Whales on the radar...and mind...

A couple of weeks ago, the Supreme Court ruled that the Navy could continue its sonar activities in specific areas off the California coast that happen to be prime real estate for cetaceans. The media blitz (for a small sample try WSJ, Wired, LA Times) proclaimed this was an unexpected disaster for environmentalists. While many environmental groups indeed view the ruling as disastrous, it was not unexpected.

As far as I can tell, the key hope for the plaintiffs was the National Environmental Policy Act. According to Slate Magazine:

Over nearly 40 years, the court has heard some 16 cases related to the National Environmental Policy Act and ruled against environmental interests in every one.

Basically, the plaintiffs needed to show that the sonar activity was more detrimental to the environment than beneficial to the public interest, whereas the Navy had to show that 'national security' was more important than the affected marine life. Unsurprisingly, Chief Justice Roberts argued that the military needed 'effective' military training, and that the environmental claims were unsubstantiated and silly. This decision (Supreme Court Opinion) has been nicknamed the 'kill the whales' ruling.

So why the 'unexpected' undertones in major news pieces? My guess is that the case foreshadows a not-so-friendly attitude towards environmental issues that trouble green activists and journalists. The current makeup of the Court attributes a certain frivolity to cases like this one, which doesn't bode well. Such frivolity is unwarranted when considering the empirical studies that show sonar is bad for whales. And the decision backs up claims that the Court is unlikely to question matters of 'national security.' That being said, this case didn't exactly give the Navy free rein over its projects, and they will have to write Environmental Impact Statements for sonar training in Hawaii, the Southeast (with proposed sonar training grounds off the NC coast), and even California.

Ocean acidity rising 10x faster than previously thought

Picture: Dead - well, mostly dead - mussels that have noticeably weakened shells. An oceanic shift in pH levels due to, you guessed it, the rise in atmospheric carbon has led many scientists to describe shelled marine life the 'canary in the coal mine' of the oceans.

Uh oh. If it seemed that this climate change thing couldn't get any worse, University of Chicago researchers have some bad news for you, and me, and our days at the beach: the pH of our saltwater is becoming way too acidic way too fast.

What's causing the rise?

"Of the variables the study examined that are linked to changes in ocean acidity, only atmospheric carbon dioxide exhibited a corresponding steady change," said J. Timothy Wootton, the lead author of the study and Professor of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago.

In regular English: more CO2 equals higher acidity in our oceans.

What are the concerns with a pH change?

Foodchain health. A lot of fish depend on shelled animals, coral, and algae for sustenance, and a lot of people depend on fish for proper nutrition.

Ecosystem health, (e.g. coral reef bleaching [follow this link to a ton of interesting empirical research]).

What's the solution?

Not pumping CO2 into the air in such immense quantities.

Nation's First Water Efficient House in Chatham, NC

WRAL article

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the house built by Vanguard Homes in the Briar Chapel off U.S. Highway 15-501 development in Chatham County, just south of Chapel Hill, is the first to be certified as 20 percent more water-efficient than regular homes. It will save more than 10,000 gallons of water per year.

Tree Planting at Mountain Island Lake

Join me tomorrow in Mecklenburg County! Along with American Forests, County of Mecklenburg, Central Piedmont Community College, and the Catawba Riverkeepers, Central Piedmont SC Group members and I will be planting 2,500 trees.

According to study prepared by Chris Paynter, Professor of Geography at Central Piedmont Community College, "When these trees are fully grown the community will realize a savings of $132,937 in stormwater infrastructure costs; additionally, these new trees will sequester 2 tons of carbon per year once they are mature.”

McDowell Creek flows directly into Mountain Island Lake, Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s primary source of water. Like many other creeks in this area, it has been left unprotected and vulnerable to deforestation and encroaching suburbia, which leads to shoreline destabilization, flooding, and dirty water.

Directions to the Event

As the season changes, so do our cities

Last week, Greensboro’s Citizens Sustainability Committee, chaired by our own Sierra Club member Joel Landau, had a public meeting with great success. Over 140 people showed up to join the “green” conversation. Topics included transportation, energy efficient buildings, solid waste, and the local tree canopy.

Email your local Sierra Club representative to find out if your town has an environmental advisory committee of sorts that reports to the Town Council. If they are a Cool City, starting this type of committee should be a top priority. We know there will be a lot of sustainable changes happening in the next few years and this type of committee can help guide the progress!

Here are a few environmental advisory groups that I already know:
Cary Environmental Advisory Board
Greensboro Citizens Sustainability Committee
Greenville Environmental Advisory Board
New Bern Cool Cities Committee
Raleigh Environmental Advisory Board
Winston-Salem is forming one!

(click here for Sierra Club contact)

President-Elect on Climate Change

Wind

Posted on behalf of Sierra Club volunteer, Marvin Woll:

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There has been a great deal of discussion concerning the development of alternative energy. Now we must begin to take action on those ideas. Why not begin by developing wind turbines off the North Carolina Coast?

Recently Delaware and Rhode Island entered into contracts to build wind turbines off their coasts. Now New Jersey has signed a contract to build a wind farm 10 or more miles off its coast, where it cannot be seen by the people on the beaches. Another benefit to that distant offshore location is that the wind currents are stronger there. These projects will be good investments and will povide considerable energy to the people of those states.

State Senate Bill 3 mandates a 12.5 percent increase in the use of alternative fuels for North Carolina. It also calls on the legislature to study plans from other states and determine if they could be utilized here. I wonder whether the state, Progress Energy, or Duke Power have begun serious consideration of developing wind power off our coast. If not, it would certainly seem like the correct time to consider using our abundant wind resources to provide clean and efficient energy.

Offshore Drilling Considered Off Virginia

In a last gasp effort to bring about offshore drilling on the East Coast, the Bush Administration is pushing Virginia as a possible location for rigs. From Reuters:

The MMS plans to issue a notice Thursday requesting public comments and evaluating the possible environmental impacts of drilling offshore Virginia.

Although it has started gathering information, the agency said no official decision has been made to actually hold a lease sale. If the agency decides to allow drilling, the first lease sale for the area is proposed for 2011.

Somehow, this issue just keeps rearing its hydra-like head. For North Carolina, drilling off Virginia is a concern. Jim Stephenson of the Coastal Federation had this to say:

"One of our concerns is if there is a spill or a catastrophe of any sort, it's very likely that the prevailing Labrador Current will place the oil slicks on North Carolina beaches, particularly the Outer Banks," said Jim Stephenson, policy director of the N.C. Coastal Federation.

The idea is that, with a majority unfavorable to offshore drilling in Congress and a more environmentally oriented Executive Branch, the congressional ban will either be reinstated or the country will see much stricter environmental standards for rigs.

Wolfpack conserves more water than UNC

In a conservation showdown between NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill, Wolfpack residence hall students defeated the Tarheels in water conservation.

NC State swept UNC-Chapel Hill in all three categories of a 95-day, water-saving showdown between the universities' residence-hall students: the decrease in the amount of water used by each participating student per day, the average amount of water used per student per day and the overall percent of reduction per student per day.

All in all, the universities saved a combined 11 million gallons of water. It was a great effort, and a perfectly designed way to get students involved in a statewide issue. Bravo to both universities.

Monumental EPA ruling on coal plants

In a move that signals the start of our clean energy future, the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Appeals Board has ruled that the EPA had no valid reason for refusing to limit carbon dioxide emissions, which cause global warming, from new coal-fired power plants.

(Sierra Club Press Release, Decision)

What's the take home point, you might ask? Carbon dioxide, the principle source of global warming, is a pollutant under the federal Clean Air Act.

Coal plants emit 30% of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, and this decision will affect all new and proposed plants. What does this mean for the Cliffside unit? Time will tell, but a green economy in NC seems a whole lot closer.

Cool Cities on the move

This week I had the pleasure of meeting with two of our groups—the Capital Group and the Orange-Chatham Group.

The Capital Group will hold meetings with the County Manager and Commissioners as they proceed to help Wake County become a Cool County. Marvin Woll and Sarah Stohler are leading this effort.

The Orange-Chatham Group brainstormed Phase II Cool City actions for Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Some thoughts involve city ordinance amendments, building energy audits and solar power projects. Email Kara Craig or Judith Ferster to get involved.

Snow Hill, small town, BIG AMBITION

Last night I had the great privilege of venturing to Snow Hill and awarding Mayor Don Davis with the Cool City Certificate. Mayor Don Davis has lead Snow Hill on a path of reducing its greenhouse gas emission through encouraging multiple modes of transportation and through building energy efficiency. It was also a pleasure to meet the City Council and I look forward to working with them in the future.

Marghi Sowerwine and Peter Sowerwine drove down from Rocky Mount to participate in the ceremony. Bill Kloepfer has been working with Mayor Don Davis throughout the past year on various conservation projects, so Bill also joined us from Greenville. Thank you all for your support!

From Swain Cty to the Eno - Sierrans in the News

In her review of the ongoing (but nearly finished) struggle to allocate funds to Swain County in lieu of the North Shore Road, or the 'Road to Nowhere' in politico-speak, Mountain XPress writer Danny Bernstein turned to Ted Snyder, our very own Western North Carolina czar:

Ted Snyder—a retired lawyer, former national Sierra Club president and vocal environmentalist—has been working on this issue for decades and is probably the foremost expert on the North Shore Road’s history and politics. He believes there are other ways for Swain County to get the money besides pursuing four-party negotiations. Congress could appropriate the money directly, or the Department of the Interior could either ask for an appropriation or find the funds within its 2009 budget, Snyder argues.

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In other news, a Sierra Club hike at the Eno River made the Durham Herald Sun. Possible development on a 60-acre parcel adjoining Eno River State Park will in all likelihood create substantial runoff problems for the park. Hike leaders hoped to educate potential allies about the issue, its major players, and alternatives to rezoning the area for development. The hike came two days after Durham's city council discussed handing off the issue to the NC Dept of Parks and Rec.

Socks for the homeless & the environment

The holiday season approaches. As I grow older, the idea of socks-as-presents becomes something I never thought possible - good. My more wisened, gray-haired self realizes what my feet have been communicating all along: socks, please.

The Sierra Club recently launched its sock initiative - 'Change your socks, change the world.' For every purchased pair of bamboo/cotton socks, the Sierra Club will donate a pair to the National Coalition for the Homeless. And ten percent of the sales price will fund Sierra Club conservation efforts. Devmir, the sock manufacturer, is based right here in Morrisville, North Carolina.

Cool City Workshop: Phase II

I am excited to announce a workshop for our Sierra Club members. It will be January 24, 2009 and we will discuss several energy efficient projects you can start in your own hometown. Please register as there is limited seating available.

http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageNavigator/cool_cities_workshop