A Quiet Victory for the Environment

a typical Wyo. coal train is about 1 mile long

The amount of electricity generated in the United States by coal-fired power plants has reached a level of 36% which is 20% less than a year ago. That is good news for cleaner air and reducing carbon dioxide. Certainly reduced economic activity is one reason for the dramatic drop as well as low prices for natural gas, coal's chief competitor, and the potential regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from US power plants by the EPA. Al-Jazerra English also credits a grass roots movement against coal plants that has stopped 166 proposed plants from going forward. Most of these citizen victories were in red states of the South and Midwest. The victories in Oklahoma came against the opposition of one of the Senate's leading climate denier, James Inhofe (R-OK).

The movement has attracted the support of billionaire politician, Michael Bloomberg, who has pledged $50 million of his own money to support the work of Beyond Coal, a national campaign at the Sierra Club that helped coordinate the efforts of local activists. Bloomberg has good reason to get involved because coal pollution kills 13,000 people every year and costs the US $100 billion in medical expenses related to respiratory problems. Stopping the construction of 166 new coal burning power plants amounts to keeping an estimated 32.25 billion tons of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere. Rather than wait for a deadlocked Congress to pass cap and trade legislation, environmentalists looked for a way to do something constructive about climate change. Stopping "King Coal" may be the most significant environmental victory since 1970 when a Republican President, Richard Nixon, signed the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts into law.

Beginning in Iowa, activists focused on the permitting process of a few high-profile plants, hoping a local victory could be the start of a larger, nationwide campaign. The state regulatory board was pressured by local activists to limit the amount of money a new coal plant could cost consumers. Denied a blank check from the state treasury, the utility company cancelled the Iowa plant projects. The same format of informed advocacy during the permit process and public pressure on state politicians who can be more easily lobbied was repeated in other states. After significant success, Beyond Coal is now looking forward to a more difficult task, that of closing existing coal-fired power plants. Its first success, in Washington state, could be a model for future negotiations. Trans-Alta, owner of the state's only coal plant, agreed to a ten year timeline for the plant's closure. Environmentalists agreed to a longer phase out to satisfy objections from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The agreement provided for utility subsidized retraining of the plant's unionized workers in greener energy technologies.

Chart of the Week: The Failed War Within A War

{28.05.12} Afghanistan will undoubtably be categorized as an American military failure on the order of Vietnam for at least three major reasons: 1) the Taliban enemy is still a viable fighting force; 2) modern nation building has failed despite the investment of billions because of corrupt quislings and a lack of widespread support from the indeginous population; 3) Afghanistan's main cash crop, opium, has not been eradicated. The map from NYT shows the amount of opium cultivation has not decreased significantly since the United States and its NATO allies invaded in 2001; Taliban control of the south is demonstrated by the high levels (red areas) of poppy cultivation there. Dismantling the narco-state was a top objective of war planners. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, former special envoy to Afghanistan wrote that breaking the illicit opium economy was "essential, or all else will fail". A prescient statement that is now being fulfilled.

The last stand of the 44th Foot

Officials admit that as the US and NATO withdraw, opium cultivation will undergo a resurgence. The number of poppy free provinces reached a high of 20 in 2010. That level has dropped to 17. Improved interdiction captures only about 3.5% of the 375 tons of heroin which leaves the country every year. The West's most successful counter-narcotics operation in the Helmand River valley has coincided with a 33% decrease in poppy cultivation, but 14,000 US Marines are scheduled to leave the area by the end of this year. Whether disincentive programs will remain in operation is questionable. Meanwhile opium prices in the field are up to $320 per kilogram. A detail that speaks volumes about the insidious drug trade in Afghanistan: the British found 20,000 lbs of opium in the office of the Helmand province governor Sher Mohammed Akhundzada, an ally of President Hamid Karzai, in 2005. He was removed from office at the insistence of the British, but later Akhundzada was named to the Senate. Many Afghan power brokers including those close to Karzai are believed to be involved in the drug trade.

More: A recent report by the Pentagon's former director of intelligence assessment (he should know, right?) draws the conclusion that most of the development funds the US has showered on Afghanistan went to security forces not to the country's development. The aid was erratic, making long range projects difficult to carry out. The aid, when it did come, was "too late to prevent the rise of a major insurgency".  And there has been no systematic measurement of its effectiveness. The system "virtually invited waste, fraud and abuse".

Furthur:  Eight more Afghan civilians were killed in a NATO airstrike over the weekend. Reports from Paktia Province say a family's home was hit by a bomb during close air support of a joint ground operation, killing six children and the parents. "Collateral damage" has become a sore issue with the Afghan government and people, contributing to deteriorating relations and distrust of western forces. Likely the number of civilian casualties will increase as the United States removes ground troops and substitutes robotic warfare in its efforts to eliminate terrorists. The Obamanator has given more latitude to drone attacks in the Af-Pak theatre of operations and Yemen, where al-Qaida is very active. Since just last month there have been 14 drone strikes in Yemen and 6 in Pakistan. Now, drones attacks can be authorized on targets that possess the requisite "signature", or profile of characteristics, without identification of specific individual terrorists. So if a group of young men are attending a social function in the wrong place at the wrong time, they could be wiped out by an aerial robot. This impersonal warfare is deeply resented by a culture that places a premium on personal honor. According to convicted terrorist Faisal Shahzad, the use of drones has become a recruiting tool of choice for jihadists.  The Obamanator signs off on each drone attack outside Pakistan making him a frightening, actual version of "Dr. Strangelove".

Indian Rangers May Now Shoot on Sight

Maharashtra state will no longer charge forest rangers with human rights violation for shooting poachers. The decision is in response to an increase in the number of tigers killed by poachers. Fourteen tigers have been killed in India this year according to the Wildlife Protection Society of India. Last year 13 were killed.   In 2006 Sariska Tiger Reserve lost all of its 26 tigers, mostly to poaching, and in 2009 none of the 24 tigers in Panna Tiger Reserve survived poaching.   In last November two tigers were found dead in Maharashtra, a male was killed in a wire snare and a tigress died chewing through an electric power line. Tigers are critically endangered; a census estimate in 2011 is 1,706. When tigers once roamed the subcontinent in tens of thousands, that is a pitiable remnant that man seems to be incapable of protecting from extermination by the folk medicine obsession. Assam has a similar lethal force provision that some observers credit for the decline in poaching of rhinos. Maharashtra authorities will also offer payment for information about poachers and smugglers, as well as increasing the number of patrols.

'Toontime: Washington Priorities

[credit: Glenn McCoy]

Wondering what the Obamanator is doing with his time when he is not on the campaign trail raising big money from wealthy homosexual supporters? Perhaps finding a way to unblock Congress? Negotiating an end to the civil war in Syria? Ending a costly and embarrassing delay of inevitable defeat in Afghanistan? Guiding the EU out of its financial dead end?* NOT! He is playing golf, and a lot of it. He has played 1,746 holes since taking office according to the Romney campaign which has got nothing better to do than keep track of such trivia, since their candidate does not have any coherent policy proposals to advance.  Only Dwight D. Eisenhower played more golf while in the White House, and the Obamanator is no Ike.  It was Teddy Roosevelt who warned William Howard Taft not to be photographed playing golf, a game still considered a preserve of the wealthy. But obviously the current occupant is not paying attention to lessons of history.
*The Obamanator's idea of helping Europe is to "give investors confidence". In other words, the same TARP-like nonsense that did not work in the United States to lift the economy out of the worst recession in its history. What TARP accomplished was to rescue serial Wall Street fianancial debt abusers like Jamie Dimon from well deserved ignominy. Obamanator's other soundbite on the subject of Europe was the need for "a growth strategy to go alongside the need for fiscal discipline" Contradictory drivel intended to reassure economic dummies. The EU is threatening to kick Greece out of the zone if it doesn't shape up and submit to the German financial boot. All of General George Marshall's efforts to create a viable, democratic Europe from the rubble and ashes of world war seem to be in jeopardy a mere six decades later. But always time for more golf, hey, Mr. President? Four!

The Pipeline from Hell Resets

Hillary has connections

TransCanada Corp. has submitted another application to the State Department to build and operate the XL Pipeline. This proposal is to connect it to an existing pipeline in Steele City, Nebraska reflecting the opposition to the previous application's route across the Ogllala Aquifer. The change of strategy has the company building the pipeline to carry Alberta bitumen south to refineries on the Gulf Coast in stages. The Obamanator lauded the company's decision to build the segment from Cushing, Okalahoma [map] after the international crossing was dissapproved because of an accelerated deadline imposed by Congress. TransCanada needs executive approval to cross the international border, however.

Nebraska's state legislature passed a bill to allow TransCanada to work with the state Department of Environmental Quality to find an alternative route that avoids the Sand Hills overlying the vital aquifer. The company submitted alternative routes to the state on April 18th. Opponents say the alternative routes still impact the Sand Hills. The department will hold a series of public meetings to provide information and allow comment. The routes have to cross the Niobrara River, parts of which are designated wild and scenic. Opposition to the pipeline has been significant in a conservative, rural state. Grass roots organizations such as BOLD Nebraska as well as national environmental organizations such as NRDC continue to oppose the project. The federal State Department will begin reviewing the new application by hiring a third-party contractor to do the work. The previous consulting company, Cardno Entrix, was criticized by opponents and State's Inspector General for having commercial ties to TransCanada.

Venison for Dinner

The human lust for deer meat takes bizarre forms. The latest example of typically primate behavior comes from Utah. The state Division of Wildlife is offering a $50 bounty for killing coyotes in order to help mule deer. Considering that human hunters kill more than 85,000 mule deer every year in Utah, one would think the way to help mule deer populations is to reduce the hunting pressure, not to kill natural predators. The bounty is not large, but more than enough to cause bored nimrods to take the field to kill coyotes. Not only is the Department offering a bounty, but also provides ruthless advice on its website to disrupt breeding coyote pairs by killing a mate during May and June when they are raising pups and may be feeding them with fawns. The scientific evidence shows that declining deer population are not due to natural predators but man-made causes such as habitat loss and overexploitation. The studies cited in support of the bounty by the state are inconsistent with each other. Truth be told, coyotes feed mostly on rabbits and other rodents, not mule deer which are too large for the coyote to handle.

'Toontime: The London Whale

Wackydoodle sez:  They give y'all a homosexual marriage certificate too!

Update: Jamie 'Show me the money' Dimon has suspended JP Morgan-Chase's share buyback program as the big bank's losses on the 'London Whale' derivative trades mount past $7 billion. The bank was set to buy back $15 billion in shares to meet new international rules on reserves. The Daily Telegraph reports that the head of risk management for the department incurring the losses, Irv Goldman was previously fired from a rival, Cantor Fitzgerald, for a major conflict of interest. He was found to be trading for his own account the same shares as he was trading for his firm. He is expected to resign from JP Morgan within a short time. The former head of Morgan's London trading department, Ina Drew, contracted Lyme disease in 2010. Her long periods of absence left the office in chaos. To add to the problem was the intense strife between the New York headquarters and London offices. The term 'London Whale' was the nickname of the London based trader, Bruno Iksil, who took huge derivative bets on a corporate debt index totaling $100 billion. Now, JP Morgan is in the extremely disadvantaged circumstances of unwinding its loosing trades against rival traders who know the bank's positions and are willing to increase their profits at the expense of the bank "too big to fail". Way to manage, Jamie!*

{18-05-12}The US financial structure coming close to collapse in 2007 was a symptom of the unregulated speculation known as over-the-counter derivatives trading. The notional amount of derivative contracts outstanding at any one time can only be estimated, but JP Morgan's loss of $2 billion--which billionaire New York Mayor Bloomberg described as a "hiccup"--in the bank's City of London office gives some idea of the magnitude of the trading. According to CEO Dimon what is good for JPMorgan-Chase is good for the country. Dimon's bank has spent nearly $10 million since the beginning of 2011 on lobbying, mostly focused against the Volcker Rule that would largely prohibit risky proprietary trading by a federally insured bank. Even if the Volcker Rule were passed in the face of intense Wall Street opposition, Morgan's loosing gamble would probably be legal under a hedging loophole JP Morgan sponsored. Dimon has not explained what client position it was hedging with the "London Whale". The unregulated trading also goes a long way towards explaining why no major executive on Wall Street has been called to account for the abusive practices in the sub-prime mortgage securitization frenzy. Here is another fact recently disclosed that may also explain the absence of regulatory enforcement: the Obamanator has a checking account reported to be between $500,000 and $1,000,000 at, wait for it, JPMorgan-Chase. That makes him one of the 1% and Jamie Dimon his favorite banker, does it not?
*Dimon may be the poster-boy for what is wrong with America's financial system, but he is by no means alone. John Corzine former governor of New Jersey walked off with a cool $3 million in cash including a $1.25 million bonus despite his firm MF Global declaring bankruptcy. MF Global was exposed as having $1.6 billion shortage of customer funds. Corzine's total pay package in the last year of the company totaled $8 million, most of that tied to now worthless MF Global stock. Despite a 27% decline over three years and a 44% decline for 2011 in the value of Citigroup's stock, CEO Vikram Pandit was paid $43 million in 2011.