Weekly Green: March 8, 2012

Hello and good afternoon all. In this week's headlines:

Democracy for polluters, by polluters?

 

Please take a stand for our democracy: add your name to CLCV’s petition calling for a Constitutional Amendment to overturn Citizens United.

 

Reid: Democrats will kill Keystone amendment

 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday that Democrats have the votes to defeat a GOP-backed measure to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

 

Study: Planning key for cities along high-speed rail

 

A new study suggests high-speed rail in California will likely create jobs and population growth in larger cities with stations along the route, and "second-tier" cities like Fresno would fare better than those without stations.

 

What is a Park Worth?

 

The first in a special month-long series called "California State Parks: On the Rocks" starts with Ruth Coleman, Director of California's state parks system.

 

New state bird guide highlights climate change risk

 

If the climate continues to warm and development doesn’t slow down, the first avian calamities are likely to the California black rail, the California and Yuma clapper rails, and a few species of coastal song sparrows.

 

Obama hits the road for green cars

 

Two of Obama’s new programs are contests intended to help accelerate deployment and adoption of advanced vehicles; the other is a package of tax incentives for alt-fueled vehicles.

Mountain lion photo exposed major cultural shift in California

 

Hunters and environmentalists don't often agree. But there's no dispute between them on one thing: This week's sizzling controversy over whether a top California wildlife official should be removed from his post for shooting a mountain lion in Idaho is about much more than mountain lions.

 

Growth of composting strains oversight of industry

 

California’s next big step in recycling – composting its meat scraps, broken egg shells, coffee grounds and other detritus of eating – is straining the state’s ability to effectively manage the ever-growing and sometimes dangerous industry.

 

Major Study: Oceans Acidifying at “Unprecedented” Rate

 

The breadth of this study  – 18 research institutions and 21 scientists worldwide — and the examination of hundreds of studies stretching so far back into the geologic record makes this conclusion a singularly solid statement about the present trend.

 

Fishery experts forecast banner salmon season

 

There are more chinook salmon swimming in the ocean right now than anyone has seen since at least 2005, according to projections released by biologists during the annual weeklong industry fret-fest that decides how many salmon are available to be reeled in along the West Coast.

 

Your Toxic Couch

 

Where there’s smoke – fire is still likely after California’s out-dated 12-second rule. And toxic flame retardants in your bed or couch may harm your family anyhow.

 

For some, habitat plan remains controversial

 

By assembling a network of 500,000 acres for protected or sensitive plants and animals, local governments will have permission to destroy habitat elsewhere in order to expedite that other development, particularly transportation projects.

 

Natural oil seepage off Santa Barbara takes a toll on seabirds

 

In recent weeks, beachgoers have found dozens of struggling, oil-stained murres on the shores closest to the major oil seeps in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and as far south as the Orange County coast.

 

Saving desert tortoises is a costly hurdle for solar projects

 

History has shown the tortoise to be a stubborn survivor, withstanding upheavals that caused the grand dinosaur extinction and ice ages that wiped out most living creatures. But unless current recovery efforts begin to gain traction, this threatened species could become collateral damage in the war against fossil fuels.

 

A collision of visions on bullet train

 

When voters approved funding for the rail system in 2008, it was promoted as nonpartisan. Even some Republicans supported it. But the $98.5-billion project has taken on powerful political and philosophical overtones as it has matured.

 

If Lobbyists for Polluters were Replaced by Asthmatic Children

 

Members of Congress see lobbyists for polluters all the time, but how often do they see children suffering from the effects of air pollution? So we are asking, what would happen if all those lobbyists were replaced by asthmatic children?

 

Soot a Culprit in Glacial Melt

 

Soot from fossil fuels is causing snow packs, glaciers and ice sheets to absorb heat and melt more quickly, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers have confirmed.