ACTION.  Read this report and then ask your Congressman and both Senators how they plan to reduce the cost of climate disruption in the next five years.

The cost of climate-related disasters has increased considerably over recent years. At a time when there is much discussion of reducing the Federal deficit, a new analysis from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) titled “Who Pays for Climate Change? “ shows that in 2012 “the costs of disaster recovery, flood insurance, crop insurance, and forest firefighting represent a major expenditure in U.S. federal budgets, reaching an all-time high of $96 billion in 2012. This high is in addition to the costs borne by private insurance companies.“

Graphic: NASA

In an analysis of more than 4,000 academic papers that considered the possibility of human activity being the root cause of climate change, John Cook of the University of Queensland found that only 0.3 pct disputed human influence and 2.2 pct were unclear. To learn more about climate change see an Introduction for Beginners, Debunking the Myths, NASA’s map of Global Warming, Rising Sea Levels, Chemistry Toolkit, and the weekly news summary at Climate Progress.

George Hawkins at Clean Rivers Campaign talk, May 13. Photo: Tom Hoffman

DC Water is changing the way stormwater is managed
in the most important metropolis in the country.

Under George Hawkin’s leadership DC Water is changing from strictly gray tunnels to large scale green infrastructure. It is doing so carefully and thoughtfully, with an eye towards creating an infrastructure that works, brings benefits to the community, especially jobs, and is an investment in the region’s future. Along with the Beyond Tunnel Vision talk he gave to over 100 people at the Phipp’s lecture hall, George met with key leaders in the ALCOSAN decision making process and was on WESA’s Essential Pittsburgh where he shared his vision and strategy. If a green infrastructure can be done in DC, why can it not be done in Pittsburgh?

It was the suggestion of ESAT member Mary Ruth Aull to call attention to the fact the earth is in the midst of the greatest mass extinction of species since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The proclamation was happily sponsored by Council president Darlene Harris and co-sponsored by every other member of City Council. On hand to accept the proclamation and make brief statements were ESAT chair Gwen Chute, her husband Ed, and ESAT member Mike Pastorkovich.

The remote mountaintop Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) in Hawaii is an ideal location for monitoring the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. For 24 hours on May 9 the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere atop exceeded 400 parts per million, or 0.04 pct. That is the highest CO2 level for more than two million years, it is the highest concentration in human history, and is a historically rapid increase of about 120 ppm since before the industrial revolution began in 1750. Passing 400 ppm is also an indication that the current efforts to curb CO2 emissions are inadequate, and we are on course for dramatic changes in the Earth’s climate.

The following is from a 8 March 2013 article in the Guardian.

Carbon dioxide levels fluctuate seasonally, with the highest levels usually observed in April. Last year (2012) the highest level at Mauna Loa was measured at 396.18ppm.

What is disturbing scientists is the the acceleration of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, which are occurring in spite of attempts by governments to restrain fossil fuel emissions.

According to the observatory, the average annual rate of increase for the past 10 years has been 2.07ppm – more than double the increase in the 1960s. The average increase in CO2 levels between 1959 to the present was 1.49ppm per year.

The Mauna Loa measurements coincide with a new peer-reviewed study of the pledges made by countries to reduce CO2 emissions. The Dutch government’s scientific advisers show that rich countries will have to reduce enissions by 50% percent below 1990 levels by 2020 if there is to be even a medium chance of limiting warming to 2C, thus preventing some of climate change’s worst impacts.

Just how serious is President Obama about tackling climate change is a question that goes back at least to his 2012 acceptance speech, and has continued. In an interesting article Jonathan Chait suggests that Obama may indeed turn out to be the Environmental President, managing to bypass Congress and using the Federal environmental laws that were enacted during the Nixon years. Chait expands on this “EPA” approach in a subsequent on-line article. Both Chait’s articles are well worth reading.

Photo from the PA DEP

If a nationwide moratorium on hydrofracking is not yet in the cards, at least we can close some of most egregious loopholes. That is what the bipartisan Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act (FRAC Act) is designed to do. Introduced on May 9 by Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO1) and Chris Gibson (R-NY19 ), the FRAC Act would do the following:

• Require disclosure of the chemical constituents used in the fracturing process.
• Disclosure would be to the state, or to EPA, but only if EPA has primary enforcement responsibility in the state. The disclosures would then be made available to the public online.
• Proprietary chemical formulas are protected under our bill – much like the way Coca-Cola must reveal the ingredients of Coke, but not their secret formula; oil and gas companies would have to reveal the chemicals but not the specific formula.
• This bill does include an emergency provision that requires these proprietary chemical formulas to be disclosed to a treating physician, the State, or EPA in emergency situations where the information is needed to provide medical treatment.
• Repeal a provision added to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 exempting the industry from complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), one of our landmark environmental and public health protection statutes.

“The FRAC Act would remove the patchwork of different state regulations that the industry currently has to try and comply with, and would set up a consistent and effective system to safeguard fracking operations. As a member of the Congressional Natural Gas Caucus I believe this legislation would enhance our efforts to promote the responsible development of natural gas,” stated Rep. DeGette. “Natural gas is an important economic driver for our nation and for Colorado in particular. As we witness America’s natural gas boom, a reasonable, common-sense framework of regulations at the federal level can help us protect our health and our environment, without standing in the way of the economic and energy benefits fracking can provide us all.”

A 2011 version of the FRAC Act (H.R.1084 in the House had 73 sponsors including Reps. Brady, Fattah, and Schwatrz from Pennsylvania. In March 2011 Sen. Bob Casey introduced a companion bill in the Senate (S.587)

In an encouraging move for Fractivists and folk worried about local rights, on May 2 a New York Appeals Court upheld the right of a municipality to use zoning laws to ban hydro fracking operations in their district. This decision was discussed in detail on the Diane Rehm Show on NPR (51 mins) with participants including Deborah Goldberg (Earth justice) and Micheal Brune (Sierra Club).

On May the Pennsylvania Chapter Sierra Club unanimously endorsed Dan Gilman for District 8 in Pittsburgh City Council.

“Dan Gilman has been and will continue to be one of the strongest advocates in City Council for protecting the environment,” writes Allegheny Group Chair Barbara Grover. “Dan worked with a collaborative group of labor leaders, faith-based groups and environmental organizations to get City Council to pass Pittsburgh’s Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and prevailing wage bill. He is the only candidate who supports the ban on fracking in the city.”

“Through his 9 years experience as Chief of Staff for Bill Peduto, Dan knows the issues that residents of District 8 care about,” continues Grover. “He knows who to call to get problems solved, and he knows how city government operates. He also has good ideas for how to develop the economy and growth of the city. Add to all that, with his intelligence, personal integrity, and work ethic, we believe that Dan is definitely the best candidate for District 8.”

Included in District 8 is Shadyside, Point Breeze, and parts of North Oakland and Squirrel Hill. Also running to represent District 8 are Jeanne Clark and San Hens-Greco.

For more than two years, we have witnessed the dismantling of environmental programs in the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Send a message to Gov. Corbett. Help shift the DEP back to taking care of our environment and our health, not the fossil fuel industry.

ACTION: Click HERE to say NO to the Canyon Mine.

In January 2011 environmentalists believed that they had a mayor victory when the Obama Administration decided to protect the Grand Canyon from uranium mining in nearby Kaibab National Forest. Now the Forest Service has granted Energy Fuels Resources permission to resume mining that was suspended more than 20 years ago. The Sierra Club is among a group suing the Forest Service based on the argument that the old permission was based on a flawed environmental study. Get more information below:

Here are some reasons for you to say NO to the Canyon Mine.

• Groundwater below the mine site is hydrologically connected to Grand Canyon’s and Havasupai’s seeps and springs, all hotspots of biodiversity, essential to wildlife and humans. Seeps and springs will be threatened with depletion, decreased flows, and contamination.
• A large mammal wildlife corridor passes right through the mine site, from Grand Canyon’s South Rim to the San Francisco Peaks outside Flagstaff. Animals that have been documented moving along this corridor include mule deer, mountain lions, and pronghorn.
• A 2010 study by the U.S. Geological Survey found soil contamination at all sites that had been previously mined around Grand Canyon and water contamination at some. Fifteen springs and five wells in the region exceed the drinking water standard for uranium; all were tied to previous mining.
• The Orphan Mine in Grand Canyon National Park was cited in the old Environmental Impact Statement as an example of how mining could be done safely. Since then, soils surrounding Orphan Mine have been found to be contaminated, and Horn Creek and Salt Creek below it were found to be contaminated (they exceed the drinking water standard for uranium).
• Canyon Mine is adjacent to Red Butte Traditional Cultural Property, which wasn’t officially recognized by the U.S. government when the 1986 Record of Decision was issued.
• There was not sufficient tribal consultation prior to 1986 Record of Decision.

Artwork: Mike LaMark

ACTION: Contact EPA’s Office of Chemical Pollution and request a suspension of the neonicotinoid seed coatings until independent scientists verify safety.

We recently reported on the suit against the EPA over honeybee collapse disorder, brought by a coalition that includes the Sierra Club. At issue is the suspicion that the world’s most widely used class of pesticides, neonicotinoids, may be the leading cause of colony collapse disorder. While we wait for EPA to act, on April 29 the European Commission announced steps to ban the use of three neonicotinoid pesticides for a period of two years for corn, rapeseed, and sunflower crops. Two European producers of the banned pesticides, Bayer of Germany and Sygenta of Switzerland, have said their products aren’t to blame for the bees’ decline. See Impact on PA and Fed report below.

Added May 6, 2013. In his May 6 P-G article Don Hopey writes about the impact of the loss of honeybee colonies on Pennsylvania agriculture. In a May 2 72-page joint report from the US Dept. of Agriculture and the EPA the influence of pesticides on colony collapse is diluted by consideration of other factors such as the parasitic mite and bee nutrition.

Mayoral candidate Bill Peduto with supporters including Josh McNeil (Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania), Barb Grover (Allegheny Group, Sierra Club, and Tom Hoffman (Clean Water Action).

Across the street from Pittsburgh’s iconic ‘green’ building – Phipps Conservatory – on April 30 representatives of Clean Water Action, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, and the Sierra Club rallied to personally endorse Bill Peduto for Mayor of Pittsburgh. “I am pleased to receive such enthusiastic endorsements from three of the leading environmental advocacy groups,” Peduto said. “Working together with their members, we will make Pittsburgh a model city in the area of protecting and preserving the environment.”

Pittsburgh faces serious environmental challenges from past and current industrial activity. The next mayor will be forced to handle a crisis in stormwater management, while bringing the city into compliance with EPA water regulations and dealing with wastewater from gas drilling operations threatens to further pollute Pittsburgh’s water sources.

“If we are going to solve our sewage in the rivers problem in a way that brings our region the most benefits, Pittsburgh desperately needs a leader who can fight for that solution. Because he understands how a solution that catches the rain where it falls is the right choice, Bill Peduto is that leader,” said Tom Hoffman, Western Pennsylvania Director of Clean Water Action.

Though the city’s daylight hours are no longer darkened by soot, Pittsburgh’s air quality and rates of pollution related diseases like asthma remain among the worst in America. Of American cities, the Pittsburgh metropolitan area ranks 7th in the nation in annual particle pollution, 3rd for 24-hour particle pollution, and 24th for ozone according to the American Lung Association. Increased gas drilling in the area and attempts to revisit current regulations on gasoline sales can only make the problem worse.

“Our city’s long history of air pollution requires constant attention and forward-thinking leadership,” said Angel Gober, Political Chair, Allegheny Group of the Sierra Club. “Bill Peduto has been at the forefront of efforts to improve our air quality and, as our mayor, will be an outstanding champion for the safe, healthy air our families deserve.”

“On May 21, voters have a choice between Bill Peduto, a candidate who has consistently fought to make Pittsburgh a cleaner, safer, more prosperous place to live, and Jack Wagner, a candidate without a clearly defined position on environmental protection,” said Josh McNeil, Executive Director of Conservation Voters of PA. “For families worried about clean air, safe water, and a sustainable future for Pittsburgh, that choice couldn’t be more clear.”