Gray Whale 'Duh' moment.

I have whales on the brain.

According to a report by World Wildlife Fund, Scientists (namely the Western Grey Whale Advisory Panel) have found that whales are threatened by off-shore oil and gas development, including loud industrial noise and seismic activity.

Um. Duh?

I mean, I get it. I know you have to do these studies and come up with hard evidence to show to the oil and gas companies to make them listen...but when have they EVER listened?

Point in fact, and I quote: "However, Exxon, BP and Rosneft have refused to address their threats to the Western Gray Whale and these oil giants plan to carry out further activities in 2009 including seismic testing, construction and other loud activities that could displace whales from their annual feeding area."

The last line of the article reads thus: The Western Gray Whale is one of the world’s most endangered whales, with only 25-30 breeding females remaining.

So why is it that a petition seems to be all that stands between these whales and extinction? When is some authority going to actually step in and say "Hey, big bad oil company, what you're doing is illegal, because it's harming a critically endangered species! So Sod Off!"

Or do I have to go up there and do it myself? Btw, BP, You're on my list now, buddy.

Petitions out the wazoo

I get half a dozen of them in my mailbox on a good day. They are petitions from countless conservation organizations, and I try to share as many as I can with you. Just in case you don't get them on your own!
Here are the ones I've signed so far today:

Reinstate Moritorium on Drilling the Outer Continental Shelf

Help Save the Grand Canyon

Support Historic Bill to End Canada's Commercial Seal Hunt

"Drill, baby, drill" is not the answer!

Courtesy of Care2:

The scope of environmental damage from Hurricane Ike is only now becoming apparent: at least half a million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and water spaces of Louisiana and Texas.

Stop Big Oil and demand the clean energy future we deserve. »

The Minerals Management Service, which oversees oil production in federal waters offshore, said the storm destroyed at least 52 oil platforms and another 32 were severely damaged.

And yet Big Oil and its allies continue to say that drilling off-shore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is environmentally safe. We cannot allow Congress to be fooled by Big Oil's smooth talk.

Urge your Representative and Senators to reject the tired pro-drilling policies of the past and move our country towards the clean energy economy we need. »

Haha of the day

It's funny, but it's not. From DCCC.org:

						Republican Leader Boehner caught golfing while House GOP pretends to be outraged at high gas prices Big Oil tax breaks and subsidies supported by Republicans... $14 Billion Political contributions made to Republicans by Big Oil this cycle... $13.5 Million Profit earned by the top five Big Oil Companies last quarter ... $44 Billion Cost of Boehner's green fees while a small band of Republicans' express faux outrage about gas prices... $240 The Grand Oil Party's hypocrisy about the cost of gas... Priceless Learn more about the Grand Oil Party's Hypocrisy on Gas Prices »

How Do You Spell Relief?

Email from the Center for American Progress Action Fund:

We need real energy solutions that address the real needs of the American people. Add your voice to our campaign to lower gas prices now and lower carbon emissions for the future. Don't let conservatives get away with filling the airwaves with lies that distract us from our goals. Don't let them put the needs of Big Oil ahead of the needs of American families.

When it comes to lowering gas prices now, the president and conservatives say we should drill for oil on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). They tell us that the way to lower oil prices now and reduce oil consumption is to sell our future to big oil companies with leases that won't have a significant impact on our needs until 2030. In other words,

President Bush spells relief: SELL OUR FUTURE

But we take a more realistic approach to lowering prices now.


We spell it: SELL OUR OIL


We need relief NOW! Under eight years of the Big Oil presidency, oil prices have gone up by more than 500 percent. But we can lower oil prices in 20 days by selling a small portion of our strategic oil reserves and reduce our oil consumption in the future by using the profits from the sale to invest in low carbon energy solutions, without affecting our energy security.


When the price of oil goes up who makes more money? Yeah, that's right, the president's Big Oil friends... So who do you trust to help bring down the price of oil? Do you trust those selling FANTASY or those selling REALITY?


So let's help Congress push President Bush to implement REAL ENERGY SOLUTIONS.

Write Congress today about releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves and using the profits to invest in creating a low carbon economy.


Take Action Now

Together we can solve all of our energy needs. This is the first step in our campaign for Real Energy Solutions, so keep your eyes open for more!

Thanks,
Alan and the CAPAF/I Am Progress Advocacy Team

You can read more about this plan on their website.
I think it sounds like a much better idea than drilling in ANWR and using that for funding (yeah, cause I'm sure they will right?) don't you?

My letter to Senator Bartlette

Senator Bartlette,
I was alarmed to learn that you will be supporting drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest and most amazing such refuges in our country. In a recent email you defended your decision by saying that 'bandaid fixes would not be fair to our children.' What I think would be unfair to our children is to see such important national treasures as ANWR desecrated by fossil fuel addiction and corporate greed. Using ANWR as the piggy bank for federal funding of cleaner energy research is not right-minded thinking. The only way to ensure energy conservation is to not horde it by stockpiling oil purged from our wild places. I, for one, do not believe that increased oil production will have any effect on oil prices. In fact, one of your fellow Representatives has said that 'oil prices must remain high in order to cut demand.'Is anyone in Congress on the same page?
2000 of 19 million acres is still too much to give up. I urge you to reconsider your stance on H.R. 6107.
Respectfully,
Deborah Byrd

Save energy, but drill for oil!

Congressman Roscoe Bartlette of Maryland's 6th District isn't making much sense lately. His policy for saving energy while promoting drilling in ANWR seems a little wishywashy to me. Check it out.

Congressman Bartlett to address energy issues at SMART Green Showcase

Congressman Bartlett will talk with homeowners and small business owners on strategies to save money and reduce energy consumption at the SMART Green Showcase on July 18th at 8:00am at the Francis Scott Key Holiday Inn, Frederick, Maryland. For more information about this speech and other energy information go to www.house.gov/bartlett


Congressman Bartlett's ANWR Solution

Government solutions to our energy problems must provide immediate relief and meet future needs. Band-aid fixes would not be fair to our children.

Drilling in ANWR provides us with a great opportunity to take care of today’s demands and tomorrow’s needs. A new bill, H.R. 6107, would dedicate the entire federal share of revenues from leases, rents and royalties from ANWR to increase federal investments in energy efficiency, conservation, research and development and the production of cleaner domestic alternative and renewable energy sources. These revenues are estimated to be $3.5 billion to start, and eventually more than $200 billion would be dedicated to 18 renewable and alternative energy programs approved – but not funded – at zero cost to the taxpayers. Production from ANWR would also increase U.S. domestic oil production by 20%.

I have been to ANWR, and after careful observation and study, concluded that oil production in ANWR could be done in an environmentally responsible manner. H.R. 6107 would specifically limit the footprint of any oil and natural gas development to only 2000 acres of the 19 million-acre area, equivalent to a postage stamp on six football fields. It would require the most advanced, commercially-available technology and put in place the most strict environmental regulations and restrictions ever applied to a development project. I support H.R. 6107 because it guarantees my key requirements that federal energy policy promote a more secure energy future and prosperous economy for current and future generations of Americans.

Anyone else feeling slightly confused by this policy? How about a little betrayed? Sound hypocritical to anyone? "Homeowners, I'd like to help you conserve energy and save money, meanwhile I'm going to sign this bill to feed America's oil addiction and further pad the pockets of Big Oil Executives. Go me!"
As always, feel free to tell Senator Bartlette how you feel.

Independence Day!

Today is the day to declare your independence. From the influence of Anti-Wolf smear campaigns, from the influence of Green as a 'trend' more than a necessity, and most of all from the lies of Representatives and Lobbyists of Big Oil.
Have you noticed that just recently even evil oil mogul ExxonMobile has jumped on the 'we're here to save the planet!' bandwagon? ExxonMobile, who never took responsibility for the Exxon Valdez disaster? That's because their PR (public relations) consultant probably told them they needed to change their image if they expected to get public support for new drilling operations off our coasts, and inside our National Parks and Refuges.
Here's the facts from Defenders of Wildlife about oil drilling off our coasts and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR. If you've heard people say "Ann-war" and had no idea what they were talking about, that's it.)

Fast Facts on Drilling and Gas Prices

Drilling will not lower gas prices today or solve our energy crisis.

• Even the U.S. Energy Information Administration has said that massive exploitation of new oil deposits will not produce oil for nearly a decade -- and then will not lower gasoline prices by more than a few cents per gallon.
• Under the Bush Administration, drilling permits have risen from 3,802 to 7,561 between 2002 and 2007. Eight years of increased oil leasing and production on America’s public lands has left us with nothing but high gas prices for consumers and record profits for Big Oil companies.
• More drilling would not affect world oil prices. The US has less than 3% of the world's oil reserves, yet we consume almost 25% of the world's oil.

Expanded drilling threatens permanent damage to wildlife.

• Offshore drilling threatens dolphins, whales, sea turtles and other imperiled wildlife. Drilling discharges mercury and other toxins into our fragile ecosystems. Such pollution can destroy beaches, and poison and kill the marine wildlife that we all care about. The noise from drilling is also incredibly disruptive to marine mammals. So while oil companies like ExxonMobil would continue to swim in record profits, dolphins and whales could become fatally disoriented, beach themselves and die.
• Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge threatens polar bears and other Arctic wildlife. The noise and disturbance caused by drilling in the Arctic Refuge -- the most important onshore denning habitat for America’s struggling polar bears -- could cause polar bear mothers to abandon their cubs to die.
• Expanded drilling perpetuates global warming. Such drilling would further extend America’s dependence on climate-changing fuel sources that are threatening the very survival of polar bears and other animals.

We need real solutions that will end our dependence on oil once and for all.

• It’s time to take back the giveaways to Big Oil and secure our energy independence by investing that money in clean, renewable energy, energy efficiency, increased public transportation and the technologies needed to get our cars going further on a gallon of gas.
• A bold national commitment to renewable energy will put our economy back on the right path by bringing energy costs under control, creating over 820,000 new jobs, and making us more energy independent.
• Congress should stop giving tax breaks to Big Oil and start funding constructive alternatives that can make a difference in people’s lives NOW!

So, do you think you're ready to start declaring your independence from the ill-planned and thoughtless tactics of Big Oil? Then this independence day (and any other day you like!) I urge you to call your U.S. Senators and Representatives and ask them to oppose drilling on our public lands and off our coast. If you live in Maryland, these are your representatives:

• Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski - (202) 224-4654 or (410) 962-4510 - http://mikulski.senate.gov/mailform.html
• Sen. Benjamin 'Ben' L. Cardin - (202) 224-4524 or (410) 962-4436 - http://cardin.senate.gov/contact

And

• Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett - (202) 225-2721 or (301) 694-3030 - http://www.bartlett.house.gov/Email_Roscoe

I heart Paul Begala

Wow, I must have too much time on my hands, posting like crazy. They're all still mostly copy-pastes, but its something, and I couldn't help but share this. Ya'll know by now that I mostly focus on the issues more than the political parties behind them, but I support the DCCC, and I just had to share this email. Dear Deborah, Apparently, it didn't take long for the "Grand Oil Party" to come unglued. After I called their fat-cat funders a bunch of dirtbags in my email to you on Sunday, they started squealing like a pig stuck under a gate. House Republicans are crying so hard over my "dirtbag" comment, you'd think they just found out they were forced to spend the Fourth of July quail-hunting with Dick Cheney. So I want to take a minute to do something I don't do often enough: apologize. I am very sorry for calling those fat-cat plutocrat Republicans "dirtbags." Doing so was grossly unfair. To bags of dirt. After all, dirt is good. Things grow from the dirt. I myself raise tomatoes and corn and pumpkins, jalapenos and cucumbers and lettuce - all from the good earth. No, it was too kind, too generous to call them dirtbags. Probably better to call them oilbags or toxic-waste-bags or chemical-pollutant-bags. So I'm sorry. Still, even though I used such a comparatively flattering term, the Republican whine machine was in full whimper. Yesterday, before their alligator tears even dried from crying about me calling them out, they mobilized their favorite shadowy attack squad and Karl Rove-backed Freedom's Watch to come after Democrats launching vicious attacks against 16 Democrats starting today - please help us hit back twice as hard with our own ads. Contribute $35, $50, or more to our EXTENDED DEADLINE Matching Campaign before July 4th to fight back against the Rove-Freedom's Watch attacks - Democrats will still MATCH and TRIPLE your gift. Of course the Republican hypocrites are launching their attacks today. Between my comment about their 'dirtbag' funders and my good friends at the DCCC hiring a 'W' impersonator to record radio ads against their Big Oil friends in Congress, we've clearly gotten under their skin. As we say back home in Texas, "a hit dog barks." They don't know how to handle a Democratic Party that is ready, willing, and able to hit back when the right-wing slime machine kicks into gear. This is exactly how we're going to win this year - but we need your help to keep it up. Contribute $35, $50, or more to our EXTENDED DEADLINE Matching Campaign before July 4th to fight back against the Rove-Freedom's Watch attacks - Democrats will still MATCH and TRIPLE your gift. The days of Democrats quietly enduring Republican smears are over - as are the days of Republicans living by a double standard. The Bush Republicans questioned the courage of a war hero like former Senator Max Cleland. They besmirched the war heroism of John Kerry. They spend years smearing Bill Clinton, savaging Hillary Rodham Clinton, and viciously attacking Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid. Now they're attacking Barack and Michelle Obama. But the second I call their fat-cat funders "dirtbags," they turn into a bunch of blubbering cry babies. This year, let's dry the crybabies' tears and celebrate Independence Day by giving Barack Obama the bigger, stronger Democratic Majority he'll need to declare our independence once and for all from the failed Bush-Cheney-Grand Oil Party policies for America. Contribute $35, $50, or more to our EXTENDED DEADLINE Matching Campaign before July 4th to fight back against the Rove-Freedom's Watch attacks - Democrats will still MATCH and TRIPLE your gift. Sincerely, Paul Begala

Pony up and ride to work!

Thanks to my friend Pam for sending me this article.

Washington Dentist's staff saddles up to beat gas costs.

Incidentally, I have just put my "Save Gas, Ride a horse" sticker on my rear window.

How not to save the Planet

Here's a fabulous idea someone came up with to combat our dependence on oil: liquid coal.
Could anything be MORE what we do not need than this? Coal on its own is one of the dirtiest things we can burn, and the process by which it becomes liquid produces TWICE as much carbon dioxide as the coal itself, not to mention the additional pollution created when we USE it. Only the coal exec's who would stand to make even more of a fortune on his venture would think it was a good idea. They're right up there on my list along with the Big Oil exec's, and the politicians who support them.
Carbon emissions aside, the environmental impact of coal mining is staggering. Coal mining makes clear-cut logging seem like child's play. In my home mountain ranges of Appalachia strip- and mountaintop mining techniques are used, both of which leave the mined areas completely devastated, the open pits and neighboring valleys filled with overburden and slag. Many an iconic skyline has changed drastically due to mountaintop mining. Even in underground mining, years after a mine has been closed underground tunnels may collapse, causing drastic changes in topography and damaging nearby infrastructure such as roads and power lines. Furthermore: "Historically, coal mining has been a very dangerous activity. Open cut hazards are principally slope failure, underground mining roof collapse and gas explosions. Most of these risks can be greatly reduced in modern mines, and multiple fatality incidents are now rare in some parts of the developed world."
SOME parts, it says. But if you've been keeping even a remote eye on the news ticker in the past several years we seem to have at least one, usually more instances of mining explosions, cave-ins and floods in the U.S. every year. 2004 reported 28 deaths in mining accidents. This means that the high cost of cheap coal is more than just environmental impact. It's human life.
Let our government know that this is NOT the solution we're looking for!

Author's Note: Still working on mustangs! I found a list of all of the BML roundups scheduled for this year but I've misplaced it, I'll have it up as soon as I can!