Republicans have blasted the latest bailout package as being full of “pork”.

Hmmm–pork (barrel spending) by definition, is spending for projects that will benefit a certain group of constituents.

This article in Grist highlights all who will benefit from the “green pork” in the package.

Regarding increased fuel efficiency Obama shares:

This is what they call pork. You know the truth. It will not only save the government significant money over time, it will not only create manufacturing jobs for folks who are making these cars, it will set a standard for private industry to match. And so when you hear these attacks deriding something of such obvious importance as this, you have to ask yourself — are these folks serious? Is it any wonder that we haven’t had a real energy policy in this country?

Regarding clean energy:

After decades of dragging our feet, this plan will finally spark the creation of a clean energy industry that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next few years, manufacturing wind turbines and solar cells, for example — millions more after that. These jobs and these investments will double our capacity to generate renewable energy over the next few years.

And regarding energy efficiency:

This will save consumers money, this will spur innovation, and this will conserve tremendous amounts of energy. We’ll save through these simple steps over the next 30 years the amount of energy produced over a two-year period by all the coal-fired power plants in America.

Americans with lungs, and a heating bill sure does cover a large group of constituents. Sorry folks, but spending that will do wonders to clean up the earth and positively affect all earthlings is not “pork”.

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Mean Joe Green #49: Economy Hurting the Republican Image
One man’s hybrid is another’s pork

What will become of the Republican Party when Democrats lead us out of this financial crisis?

0 House Republicans voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last week.

0.

Could it be that if the Democrats fix the amazing mess we are in then the Republican Party–long known for being the party to trust when it came to all-things-money–will be left without a strength???

On Wednesday the House of Representatives approved the $819 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by a vote of 244-188.

Over $100 billion of that money (roughly 1 out of every 8 dollars!) would go directly to a variety of green projects,

some of which include the weatherization of low and moderate income homes, a clean water infrastructure, clean energy programs, a smart grid, efficiency programs, retrofits on public buildings, and environmental clean-up and restoration.

It’s anticipated that the Senate will not be as generous…

…well, we’ll enjoy the love for now anyway.

Apparently our fearless Former Vice Leader pulled a muscle helping move a box on inauguration day.

He’s so helpful.

1.used to treat cardiovascular disease, 2.an herbicide banned in the European Union (still used in the US) has been implicated in the decline of fish stocks and in changes in animal behaviour, 3.a mood-stabilising drug used to treat bipolar disorder, 4.an oestrogen hormone blamed for causing gender-bending changes in fish, 5.an anti-cholesterol drug, 6.a tranquiliser used in psychiatric treatment, 7.a painkiller and anti-inflammatory linked to increases in asthma incidence, 8.an anticonvulsant used to treat epilepsy, 9.an antibiotic used against the “Strep” bacteria, 10.a reducing agent used in molecular biology, 11.an antibiotic

Christian Daughton of the EPA’s National Exposure Research Laboratory says that neither this nor other recent water assessments give cause for health concern. “But several point to the potential for risk – especially for the fetus and those with severely compromised health.”

More on water

Top 11 compounds in US drinking water
Drink Your Pee!: The Future of Water Filtration
Top Colleges Working Together to Solve Nation’s Water Woes

I’m reminded of GreenPeace’s New York Times ad in 1990 after the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill: “It wasn’t the Exxon Valdez captain’s driving that caused the Alaskan oil spill. It was yours.” That’s not to say the drunken captain wasn’t to blame, but the consequences from the overuse of oil–much like the overuse of coal, are a fault of the demander (sounds like a Bush-ism) as well as the supplier.

Of course, when the supplier tries to save time and money by not constructing a structurally sound waste depository they are also very much to blame (I wish it were the homes and towns of those responsible for cutting corners that were flooded with coal sludge)–but we are not completely innocent either.

Before I am attacked for suggesting the victims of this disaster deserve a portion of the blame, let me make my point more clearly. I am saying everyone who uses abuses electricity is to blame (ie. most Americans). It is not our fault that we have a coal-based electric grid–that started long ago. But, we could use less electricity–much less, and we could petition our representatives to support the development of wind and solar energy, and we could educate others on how to make their homes more efficient. All of these measures (and more) would result in less coal sludge because we’d be using less coal…oh yeah, it would also mean less CO2 in the atmosphere, less mercury in the air and water, less asthma cases, and asthma related deaths, less…

…I wonder how toxic wind slurry is.

Related Articles (on the coal sludge disaster)

TVA Coal Ash Disaster Much Worse Than Originally Thought
Clean Coal? Storage Failure Covers 12 Homes, 400 Acres with Toxic Ash
Bush Ignores Clean Water Act in New Mountaintop Mining Regs
Tennessee Coal Slurry Retention Pond Disaster

Could this be the most environmentally destructive lame duck president ever?

Yes.

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Maybe our Super-Sized/BIGGER-is-better society should’ve called on a little common sense before purchasing 8-seater assualt vehicles that would only ever sit one or two people.

Well, hindsight is 20/20…

Author’s note: Author has (almost) nothing against SUV’s when they spend the majority of their life full of people/cargo/stuff. Some people need them–most simply want them.

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Well done to those mayors!

(Makes ya wonder how many didn’t… and why not!?)

The green jobs sector will grow.

With Obama’s election there will be (already has been) a much stronger focus on the environment–a focus on renewable energies, pollution reduction, green jobs, energy efficiency, fuel efficiency, and more. So, excuse me for not getting excited when Nike and Starbuck’s–two companies infamous for what they could’ve done rather than what they’ve actually done–join with Sun Microsystems, Levi Strauss, and Timberland to form a coalition with a focus on getting Congress to take action on climate change.

Sure, it’s a step in the right direction. Sure, it’s something I should be praising. But how can one not be skeptical when these companies, which have long had the opportunity to promote change (and change themselves), are only doing so when they obviously realize things are moving in this direction anyway.

It’s called “jumping on the bandwagon”.

The coalition calls itself BICEP (Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy). Let’s hope that unlike the over-inflated biceps found on an egomaniacal gym rat, these BICEPs aren’t just for show.

[social_buttons]

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BICEP

The EPA’s Appeals Board ruled last Thursday that coal-fired power plants must limit CO2 emissions.

Good news! Although it’s shocking that it took this long for a ruling that would limit CO2 emissions from new coal-fired power plants…

…Equally shocking is the fact that it took me since Thursday to come up with this very average cartoon to immortalize said ruling.

I’m afraid a smooth transition would’ve required 8 years of care, concern, and sound decision making.

It would also be nice if you didn’t take every last opportunity to enact a wide array of federal regulations which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment before leaving office in January.

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Related Articles:

Low Impact Living: Who’s the Greenest? Obama vs. McCain
My Bottom Line is Green: McCain v. Obama on Renewable Energy

‘Palin and the Moose’ caption contest winners!

First place–Brent, caption is in the cartoon.
Second Place–Derek, “You’re either with us or against us!”
Third Place–Jerry, “Hey, what’s the name of that conservation commission I chaired?”
Thanks to everyone who shared a caption! There were many impressive entries.
Look for another caption contest sometime in late November…

The rain is famous for falling on the just and unjust alike, but if I had the management of such affairs I would rain softly and sweetly on the just, but if I caught a sample of the unjust out doors I would drown him.

I imagine Mr. Twain perched in a rocking chair on a heavenly cloud doing just that.

Ironically, the rain that is soaking President Bush is much more toxic than it otherwise might have been had our dubious leader not dirtied up the skies with his Clear Skies Initiative!

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Keeping the earth clean and healthy is not Right vs. Left, it is right vs. wrong!

We all breathe the same air, drink the same water, eat food that comes from the earth’s soil. It is my observation that my Republican brother-in-law needs the same clean water and air as I in order to live. It is also an observation of mine that the health effects of toxic air and water will equally effect the children of my bro-in-law as much as it will my own. Therefore, it is up to the majority of us whether right or left, liberal or conservative to join together as one group of people that inhabit one planet and address the degradation of our environment.

For the Environment, we are not red or blue, Republican or Democrat–we are the Purple (Blue+Red) Demoblicans (Democrat+Republican)!

Purple Demoblicans unite!

Power tho the Purple!

Purple is the new green!

Demoblicans are the new environmentalists!

The below average catch phrases are endless…

*Write to government officials to make sure they realize the environment is, and always will be, a priority.
*Conserve. Drive less. Buy less. Waste less. Reduce. Re-use. Recycle.
*Avoid harmful chemicals whenever possible.
*Join clean up groups.
*Basically, as Ghandi said “Be the change that you wish to see…”

The Ridiculous Right

McCain seems to think Governor Palin is a leading authority on energy. This is almost as ridiculous as the Governor herself (mis)quoting Starbucks cups to rally women voters.

By the way, I wonder how she became an authority on energy…

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5 reasons not to drill for oil off our nation’s shores:

1) Renewables and Alternative Fuels–It is a distraction from the dire need to promote renewables and move to a clean, energy independent future.
2) Short Term Solution–We live in a country that has 4.5% of the world’s population and uses 25% of the world’s oil. Any oil found would simply be a short term solution. The time and money spent searching and drilling would be better spent promoting renewable energy and alternative fuels.
3) Price at the Pump–We wouldn’t save at the pump for about a decade, and even then the savings would be only a few cents.
4) Marine Life–Drilling offshore would negatively impact delicate marine ecosystems. Plus, the US government recently calculated there was a 33-51% chance of a major spill in the lifetime of an offshore oil and gas lease in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska. Thems not good odds!
5) Climate Change–As Jerry James Stone said in a comment in his recent Red Green and Blue article “the offshore solution does not address our climate crisis. We would still be burning the same amount of fossil fuel, and that is BAD!”

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Want a President who isn’t afraid to ignore important votes for renewable energy and unafraid to lie to your face?
Vote John McCain.

Two recent bills in support of promoting renewable energy nearly made it to the the Senate floor–they fell one vote short. Needing 60 votes to progress, each failed with a tally of 59 for–40 against–and 1 senator absent. Guess which senator missed the votes that could have moved our country and our economy towards cleaner, greener, pastures?

You guessed it–The Maverick!

And guess who was absent on 6 other similar votes this year and last?

Yep–Maverick again!

And guess who, when asked about those missed votes, told U.S. citizens “..I have not missed any crucial vote”?

Mav!

At a time when we are in desperate need of a global clean-up can we afford to elect a Maverick who stated last December that the “truly clean technologies don’t work.”? (By the way this is the same one-man think tank that called the fundamentals of our economy strong, only a few weeks back!)

Time to elect a leader who has a clue…

If you say so John. That mustache apparently filters the truth.

More from the Conservative Right Wrong: Governor Palin sued to fight the listing of polar bears as endangered.

Good choice Sarah, just because the land that they walk on is melting doesn’t mean they are endangered. I’m sure they’ll leap frog millions of years of evolution and grow gills.

In the meantime…

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Governor Palin vs. Science

This cartoon is a result on Palin’s recent shift on Global Warming. The change in position has caused her poor environmental record to receive more scrutiny.

According to Friends of the Earth Action President Brent Blackwelder:

Sarah Palin’s record is not extensive — just two years ago she was the mayor of a city of less than 10,000 people — but what her record indicates is troubling. This spring, she opposed the listing of polar bears as a ‘threatened’ species. She supports the brutal aerial hunting of wolves. And she has been a friend of Big Oil, opposing a windfall profits tax on the oil industry that could fund affordable clean energy for more Americans. Palin’s husband works for BP.

Her short but disturbing environmental record troubles me second only to her extreme religious beliefs. I don’t know if an “End Times” doomsday-scenario believer should be given the nuke codes. I’m sure this woman is a good person–BUT I STRONGLY BELIEVE SHE SHOULD NOT BE ONE BEATING HEART AWAY FROM RUNNING (ruining) OUR COUNTRY.

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Welcome to the no spin zone…

The future of renewable energy does not bode well with a candidate who was absent for the eight key votes to extend renewable energy tax credits.
For more, read the articles linked below the cartoon.

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John McCain Scores a Zero on the Environment
McCain is Absent on America’s Energy Crisis: Misses 8 Key Votes
An about face?..
McCain Meets with Pickens, Says “Of Course” he Supports Renewable Energy Tax Credits
On the other hand…
Top Ten Reasons to Vote for Obama/Biden

Tornadoes send a reminder to Democrats in Denver.

With just about every report (even one from “W” himself) linking the increase in extreme weather (floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc) to global warming, it was quite a coincidence that four tornadoes touched down near Denver on Sunday. With the Democratic National Convention beginning there on Monday, it seemed like an attempt by Mother Nature to remind the Democrats to treat climate change with the attention it deserves when they finally take the White House in a few months.

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Group solar purchasing program 1 Block Off the Grid (1BOG) is currently running a campaign to lower the cost of rresidential solar energy in the Denver metro area.

Disclaimer: Both 1BOG and GO Media are owned by Virgance.