Determined

The Bush administration announced on Friday their intention to overturn a major regulation concerning mountain-top removal mining. From Earthjustice:

The specific regulation the OSM is proposing to overturn is the Stream Buffer Zone rule, a Reagan-era restriction on surface coal mining activities that protects a 100-foot corridor around flowing streams in order to preserve water quality. The new rule, which is expected to be finalized in 30 days, will allow coal companies to dump massive waste piles called "valley fills" directly into streams, permanently burying them. Already, more than 2000 miles of Appalachian streams have been buried or degraded by waste from mountaintop removal mining.

Here's Friday's press release from Earthjustice along with related info.

Watching BushCo

Bush Inc is again ignoring a ban by Congress and is rushing through plans to open uranium mining claims around Grand Canyon National Park. Over 800 such claims have been staked within 5 miles of the park since 2003 and Congress declared an emergency ban on mining, but the Bush gang says uh-uh. Let's mine it anyway.

Not only are they ignoring the ban, the proposal includes a provision to prohibit such congressional bans in the future. The public comment period is ridiculously short, but you can comment here until October 27. Just do it.

Fast-Track Time: It's The Final Three Months

Oil shale is a hot item at BushCo again. Never mind how dirty it is. Never mind how inefficient and energy intensive the process of converting it is. Hell, never mind even that the oil industry itself admits that there is no known method for doing it cleanly and responsibly. Just get those public lands into the hands of industry. That seems to be the MO with this gang and their enablers in Congress.

The administration waltzed around legal process again in amending 12 management plans in three states without allowing for adequate public comment. The proposals call for a 5 percent royalty rate as opposed to the standard 12.5 percent on other drilling. That's a giveaway. And have I mentioned that oil shale is one of the dirtiest fuels known to man? There's more on the oil shale issue at the Salt Lake Tribune, the Colorado Independent, and here at the Wilderness Society.

On a related note, the Supreme Court seems to be receptive to a Bush legal position restricting the rights of environmentalists and public interest groups from protesting, commenting on, or appealing federal regulations. Again, standard operating procedure for Bush/CheneyInc, and I fully expect we'll see more of this, much more, as the last three months of this current regime wind down. You can read more about this one here.

Odds And Ends

A few things have come through my inbox over the last couple of days that I'll pass along to those who may be interested.

First is a petition by Earthjustice to call for a ban on the use of the pesticide endosulfan on our food supply. Endosulfan is in the same chemical family as DDT and has serious known health effects. The EU has banned it's use, and the US needs to follow suit. You can sign a petition here, or over in the sidebar.

You may be one of those who enjoys to debate. Here's a site, Opposing Views, where you can do just that to your heart's content. It looks like any subject you could possibly think of is debated, from all parts of the social and political spectrum. If debating is your thing, take a look.

The National Wildlife Federation is holding an online auction from tomorrow October 8 through October 18 to raise funds for their program work to protect our nation's waterways. Vital work. You can find more details here.

Take care, and take action.

It'll Only Get Worse

WASHINGTON - Hurricane Ike's winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines. The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the marshes, bayous and bays of Louisiana and Texas, according to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press.

You can read the rest here. Drill baby, drill.

Good Move

The stretch of the Gallatin National Forest from Hyalite Peak near Bozeman to the north boundary of Yellowstone Park, known as the Gallatin Crest, will be protected for now as a wilderness study area. So ruled US Magistrate Judge Jeremiah Lynch on September 30. The court also ruled that the Forest Service was right to restrict off-road vehicles in other areas of the forest. Good news.

The decision will now be reviewed by District Judge Donald Molloy who will issue a final judgement.

Five More Weeks

Five more weeks. Only five more weeks until this election is finally over. Good. Enough is enough. I haven't been following the circus, and I don't expect to start doing so. I know how I'm going to vote. We'll find out soon enough who the new occupant of the White House will be, as well as what the make-up of the next Congress will be. Then we'll see what, if anything, gets done differently.

I've been nominally a Democrat for most of my adult life. I've voted predominately Democrat with a few exceptions. I've never voted Republican. Not that it means anything, but it's occurred to me over recent years that as I get older I'm becoming more bi-partisan. This year I think I've finally reached the point where I dislike both major parties equally. And that's the way it is.