Three protesters from Kern County are apparently tired of Governor Brown’s green rhetoric and pro-Big Oil actions and are currently conducting a sit-in outside of Governor Jerry Brown’s offices in the State Capitol as part of “Break Free,” a global wave of actions to keep fossil fuels in the ground. READ MORE »
Editor's Note: The San Francicsco Chronicle ran the following editorial on April 30, 2016
When the public is railing about the unfairness of Big Bank bailouts and corporate welfare, why is the Obama administration pursuing a deal that gives away California water — a resource as precious as oil — to a San Joaquin Valley water agency?
A proposed legal settlement would wipe off the federal books a long-standing lawsuit but also reward the Westlands Water District with what every community in the arid West would like — a permanent water contract.
The proposed agreement and the changes in law required to implement it contained in HR4366 give away water that belongs to all Californians and do nothing to ensure the state’s land, wildlife and humans are protected from pollution. READ MORE »
ABA Report: Farm Banks Increase Ag Lending 8% in 2015
WASHINGTON — Farm banks increased agricultural lending by 7.9 percent in 2015 and held $100.3 billion in farm loans at the end of the year, according to the American Bankers Association’s annual Farm Bank Performance Report. READ MORE »
By Emma Bailey
The topic of climate change climbs increasingly into everyday discussion. All over the world, individuals, institutions and businesses have recognized the importance of addressing the issue and taking a proactive approach. Nonetheless, there are many clean sources of reliable power we have yet to fully develop. Capturing the power of waves is an exciting development in the field of renewable energy. If technology can begin to capture its continuous output, wave power promises solutions that could transform the way we obtain energy forever.
Marine Energy READ MORE »
Increasing evidence from laboratory and human studies shows that synthetic chemicals contribute to disease and dysfunction across the life course. Of particular emerging concern is the disruption of the hormonal process that has been found to be associated with increasing rates of obesity, diabetes, neurodevelopmental disabilities, infertility, and breast and prostate cancers.1 Given the magnitude of human and economic burden associated with these conditions, it might be expected that the passage of bipartisan legislation in both houses of Congress to update the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for the first time in 40 years would meet with widespread approval by the public health and medical community. From the March 14 issue of the Journal of (the) American Medical Society (JAMA) article entitled "Updating the Toxic Substances Control Act to Protect Human Health"
Officials signed off on the hikes about two weeks after they first considered the utility's proposals to increase to water and power base rates for the first time in years.
Water rates will increase 4.7% each year for five years, while power rates will go up 3.86% in the same fashion. READ MORE »
Sunday, February 21st at 6:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 2672 E. Alluvial: the film “Nicotine Bees” will be shown. This film, directed by Kevin Hansen, gets to the truth of why honeybees of the world are in big trouble and why our food supply is in trouble with them. The answers are clear – and have been for several years: filmed on three continents to find out the real reasons bees are in catastrophic decline – and why people don’t want the real story to be told. The simultaneous global decline of honeybees threatens one third of our food supply – yet despite clear cut scientific data, especially from Europe, news reports still refer to the issue as a “mystery”. Come and see the film and find out why the “honeybees” don’t come back home. 53 minutes long. This film is being co-sponsored by the Fresno Center for Nonviolence and the Peace and Justice Coordinating Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church. Wheelchair accessible. Free admission though donations would be welcome. For more information call the Center at (559) 237-3223 Mon-Fri 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
By Emma Bailey
Michigan is defined by its proximity to five of the largest bodies of freshwater in the world. The state’s geographic placement makes it ideally suited to benefit from clean, glacial lake water for drinking as well as industry, agriculture, recreation tourism and power generation. These waters are a precious nonrenewable resource.
In the last few weeks, the crisis in Flint has highlighted the danger of taking our water for granted. Hidden underground, ageing pipe infrastructure is often ignored – but unless we act fast to upgrade pipeline systems across the country, Flint’s water problems could easily become widespread. Throughout the United States, pipes old enough to be your grandfather frequently bear the responsibility of carrying resources both valuable and volatile.
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/science/earth/2015-hottest-year-global-warming.html
2015 Was Hottest Year in Recorded History, Scientists Say
By JUSTIN GILLIS JAN. 20, 2016
Scientists reported Wednesday that 2015 was the hottest year in recorded history by far, breaking a record set only the year before — a burst of heat that has continued into the new year and is roiling weather patterns all over the world.
In the continental United States, the year was the second-warmest on record, punctuated by a December that was both the hottest and the wettest since record-keeping began. One result has been a wave of unusual winter floods coursing down the Mississippi River watershed.
