Tag Archives: EcoCrime

13 state AGs pen letter calling for end to climate change probe | Fuel Fix

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GR.–These public employees have chosen to aid the oil companies in their efforts to deceive the public.  This action demonstrates the power of money over truth.  Dump ’em!

Texas Attorney General Kenneth Paxton, center, speaks to the media in Washington in April. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

James Osborne.–“A campaign by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to end the investigation into ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel companies over false statements on climate change is gaining support among other state law enforcement officials.

“Attorneys general from 13 states signed an open letter Wednesday, arguing that climate change is a public policy debate, not a criminal matter, and urging law enforcement officials in other states to “stop policing viewpoints.”

“We all understand the need for a healthy environment, but we represent a wide range of viewpoints regarding the extent to which man contributes to climate change and the costs and benefits of any proposed fix,” the letter reads. “Nevertheless, we agree on at least one thing—this is not a question for the courts.”

“Attorneys general from Alabama, Michigan, Texas, Alaska, Nebraska, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and South Carolina signed the letter.”  Continue reading:  13 state AGs pen letter calling for end to climate change probe | Fuel Fix

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Help save Britain’s seas from governments who make a mockery of marine conservation | George Monbiot

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“Governments take the advice they want to hear. As they seek to avoid trouble and find the path of least resistance, they often look for advice that meshes with the demands of industrial lobbyists.

“This problem has afflicted the life of the sea for many years. Governments consult the scientists who tell them that high catches of fish are sustainable, and ignore more cautious assessments. This allows them to get the fishing lobby off their backs, while claiming to have based their decisions on science. Bad advice from scientists and selective hearing by government were among the factors that led to the collapse of the Grand Banks cod fishery off Newfoundland.

“One of the most destructive industries humankind has developed is scallop dredging. Scallop dredges are rakes with long steel teeth that are towed over the seafloor, ripping out not only scallops, but also much of the life and structure of the seabed. They have wrecked habitats all around our coasts.”  www.theguardian.com

GR:  Monbiot begins by pointing out that governments act on behalf of commercial interests.  It’s the same everywhere.  Elected to public office, humans gain power and enter the society of the powerful.  They become friends with industry and development.  Do people with the moral strength to refuse this transformation avoid politics, or are there just too few that have the strength to fill the available government posts?

Twenty scientists urge raketeering investigation of climate-change deniers

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Two retired University of Washington professors were among a group of 20 scientists that recently urged the Obama administration to launch federal racketeering investigations of “corporations and other organizations that have knowingly deceived the American people about the risks of climate change.  (image by Reuters)”

“John M. Wallace and Edward Sarachik, professors emeriti of the UW’s department of atmospheric sciences, signed a letter dated Sept. 1 that asked the administration to use the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to investigate such firms’ funding efforts to deny established science about global warming.

“The letter, signed by leading climate scientists from eight major American universities and two research centers, was addressed to President Obama, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and White House science czar John P. Holdren.  More at: www.seattletimes.com

GR:  The Exxon discovery might add support to this request.  Might we have global reparations suits against the fossil-fuel industry?

 

Grieving over Growth. Gary Gripp: To a Future Generation

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BY GARY GRIPP, to a future generation:

“Everything central to our way of life is in the growth mode: the banks, the corporations, all our extractive and service industries, and, not least of all, our population. More people means: more willing buyers of homes, cars, electronic gadgets, and all the trappings of modern life. More jobs, more prosperity, more everything.

“More, more, more. It is in the interest of banks and corporations, as well as businesses large and small, that the market for products continues to grow. More, more, more. Grow, grow, grow.

“On a finite planet with degraded natural systems and diminishing natural resources, this growth imperative, built-in to our systems and into our lives, is an irresistible force coming up against an immovable object. It is us hitting a wall, and doing so at speed. More and more people in my time now see this crash coming.” blog.edsuom.com

GR:  Hey grandkids, we just couldn’t help ourselves.  (We really couldn’t.  To see what it would take for humans to survive on Earth, read Corr Syl the Warrior.)

US EPA Q&A for Owners of Diesel Volkswagens

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“EPA issued a notice of violation (NOV) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, and Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. on September 18, 2015. The NOV alleges that four-cylinder Volkswagen and Audi diesel cars from model years 2009-2015 include software that circumvents EPA emissions standards for certain air pollutants. The software produced by Volkswagen is a “defeat device,” as defined by the Clean Air Act. California is separately issuing an In-Use Compliance letter to Volkswagen, and EPA and the California Air Resources Board have both initiated investigations based on Volkswagen’s alleged actions. Affected diesel models include:

Jetta (MY 2009 – 2015)
Jetta Sportwagen (MY 2009-2014)
Beetle (MY 2012 – 2015)
Beetle Convertible (MY 2012-2015)
Audi A3 (MY 2010 – 2015)
Golf (MY 2010 – 2015)
Golf Sportwagen (MY 2015)
Passat (MY 2012-2015)

From: www3.epa.gov

GR:  #EcoCrime:  Greed-motivated deceit is such a common human trait, that none of our larger corporations or our government regulators can be trusted.  In particular, the U. S. government’s susceptibility to special interest influence forces an incessant tug-of-war between proper and profitable behavior.

See on Scoop.it – GarryRogers NatCon News