Okay, I'm back in it, I swear.

Sorry about that brief pause, folks. This week has been killer- there's only two of us in the office and that keeps me moving all day. I believe I promised an assessment of Carol Shea-Porter the next time I wrote. Alright, guys- here it is:

http://shea-porter.house.gov/



Porter's "Online Office" is just a poster child for her tenure so far. There is little about her stand on anything, just mentions of the various boards she participates in and some legislation she's helped pass. Here's some of the environmental legislation she's currently sponsoring:

H.R. 3101:To amend the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000 to include heating fuel produced from biomass in the definition of biobased fuel.

Well, that's all I found. Just the one. I know for a fact that she opposes new drilling options, which I'm totally okay with. A lot of her Republican counterparts are trying to use this against her.

So, here's my thing ... off shore oil drilling will ultimately come down to a state decision, right? I mean, shouldn't it? Let the people of the state in question decide if they want their beaches covered in tar for the next few decades. If they're cool with it, fine. It's their public health (though ultimately it reflects on the rest of us anyway).

ALSO! I strongly oppose drilling in national parks and refuge areas. Why? Because if our government can reverse the legislation that made those spaces sacred in the first place, what's to stop them from altering those restrictions later on? For other reasons? If the government we elected (remember that, we put them there, guys) burns a giant loop-hole into the system, you can bet your sweet, voting ass that nothing else will stop them from tainting these lands later. Mark my words, dear reader ... As far as our government is concerned: when it rains, it pours ... and FEMA dropped the ball on repairing their levees.
[That was a horrible metaphor, but it makes a point.]

I wish you all the best when it comes to New Hampshire's Primary Day on September 9th. Vote wisely, these people are elected to represent our state and maintain our government's balance of power (what's left of it anyway). We're all members of the Shire (seriously, the Shire is in all of us, even out-of-staters) and we should remember that the decisions we make affect our neighbors just as much as ourselves. Let's remember to put political labels aside and that our true objective is to protect our children and their future. That cannot happen with out a healthy planet. Let's elect some folks who will remember that along side us.

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Please drink responsibly- make it organic and don't drink and drive!
Have a great weekend.

Best,
Say

Now, where was I?

Oh, that's right. Political candidates. I believe we left off with Mr. Tom Alciere, a republican running for Senate.


I couldn't find anything on Alciere's Senate page that remotely suggests any environmental policy to begin with, let alone any stance on the topic. Just visit his web site, www.tomalciere.us, and you'll see what I mean.

Now it's time to see what those potential congressmen have to say. There are more than a few of them, lemme' tell ya'. Specifically on the Republican end of things. For that reason, I'll start with the elephants.

Jeb Bradley

Jeb believes in increased oil exploration as well as persuing alternative energy options. It's a pretty even handed approach, but it's that drilling aspect that still gets me every time. Bradley is insistent that Congress return from their vacation and hop on the band-wagon that preaches for drilling in just about every place we think oil may be hiding. There isn't much said about all of this on his web site, www.jebforcongress.com, as far as I could tell, but you might be able to find it better than I can. Good luck.

Geoff Michael



Michael is an interesting candidate. He's the first Republican I've seen to mention Climate Change, the Polar Ice Caps and changing snowfall in New Hampshire in the first few paragraphs of his web site's environmental page. Impressive, considering his affiliation. You can read his whole explanation at http://geoffmichael.com.


John Stephen



Stephen focuses on "energy," instead of the environment. His web site is comprised of several video clips where Stephen explains his policy to viewers, original among his peers. However, he uses buzz words. A LOT. Just watch his energy policy clip. Stephen rattles off all of the key words every politician has been using with little in the way of explaining how he would plan on helping us get there. We need more answers, Mr. Stephen!


"Dave" Jarvis



Jarvis's web site is confusing, but only because of its arrangement. Like Stephen, he provides video clips of himself explaining his policies. Also, like Stephen, he stresses "energy costs" instead of environmental policy. He likes the idea of oil exploration, as do the rest of his peers. I do like his mention of the issue being "bipartisan," he knows energy costs are affecting all of us and he believes politics is the last thing that should get in the way of policy. However, the world doesn't work that way. Could Jarvis be the person in Congress to get all those talking heads to actually talk? Visit his web site at www.jarvisforcongress.org.


Alright guys, that's all for today. I'll give you the details on Carol Shea-Porter tomorrow. She's been sittin' pretty in the halls of Congress for the past term- it's hard to believe that we're hitting another political cycle. Porter is uncontested in her party, but the Republicans are giving her a run for her money. I'll go into detail tomorrow, not just about Porter's plans for the future, but also what she's done since she's been in office. This should be good.

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

Best,
Say

You can't do this by yourself, Mr. President.

So many media outlets focus on the environmental standings of presidential candidates.

Need I remind everyone that New Hampshire is having ANOTHER primary this year? On Tuesday, September 9, candidates running for Congress, Senate, Governor, State Representative and a whole myriad of other government positions will be vying to pass through the first round of voting before November (the big ticket) rolls around.

So, shouldn't us Granite Staters be concerned about what our "lesser" politicians are saying on our behalf? Checks and balances, people! That's how the system is supposed to work anyway. As your guide to the greener side, I'm taking the liberty of analyzing your prospects for Senate and Congress (really, the list of all candidates is waaaaay to long to get to in the kind of time I have).

To begin, we'll go with the folks running for Senate:

Democrats-

Jeanne Shaheen


This lady is all about green infrastructure. We're talking green jobs and a skilled work force. She wants to end our dependence on foreign oil (but so does everyone), ending tax breaks for oil companies and has high hopes of New Hampshire becoming a beacon for the alternative energy industry. Shaheen has seen the green collar and knows the revenue behind it. Amen, sista'. You can see Shaheen's full environmental plan at www.jeanneshaheen.org.

Raymond Stebbins


New Hampshire is the only state that has a vice presidential primary. Stebbins got over 50,000 votes in his favor in the primary- quite a feat in a state where most people didn't even know we HAVE a vice presidential spot on our ballots. Go fig. As for his environmental policy, Stebbins isn't in it to save a species- it even says so on his web page- as he believes in environmental policy with reasonable terms. That's about as detailed as it gets, folks. He believes we should monitor air and water quality as well as deforestation and continue researching the effects of global warming. See it all at www.electraystebbinsvp.com.

Now, those Republicans-

John Sununu


I'll quote Sununu on this topic, since his web page displays his views so efficiently.
"John continues his fight to reduce high gasoline prices and implement a long-term energy policy for the nation by co-sponsoring the “Gasoline Price Reduction Act of 2008.” This bill encourages development of plug-in electric cars and trucks, strengthens oversight of the energy futures market, and allows additional deep-sea energy exploration and oil shale production."
Fair enough, Sununu- most Republicans are banking on oil exploration to fix our oil price crisis. Sununu's saving graces lie in the legislation he's helped pass while in office. He's big on maintaining New Hampshire's wild places and puts down his partisanship if he knows his decision will benefit the Shire. You can read his VERY long environmental policy explanations at http://sununu.senate.gov/environment.html.

That's all the time I have today- tomorrow I'll touch on Tom Alciere's policy and then delve into the long list of Congressional candidates.

Goodnight and God bless!

P.S.N.H. needs to scrub up.

How many of you commute South on I93 for work every morning? I do that, too. Every morning as I drive past the vacinity of Exit 11 I can't help but notice the sickening yellow cloud that permiates the horizon, belted out by the tall smoke stacks of PSNH in Bow. I'm all too familiar with the local power plant. They pay for a bulk of Bow's property taxes and they're half the reason Bow High School could be built ... there's a lot of revenue that can come from a power facility in a small town.

Portions of PSNH's power comes from a coal burning unit, which is where that yellow discharge in the sky comes from. Burning coal for fuel can dump mercury, sulfur dioxides and other dangerous toxins with in a 40+ mile radius from the burning site. Last year an emissions regulator (also known as a "scrubber") was proposed for the site. The cost of that scrubber has more than doubled in the past year, what with the economy the way it is and all. PSNH highly recommends going ahead with buying the scrubber anyway, since it will remove a majority of the noxious chemicals dumped into our atmosphere, drinking water and soil.

And yet, some people still have a problem with the whole thing.

I have trouble with beurocracy. It may stand for a reason, but the process of debate involved takes up too much time. Lots of folks want to be sure that the move is as economical as possible, so more debate needs to take place ... more waiting, more arguing, all while the coal plant continues to function as usual, dumping mercury into our ground water and putting pregnant mothers, children and the elderly at risk. Why is this situation not being seen as urgent by the surrounding communities? Shouldn't people be concerned?

This is a link to a WMUR post about the proposed scrubber.

Now, the numbers listed are huge and the price has definitely gone up a considerable amount. I definitely think the matter should be reviewed, but in a timely manner. This is a matter of public health and safety, not just a matter of dollars and cents.

Here's a much better report on the issue from the Union Leader.

This isn't the last we've heard of this issue. I'm sure it will rear it's ugly head again in no time. Hopefully by then the public will be notified of the urgency of this issue and some action will have taken place.

But then again, we may be at the same stand-still. Cross your fingers, everyone.

Land-full and satiated.

The University of New Hampshire announced on Thursday, August 14 (just a year ago this week) that the school will utilize "enriched and purified gas from Waste Management’s landfill in Rochester to the Durham campus."

WOW.

I applaud the University in further aiding New Hampshire's head start into the world of sustainability. Plymouth State University has had its fair share of leading the green way in recent history, specifically with their gold LEED certified dormitories.

This is a link to the press release that was issued by UNH on Thursday.

This won't be the last we hear of Waste Management using refined gases to provide energy to local homes. I think this move is shear genius, not only for the environmental and energy benefits we all gain from the move, but also the amount of money Waste Management stands to make as a result. I bet no one thought they would ever see the day when our trash people would turn around and become our power plant! WM has plants to create 60 more gas refining locations that will ultimately provide enough power for 700,000 homes.

And this is just the tip of the ice burg, guys. I've been curious about NH's landfills ever since I read something in the Concord Monitor about some looking to expand sooner than expected. Our consumption is at an all time high when our health and the future of our planet depends on us doing just the opposite. There are plenty of resources allowing residents to see the projected scope of their local land fill as well as ways to be involved in the legislation required to keep local landfills under control. If more of us got involved and understood just how much garbage we create, we might not have landfill expansion problems in the first place.

Cheers, UNH. You've done all of the Granite State a service. Keep leading the charge.

I hope you all have a great Monday, regardless of the weather.
Love,
Say

Your trash is like a ship on the ocean ...

I'd like to take this time to refer back to a previous post of mine involving the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. I wrote about this phenomena several months ago and it seemed the post went relatively unnoticed. In fact, for several years people have been ignoring this glaring and obvious problem off our coast. Thank goodness for Good Morning America- this morning the ABC news magazine featured the great swell of garbage and the incredible increase in plastic trash over the past five years. Scientists in charge of researching the cause and clean up of the garbage patch say that little can be done to fix the problem, except for a change in human behavior and years of clean up efforts by volunteers and skilled divers.

Here's a link to a web site dedicated to the Great Garbage Patch.

Does it baffle anyone else that we have such a huge mass of human waste in the ocean that it now has a name?

This photo is a great example of the currents that pick-up, then drag refuse into the belly of our largest ocean.




I found the photo doing a google search of the Garbage Patch, it comes from a blog titled "I Feel It, Too" and they give a wonderful explanation of the heap twice the size of the state of Texas.

Can I finally get some outrage on this topic, guys? Is anyone else thoroughly disgusted by all of this? I shed a tear watching boating nets snare catches of fish with bellies full of plastic bits. It's so easy to ignore the problem when it's collecting thousands of miles off the coast of California and Japan, but it's there and now it's in our food chain.

If we are what we eat, we're trash.

More to come later.
Love,
Say