biggest contaminants for our plastics markets. The residue seeps into the porous plastic and cannot be removed through the washing process. Of course you should never try to rinse or wash a motor oil bottle yourself since motor oil down the sink or storm drain causes a much larger environmental crisis than a plastic bottle in the trash. The market representatives who take our plastics tell us a motor oil bottle in a pile of plastics could potentially contaminate a whole batch of otherwise-recyclable materials and cause the whole lot to be sent to the landfill. So, when you look at it, recycling a motor oil bottle would be the real dasher of hopes for all the other bottles that really wanted to be recycled. 

Considering how toxic just the residue inside a bottle can be, can you imagine what 25,000 barrels a day could do to the Gulf Coast?

Who Benefits from Expanded Drilling & High Gas Prices?

Expanded offshore drilling means more risk of spills. And just as the economy begins to recover, families are losing more of their disposable income to rising gas prices. But hey, not everyone's complaining!:

Exxon Mobil said Thursday its quarterly profit increased 38 percent as oil prices rose in the first three months of the year.

The company reported a profit of $6.3 billion, or $1.33 a share, in the first three months of the year. [...]

Exxon’s profit relied heavily on its exploration and production operation. Oil prices surged over the last 12 months, jumping from a low of $33 a barrel in the first quarter of 2009 to more than $80 a barrel this year.

It's about time Exxon Mobil's profits got back on track. After all, it's been a whole 16 months since it posted the biggest profit of the history of the planet. Good to see them back on their feet!

UPDATE: As my friend Teddy Goodson reminds me, Exxon's 2009 federal income tax bill was $0.

Cross-posted from BlueVirginia.us

What Would Gulf Coast Oil Spill Look Like Off Virginia's Coast?

Thanks to the magic of Photoshop, we can cut the Gulf Coast spill & paste it, scaled to size, off the Virginia coast in the area where drilling is planned. Via Twitter's Brad Johnson, here's what it looks like proportionately:

Obviously this is not exactly what a Virginia oil spill would look like. There are many variables -- wind direction & speed, water current patterns. This is not a forecast, it simply shows relative sizes.

What would all that oil do? Would it head out to sea? Towards the Chesapeake Bay & Virginia Beach? Up to Ocean City? Who knows.

But hey, at least oil spills come with a darkly comic side. Sen. Mark Warner, a relentless cheerleader for oil & gas drilling off Virginia's shores, is now being listed among coastal-state senators who've "expressed concerns about the safety & environmental impacts of offshore drilling." Who says you can't try to have it both ways?

Cross-posted from BlueVirginia.us

The Daily Show on Cape Wind

UPDATE: Cape Wind has been approved! Congratulations to the clean energy activists who've been working for years to make this happen & to the Obama administration for making the right call.

I first posted this when it aired waaaay back in 2007. Doesn't seem like that long ago, but it was before The Daily Show had its own fancy-schmancy video site. The YouTube version of this clip has since been removed, but considering we're expecting a final decision on Cape Wind today, I thought I'd dig up the fancy-schmancied archive clip from The Daily Show's site & re-post it.

As Jason Jones reports, there's only one reason Cape Wind wasn't approved long ago -- because the people who live nearby are really, really rich:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Jason Jones 180 - Nantucket
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

If We Don't Tackle Climate, Who Celebrates?

What I just said, in video form:

Tell Warner & Webb: Tackle Clean Energy & Climate Next

Who's happiest about the delay in the rollout of the Senate clean energy & climate bill?

C'mon, Mahmoud. No need to be shy.

See? Told you. Every day we don't put a price on carbon pollution is another day Iran can rake in $100 million thanks to our continuing addiction to oil.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is flirting with postponing debate on the clean energy & climate bill so the Senate can take up immigration reform first. As today's Washington Post editorializes, Sen. Reid's effort to flip the bills may kill them both:

Painstaking negotiations on the substance of a compromise climate bill are nearly complete. Mr. Graham, Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lieberman have gone to extraordinary lengths to attract a coalition of supporters, including environmental groups, electric utilities, businesses, the Christian Coalition and even oil companies. Fence-sitting senators concerned about the bill's effects on manufacturing and American competitiveness seem to be coming around to the idea of pricing carbon. This emerging coalition, backers claim, is still behind the bill.

In contrast, there is no comparable groundwork that would lead to an immigration bill's passage. But at least some Democrats say they believe the politics of immigration reform are more favorable to them than the politics of climate legislation. House Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) faces a tough reelection battle, where a sizable Hispanic population wants to see him make an effort to achieve reform. We understand the politics, and we support immigration reform. If it's possible to accomplish something this year, great. But Mr. Reid and the White House should not allow immigration to push climate change so far down the calendar that it becomes impossible for the Senate to take up. And all parties -- including Mr. Graham -- should keep in mind that the politics of climate change are likely to be harder next year, when Democratic majorities will probably be slimmer. Defeat or postponement now could fracture the coalition behind the effort.

Immigration needs reform & legislation deserves a full debate. But while the House passed the American Clean Energy & Security Act 10 months ago, it hasn't even taken up immigration reform yet. Clean energy & climate is at the goal line, while immigration hasn't even kicked off yet. Let's get clean energy & climate done before moving on to the next issue.

I just called Senators Mark Warner & Jim Webb with a dual message:

Thank you for voting to break the Republican filibuster of Wall Street reform. I know you'll win the fight. Once we've won that battle, it's time to get the job done on clean energy & climate action.

You can reach Sen. Warner's DC office at 202-224-2023 (or call his local office). For Sen. Webb's DC office, call 202-224-4024 (or call his local office).

How Does a Home Energy Audit Work?

Here's a video explaining the process from Arlington County:

Earth Day's 40th Anniversary: Get Active

To sum up:

America's air, especially in & around its cities, is less polluted than it was in 1970. Many of America's waterways are cleaner. Thanks to the ban on the pesticide DDT & species support programs, iconic birds like the bald eagle & California condor have been brought back from the brink of extinction. Others, like the gray wolf, have been successfully returned to previous homes, bringing ecosystems back into balance. Later, updates to the Clean Air Act greatly reduced acid rain pollution. And all of the above has been achieved with very little cost to consumers or businesses.

But we've yet to address global warming, with global temperatures up a full degree F since 1970. We import more than twice as much polluting oil as we did in the 70s. One by one, mountaintop removal coal mining continues to destroy the Appalachians. The Chesapeake Bay is in as rough shape today as it's ever been.

Also: No skunks in Arlington. Weird.

So what can you do this year to help make sure the next four decades show even more environmental progress than the previous 40 years?

• Attend the Earth Day concert & rally on the National Mall this Sunday
• Find an Earth Day event in your area at EarthDay.org
• Show your support for clean energy & climate legislation by signing the Declaration of Energy Independence at EarthDayRevolution.com
• Or forget the petition & call your senators directly

Finally, I give you Biz Markie's Earth Day remix of You Got What I Need ... which is shockingly not bad:

Oil Drilling: Virginia Gets All the Risk, But Has to Share the Rewards?

UPDATE: Accuweather forecasters are now warning of a possible oil spill on Gulf Coast beaches.

As Not Larry Sabato points out, this is what the McDonnell/Bolling/Cuccinelli administration is working so hard to bring to Virginia:

Survivors of a thunderous blast aboard an oil platform off the Louisiana coast were being reunited with their families at a suburban New Orleans hotel early Thursday as the search for 11 missing workers continued.

But there's more! Via The Deadrise, if some senators get their way, Virginians would get no more of the revenue from drilling off our shores than would go to Iowans:

Three key Senate Democrats are urging their colleagues to reject a proposal in the emerging climate bill that would give a cut of oil and gas production royalties to states that allow offshore drilling.

Sens. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia called "revenue sharing" an ill-advised "giveaway" of money that belongs to all U.S. citizens.

All the risk, only a fraction of the rewards. I bet you didn't realize that when Bob McDonnell promised drilling revenue would fund transportation, he was referring to an expanded Route 20 to Sioux City, did you?

Cross-posted from BlueVirginia.us

Virginians: McDonnell/Bolling/Cuccinelli Wrong on Climate & Energy

How else to read this new poll (PDF) from Christopher Newport University?

First, let's establish one thing: Virginia's government is doing nothing to address global warming. That's not me talking -- that's what a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality spokesman told the Newport News Daily Press. No, wait -- that's not quite right. Virginia is actively trying to obstruct action on global warming thanks to the war on science led by Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli & supported by Gov. Bob McDonnell & Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling.

Meanwhile, last month was the hottest March on record globally & broke a record for lack of cold locally. That's after 2009 was the 2nd-hottest year on record & the 2000s were the hottest decade on record. Oh, and remember the "oil crisis" in the 1970s? We import twice as much oil today as we did then.

The poll shows Virginians explicitly reject the McDonnell/Bolling/Cuccinelli clean energy & climate obstruction in three key areas:

• Virginians want state government to act, not obstruct. 78% agree "Virginia’s government has to create policies that could address the issue of climate change and improve the state’s environment."
• It doesn't matter if they don't buy the science. 91% agree "regardless of whether there is or isn’t climate change, it is still in Virginia’s best interest to develop new sources of energy that are cleaner, reliable, affordable, and safer."
• Virginians are willing to pay a little more for clean energy. 81% agree "slightly higher energy costs today are worth the investment if they lead to energy that is cleaner, reliable, affordable, and safer down the road."

Oh, and the winter snowstorms that the Virginia GOP & Ken Cuccinelli said were proof global warming isn't happening? Only 5% of Virginia voters agree. Instead, 28% say the freakishly strong storms made them more concerned about climate change.

Overall? Only 38% give Virginia's environment an A or a B. That's down sharply from 45% just last year.

I'd say there was a huge opportunity for Virginia Democrats to go after McDonnell/Bolling/Cuccinelli & establish clear contrast in the eyes of voters. But from state-level candidates like Tim Kaine, Creigh Deeds & Jody Wagner to Senators Mark Warner & Jim Webb, Virginia Democrats seem to prefer instead to listen to Republican positions promoting polluting fuels & say "me, too!"

To get clear contrast, you have to go to the regional level -- House members like Tom Perriello, Jim Moran & Gerry Connolly, State Senators like Chap Peterson & Donald McEachin, or Delegates like Albert Pollard, Scott Surovell, Adam Ebbin & David Englin.

As Virginia Democrats plot strategy for 2010, 2011 & beyond, can they develop a statewide strategy for taking advantage of this opening -- the gaping canyon between voters' support for a new direction on clean energy & climate action and GOP candidates' obstruction to progress & shilling for polluting fuels? 

Nationals Earth Day Surprisingly Not Sponsored by ExxonMobil

Am I too cynical? Should that not be my reaction to this? Just because Exxon Mobil sponsors the 7th innning stretch, Nats giveaways, and even pays to put their logo on Nats Park miniature stadiums?