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Rhiannon12866
Rhiannon12866's Journal
Rhiannon12866's Journal
December 31, 2018
Drive down Interstate 95 through Baltimore and you can’t miss the Wheelabrator trash incinerator, its smokestack emblazoned with the city’s name. The Charm City’s single largest source of industrial air pollution churns out well over 600,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
In 2017, those emissions were equivalent to what’s given off by more than 130,000 cars driven for a year. It is also one of Maryland’s major sources of nitrogen oxides — a principal component of smog. One analysis estimates the facility’s air pollution kills an estimated 5.5 people per year.
James Alston is a resident of the South Baltimore neighborhood of Westport. He resides roughly five blocks from the incinerator in a home where his family has lived since 1967. From his front porch, the smokestack is clearly visible. On bad days, he says, a rancid overpowering odor wafts over from the facility to his community. When he learned how much pollution comes from the Wheelabrator site — and its potential health impacts — he thought of neighbors who had died. Could they have lived longer lives if it weren’t for the facility?
“They’re here, and they pollute, and from what I gather they don’t care,” Alston says. He wants the facility out of the majority-black community. “It’s environmental racial injustice as I see it,” he adds.
In the eyes of the state though, the energy Wheelabrator creates from burning as much as 2,250 tons of trash each day is considered renewable. Thus, the company gets subsidies — an estimated $3.4 million in 2015 — from utility companies and ratepayers as a result of the state’s renewable energy policy.
In a statement to Grist, Wheelabrator says the facility “adheres and exceeds strict federal and state air regulations established by both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Maryland Department of the Environment.”
Trash incineration isn’t the only polluting industry that Maryland considers a renewable energy source. Poultry litter incineration and paper mill-waste burning are also lumped in alongside wind and solar energy, according to the state’s plan.
Read more: https://grist.org/article/renewable-energy-portfolio-standards-maryland-garbage-incineration/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly&utm_content=the-stinkiest-dirtiest-nastiest-renewable-energy-you-never-heard-of%3Futm_medium%3Demail
More than 30 states categorize garbage incineration as a type of renewable energy. Grist / AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster, File
Waste of Energy
Burning garbage? Chicken poop? Your state could be getting renewable energy from nasty sources.Drive down Interstate 95 through Baltimore and you can’t miss the Wheelabrator trash incinerator, its smokestack emblazoned with the city’s name. The Charm City’s single largest source of industrial air pollution churns out well over 600,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
In 2017, those emissions were equivalent to what’s given off by more than 130,000 cars driven for a year. It is also one of Maryland’s major sources of nitrogen oxides — a principal component of smog. One analysis estimates the facility’s air pollution kills an estimated 5.5 people per year.
James Alston is a resident of the South Baltimore neighborhood of Westport. He resides roughly five blocks from the incinerator in a home where his family has lived since 1967. From his front porch, the smokestack is clearly visible. On bad days, he says, a rancid overpowering odor wafts over from the facility to his community. When he learned how much pollution comes from the Wheelabrator site — and its potential health impacts — he thought of neighbors who had died. Could they have lived longer lives if it weren’t for the facility?
“They’re here, and they pollute, and from what I gather they don’t care,” Alston says. He wants the facility out of the majority-black community. “It’s environmental racial injustice as I see it,” he adds.
In the eyes of the state though, the energy Wheelabrator creates from burning as much as 2,250 tons of trash each day is considered renewable. Thus, the company gets subsidies — an estimated $3.4 million in 2015 — from utility companies and ratepayers as a result of the state’s renewable energy policy.
In a statement to Grist, Wheelabrator says the facility “adheres and exceeds strict federal and state air regulations established by both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Maryland Department of the Environment.”
Trash incineration isn’t the only polluting industry that Maryland considers a renewable energy source. Poultry litter incineration and paper mill-waste burning are also lumped in alongside wind and solar energy, according to the state’s plan.
Read more: https://grist.org/article/renewable-energy-portfolio-standards-maryland-garbage-incineration/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly&utm_content=the-stinkiest-dirtiest-nastiest-renewable-energy-you-never-heard-of%3Futm_medium%3Demail
More than 30 states categorize garbage incineration as a type of renewable energy. Grist / AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster, File
December 27, 2018
WHY I WORE IT
#JillsPins this week are trying to cheer you by countering all the negativity of Trump, from 2 children dying at the border, the worst stock market closing since the Depression, pending subpoena and indictments, Govt shutdown and whiny tweets from 45.
Jill Wine-Banks' pin(s) this week:
https://twitter.com/JillWineBanks/status/1078044838099120129WHY I WORE IT
#JillsPins this week are trying to cheer you by countering all the negativity of Trump, from 2 children dying at the border, the worst stock market closing since the Depression, pending subpoena and indictments, Govt shutdown and whiny tweets from 45.
December 25, 2018
In early November, gale-force winds whipped a brush fire into an inferno that nearly consumed the town of Paradise, California, and killed at least 86 people.
By the second morning, I could smell the fire from one foot outside my door in Berkeley, some 130 miles from the flames. Within a week, my eyes and throat stung even when I was indoors.
Air quality maps warned that the soot-filled air blanketing the Bay Area had reached “very unhealthy” levels. For days, nearly everyone wore masks as they walked their dogs, rode the train, and carried out errands. Most of those thin-paper respirators were of dubious value. Stores quickly ran out of the good ones—the “N-95s” that block 95% of fine particles—and sold out of air purifiers, too.
People traded tips about where they could be found, and rushed to stores rumored to have a new supply. Others packed up and drove hours away in search of a safe place to wait it out. By the time my masks arrived by mail, I was in Ohio, having decided to move up my Thanksgiving travel to escape the smoke.
Climate change doesn’t ignite wildfires, but it’s intensifying the hot, dry summer conditions that have helped fuel some of California’s deadliest and most destructive fires in recent years.
I’ve long understood that the dangers of global warming are real and rising. I’ve seen its power firsthand in the form of receding glaciers, dried lake beds, and Sierra tree stands taken down by bark beetles.
This is the first time, though, that I smelled and tasted it in my home.
Read more: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612658/the-day-i-tasted-climate-change/
A firefighter searches for human remains in a trailer park destroyed in the Camp Fire last month.
JOHN LOCHER | AP
The day I tasted climate change
Every one of us will have a moment when global warming gets personal.In early November, gale-force winds whipped a brush fire into an inferno that nearly consumed the town of Paradise, California, and killed at least 86 people.
By the second morning, I could smell the fire from one foot outside my door in Berkeley, some 130 miles from the flames. Within a week, my eyes and throat stung even when I was indoors.
Air quality maps warned that the soot-filled air blanketing the Bay Area had reached “very unhealthy” levels. For days, nearly everyone wore masks as they walked their dogs, rode the train, and carried out errands. Most of those thin-paper respirators were of dubious value. Stores quickly ran out of the good ones—the “N-95s” that block 95% of fine particles—and sold out of air purifiers, too.
People traded tips about where they could be found, and rushed to stores rumored to have a new supply. Others packed up and drove hours away in search of a safe place to wait it out. By the time my masks arrived by mail, I was in Ohio, having decided to move up my Thanksgiving travel to escape the smoke.
Climate change doesn’t ignite wildfires, but it’s intensifying the hot, dry summer conditions that have helped fuel some of California’s deadliest and most destructive fires in recent years.
I’ve long understood that the dangers of global warming are real and rising. I’ve seen its power firsthand in the form of receding glaciers, dried lake beds, and Sierra tree stands taken down by bark beetles.
This is the first time, though, that I smelled and tasted it in my home.
Read more: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612658/the-day-i-tasted-climate-change/
A firefighter searches for human remains in a trailer park destroyed in the Camp Fire last month.
JOHN LOCHER | AP
December 22, 2018
Ford recalls 874,000 trucks due to fire risks
(NBC) - Ford Motor Company is recalling 874,000 pickup trucks in North America due to fire risks.
The second largest automaker says the issue involves an engine block heater cable.
The recall covers several years of F150 and Super Duty trucks including 2015 through 2019 Ford F150 Trucks, along with the 2017 through 2019 Ford F250 Super Duty, F350 Super Duty, F450 Super Duty and F550 Super Duty pickup trucks.
Ford says water and contaminants can get into the engine block heater cable's splice connector, causing corrosion, damage and potentially fire.
Ford says it is aware of reports of three fires in Canada linked to the issue, but so far no reports of accidents or injuries.
The recall covers 410,000 vehicles in the United States and about 464,000 in Canada.
Ford dealers will inspect the engine block heater cable and replace it if necessary.
Short article, no more at link: https://www.kwqc.com/content/news/Ford-recalls-874000-trucks-due-to-fire-risks-503329671.html
December 22, 2018
Mick Mulvaney plans to stay out of Jared and Ivanka's way when he takes the role of acting White House chief of staff. But that's what everyone says.
More Australian Sexts From Andrew Broad
Australian politician Andrew Broad's sexting scandal has Stephen imagining what Australian sexts look like.
Anxiety Baking is The Hot New Trend
Americans have turned to baking to cope with a nationwide increase in anxiety. In fact, there's even a new show about it: 'Anxiety Baking.'
White House Christmas Message Featuring Melania Trump
First Lady Melania Trump (Laura Benanti) turns the White House's routine annual holiday message into a full-fledged Christmas Special.
Jon Batiste & Stay Human Perform 'Auld Lang Syne'
The Late Show's very own Jon Batiste & Stay Human fittingly wrap up 2018 with a performance of 'Auld Lang Syne.'
Late Show's Advent Calendar For Adults
Christmas can be stressful for families but The Late Show Advent Calendar for Adults has everything you need to get you through the holidays.
Stephen Colbert - Monologue and Opening - 12/21/18
Mick Mulvaney Will Let Trump Be TrumpMick Mulvaney plans to stay out of Jared and Ivanka's way when he takes the role of acting White House chief of staff. But that's what everyone says.
More Australian Sexts From Andrew Broad
Australian politician Andrew Broad's sexting scandal has Stephen imagining what Australian sexts look like.
Anxiety Baking is The Hot New Trend
Americans have turned to baking to cope with a nationwide increase in anxiety. In fact, there's even a new show about it: 'Anxiety Baking.'
White House Christmas Message Featuring Melania Trump
First Lady Melania Trump (Laura Benanti) turns the White House's routine annual holiday message into a full-fledged Christmas Special.
Jon Batiste & Stay Human Perform 'Auld Lang Syne'
The Late Show's very own Jon Batiste & Stay Human fittingly wrap up 2018 with a performance of 'Auld Lang Syne.'
Late Show's Advent Calendar For Adults
Christmas can be stressful for families but The Late Show Advent Calendar for Adults has everything you need to get you through the holidays.
December 22, 2018
Next time you see Trevor hop out of a sanitation truck… it’s really him.
The Daily Show: Trevor's Unexpected Ride to Work - Between the Scenes
Next time you see Trevor hop out of a sanitation truck… it’s really him.
December 22, 2018
Next time you see Trevor hop out of a sanitation truck… it’s really him.
The Daily Show: Trevor's Unexpected Ride to Work - Between the Scenes
Next time you see Trevor hop out of a sanitation truck… it’s really him.
December 22, 2018
Seth Meyers Presents Late Night's "Baby, It's Cold Outside 2018"
Seth presents a performance of Late Night's brand new non-problematic version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for you to enjoy this holiday season.
Seth's Favorite Jokes of the Week: White House Christmas Reception, Trump's Signature
Seth's favorite jokes from the week of December 17.
Seth Meyers - Trump's Vacation, Whale Cliques - Monologue - 12/20/18
Seth Meyers Presents Late Night's "Baby, It's Cold Outside 2018"
Seth presents a performance of Late Night's brand new non-problematic version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for you to enjoy this holiday season.
Seth's Favorite Jokes of the Week: White House Christmas Reception, Trump's Signature
Seth's favorite jokes from the week of December 17.
December 21, 2018
Senator Jeff Flake has two extremely eventful weeks left ahead of him in the Senate.
Stephen Colbert - Guest Sen. Jeff Flake: ISIS Isn't Defeated Yet
Senator Jeff Flake has two extremely eventful weeks left ahead of him in the Senate.
December 21, 2018
The President isn't signing a resolution to fund the government thanks to advice from his top advisor: the television.
Secretary Mattis Takes A Parting Shot At Trump
To summarize his resignation letter, Secretary Jim 'Mad Dog' Mattis said he wasn't interested in being Secretary Jim 'Lap Dog' Mattis.
Stephen Colbert's Ultimate Christmas Sweater Can Be Yours!
Bid now on the Late Show's ugly holiday sweater decorated by guests like John Oliver, Lil Wayne, Bernie Sanders, and more! All proceeds go to charity: ebay.com/lateshow.
A Very Special Counsel Christmas
From our Late Show family to yours, we wish you 'A Very Special Counsel Christmas.'
White House Christmas Message Featuring Melania Trump
First Lady Melania Trump (Laura Benanti) turns the White House's routine annual holiday message into a full-fledged Christmas Special.
Star Trek: Space Command
The USS Enterprise receives a message from an alien curious about this whole Space Command thing.
Stephen Colbert - Monologue, 'A Very Special Counsel Christmas' and Opening - 12/20/18
The TV Is Telling The President What To DoThe President isn't signing a resolution to fund the government thanks to advice from his top advisor: the television.
Secretary Mattis Takes A Parting Shot At Trump
To summarize his resignation letter, Secretary Jim 'Mad Dog' Mattis said he wasn't interested in being Secretary Jim 'Lap Dog' Mattis.
Stephen Colbert's Ultimate Christmas Sweater Can Be Yours!
Bid now on the Late Show's ugly holiday sweater decorated by guests like John Oliver, Lil Wayne, Bernie Sanders, and more! All proceeds go to charity: ebay.com/lateshow.
A Very Special Counsel Christmas
From our Late Show family to yours, we wish you 'A Very Special Counsel Christmas.'
White House Christmas Message Featuring Melania Trump
First Lady Melania Trump (Laura Benanti) turns the White House's routine annual holiday message into a full-fledged Christmas Special.
Star Trek: Space Command
The USS Enterprise receives a message from an alien curious about this whole Space Command thing.
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: NE New York
Home country: USA
Current location: Serious Snow Country :(
Member since: 2003 before July 6th
Number of posts: 205,074