Our World and Everything in It

Connect the dots. The Bush Administration was caught altering reports about global warming. I watched an investigation that showed the altered reports on a Canadian news channel. And many scientists have come forward to speak out about censorship. I just received a new petition in the mail to urge the latest EPA official to use science not politics in its reporting about the environment. So they did it. It needs no explaining. They are oilmen.  

U.S. automakers followed the government’s lead, and produced and kept selling gas-guzzlers. They sidestepped what should have been their business savvy and figured surely the Bush Administration would come through. All the while, Time Magazine and many other publications were reporting about Toyota’s push to be number one. Toyota is now way beyond introducing a hybrid. They are working on perfecting it. I wrote a blog about this because I thought is was in the poorest business sense for the Big 3 to overlook the competition. We can do just as well, but needed to get going on it yesterday.   

Then earlier this year, we watched as the Big 3 scrambled to Washington, only to be snubbed by the president. I thought the scramble was curious. What would prompt the automakers to do that? And why the sudden snub by an oilman president who should love these guys? 

Lately one of our own federal governmental agencies, Health and Human Services, suggested its employees should buy hybrid. They suggested the whole federal fleet should go hybrid. This suggestion was via e-mail to 67,000 employees! A spokesman for Health and Human Services said no malice was intended. Like a lawyer asking to strike a comment, it’s too late. Secy. of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Mike Leavitt, took office Jan. 26, 2005. Prior to this he was head of the U.S. EPA. Does this strike anyone else as odd? The EPA has been full of scandal. Reports of global warming must have been altered when Mike was there. And now what the heck, let’s go green and buy foreign comes from his agency?

What??? This is clearly an effort to hurt the U.S. automakers and not because they haven’t produced hybrids, since it was fine with this administration just last year. The only other reason to hurt a U.S. industry this quickly would be to break the unions. Excuse me, but I missed something if there is another reason. Leavitt isn’t part of the new congress that is pro environmental. He’s been buried in the Bush administration all along when it went from pro-polluter to environmentally friendly??? 

I might not have the dots connected perfectly but there are far too many questions with this whole scenario. It looks like the environment is suddenly the order of the day when it comes to vehicles, something that is a real stretch to believe of the Bush Oil Administration.

What is really becoming clear is that the environment is being used as a pawn lately for all types of spin, pitting the environment against jobs here in Michigan. Now it’s being used to work against U.S. automakers by the feds. Rep. Dingell said it right when he said, if we go green, everyone goes green. The auto industry should not be singled out. It looks to me like that’s exactly what is happening.                              

I read an article that Ford Motor Company has formulated a new type of paint for its vehicles. The new paint is being tested on 200 Ford E series trucks, which have been delivered to U-Haul locations across the country. By using this new paint Ford is able to reduce CO2 emissions from its paint facilities by 15%, and VOC emissions (volatile organic compounds) by about 10 percent, and save on production costs.   That’s pretty good. I guess the paint has a higher ratio of color pigment in it. World-wire.com says, “The technology combines an advanced chemical formulation of high-solids, solvent-borne paint with an innovative three-wet application process that requires a smaller, less expensive and cleaner paint shop than traditional automotive paint facilities.” This means it has more color pigment, based in a solvent not water, but because pigment is heavy there isn’t a lot of paint flying around. The paint pretty much covers in one coat, then gets coated again, and coated for a third time without drying time in between. This cuts out the air-conditioning process and the need for a low temperature oven. Interesting. Ford said it can save $7 on each car, but that probably doesn’t include smaller paint booths or operations that will save even more. The paint was introduced at Ford’s Ohio Assembly Plant. This shows that a little ingenuity toward helping the environment can save a company money. I’d like to know what both Ford and GM are cooking up for cars? Both companies announced hydrogen as their choice for alternative fuels for their cars in the future. GM has said that it will concentrate on service fleets of automobiles first, which represents the biggest amount of CO2 output. I know New York cab drivers are testing hybrids, and have reported very good savings. So police cars, maintenance vans of all types, buses, and company trucks will more than likely be fueled by hydrogen, which leads me to ask what’s cooking on that level? I’ll have to hunt around and see if I can find out more on hydrogen production in Michigan. I was sad to here Michigan plans on 17 more ethanol facilities which is just not the way to go at all. I’m glad to see GM and Ford settling on hydrogen.       

We have so many environmental groups and they are doing a great job. They have been successful in enlisting many, many corporations to urge Congress to get moving on global warming. Environmental Defense started USCAP (U.S. Climate Action Partnership). They have a lot of companies that have joined and more are being added to the list all the time. USCAP is united as a force to help get Congress moving on global warming and is successful so far.

I was looking over the list and there is a little bit of irony on that list. BP who is doing that 3.8 billion dollar expansion at their refinery in Indiana, which will pollute Lake Michigan more, is on the list. Now does this seem funny to you? If I expand my oil refinery, I’m planning on refining a lot more crude, but at the same time want to help with global warming. Staying status quo until new alternatives hit the market is one thing, but expansion? It just doesn’t appear that BP is maintaining their oil business as much as increasing it. Does it?

I saw their commercials that they are investing millions on alternative energies.  But now they are polluting Lake “Michigan” That’s hitting a little too close to home. And won’t an expansion of the refinery produce more oil, to consume and create more CO2? I realize a bigger refinery means less dependence on foreign oil, and that our refineries are not up to par, but BP is a foreign oil company and polluting our lake. It’s our lake. It’s named Michigan.

As for the list, isn’t it contrary that they are on the USCAP list? Do environmental organizations screen the companies that go on the list to see if they are double-talking,or do they hope by helping they will soon practice what they preach? The American car companies are on the list also, but paid $40 million last year to lobby Congress about the Energy Bill and mpg standards they wanted to lower. The way I see it, is you are either in earnest about alternative sources of energy and start showing us something, or we just have to believe what we see with our own eyes, that companies that pollute, and have not really curbed their actions to pollute, are not being honest about wanting change. We’re getting ready to drill in the Artic Refuge for Pete’s sake. Are we stupid?

The Dream Cruise is around the corner again this year. I love old cars but when I think of all the CO2 that’s concentrated in one spot, Southeastern Michigan, from that parade, I cringe. That’s a lot of fumes because the cars are old and more than likely have no catalytic converter. I know people who’ve driven their cars in the cruise once, and never again. Many of those old cars do not have A/C for one thing. It’s hot! The other issue they said were the fumes, especially on hot humid days where the air kind of lingers. Don’t think it’s any big deal? A study was done on tollbooth workers at a busy highway. Blood and urine samples were taken from the toll booth workers, along with a control group. The toll workers had nearly twice the urine levels of 8-OHdG, a marker of DNA damage inflicted by free radicals. They also had higher levels of 1-OHP, a metabolic byproduct from inhaling exhaust fumes. Free radicals cause cell mutation and cancer. It’s not hard to believe. Inhaling exhaust fumes is a no muss, no fuss choice for suicide. I know a lot of people reading this will be up in arms, “Oh no, not our Dream Cruise.” But why do they have to be moving is what I want to know? I like being able to walk around and look at, and in, old classic cars thank you. The parade is basically for the car owners, not the observers.

I’ve sat through and been trapped in the Downriver Cruise. Let’s put it this way, we jury our art shows so that we don’t have too many of one type of artistry. That isn’t so with cruises. There may be 10-20 old 57 Chevy’s. I don’t need to see them in every color. See what I mean? Everyone from everywhere should not be invited. That might help alleviate the world’s largest old car traffic jam.  And that traffic jam is what causes many of those old muscle cars to overheat. One friend of ours was cruising his old vet. He made it about 4 miles and pulled over with an overheated engine—never again. There has got to be a better way.

The Pontiac Silverdome isn’t doing much these days and has a huge parking lot. Like I said, sitting for hours watching the cars go by is just that. You get all cars, any cars, and many repeats of the same model. Give me a classic car show any day, where I can walk around, look inside. If you think I’m a big party pooper for the Dream Cruise, think again.

The biggest racecar organization in the world, Formula One, wants to become high-tech pioneers for the environment. They’re proposing smaller engines, the use of bio-fuel, and restricting the use of wind tunnels. Formula One will introduce major rule changes by 2011 to promote fuel conservation. When I read this, I knew the Dream Cruise is more than likely on it’s last leg altogether, or at very least will be substantially downsized in the future. When the leaders in the racecar business go green, it’s a pretty good precursor to changes for other automobile extravaganzas. This also paints a dubious picture for classic car owners. What happens when we no longer have gas, as we know it, particularly high-octane gas?

For now, savor the Dream Cruise.  Embrace it, revel in it, take pictures, and buy memorabilia, because we just don’t know how long it will continue in the face of growing environmental problems that cannot be denied. Michigan is hurting economically and won’t do anything drastic yet because the Cruise brings money for many small business owners here. But, just watch the news about the weather on CNN tonight—fires, floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes worldwide. Our world and everything in it is important too. Without a world to live in, economics is for not.  To read about changes for Formula One: http://www.enn.com/todays-news/13181.

Operation Spotlight is a new move by the League of Conservation Voters to expose the politicians who accept the most money from special interest groups (lobbyists). It’s a timely program, since congress has a new bill in front of them now, to limit lobbyist donations. This bill to restrict lobbyists may or may not pass in Congress. Regardless, the LCV hopes to defeat the candidates that do the bidding of rich lobby groups through Operation Spotlight. What a good name for the program. What do you think about lobbyists? Remember there are lobbyists that want good things like more research and funding for children’s diseases, humane organizations for animals. Lobbyists are not all bad. Do we want to get rid of all of them, or some of them, or put restrictions on what is allowed?

LCV plans to let senators and reps know that Operation Spotlight will be paying attention to who contributes what, to whose campaign, relative to blocking efforts to curb global warming, and allowing pollution to continue. They will publish the information. This is a good thing. The first Operation Spotlight report will be out in the coming weeks. But LCV has been keeping track all along, and I was a little surprised at the figures from 2006. The big contributors against efforts to help the environment are:

       Electric utilities, which donated $15 million;
       Oil and coal industries that padded coffers with $21 million;
       Transportation, such as car companies, that offered up almost $40 million.

Over all, since the 2000 election corporate polluters contributed $586 million dollars to candidates in congress! That’s some mighty big opposition to going green. My biggest surprise was the contribution by car companies. Aren’t they supposed to be in financial trouble ? No wonder we can’t come up with cars that get more than 35 miles per gallon. Fuel efficiency like that gets put off until 2020. Thirteen years is a pretty steep wait, considering we are supposed to get moving in the next 10 years to try to squelch some of the bad weather and rising waters that are already turning up. It was clearly stated, at least I got it, that even though we act quickly; we are still going to see some pretty bad stuff. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t wanna.

I just read a scathing report about concentrated efforts by the Bush administration to distort and obstruct scientific facts about global warming over the past 6 years. It’s called “Six Years of Deceit” by Tim Dickinson, in this month’s issue of Rolling Stone. It’s a must read if you are at all interested how badly we’ve been lied to. It does a good job detailing everything and everyone involved in this huge denial machine, beginning in 2001 to the present.

I think it’s criminal. Global warming will have dire consequences for every living thing on earth and in short order. Any attempt to stop the flow of information that could save millions of lives is simply criminal. There is no other way to look at it. If you venture to argue the point, just remember your argument when you can no longer take a shower when you want, when your energy usage is limited, when you are forced to go on a diet because of food shortages, when the whole western population of the U.S. begins to migrate toward states with clean water, and when having homeowners insurance means absolutely nothing because there have been so many disasters in this country, insurance policies can’t possibly pay up. I keep asking if we are ready to move over here in Michigan. We think it’s bad that everyone is leaving the state now. Wait till the entire country attempts to move here for the water.

It sounds far fetched, but 8 million people without homes are already wandering the earth right now. 8 million people are an awful lot of nomads, refugees, whatever we want to call them, but they are human beings without a place to stay. Our own country is not that far from this scenario, if we don’t get a grip on global warming. Because we live in the automobile state, the fight to save that industry is causing a backlash on efforts to move forward to save the planet. The latest energy bill gives the American auto industry 13 years to come up with cars that get 35 miles per gallon? Thirteen years? Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow are part of the stall this time and will be hearing from me. Let them know what you think about the dismally, disappointing energy bill. I know what I’m doing when I go shopping for a new hybrid next year. I’ll buy Japanese with a clear conscience. The Rolling Stone article revealed that Ford Motor Company was in on some of the policy making for global climate change policy along with the likes of Exxon Mobil people. It’s totally unethical. Ford has been whining about profit loss and their only going to lose more by not getting in the race at all. I’m seriously thinking of trading my stock next, because Ford reminds me of Jefferson schools.

It wasn’t that long ago in my school district, Jefferson Schools that I ran into the same type of sad story telling straight from the superintendent. The school was hurting for money and every cut the school could possibly make, had been made. But through the Freedom of Information Act, I was able to procure the salary and perks for the same superintendent with the sad story. His benefits revealed a completely different story. So every time I hear Ford Motor Company’s spokesman talk about the hurt put on the auto industry by global warming initiatives, I think of Jefferson schools. Once I saw an expose of Ford officials on the program 20/20, my doubts were confirmed. The same spokesperson for Ford that whines about the company’s financial situation, flies a company jet every weekend to his winter home in Palm Beach and back again to Detroit on Monday. Just how bad is Ford supposed to be hurting? Regular weekend travel in a company jet is not an example of a company that’s in dire straights. And what about GM’s latest claim that hydrogen fuel cell cars will be mass-produced by 2020? One car company seems to be moving ahead, and another is still whining, getting sympathy from our legislators, while still another, Chrysler, who produced hydrogen fueled busses for another country 3 years ago, simply sells out. There are three different scenarios for three different American car companies. Go figure.

There are so many unethical practices in this White House that I think people are immune to it. Most of the experts working on global warming in departments like the EPA, are linked to big oil, particularly Exxon Mobil. Writer Tim Dickinson did a thorough job showing an unethical trail from beginning to end. There is an easy to read chart, titled ” The climate Cabal” that introduces the “industry hatchet men who shaped Bush’s do-nothing policy on global warming.”
Of course, there can be no real dirt on this White House without Cheney, and Karl Rove. They are both ingrained in this very big cover up. I blogged about Cheney in the 2001 elections. His voting record consistently vetoes any clean air, or water initiatives in lieu of lovely things like trash dumps, or coal burners. His former supporters and even college roommates made statements that they had never met anyone that had lower empathy for his fellow human beings than Dick Cheney.

The article “Six Years of Deceit” is a must read:

 http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/15148655/the_secret_campaign_of_president_george_bushs_administration_to_deny_global.

If you prefer an easy to watch slide show on the subject, Rolling Stone has provided that also at the beginning of the page above. Just click on the links. 

I have a complaint. My mother’s small engine car uses just as much gas as my large 300 hp car, which is in the shop.  So now I know what the beef is about with the U.S. auto manufacturer’s idea of gas mileage. Some in congress want them to work on that. Thirty and forty miles to the gallon would be nice. I’m driving this little putter of an engine, not very far mind you, when I looked at the fuel gauge and it moved just like my big car. This needs to change. And no, my big car does not have a big tank. I don’t ever remember putting 14 gallons in it even when it was near empty.

I’m curious about what the hybrids will be like in 2008. I thought the little Saturn Sky was a hybrid from their latest commercial, but it’s not.  Darn, I was willing to go look at one of those. We’re seriously lagging in the hybrid market, and what’s out there is ugly. Daimler Chrysler produced a few hydrogen buses for Iceland 3 years ago, but had nothing to show as far as hybrids at the auto show this year and then sold out to private investors. Go figure? With only GM and Ford, hopefully there will be more than just a few hybrid offerings next year. GMC has a few electric hybrids out there right now.

One of GM’s hybrids is a pick up truck. My husband works with a guy who bought one. It’s the exact same truck as my husband’s Sierra with a Vortec engine but it’s electric and gas. The owner drove it up north and got 28 miles to the gallon. In town he says he can feel it switch to electric but doesn’t notice any difference at lower speeds. My girlfriend really wants a hybrid like this because most of her driving is in-town. She says she would never have to buy gas; what a wonderful, wonderful thought.  

Today is the first time a global warming case has reached the Supreme Court. They will begin hearings based on testimony of 12 states that are asking the court to force the U.S. government to order its environmental agencies to control CO2 emissions from vehicles under the Clean Air Act.  Michigan is among 8 of the 12 states that support the EPA.

But do we really trust the EPA? It was originally established to be independent of government, focusing on public health and its relation to the environment. We all know any business or agency’s ethics and motives are only as good as the people governing them. Also, there are other governmental agencies that have an impact on the EPA. The White House Council for Environmental Quality, formerly headed by Phillip A. Cooney is one of them. Cooney was caught editing important data from scientific reports for quite awhile as well as pressuring the EPA to go along, so much so, that in 2002 the EPA removed an entire section on global warming from its annual report about air pollution. In 2003 it published an extensive report of the environment with no information whatsoever about global warming. Cooney came to his position at the council as a lawyer and former lobbyist  for the American Petroleum Institute.  He has no scientific background to make any alterations of scientific data. You might say throw the bum out, but he has already left the position and now works for Exxon Mobil.

James Hansen, a climatology expert from a NASA Space Study, was pressured by his superiors after giving a presentation about human related climate change. He was told it was still an uncertain topic by his administrator. He reported that in 30 years he never witnessed as much White House involvement and filtering of information from science to the public.

The State Department pressured an international panel of representatives known as the Artic Council to alter their report on global warming. The final draft withheld recommendations for policy to reduce green house gas emissions in order to stop its horrible impact on the Artic. The State Department was also successful in ousting Dr. Robert Watson who chaired the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 1996. During his time the IPCC produced a report that predicted an increase of 2.5 to 10.5 F in avg. global warming by 2100 with new evidence it was due to human activities. Exxon Mobil opposed the proposed regulation of CO2 and wanted Watson out. The State Department complied. Dr. Watson lost the support of the U.S. and his position as chair.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service developed a brochure on ways to curb agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. They managed to send the first printing but the White House’s Council of Environmental Quality objected to it and a reprint was canceled. 

As I stated in a previous blog, many Americans are wondering how our environment got so bad, so fast. Well this White House accomplished what they set out to do. Appointments to key environmental positions throughout the administration were filled by people that were once employed by the tobacco industry, and are now busom buddies with the petroleum industry. By altering scientific facts, they’ve attempted and succeeded in concealing from and confusing the public about the ever-increasing effects of global warming due to CO2 emissions. The biggest culprits of CO2 emissions are jet airliners, automobiles, refineries and coal burning facilities.  I watched a CBC segment by The Fifth Estate called “The Denial Machine.”  Phil Klapp cornered Jeffrey Holmstead, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation about altering scientific documents. Klapp had in his hand documents with visible alterations. As he read the changes, it was clearly understood they were meant to dilute the message of the reports. We weren’t just duped about the war folks. We’ve been lied to about the state of our world. And now the race is on to clean it up. It can be done and hopefully the U.S. will emerge as a model in that endeavor. It will take each and every one of us to do our part.  

     There are all types of casualties we endure on a daily basis especially during times of war. Losing someone or something precious can happen moment to moment. And although our lives are upset to the point we don’t think we’ll recover, we do. I just wonder how many people realize the biggest casualty of all is happening in small increments every day that none of us will recover from if we don’t turn it around.

Our environment is taking hit after hit, and many of us still do not know that when it’s stated we have 10 years to do something, it does not mean we have ten years before we start doing something. It means if we do not start today toward reversing global warming by controlling our pollution it will be irreversible within 10 years. It’s a good idea to control pollution to begin with. By all the water bottles I see these days, I realize that everyone does get the idea that maybe our water isn’t all that clean, and probably our air.  What I also see by those same water bottles is that we really aren’t getting it at all. Where do you think those plastic bottles go? If your community recycles that’s great. If you recycle on your own, then bless you, but unfortunately only 70% of all our garbage is recycled. Those bottles end up in landfills of which there are approximately 6000 in the U.S.  Plastic takes around 500 years to decompose. Do we love our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren? Then what are we doing?

The intent of this news blog is to be in your face about our world because we’re all in this together, and if you or my other neighbors don’t jump in and help, the experience of living won’t be what we once knew. Right now it is what it is “An Inconvenient Truth” as Al Gore aptly named it. Many of our little conveniences in life may have to be abandoned to save our earth, save ourselves. It’s a rude awakening, but the sooner we snap out of it, the sooner we turn it around. No more burying our heads in the sand or waiting for “they or them” to do something. They or them is us, all of us.

Anyone who has any questions about anything environmental feel free to blog. If you know something you don’t think the rest of us are aware of blog it. If you don’t quite believe in global warming yet let us know why. Anyone who has already adapted his or her lifestyle differently to save on anything let us know how, so we might adapt. One idea becomes a ripple that becomes a wave and the whole community benefits.

None of us are perfect angels about the environment. I still drive a gas hog, although I’m looking at all hybrids and beseeching Ford to revive the cobra body style with an electric/ethanol motor. I’m a baby boomer that wants a hybrid sports car. Any baby boomers out there want to weigh in on that? Doesn’t an environmentally friendly sports car sound good? My tip to any other gas hog drivers out there, consolidate your running around. I’m down to 2 days per week. Group up and ride to work together. Quit running your kids around and enjoy family nights. Quitting our rat race can help the environment.