Dan's Outside

I go, I see, I do, I walk, I think, I like…

Fiesta Lake (September 2005)

FiestaLake2005|09|16: Fiesta Lake. Yosemite National Park. September 16, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Fiesta Lake. Yosemite National Park. September 16, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.”
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September 28, 2005 Posted by | Sierra Nevada | Comments Off on Fiesta Lake (September 2005)

Two From the Daily Scoop

Sierra Club Daily Scoop:

The New York Times reports that the Arctic ice cap… The New York Times reports that the Arctic ice cap shrank sharply this year, reaching a size “20 percent below the average minimum ice extent measured from 2000 back to 1978, when precise satellite mapping of the ice began.” The difference translates to 500,000 square miles — roughly double the area of Texas. Scientists fear that the melting trend is now self-sustaining, with exposed ocean providing a dark surface that absorbs solar energy instead of reflecting it as ice would. The resulting feedback mechanism means we could expect the Arctic to be ice-free in future summers. – django [Daily Scoop]

New energy legislation is being crafted in the wak…

New energy legislation
is being crafted in the wake of recent hurricanes. Led by Texas Republican Joe Barton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, GOP leaders appear determined to push forward a ”
slew of pro-industry measures
that Congress rejected earlier this year when it passed a broad energy bill that was supposed to address the country’s long-term energy problems.”

– django [Daily Scoop]

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September 28, 2005 Posted by | Environment | Comments Off on Two From the Daily Scoop

Just When You Think They Might Be Starting To Get It…

Two stories about the Administration and its bizarre and short-sighted policies on energy and the environment:

White House Offers Advice on Saving Gasoline. President Bush on Tuesday came up with some specific advice for his White House staff: take the bus. And that was just the beginning. By ELISABETH BUMILLER. [NYT > Science]

and…

Interior Secretary Says U.S. Will Push Search for Energy. Gale A. Norton said the Bush administration will intensify its push to expand energy development on public lands, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. By FELICITY BARRINGER. [NYT > Science]

The optimist hopes that the current hurricane-caused energy problems will make the Administration re-think its short-sighted approach to energy policy, environmental policy, and climate issues. The pessimist thinks that they may just use this as an excuse to do more damage.

September 28, 2005 Posted by | Environment | 2 Comments