G2. Local Greens

This week, we dive into bills that will impact access to justice and dirty our clean water. But first, we review a few good bills!! Two bills that would improve the opencut mining law are up for consideration. Check the links here for more info and links to comment. Links shared during this call: If …

The post MEIC’s Weekly Legislative update – Feb. 9, 2023 appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

Pittsburgh, PA — A pair of environmental organizations today sent a letter to Pennsylvania urging the state to temporarily halt operations at a Shell plastics chemical plant northwest of Pittsburgh that has repeatedly violated air pollution limits and recently released plumes of black smoke for several hours.

Clean Air Council and the Environmental Integrity Project asked the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to temporarily halt operations of the Shell Polymers Monaca plant in Beaver County until the company can demonstrate it can operate in compliance with pollution control laws.

The two groups also today filed a notice of intent to sue Shell for violating the chemical plant’s 12-month permit limit on nitrogen oxides (NOx), which contribute to asthma attacks, lung disease, and (in the environment) smog and acid rain. This is the second notice from the groups in three weeks: On February 2, the organizations sent a notice to Shell for other violations of the plant’s air permit, including a 12-month limit on volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which also contribute to smog and health problems, and a prohibition on certain “visible emissions,” including black smoke from flares.

Under the federal Clean Air Act, plaintiffs must send notices of intent to sue at least 60 days before filing a complaint in federal court.

“DEP must act quickly to stop Shell’s ongoing violations of pollution limits that are meant to protect public health” said Sarah Kula, attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project.  “Since the plant has come online, Shell has struggled to meet its permit limits, and DEP needs to order a pause to operations until Shell can comply with the law.”

“We will continue to hold Shell accountable as long as they continue to violate the law,” said Joseph Minott, Clean Air Council Executive Director and Chief Counsel. “The health and environmental risks that come with pollution exceedances can harm communities and the region for generations to come. DEP must put the plant on hold until Shell can get its act together.”

On Monday, the Shell plant’s flare released large amounts of black smoke over the course of several hours. BreatheCam.org footage of the February 13th event can be found here. Plants often use these flaring events to burn off chemicals rather than vent directly into the atmosphere, but Shell’s permit does not allow the kind of visible emissions that occurred on Monday. When a flare is not operating properly, it can release dangerous air pollution, including fine particulate matter, benzene, hexane, formaldehyde, mercury, arsenic, and other organic hazardous air pollutants.

In 2022, Shell emitted 346 tons of NOx, which exceeded its permitted annual NOx emissions (328.8 tons of NOx in a 12-month period). From August to December 2022 alone, the plant emitted 310 tons of NOx – nearly reaching the 12-month limit during this five month period.  

For a copy of the letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, click here. For the most recent notice of intent to sue with exhibits, click here. 

It’s been 79 days since President Biden pledged to designate Nevada’s Avi Kwa Ame, or Spirit Mountain, as a national monument—but he still hasn’t fulfilled his promise. Now the Center for American Progress is highlighting the importance of Avi Kwa Ame for meeting the president’s environmental justice commitments.

A new report from CAP identifies the “nature gap” that exists around Avi Kwa Ame—an area where “93 percent of people of color are nature deprived, making them nearly twice as likely to be nature deprived than white communities living in the same area,” according to Sam Zeno, the author of the analysis.

The CAP report found that in the 25 mile radius around Avi Kwa Ame, which includes the Las Vegas metropolitan area, communities of color “experience heightened nature deprivation, even while surrounded by other public lands in the region.”

Last fall at the White House Tribal Nations Summit, President Biden pledged to protect the 450,000-acre national monument using his authority under the Antiquities Act, saying it was a “sacred place that is central to the creation story of so many tribes that are here today.”

Once President Biden signs the proclamation designating Avi Kwa Ame, it will become one of the few national monuments to honor Indigenous history. The area around Spirit Mountain also has incredible ecological importance, with the world’s largest Joshua tree forest, endangered desert bighorn sheep, and desert tortoise populations.

Learn more at honorspiritmountain.org and watch CWP’s Road to 30 video postcard from Avi Kwa Ame.

Got Colorado River questions? Brad Udall explains it all

In the latest episode of CWP’s podcast, The Landscape, Kate and Aaron are joined by water scientist Brad Udall to talk about the current state of the Colorado River. Water levels are dropping and something has to give or the river’s main reservoirs—Lake Powell and Lake Mead—are going to run dry. But states aren’t anywhere close to an agreement on how they’re going to cut back.

Udall, who teaches at Colorado State University and researches the impact of climate change on the Colorado River, is here to explain what’s going on, how dire the situation is, and what could happen next. Listen now or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Quick hits GAO warns abandoned mines may turn into money pits for land management agencies

FEDweek

Indigenous leaders warn proposed BLM methane venting and flaring rule falls short

Inside Climate News

Why are BP, Shell, and Exxon backing off their climate promises?

Grist

Will the Biden administration greenlight ConocoPhillips’ Arctic ‘carbon bomb’?

Sierra Magazine

Meet the GOP leaders in charge of critical environmental committees

CNBC

Why AOC and the left flank matter in the fight over permitting reform

Axios

Report: protecting Avi Kwa Ame would honor tribes and increase access to nature

E&E News | Center for American Progress

Study: Frequent wildfires more likely to hit low-income communities

Jefferson Public Radio

Quote of the day

The administration has said point blank that ‘no decision’ has been made on the Willow project despite moving the proposal forward in a ‘final’ environmental impact statement. We hope that as the outrage continues to pour in, President Biden and Secretary Haaland take time to reassess and reverse course.”

—Kristen Miller, Alaska Wilderness League, Sierra Magazine Picture this @Interior

At Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, you can take a break from urban living and reconnect with your natural surroundings. The refuge is a great place to explore nature and offers recreational activities for all comfort levels. Photo by Tom Kachelmeyer / USFWS

(featured image: Avi Kwa Ame photo by Alan O’Neill, used by permission)

The post Growing calls for Biden to protect Avi Kwa Ame appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

By Tristian Scott, Flathead Beacon A Republican lawmaker from Libby is seeking to repeal a two-year-old water quality rule to protect fish species in Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River, proposing a bill that would nearly double the allowable limit for selenium — criteria set in place to defend against toxic loads of the pollutant …

The post Libby Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Weaken Selenium Safeguard on Lake Koocanusa appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

Click here for resources from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Click here for information from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on the recent train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Click here for a report from the National Transportation Safety Board on the Norfolk Southern train derailment.

Click here to view Norfolk Southern’s remedial action work plan to address damage from chemicals leaked and intentionally burned from a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

This is a list of railcar contents and EPA monitoring information: https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=15933

Toxicologists Contracted by Norfolk Southern, CTEH

234-542-6474 | 10a-10p 

(Questions specific about smell, health, animals, houses, etc.)

Toxicologists Contracted by Norfolk Southern for Testing & Sampling

Phone: 330-849-3919 

(In home testing and monitoring within the 1-mile evacuation zone only)   

Pennsylvania Department of Health hotline to answer health questions: 1-877-PAHEALTH

Pittsburgh Poison Control Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical College (UPMC) is available to speak with residents about their health concerns and, if needed, to refer them for clinical assistance.

Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) is available to assist with child-specific questions and can provide recommendations for clinicians:
Phone: 833-362-2243 (toll free)
Email: macche@villanova.edu

This is EPA’s list of chemicals at the derailment.

https://response.epa.gov/sites/15933/files/TRAIN%2032N%20-%20EAST%20PALESTINE%20-%20derail%20list%20Norfolk%20Southern%20document.pdf

This is a list of other EPA docs related to the derailment.

https://response.epa.gov/site/doc_list.aspx?site_id=15933

Kate and Aaron are joined by water scientist Brad Udall to talk about the current state of the Colorado River. Water levels are dropping and something has to give or the river’s main reservoirs—Lake Powell and Lake Mead— are going to run dry. But states aren’t anywhere close to an agreement on how much each one is going to cut back.

Udall, who teaches at Colorado State University and researches the impact of climate change on the Colorado River, is here to explain what’s going on, how dire the situation is, and what could happen next.

News

• State of the Rockies 2023 Conservation in the West poll – Colorado College
• ‘This is about self-determination and sovereignty’: Tribes welcome return of ancestral lands – Indianz
• The Decolonial Atlas

Credits

Hosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss

Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org

Music: Purple Planet

Featured image: Grand Canyon National Park, Flickr

The post What’s going on with the Colorado River? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

Lock the Gate Alliance has labelled the Queensland Environment Department and the Palaszczuk Government “utterly spineless” following the approval of Shell and PetroChina’s (Arrow Energy) application to drill 55 coal seam gas wells immediately surrounding the Linc Energy contamination site.

Public transportation in California is headed for a “fiscal cliff” — federal covid funding will soon run out, but ridership has not yet recovered enough to provide necessary revenue.  Drastic service cuts can be avoided only if the state government acts. This at a time when a huge increase in public transportation is essential to … Read more

Origin Energy’s incremental exit from its Lake Eyre Basin fracking tenements shows the Queensland Palaszczuk Government is out of step with even the most gas-thirsty of fracking companies. 

Our community is at risk.  In fact, our entire county is at risk. Last December, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors rejected established land use planning policies of urban centered growth, transportation-oriented development, wild lands protection, and prioritization of affordable housing in favor of a Specific Plan allowing for large scale commercial and hotel development …

Preserve Rural Sonoma County: We can’t let them get away with this! Read More »

Patricia DeMarco's story reveals the strength found in adversity, purpose and the feeling of being at one with nature.

The post An environmental leader’s new memoir is inspired by the life and work of Rachel Carson appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

Image: Body:  

Hundreds of residents crowded into a public meeting Wednesday evening, trying to get answers about the release of toxic chemicals.

The post Residents demand answers in East Palestine after train derailment appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

Greetings All —

The messages she brings about the fossil fuel industry resonate and match well with the messages we need to use against the nuclear industry on SMNRs and “No New Nukes.”

Enough with the fairy tales! 

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things.”  — paraphrasing St. Paul

Good luck!

–Dave–

The Fairy Tales of the Fossil Fuel Industry – and a Better Climate Story | Luisa Neubauer | TED

The post Great messaging on nukes and climate change here appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Greetings All —

The messages she brings about the fossil fuel industry resonate and match well with the messages we need to use against the nuclear industry on SMNRs and “No New Nukes.”

Enough with the fairy tales! 

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things.”  — paraphrasing St. Paul

Good luck!

–Dave–

The Fairy Tales of the Fossil Fuel Industry – and a Better Climate Story | Luisa Neubauer | TED

The post Great messaging on nukes and climate change here appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Despite Westerners’ concerns over gas prices, the cost of living, and water shortages, support for conservation efforts remains high across the region, according to the 13th annual Conservation in the West Poll from the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project.

The bipartisan poll, which is considered the gold standard for public opinion research on conservation measures, surveyed more than 3,400 people in eight Western states. Across the West, more than two thirds of respondents said that reducing the need for oil and gas and expanding renewable energy was a bigger priority than expanding production of oil, gas, and coal.

Two thirds of Western voters said that drought and inadequate water supplies are a serious problem. Four out of five voters in Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah say the Colorado River is at risk and in need of urgent action.

The poll also revealed a need for more education about which sectors of the economy use the most water. Colorado Public Radio notes that in Colorado, the largest share of voters polled, 35 percent, believe industry and business use the most water in the state. In fact, agriculture uses by far the most water in Colorado—86 percent—but only 34 percent of Colorado respondents correctly identified that farmers and ranchers are the biggest water users.

“I think it does highlight an area where there’s room for public education,” said Dave Metz with FM3 research, part of the State of the Rockies polling team. “Given how critical public concern is about water shortages, understanding how water is currently used is helpful in making decisions about what policies we need to enact to ensure that we have sustainable supplies for all of these sectors moving forward.”

Similar misconceptions held up across most states in the survey. In only three states—Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming—did a slim majority of respondents correctly identify farmers and ranchers as the biggest water users in their state.

The Conservation in the West Poll also showed growing support for the “30×30” initiative to protect American lands and waters. E&E News reports that 82 percent of voters said they support the conservation goal, and 84 percent said they want to see more national monuments, parks, and wildlife refuges that protect historic sites or preserve recreational areas.

You can read the full poll results and look back at previous years at the Colorado College State of the Rockies website.

Quick hits Westerners support clean energy, less oil—even in red states

Los Angeles Times | CPR News | Axios Denver | E&E News | Arizona Republic | Deseret News | Colorado Sun | KRTV | Colorado Newsline | Missoulian

Manchin, Barrasso float bill to jump-start domestic uranium

E&E News

Montana joins oil industry to sue Portland over fossil fuel terminal ban

Reuters | OPB

As Willow project decision nears, Alaska ponders ties to oil

Roll Call

Wyoming bill would erode Tribal land rights

WyoToday

Tribes welcome return of ancestral lands—sometimes one acre at a time

Indianz

Western bumblebee populations suffering alarming declines

KUNC

Nine endangered ferrets released to prey on Colorado’s prairie dogs

OutThere Colorado

Quote of the day

Then there’s the challenge of deep-pocketed industries and other interest groups — such as fossil fuel companies and anti-public lands activists — drowning out the voices of regular people. [Pollster Lori] Weigel told me she used to keep a quote on her wall from a legislator who had trouble believing the results of a survey she’d conducted: ‘Well, no one that I talk to every day has said this.’

‘It’s exactly that,’ Weigel said. ‘They’re talking to a small number of people in a very specific area.”

—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times Picture this @WstrnPriorities

Despite high gas prices, Westerners continue to support limiting oil and gas drilling on #publiclands.

Instead, they want their U.S. representatives to focus on protecting clean water, recreation, and habitat in the West.

(featured image: Lake Powell’s “bathtub ring” shows how far water levels have dropped. Photo: arbyreed, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The post Water worries Westerners appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

By Amanda Eggert, Montana Free Press A Republican lawmaker from Libby on Wednesday spoke on behalf of a bill that seeks to strike the existing water quality standard for selenium in Lake Koocanusa and double the limit. Selenium is a chemical element entering Lake Koocanusa, a reservoir shared by British Columbia and Montana, from Canadian mining company …

The post Libby lawmaker eyes legislative change to Lake Koocanusa selenium standard appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

The council’s Committee on Sustainability and Green Initiatives held a hearing about how they might address plastic pollution in the county.

The post Allegheny County could consider ban on single-use plastic bags appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

The Allegheny Front's Reid Frazier was a guest on CBS News discussing the latest on the Ohio train derailment. 

The post The Allegheny Front on CBS News with latest on the train derailment appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

By Bret Anne Serbin, Missoulian Missoula City Council President and Ward 3 Councilor Gwen Jones defended Missoula’s ability to manage plastic recycling at the Legislature on Tuesday. She joined numerous Montanans seeking to return control to local governments for the regulation of plastic items. House Bill 413, heard in the House Local Government Committee, would …

The post ‘Power to the people’: Bill would restore local control over plastics appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.