Posted inCurrent affairs Sustainability

Testifying at the Oregon Legislature can be oh-so-frustrating

Last Tuesday it happened again. Four years after I blogged, "Why have a public hearing if you don't want to hear the public?," the Oregon Legislature's House Judiciary Committee held an excruciatingly inept, slanted, and frustrating public hearing on three bills that would drastically limit citizen involvement in land use decisions. Yesterday, fellow hearing sufferer Kris Bledsoe wrote a terrific piece for Blue Oregon, laying out details of how committee co-chair Rep. Wayne Krieger (R-Gold Beach), who hates land use planning, threatened her when she asked why she never got a chance to testify. In "A Formal Complaint for Deaf…
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Posted inSustainability

Boycott Cabela’s — a store that sponsors coyote cruelty

I've never been to a Cabela's store. Reportedly this is a great place to shop for outdoors gear. A Cabela's is opening about an hour south of us in Springfield, Oregon soon. My wife and I will be tempted to check it out, except... Predator Defense, an organization based in Eugene that we heartily support, is urging a boycott of Cabela's so long as the store sponsors cruel coyote-killing contests where these canines are shot just for fun. Coyotes are an important part of natural ecosystems. Usually there's no reason to kill them. Killing tends to increase their numbers, anyway,…
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Posted inSustainability

My bumper says, “Friends don’t let friends deny global warming”

I've never been big on putting bumper stickers on my car. Obama didn't even rate one in 2008, though I made an exception for John Kitzhaber's gubernatorial campaign in 2010. Since he is now Oregon's governor, obviously the sticker made a difference. I'm hoping the same will be true of my new bumper sticker message: "Friends don't let friends deny Global Warming." I bought two of architect David Stockbridge Smith's creations after learning about them via a Climate Progress post. It's more than a little strange that this bumper sticker is necessary. After all, there's no need for "Friends don't…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Science Sustainability

Global warming is causing disasters — Republicans ignore reality

With one exception, I'm not particularly worried about the damage Republicans can do in the new Congress, now that they're about to take over control of the House. A Democratic Senate and President will prevent them from enacting any batshit crazy laws. What's the exception? Acting on much-needed global warming and energy policy legislation. This is a policy area that can't wait for voters to come to their senses in 2012 and kick the do-nothings out of office. Obama is doing what he can administratively, but it'd be a heck of a lot better for the United States and the…
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Posted inScience Sustainability

There’s more snow storms in warmer years

Here's another arrow that's been lost from the unscientific quiver of climate change deniers: It's snowing hard! Global warming isn't happening! Untrue. The anti-science crowd has been doing a killer job pushing the myth that the big recent snowstorms somehow undercut our understanding of human-caused global warming.  But aside from the fact the precipitation isn’t temperature, it turns out that the “common wisdom” the disinformers are preying on — lots of snow means we must be in a cold season — isn’t even true.Let’s look at the results of an actual, detailed study of “the relationships of the storm frequencies…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Sustainability

A cosmic perspective on climate change politics

I can forgive politicans for most of the crap they inflict on us, because that's what I expect from them. Crap. But there's one malfeasance that's unforgivable: Failing to protect the livability of our planet. We can argue about the size and role of government, whether health care should be single payer or privatized, how the education system should operate, what the optimum level of taxation is -- all kinds of questions are open to avid discussion and debate. Except how to preserve Earth in a fashion that will enable future generations to survive, prosper, and engage in their own…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Sustainability

Ice sheet melting brings oceanfront dream closer

I've always wanted to live on a beach. According to a New York Times story, if I live to be about 150 -- to the end of this century -- that dream will be at least three vertical feet closer to our current elevation of 440 feet, and possibly a lot more. Scary, especially for those who already live in low-lying coastal areas, and for young people (plus those yet to be born) who will bear the brunt of global warming effects -- including sea level rise. Reading "As Glaciers Melt, Science Seeks Data on Rising Seas" added to my…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Science Sustainability

Climate scientists challenge global warming deniers

Great news: climate scientists have decided they no longer will tolerate truth-besmirching, anti-science, fossil fuel industry-supported global warming deniers. Unfortunately, the campaign to bring more facts and less irrationality into policy debates isn't quite as aggressive as the LA Times story said (which was reprinted in the Portland Oregonian, where I read it this morning). Faced with rising political attacks, hundreds of climate scientists are joining a broad campaign to push back against congressional conservatives who have threatened prominent researchers with investigations and vowed to kill regulations to rein in man-made greenhouse gas emissions. The still-evolving efforts reveal a shift…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Sustainability

If you care about our planet, don’t vote for Dudley

I could almost hear the increasingly hotter Earth breathing a steamy sigh of relief when the newest Oregon gubernatorial poll came out today. Rasmussen Reports has John Kitzhaber ahead of Chris Dudley 48% to 46%. Dudley shouldn't be this close, given his disturbingly lukewarm support, or outright disdain, for environmental issues. Oregonians are proudly green (not referring to school colors, Beaver fans). We want our state to remain a leader in job-creating sustainability. But like the Oregon League of Conservation Voters says, "Oregon can't afford a governor who's not sure about global warming." Last week, at the KGW/Oregonian gubernatorial debate,…
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Posted inHome life Sustainability

Tall firs crush our solar energy dreams

We finally got a solar energy guy to come out and see if our house was suitable for rooftop panels. But the result wasn't what we'd hoped.  When Chet of RS Energy (who works with Solarize Salem, the group I'd contacted for an assessment) pulled into our driveway, I told him, "Look, we've got two hybrid cars and a Kitzhaber sticker on our Highlander Hybrid. We're ripe for solar." I also said that we were appreciative of him being here, since I'd contacted quite a few solar energy companies and had only gotten a few responses -- with no one…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Sustainability

Cosmic reasons to vote Democratic this November

Being a philosophical sort of guy, I enjoy looking at the big picture. The really Big Picture. Like, where we stand in the cosmos. Which can be viewed as "super small" or "very tall" depending on one's perspective -- and they can merge into one vision when perceived through the factual lens of science. Our universe is 13.7 billion years old. If Stephen Hawking is correct in his surmising, it is but one of a near-infinity of bubble universes which spring from quantum fluctuations in an everlasting energy field (no God required). Most universes are inhospitable to life. We, obviously,…
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Posted inMeasure 37 Sustainability

Oregon Court of Appeals reverses Yamhill Co. subdivision approval

Here's more good legal news for the vast majority of Oregonians who want our state to stay as green as possible -- both environmentally and economically. Hot on the heels of a Marion County District Court judge's reversal of the county commissioners' decision to allow a 43-lot, 217 acre subdivision on groundwater limited farmland in our neighborhood to move forward comes an even more legally significant ruling: Today the Oregon Court of Appeals said approval of a 10-lot, 39-acre subdivision in Yamhill County was flawed and needs to be reconsidered by the Board of Commissioners. This is the first decision…
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Posted inMeasure 37 Salem Sustainability

Circuit Court reverses Marion County commissioners

Last Friday our rural south Salem neighborhood got some great news: in Marion County Circuit Court Judge Nely Johnson reversed the Marion County Board of Commissioners' approval of Ridge View Estates, a 217 acre, 43 lot Measure 37 subdivision on Liberty Road. Read all about it in our press release. Download Willamette Valley Farmland Protected - Final-1 Judge Johnson issued an oral opinion, asking the attorneys for our neighborhood's Keep Our Water Safe committee (Ralph Bloemers of the Crag Law Center and Sean Malone, a Eugene attorney) to prepare Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law. These should be finalized…
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Posted inScience Sustainability

Letter to editor shows ignorance of global warming deniers

Marcia Turnquist of Northwest Portland, you should send me a cyberspace gift basket. I was this close to titling my blog post, "Marcia Turnquist is a scientific freaking fool." But I thought that sounded just a tad impolite for a headline, so I demoted that sentiment to the body of this post -- though I still dearly hope Google manages to connect "Marcia Turnquist" and "freaking fool" for as long as the Holy Search Engine does its thing.As I guess is obvious, I'm losing my patience with global warming deniers. Also, with media outlets that treat their scientific illiteracy with…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Sustainability

Dems give up on climate change legislation

Soon after I learned that the Senate Democratic leadership, surely with Obama's blessing, had given up on trying to pass any meaningful sort of climate change legislation, I got another email from Organizing for America -- asking for donations to support the Dems.Hah! I thought. Bad timing. I was so irked at the meek and weak "we give up without even trying" attitude of the Democratic leadership in Washington I vowed to put my financial support into Oregon politics. If we can keep Republican Chris Dudley from becoming governor and elect John Kitzhaber, that'll ease the pain of watching the…
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Posted inMeasure 37 Sustainability

9th Circuit reverses ruling that threatened Measure 49

Here's some good news for Oregon. Today the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a 2008 decision by a federal District Court judge, Owen Panner, who opined that Measure 37 waivers were binding contracts -- so couldn't be overturned by voters' decisive approval of Measure 49 in 2007.I wrote about Panner's decision in "Federal judge complicates Oregon land use policies." Fortunately, the 9th Circuit has uncomplicated them. Here's the brief ruling by the 9th Circuit. Download Memo opinion cfcfRalph Bloemers of the Crag Law Center in Portland issued a press release about the 9th Circuit decision. Download Press Release -…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Sustainability

Climate scientists cleared of wrongdoing

Ah, it's so pleasing to have been proven right. As was obvious seven months ago, when I wrote "Climate scientist emails show no fraud," several investigations have now concluded that the stolen emails of leading climate researchers leave the science of global warming as it was before:Proven beyond any reasonable doubt. The Earth is warming to dangerous levels, and humans are responsible for it.An article from a British newpaper, the Guardian, was headlined "Climategate scientists cleared of manipulating data on global warming."Announcing the findings, Russell said: "Ultimately this has to be about what they did, not what they said. The…
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Posted inSustainability

Oregon wolves saved from ridiculous kill order

I can't understand why Eastern Oregon ranchers are so afraid of wolves. There only are thought to be fourteen wolves in the entire state. They're on Oregon's endangered species list.Yet two of the fourteen were slated to be slaughtered by the inaccurately-named federal agency, Wildlife Services, after the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife issued an unnecessary kill order. Fortunately, on July 1 four conservation groups sued Wildlife Services for not conducting a required environmental analysis. After all, killing 1/7 of an endangered species population sure sounds like it needs some careful thought.But as I've noted before in "Ranchers overly afraid…
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Posted inRecreation Sustainability

Metolius trash spill makes me empathize with Gulf Coast

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Sometimes the morality of a situation is stunningly simple. Only one word kept echoing in my head after I spotted some out-of-place debris as I was walking along the Metolius River in central Oregon, past the Riverside campground near the headwaters. There's very little litter along the Metolius. People visiting the Camp Sherman area respect this marvelously beautiful spring-fed river, which I believe has an official Wild and Scenic designation.So this trash was out of place. Unusual. Unexpected. And wrong. We usually come to the Metolius once a month from April through October, being 1/4 owners of a…
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Posted inScience Sustainability

Lars Larson’s lies about global warming

Even though I got satellite radio to avoid the right-wing talk shows that dominate the Portland, Oregon airwaves, occasionally I tune into Lars Larson (KXL) or Victoria Taft (KPAM) to check on the strength of my cranium -- since almost always what I hear makes me feel like my brain is going to explode.I survived ten minutes or so of Larson a few days ago, but just barely. The combined scientific ignorance of Lars and a global warming-denying sidekick he had on, Chuck Wiese, was astounding.And intensely disturbing.Three years ago I criticized Larson for joking about how global warming is…
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