(cross-posted at buzztail)

 

Got a heads-up from Rob at Oregon Wild today concerning the D-Bug timber sale in Oregon.

This sale involves more logging and road-building on roadless lands than was done during the entire Bush presidency, and to make matters even worse, is located just off the edge of Crater Lake National Park. At a time when President Obama needs to step up and uphold the 2001 Roadless Rule, this project would be one giant step in the wrong direction.

You can find out more about D-Bug here, and you can add your voice to those urging Forest Supervisor Dils and Secretary Vilsack to put a stop to this travesty.

 (cross-posted at buzztail)

 

You've all heard of the Alberta tar sands. Dirty stuff. Maybe you've also heard of the Alberta Clipper, the name given the 1000 mile pipeline project by the Canadian company Enbridge which would transport the tar sands crude from northern Alberta to Superior, Wisconsin. From there it would be moved to US refineries, mostly in the Midwest.

Since the pipeline crosses an international border, it requires a Presidential Permit for the US portion. Executive Order 11423 directs the Secretary of State to issue the permit if the SoS determines that it serves the national interest. What it comes down to is that soon after July 6, Hillary Clinton will be making that determination. Public comment is open until then.

I haven't seen any online campaigns directed at Secretary Clinton. If you see one, use it please. Otherwise you can comment on her website. We need to let SoS Clinton know that we need to refuse Canadian tar sands oil. Transporting 450,000 barrels a day of one of the world's dirtiest substances from Alberta to American refineries does not serve the national interest. Not now. Not ever.

Update: By god, I found one.

 (Cross-posted at buzztail)

 

Apparently the Supreme Court feels that it's just fine and dandy to dump toxic mine wastes into pristine mountain lakes. Here's from an Earthjustice email that was in my inbox this evening:

On June 22, the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Water Act allows a mining company to pump hundreds of thousands of gallons per day of toxic waste slurry into a pristine lake in Alaska. Over the next decade, 4.5 million tons of solid waste will be dumped into Lower Slate Lake, killing nearly all the aquatic life and essentially burying the entire lake.

Yes indeed, the Supreme Court granted permission last week for the Kensington Mine, operated by Coeur d' Alene Mining of Coeur d' Alene, Idaho to basically fill Lower Slate Lake in the mountains near Juneau, Alaska with mine waste over the next several years,  killing off the life of that lake.

Earthjustice has a petition to Lisa Jackson of the EPA, and Nancy Sutley, chair of the Council on Environmental Quality calling on them to rescind a 2004 memo by BushCo allowing dumping of mining waste into our waters without having to meet pesky things like EPA standards. You can read the Earthjustice alert and sign the petition right here. Then you can pass it along.

Maybe the fine folks of Coeur d' Alene, the next time they need to dispose of a bag of trash, should simply go and drop it off in the front lobby of Cd'A Mining. It would be quite convenient, and far less deadly than the waste the mine will dump into the lake, though it would probably attract more attention. Who knows?

What's that? Oh yeah. Never mind. That would be illegal...

There is much action throughout the blogs today urging President Obama to actually visit West Virginia and see for himself the devastation caused by mountaintop removal mining. Good stuff.

As ugly as MTR is, and as destructive as it's proving to be in WV, the Appalachian coal region isn't the only place threatened by this criminal activity. Here in the west, about 200 miles north of where I live, there are plans on the table to commence MTR mining and coal bed methane extraction in the Canadian Flathead. Some of these mining projects are within a few miles of Waterton-Glacier Peace Park. Aside from the unconscionable practice of blowing the tops off of mountains to extract the coal underneath, such mining would have severe impacts on Glacier and Waterton parks as well as the wilderness and wildlife of the entire region. Should a waste leak occur, and it most likely would, the waters of Glacier National Park would be contaminated with toxic mine waste within 24 hours. and the entire Flathead drainage in the US and Canada  would be impacted.

Eleven environmental groups have petitioned UNESCO, under the guidance of Earthjustice,  to designate Waterton-Glacier as an international Heritage Site in danger. You can read more here in an Earthjustice news release.