Heat Wave Wisconsin

It is so hot and humid I can't stand it. And the heat wave is just beginning.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A dangerous heat wave is hitting the region and officials have issued three weather-related warnings and advisories for Milwaukee and surrounding counties.

Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service expanded its excessive heat warning , which started at noon and is set to last through Sunday night for south central and southeast Wisconsin.

The weather service issued a heat advisory for Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties until 10 p.m. Monday. High temperatures are expected to be 90 to 95 degrees with heat index values between 100 and 105.

In addition, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued an air quality advisory for ozone for Sheboygan, Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties, which will remain in effect until 11 p.m. Sunday. Sensitive groups, including children, the elderly, and people with respiratory or heart problems and people engaged in strenuous outdoor activities are urged to take precautions to avoid illness.

The heat warning, which is valid until 10 p.m., means heat index values are expected to reach between 100 and 110 in the afternoon and early evening hours in the counties away from Lake Michigan.

The weather service warned that the combination of hot temperatures and high humidity are part of a "dangerous heat wave" that can cause heat illnesses.

"The hot and humid weather can cause heat-related health problems for anyone working or spending time outdoors or without air conditioning. The very young, the elderly and pets will be especially vulnerable," the service said in the warning. "Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors."

Whatever happened to Ozone Action days?

Remember these steps we were encouraged to take during hot spells when the air would be stagnant?

Travel Tips -

1. Limit driving. Defer errands or share a ride. For short trips, walk or ride a bike.
2. If you drive, avoid excessive idling or jack-rabbit starts.
3. Take transit. Ride the bus or train to work, school, or shopping.
4. Don't Refuel on an Ozone Action Day. If you must refuel, do so after 7 pm.
5. Avoid using gasoline powered equipment, such as outboard motors and off-road vehicles.

Home Tips -

1. Defer mowing your lawn until late evening or the next day. Also, avoid usin gother gasoline-powered garden equipment.
2. Postpone using oil-based paints, solvents, or varnishes.
3. Use an electric starter or charcoal chimney rather than lighter fluid.
4. Defer use of household consumer products that release fumes or evaporate easily.
5. Conserve energy to reduce energy needs from power plants.

Alas, Ozone Action Days are history in Wisconsin.

A survey of the Ozone Action Day program in the summer of 1995 revealed that over 80 percent of respondents were aware of the program. The survey results also showed that 70 percent of respondents said they took action. Of these, 69 percent postponed mowing the lawn and 47 percent filled a gas tank in the evening.

Both regulatory and voluntary actions have reduced pollution over time and the air has become healthier as a result. But as scientists and health specialists learn more about pollution and its impacts on our bodies, they realized two changes were needed – the health standards needed to be tightened and we needed to control finer, smaller particles, which cause serious health problems. Air pollution episodes due to fine particle pollution can occur anywhere in the state and at any time of year. Thus, Wisconsin needed to change its public notification system beyond Ozone Action Days.

When pollution levels are too high, Wisconsin now calls Air Quality Advisories instead of Ozone Action Days.

I don't get why there no longer is an emphasis on getting individuals to personally take action, altering their behavior.

If the suggestions were effective, why have they been dropped?

Air Quality Advisories warn the public about conditions, but there's no call to action anymore.

It doesn't make sense.

Did I mention it's so hot and humid that I can't stand it?

It's sweltering.

This is going to be a long week.

Light Bulb Ban

Don't tread on my light bulbs!

From The Foundry:

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the BULB Act this week, which was introduced by Representatives Joe Barton (R–TX), Michael Burgess (R–TX) and Marsha Blackburn (R–TN). The legislation would repeal Subtitle B of Title III of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007—the phase-out of the incandescent bulb as we know it. The light bulb ban has become a symbolic representation of the federal government’s intrusion into the American individual’s freedom.

The insinuation behind energy efficiency standards—not just for light bulbs, but for vehicles, appliances, and buildings—is that consumers don’t know what’s best for them. This is clear in what critics are saying about the repeal of the light bulb ban.

Former Senator John Warner (R–VA) said, “We’ll be dropping backwards in America’s need to become more energy-efficient.” Yet when you take a look at America’s energy efficiency track record, it’s not too shabby—and it’s a result of innovation and cost reduction, not government mandates and regulations. Overall, energy consumption per real dollar of gross domestic product has dropped dramatically in the past 60 years, because we’ve innovated and become drastically more efficient in the process.

Interestingly, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said of the legislation, “We are taking away a choice that continues to let people waste their own money.”

Then why stop with light bulbs? Store-brand cola is much cheaper than Coke or Pepsi. The same is true for cereal, vegetables, and most other products found at a grocery store. Why not mandate that consumers buy the cheaper of the two to save money? Would the same politicians argue that consumers are wasting their money when they buy Coke instead of generic cola?

The difference between these examples and the energy efficiency standard is that Congress is mandating higher sticker prices on lighting with the assumption that it will save consumers money (through cheaper electricity bills) in the long run. But consumers are not stupid. If the more expensive bulbs were truly better in the long run, people would buy them.

...People consider several variables—not just the sticker price— when buying a product.

...Consumers prefer incandescent bulbs for a number of reasons. Many prefer the soft yellow lighting of incandescents to the unnatural, office-like white light of fluorescents. Residents in houses with wells and septic systems use the heat from incandescent bulbs to keep the water above freezing. Others prefer not to deal with the lengthy cleanup process that comes with broken CFLs, because they contain mercury. There are plenty of reasons consumers buy incandescents, and there’s no good reason for the government to restrict that choice.

Read "How Many Hazmat Suits Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb?"

Earth Day and DDT

Happy Earth Day 2011!

This year's theme is "A Billion Acts of Green."

I think people should behave responsibly when it comes to the environment.

I believe that we are stewards of God's creation and must care for the Earth. I believe that we are called to protect the environment and not abuse the gift that it is. However, that goal cannot take precedence over caring for human life.

It's a sad reality, but the environmental movement kills.

Let's talk about Rachel Carson and the impact she has had on the lives of millions of people, causing suffering and death.

Because of Rachel Carson, bad science, and politics decades ago, millions and millions of people needlessly have died of malaria.

Their deaths were preventable - not by the use of mosquito nets, but by the application of DDT.

The banning of DDT is a tragic example of what happens when politics and environmentalism run amok.

I think of Al Gore and his hero, Rachel Carson.

The banning of DDT wasn't a victory. It was a death sentence for millions of people. Literally.

It was bad science. It was bad politics.

From the 1998 PBS Frontline report, "Fooling with Mother Nature":

On the walls of the US vice president's office, you might expect to see framed photos of political giants past and present. Amidst his collection, however, Al Gore cherishes a picture of a biologist from Western Pennsylvania - Rachel Carson, author of "Silent Spring." Why does an unassuming scientist lay claim to this space? "For me personally," says Gore in his introduction to the 1992 edition of her book, "Silent Spring had a profound impact ... Indeed, Rachel Carson was one of the reasons that I became so conscious of the environment and so involved with environmental issues ... Carson has had as much or more effect on me than any, and perhaps than all of them together."

Carson's Silent Spring killed and continues to kill.

So many of Carson's claims have been refuted.

Read a sampling of the debunking of Silent Spring.

Why The Insecticide DDT Should Never Have Been Banned

Killing People - The banning of DDT and radical environmentalists

Malaria Foundation International

The Lies of Rachel Carson

Bring Back DDT, and Science With It!

The latter is a 2002 piece by Marjorie Mazel Hecht. It provides a concise overview of Carson's illegitimate assertions and the consequences of the hysteria that she launched.

The 1972 U.S. ban on DDT is responsible for a genocide 10 times larger than that for which we sent Nazis to the gallows at Nuremberg. It is also responsible for a menticide which has already condemned one entire generation to a dark age of anti-science ignorance, and is now infecting a new one.

The lies and hysteria spread to defend the DDT ban are typical of the irrationalist, anti-science wave which has virtually destroyed rational forms of discourse in our society. If you want to save science—and human lives—the fight to bring back DDT, now being championed by that very electable candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination, Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr., had better be at the top of your agenda.

Sixty million people have died needlessly of malaria, since the imposition of the 1972 ban on DDT, and hundreds of millions more have suffered from this debilitating disease. The majority of those affected are children. Of the 300 to 500 million new cases of malaria each year, 200 to 300 million are children, and malaria now kills one child every 30 seconds. Ninety percent of the reported cases of malaria are in Africa, and 40 percent of the world’s population, inhabitants of tropical countries, are threatened by the increasing incidence of malaria.

...The campaign to ban DDT got its start with the publication of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring in 1962. Carson’s popular book was a fraud. She played on people’s emotions, and to do so, she selected and falsified data from scientific studies... .

Does that sound a bit extreme?

Are you thinking that I'm citing sources that lack credibility?

Do you need a source that you can identify as enlightened, sophisticated, and acceptable to the liberal mindset?

OK.

Read "What the World Needs Now Is DDT."

It's by Tina Rosenberg and was published in The New York Times on April 11, 2004.

It appears that Rachel Carson, Al Gore's inspiration, sparked a movement that cost millions of lives.

What the world needs now is DDT.

And look at the topic of Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl's April 21, 2010, e-mail message:

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans paused for a day to celebrate our planet and press for the urgent actions needed to preserve and protect it. As we observe this 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day, we once again reflect on the necessity of a clean and safe environment, celebrate the successes of the last four decades, and consider the long way we still must go to achieve the goals laid out that day.

In Wisconsin, we also stop to remember and honor one of our most prominent citizens.

Earth Day was born out of the passion of Gaylord Nelson. His life was one of service – from the Pacific theater during World War II, to the State House as a State Senator and Governor, and to Washington D.C. where he served Wisconsin as a U.S. Senator for nearly 20 years.

When Gaylord came to Washington, he did so with a mission to bring environmental causes to the forefront of the national debate. He believed that the cause of environmentalism needed as much attention as national defense. For his first years in the Senate, his cause was lonely. In 1966, his bill to ban the pesticide DDT garnered no cosponsors.

Gaylord knew that only with the grassroots support of regular Americans, could the environmental agenda rise to prominence. His idea for Earth Day came from the student teach-ins of the 1960s, but his cause inspired people across boundaries of age, race and location. This year, more than one billion people around the world will come together in the same way they did 40 years ago.

In a speech on that historic day in 1970, Gaylord noted that his goal was not just one of clean air and water, but also “an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human beings and all other living creatures.” He told the crowd that America could meet the challenge through our technology. The unanswered question was, he said, “Are we willing?”

That question was answered with a resounding yes. That year saw the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air Act. In 1972, six years after Gaylord Nelson stood alone on his proposed DDT ban, its use was ended. Later years would bring better protection of drinking water, emissions and efficiency standards for cars, programs to cleanup brownfields sites, and the protection and preservation of our forests, rivers, mountains and oceans.

Despite that progress – and I imagine Gaylord would be the first to note this – we still have much work ahead of us. We must use this anniversary to commit to another environmental decade. The needs of 40 years ago – cleaner water, cleaner air, more protection of our lands – are still here, but the next challenge we must face is climate change.

From lower lake levels, to more invasive species, the consequences of unchecked climate change could be devastating to the people of Wisconsin. Climate change isn’t just a threat, it is also an opportunity. Structured correctly, the solutions to slowing climate change can also speed up our economic recovery.

Remarkable research and development is happening today in Wisconsin – on products for cleaner water, advanced battery technology, and using waste from farms and forests to make advanced biofuels. We have companies developing products to harness the power of the sun to replace traditional interior lighting, retrofitting heavy-duty trucks into hybrids, and manufacturing energy-efficient hot water heaters.

In Congress, legislative work to address climate change is ongoing. With the right mixture of requirements and incentives, we can achieve a policy that reduces our dependence on foreign oil, cuts greenhouse gas emissions, lowers prices at the pump and on the electricity bill, and creates good-paying jobs that cannot be outsourced.

We do not have to choose between the environment and the economy; between jobs and solving climate change. Gaylord Nelson made this point over and over again. He once wrote that “all economic activity depends upon the…air, water, soil, forest, minerals, wetlands, rivers, lakes, oceans, wildlife habitats, and scenic beauty.” These, he said, “are the accumulated capital resources of the nation. Take them away and what you have left is a wasteland.”

On this 40th anniversary of Earth Day, while we remember the pioneering sprit of Gaylord Nelson, we must honor his legacy by turning words into action.


Sincerely,


Herb Kohl

Good grief, Herb.

While Nelson did many worthy deeds, working to ban DDT was certainly not one of them.

I have no problem with Earth Day.

We should take care of the environment, but we're also morally obligated to take care of each other.

Properly using DDT would help us to ease so much suffering and spare so much pain and save so many, many precious lives.

New Diet, Cows and Sheep Emissions

A new diet may save the world!

Hallelujah! There's hope for the planet!

From Reuters:

New diets for cows and sheep could reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, research funded by the Department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) shows.

Feeding the animals maize silage, naked oats and higher sugar grasses could reduce the amount of methane they produce, the study by Reading University and the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences showed.

Agriculture accounts for around nine per cent of all British greenhouse gas emissions. Most of this comes from sheep, cows and goats.

Farming accounts for 41 per cent of Britain's overall methane emissions, which are harmful to the environment.

A trial showed that high-sugar grasses could reduce an animal's methane emissions by 20 per cent for every kg of weight gain and naked oats could reduce methane emissions from sheep by 33 percent.

Incandescent Light Bulb Freedom Act

I want the federal government to stay out of my sockets.

I am pro-choice when it comes to light bulbs.

Here's an editorial about the feds' meddling in state matters and the right to choose.

From the Washington Times:

(Greg Groesch/Illustration)

State lawmakers are fed up with the federal government micromanaging their lives. The South Carolina Senate is scheduled to strike back Tuesday with a bill that asserts the 10th Amendment right of the state to tell Washington to take a hike when it comes to the sale of incandescent light bulbs manufactured within state borders.

Ever since then-President George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the clock has been ticking on Thomas Edison's venerable incandescent. Unless Congress acts before Jan. 1, 2012, federal bureaucrats will begin their campaign to foist the mostly Chinese-made, compact fluorescent bulbs on a public that has shown no interest in buying them on the free market.

Palmetto State lawmakers aren't interested in waiting for the feds to see the light. The "South Carolina Incandescent Light Bulb Freedom Act" declares any fixture that bears the stamp "Made in South Carolina" is a product of intrastate commerce and thus "is not subject to federal law or federal regulation." State Rep. William E. Sandifer III, chairman of the South Carolina House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, told The Washington Times that the measure he co-sponsored has a very good chance of becoming law. "I believe that it is improper for the federal government to tell us as citizens what light bulbs we can use to light our own private homes or businesses," he explained. "I think the feds have overstepped our 10th Amendment constitutional rights as they've so often done under the Commerce Clause."

Conservative lawmakers ultimately are looking to mount a Supreme Court challenge that would, they hope, roll back the expansive interpretation of interstate commerce that has allowed the federal government to meddle in our everyday affairs. "Are we to that point in this country where we have to get down to telling them what kind of lights they can have in their house?" asked Arizona state Sen. Frank R. Antenori, a Republican, who sponsored the first incandescent freedom bill in 2009.

...Ideally, Congress would pass the light-bulb freedom measure introduced by Rep. Michele Bachmann, Minnesota Republican, which repeals the 2007 ban. Realistically, her measure would have a tough time getting past the veto pen of President Obama. That's why states are looking at their own declarations of lighting freedom. It will only take one state's defiance of federal overreach to break the system. Should Mr. Sandifer's bill be the first enacted, there is no doubt the South Carolina will see a substantial increase in tourism next year - as drivers fill the trunks of their cars with mercury-free bulbs.

I do not want mercury light bulbs in my home.

You need a hazmat crew to clean up broken bulbs. It's crazy.

Read the EPA's recommendations for handling a broken bulb, aka mercury spill.

Fluorescent light bulbs contain a small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. When a fluorescent bulb breaks in your home, some of this mercury is released as mercury vapor. The broken bulb can continue to release mercury vapor until it is cleaned up and removed from the residence. To minimize exposure to mercury vapor, EPA recommends that residents follow the cleanup and disposal steps described below.

This page presents only the most important steps to reduce exposure to mercury vapor from a broken bulb.

Before cleanup

---Have people and pets leave the room.
---Air out the room for 5-10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor environment.
---Shut off the central forced air heating/air-conditioning system, if you have one.
---Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb.

During cleanup

---Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visible powder.
---Place cleanup materials in a sealable container.

After cleanup

---Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of properly.
---Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors.
---If practical, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating/air conditioning system shut off for several hours.

View the "Detailed Recommendations" for cleaning up a Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb.

It's a nightmare!

These things pose a significant health risk.

Read about cleaning up a broken mercury thermometer.

Why would anyone want to bring a load of light bulbs with mercury into their homes?

Right now, the EPA recommends NOT using CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulbs in certain instances.

Actions You Can Take to Prevent Broken Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Fluorescent bulbs are made of glass and can break if dropped or roughly handled. To avoid breaking a bulb, follow these general practices:

---Always switch off and allow a working CFL bulb to cool before handling.
---Always handle CFL bulbs carefully to avoid breakage.

---If possible, screw/unscrew the CFL by holding the plastic or ceramic base, not the glass tubing.
---Gently screw in the CFL until snug. Do not over-tighten.
---Never forcefully twist the glass tubing.

---Consider not using CFLs in lamps that can be easily knocked over, in unprotected light fixtures, or in lamps that are incompatible with the spiral or folded shape of many CFLs.
---Do not use CFL bulbs in locations where they can easily be broken, such as play spaces.
---Use CFL bulbs that have a glass or plastic cover over the spiral or folded glass tube, if available. These types of bulbs look more like incandescent bulbs and may be more durable if dropped.
---Consider using a drop cloth (e.g., plastic sheet or beach towel) when changing a fluorescent light bulb in case a breakage should occur. The drop cloth will help prevent mercury contamination of nearby surfaces and can be bundled with the bulb debris for disposal.

When incandescent bulbs are banned and only CFL bulbs are available, what will the EPA recommend for lighting in cases it now says CFL bulbs pose a safety risk?

Candles?