This week on Radio Green Earth, news about conchs and snails, a trip to Southwest Florida for Ding Darling Days, an update on the water being dumped from Lake Okeechobee down the St.Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers, and a story about fracking being considered in South Florida, plus a preview of  a major conference going on in Sarasota  about the state of our ocean. Tune in on Seaview Radio kin the Palm Beaches or WQCS FM on the Treasure Coast or download the podcast.

By Jim Jackson

If you have an interest in the Everglades, you probably read The Swamp by Michael Grunwald. If you have not, I highly recommend it. You would think you were reading a Hiassen book, except that it is nonfiction. Michael Grunwald, who is now the senior national correspondent for “Time” Magazine, has an amazing ability to tell not just a story, but a saga spanning decades. He also has that unique ability to unravel a mystery while revealing the scallywags for what they are. Reading Grunwald makes you angry and delighted at the same moment.

And he has done it again. He just published a book called The New New Deal, The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era, in which he traces a very short but equally compelling story about the Obama stimulus. Grunwald says, guess what? The stimulus worked but no one told us…not the press, not the Democrats, no one. And not only did it work, it helped jumpstart a new American industry.

AND NOT ONLY THAT (yes he just keeps going), Grunwald has gathered proof that even before Obama took office, the Republican establishment decided the only way to stop Obama was to say no to everything. From that point on, they have been controlling the conversation to the point that, much like the early days of the Iraq War, the press has been bamboozled into assuming that the stimulus was a boondoggle. They drank the Kool-Aid.

It’s not like this was some big secret, according to Mr. Grunwald. He just started googling and he learned some astounding things…like the fact that two and a half million jobs were created, that 90 billion dollars went to new green energy projects, like solar and wind farms, smart grids, alternative fuel vehicles, and research. US generation of renewable fuels has doubled since he came into office, along with the new jobs created. The stories go on and on. Here in South Florida, eight cities in Palm Beach and Monroe Counties used Energy Department Stimulus money to retrofit their buildings and reduce their carbon footprint. These cities also passed the money on to homeowners and businesses that wanted to put up solar water heaters, better insulation, or new energy-saving windows. Long after the stimulus is gone, those improvements will still be saving taxpayers money and reducing our use of fossil fuels.

Grunwald verified conversations with Republican officeholders and staff who proudly talk about the fact that they did everything they could to not cooperate at all, and then as the stimulus began working, they propagandized…ok they lied, about the stimulus to anyone who would listen, and they are still lying.

This week on Radio Green Earth we have an extended conversation with Michael Grunwald about his new book and the startlingly bad reporting that is being done by America’s media about what could be the most important single piece of legislation so far this century.

Again, the book is called The New New Deal by Michael Grunwald, and it just made the New York Times Bestseller list this week. Don’t miss the conversation this week on Radio Green Earth.

Join us for environmental news, these feature stories, our green tip-of-the-week, and our environmental events calendar this Thursday at 9 AM on WQCS 88.9 FM and Thursdays 6 PM and Saturdays 8 AM on Seaview Radio 95.9 FM, 106.9 FM, & 960 AM. Also available at www.radiogreenearth.org and on iTunes.

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By Jim Jackson

ISAAC IS FINALLY A HURRICANE, MAKING LANDFALL IN LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPPI. PLAQUEMINES PARISH’S LEVEES OVERTOPPED. GOVERNOR SCOTT COMES TO PALM BEACH COUNTY.

ALSO, SEE JANE WEST’S BLOG BELOW ABOUT THE CLEAN COAL CANARD AT THE RNC.

Finally a minimal hurricane, Isaac is slogging across Louisiana and Mississippi today, all day. Those of us who lived through hurricane lumbering Hurricane Frances know the feeling of never-ending winds. Isaac is pulling the same stunt, slowing to a crawl and dumping copious rain. The big question for folks in Louisiana has been, “will the levees hold?” Early reports are that the levees have held, but in low-lying Plaquemines Parish the levees have been overtopped by storm surge. The Parish was inundated by Katrina, and soaked with oil from Deepwater Horizon. What’s next for this mound of alluvial sand at the foot of the Mississippi?

Plaquemines Parish is the big toe of the Louisiana boot that sticks out into the Gulf of Mexico, more water than land on a good day, and on this day, the place is submerged. We will have to wait another day to see just how bad the flooding is there.

Back in Florida, the Governor visited the Palm Beaches today to observe the damage from the now 18” of rainfall. FEMA was with the Governor, but the estimated 8 million dollars in damage won’t come close to qualifying for federal assistance. Here is a rundown of actions and observations from the South Florida Water Management District:

A boy seen floating down a flooded street in West Palm Beach, FL.

Preliminary estimates indicate that the C-51 Basin, which encompasses central Palm Beach County, experienced a 1-in-100-year rainfall event from Tropical Storm Isaac. Based on radar rainfall estimates, up to 14.85 inches of rain fell in the C-51 Basin for the period from August 25 at 7:30 a.m. to August 28 at 7:30 a.m. This is on top of rainfall before the onset of the storm that brought the estimated seven-day total for the basin to 17 inches.

Water levels are beginning to gradually decline in the C-51 Canal, which moves water to tide from inland areas of Palm Beach County. Since Monday, water managers have been maximizing discharge from both the east and west ends of the C-51. Emergency orders remain in place to maximize system operations and divert water to help alleviate local flooding. The District was able to accept some additional flows into the C-51 Canal from the Indian Trail Improvement District, which manages the secondary canal system in the Acreage.

Water levels in communities north of Lake Okeechobee are also starting to recede as the District operates pump stations around the lake at full capacity. Current inflows for the lake are close to 25,000 cubic feet of water per second — more than 10 times greater than inflows a week ago. The lake level increased from 12.48 inches NGVD on Monday to 13.12 inches.

The Great Wellington flood will be the most significant memory we have of Isaac in South Florida. The legacy in the Central Gulf Coast has yet to be written, but everywhere, MOLD will rear its ugly spores.

When it rains sideways like it has this week, the water gets in places it doesn’t, normally, inside the rooftop, up in the eves, trickling down the inside of your walls. Then next week, you might start feeling a little like you are coming down with something sort of fluish that includes sneezing and shortness of breath. It might calm down during the day, then return at night, or vice versa. That’s the first clue that it’s not a cold but an environmental allergy, probably to one of a thousand different kinds of molds. The spores are everywhere; they just gain purchase and grow when they have the right heat, moisture and a place to be…and a three day sideways rain is the perfect kick start to a mold outbreak. We will talk to a scientist to gain some perspective on the inevitable mold outbreak that is going to follow Isaac around like a sick puppy.

Also, there is a movement afoot to raise the stature and profile of perhaps the most important cultural site run by the US Forest Service, The Chimney Rock, a region in the four corners of the Great Southwest desert. We talk to an advocate who wants to see Chimney Rock named a National Monument.

And the City of West Palm Beach has named a new Sustainability chief who happens to be into gardens, urban gardens to be exact, and she wants to help others get their hands dirty. Join us to hear all about this free inner city gardening education and where you can get your own plot of land on which to grow your own organic food. All that plus the Green Tip of the week on Radio Green Earth.

Join us for environmental news, these feature stories, our green tip-of-the-week, and our environmental events calendar this Thursday at 9 AM on WQCS 88.9 FM and Thursdays 6 PM and Saturdays 8 AM on Seaview Radio 95.9 FM, 106.9 FM, & 960 AM. Also available at www.radiogreenearth.org and on iTunes.

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By Environmental Attorney Jane West, Esq.

The notion of energy independence makes every American heart swell with pride, especially in an election year. But how has this patriotic, and practical, idea turned into “drill, baby, drill?” Why are people so eager to embrace highly destructive and dirty forms of energy? During the Republican National Convention in Tampa this week, we are likely to hear about how our energy policy should openly embrace things like “clean coal.” So let’s roll up our shirt sleeves and figure out how “clean” it really is.

First, coal is coal. “Clean” coal implies that there may be some alternative form of coal out there that is being drilled that somehow is, I don’t know, full of less carbon? Not quite as black? Not really as dirty as we think? Hogwash. Coal is coal is coal. The only thing that makes it “clean” is the technology being used in coal fired power plants to reduce emissions. For example, instead of spewing carbon dioxide emissions into the air, coal companies pump it into the ground. This is referred to as carbon sequestration. It is a rather new technology and questions linger about whether the carbon dioxide that has been thrust underground will behave itself and stay put, you know, forever. Alternatively, coal companies can use a process called IGCC, or Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle. IGCC turns the coal into gas first to reduce emissions. Both options are wildly expensive.

Second, mining coal is dirty. Regardless of how squeaky clean you get the emissions from burning a chunk of coal, one very critical problem remains: getting your hands on that chunk of coal in the first place. Mining coal is destructive in a way that would make most of us shudder with disgust. Blowing off entire mountain tops and scarring entire swaths of wilderness is the cheapest way to get a chunk of coal. This is not pretty stuff. This is a landscape that any self-respecting parent would struggle with explaining to their kid who openly wonders, “but why?” Beyond destroying hillsides, coal extraction also buries or damages streams. From 1985 to 2001, at least 724 miles of streams in Appalachia alone were completely buried by coal companies filling in valleys to get better access to goal. During that same time period, 400,000 acres of forests were destroyed through mountaintop mining. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, about this process that can be characterized as “clean.”

Before Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

After Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

Photo Credit: Graham Mountain Foundation Inc.

Third, this is a Catch -22. If you are a proponent of “clean coal” you are likely supportive of dismantling the “strict” regulations established by the EPA. Loosening federal regulations on the coal industry will provide little incentive to pursue clean coal technology. The problem with that untenable position is perfectly illustrated in the Wateree, S.C. coal ash disaster that was settled last week. South Carolina Electric & Gas operates the Wateree Station, a 700MW fossil fuel plant that had been violating groundwater standards with runoff of high levels of cancer-causing arsenic since at least 2001. The monitoring found that the arsenic around the plant’s coal ash impoundments was 18 times the safe limits established by EPA. Did SCE&G voluntarily admit liability and clean up the toxic mess? Of course not. Instead, they fought the case hard for over a decade and only last week caved in with a “shucks, okay, we’ll clean up all that poison.” In 2010 when the EPA proposed stricter federal regulations on coal ash, the electric utilities and coal ash interests lobbied hard against the regulations. They were successful. West Virginia Representative David McKinley recently sponsored a bill to strip EPA entirely of its authority of regulate coal ash. This coming from a man whose state has suffered immeasurably in the form of human deaths and environmental destruction from the coal industry. Other than industry executives, there are no winners with pushing forward on a “clean coal & deregulation” platform.

Are there options to clean coal? Very simply: yes. The future of energy independence in America is renewable energy such as wind and solar. Anyone who tells you that it can’t be done is simply not in the business of innovation. The U.S. remains one of the fastest growing wind power markets in the world in 2011 – second only to China – according to a new report released by the U.S. Department of Energy. Roughly 6.8 gigwatts of new wind power capacity were connected to the U.S. grid in 2011. Wind power comprised of 32% of all new U.S. electric capacity additions in 2011 and represented $14 billion in new investment. Wind power now provides more than 3% of the total U.S. electrical supply and in 6 states, wind powers up more than 10% of the total electric supply. This is just the beginning, the potential for even low wind speed sites is significant given new turbine innovations.

What we need now, more than ever, are leaders who believe in an innovative America that is truly energy independent and not beholden to dirty fossil fuel executives. As Tropical Storm Issac plows towards the oil rigged Gulf Coast, we should implore those gathered at the RNC to start thinking out of the box and get serious about energy independence.

Jupiter, Florida — The River Center is hosting a Loxahatchee River Cleanup on Saturday, September 15th from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The cleanup will be held at three locations throughout Jupiter: at Burt Reynolds Park, sponsored by Jupiter Outdoor Center, at Jupiter Pointe, sponsored by Jupiter Pointe Paddling, and on the Northwest Fork of the Loxahatchee River, sponsored by the North Passage Yacht Club. Some kayaks and paddleboards will be provided at each location, and participants are welcome to use their own as well.

Lily Miller with her father Atlee Miller.

“Next month, we are celebrating the River Center’s 4th anniversary,” said River Center Environmental Education Coordinator Jocelyn O’Neill. “We are thrilled to precede that celebration with another cleanup event. This year alone, we have removed more than 1,200 pounds of trash from the river, along with hundreds of bottles, cans, tires and scrap metal. We could not have accomplished that without dedicated volunteers, and we look forward to working with them yet again to preserve the beauty of the river.”

Always setting an example for green practices and looking to further reduce environmental impact, the River Center encourages the use of 5-gallon buckets and washable gardening gloves in place of plastic garbage bags and vinyl gloves for the clean up event. Some buckets and gloves will be provided by the River Center, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own. Pick-up tools, snacks, and water also will be provided at each location. Volunteers will get wet, so please remember to dress accordingly, and should wear hats, loose comfortable clothing, protective sun gear, and sunscreen.

Volunteers ages 16 and 17 will need a signed parent consent form to participate. An adult must accompany volunteers age 15 and younger. Everyone is encouraged to pre-register for the Cleanup to RiverCenter@Loxahatcheeriver.org or over the phone at 561-743-7123.

The River Center, which is located at Burt Reynolds Park in Jupiter, traces the Loxahatchee River from its pristine freshwater reaches to a teeming estuary, and eventually to the Jupiter Inlet where it spills into the Atlantic Ocean. The center presents some of the largest aquatic exhibits in the area with an interactive exploration of the river, diverse wildlife and its majestic environmental value. In addition, guests learn where their water comes from, how it is consumed and recycled back into the community. There are multi-media and live aquatic exhibits, and a touch tank teeming with aquatic life. For more information about the Loxahatchee River District and the River Center, please visit www.loxahatcheeriver.org.