The Cypress Marsh Conservation Project was created to help improve and maintain the wetlands and marine environment along the United States' eastern and Gulf coastlines. Tragic, oil-related accidents and careless behavior on behalf of industries and regular citizens are endangering our waters, and the way of life of all who depend on them, this including all of us. Sometimes you don't appreciate the rivers, rainforests, swamps, marshes, and oceans, and all they provide for us, and all they contribute just to keep us alive, until they are threatened.
11 September 2001
13 November 2015
22 March 2016
12 June 2016
29 June 2016
14 July 2016
Keep the dream of peace on this planet alive.
CMCP is based in North Carolina
And Welcomes All People
W e l c o m e !!
23 January 2017: Hillary Clinton's philosophy, "It takes a village," never meant more than it does right now. A village may have a chief, but it is nothing without the effort, teamwork, communication, kindness, compassion, tolerance and faith of its people.
There are worries that the new administration is not buying the "climate change" philosophy. This is the time to remind everyone that, although it would be nice if everyone bought the "climate change" philosophy, it is not necessary in order to care for this country, and this planet.
There is trash and too many chemicals in our water and land. This can be cleaned up and managed without bringing up "c#$%^&# ch#$%." Our oceans are being overfished. Although industrial waste is being increasingly regulated, much more needs to be done. Renewable resources need to be expanded and increasingly used, not just because it might stave off "climate change" (language, people!) but because we need to conserve our limited and decreasing fossil fuels. To preserve our way of life, we need to cut back on what we use, and we need to turn to more reliable resources.
Also, we need to attain these resources in the best, safest, healthiest ways. The term "clean coal" is debatable. Mines can still be dangerous to work in, and some employees still can die of blacklung, here in the 21st century. Fracking on its best day has faults that cannot be overlooked, including the burden the practice puts on fuel and water. There needs to be a better way to harvest natural gas, if the traditional method isn't cutting it. But really, we need to turn more to renewables.
We're learning more about how to better conserve and utilize what we do have. We're learning about water conservation, urban greenspaces and community gardens, including rooftop gardens. We're learning how to make the best use of sunlight, water and wind, just like our ancestors did, with futuristic twists. We're learning about how to live healthier, longer lives. And we will continue learning the next 4-8 years.
If we make improvements in all these areas and more, the environment will improve. Simple, right? And maybe things will cool off, and those of us who believe in "climate change" will pat ourselves on the back, and those of us who don't just won't acknowledge the change. But whatever, people. There will be improvements.
So let's work together on this.
RMT
N e w C h i e f i n t h e V i l l a g e
6 April 2017
The Trump administration is in now, and is not supportive of climate change, but hopefully will understand that environmental concerns aren't just about "climate change," they're about maintaining the integrity of our planet, our health, and our lives. As of now, President Trump has signed an executive order in support of reviving the coal industry and lifting regulations on emissions, this conflicting with the Paris Climate Agreement.
17 August 2016
Last month was the hottest month ever recorded on this planet. El Nino, La Nina? Climate change is meant to be a gradual thing, and the experts say we have maybe 10 or 20 years to turn things around before things get really bad. After the floods and fires we've had this week, I really don't want to know what "really bad" is going to entail for us, do you?
Some people have asked me why I have a problem with the idea of electric cars and natural gas. It's not the electric cars I have a problem with, it's where the electricity might be coming from. Was coal involved? What about natural gas? And was that natural gas fracked? Natural gas is being treated like it's the solution to our fuel woes, and although it is "cleaner" than fuel, it produces methane, which causes more problems than carbon dioxide. I call natural gas a stepping stone in the right direction, away from fuel and coal, but it is only a stepping stone.
7 December 2015
184 governments are actively participating in the Paris climate talks and have turned in plans on how they will improve emissions in their countries. Hopefully these plans can be carried out over the decades. A large complaint has been that there is not enough funding to carry out some plans in some countries, but private organizations and certain governments have offered to blast this roadblock. Above all, partnership and communication really are the key here when dealing with pollution, violent storms, health issues, and other environmental issues.
Climate Change
Winter Storms
Blizzard of March 1960
Blizzard of 1993
Blizzard of 1996
Blizzard of 2016
22 April 2019: Happy Earth Day!! To celebrate Earth Day this year, I am making the attempt to take the advice of many in the blogosphere and write every day, regardless of how overwhelmed I am about all that is wrong with the state of our environment right now. It's difficult to know where to start, but the first day, and the first page, seems to be the most logical choice.
To a healthier, happier planet!!
Journal
Water
Farm Machinery Locator/Impact of Our Consumption
www.farmmachinerylocator.co.uk/impact-of-our-consumption
Truck Locator/Global Impact of Transportation
www.trucklocator.co.uk/global-impact-of-transportation
Kenburn/Recycling for Kids
- Journal
- Climate Change
- Mining
- Offshore Oil
- Fracking
- Coal
- Coal Ash
- Water
- Shelter
- Dodging Storms
- General Mayhem
- Hurricane Season 2017
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
Praying for Hurricane and Earthquake Survivors
6 April 2017: On Wednesday, 5 April 2017, 17 states got together, including President Trump's home state of New York, and filed a legal challenge against his executive order to reverse efforts to regulate climate-changing emissions of greenhouse gases. They believe that the "Trump administration has a legal obligation to regulate the emissions of carbon pollution: 'The law is clear.'"
President Trump signed an executive order last week that he hoped would lift obligations placed on the energy industry by the Clean Power Plan, inspired by the Paris Climate Agreement. He wants to create jobs, and national energy independence, which is pretty much what we all want, but how he wants to get there is controversial. He wants to revive the coal industry, and stresses the use of clean coal. There's really no such thing as "clean coal," there's just a process that makes coal "cleaner" than regular coal, but not by much. He mentions "lifting the ban on federal leasing for coal production." He also wants to strengthen the oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuel industries.
The Clean Power Plan has been locked up by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. And now Trump's executive order may be tied up as well. In fact, it could be at least a year before any real agreement is reached regarding emissions control. Proposals must be justified, and everyone involved, including environmentalist and health groups, and at least 17 states, will be addressing their concerns. Meanwhile, for the rest of the country, it's business as usual, and we all know what President Trump, the businessman, already knows. His signature is not what is going to save the coal industry. It's all about supply and demand, and the demands of the general public are changing.
Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan want the management of energy industries to be left to the states. That's probably fine, to a point, as long as states' actions don't violate standards set by the EPA. And those standards set by the EPA should support the guidelines set by the Paris Climate Agreement, The Clean Air Act, and other past environmental laws or guidelines. A lot of research done with both environmental and health concerns in mind went into those laws and guidelines. They're not just numbers pulled out of a hat, or created to torture politicians. Whether you believe in climate change or not, you know there's a point when the air is just no longer healthy or clean, and people are suffering from asthma or other problems, trees on Mount Mitchell start dying again, another toxic fog rolls into London, moths turn black again... and on and on... the climate change debate was not the only reason certain environmental laws were created. And if states are showing no respect to precedence resulting from in-depth research, then there needs to be outside regulation.
Please visit:
www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/05/climate-change-legal-challenge-donald-trump
Oceana
Sea Turtle Conservancy
Shark Alliance
Coral Reef Alliance
Project AWARE
Ocean Conservancy
Surfrider Foundation
World Wildlife Federation
Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Born Free USA
United Nations
United Nations Environment Programme
The Nature Conservancy
Conservation International
Coastal Conservation League
www.coastalconservationleague.org
Wildlife Conservation Society
The Trust for Public Land
Youth Conservation Corps: U.S. National Park Service
www.nps.gov/gettinginvolved/youthprograms/ycc.htm
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Forest Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Sierra Club
Environmental Defense Fund
Natural Resources Defense Council
Union of Concerned Scientists
American Association of Zoos and Aquariums
www.allaboutbirds.org
National Wild Turkey Federation
www.nwtf.org
Wolf Haven International
Indian Country Today
www.indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
Donors Choose
Volunteers of America
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
Dodging Storms
Hurricane Season 2017
26 April: The winter season is generally over in two-thirds or more of the country, although there are plenty of places still getting snow. The hurricane season is over a month away, and yet the east coast is being swamped by a low pressure system rivaling Hurricane Matthew of last year. Although the sun has reappeared in the southeast, the rivers will still be cresting for the next couple of days, and the cleanup will take days, maybe weeks or months for some people.
Climate Limbo
2 June 2017: Paris Climate Agreement Supporters: Regardless of the decision made in Washington yesterday, you still have the support of many people in the United States, who will continue to find ways to lower carbon emissions in this country. The wheels of progress are not going to just stop turning on a dime, they've just been slowed a little, and for a short amount of time. Green technology will continue to be developed, lawmakers will still be asked to make sure industries follow environmental regulations, and regular people will continue to find ways in their everyday lives to make Earth-friendly changes.
Hurricanes
Storms are named when wind speeds reach 39mph.
Tropical Depression < 39mph
Tropical Storm 39-73mph
Category 1 74-95mph
Category 2 96-110mph
Category 3 111-129mph
Category 4 130-156mph
Category 5 157+ mph
After the "W" the storms are named according to the Greek alphabet.
Will he or won't he?
1 June 2017: Sometime today, the President is going to announce a decision that could either be one of the greatest or one of the worst... Should the United States withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement?
Winter Storms 2017-2018
Paris CA Supporters: Wait 3.5 years. We'll Be Back.
Shelter
Offshore Oil
17 April 2015
The Interior Department plans to begin leasing areas of the Atlantic at least 50 miles off the shores of VA, NC, SC, and GA to interested oil drilling companies beginning in 2021. The 50-mile buffer was created to protect shoreline areas, many fragile, two areas in particular being the two largest estuaries in the country, the Chesapeake Bay and the Albemarle-Pamlico Sounds. Debates about whether there should be offshore drilling in this area at all have been going on for at least 30 years. Now it seems the green light's been turned on, with that orange-light 50-mile buffer.
According to the Interior Department, the buffer's 50-mile width was set in place in order to "minimize multiple use conflicts, such as those from the Department of Defense, NASA activities, renewable energy activities, commercial and recreational fishing, critical habitat needs for wildlife and other environmental concerns."
But plenty of citizens are saying that no buffer is wide enough and there should be absolutely no offshore drilling in the Atlantic.
Keep working on those "renewable energy activities," everybody. Act fast, save a dolphin. Save a way of life.
1 March 2015
The Department of the Interior has announced plans to open up the Mid- and South Atlantic coasts to mining for oil and gas, maybe starting in 2017. In 2014, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has decided to conduct seismic surveys along the Atlantic coast. People are concerned about the harm air guns used to conduct these surveys can cause to marine mammals and other marine life, and about the potential damage that drilling for offshore oil could cause.
For more information, please visit the Southern Environmental Law Center site at www.southernenvironment.org
BOEM has "mitigation measures" for seismic surveys with marine mammals in mind: www.boem.gov/2012-JOINT-G02/ It expired 31 December 2014 and was written for a Gulf Coast survey, but it gives a general idea.
Mining
Fracking
5 May 2020
Still no fracking in North Carolina.
25 September 2017
The beast has reawoken. Although there are still no companies fracking in North Carolina, debate about fracking has resumed.
1 May 2016
No fracking that I know of has begun quite yet in North Carolina.
21 May 2015
Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens has halted fracking lease approval in North Carolina until the legality of the appointment of boards concerning fracking can be affirmed. This will be decided ultimately by the State Supreme Court.
17 March 2015
It is now legal to apply for a fracking permit in NC. Fracking itself does not begin today. First, applications must be approved, and then approved applicants may face legal action brought forward by those who oppose.
20 December 2014
Governor Cuomo and the State of New York have decided to ban fracking.... so who's next?... going once... going twice...
25 August 2014
Fracking hearing in Sanford, NC. A main concern is boundary issues. There should be at least 200ft between the drill pad and the outer boundary of the fracking site.
21 August 2014
Fracking hearings have begun: First stop, N.C. State. Many expressed concerns for fracking safety. There will be 4 hearings in NC this week.
17 July 2014
The Mining and Energy Commission of North Carolina has listed over 100 proposed rules that may govern fracking, and from July to September, they have opened a public comment period for open comments.
Coal Ash
5 May 2020
Coal Ash still an issue in North Carolina. Go figure.
1 May 2016
Here's something else tied up in red tape. Nobody wants the coal ash, and who can blame anybody, right? Now some people are wondering if maybe they can keep the ash where it is and reclassify it. Sometimes 2+2=4 no matter how hard you try to recalculate it, or run from it. No dice, baby. It is what it is. Recycle it, and take the time to create the correct facilities for the ash that can't be recycled.
1 October 2015
The fine imposed on Duke Energy has been reduced to $7 million, a steep decrease, so that more focus would be put on the actual clean-up of the problem areas.
14 May 2015
Duke Energy has been fined $102 million dollars due to 9 violations of the Clean Water Act. $34 million of theat gold mine will be used for environmental and conservation projects in NC and VA. The costs of the settlement will not be covered by Duke Energy's customers, but its shareholders. Duke Energy has also started paying for fresh water for residents living near coal ash ponds.
9 May 2015
The NC DENR is telling anyone living near a coal ash facility to not drink the water, but Duke Energy is claiming that the water's safe.
17 April 2015
"How will you handle that new coal ash slime?"
Chatham and Lee County residents are not particularly happy about over 20 million tons of coal ash being stored in their backyards. The plans for storage are still up for debate for the next few months. Has all of that coal ash been recycled as far as it can possibly go?
18 March 2015
Duke Energy plans to move 10 million tons of coal ash from at least 14 sites to 2 abandoned clay mines in Lee County. Dry, lined areas will be prepared for this move (whatever can't be further recycled, right?). This should be completed within 5 years. Some residents in Lee County are not at all thrilled. They are calling the choice to relocate the coal ash to their backyard "socioeconomic discrimination."
www.npr.org/2015/03/18/393672334/after-toxic-ash-spill-energy-company-and-locals-struggle-over-solution (Dave Dewitt)
20 December 2014
The EPA is making efforts to regulate coal ash waste, and some North Carolinians believe that NC's regulations are stricter. They are not strict enough, however, to speed the process of beginning to either remove the coal ash from outdated and leaky pits or reline and cover the pits. Coal ash waste does in fact contain a significant amount of toxic chemicals and needs to be considered hazardous. Nearly half of coal ash produced by power plants can be recycled. What is left over needs to be kept in facilities that are both heavily lined and covered. It's going to take some time and money to take care of the 14 Duke Energy pits in NC, 9 of which are problem pits, so covering them is the quickest and least expensive way to keep moisture from the coal ash, but that is by no means more than a quick fix until the ash can be moved to a better site.
21 August 2014
Legislation To Regulate Coal Ash Approved on Wednesday, 20 August. Waiting on Governor McCrory's signature.
17 July 2014
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Dan River is back to the way things were before tons of coal ash spilled into it on 2 February 2014 at the Duke Energy Dan River Steam Plant in Eden, NC. They are basing this finding mainly on over 600 water samples taken after the spill, all of which indicating that the drinking water is safe. Also, Danville, Virginia had been reporting safe drinking water since the spill. Tests willl continue, even though the EPA won't be checking in daily anymore.
Of course this doesn't mean that the coal ash situation is resolved. That could take a few years (or more). Fore more information, please visit the Go Dan River, Danville, VA news site, www.godanriver.com.
26 August: 4:00am CDT: Hurricane Harvey has made 2 landfalls north of Corpus Christi, Texas, last night as a Category 4 storm, the first of that level to hit Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961. A Category 4 storm hasn't hit the U.S. since Hurricane Charley in 2004. Harvey is expected to stall out just inland of Texas, then travel slowly northward, causing life-threatening flooding, up to 30 inches (or more) near Houston. There's already been damage and power outages, but not much anyone can do about. Harvey is an inland Category 2 storm now, basically like a tiger on the loose in a china shop. The seawalls have been impressive in keeping the surge from blocking coastal roads, so far. It's that big swirling cloud above nearly half of the largest state in the lower 48 that's going to sit around for the next 4 or 5 days, that's our big problem.
6:00am CDT: Harvey is now a Category 1 storm at 85mph, and weakening, but still dangerous, and will continue to be dangerous over the next few days.
27 August
11:12am CDT: 2,000+ people rescued so far, on small boats, air mattresses, kayaks, airboats, amphibious vehicles, firetrucks, dump trucks, helicopters, and any other way possible.
48" - highest water record from a tropical entity, set by Hurricane Amelia in 1978. Will it be broken?
6 inches of water will knock you off your feet.
2 feet of water will float your car.
Turn around, don't drown. Not just a saying. Don't think you'll be the one who won't be carried off or fall into a sinkhole. Unless you have x-ray vision or other special powers, you don't know what dangers lie beneath the water.
Also, don't go walking around or playing around for fun in flood waters. That water is contaminated and dangerous.
104 tornado warnings so far.
12:11pm CDT:
3 lives have been lost due to this storm.
Harvey is now a tropical storm.
29 August
10:44am CDT: Harvey is still a tropical storm.
Brazoria County, Columbia Lake, water breaches levy. This becomes a problem at other levies, and people are evacuated.
George Brown Convention Center, a megashelter, has 9,000 people staying there, when it was designed for 5,000. People are able to get clean clothes, food, a place to sleep, and any other help they need. Other large centers offer to open their doors.
Crime situation: looters and robbers taking advantage of a tragic situation, will be punished to the full extent of the law if caught.
1 September
4:04pm EST: Harvey is now a remnant low, and trying to make its way to the Atlantic as it continues to dump rain and cause havoc in Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, the D.C. area...
Harvey has created at least 43 tornadoes.
At least 43 people have lost their lives.
4 September
At least 45 people have lost their lives.
Angel Lane, in Houston, was created for Katrina survivors who settled there to start their lives over.
Hurricane Irma: The Windmaker
1 September: 5:00am EST: Hurricane Irma is a Category 2 storm with 120 mile winds. Still very far from any coastline right now.
2 September
5:00am: Category 2/ 110mph/ 970mb/ moving west at 14mph.
5:00pm: Category 2/ 110mph/ 973mb/ moving west at 15mph.
3 September
5:00am: Category 3/ 115mph/ 969mb/ moving WSW at 15mph.
4 September
2:00pm: Category 3/ 120mph/ 944mb/ moving WSW at 14mph.
5:00pm: Category 4/ 130mph/ 944mb/ moving west at 13mph.
5 September
5:00am: Category 4/ 150mph/ 937mb/ moving west at 14mph.
At this point, Irma is 1,500 miles from the U.S., headed for the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico. Could pass through Jamaica and Florida and then turn north toward the Florida panhandle, but there are quite a few factors that could change the course. One high pressure system north of the storm is keeping it from moving out to sea. Closer to Florida, another system could start to pull it north, but for right now, it looks like the storm may have to pass south of Florida before it turns north. Whatever, everyone is preparing for Irma right now, and that is exactly as it should be, regardless of what the storm does.
25 September: 5:00am EST: Hurricane Maria is a Category 1 storm with 80mph winds, with the pressure at 957mb, and moving north at 7mph. The storm is out to sea, east of Jacksonville, and the outer bands might graze the Outer Banks tomorrow, with most of the heaviest rain offshore. Then the storm should be pushed completely out to sea.
Hurricane Maria
23 April 2020: Happy Earth Day
This year the planet is dealing with COVID-19, an animal-to-person virus that may have originated in Wuhan, China, in a wet market. This has been a difficult and tragic time, and most people are sheltering in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. This has slowed our lives and our economy, and has caused physical, spiritual, and psychological suffering, and tens of thousands of lives have been lost. Regardless of anyone's opinion of any political leader, right now COVID-19 has the last say. We still need to be careful as we venture back out there, governments still need to cover their citizens' financial obligations, businesses need to continue to forgive debts, and employers need to provide the safest working environments possible. My thoughts and prayers to everyone out there. Please stay safe!!
22 April 2019: Happy Earth Day!!
(It's good to be back : - ) )
Red Wolves
As of now, there are about 40 red wolves in the wild and 230 in captivity. In the summer of 2018, the Wildlife Management Institute, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the rest of us debated over whether or not the Red Wolf Recovery Program should continue in North Carolina.
Coal Ash
It's No April Fool's Joke
1 April 2019: Duke Energy has been ordered to move all the coal ash to lined landfills. Duke Energy plans to close all ash basins in North Carolina. The ash is now stored in unlined basins filled with water, posing a risk of toxic compounds being released into our water. Many people near these ash basins have had to rely on bottled water. This has got to stop. Duke Energy has until 1 August 2019 to come up with a decent plan to move all that coal ash to safer places. Duke Energy is concerned about the cost and the difficulties in doing this thing our government demands of them, but although cost and difficulty is important, not poisoning our drinking water is everyone's number one priority. As for what to do with all that ash, I wonder how much of it can still be recycled. South Carolina recycled some of its coal ash by using it in construction projects. It's too bad this can't be done with all of the ash. Virginia also plans to do something about their coal ash basins.
Please visit:
WRAL: http://www.wral.com/state-orders-duke-energy-to-dig-up-all-remaining-coal-ash-ponds-in-nc/18298135/
The Green New Deal:
A new plan to help get us further off of fossil fuels and into using cleaner, more Earth-friendly energy sources.
2019 Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are at 408 parts per million. The pre-industrial carbon dioxide levels were at 280 parts per million.
So let's do something about that...
