The species in Alaska need protection due to the high potential for oil contamination of the sea.

Stellar Sea Lion

It doesn't matter if the oil rig appears to be 'holding up,' it won't. There is too much fluid in the rig to insure it will not crash against the rocks. It will crash. The sea will break up the rig. No doubt in my mind.

The other possibility is that the rig will be surrounded by ice and frozen in place. That is a better alternative, except, the ice could put enough pressure on the hull to crush it enough to break a hole in it.

The petroleum industry is trying to be smart in this new environment in that they believe the ice formations will be friendly like 'Ice Road Trucker' ice formations. NOT. Definitely not.

The sea with sea ice and ice formation along the coast are unstable. They many look like they are huge rocks and strong enough to stand up to any forces, but, that is not case. Ice, sea ice and coastal ice is effected by the waters it floats on.

The wildlife in the entire area of Kodiak Island is at risk. The scientists involved with these species can possibly preserve genetic diversity by transporting the individuals of endangered species into Canada. There is the issue of territorial adjustment which could result in deaths of important individuals, so Canada could survey for isolated areas to place new members of the protected species to slowly incorporate into existing populations.

The petroleum industry needs to be responsible for handling these issues in regard to protecting the wildlife there. Above is an example of what is going to happen to the coastal area where the oil platform is located. Sea ice. These are huge pieces of ice. They have not 'developed' in formation by waves splashing up in the air and freezing. This is sea ice that was once in the water. It received enormous pressures to BREAK into pieces and was then forced a shore. This is what is going to happen to the oil rig. It will not maintain it's integrity. It will be tossed around like a toy and the hull will be breached.

The Steller's Eider

This coastal bird is endangered as well.  See, when a species becomes endangered and/or threatened the numbers of individuals fall and the genetic diversity of the species is in danger.

There is also economy in the area for Alaska. Big economy. 

FISHING (click here)

Besides tourism there is a huge commercial fishing industry throughout the seas of Alaska.

An Overview of the Alaska Commercial Fishing Industry (click here)


ECONOMIC IMPACT

The commercial fishing industry is a major contributor to the Alaskan economy.  The fishing industry supports one-sixth of the state's economy and employs 40,000 of  its residents, more than any other of the state's basic industries.  The state hosts a large number of fishers from the Pacific Northwest and processing plant workers from throughout North America, swelling the seasonal employment total to 70,000.  That employment figure encompasses harvesting, processing, and support services.  Alaska
produces 60 percent of the nation's seafood and 2 percent of the world's supply.  Of the top 10 U.S. fishing ports in 1990, 6 were Alaskan, including Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, Kodiak, Petersburg, Kenai, Ketchikan, and Cordova.  The Aleutian Island port of Dutch Harbor/Unalaska landed more seafood on its docks in 1990 and 1991 than any other U.S. port.  (see Exhibit 1-1)...

I can hear it now, Corexit has sent all the escaped oil to the bottom of the sea and the oil is being degraded into a safe form of GLOBS, so "No, worries."

We know those are blatant lies. We know the oil causes loss of seabed for ALASKAN KING CRAB. The shrimp beds in the Gulf of Mexico was the first victim of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon. We know that Corexit creates massive oil spills at the bottom of ocean waters. The Gulf, by the way, is far less turbulent than the waters off the southern shores of Alaska. So, there is a real possibility that Corexit would never work anyway. It would be dispersed and washed ashore. 

We know for a fact the chemical impacts of oil, aqueous methane and corexit causes birth defects in marine mammals. And there are plenty of endangered marine mammals in the area, both, on shore and in the ocean. The marine mammals in the area of Alaska are sea otters, seals, whales and dolphins (click here).

So, basically, NOAA needs to evaluate the ocean currents, the path the oil and aqueous methane will take along with any other idiotic chemicals in the water due to the contents of the rig and provide information to the scientists involved with these valuable animal populations so they can take action to protect them and move then if necessary. Canada needs to assess the ocean currents as well to know if the junk will make it to their pristine areas as well.

Fish populations will be lost and contaminated for years. Don't believe me? Look up the recovery of the fisheries at Valdez.

Although the fish and wildlife resources (click here) that appear on the List experienced population-level or chronic injury from the spill, not every species that suffered some degree of injury was included. For example, carcasses of about 90 different species of oiled birds were recovered in 1989, but only 10 species of birds were included on the List.

The Trustee Council recognizes (click here) that a tremendous amount of work had been accomplished over 20 years of research, monitoring and specific activities directed at addressing the goals of the 1994 Restoration Plan. With the information provided by subsistence-resource users, government agency representatives, non-governmental organizations, commercial fishermen, scientists and other stakeholders, the Council is continually evolving to seek better ways to achieve their mission.

Oil Remains: The Persistence, Toxicity, and Impact of Exxon Valdez Oil (click here)

Visitors today experience the spectacular scenery and wildlife of Prince William Sound and the North Gulf of Alaska. However, one of the most stunning revelations of Trustee Council-funded monitoring over the last ten years is that Exxon Valdez oil persists in the environment and in places, is nearly as toxic as it was the first few weeks after the spill.

The Petroleum Industry lies. They lie and the government swears to it. The continued drive for drilling by this industry is never based in new technology that guarantees there will never be environmental disasters, it is ALWAYS "It will never happen again." Spills and disaster are always one time tragedies to the petroleum industry. Their industry is so safe the lives lost of employees and the environmental disasters are so very, very rare it is shocking to realize there are disasters at all.

NOT !!!!!!!!!!

There is appreciation of recreation in Valdez, so let me at least validate the fact the Americans living in the area are dedicated to it's restoration.

...Surrounding salt waters (click here) offer opportunities for pink, silver, king, and chum salmon. Pinks and silvers can be caught directly from shore as well as by boat. Anglers who venture out into the adjacent seas will encounter all four of these species, as well as rockfish, lingcod, and Pacific halibut. However, the 700 lb gorilla of the salt-water show is always the pink. Millions return to Valdez during even-numbered years.  Some parts of Port Valdez will actually look black due to the unbelievable numbers of fish....

The new Secretary of State to the Obama Administration will receive demands for the Transcontinental Pipeline for Canadian sludge. One of the arguments they will make is that a land based pipeline is far, far better than this mess.

Don't even try it! And this mess never should have been either.

"...for fifteen minutes." Chris. Governor Christie. You need to be the leader you are meant to be.

I sincerely hope the New Jersey Governor maintains his advocacy with the Republicans in the House. There is a lot wrong here that the Governor can't necessarily fix, but, the people love him. He could literally run for any New Jersey Office anywhere in the state or federal authority and win. He has made more than friends of the people of New Jersey, he has made alliances.

The House Republicans have gone into a stance to make the country pay for the election of Democrats. Because there has been a Democratic President and Senate, the House postured with the Hastert Rule to control the outcomes of the nation. With the Hastert Rule, The Tea Party has a lot of clout, otherwise, they would be far less important. There are enough reasonable Republicans in the House to join with Democrats to do the business of the nation. 

I suggest the Governors of New Jersey and New York schedule an appearance on the House floor and demand they suspend the Hastert Rule. It will then be a fair vote and I know the Democrats will join with the Governors to make this happen. 

I think Governor Christie has significant influence within the party that he has yet to tap into. Make this happen, Chris. Get rid of the effect of the extremists and the nation will be grateful. I realize the Governors are focused on their states, but, their requests are not unreasonable and the nation will finally witness what the problems are with the House and how they are resolved. 

Governor Christie doesn't have to worry about election campaign donors; he has an entire state full of them; if he only asked for their support. He has to ask. He has to take his case to the people and ask them to vote for him. They don't know in which way they are needed until they are asked. His constituents are busy living their lives and restoring their sanity. He has to ask for any support he needs from his people across the State of New Jersey.

Good luck to both Governors.

I love the fleece, too. Maybe that is what is missing in DC. New Jersey fleeces.

I want to support the USA troops in a different way now.

I want to support them to come home. 

We did a great job in recognizing the troops (click here) and keeping them as safe as possible over the past 11 years, but, it is time to end the idea of a vast war machine and empowering future administrations to wage war 'at will' as occurred in Iraq.

The sequester that all the Republicans complain about in destroying national security has to go into effect. There are to be no more domestic cuts in the USA that are not matched by military cuts. The USA has too much tied up in the defense industry.

The level of employment does not have to be effected by the Defense Department cuts, but, it does have to bring down costs. A prime example of how USA military spending gets out of control is the F-35 Fighter and I have addressed this before. 

There a many, many ways of reducing the size of our National Debt. Policing the cost of our Defense Department is one of them.

The GOP is teaching Governor Chris Christie a lesson.

Make no mistakes. The GOP does not care about their constituents, they care about their agenda, cronies and exclusivity from being sensitive to the needs of the country.

They have done this before, but, never to the Former Governor Bush of Florida.

President Obama needs to examine what can be done through the Executive Branch and even through Executive Order. This is no joke, New Jersey and New York is important to the economy of the USA.

In 1999, while President Clinton was in office, there was a Republican leadership in the House. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd hit North Carolina. It was a huge and damaging storm costing 20 Americans their lives. The state was abandoned by a Republican legislature while President Clinton went to North Carolina and told residents to set aside their pride and priorities and accept the help the federal government could give them including emergency Food Stamps.

Hurricane Floyd was not Hurricane Sandy, but, it was substantial. It was not Hurricane Katrina either. But, the federal help sought by North Carolina was rejected sending the state into significant turmoil and debt. The reason? There was a Democratic majority in the North Carolina legislature and governorship. One might look at that dynamic today, where the state now has no liability for emergency room physicians. Don't tell me the GOP cruelty on people doesn't work, it works just fine. Fear and suffering seeks resolution in the human condition and the GOP has mastered it.

Hurricane Katrina was a huge embarrassment to the GOP. It was that embarrassment which compelled the relief for Louisiana and New Orleans. Believe me when I say the Republicans wanted 'The Big One.' All one has to examine is how the Army Corp over the decades warned about it and how those warnings were rejected. Why? Ah, come on, anyone can guess that. Who died, who profited and who is building there now? 

The wetlands were destroyed by the petroleum industry. It was that destruction that allowed the storm surge. American needs to put on their thinking caps. Seriously.

Congress needs to put their pants on.

How did we get here?

Of the $4 Trillion if DEBT and not deficit; $1.2 Trillion is contained in the sequester cuts that have timidly been pushed off for another two months.

Congress is not doing its job, yet.

If Congress is to do the business of the country the filibuster and the Hastert Rule has to be ended in ways that cause the people first ahead of politics.

We have a lot of work to do and now because Congress has been so been so very dysfunctional.

The good news is the two layers of tax cuts of the highest incomes have been ended. That is a good beginning. But, the tax base of the USA has to be expanded. There are many Americans maintaining their lives on low incomes. There are many Americans unable to effectively parent their children or entertain the idea of marriage and family because they work several jobs to make ends meet. The dynamic of the Three Job Lifestyle has to stop. The unions cannot take no for an answer. It is time to move the nation forward to a stronger tax base. The real benefit is it will increase the quality of life for Americans and drive our economy to higher levels of productivity.

Removing the highest Bush Tax Cuts will bring about a 'push down' dynamic that will bring costs to USA consumers under control. Basically, how much money does any one person need in a lifetime. While that is a liberal concept, it is also a concept of democracy and freedom. This country affords the wealthy the ability to be so and there is ultimately a price to pay for that privilege, the least of which is a national defense where some of young adults lose their lives for the love and PROMISES of this country.

The issues of money have to be over. We need to address the Simpson-Bowles Presidential Committee findings and we need to move forward on stabilizing this country's solvency. We need complete tax reform. The tax structure of the past served a purpose, but, it is antiquated to today's priorities.

We need to review the entitlements and move them into a safety zone. I would suggest any changes to the entitlements have a sundown provision to review the changes in five years and ten years. OR. When the economy ticks up and/or the tax base widens, there should be automatic returns to the current standards of our entitlements. 

I do not believe in changing entitlements following The Great Recession. Buckling under to political pressure of the SLICK Right Wing while there is still recessive residuals in the economy is gross negligence of the people of this nation. It is throwing them over a different cliff; a personal cliff; for the agenda of political demands. Basically, I believe the attacks of the Slick Right Wing of the entitlements following the Great Recession is opportunistic and an attack on the citizens of this country.

To be completely honest the attacks on the entitlements by the Right Wing during a delicate time in our country still recovering from Right Wing Spending policies of the past administration is complete rhetoric. I do not understand why legislators see the entitlements as a way to solve the nation's National Debt. The entitlements are THE BASE of the USA economy. It is the minimalist  of circulating monies, but, it does demand the USA Treasury be healthy and not so in debt there has to be dissolution of the entitlements. I sincerely believe it is insane to attack the entitlements, but, it is equally insane to run the USA into debt to collapse. There has to be a threshold in the USA Treasury that is RECOGNIZED as dangerous. Dangerous to the USA which also is dangerous to the global economy.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congressional Budget Office (click here) on Tuesday said Senate-passed legislation to avert the "fiscal cliff"  would add nearly $4 trillion to federal deficits over a decade, largely because it would extend low tax rates for almost all Americans.

The congressional scorekeeper's analysis was released as a number of Republicans in the House of Representatives voiced opposition to the bill, and considered amending it with deeper spending cuts.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and others complained the bill's spending cuts would do little to curb trillion-dollar deficits.

Senate-passed plan extends decade-old Bush-era tax rates for individuals earning up to $400,000 and couples earning up to $450,000 - nearly 99 percent of U.S. taxpayers.

But the non-partisan CBO compared the Senate plan's revenue and expenditure changes to laws that are currently in force, which call for $600 billion in tax hikes and automatic spending cuts in 2013 alone - effectively a dive off the fiscal cliff..

We need to do a lot in this nation that has nothing to do with money, but, has a lot do to with quality of life for Americans. New Americans. The clock is running on the President's Executive Order for some of our most talented and moral Americans. 

The babies born here to parents brave enough to come here and risk their lives to achieve something called The American Dream. We have invested heavily in these babies and we need to keep them here. Their parents were willing to sacrifice their lives to bring about a better reality for them. While the terrible name of Illegal Alien is applied to their parents and to them, they were never terrible people. 

The so called Illegal Aliens work hard and often in jobs with very poor pay and working conditions. Don't tell me about these people, I don't want to hear it. Wall Street profits and the USA food policies have benefited heavily on the backs of these people. These folks pay taxes and they never complain about it. They simply do their part, work their jobs and oddly for as impoverished as they start out they don't stay there and are among the most moral of people in this country. They believe in the USA. They hold this country dear to them.

We need to address the Climate Crisis. It is not an option. I have a suggestion. In every relief program including the most recent disaster, Superstorm Sandy, there needs to be provisions within the bill to address carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions. While carbon dioxide is the primary driver to our Climate Crisis, methane is on the rise. It is on the rise from economic industries, but, also as part of the negative feedback loop within the Climate Crisis. We sincerely need to worry about both CO2 and Methane. Methane on Earth was stored in protected frozen landscapes such as the Permafrost and underwater beds. In the North Atlantic, off Norway, there have been beds of frozen methane maintained for millennium that are now being released due to a warming ocean.

You know, melting starts when temperatures change in incremental ways, it doesn't wait for the human understanding of boiling water. So, to try to explain the concepts involved in human induced global warming / anthropogenic planetary warming would be a mess. If anyone believes understanding economic movements is difficult they can't even begin to do the math involved in knowing what is occurring with our planet's troposphere.

But, basically, the best way to legislate monies to disaster areas is to also include measures to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions as a requirement to THE NATION, not just the area effected. Lord knows, the storms land where they land, they don't choose the most dense emission areas to cause damage. Would be interesting if that was the case for many reasons, but, that is not the case.

By Michael McCarthy

Environmental Editor

Monday, 22 February 2010

Atmospheric levels of methane, (click here) the greenhouse gas which is much more powerful than carbon dioxide, have risen significantly for the last three years running, scientists will disclose today – leading to fears that a major global-warming "feedback" is beginning to kick in....

We have come a long way to recovering this nation. Oddly enough all the problems we face that are not economic in definition such as the Climate Crisis are very much economic issues as well. 

I fully expect the new tax structure to work to recover the economy. Besides the obvious of expanding the purchase power of the Middle Class it will also push down on the wealthy to continue to excoriate the cost of living into unreasonable levels. With an increase in taxes to the highest levels of income in the USA it will once again give incentive to investment into the economy, entrepreneurial investments and bring new technologies on board to growth of wealth.

One of the things I wanted to review on "It's Sunday Night" is the Obama Administration successful launch of Green Chemistry. It is a wonder and benevolent way for the priorities of the youngest of tax paying generations to spawn their futures. It is only one of the focus of the Obama Economy. There are others and I will feature it one of these weeks. We need to focus on the future generations as a means of economic growth. They have great ideas. They have huge commitments to the future. They are ready to lead into the future and it is time. It past time to pay attention to their ideas and desire for a fantastic future for themselves and their children.

We need gun control. The number of guns on the street are hideous. It is pushing the country into examining the institution of Marshall Law. We simply can't have citizens breaking the laws that currently exist to allow guns to get into the hands of criminals and emotionally and mentally challenged. There also needs to be a clear understanding there are weapons within the USA civilian populous that simply should not be there. We need gun control legislation. I find the idea there are Boards of Education and Mayors actually putting armed officers at schools following the Sandy Hook murders a horror all itself.

I can't say this enough. There is NOTHING that can be done to enhance the response of First Responders. In both cases, the Colorado Movie Theater murders and the Sandy Hook Elementary School murders, the First Responders where practically transported to where they were needed in light speed. I don't know how anyone can improve that.

ALSO and not separately, the gunman in both cases were heavily armed with an automatic weapon and high powered hand guns. They were prepared to kill and kill in large numbers. The Colorado gunman had tear gas grenades. Adding an armed officer(s) to a school for the sole purpose of stopping gunmen so armed MAY BE a deterrent to some, but, to those this determined, it is simply another hurdle to overcome. The Sandy Hook gunman shot his way into the school. There were measures to stop him. It didn't work. He had a way of overcoming that safety measure. In the case of the Colorado gunman, he used tear gas bombs to disarm any people in the theater that might be armed to stop him. He over came that hurdle in his decisions to kill.

Society makes the mistake to think of these gunmen as inanimate objects that can be controlled by outsmarting them. They are thinking people. They may or may not have high IQs. The IQ of a gunman really doesn't matter. The learning curve to mastering firearms is very low. One doesn't need an education to pull a trigger. The only viable way to end this hideous method of murdering Americans is to limit the availability of that method. That means there needs to be a limit on the power of the weapons on the street and their ability to kill. That is the only way to stop this hideous dynamic that is solely American.

Until later.