“Clinton Names Climate Envoy”

Via the Green Inc. Blog at NYTimes.com

Citing the “complex, urgent and global threat of climate change,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today appointed a special envoy for climate change, who will lead the United States in international climate negotiations.

Yes, one person in charge of negotiating.

The appointment [of Todd Stern] caps off a day of aggressive environmental moves by the Obama administration.

We’re going green!

Mr. Stern called for a new multilateral agreement on climate change.

“A new day is dawning in the U.S. approach to climate change and clean energy,” he said.

Not so fast.

The centrist Democrats who urge a slower-paced approach represent states that are crucial electoral battlegrounds and that stand to lose the most from such regulation. They say they believe that global warming is a serious threat and they will support legislation to address the problem — but not at the expense of their already-strained workers and industries.

Filed under: Barack Obama, Energy, Environment, policy , appointments, Barack Obama, Department of State, Environment, policy, Todd Stern

“Swimming With Manatees in Florida”

The NYTimes.com has a nice article in its “American Journeys” section about Crystal River, Fl, 70 miles north of Tampa, and the opportunities to observe manatees up close,

IT was just after 8 on a cloudy January morning as the flat-bottomed pontoon boat made its way over the glassy surface of Kings Bay, 600 acres of fresh water in Crystal River, Fla. The bay, actually a spring-fed pool, is rimmed by attractive homes and lush greenery along its many coves and lagoons, but aboard the boat, no one cared.

A typical travel piece, they do neglect  one piece of information–the closeness of the Crystal River nuclear power plant, clearly visible from the highway.

Filed under: Environment , Crystal River, Florida, manatees, nuclear power

Sprawled Out: The way humans were meant to live

From Boston.com,

Now scientists have begun to examine how the city affects the brain, and the results are chastening. Just being in an urban environment, they have found, impairs our basic mental processes. After spending a few minutes on a crowded city street, the brain is less able to hold things in memory, and suffers from reduced self-control. While it’s long been recognized that city life is exhausting — that’s why Picasso left Paris — this new research suggests that cities actually dull our thinking, sometimes dramatically so.

A tip of the conservative ball cap to Althouse.

Filed under: Environment , urbanization

The obligatory global warming post

No sign of global warming in U-S weather today. Just the AP indexing the strange cold weather.

From NASA on USATODAY.com.

The frequency of extremely high clouds in Earth’s tropics — the type associated with severe storms and rainfall — is increasing as a result of global warming, according to a study by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

And I thought we were supposed to be calling it “global climate change?”

Charlie Sykes posted a video of a weatherman on CNN saying that to think that man could mess up Nature on a grand scale is arrogant.

Filed under: Environment, climate change , Environment, Global climate change, global warming

The EPA most wanted

Keeping up with the FBI?

Defendants charged with environmental crimes or violations of the U.S. Federal Criminal Code sometimes flee the court’s jurisdiction and/or the USA rather than face prosecution or to serve a sentence. When these circumstances occur, the defendants become fugitives from justice.

The following wanted posters identify fugitives sought by the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division. Each one provides a brief case summary and instructions on how to report information related to their identity and/or current location.

Then follows 23 pictures of fugitives wanted by the EPA which you can click on to get a brief description. For example, Alghazouli who

sold R-12 Freon, an ozone depleting substance, that had been illegally smuggled from Mexico. His alleged violations include:

• Conspiracy to Smuggle
• Conspiracy to Launder Money
• Money Laundering

Alghazouli currently is a fugitive believed to be living in Syria.

There is a link to his wanted poster also.

Filed under: Environment , environmental crimes, Environmental Protection Agency

Waukesha Carnival 11/16/2008

Let’s jump right in to this week’s posts.

Where to begin?

OK, general stuff first. Land Savers posts on what is called a farmer’s last crop, disappearing farm land. You have to get through some messed up code to get to the post.

Tim wrote a very moving post at The Other Side of My Mouth for Veterans Day.

silent e does the public a service by giving driving lessons at silent e speaks. Here’s lesson 2.

In case you didn’t know, concernedcitizen tells us at Skeptics Anonymous that Dish Network Subscribers Get Screwed.

Nationally, we have Huckleberry Dumbell starting off Thursday Morning Coffee Time with a nice little rant about the credit crisis at Spring City Chronicle.

Alexander at A Little Off Main comments on Laura Ingraham’s interview of Rep. Paul Ryan on O’Reilly.

The Asian Badger contends that the markets are not too impressed with Obama.

Scott Feldstein gives us his suggestions for the GOP.

Closer to home, Josh has a post with pics on the Christmas tree at Bayshore Mall at his place, Blog Waukesha.

Jeff at Five Points give his thoughts on downtown Waukesha developement and apartments.

Statewide, Sen. Mary Lazich (or aide Kevin Fischer) posts at Conservatively Speaking that TABOR survived another vote in Colorado. I guess some people (Hmmm, 55%) think it’s beneficial.

Dad29 informs us that Gov. Doyle hopes to take care of the $5 billion (with a “b”) “structural” (Don’t you love political speak?) deficit by telling agencies to flat line spending. He gives some suggestions for cuts.

Cindy Kilkenny notes it’s tough to be a girl in this business of political opinion making. You can read about it at Fairly Conservative.

James Wigderson writes at Wigderson Library & Pub that the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board disenfranchises everybody.

That concludes this forty second edition of the carnival. If you’d like to have your post or someone’s else’s post included, submit using our this handy form. Or you can simply e-mail me the link at thoughtfulconservative [at] yahoo [dot] com. Past posts and future editions can be found here.

Filed under: Barack Obama, Blog carnivals, Economics, Environment, Waukesha, Waukesha Carnival, Waukesha blogs, Wisconsin, government regulation , Barack Obama, Bayshore Mall, blog carnival, Christmas, credit crisis, driving, Gov. Jim Doyle, Rep. Paul Ryan, Republican Party, stock markets, TABOR, Taxpayer Bill of Rights, urban sprawl, veterans day, Waukesaha bloggers, Waukesha, Waukesha Carnival, Wisconsin budget, Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, women in politics

Offshore wind farms may line U.S. coast

We can’t drill there, but we can line the shore with wind farms?

Filed under: Energy, Environment , Environment, wind energy

Notes from Missouri

I thought I had more, but could only find this one. $100-a-month sewer bills are on horizon, MSD official says.

Of course that, in itself, says something, especially for those of us in southeastern Wisconsin under MMSD.

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District executive director Jeff Theerman told the St. Louis County Council on Tuesday that the district’s 440,000 customers can expect to see sewer bills of at least $100 a month “in the not too distant future.”

Talk about your sticker shock. Why? I’m glad you asked.

Theerman said the sewer district will need the money to comply with a mandate from the Environmental Protection Agency to eliminate sewage overflows into local waterways. The grand total could top $4 billion, he said.

The overflows are an age-old problem that occurs whenever MSD’s pipes get overburdened during heavy rain or snow melt.

Sound familiar? But, as they say, wait, there’s more!

On March 1, MSD began charging property owners 12 cents a month for each 100 square foot of area that does not absorb water, such as roofs, patios, driveways or parking lots.

The typical homeowner pays $3 a month for storm-water control service. That monthly bill will grow to $7.25 on Jan. 1, 2014.

Perhaps we’re seeing something in our future?

Filed under: Environment, Milwaukee, government regulation , Milwaukee, Sewer control, St. Louis

Curbing Bovine Flatulence

A tip of the conservative ball cap to Watts Up With That?

You just can’t make this stuff up.

Scientists are now working to create a new “tootless” grass for bovine enjoyment which will help cut methane emissions from the bovine tailpipes. What next? A moratorium on baked beans at BBQs? Editing out that scene from Blazing Saddles so that school kids don’t get bad ideas that might harm the earth?

Filed under: Environment , Global climate change, methane

Waukesha’s chances of Lake Michigan water are slim to none

Unless Mayor Larry can convince his Democratic brethren either in Milwaukee/Wisconsin or Illinois, I don’t see Waukesha getting any Lake Michigan water.

The Great Lakes Compact requires the return of water to the lake. It will be expensive most likely. But logical, because that’s where the water came from. Makes sense to return it.

Now comes a story from Illinois that makes it seem as thought Illinois might not want wastewater going to the lake.

Illinois water officials are researching whether a provision of the Great Lakes water compact that could allow places such as Waukesha and Brookfield to receive Lake Michigan water would damage a lake recreation area that needs the Fox River to replenish it.

Under the compact, communities in Waukesha County receiving lake water would have to return treated wastewater to the lake instead of the Fox River.

That has Illinois water officials combing Waukesha Water Utility records to determine the possible effect on the river’s flow if Waukesha stopped sending its treated wastewater to the river.

If that happens, the Fox River would lose a contribution to its flow of at least 10 million to 11 million gallons a day, a wastewater treatment plant official said.

So Waukesha can’t send water down the Fox River because the Compact doesn’t allow it, and it’s possible Illinois would veto the city sending the water back to Lake Michigan.

Filed under: Environment, Waukesha, Wisconsin , Fox River, Great Lakes Water Compact, Illinois, Waukesha, Wisconsin