An earthquake, which many people felt and recognized, rumbled through part of the Washington region Saturday, authorities said.According to the U.S. Geological Survey, it was centered about 20 miles north of Richmond. If your experience is anything like ours from the recent DC-area earthquake, get ready to hear anyone who's ever been in California sanctimoniously tell you how this wasn't a real earthquake.
The quake, recorded as a magnitude 3 by the U.S. Geological Survey, shook the ground in east central Virginia, between Fredericksburg and Richmond, about 4:15 p.m.
No damage or injuries were reported.
Fox continues its formal transition to officially becoming the broadcast wing of the Republican Party:News Corp., the parent company of Fox News, contributed $1 million this summer to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the business lobby that has been running an aggressive campaign in support of the Republican effort to retake Congress, a source close to the company told POLITICO.What's comical is that Fox still goes through the song & dance of pretending to be a "news" channel. When the Republicans of Fox act like journalists, it's clearly no less of a charade than Stephen Colbert puts on every night at 11:30pm. So why do it? I guess Fox viewers like telling themselves they're not being spoon-fed one big ad for the Republican Party?
It was the second $1 million contribution the company has made this election cycle to a GOP-aligned group. In late June it gave that amount to the Republican Governors Association. [...]
Specifically, the chamber has said it plans to spend $75 million in connection with the 2010 election, and has so far has directed substantial amounts to Republican Senate candidates. As of Sept. 15th, the group had spent $6,747,946 airing more than 8,000 ads on behalf of GOP Senate candidates, according to a study (PDF) from the Wesleyan Media Project.
While Virginia keeps getting its power from blown up mountains, Cory Nealon of the Newport News Daily Press reports:Offshore wind power could exceed Virginia's current electricity demand and create up to 26,660 in-state jobs, according to a report issued Tuesday.Check out Cory's blog, The Deadrise, featuring some of Virginia's best (and let's face it, these days only) local environmental journalism. You can also follow him on Twitter.
Written by Oceana, an ocean-oriented environmental group, the report examines the East Coast. It found that wind farms could supply nearly half the region's current electricity generation and provide up to 212,000 jobs.
The report looked at water that averages at least 12.5 mph winds, is three to 24 miles off the coast, and is no deeper than 100 feet. It excluded 67 percent of these areas due to potential military, environmental and shipping conflicts.
As of 12:50 p.m.: downtown L.A. had hit 113 degrees, a record high. Stuart Seto, a forecaster for the National Weather Service, said that's the hottest temperature recorded at the downtown station since record-keeping began in 1877.Nothing to see here, right California GOP Senate candidate Carly Fiorina? No need to buy any less Middle Eastern oil or burn any less mountaintop-removed coal? Just all a coincidence, or sunspots, or something?
The Green Miles will weigh almost as much as Haley Barbour by the time the week is out, thanks to this pie.True low-polluting vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt are finally getting ready to hit the market. But is it too little, too late to sell Gen Yers on the idea that you can be green AND drive? And if this generation really does hate extreme commuting, what does that mean for distant suburbs that have sprung up to support Baby Boomers' craving for a white picket fence no matter how long the drive?Selling cars to young adults under 30 is proving to be a real challenge for automakers. Unlike their elders, Generation Yers own fewer cars and don’t drive much. They’re likely to see autos as a source of pollution, not as a sex or status symbol. [...]
“This generation focuses its buying on computers, BlackBerrys, music and software and views commuting a few hours by car a huge productivity waste when they can work using PDAs while taking the bus and train,” says [Learning Resources Network President William] Draves.
Moreover, in survey after survey, Gen Yers say that they believe cars are damaging to the environment. Even hybrid electric vehicles don’t seem to be changing young consumers’ attitudes much.
Time: Thursday, September 23 · 7:00pm - 10:00pmRSVP on Facebook!
Location: Ireland Four Courts, 2051 Wilson Blvd, Arlington
Join the Arlington Young Democrats and Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment on Thursday, Sept 23 from 7-9pm at Ireland 4 Courts. Network with local green activists, learn about the Green Living Challenge and how you can make a difference in your community! To learn more, contact Heather at environment(at)arlingtonyoungdems.org.
The leaves dropping is mostly because of the dry summer, but this summer's record heat also means the trees require even more water, making the same level of drought more severe than it would have been without the high heat. I'm hoping what we're seeing is the trees going into early dormancy, rather than signs of long-term damage.
Dead zones spawned by runoff from farm fields, urban sprawl & inadequate water treatment plants? Crab populations constantly on the brink of collapse? Oysters in need of human helping hands just to survive? Watermen having to go to court to preserve their way of life?The restoration plan developed by Virginia offers tax incentives to farmers to use pollution- and erosion-reducing practices, yet still estimates the cost to agriculture could range up to $800 million. It also calls for the expansion of other programs intended to limit bay pollution.Considering McDonnell has gotten more than $1.1 million from agriculture interests in his career, should we be surprised who he's looking out for here?
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation was unsparing in its criticism, saying the plan lacks details and is "stunningly deficient on how the commonwealth will implement many of these proposals."
J.R. Tolbert, assistant director of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, said the plan relies too heavily on voluntary measures and General Assembly passage of program expansions aimed at a cleaner bay. He called it a "status quo" plan.
"I think our governor has an approach that the free market is going to solve all the problems of the world," Tolbert said. "We've spent the last 25 years relying on the free market to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and, while we've made a little bit of progress, we have failed time and time again."
I live 3 blocks from the Westover Beer Garden. I can hear the Metro trains (another 3 blocks beyond the Beer Garden), but I have never heard noise from the Garden, even when I know it's in full swing. It's a cool neighborhood gathering place that attracts all kinds of musicians and patrons and adds to the vibrancy of the Westover neighborhood.I say again: I understand there are zoning & permitting issues to be worked out. Westover Market is already in the process of addressing them. But what does it say about Arlington County's zoning & permitting process that a few complaints can completely silence the music that hundreds of people had been enjoying every week?
Due to complaints from neighbors about excessive noise from the outdoor area..., Arlington County zoning inspectors are investigating zoning violations brought against Westover Market. Westover Market has appropriate approvals for seasonal outdoor seating for nine people. The purpose of this seating is outdoor dining.
I appreciate Ms. Dilg's response, but according to TBD.com, she's not telling the whole story here. Westover Market did apply for a permit to seat up to 24, but the county denied it on the grounds that the bathroom was insufficient. So, to review:
The space is being used for more than nine people and live bands are entertaining clientele. Having live, musical entertainment requires a public hearing before the Arlington County Board. Should Westover Market choose to apply for a Live Entertainment Use Permit, the County Board will weigh measures that will minimize the adverse impacts of its use on its neighbors.
All Arlington County residents and businesses are expected to comply with the requirements of local ordinances.
Daniel Weir, another patron of the garden, wrote to us to say that the garden is part of the reason he’s considering settling down in Westover. “[The beer garden] is a piece of what makes Westover magic — the combination of a truly residential neighborhood that has a spice of urban vitality. Without it and the atmosphere that it helps create, Westover would be like a slightly older, less wealthy McLean,” he says.According to the Facebook group, fans of the Westover Market Beer Garden are asking supporters to email Arlington County Zoning Commisioner Melinda Artman at Martman@arlingtonva.us, letting her know that you want Arlington to work with Westover Market to keep the Beer Garden thriving.
If we want Washington to take its rightful place alongside Seattle and San Francisco as one of America's most progressive environmental cities, we need an executive that will work hand-in-hand with our now progressive legislature. Gray has the vision; Fenty doesn't.
When politicians say they don't accept climate science, you have to wonder: What other science to they reject? Evolution? Cancer? A global warming skeptic, [Wisconsin GOP Senate candidate Ron] Johnson said extreme weather phenomena were better explained by sunspots than an overload of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as many scientists believe.The next time you start blaming your cancer on cigarettes, asbestos or coal-fired power plants, ask yourself this: Is my cancer caused by sunspots? Should I stop blaming Big Tobacco & blame Big Sun instead?
"I absolutely do not believe in the science of man-caused climate change," Johnson said. "It's not proven by any stretch of the imagination."
Johnson, in an interview last month, described believers in manmade causes of climate change as "crazy" and the theory as "lunacy."
"It's far more likely that it's just sunspot activity or just something in the geologic eons of time," he said.
Now I hear Arlington County has been harassing Westover Market over its wildly popular Bier Garden. The Powers That Be are apparently upset about the live music and the Market's makeshift bathroom setup. I am not making this up: Apparently actual police officers have been seen responding to reports of a man playing Jack Johnson cover songs while children danced. ![securedownload[1]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/4959256762_4464bbdd54_m.jpg)
Over at DailyKos, RL Miller takes a look at a phenomenon infecting the GOP:This past summer, climate peacocks like Lisa Murkowski succeeded in killing the Kerry-Lieberman bill by preening their sincerely held, beautifully articulated concerns about the horrors of climate while simultaneously refusing to find solutions. Those peacocks are going the way of the polar bear. Instead, climate zombies like Joe Miller mindlessly replicate. If you listen carefully, you can hear them moan: "caaaash!" Or maybe they cry "Kooooch!"Remember when clean air wasn't a partisan issue? When Republicans like John Warner knew being pro-business didn't mean letting polluters literally write their own rules? Was that really so long ago?
Reports USA Today's Green House:Human-caused climate change threatens to flood Jamestown, the first permanent European settlement in what became the American colonies and the United States, says a report Wednesday by environmental groups.Previous reports have made similar warning about threats to Virginia's coastal communities & wildlife habitats. And that's on normal days, never mind when a hurricane threatens to bring a storm surge.
Jamestown Island, the site of the original 1607 settlement, is low enough to be inundated by rising seas and tidal waters -- even if the waters do not rise as much by 2100 as scientists predict, according to the report by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Climate Organization. [...]
"Climate change poses the greatest risk our National Parks have ever faced," says Theo Spencer, senior advocate of NRDC's Climate Center. He says Jamestown, along with two other parks, attracts six million visitors each year who spend more than $200 million and support 4,000 Virginia jobs.
The report (PDF) says the other two parks also face grave risks: Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge could lose its beach and Shenandoah National Park could see it brilliant fall colors muted by air pollution and encroaching pine trees.
A judge has set aside Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's subpoena of climate science documents from the University of Virginia:Judge Paul M. Peatross Jr. ruled (PDF) that Cuccinelli can investigate whether fraud has occured in university grants, as the attorney general had contended, but ruled that Cuccinelli's subpoena failed to state a "reason to believe" that Mann had committed fraud.
The ruling is a major blow for Cuccinelli, a global warming skeptic who had maintained he was investigating whether Mann committed fraud in seeking government money for research that showed the earth has experienced a rapid, recent warming. Mann, now at Penn State University, worked at U-Va. until 2005.Under the McDonnell-Bolling-Cuccinelli administration, Virginia has threatened to become a new national leader in the war on science. Judge Peatross' ruling is a major step towards steering Virginia back to the path of facts & reason ahead of corporatist ideology.
According to Peatross, the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act, under which the civil investigative demand was issued, requires that the attorney general include an "objective basis" to believe fraud has been committed. Peatross indicates that the attorney general must state the reason so that it can be reviewed by a court, which Cuccinelli's failed to do.
A year ago, environmental groups seemed at the peak of their influence. Now they are struggling.Except that exactly one year ago, the Washington Post didn't say environmental groups were at the peak of their influence. It literally said they were struggling using the exact same reporter, using those exact words:
It seems that environmentalists are struggling in a fight they have spent years setting up.You have to wonder if the Washington Post's reporting on environmental groups is driven by reality, or if it just rewrites the "greens are struggling" article once a year & adds a new headline. You also have to wonder how much its reporting is being influenced by its increasingly-conservative editorial side.
I spent the weekend visiting Every Day Father. One day this summer, it hit 97 degrees. That same day, the maple tree in his backyard dropped 80% of its leaves.
President Obama stood by and watched as clean energy & climate legislation died in the Senate. His administration claims EPA regulation of global warming pollution is coming, but a new court case has conservationists questioning President Obama's commitment once again:At a time when the effects of global warming continue to accelerate, it's mystifying the Obama administration wouldn't take every possible route to cut carbon pollution. And while the Obama administration says it would veto attacks on the Clean Air Act, we have yet to hear that promise from President Obama himself.Administration officials said the Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory moves to restrain carbon dioxide emissions made the lawsuit unnecessary, and the acting solicitor general asked the Supreme Court to return the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.
But environmentalists said that the administration had talked about - but not imposed - limits on emissions from existing power plants.
Moreover, environmental groups said, the government's brief went beyond that, employing arguments that threatened to undercut a basis for legal action that have been used for a century, since Georgia sued over damage a Tennessee copper smelter was inflicting on Georgia's forests.
"We're very angry and very disappointed that they would take this tack," said David Doniger, policy director of the climate center at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Working in conjunction with its partners at the National Resources Defense Council, GreenSlam and Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the USTA will once again conduct an extensive consumer-waste recycling program for all plastic and cans throughout the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.Venus Williams will join Billie Jean King among the effort's spokespeople. Venus has shown her willingness to break with the trend of corporate athletes silent on political issues by speaking out for equal pay. And the GreenSlam initiative is led by King, one of Venus' idols. Might Venus be willing to be active on clean energy & environmental issues off the court? Maybe join the board of Green for All? Could be quite a game-changer.
In addition, approximately 18,000 to 20,000 Wilson tennis ball cans will be recycled. As for the 60,000 balls contained in these cans and used during the 2010 US Open, they will be reused for tennis programming at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and then donated to other community and youth programs.
Hybrid vehicles will make up almost 60 percent of the Mercedes-Benz player transportation fleet, and Constellation Energy, the US Open's energy provider, will supply Green-e certified wind renewable energy certificates to match the electricity consumption generated during the 2010 US Open.
In an effort to promote the use of energy-saving solar water heaters, Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment is launching a new initiative this fall. The group will organize volunteers to install solar water heaters for Arlington residents willing to shell out the cash to purchase the systems.
ACE is calling it their “Solar Raisers Program” — a take-off on Amish barn raisings. They’ve started recruiting members to volunteer on weekends for the day-long installations. They’re also looking for homeowners who are interested in the solar systems.
Today, my new apartment building does single-stream recycling, so I just use one bin for containers, paper & cardboard. My problem is that I now recycle or compost much more waste than I send to the landfill. I end up having to take out the recycling a couple of times a week, while my trash only needs to get taken out every few weeks. The composting helps get rid of most of what could be unpleasant after a few weeks, but long-term, it's not the optimal set-up.THUMBS UP: To County Board Vice Chairman Chris Zimmerman, for pressing to end the county government’s overzealous regulation of what are generally called “sandwich boards,” those freestanding signs beckoning the public into shops and restaurants.
As Zimmerman notes, it is awfully hard to get permission to put those out in Arlington. And that’s just plain silly.
"What usually takes a day, day and a half for Mother Nature to take care of, we did in half an hour," Gerry Peterson said after his crew spread diesel fuel on the field and ignited it last week.
After being told what had happened, officials in the Edmonton suburb dispatched a crew to dig up the field and test the dirt. When the test results showed the pitcher's mound had been contaminated with fuel, the field was shut down as an environmental risk. [...]
The local baseball association is on the hook for cleanup costs.
A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Richmond, on Monday reversed a ruling requiring the Tennessee Valley Authority to upgrade emission controls at three coal-fired power plants in Tennessee and one in Alabama. The ruling reverses a decision by Judge Lacy H. Thornburg of Federal District Court, who said emissions affecting air quality in North Carolina’s western mountains were a “public nuisance.” Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the appeals court wrote that allowing the ruling to stand would undermine the nation’s regulatory scheme.
The stifling heat blanketing the mid-Atlantic this summer seems to be part of a global trend. So far, 2010 is on track to overtake 2005 as the warmest year ever recorded for the planet, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"I'm a little reluctant to get into extensive policy discussion on any particular piece of legislation," Goodwin, 36, said at a press conference in Charleston, W.Va. "That being said, with regard to cap and trade, I will say this: From what I've seen of the Waxman-Markey bill that passed the House of Representatives and other proposals pending in the Senate, they simply are not right for West Virginia."
Goodwin's position appears to closely mirror Manchin, who has also been a vocal critic of cap and trade, and the governor said that while there was discussion of the policy, there was no "litmus test" to earn the Senate appointment.
"I know he's fiercely independent, but I also know the love of West Virginia," Machin said of the new senator. "So it wasn't like a litmus test had to be given."
Pro-coal West Virginia politicians like to paint themselves as looking out for the little guy. I know who they're looking out for, and there's nothing little about him.Goodwin did say he was interested in backing a bill from Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio) to develop carbon sequestration technology.
