Republican attack on the environment

Lawsuit challenges Trump's erosion of Endangered Species Act

Submitted by scharrison on

Somebody has to say, "Enough is enough.":

Earthjustice filed the lawsuit on behalf of Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Parks Conservation Association, WildEarth Guardians and the Humane Society of the United States.

For more than 40 years, the Endangered Species Act has been a successful conservation law that protects imperiled species and their habitats. In the years since it was enacted, 99 percent of listed species including the bald eagle, Florida manatee and the gray wolf have been spared from extinction, according to the release.

I'm actually surprised it took him this long to target endangered species. In the mind of Trump, animals that need protection are "weak," and probably should be allowed to go extinct. I'm sure there are a lot of humans that fit into that category as well, at least in the mind of the Narcissist-In-Chief. Here are some of the main complaints detailed in the suit:

Connecting the dots between climate change and flooding

Submitted by scharrison on

floodflorance2.jpg

It's all about the evaporation:

“We are in part responsible for what’s going on in the context of fossil fuel combustion emissions that are leading to global warming. The ocean is a huge reservoir that is absorbing heat and seeing more evaporation. With more evaporation comes more rainfall.”

I've lost count of how many times I've had this conversation with people over the last year or two. But it's really a relatively simple concept/formula. Heat leads to evaporation leads to precipitation. Yes, silt and debris form choke points in our streams/rivers, and the water has to go somewhere. Yes, poor landscaping and over-development cause stormwater runoff. But the main driver of flooding is increased water vapor in the air. So the next time you're trying to explain to the dubious how climate change is causing this, don't waste time with stuff like "changing weather patterns" or other obscure references, just remember that formula above.

Offshore drilling opponents on the coast get boost from Asheville

Submitted by scharrison on

deepwaterhorizon.jpg

Would that all NC's major cities show the same support:

Since the spring of 2017 when a shift in policy by the Trump administration caused the prospect of offshore oil and gas exploration off the North Carolina coast to reemerge as real possibility, local governments from Currituck to Calabash have steadily weighed in, passing resolutions in opposition and in some cases multiple times. About 40 of the coastal region’s municipalities and all but two coastal county boards — Carteret and Brunswick — have put their opposition to paper.

One of the latest additions to that list, however, could be a sign that other parts of the state are lining up against new leases as well. In late April, the Asheville City Council unanimously passed a resolution against both offshore drilling and seismic testing.

Aside from Lousiana's Mississippi Delta region, I'm not sure there is another state whose coastal area is as vulnerable to toxic spills as North Carolina's. Spilled oil could (and would) easily migrate deep into our tidal wetlands, and there's no fixing that. It would be devastating to not only fish and other waterborne species, but also migrating birds. Having Cooper in the Governor's mansion is a huge relief, especially considering McCrory turned his office into the damn headquarters of the drilling effort:

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Republican attack on the environment