From the latest Earthjustice newsletter:

How a local SW WA lawyer has pushed back and won (for now) against Big Coal.

And more from the New York Times.

E. Fudd

Code Green hits it on the head, per usual.

E. Fudd

From The New York Times:

Loving the Chambered Nautilus to Death

Very, very cool. I wish I had been there!

E. Fudd

Click Here and/or watch more jumpy video below:

Click Here for larger, interactive version of the infographic below to share with friends and family.

E. Fudd

I guess the Koch brothers don’t control *every* scientist on their payroll after all…..

E. Fudd

From Grist:

Koch-funded scientists confirm global warming

Remember when physicist Richard Muller was called to testify in the House by denialist Republicans who thought he’d debunk global warming, and he ended up supporting it instead? That was fun! And it just happened again on a grander scale. Muller’s group at Berkeley, which was funded in part by the Charles G. Koch foundation, has reexamined (with a skeptical eye, of course) a metric crapload of climate information — including data from the University of East Anglia, i.e. Climategate Central. Their conclusion? “Global warming is real.” Direct quote.

“Our biggest surprise was that the new results agreed so closely with the warming values published previously by other teams in the US and the UK,” said Professor Muller.

“This confirms that these studies were done carefully and that potential biases identified by climate change sceptics did not seriously affect their conclusions.”

You don’t say.

Now, the results haven’t been peer-reviewed yet, so it might not be time to start demanding that Anthony Watts drink beer out of his shoe. But in fact, Watts has promised to abide by whatever results the Berkeley group came up with, “even if it proves my premise wrong,” so it’ll be interesting to see what he and other prominent skeptics do once the paper is published. Probably just click their tongues and say “so sad — another good scientist corrupted by the Conspiracy.”

in an era of environmental denial, degradation and dishonesty, it’s great to see a big WIN once in a while!

from Earthjustice:

Major Victory Secures Roadless Rule

“We’ve been representing the environmental community in this fight in more than a dozen cases over the last 13 years … We had to win every single one of those cases, and we did. The Roadless Rule is one of the most far-reaching conservation initiatives ever.”

— Earthjustice Attorney Jim Angell

Thirteen years after Earthjustice first launched legal action, the nearly 50-million-acre heartland of America’s national forests is secure. A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of the Roadless Rule, virtually ending a politically infested process that pitted resource exploiters against the vast majority of citizens who rely upon these pristine lands for recreation and repose.

The 120-page ruling by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals overturns a lower court ruling, affirmed the validity of the original Roadless Rule, and is likely to resist further challenge, said Earthjustice Attorney Jim Angell, who filed the first action in 1998 in defense of roadless lands, and has pursued the case ever since.

“This is a tremendous victory. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone asked the Supreme Court or the entire 10th Circuit to review the decision, but those are at best desperate measures. The opinion was unanimous and authored by a [George W.] Bush appointee. It is an extraordinarily thorough opinion,” Angell said.

The appellate court ruled against the State of Wyoming and industry intervenors and in favor of conservation groups, the Forest Service, and the States of California, Oregon, and Washington. This decision formally ends an injunction against the Rule’s enforcement imposed by a Wyoming federal district court in 2008.

The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule—that protects wild national forests and grasslands from new road building, logging, and development—was the product of the most comprehensive rulemaking process in the nation’s history, including more than 2 million comments from members of the public, hundreds of public hearings and open houses, and a detailed environmental review. The rule came under relentless attack by logging and resource extraction interests, certain states, and the Bush administration.

Yet, despite those powerful foes and in the face of very long odds, Earthjustice and its allies consistently prevailed over the years.

“We’ve been representing the environmental community in this fight in more than a dozen cases over the last 13 years, and we have run the table,” Angell explained. “We had to win every single one of those cases, and we did. The Roadless Rule is one of the most far-reaching conservation initiatives ever. It is incredibly gratifying that we were able to defend it against industry, a hostile Bush Administration, and hostile states.”

During the height of those political struggles, Earthjustice Attorney Kristen Boyles played a lead role, beating back attempts by Bush to undo the Rule. There was a lot at stake, said Tim Preso, who along with Doug Honnold and Todd True, rounded out the team of Earthjustice attorneys who defended the Rule.

Preso noted that the nation’s national forests offer outstanding opportunities for hunting, fishing, and hiking. They produce clean water for thousands of communities nationwide, and provide irreplaceable irreplaceable habitat for imperiled wildlife species, including grizzly bears, lynx, and Pacific salmon.

“All Americans can now know that a key part of our nation’s natural heritage won’t be destroyed,” he said.

Now, conservation, faith, and recreation groups trust that the Obama administration will support and enforce the 2001 Roadless Rule as the law of the land, including defending its protections for all 58.5 million acres of roadless lands in the country. That includes national forests in Alaska, currently subject to a separate legal challenge and national forests in Idaho, whose roadless area protections were weakened in 2008.

In this appeal to the 10th Circuit, Earthjustice represented Wyoming Outdoor Council, The Wilderness Society, Sierra Club, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Pacific Rivers Council, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Audubon Society, and Defenders of Wildlife. The States of California, Oregon, and Washington submitted legal papers in support of the Roadless Rule and the conservation groups’ appeal.

Two other legal actions to protect roadless areas remain pending: a lawsuit challenging application of the Roadless Rule to national forests in Alaska, and a lawsuit challenging a separate, less protective rule that applies only to federal roadless areas in Idaho.

E. Fudd

Hello Biodiesel Enthusiasts.

We are pleased to announce that the October Monthly Education Forum will focus on Fuel Quality and Performance Issues, and feature speakers from government, production, distribution and testing. More Information, including the speakers, is below.

Fuel Quality and Performance Issues

Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

@ Phinney Community Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98103

Fuel quality is a critical issue in any vehicle. How do we know that the fuel we buy for our vehicles is of high quality and will not cause problems, and also maximize performance? How is quality ensured in production and distribution? What does the state do to ensure quality? What is involved in testing biodiesel?

The NW Biodiesel Network’s October Education Forum is pleased to present a panel of representatives from government, production, distribution and testing to discuss fuel quality and performance, and answer your questions. Our panel will include:

Government – Jerry Buendel, WA Dept. of Agriculture
Producer – Shawn Noble, General Biodiesel Inc.
Distributor – Bett Lucas, Sound Refining
Fuel Tester – Jeff Fetkenhour, Gorge Analytical LLC

Join us to learn about fuel quality and performance issues and get your questions answered! 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Seattle Phinney Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N, Seattle WA 98103. Cost is Free. Information, including speaker biographies, at www.nwbiodiesel.org/.

NWBN AFFILIATE STORE – Easy Way to SUPPORT the Network

Many of you have been using our affiliate store to purchase items at Amazon, REI, Drugstore.com, Wine.com, and iTunes, and book travel on Priceline and Orbitz.

THANK YOU!

We earn a commission every time you do this, and we use this income to support our biodiesel education efforts.

Click NWBN AFFILIATE STORE to access the Affiliate store and support the Network.

NW Biodiesel Network Sponsors

We want to thank our generous sponsors for their support:

Sockeye Level

Boeing
General Biodiesel
Whole Energy

Coho Level

National Biodiesel Board
Propel Fuels
Sound Earth Strategies

Thanks to our featured speakers for our September Education Forum on Public Sector Use of Biodiesel:

Allen Mitchell, Snohomish County
Fred Chun, City of Tacoma
Steve Krueger, WA State General Administration
Dave Seavey, Director, Seattle’s Fleet Services
Division

It was a very informative and heartening Forum where we learned more on the commitment to, and use of, biodiesel by the public sector in the Puget Sound Region.

Thanks to all who continue to use the NWBN Affiliate Store. This funding allows us to do more community outreach to educate the public about the benefits of biodiesel. More information on our affiliate store is below.

Thanks to our sponsors, listed below, whose support makes it possible for the NW Biodiesel Network to educate the public on the benefits of biodiesel.

We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, October 25!

NW Biodiesel Network Board of Directors

God help us if Obama approves this pipeline.

E. Fudd

And with good measure! Go Stephanie McMillan!

E. Fudd

Very cool scuba action off the SoCal coast with Humboldt squid!

from Grindtv:

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 12:44pm PDT

Southern California’s rare squid invasion a bizarre nighttime spectacle

By: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com

The rare invasion of perhaps millions of large and ravenous squid off Southern California has been more like a blitz, with the slithery cephalopods showing first off San Diego (last week) and advancing at least as far north as Santa Barbara (this week).

This has sent anglers clambering onto fishing boats for a truly wet and wild experience, but for one resident catching the mysterious denizens wasn’t enough. Jon Schwartz dove in with his camera to document the experience from beneath the surface (his self-portrait is pictured below).

It was not the safest swim the grade-school teacher from Oceanside has enjoyed, and this is not something others should attempt. These Humboldt or jumbo squid boast razor-sharp tentacle claws and a parrot-like beak. These squid are notorious for their frenzied behavior — they’re even cannibalistic — and have attacked divers off Mexico. They’ve also adversely impacted native fisheries.

But Schwartz, who is an expert marine photographer, captured some incredible images and even brought a few squid to class for first-grade study.

“I asked a bunch of experts if they thought it was safe and they said it might be,” Schwartz, who specializes in photographing large game fish from underwater, said of his weekend plunge.

Humboldt squid have made headlines for good reason.

The deep-water critters, which can measure 7 feet and weigh up to 100 pounds, are visitors from far to the the south and only show off California every 4-5 years.

These northbound forays — perceived by some scientists as an attempt at permanent colonization — are believed to be spurred by a warm current or some other anomaly.

A weak El Nino in 2009-10 might have spurred the recent invasion. In past episodes, the squid have shown as far north as British Columbia. They are believed to have an adverse impact on many native fisheries.

The presence of squid, however, is a boon for sportfishing landings that offer special daytime and nighttime expeditions, with night generally best because the squid — which typically inhabit depths from 650 to 3,000 feet — are closer to the surface and can be attracted by floodlights.

Schwartz hired a yacht to deliver him to the site of one of the bites off Newport Beach. Armed with just a camera and strobe, he dove in, adjusted his gear and began to shoot away.

As someone who has been scuba diving with Humboldt squid in the Sea of Cortez off Mexico, this reporter can attest that it’s an unsettling but surreal experience. I encountered a small group of squid, pulsating in the blue water, at 60 feet. Several of them charged toward me looking like alien beings, with their tentacles clasped to an arrow-like point. They traveled through the water at a remarkable speed but veered off as they reached me, and vanished.

I had heard about attacks by squid on humans in the Sea of Cortez, off Mexico. In one well-documented incident a scuba diver was dragged downward and had some of his gear ripped away in what became a life-threatening frenzy. His companions managed to pull him aboard, but he had suffered numerous cuts and his wetsuit had been torn.

Schwartz was interested in photographing them because they are such rare visitors to Southern California and possess an amazing ability to change color and pulsate with iridescent light, carried out via millions of chromatophores as perhaps a means of communication.

“There were some that were flashing below me that fell in love with my strobe and they were really wild,” Schwartz said. “They sit there and stare at you with tentacles pitched forward in a kind of arrow.”

The teacher-photographer added that he was less afraid of the squid than he was of much larger predators that patrol the ocean at night.

“I was worried about mako sharks and great white sharks, too,” he said.

— Images are courtesy of Jon Schwartz and protected by copyright laws. To read more about Schwartz’s adventures, please visit his blog.

E. Fudd