Tag Archives: vancouver

“If Trump turns off the satellites, California will launch its own damn satellite.”

Oregon’s largest city became the first in the nation to ban the building of major fossil fuel terminals and the expansion of existing ones after a unanimous city council vote on Wednesday.

The city council used zoning codes to enact the ban, which will go into effect in January, and will prevent the construction of any new terminals for transporting or storing coal, methanol, natural gas, and oil. Other West Coast cities made similar moves earlier this year: Vancouver, Washington, banned new oil terminals and Oakland, California, banned coal terminals.

In the wake of the Trump election, it’s clear that the federal government won’t be taking climate action, so environmentalists are increasingly looking to cities to adopt climate change–fighting policies — and those cities might want to follow Portland’s lead.

“What we’ve done in Portland is replicable now in other cities,” Portland Mayor Charlie Hales told InsideClimate News. “Everybody has a zoning code.”

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also encouraging cities to take action. “Mayors and local leaders around the country are determined to keep pushing ahead on climate change,” he wrote recently, “because it is in their interest to do so.” It’s also in all of ours.

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“If Trump turns off the satellites, California will launch its own damn satellite.”

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Is Trump’s EPA pick or State nominee the riper target for Democrats?

Oregon’s largest city became the first in the nation to ban the building of major fossil fuel terminals and the expansion of existing ones after a unanimous city council vote on Wednesday.

The city council used zoning codes to enact the ban, which will go into effect in January, and will prevent the construction of any new terminals for transporting or storing coal, methanol, natural gas, and oil. Other West Coast cities made similar moves earlier this year: Vancouver, Washington, banned new oil terminals and Oakland, California, banned coal terminals.

In the wake of the Trump election, it’s clear that the federal government won’t be taking climate action, so environmentalists are increasingly looking to cities to adopt climate change–fighting policies — and those cities might want to follow Portland’s lead.

“What we’ve done in Portland is replicable now in other cities,” Portland Mayor Charlie Hales told InsideClimate News. “Everybody has a zoning code.”

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also encouraging cities to take action. “Mayors and local leaders around the country are determined to keep pushing ahead on climate change,” he wrote recently, “because it is in their interest to do so.” It’s also in all of ours.

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Is Trump’s EPA pick or State nominee the riper target for Democrats?

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Yep, Gasoline Lead Explains the Crime Decline in Canada Too

Mother Jones

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Erik Eckholm of the New York Times writes that violent crime has plunged dramatically over the past two decades. But the reasons remain elusive:

There are some areas of consensus. The closing of open-air drug markets….revolution in urban policing….increases in drug and gun sentences….Various experts have also linked the fall in violence to the aging of the population, low inflation rates and even the decline in early-childhood lead exposure. But in the end, none of these factors fully explain a drop that occurred, in tandem, in much of the world.

“Canada, with practically none of the policy changes we point to here, had a comparable decline in crime over the same period,” said Franklin E. Zimring, a law professor and an expert in criminal justice at the University of California, Berkeley. He described the quest for an explanation as “criminological astrology.”

I’m happy to see lead at least get a shout out. Unless I’ve missed something, this might actually be the first time the New York Times has ever mentioned childhood lead exposure as a possible explanation for the decline in violent crime. Progress!

But while Eckholm is right to say that none of the other factors he mentions can explain a decline in violent crime that happened all over the world, he’s wrong to include lead in that list. It’s the one explanation that does have the potential to explain a worldwide drop in crime levels. In particular, the chart on the right shows the use of gasoline lead in Canada, which peaked in the mid-70s and then began dropping as catalytic converters became more common. Leaded gasoline was banned for good in 1990, and is now virtually gone with a few minor exceptions for specialized vehicles.

So what happened? As Zimring says, Canada saw a substantial decrease in violent crime that started about 20 years after lead emissions began to drop, which is exactly what you’d expect. I calculated the numbers for Canada’s biggest cities back when I was researching my lead-crime piece, and crime was down from its peak values everywhere: 31 percent in Montreal, 36 percent in Edmonton, 40 percent in Toronto and Vancouver, and 53 percent in Ottawa. CompStat and broken windows and American drug laws can’t explain that.

“Criminological astrology” is a good phrase to describe the relentless effort of US criminologists to explain a worldwide phenomenon using only parochial US data. But there is one explanation that really does work pretty well everywhere: the reduction in gasoline lead, which happened all over the world, but happened at different times in different places. And everywhere it happened, crime started to decline about 20 years later. No explanation is ever perfect, but this one comes closer than most.

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Yep, Gasoline Lead Explains the Crime Decline in Canada Too

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Can a commercial development be used to block Big Oil?

Can a commercial development be used to block Big Oil?

By on 29 Dec 2014commentsShare

Environmental groups in Vancouver, Wash. are rallying for the rapid development of a $1.3 billion real estate project along the Columbia River. We know, we know: Why would environmentalists want to see the bank of a river plastered with 32 acres of shops, office buildings, and apartment towers? To block something even worse: oil.

Here’s the scoop: The development, called Waterfront, would sit two miles west of the proposed terminal. Oil trains would pass within a few hundred feet of the project’s towers. So, if there was ever a teensy mishap — a spill, or perchance a derailment? — public safety would be at risk. If Waterfront, which was approved back in November 2013, is built soon, it will make for a steep path to approval for the oil terminal.

That gigantic terminal would transfer North Dakota crude oil by rail cars to barges, on which trains would pass through Vancouver each day, carrying approximately 360,000 barrels of oil. Here’s more on the two projects from the New York Times:

Vancouver’s dueling projects — with the city government caught in the middle, opposing the oil project at its own port and backing the Waterfront project — crystallize the terms and stakes of the energy wave in one place, people on both sides of the issue said.

The Waterfront project, Mr. VandenHeuvel said, makes the threats from the oil trains “more tangible and more real.” At least 10 large crude oil spills have been reported since early 2013 because of train accidents in the United States and Canada, including one in Quebec that caused a fire and explosion and killed 47 people.

Every fiber of my divestment-loving, tree-hugging being is balking at the thought of waterfront apartments saving a local environment (truly, I shudder). But this may be the greener of two evils.

Source:
Race to Build on River Could Block Pacific Oil Route

, New York Times.

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Can a commercial development be used to block Big Oil?

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Chevron wants to fund science class. What could go wrong?

Chevron wants to fund science class. What could go wrong?

By on 24 Nov 2014commentsShare

Chevron’s Fuel Your School program allows K-12 teachers in participating districts to request a chunk of petro-change to implement classroom projects, particularly in STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering, and math. In participating areas, the company contributes $1 toward projects and equipment for every fill-up of at least 30 liters (about 8 gallons) at a local Chevron station. That way, drivers can feel good about buying gasoline, and, in a horrifyingly ironic twist, kids can thank their elders for burning a fuel whose emissions are wrecking their future!

And what does Chevron get in return? A little air time with the kiddos! Check out the company’s propaganda video:

On its website, the megacorporation explains that it is interested in helping “prepare students for the growing number of technical jobs in the modern economy, including possible engineering positions at Chevron.” Ignoring the dubiousness of the “growing number of technical jobs” claim (have they heard of robots?), if Chevron is still hiring petroleum engineers by the time today’s elementary schoolers are looking for work, we’re probably fucked.

The good news? Teachers in Vancouver, B.C., say they want none of the dirty money. Last month, the North Vancouver and West Vancouver school districts both signed up for Fuel Your School, but many incensed teachers are opting out for moral reasons, according to North Shore News

“Even the name Fuel Your School, it’s about promoting the idea of an oil product,” said Martin Stuible, vice president of the North Vancouver Teachers’ Association. He also pointed out that accepting Chevron’s money excuses British Columbia’s government from some of its responsibility for funding education — and steers attention away from shortfalls in provincial funding.

Do we really want a company that continues to search for more oil when we’ve already found more than enough to fry us all to have any say in how science and math are taught to the generation charged with cleaning up the climate mess?

Big Oil already corrupts political outcomes with generous donations. To see that same fate befall educational outcomes would be heartbreaking.

Source:
Teachers put brakes on oil money for classrooms

, North Shore News.

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Pipeline builder says oil spills can be good for the economy

It’s dirty work, but …

Pipeline builder says oil spills can be good for the economy

Mic Stolz

Kinder Morgan’s idea of job creation.

Kinder Morgan wants to spend $5.4 billion tripling the capacity of an oil pipeline between the tar sands of Alberta and the Vancouver, B.C., area. Yes, the company acknowledges, there’s always the chance of a “large pipeline spill.” But it says the “probability” of such an accident is “low.” And anyway, if a spill does happen, it could be an economic boon.

“Spill response and cleanup” after oil pipeline ruptures, such as the emergency operations near Kalamazoo, Mich., in 2010 and in the Arkansas community of Mayflower last year, create “business and employment opportunities for affected communities, regions, and cleanup service providers,” the company argues.

Those aren’t the outrageous comments of a company executive shooting off his mouth while a reporter happened to be neaby. Those are quotes taken from an official document provided to the Canadian government in support of the company’s efforts to expand its pipeline.

It’s a bit like claiming cancer caused by nuclear accidents can be great because it provides work for oncologists. Here’s more from The Vancouver Sun:

“Pipeline spills can have both positive and negative effects on local and regional economies, both in the short- and long-term,” the company states in its submission to the National Energy Board, the federal government’s Calgary-based regulatory agency. …

The New Democratic Party MP who represents Burnaby, including the Westridge Marine Terminal where large tankers will arrive to carry diluted bitumen overseas, accused the company of insensitivity.

“We know Kinder Morgan is using every trick in the book to push this pipeline through our community, but this takes the cake — proposing that a spill would actually be good for the local economy,” said Kennedy Stewart, MP for Burnaby-Douglas riding. “This assertion shows the utter disregard this company has for British Columbians.”

The company said it was just fulfilling its regulatory requirements.

The company’s submission also says the ecological impacts of an oil spill, such as on beavers and otters, would be “potentially high.” Perhaps cleanup companies just need to find a way to put wildlife to work.


Source
Kinder Morgan pipeline application says oil spills can have both negative and positive effects, The Vancouver Sun

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Whoa there! State lawmakers try to make oil trains safer

Whoa there! State lawmakers try to make oil trains safer

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The wheels of railway safety reform may be in motion in Minnesota, but they’ve ground to a halt in Washington state.

Each day, an average of six trains bearing particularly incendiary fracked crude travel through Minnesota’s Twin Cities, rattling the nerves of residents and lawmakers. The main worries are about potential derailments and explosions, but oil spills are also a concern, as evidenced by the recent leak of 12,000 gallons from a moving train in the state’s southeast.

On Monday, Minnesota state Rep. Frank Hornstein introduced legislation that aims to protect the state from oil-by-rail accidents. The Star Tribune reports:

“We have a proliferation of oil trains and pipelines in this state,” Hornstein said in an interview. “This is an unprecedented challenge to the state. We need to have these resources to keep communities safe.”

Three bills were introduced Monday that would require railroads to regularly notify local officials about oil train movements, require railroads and pipeline operators to respond to spills promptly, improve grade crossings and add state track inspectors.

The legislation grew out of concern that firefighters across the state lack training and specialized equipment to fight a massive fire like the Dec. 30 oil train wreck near Casselton, N.D., in which multiple tank cars exploded and burst into flames.

Meanwhile, in Washington state, bills that would have boosted oil-train safety died last week after Republicans and Democrats couldn’t agree on them and the state legislature adjourned for the year. From the Associated Press:

Several measures to address oil shipments by rail died as lawmakers adjourned the 60-day session, including a resolution calling for tougher federal standards for tank cars and a bill aimed at ensuring that state laws on oil spill response cover oil from Canadian tar sands. …

Three terminals in the Northwest are already receiving crude oil by trains that run through Washington. Other facilities are proposed at the ports of Grays Harbor and Vancouver, and at refineries.

The federal government is also gradually moving forward with efforts to make oil trains safer. Last month, railway operators met with federal regulators and agreed to slow certain oil trains down to 40 miles per hour as they pass through 46 urban areas, starting on July 1. Railway companies also agreed to boost rail inspections and take other steps to improve safety.

But the feds need to be doing a lot more to crack down on railway companies, like requiring them to use sturdier, safer cars — starting yesterday, not next year.


Source
3 Minnesota bills seek to address oil transport safety concerns, Star Tribune
Washington lawmakers take little action on oil transport bills during legislative session that adjourned last week, The Associated Press

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Grainspotting: Farmers get desperate as coal and oil take over the rails

Grainspotting: Farmers get desperate as coal and oil take over the rails

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The U.S. agriculture and energy sectors might be facing a Jets and Sharks situation: Our railroad system just ain’t big enough for the two of them! Unfortunately, this scenario is unlikely to involve a highly choreographed mambo dance-off, not that we wouldn’t love to see Rex Tillerson’s moves. He’d make a great Bernardo.

American farmers are becoming concerned that coal and oil companies’ increased use of railroad shipping will crowd out grain trains. The Western Organization of Resource Councils warns in a recent report that railway congestion will only increase in coming years, especially as coal export facilities are built up in the Pacific Northwest. The report largely focuses on traffic between the coal-rich Powder River Basin region of southeastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming, and port cities such as Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver, Wash.

Compounding the coal issue, oil transport by train has exponentially increased in recent years. There were more than 40 times as many oil shipments by rail last year as there were just five years prior.

From the WORC report:

The voluminous and very profitable [Powder River Basin] to PNW [Pacific Northwest] export coal traffic and profitable Bakken oil traffic to the PNW would consume most of the existing rail capacity, which would displace traffic and result in higher freight rates for other rail shippers.

Grain farmers in Montana, who largely grow for export, are starting to get worried. The Daily Climate reports:

Kremlin, Mont. wheat farmer Ryan McCormick says he hasn’t yet had any problems moving his crop from the state’s remote northern border. But he senses trouble on the horizon. BNSF, he said, “has been well in front of telling us there are going to be some issues in the next couple years.”

Farmers like McCormick don’t have other options for moving large quantities of grain for export. It would take about 400 truckloads to move the same amount of grain carried by the typical 110-car train.

Railroad traffic jams won’t just affect industrial shippers, either. According to the WORC report, Amtrak romantics can expect significant congestion on the Empire Builder line, which runs between Chicago and Seattle.

What could be more American than a gang rivalry between nonrenewable energy and wheat, our nation’s two great loves? Time to pick sides!


Source
Energy industry to hog the rails, shutting out farmers, The Daily Climate

Eve Andrews is a Grist fellow and new Seattle transplant via the mean streets of Chicago, Poughkeepsie, and Pittsburgh, respectively and in order of meanness. Follow her on Twitter.

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Grainspotting: Farmers get desperate as coal and oil take over the rails

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Carbon dioxide pollution just killed 10 million scallops

Carbon dioxide pollution just killed 10 million scallops

anna_t

Scallops go well with loads of chili and an after-dinner dose of antacid. It’s just too bad we can’t share our post-gluttony medicine with the oceans that produce our mollusk feasts.

A scallops producer on Vancouver Island in British Columbia just lost three years’ worth of product to high acidity levels. The disaster, which cost the company $10 million and could lead to its closure, is the latest vicious reminder of the submarine impacts of our fossil fuel–heavy energy appetites. As carbon dioxide is soaked up by the oceans, it reacts with water to produce bicarbonate and carbonic acid, increasing ocean acidity. 

The Parksville Qualicum Beach News has the latest shellfish-shriveling scoop:

“I’m not sure we are going to stay alive and I’m not sure the oyster industry is going to stay alive,” [Island Scallops CEO Rob] Saunders told The NEWS. “It’s that dramatic.”

Saunders said the carbon dioxide levels have increased dramatically in the waters of the Georgia Strait, forcing the PH levels to 7.3 from their norm of 8.1 or 8.2. … Saunders said the company has lost all the scallops put in the ocean in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

“(The high acidity level means the scallops) can’t make their shells and they are less robust and they are suseptible to infection,” said Saunders, who also said this level of PH in the water is not something he’s seen in his 35 years of shellfish farming.

The deep and nutrient-rich waters off the Pacific Northwest are among those that are especially vulnerable to ocean acidification, and oyster farms in the region have already lost billions of their mollusks since 2005, threatening the entire industry.

So get your shellfish gluttony on now. Our acid reflux is only going to get worse as rising acidity claims more victims.


Source
10 million scallops are dead; Qualicum company lays off staff, The Parksville Qualicum Beach News

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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The Green Traveler’s Guide to Victoria

Victoria, B.C., offers more than pretty scenery — eco-minded travelers will find plenty to make them happy. Photo: Tourism Victoria/Deddeda Stemler

On the southern tip of Vancouver Island, the provincial capital of British Columbia beckons visitors with historic architecture, plentiful water and mountain views, and activities fit for a queen (afternoon tea and gardens are among the highlights of this former Hudson Bay Company trading post).

Western Canada’s oldest city, Victoria is progressive when it comes to being environmentally friendly. Consider that 5.9 percent of metro commuter travel is done by bike, making it the top bike-commuter city in all of Canada (they’re safe when it comes to cycling, too, with 92 percent donning a helmet, more than anywhere in the world).

The city’s also home to the LifeCycles Fruit Tree Project, which coordinates the picking of apples, cherries, pears and other fruit from privately owned trees that would otherwise go to waste. Last season, the group collected and redistributed more than 39,000 pounds of fruit to community centers, food banks, tree owners and others. Local businesses like The Marina Restaurant and Sea Cider also participate by processing some of the fruit into products such as jams, pastes, sauces, dips, cider, liqueur, vinegar and ice cream.

Want to check out the city for yourself? Here are some of the greenie hot spots in Victoria:

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The Green Traveler’s Guide to Victoria

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