Albany Update - Spring 2013
To Frack or Not to Frack: Cuomo Calls Another Intermission
SA Spring 2013
Club backs Illinois moratorium
Sierra Club leader Michael Brune addresses the climate rally in Washington, D.C. in mid-February |
Book Review - Spring 2013
Even apartment dwellers can be gardeners
The Edible Balcony, Alex Mitchell, Rodale Inc. 2012, 160 pp., $21.99
After reading—and sympathizing with—Rick Marsi (see column here), I note the contrast in reviewing this book, with its lush photos of pristine herbs, fruits, vegetables and flowers.
But, as Rick indicates, hope will ultimately sprout in a gardener’s breast. And Alex Mitchell cultivates that tender seedling.
Healthy vegan for when you do not feel like cooking
By Besty Naselli
I spend a lot of time with food: soaking, sprouting, blending, baking. Most of the time I really enjoy the time I spend buying produce—whether it is in a grocery store or an outdoor market—and most of the time I really enjoy making meals for myself and my family.
Wheel of Seasons - Spring 2013
Naturalist to deer: You win this round
I’m struck by the tendency of outdoor apparel catalogs to feature squeaky-clean models, devoid of all dirt, not a hair out of place, walking hither and yon in a state of hygienic perfection.
The more we drill, the more vulnerable we become
By Jon Kovash
Although some small town residents see oil and gas drilling as destructive to their rural way of life, others welcome the most recent oil and gas boom for its promised benefits to the local economy.
Many Americans outside the boomtowns also hail this new world of fracking for oil and gas –– with its man camps, truck traffic, unknown chemicals injected deep underground and an insatiable thirst for water –– as a way to help America become “energy independent.”
DEC fracking unit has disturbing anti-regulation history
Climate-change denier directs Minerals Division
by Peter Mantius
A disturbing picture is emerging of the narrow subagency of state government that Gov. Andrew Cuomo is relying on to write the regulations for fracking.
Trade pact deja vu - TPP a feast for corporate sharks
by Jim Mays
So, what’s with this TPP thing? In 2009, the U.S. proposed to build on an existing trade agreement among four South American and Asian countries known as the Trans-Pacific Strategic Partnership agreement, the P-4. The intent was to reshape it along the lines of NAFTA, the North-American Free Trade Agreement.
Old science and methane assumptions skew gas policy
In February, the federal Environmental Protection Agency announced what sounded like good news: emissions from power plants declined 4.6 percent in 2011. This was touted by the natural gas industry as evidence that increased use of gas reduces climate disruption.
To understand what’s behind the headlines, as well as why many journalists still report that natural gas is a clean fuel, Professor Tony Ingraffea of Cornell University offered a primer on measuring methane in an e-mail to an activist list-serve. With his permission and slight editing, here it is:
RGGI needs update to account for true impact of methane
by Bob Ciesielski
The Atlantic Chapter has been ambivalent about backing the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which has been operating in New York since 2009. Upcoming discussions about amending RGGI give us an opportunity to promote our vision of an improved RGGI, capable of helping to deal with climate change.
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