Tuesday, August 13, 2019
‘Poop every other day’ to save Earth says Brazilian president as he destroys the Amazon
https://thinkprogress.org/poop-every-other-day-to-save-earth-says-brazilian-president-as-he-destroys-the-amazon-8ebcfa298ed1/
"With a string of inane comments meant to distract people, Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro keeps re-earning the title of “the Brazilian Trump.” His latest crazy comment came Friday when he said that one way to save the environment is if people “poop every other day.” But many in the media missed the key context. Bolsonaro is not someone who cares about the environment. He is someone who is in fact accelerating the deforestation of the Brazilian rainforest, and who says crazy stuff just to get the attention or cause distraction."
"With a string of inane comments meant to distract people, Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro keeps re-earning the title of “the Brazilian Trump.” His latest crazy comment came Friday when he said that one way to save the environment is if people “poop every other day.” But many in the media missed the key context. Bolsonaro is not someone who cares about the environment. He is someone who is in fact accelerating the deforestation of the Brazilian rainforest, and who says crazy stuff just to get the attention or cause distraction."
Monday, July 22, 2019
Trump’s EPA clears pesticide tied to children’s health problems
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-epa-clears-pesticide-tied-childrens-health-problems?fbclid=IwAR1mRjHMwlv74_B-xEnhLzEk9Lsbi6oKSc82W50CeyE03iJHlLPwyq1dHgI
"This week, as the New York Times reported, we learned about Team Trump doing another potentially dangerous favor for the chemical industry. The Trump administration took a major step to weaken the regulation of toxic chemicals on Thursday when the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would not ban a widely used pesticide that its own experts have linked to serious health problems in children. The decision by Andrew R. Wheeler, the E.P.A. administrator, represents a victory for the chemical industry and for farmers who have lobbied to continue using the substance, chlorpyrifos, arguing it is necessary to protect crops. Let’s circle back to our earlier coverage because it’s worth appreciating how we arrived at this point. The Obama administration originally proposed banning the pesticide’s use on food in October 2015. A risk assessment memo issued by nine EPA scientists concluded. “There is a breadth of information available on the potential adverse neuro-developmental effects in infants and children as a result of prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos.” By all appearances, this wasn’t an especially tough call. There was, after all, “extensive scientific evidence” that even tiny levels of exposure to this pesticide “can harm babies’ brains.” And then Donald Trump took office. Just two months into the new Republican administration, officials reversed course, putting the federal ban on hold. This, not surprisingly, sparked a series of legal challenges, and as the Times’ article noted, “Those lawsuits culminated in April when a federal appeals court ordered the E.P.A. to issue a final ruling on whether to ban chlorpyrifos by this month.” That final ruling from the EPA came yesterday. The administration sided with the chemical industry."
"This week, as the New York Times reported, we learned about Team Trump doing another potentially dangerous favor for the chemical industry. The Trump administration took a major step to weaken the regulation of toxic chemicals on Thursday when the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would not ban a widely used pesticide that its own experts have linked to serious health problems in children. The decision by Andrew R. Wheeler, the E.P.A. administrator, represents a victory for the chemical industry and for farmers who have lobbied to continue using the substance, chlorpyrifos, arguing it is necessary to protect crops. Let’s circle back to our earlier coverage because it’s worth appreciating how we arrived at this point. The Obama administration originally proposed banning the pesticide’s use on food in October 2015. A risk assessment memo issued by nine EPA scientists concluded. “There is a breadth of information available on the potential adverse neuro-developmental effects in infants and children as a result of prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos.” By all appearances, this wasn’t an especially tough call. There was, after all, “extensive scientific evidence” that even tiny levels of exposure to this pesticide “can harm babies’ brains.” And then Donald Trump took office. Just two months into the new Republican administration, officials reversed course, putting the federal ban on hold. This, not surprisingly, sparked a series of legal challenges, and as the Times’ article noted, “Those lawsuits culminated in April when a federal appeals court ordered the E.P.A. to issue a final ruling on whether to ban chlorpyrifos by this month.” That final ruling from the EPA came yesterday. The administration sided with the chemical industry."
83 Environmental Rules Being Rolled Back Under Trump
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks.html?fbclid=IwAR2yhjy1wOaNgnomfXymQpUY29UZGrzLzkl97jjLtwrjbfq_KONh17hMaLM
"All told, the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks could significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions and lead to thousands of extra deaths from poor air quality every year, according to a recent report prepared by New York University Law School's State Energy and Environmental Impact Center. Here are the details for each of the policies targeted by the administration so far."
"All told, the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks could significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions and lead to thousands of extra deaths from poor air quality every year, according to a recent report prepared by New York University Law School's State Energy and Environmental Impact Center. Here are the details for each of the policies targeted by the administration so far."
USDA Under Trump Hides Studies Proving Effects of Climate Change: Report
https://www.thedailybeast.com/usda-under-trump-hides-studies-proving-effects-of-climate-change-politico?ref=home&fbclid=IwAR1ZdL0z4iH3nQzmVUZsFDKmjJ3Zg6IqbKoWra3ggu3lwaHXEDXHit3sglw
"The Trump administration has refused to publicize dozens of studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that conclude climate change is having negative effects on everything from rice production to allergies, a Politico investigation revealed."
"The Trump administration has refused to publicize dozens of studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that conclude climate change is having negative effects on everything from rice production to allergies, a Politico investigation revealed."
Trump’s EPA Just Made Its Final Decision Not to Ban a Pesticide That Hurts Kids’ Brains
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2019/07/trumps-epa-just-made-its-final-decision-not-to-ban-a-pesticide-that-hurts-kids-brains/
"The pesticide in question, chlorpyrifos, is a nasty piece of work. It’s an organophosphate, a class of bug killers that work by “interrupting the electrochemical processes that nerves use to communicate with muscles and other nerves,” as the Pesticide Encyclopedia puts it. Chlorpyrifos is also an endocrine disrupter, meaning it can cause “adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects,” according to the National Institutes of Health. Major studies from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the University of California-Davis, and Columbia University have found strong evidence that low doses of chlorpyrifos inhibits kids’ brain development, including when exposure occurs in the womb, with effects ranging from lower IQ to higher rates of autism. Several studies—examples here, here, and here—have found it in the urine of kids who live near treated fields. In 2000, the EPA banned most home uses of the chemical, citing risks to children. And here’s the dirt on the relationship between President Donald Trump and the company that markets the chemical: Dow AgroSciences’ parent company, Dow Chemical, has also been buttering up Trump. The company contributed $1 million to the president’s inaugural committee, the Center for Public Integrity notes. In December, Dow Chemical Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris attended a post-election Trump rally in the company’s home state of Michigan, and used the occasion to announce plans to create 100 new jobs and bring back another 100 more from foreign subsidiaries. Around the same time, Trump named Liveris chair of the American Manufacturing Council, declaring the chemical exec would “find ways to bring industry back to America.” (Dow has another reason beside chlorpyrifos’ fate to get chummy with Trump: its pending mega-merger with erstwhile rival DuPont, which still has to clear Trump’s Department of Justice.)"
"The pesticide in question, chlorpyrifos, is a nasty piece of work. It’s an organophosphate, a class of bug killers that work by “interrupting the electrochemical processes that nerves use to communicate with muscles and other nerves,” as the Pesticide Encyclopedia puts it. Chlorpyrifos is also an endocrine disrupter, meaning it can cause “adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects,” according to the National Institutes of Health. Major studies from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the University of California-Davis, and Columbia University have found strong evidence that low doses of chlorpyrifos inhibits kids’ brain development, including when exposure occurs in the womb, with effects ranging from lower IQ to higher rates of autism. Several studies—examples here, here, and here—have found it in the urine of kids who live near treated fields. In 2000, the EPA banned most home uses of the chemical, citing risks to children. And here’s the dirt on the relationship between President Donald Trump and the company that markets the chemical: Dow AgroSciences’ parent company, Dow Chemical, has also been buttering up Trump. The company contributed $1 million to the president’s inaugural committee, the Center for Public Integrity notes. In December, Dow Chemical Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris attended a post-election Trump rally in the company’s home state of Michigan, and used the occasion to announce plans to create 100 new jobs and bring back another 100 more from foreign subsidiaries. Around the same time, Trump named Liveris chair of the American Manufacturing Council, declaring the chemical exec would “find ways to bring industry back to America.” (Dow has another reason beside chlorpyrifos’ fate to get chummy with Trump: its pending mega-merger with erstwhile rival DuPont, which still has to clear Trump’s Department of Justice.)"
Giving 'Upper Hand to Corporate Polluters,' EPA Drops Surprise Inspections
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/07/19/giving-upper-hand-corporate-polluters-epa-drops-surprise-inspections?fbclid=IwAR2EHNw8m_CXrxQQ17v0cWatTFtSiuHpOLyUwlooASIzVbzoJ9jKkeTqgsA
"President Donald Trump's EPA is provoking criticism once again, this time over a new "no surprises" policy stopping unannounced visits to power, chemical, and waste facilities. "The Trump @EPA is just chucking aside any flimsy pretense that they care about upholding environmental laws, enforcing against big polluters, or protecting Americans," tweeted John Walke, Clean Air Director and senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Giving a courtesy heads up to suspected *ongoing* lawbreakers is beyond the pale even for the Trump @EPA"."
"President Donald Trump's EPA is provoking criticism once again, this time over a new "no surprises" policy stopping unannounced visits to power, chemical, and waste facilities. "The Trump @EPA is just chucking aside any flimsy pretense that they care about upholding environmental laws, enforcing against big polluters, or protecting Americans," tweeted John Walke, Clean Air Director and senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Giving a courtesy heads up to suspected *ongoing* lawbreakers is beyond the pale even for the Trump @EPA"."
EPA Wants Minimal Limits On Poison In Drinking Water
https://www.dcreport.org/2019/06/25/epa-wants-minimal-limits-on-poison-in-drinking-water/?fbclid=IwAR1g9el-Oikn3D7WGv5sOKXeV4UxOwUvKttSKHaPNeqswmqa2LhPa5xXhzo
"The Trump EPA calculated recommended limits of a dangerous chemical sometimes found in drinking water that can harm babies’ brain development that were more than 9 times higher than those imposed by a few states by fudging a key number in the calculation. The Trump EPA recommended a limit for perchlorate, which can harm infant brain development, of 56 micrograms per liter, far above the limit of 6 that California imposed and 2 that Massachusetts set, more than a decade ago. “I guess they think it’s just fine to have children have IQ loss,” said Betsy Southerland, a retired EPA official who oversaw science and technology issues in the EPA Office of Water. Perchlorate, which a GAO study found in the water, soil or sediment of 45 states, is particularly dangerous to babies because it can harm infant brain development if their mothers are exposed to it in food or water while pregnant. Babies can also ingest perchlorate in their mothers’ breast milk or in formula."
"The Trump EPA calculated recommended limits of a dangerous chemical sometimes found in drinking water that can harm babies’ brain development that were more than 9 times higher than those imposed by a few states by fudging a key number in the calculation. The Trump EPA recommended a limit for perchlorate, which can harm infant brain development, of 56 micrograms per liter, far above the limit of 6 that California imposed and 2 that Massachusetts set, more than a decade ago. “I guess they think it’s just fine to have children have IQ loss,” said Betsy Southerland, a retired EPA official who oversaw science and technology issues in the EPA Office of Water. Perchlorate, which a GAO study found in the water, soil or sediment of 45 states, is particularly dangerous to babies because it can harm infant brain development if their mothers are exposed to it in food or water while pregnant. Babies can also ingest perchlorate in their mothers’ breast milk or in formula."
USDA Indefinitely Suspends Honey Bee Tracking Survey as States Get Approval to Use Bee-Killing Pesticide
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/07/08/usda-indefinitely-suspends-honey-bee-tracking-survey-states-get-approval-use-bee?fbclid=IwAR34952k6sSQKMzPoDHVrLVZMUDj8RGgaAmg2gPzCtPzofuVQS9tY7qs66Y
"On the heels of the EPA's June approval of a bee-killing pesticide, the White House said it would stop collecting data on declining honey bee populations—potentially making it impossible to analyze the effects of the chemical and the administration's other anti-science policies on the pollinators."
"On the heels of the EPA's June approval of a bee-killing pesticide, the White House said it would stop collecting data on declining honey bee populations—potentially making it impossible to analyze the effects of the chemical and the administration's other anti-science policies on the pollinators."
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Republican and Democratic former EPA heads sound alarm on Trump administration
https://thinkprogress.org/bipartisan-epa-trump-former-administrators-science-rollbacks-5d6508460e6c/?fbclid=IwAR0M58KkQ5-Z8BEkwv0Fr-iXM0hW_d_jrGhlR4qyOvo-_YR4_hae5zF1uUE
"Former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials — including three Republicans and one Democrat — sounded the alarm on Tuesday about the direction of the agency under President Donald Trump. They warned that decades of environmental progress are on the line."
"Former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials — including three Republicans and one Democrat — sounded the alarm on Tuesday about the direction of the agency under President Donald Trump. They warned that decades of environmental progress are on the line."
Monday, July 8, 2019
Sunday, July 7, 2019
The Sack Of Washington
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/epa-trump-pollution-science_n_5d163910e4b082e5536893ee?fbclid=IwAR1L614Nbrq0i77iBuaHi1dZdmCKEbrC2cAxiAcn_xh4bnFesSg9YdUShw4
"While Donald Trump mouthed populist, blue-collar bombast on the campaign trail, once sworn into office, he immediately put old-school commerce chiefs in position to run his empire. For the last two years, these corporate warriors have been chiseling through the barricade of laws, safety rules, and common-sense agreements that protect us from marauding commercial interests. Reader, beware. Barbarians have entered the city. Washington has been sacked! Journalists have rarely captured the perversity of Trump’s willing soldiers. In February, the Los Angeles Times offered a glimpse as it spotlighted Ed Calabrese, a professor of toxicology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst whose work tobacco and other poison-producers have long touted. Calabrese is now helping Trump appointees rewrite public policy to claim that pollution is good for us. Stop and ponder that for a moment: Pollution is good for us."
"While Donald Trump mouthed populist, blue-collar bombast on the campaign trail, once sworn into office, he immediately put old-school commerce chiefs in position to run his empire. For the last two years, these corporate warriors have been chiseling through the barricade of laws, safety rules, and common-sense agreements that protect us from marauding commercial interests. Reader, beware. Barbarians have entered the city. Washington has been sacked! Journalists have rarely captured the perversity of Trump’s willing soldiers. In February, the Los Angeles Times offered a glimpse as it spotlighted Ed Calabrese, a professor of toxicology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst whose work tobacco and other poison-producers have long touted. Calabrese is now helping Trump appointees rewrite public policy to claim that pollution is good for us. Stop and ponder that for a moment: Pollution is good for us."
Thursday, July 4, 2019
Trump’s EPA May Be About to Screw Over America’s Biggest Wild Salmon Run
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2019/06/bristol-bay-salmon-pebble-mine-scott-pruitt-trump-mining/?fbclid=IwAR3wPAPBI_oVgClXfFslobDLuUfViD4xHOhI9YrN85N9sf7f1ClNM5R5xH4
"On one side is Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd., a Canadian mining company eyeing a deposit of millions of tons of gold, copper, and molybdenum ore located near the headwaters of two rivers that drain into Bristol Bay, in southwest Alaska.* In its way stand conservationists, Alaska Natives, and fishing operators, who say the company’s proposed Pebble Mine could contaminate the two river systems, endangering the ecosystem for the 40 million salmon that migrate into the pristine bay each summer. The public has until July 1 to comment on the US Army Corps of Engineers’ environmental impact statement issued for Northern Dynasty’s mining project. The United Tribes of Bristol, a consortium of 15 tribes in the Bristol Bay Area, released a statement calling the assessment “completely inadequate,” and said that it “ignores the many valid concerns about the devastating impacts this project will bring.” The American Fisheries Society, a group of more than 8,000 scientists and academics, wrote in its public comment that the Army Corp’s evaluation “fails to meet basic standards of scientific rigor,” underestimating impacts and risks to fish and their habitats while drawing conclusions unsupported by data or other evidence."
"On one side is Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd., a Canadian mining company eyeing a deposit of millions of tons of gold, copper, and molybdenum ore located near the headwaters of two rivers that drain into Bristol Bay, in southwest Alaska.* In its way stand conservationists, Alaska Natives, and fishing operators, who say the company’s proposed Pebble Mine could contaminate the two river systems, endangering the ecosystem for the 40 million salmon that migrate into the pristine bay each summer. The public has until July 1 to comment on the US Army Corps of Engineers’ environmental impact statement issued for Northern Dynasty’s mining project. The United Tribes of Bristol, a consortium of 15 tribes in the Bristol Bay Area, released a statement calling the assessment “completely inadequate,” and said that it “ignores the many valid concerns about the devastating impacts this project will bring.” The American Fisheries Society, a group of more than 8,000 scientists and academics, wrote in its public comment that the Army Corp’s evaluation “fails to meet basic standards of scientific rigor,” underestimating impacts and risks to fish and their habitats while drawing conclusions unsupported by data or other evidence."
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Despite heavy opposition Trump administration opens up Minnesota wilderness area to copper mining
https://www.politicususa.com/2019/05/15/trump-administration-opens-up-minnesota-wilderness-area-to-copper-mining.html?fbclid=IwAR3UxownVnuIlgXsBquwPIpgq9ZwxNaD-B1LF4PHM7GGeFhyzZqA2wPAclI
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday renewed two long-mothballed leases near the Boundary Waters Wilderness area in Minnesota, a key step in opening up the popular wilderness and recreation area to copper mining despite heavy opposition from local and national conservation groups."
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday renewed two long-mothballed leases near the Boundary Waters Wilderness area in Minnesota, a key step in opening up the popular wilderness and recreation area to copper mining despite heavy opposition from local and national conservation groups."
Trump’s speech on energy policy goes off the rails
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-speech-energy-policy-goes-the-rails?fbclid=IwAR2OG-dzfFBS_3A_QnePVjlzCJupNutjq0JN0P0S8nE-r9Uj0fbUjlcZdNk
"Trump peddled discredited nonsense about energy policy during a speech devoted to energy policy. Is it any wonder substantive debates with this White House are so difficult? Postscript: The last time Trump shared his thoughts on wind turbines, he suggested they cause cancer. I suppose we should be thankful he showed some restraint yesterday?"
"Trump peddled discredited nonsense about energy policy during a speech devoted to energy policy. Is it any wonder substantive debates with this White House are so difficult? Postscript: The last time Trump shared his thoughts on wind turbines, he suggested they cause cancer. I suppose we should be thankful he showed some restraint yesterday?"
Bureau Of Land Management Scrubs Stewardship Language From News Releases
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/blm-news-releases-stewardship-languaged_n_5cdb8196e4b0437438c39e09?guccounter=1&fbclid=IwAR0z4RgO-G6tzRS-H3weKAq6f-Kz3_avJtfDLvpvex9ZFSspTL6O9P-I52c
"Aaron Weiss, media director at Colorado-based conservation group Center for Western Priorities, called the change “a perfect representation” of how Trump and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt view America’s public lands. “In their world, our lands are only here for exploitation and financial gain, not protection and preservation,” Weiss told HuffPost. “Bernhardt’s clients profit; our kids and grandkids pay the price.” Bernhardt, a former oil and gas lobbyist with a slew of potential conflicts of interest, served as Interior’s deputy secretary before being confirmed to the top post last month. He replaced former secretary Ryan Zinke, who stepped down in January amid mounting ethics scandals. Together, Zinke and Bernhardt gutted numerous Obama-era policies aimed at tackling climate change and have worked to boost fossil fuel and mineral production on federal lands. They also led the largest reduction of national monuments in American history, carving a collective 2 million acres from a pair of protected sites in Utah, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments ― a move that opened the door for oil, mining and other development. The Trump administration has on numerous occasions come under fire for scrubbing climate change language from agency websites. And, in its quest for so-called energy dominance, the Interior Department has prioritized development over conservation, at times celebrating its role in governing the exploitation of natural resources from public lands."
"Aaron Weiss, media director at Colorado-based conservation group Center for Western Priorities, called the change “a perfect representation” of how Trump and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt view America’s public lands. “In their world, our lands are only here for exploitation and financial gain, not protection and preservation,” Weiss told HuffPost. “Bernhardt’s clients profit; our kids and grandkids pay the price.” Bernhardt, a former oil and gas lobbyist with a slew of potential conflicts of interest, served as Interior’s deputy secretary before being confirmed to the top post last month. He replaced former secretary Ryan Zinke, who stepped down in January amid mounting ethics scandals. Together, Zinke and Bernhardt gutted numerous Obama-era policies aimed at tackling climate change and have worked to boost fossil fuel and mineral production on federal lands. They also led the largest reduction of national monuments in American history, carving a collective 2 million acres from a pair of protected sites in Utah, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments ― a move that opened the door for oil, mining and other development. The Trump administration has on numerous occasions come under fire for scrubbing climate change language from agency websites. And, in its quest for so-called energy dominance, the Interior Department has prioritized development over conservation, at times celebrating its role in governing the exploitation of natural resources from public lands."
Thinning Five Times Faster Than Just Two Decades Ago, Study Shows Antarctic Ice Melting at Terrifying Rate
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/05/16/thinning-five-times-faster-just-two-decades-ago-study-shows-antarctic-ice-melting?fbclid=IwAR2JYypK7kXnnTVOP3bfqJPjOKwiln08iw0WMcqL5WagSVsIXZQHZt7Jm6g
"Some areas, researchers at Leeds University in the U.K. reported, are now about 328 feet (100 meters) thinner than they were less than three decades ago—putting the planet in danger of a major sea level rise which could wipe out coastal cities. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, also detailed how scientists are accustomed to observing such changes in glaciers over geological time periods—not portions of people's lifetimes."
"Some areas, researchers at Leeds University in the U.K. reported, are now about 328 feet (100 meters) thinner than they were less than three decades ago—putting the planet in danger of a major sea level rise which could wipe out coastal cities. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, also detailed how scientists are accustomed to observing such changes in glaciers over geological time periods—not portions of people's lifetimes."
415: The Most Dangerous Number
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/climate-change-mauna-loa-carbon-dioxide-measurement-834627/?fbclid=IwAR0Bi27XourATdqzJhcHaJf-7X4xmSlUTrzyjlO4YYS-mXYSM2LVK3_H4GM
"Last week, an exquisitely sensitive instrument located in a metal shack on the top of Mauna Loa, a 13,679-foot-high volcano in Hawaii, recorded a terrifying human achievement: Thanks to our ever-increasing addiction to burning fossil fuels, the level of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere has risen to 415 parts per million. This is the highest level it has been since human beings have lived on Earth. And it is further evidence (as if further evidence were needed) of just how hell-bent we are on cooking the planet we live on."
"Last week, an exquisitely sensitive instrument located in a metal shack on the top of Mauna Loa, a 13,679-foot-high volcano in Hawaii, recorded a terrifying human achievement: Thanks to our ever-increasing addiction to burning fossil fuels, the level of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere has risen to 415 parts per million. This is the highest level it has been since human beings have lived on Earth. And it is further evidence (as if further evidence were needed) of just how hell-bent we are on cooking the planet we live on."
415 ppm: We Are all Part of Exxon’s Unchartered Climate Experiment Now
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/05/16/415-ppm-we-are-all-part-exxons-unchartered-climate-experiment-now?fbclid=IwAR2KvhPZZbt2g_ubigceLNT7Qqqt5rz9bQfA46vlZqQtydviaPG3248TZCA
"We are all now a living experiment. Never before in human history have carbon dioxide levels reached 415 parts per million. These levels were last seen maybe some 2.5-5 million years ago, during the Pliocene, but then the earth was much warmer than it is today and it was way before us. Back then, there was no Greenland and trees grew near the South Pole. Sea levels were much, much higher. Maybe 25 metres higher. 415 ppm is a grim number. It signals we are in deep, deep trouble. And in the words of Rolling Stone magazine: “Further evidence (as if further evidence were needed) of just how hell-bent we are on cooking the planet we live on.” To show you how much we are changing the climate: Every year another 2-3 ppm of carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere. Before the industrial revolution it was 280 ppm. And now it is 415 ppm. We could have stopped the relentless rise of carbon dioxide, but we did not. In part the reason collectively we have failed to do so is the power of the oil companies and one of the most sophisticated public relations exercises ever undertaken to deny and obfuscate the truth."
"We are all now a living experiment. Never before in human history have carbon dioxide levels reached 415 parts per million. These levels were last seen maybe some 2.5-5 million years ago, during the Pliocene, but then the earth was much warmer than it is today and it was way before us. Back then, there was no Greenland and trees grew near the South Pole. Sea levels were much, much higher. Maybe 25 metres higher. 415 ppm is a grim number. It signals we are in deep, deep trouble. And in the words of Rolling Stone magazine: “Further evidence (as if further evidence were needed) of just how hell-bent we are on cooking the planet we live on.” To show you how much we are changing the climate: Every year another 2-3 ppm of carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere. Before the industrial revolution it was 280 ppm. And now it is 415 ppm. We could have stopped the relentless rise of carbon dioxide, but we did not. In part the reason collectively we have failed to do so is the power of the oil companies and one of the most sophisticated public relations exercises ever undertaken to deny and obfuscate the truth."
Exxon predicted in 1982 exactly how high global carbon emissions would be today
https://thinkprogress.org/exxon-predicted-high-carbon-emissions-954e514b0aa9/?fbclid=IwAR3q4c0YTHGerV6GESxGCkwBWBx4gPb6jOKyIHAx0A5YhY6VS-Tu6DVmUAo
"Never before in human history has there been so much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The last time scientists believe it may have been this high was 2.5 to 5 million years ago during the Pliocene epoch, when sea levels were 25 meters higher than today and global temperatures were warmer by 2-3 degrees Celsius. Unlike back then, however, the record carbon dioxide emissions being recorded now are the result of humans burning fossil fuels, which releases harmful heat-trapping pollution into the atmosphere. And scientists at Exxon predicted this decades ago. According to an internal 1982 document from Exxon Research and Engineering Company — obtained by InsideClimate News as part of its 2015 investigation into what Exxon knew about the impact of fossil fuels on climate change — the company was modeling out the concentration of carbon emissions several years into the future. According to a graph displaying the “growth of atmospheric CO2 and average global temperature increase” over time, the company expected that, by 2020, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would reach roughly 400 to 420 ppm. This month’s measurement of 415 ppm is right within the expected curve Exxon projected under its “21st Century Study-High Growth scenario"."
"Never before in human history has there been so much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The last time scientists believe it may have been this high was 2.5 to 5 million years ago during the Pliocene epoch, when sea levels were 25 meters higher than today and global temperatures were warmer by 2-3 degrees Celsius. Unlike back then, however, the record carbon dioxide emissions being recorded now are the result of humans burning fossil fuels, which releases harmful heat-trapping pollution into the atmosphere. And scientists at Exxon predicted this decades ago. According to an internal 1982 document from Exxon Research and Engineering Company — obtained by InsideClimate News as part of its 2015 investigation into what Exxon knew about the impact of fossil fuels on climate change — the company was modeling out the concentration of carbon emissions several years into the future. According to a graph displaying the “growth of atmospheric CO2 and average global temperature increase” over time, the company expected that, by 2020, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would reach roughly 400 to 420 ppm. This month’s measurement of 415 ppm is right within the expected curve Exxon projected under its “21st Century Study-High Growth scenario"."
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Humans Are Speeding Extinction and Altering the Natural World at an ‘Unprecedented’ Pace
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/06/climate/biodiversity-extinction-united-nations.html?fbclid=IwAR0i6WMT_nJw7ZnQyuxdkKmNIsNch_kANu3ux00VZIDIUg-m7kWqxyl9xrI
"The 1,500-page report, compiled by hundreds of international experts and based on thousands of scientific studies, is the most exhaustive look yet at the decline in biodiversity across the globe and the dangers that creates for human civilization. A summary of its findings, which was approved by representatives from the United States and 131 other countries, was released Monday in Paris. The full report is set to be published this year."
"The 1,500-page report, compiled by hundreds of international experts and based on thousands of scientific studies, is the most exhaustive look yet at the decline in biodiversity across the globe and the dangers that creates for human civilization. A summary of its findings, which was approved by representatives from the United States and 131 other countries, was released Monday in Paris. The full report is set to be published this year."
Monday, May 6, 2019
Shocking New Report On Loss Of Nature Paints A Terrifying Picture For The Future Of Humanity
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biodiversity-report-ipbes-nature-crisis_n_5ccee4e1e4b0e4d757341215
"The conclusions of the greatest-ever stock-taking of the living world, published on Monday, show that ecosystems and wild populations are shrinking, deteriorating or vanishing completely, and up to 1 million species of land and marine life could be made extinct by humans’ actions if present trends continue. Food, pollination, clean water and a stable climate all depend on a thriving plant and animal population. But forests and wetlands are being erased worldwide and oceans are under growing stress, says the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the United Nations’ expert nature panel, in the landmark global assessment report. The three-year study, compiled by nearly 500 scientists, analyzed around 15,000 academic studies that focused on everything from plankton and fish to bees, coral, forests, frogs and insects, as well as drawing on indigenous knowledge. If we continue to pollute the planet and waste natural resources as we have been doing, it won’t just affect people’s quality of life but will lead to a further deterioration of earth’s planetary systems, said the IPBES scientists."
"The conclusions of the greatest-ever stock-taking of the living world, published on Monday, show that ecosystems and wild populations are shrinking, deteriorating or vanishing completely, and up to 1 million species of land and marine life could be made extinct by humans’ actions if present trends continue. Food, pollination, clean water and a stable climate all depend on a thriving plant and animal population. But forests and wetlands are being erased worldwide and oceans are under growing stress, says the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the United Nations’ expert nature panel, in the landmark global assessment report. The three-year study, compiled by nearly 500 scientists, analyzed around 15,000 academic studies that focused on everything from plankton and fish to bees, coral, forests, frogs and insects, as well as drawing on indigenous knowledge. If we continue to pollute the planet and waste natural resources as we have been doing, it won’t just affect people’s quality of life but will lead to a further deterioration of earth’s planetary systems, said the IPBES scientists."
Trump’s long history of pushing wild misinformation about wind turbines
https://www.vox.com/2019/4/3/18293552/trump-windmills-cancer-nrcc-speech?fbclid=IwAR3T0OwUYOseEg-6aZUWEMM6B8QihqJuqGO9FH6aEVtJx8X596VE95koT3E
"President Donald Trump is a climate change denier and renewable energy hater. That much has been clear for a long time. But during a speech on Tuesday evening, he took the flawed arguments he’s been making against wind energy to new levels of absurdity."
"President Donald Trump is a climate change denier and renewable energy hater. That much has been clear for a long time. But during a speech on Tuesday evening, he took the flawed arguments he’s been making against wind energy to new levels of absurdity."
A History of Donald Trump's Obsession with Pseudoscience
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a27356822/donald-trump-anti-vaccine-climate-change-denial-pseudoscience/?fbclid=IwAR0bUJbaOaFowVpkq9ZkTk3UkvEqCn18qkFPZN8Rpbf9AAWU-j_BL1FsqUM
"The longtime conspiracy theorist has surrounded himself with a braintrust full of grifters and coal lobbyists who are actively ignoring the red flags being waved by leading world scientists in favor of their indulgent self-interests. Though this isn't the first time we've seen conspiracy theories supported on the world's stage, Trump's obsession with anti-science is showing just how easy it is to reject truth, if you have a loud enough voice."
"The longtime conspiracy theorist has surrounded himself with a braintrust full of grifters and coal lobbyists who are actively ignoring the red flags being waved by leading world scientists in favor of their indulgent self-interests. Though this isn't the first time we've seen conspiracy theories supported on the world's stage, Trump's obsession with anti-science is showing just how easy it is to reject truth, if you have a loud enough voice."
Oil and Gas Industry Has Way Too Much Control Over Congress
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/04/17/oil-and-gas-industry-has-way-too-much-control-over-congress?fbclid=IwAR1uWNElUhT_hYwp95zaYyXgzZZt3VObFnLIXi-urxEBJd7LH1EG53nA2CI
"According to Open Secrets, looking at Congress as a whole, the oil and gas sector contributed $84.4 million in the 2018 election cycle. Of those funders, Koch Industries was the largest single campaign funder, at $10.5 million. And of the total oil and gas sector contributions to candidates, 87% went to Republicans. Of the Koch contributions, 99.4% went to Republicans. For perspective, total campaign spending by the oil and gas sector since 1990 has totaled $625 million, with 81% of the contributions to candidates going to Republicans. In addition to the campaign spending, the oil and gas industry spends an astonishing sum on lobbying. The sector's lobbying outlays totaled $124.8 million during 2018. The top five lobbying clients -- ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and the American Petroleum Institute -- had a combined lobbying spend of over $46 million. And the oil and gas industry's total lobbying outlays during 1998-2018 amounted to a shocking $2.2 billion. And their lobbying efforts bear real fruit. Just before President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, 22 Republican senators wrote a letter to Trump urging that action. Every one of those senators received contributions from oil and gas PACs. The total oil and gas PAC spending for the 22 senators, for the period of 2013-18, covering the campaign committee and leadership PAC, came to $4,095,071."
"According to Open Secrets, looking at Congress as a whole, the oil and gas sector contributed $84.4 million in the 2018 election cycle. Of those funders, Koch Industries was the largest single campaign funder, at $10.5 million. And of the total oil and gas sector contributions to candidates, 87% went to Republicans. Of the Koch contributions, 99.4% went to Republicans. For perspective, total campaign spending by the oil and gas sector since 1990 has totaled $625 million, with 81% of the contributions to candidates going to Republicans. In addition to the campaign spending, the oil and gas industry spends an astonishing sum on lobbying. The sector's lobbying outlays totaled $124.8 million during 2018. The top five lobbying clients -- ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and the American Petroleum Institute -- had a combined lobbying spend of over $46 million. And the oil and gas industry's total lobbying outlays during 1998-2018 amounted to a shocking $2.2 billion. And their lobbying efforts bear real fruit. Just before President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, 22 Republican senators wrote a letter to Trump urging that action. Every one of those senators received contributions from oil and gas PACs. The total oil and gas PAC spending for the 22 senators, for the period of 2013-18, covering the campaign committee and leadership PAC, came to $4,095,071."
Sunday, May 5, 2019
'Recipe for Disaster': Trump Guts Offshore Drilling Rules Put in Place After Deepwater Horizon Spill
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/05/03/recipe-disaster-trump-guts-offshore-drilling-rules-put-place-after-deepwater-horizon
"Just two weeks after the nine-year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster—the largest ocean oil spill in U.S. history—the Trump administration on Thursday moved to dismantle offshore drilling regulations aimed at preventing another catastrophic leak."
"Just two weeks after the nine-year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster—the largest ocean oil spill in U.S. history—the Trump administration on Thursday moved to dismantle offshore drilling regulations aimed at preventing another catastrophic leak."
Inslee rolls out sweeping climate plan, setting new standard for 2020 Democrats
https://thinkprogress.org/inslee-climate-change-plan-beto-2020-95434dc28faf/
"Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democratic presidential candidate who has dedicated his entire campaign to addressing the climate crisis, unveiled his first major policy proposal Friday morning. The ambitious plan charts a course other presidential contenders may follow as climate change becomes a top issue for the crowded primary field."
"Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democratic presidential candidate who has dedicated his entire campaign to addressing the climate crisis, unveiled his first major policy proposal Friday morning. The ambitious plan charts a course other presidential contenders may follow as climate change becomes a top issue for the crowded primary field."
Trump admin officially rolls back safety rules put in place after Deepwater Horizon
https://thinkprogress.org/offshore-drilling-safety-measures-interior-trump-zinke-bernhardt-lobbying-b1fc796b7adf/
"The regulations were put in place after the 2010 BP oil spill -- the worst in U.S. history."
"The regulations were put in place after the 2010 BP oil spill -- the worst in U.S. history."
Tipping Point: In Historic First, US Renewables Made More Electricity Than Coal in April
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/05/04/tipping-point-historic-first-us-renewables-made-more-electricity-coal-april?fbclid=IwAR05nLvm0T_mB5C5qXdiRSCy0_akkp5WA3oRqA7Ap-_RpKZh8h9uAg2n6HA
"Journalist Avery Thompson of Popular Mechanics reports that in the month of April—and for the first time in U.S. history—the country produced more electricity with renewables than with coal."
"Journalist Avery Thompson of Popular Mechanics reports that in the month of April—and for the first time in U.S. history—the country produced more electricity with renewables than with coal."
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Consumers to pay a hefty price for Trump’s rollback of light bulb efficiency standards
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-light-bulb-rollback-cost-2b10f0720303/?fbclid=IwAR2Ta3iPoVEz4D5xX7OiuMzaOKm_B1Q5NP3mKEIpBL3Hk11q31TRV_1q21I
"President Donald Trump wants to roll back efficiency standards for light bulbs, at a cost to consumers of over $100 billion — some $1,000 per household — by 2030. The Department of Energy (DOE) announced in the Federal Register that it has started a process to undo those standards, despite projections that they will prevent the release of 540 million tons of greenhouse gases and hundreds of thousands of tons of the pollutants that worsen asthma, cardiopulmonary disease, and premature death. So, in the annals of Trump’s blinkered pursuit of undoing everything President Barack Obama did, no matter how basic or commonsense, this move ranks near the top."
"President Donald Trump wants to roll back efficiency standards for light bulbs, at a cost to consumers of over $100 billion — some $1,000 per household — by 2030. The Department of Energy (DOE) announced in the Federal Register that it has started a process to undo those standards, despite projections that they will prevent the release of 540 million tons of greenhouse gases and hundreds of thousands of tons of the pollutants that worsen asthma, cardiopulmonary disease, and premature death. So, in the annals of Trump’s blinkered pursuit of undoing everything President Barack Obama did, no matter how basic or commonsense, this move ranks near the top."
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Friday, February 22, 2019
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Climate-change denier President Trump has rolled back numerous environmental regulations in first two years
https://www.newsweek.com/epa-trump-two-years-environment-regulations-climate-change-1298652?fbclid=IwAR0BT2tJeTAS9zLYIsnhgBNqLe9P3iS3ez30XM0GB2e68d-GXHpL7gravc8
"The president, who also believes that the dangers of asbestos are exaggerated, and that exercise depletes the human body like a battery, has worked alongside the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Department of Interior to roll back environmental and scientific regulations that limit pollutants put into the environment and the toxins workers can be exposed to."
"The president, who also believes that the dangers of asbestos are exaggerated, and that exercise depletes the human body like a battery, has worked alongside the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Department of Interior to roll back environmental and scientific regulations that limit pollutants put into the environment and the toxins workers can be exposed to."
The World Is on the Brink of Widespread Water Wars
https://truthout.org/articles/the-world-is-on-the-brink-of-widespread-water-wars/
"As planetary temperatures continue to increase and rainfall patterns shift due to human-caused climate disruption, our ability to grow crops and have enough drinking water will become increasingly challenged, and the outlook is only going to worsen. The most recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report warned of increasingly intense droughts and mass water shortages around large swaths of the globe."
"As planetary temperatures continue to increase and rainfall patterns shift due to human-caused climate disruption, our ability to grow crops and have enough drinking water will become increasingly challenged, and the outlook is only going to worsen. The most recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report warned of increasingly intense droughts and mass water shortages around large swaths of the globe."
Trump Quietly Put a Koch Official in Charge of America’s Drinking Water
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/02/trump-put-a-koch-official-in-charge-of-americas-drinking-water?fbclid=IwAR3enfxq2KW81sm3GZfYO3uNWm34-pYpvXI8wMl8PMLdOVEZBTEiQ367ZYU
"Currently, Koch subsidiary Georgia-Pacific, a paper and pulp conglomerate, is facing at least one class-action suit related to chemicals now under Dunlap’s purview. Koch’s various environmental crimes against humanity are laid out in several high-profile lawsuits over the past 20 years. According to Bloomberg, “Koch Industries was assessed more than $400 million in fines, penalties, and judgments” between 1999 and 2003, such as for dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of aviation fuel into a Minnesota wetland. “You want an independent, hardheaded scientific review of these issues; you don’t want somebody who is already taking the industry party line,” Erik Olson, who heads up the Natural Resources Defense Council’s public health work, told Politico. “There’s a legitimate threat there and, from my perspective, the conflicts of interest that [Dunlap] has having worked as a regulatory compliance director at Georgia-Pacific raises questions about whether he can make those objective decisions or should be recused.” Dunlap, of course, is unlikely to be replaced by someone without a host of conflicts of interest given that the guy currently running the E.P.A., Andrew Wheeler, is a walking, talking conflict of interest, having served as a coal-lobbyist prior to taking over the top job from departed Grift King Scott Pruitt. It is, in other words, par for the course."
"Currently, Koch subsidiary Georgia-Pacific, a paper and pulp conglomerate, is facing at least one class-action suit related to chemicals now under Dunlap’s purview. Koch’s various environmental crimes against humanity are laid out in several high-profile lawsuits over the past 20 years. According to Bloomberg, “Koch Industries was assessed more than $400 million in fines, penalties, and judgments” between 1999 and 2003, such as for dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of aviation fuel into a Minnesota wetland. “You want an independent, hardheaded scientific review of these issues; you don’t want somebody who is already taking the industry party line,” Erik Olson, who heads up the Natural Resources Defense Council’s public health work, told Politico. “There’s a legitimate threat there and, from my perspective, the conflicts of interest that [Dunlap] has having worked as a regulatory compliance director at Georgia-Pacific raises questions about whether he can make those objective decisions or should be recused.” Dunlap, of course, is unlikely to be replaced by someone without a host of conflicts of interest given that the guy currently running the E.P.A., Andrew Wheeler, is a walking, talking conflict of interest, having served as a coal-lobbyist prior to taking over the top job from departed Grift King Scott Pruitt. It is, in other words, par for the course."
EPA Rollbacks: Hurting Americans Where They Live
EPA Rollbacks: Hurting Americans Where They Live:
"From the outset, Pruitt unabashedly sabotaged the agency’s stated mission “to protect human health and the environment” by severely curtailing the scope of scientific investigations and regulatory enforcement. Pruitt resigned in July under a cloud of ethics scandals. The acting administrator is Andrew Wheeler, formerly a major coal lobbyist. In September, The New York Times reported that Wheeler is dissolving the top office advising him on the science that guides decisions about proposed health and pollution regulations. The EPA also placed Ruth Etzel, the head of the agency’s Office of Children’s Health, on a mysterious administrative leave. Both offices report directly to Wheeler."
"From the outset, Pruitt unabashedly sabotaged the agency’s stated mission “to protect human health and the environment” by severely curtailing the scope of scientific investigations and regulatory enforcement. Pruitt resigned in July under a cloud of ethics scandals. The acting administrator is Andrew Wheeler, formerly a major coal lobbyist. In September, The New York Times reported that Wheeler is dissolving the top office advising him on the science that guides decisions about proposed health and pollution regulations. The EPA also placed Ruth Etzel, the head of the agency’s Office of Children’s Health, on a mysterious administrative leave. Both offices report directly to Wheeler."
Trump’s EPA Is Undermining New Law to Regulate Chemicals
https://truthout.org/articles/trumps-epa-is-undermining-new-law-to-regulate-chemicals/
"Just recently, a former Koch Industries executive was tapped to head the scientific research arm of the EPA. Nancy Beck hopscotched from the American Chemistry Council (ACC)—an industry organization with powerful political clout—to a top deputy position in the agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. According to The New York Times, Beck subsequently weakened rules designed to track the health consequences of legacy chemicals."
"Just recently, a former Koch Industries executive was tapped to head the scientific research arm of the EPA. Nancy Beck hopscotched from the American Chemistry Council (ACC)—an industry organization with powerful political clout—to a top deputy position in the agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. According to The New York Times, Beck subsequently weakened rules designed to track the health consequences of legacy chemicals."
'Absolutely Unconscionable': Trump EPA Refuses to Limit Toxic Chemicals That Contaminate Drinking Water of Millions
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/01/29/absolutely-unconscionable-trump-epa-refuses-limit-toxic-chemicals-contaminate?fbclid=IwAR3x5pMvhRNN3KLFySrwnZCCSROaxeoLUHnaOIeNmgXZ8bDK60GxCuWAE3c
"In a decision deemed by critics unsurprising but also "absolutely unconscionable," the Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reportedly plans to refrain from regulating a pair of toxic chemicals linked to kidney and testicular cancer, even though they are contaminating millions of Americans' drinking water."
"In a decision deemed by critics unsurprising but also "absolutely unconscionable," the Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reportedly plans to refrain from regulating a pair of toxic chemicals linked to kidney and testicular cancer, even though they are contaminating millions of Americans' drinking water."
How Trump’s EPA is letting environmental criminals off the hook, in one chart
https://www.vox.com/2019/1/16/18183998/epa-andrew-wheeler-environmental-policy-enforcement?fbclid=IwAR2XA9h7vWZlt0IzpJYqueineYZAzw02s6G8YitISZ5N0izh_upvfMQI0t4
"Both reports make the case that the EPA is neglecting its mission and letting bad actors off the hook. That, in turn, could lead more scofflaws to ignore critical air, water, and soil protection rules."
"Both reports make the case that the EPA is neglecting its mission and letting bad actors off the hook. That, in turn, could lead more scofflaws to ignore critical air, water, and soil protection rules."
Trump's EPA refuses to regulate pair of chemicals linked to cancer and multiple illnesses
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/30/1830891/-Trump-s-EPA-refuses-to-regulate-pair-of-chemicals-linked-to-cancer-and-multiple-illnesses?utm_campaign=recent&fbclid=IwAR2Ql4-HzN1F6KfhC1wf7_E7b64UflcmmDZhQ01PQuZReEUr8KwJBn6NAYs
"the EPA is not going regulate them, despite requirements that such chemicals be regulated under the Safe Water Drinking Act."
"the EPA is not going regulate them, despite requirements that such chemicals be regulated under the Safe Water Drinking Act."
Congress Must Stop USDA’s Animal Experiments, Says Whistleblower
https://truthout.org/articles/congress-must-stop-usdas-animal-experiments-says-whistleblower/
"In December, the Senate introduced legislation called the Kittens in Traumatic Testing Ends Now (KITTEN) Act, the companion to a bipartisan House bill of the same name targeting outdated food safety experiments at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). As Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) explained to CNN when he introduced the bill, “The USDA breeds up to 100 kittens a year, feeds them parasite-infected meat in order to have the parasite’s eggs harvested for use in other experiments, and then kills the kittens. This bill would essentially stop this process.” To date, the project has consumed $22 million tax dollars and taken the lives of 3,000 kittens. I was disturbed, but not at all surprised, when I read about the experiment, because for two decades, I worked as a veterinarian and researcher at the USDA’s Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) in Nebraska, the world’s largest livestock research center. When I finally blew the whistle on the extensive government waste and animal abuse I witnessed at the USDA, it destroyed my career, and ultimately, my marriage. But I would do it again."
"In December, the Senate introduced legislation called the Kittens in Traumatic Testing Ends Now (KITTEN) Act, the companion to a bipartisan House bill of the same name targeting outdated food safety experiments at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). As Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) explained to CNN when he introduced the bill, “The USDA breeds up to 100 kittens a year, feeds them parasite-infected meat in order to have the parasite’s eggs harvested for use in other experiments, and then kills the kittens. This bill would essentially stop this process.” To date, the project has consumed $22 million tax dollars and taken the lives of 3,000 kittens. I was disturbed, but not at all surprised, when I read about the experiment, because for two decades, I worked as a veterinarian and researcher at the USDA’s Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) in Nebraska, the world’s largest livestock research center. When I finally blew the whistle on the extensive government waste and animal abuse I witnessed at the USDA, it destroyed my career, and ultimately, my marriage. But I would do it again."
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