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Best of the Web Today: Bad-Faith Journalism

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Wall Street Journal - By James Taranto - Jan. 04 (Opinion) - It's not as eagerly awaited as Time's "Man of the Year" was back when people paid attention to Time, but PolitiFact's "Lie of the Year" nonetheless manages to generate a lot of chatter, aimed as it is at those who chatter for a living. This year almost all of the chatter was negative, as the St. Petersburg Times's self-styled "fact checking" operation, which usually leans left, tacked to the right, naming as its "Lie" the claim that "Republicans voted to end Medicare." The reference is to Rep. Paul Ryan's reform proposal, which passed the GOP-controlled House as part of a budget resolution before being rejected by the Democratic Senate.

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U.S. District Attorney Goodwin: Alpha "not a life, it's not a being, it can't go to jail."

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The Writing Corner - By Beth Wellington - Dec. 07 (Opinion) - Montcoal, WV. 3:27 PM on Monday, April 5, 2010. It was the worst U.S. coal-mining disaster in nearly 40 years. Twenty months ago, just across the river from Coal River Mountain on Cherry Pond Mountain near its mountaintop removal mine, Massey Energy's underground mine at Upper Big Branch exploded.

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Gingrich On Climate Change

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

FactCheck - By Brooks Jackson - Dec. 07 (Fact Check) - Newt Gingrich went too far when he claimed that “I’ve never favored cap-and-trade.” It’s true he’s never favored the approach taken by Democrats, but he said in 2007 that he would “strongly support” cap-and-trade if combined with “a tax-incentive program for investing in the solutions”.

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Here Comes The Sun

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Paul Krugman - Nov. 06 (Opinion) - We are, or at least we should be, on the cusp of an energy transformation, driven by the rapidly falling cost of solar power. That’s right, solar power. If that surprises you, if you still think of solar power as some kind of hippie fantasy, blame our fossilized political system, in which fossil fuel producers have both powerful political allies and a powerful propaganda machine that denigrates alternatives.

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Republicans for Dirtier Air and Fewer Jobs

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By Steven D - Sep. 23 (News Analysis) - House Republicans have scheduled a vote Friday to cripple the Clean Air Act. Their bill would allow more pollution of our air and change the way the Clean Air Act has been implemented over the past 40 years. I'm sure anyone with COPD, asthma and other respiratory and auto-immune disorders is simply thrilled that this a major priority for Republicans in Congress:

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Dear Big Coal: You're Not Above the Law | Truthout

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

truth-out.org - By Sarah van Gelder - Sep. 22 (News Report) - On Friday, two public interest groups asked the attorney general of Delaware to revoke the charter of Massey Energy, a company they call a criminal enterprise.

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Charles Scott Howard: The Miner Who Took On Big Coal

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Dave Jamieson - Sep. 14 (News Report) - On a July morning four years ago, Charles Scott Howard left his home in the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky and drove his pickup truck 150 miles to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Lexington. A career coal miner, Howard was headed to the posh hotel to testify at a public hearing held by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), a regulatory arm of the U.S. Department of Labor.

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More MTR Madness

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Writing Corner - By Beth Wellington - Aug. 17 (Opinion) - Soledad O'Brien's piece on mountaintop removal is now up online with the troubling title, "Steady job or healthy environment: What would you choose?" How about both? The mono-economy of coal is not exactly a sustainable development plan, despite what the industry would have you believe.

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Editorial: Blame Congress

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 22:09:03 -0700

New York Times - Jul. 19 (Opinion) - Congress has failed to enact climate change legislation that would have encouraged innovation.

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Climate Change and Disaster in Montana

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

readersupportednews.org - By Naomi Klein, - Jul. 17 (News Analysis) - 'So the flooding may have caused the pipeline spill. But here is the really uncomfortable question: Did the pipeline cause the flooding? Not this one particular pipeline, of course, but all the pipelines, and all the coal trains, and all the refineries and the power plants they supply?'

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Coal company: ‘Birth defects aren’t from mining, they’re because you’re inbred hicks’

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Grist - By Jess Zimmerman. - Jul. 13 (News Report) - Babies born in areas with mountaintop removal mining have higher rates of birth defects -- we know that from a study that came out last month. But, say coal companies, that doesn't mean the mining CAUSES the birth defects! They could easily be caused by something else -- like, say, rampant inbreeding . A letter from law firm Crowell & Moring, representing the National Mining Association, rebutted the study's findings by saying they failed to account for "consanquinity." That is not a thing, but "consanguinity" is inbreeding. And inbreeding is a nasty (and false ) rumor about West Virginia, where a lot of mountaintop removal mining takes place. A Crowell & Moring spokesperson told Ken Ward, Jr. the West Virginia blogger who first noticed the epic foot-mouthing, that they hadn't meant anything by it: "Consanguinity is one of a number of commonly addressed issues in studies of this type, regardless of geography ... We did not ...

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Massey Energy Guilty: West Virginia Probe Finds Coal Giant Systemically Failed to Comply with Law

Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - May. 23 (News Report) - An independent state probe in West Virginia concludes that mining giant, Massey Energy, was responsible for the April 2010 explosion that killed 29 underground coal mining workers. It echoes preliminary findings by federal investigators earlier this year that Massey repeatedly violated federal rules on ventilation and minimizing coal dust to reduce the risk of explosion, and rejects Massey’s claim that a burst of gas from a hole in the mine floor was at fault. The report also notes Massey’s strong political influence, which it uses "to attempt to control West Virginia’s political system" and regulatory bodies. We speak with J. Davitt McAteer, who oversaw the probe and is a former top federal mine safety official.

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The Fight over Coal Mining is a “Fight About Democracy”: New Documentary with Robert Kennedy, Jr. Chronicles Campaign to Halt Mountaintop Removal

Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Amy Goodman - May. 23 (Interview) - We speak with environmental activist Robert Kennedy, Jr., and filmmaker Bill Haney about the new documentary, _The Last Mountain_, which premiered this year at the Sundance Film Festival. The film chronicles the fight against coal mining across Appalachia and Massey Energy’s devastating practice of mountaintop removal to extract layers of coal. "They have to break the law to do this. They cannot survive in the marketplace without violating the law. They violate labor laws. They violate health and safety laws. And by their own records, they've had some 67,000 violations of just one of the environmental statutes," says Kennedy of the coal giant that has tremendous political influence at the state and federal level. “It’s not just about the environmental destruction, it’s also about subverting democracy.” [includes rush transcript]

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New charge filed against Massey security chief

Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Charleston Gazette - By Ken Ward Jr. - May. 17 (News Report) - the indictment alleges: These statements and representations were false … And, it alleges that Stover: … Had himself directed and trained security guards at Performance’s Upper Big Branch Mine to give advance notice by announcing the presence of MSHA inspectors on the mine property over the radio.

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Is Scholastic Selling Elementary School Kids on Coal?

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Mother Jones - By Kate Sheppard - May. 13 (News Report) - Environmental groups are going after the world's largest publisher of children's books for teaming up with the American Coal Foundation to produce "The United States of Energy," a lesson plan designed for fourth-graders. The foundation, online at Teachcoal.org, is devoted to creating "coal-related educational materials and programs designed for teachers and students."

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Response to legal threat to coalcares.org from Peabody Energy

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

theyesmen.org - By Andy Bichlbaum - May. 13 (Other) - As even you may agree, the root of the problem is not Peabody, but rather our system of subsidies, regulations, and lobbying that lets your whole industry continue its lethal work. To make this clear, we have changed every instance of the word “Peabody” on www.coalcares.org to a rotating selection of the names of other large U.S. coal producers who, like Peabody, also need to be stopped from killing kids.

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State bans coal tar sealants in big win for foes

Thu, 05 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

MSN.com - By Robert McClure - May. 05 (News Report) - Washington state has become the first in the nation to ban toxic asphalt sealants made from cancer-causing industrial waste that have been spread over vast swaths of the nation’s cities and suburbs. The toxic ingredients in coal tar-based sealants are turning up in ordinary house dust as well as in streams, lakes and other waterways at levels that concern government researchers. The chemicals have been found in driveways at concentrations that could require treatment by moon-suited environmental technicians if detected at similar levels at a toxic-waste cleanup site. The sealants are also applied on playgrounds and parking lots.

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Unsure about nuclear power? The five questions you must answer to decide

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - Apr. 21 (Opinion) - Twenty five years on from Chernobyl, the heated debate on nuclear power remains resistant to cold facts: simply too few are known. But making your own judgements on five key questions will lead to your answer Containing the elemental forces that rage inside a nuclear reactor is one of the great achievements of science, but losing control, as happened 25 years ago on Tuesday at Chernobyl , is one of its greatest failures. So what to think of nuclear power ? People often ask me if I support or oppose the building of new nuclear power stations, presuming I think that because of my job, I'll know the answer. If only it was that easy. Until the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant , I would say I was 51% in favour, on the basis that we need all the low-carbon electricity we can get to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and that I tend to trust scientists having been one. But 51% in favour is a pretty unsatisfactory position - it's 1% off I don't know. Surely I can be more certain ...

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Studies: Natural gas has own environmental problems

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Associated Press - By Tom Zeller - Apr. 17 (News Report) - Natural gas, with its reputation as a crucial linchpin in the effort to wean the nation off dirtier fossil fuels and reduce global warming, may not be as clean overall as its proponents say. Even as natural gas production in the United States increases and Washington gives it a warm embrace as a crucial component of America’s energy future, two coming studies try to poke holes in the clean-and-green reputation of natural gas. They suggest that the rush to develop the nation’s vast, unconvention... ...

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Putting the Higgs Boson in its place

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Jon Butterworth - Apr. 17 - This time last weekend I was in Edinburgh at the Science Festival. I love Edinburgh, right from the moment the train pulls in at Waverley Station. I love the fact that it has a daffodil-filled valley with a railway in the middle, where most cities would have a river. I visited to take part in a discussion on " Engineering the Large Hadron Collider ", chaired by Robin Ince and with a talk from Lyn Evans (who was the project leader for LHC construction). My job was to be on at the beginning to try and explain why we built it. This is of course to do with finding the Higgs boson, or as I prefer to put it, understanding electroweak symmetry breaking (see below). Peter Higgs is a Professor at Edinburgh University, and members of the physics department there also work on ATLAS , so this was a bit like bringing coals to Newcastle. In fact the Edinburgh group are running a drop-in Hunting the Higgs event as part of the festival. On Sunday I chaired a talk with Ian Sample on his book ...

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Scientists checking changing Puget Sound chemistry

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Seattle Times - By Craig Welch - Apr. 12 (Special Report) - the shellfish being reared in this cramped government laboratory near the Montlake Cut will play a central role in predicting the future of sea life in Puget Sound. Biologists at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center are doing some of the most sophisticated work anywhere to see how the marine world responds to a major side effect of fossil-fuel emissions: increasingly corrosive seas. As oceans absorb evermore carbon dioxide, pH levels of the world's seas have been dropping. And recent experiments in laboratories around the globe show such shifts in ocean chemistry can spark bizarre and serious changes in plants and animals.

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Why nuclear power is still a good choice

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Los Angeles Times - By Mark Lynas - Apr. 10 (Opinion) - Perspective is needed when deciding between nuclear and other power sources. Renewable energy and conservation aren't enough in the real world. And burning fossil fuels will only worsen global warming. What a strange turn of events. Instead of uniting the environmental movement in renewed opposition to nuclear power, the Fukushima disaster in Japan has divided it still further. An increasing number of green advocates, including some very prominent voices, have declared their support for nuclear power as a clean energy option, even as radioactive water accumulates and the timeline for cleaning up the contaminated areas extends by decades. Can they be serious? They can. The irony of Fukushima is that in forcing us all to confront our deepest fears about the dangers of nuclear power, we find many of them to be wildly irrational — based on scare stories propagated through years of unchallenged mythology and the repeated exaggerations of self-proclaimed "experts" in the anti-nuclear movement. As the British environmental writer George Monbiot has pointed out, if we took the scientific consensus on nuclear energy as seriously as we take the scientific consensus on climate change, we environmentalists would be telling a very different story.

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“Prescription for Survival”: A Debate on the Future of Nuclear Energy Between Anti-Coal Advocate George Monbiot and Anti-Nuclear Activist Dr. Helen Caldicott

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Mar. 30 (Interview) - The crisis in Japan has refueled the rigorous global debate about the viability of nuclear power. Japan remains in a "state of maximum alert" as the experts scramble to contain radiation that is leaking from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. Nuclear energy remains a controversial topic in climate change discourse, as environmental activists argue how to best reduce the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere—often the debate pits one non-renewable energy against another as renewable energy technology and research remains underfunded. Democracy Now! hosts a debate today about the future of nuclear energy between British journalist George Monbiot and Dr. Helen Caldicott.

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What are the main types of carbon capture and storage technology?

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - Mar. 18 - This question and answer is part of the Guardian's ultimate climate change FAQ • See all questions and answers • Read about the project There are three main types of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology that could eventually help reduce emissions from power stations and other industrial sites: pre-combustion, post-combustion and oxyfuel. Post-combustion In this method, CO 2 is separated from the flue gas of the power station by bubbling the gas through an absorber column packed with liquid solvents (such as ammonia). In the most widely used system, once the chemicals in the absorber column become saturated, a stream of superheated steam at around 120C is passed through it. This releases the trapped CO 2 , which can then be transported for storage elsewhere. More experimental techniques to scrub CO 2 from flue gas without the two-step process include using seawater to absorb the gas and then returning the mixture back to the ocean for long-term storage. But, so far, these ...

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Full Cost of Coal $500 Billion/Year in U.S., Harvard Study Finds

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Clean Technica - By Mark Tyler - Feb. 17 (Opinion) - The Harvard paper estimates that “the life cycle effects of coal and the waste stream generated are costing the U.S. public a third to over one-half of a trillion dollars annually.”

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