Yet we continue to define the issue inaccurately.
Food for thought --
Yesterday afternoon, a two-mile-wide tornado turned
Moore, Oklahoma on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, into a “war zone.”
Neighborhoods were “completely leveled.” Two elementary schools were demolished
— although all the children in Briarwood Elementary School survived, tragically
many were killed at the Plaza Towers Elementary School. At least 9 of
the 24 people reported killed were children.
When disasters
like the Oklahoma tornado strike, Team Rubicon unites US military veterans with
first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response and provide relief. The
veterans at Team Rubicon provided incredible care and support for the survivors
of Superstorm Sandy, and will make a real difference for our brothers and
sisters in the heartland.
There's been a lot of discussion in the media about climate change in the wake
of this disaster, but almost all of it has been missing the point. We
asked scientist Kevin Trenberth, who studies the influence of climate change on
extreme weather as head of the Climate Analysis Section at the USA
National Center for Atmospheric Research, to help us understand the
complex science of tornadoes and the ethical implications of climate
pollution.
“There is no doubt
that humans are changing the weather, mainly through changes in
the atmospheric composition from burning fossil fuels. The
resulting global warming is clearly evident in temperature
increases, melting glaciers and Arctic sea ice, rising sea levels,
and changes to more extreme rain storms. Stronger drought, heat waves
and wild fires are also a result.
“Tornadoes are very much a
weather phenomenon. They come from certain thunderstorms, usually super-cell
thunderstorms that are in a wind shear environment that promotes rotation.
“The main climate change
connection to tornadoes is via the basic instability of the low level air that
creates the convection and thunderstorms in the first place. Warmer and moister
conditions are the key for unstable air. So there is a chain of events and
climate change mainly affects the first link: the basic buoyancy of the air is
increased. Whether that translates into a super-cell storm and one with a
tornado is largely chance weather.
“We understand to some degree how
the weather is changed from human activities but the weather and climate system
are complex, there is a tremendous amount of natural variability, and it is easy
for the human influences to be overwhelmed. We still expect seasons, hot and
cold spells, droughts and floods, but the odds are changing in favor of more
extreme events.
“The
human-induced climate change is thought of as a great geophysical experiment,
but one which we are not carrying out on purpose. It would be
unethical to run any such experiment without the consent of all
affected. Yet this is what we are really doing, because we now know
enough to know that this experiment is
underway.”
Energy pitfalls discussed
NORWOOD — Life at the end of the pipeline can be tough.
Constraints in the system that delivers natural gas and an increasing reliance on it to generate electricity mean that, without drastic changes in the region's energy portfolio, New England remains vulnerable to volatile pricing and reliability issues, speakers said at an energy summit Monday.
And despite a new, third 345-kilovolt transmission line that NStar ran across the Cape Cod Canal and the ongoing natural gas pipeline reinforcement project by National Grid, the Cape is even more susceptible than other areas to high rates and service interruptions.
"There is no question that our energy costs are high," said Attorney General Martha Coakley, whose office sponsored the forum on pricing at the Four Points by Sheraton.
Business officials, state legislators and regulators participating in a series of panels Monday shared ways to bring energy costs down, including through energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
Those options, however, can't change the reality and challenges of geography.
"We are at the end of the energy pipeline," said Mark Sylvia, Massachusetts Commissioner of Energy Resources. "It gets to us last, which means it costs us more."
Although natural gas prices are currently low, they have gone up and down, Sylvia said.
Independent System Operator New England, which manages the region's electric grid, had just announced the lowest wholesale natural gas rates in a decade when the price jumped again in January, Anne George, the organization's vice president for external affairs and corporate communications said.
With only two gas pipelines coming into the region, just getting natural gas to New England can be a challenge, George said.
"We're likely to see these price spikes continue until we ... see additional pipeline capacity come into the system," she said.
After a cold stretch this winter followed closely by a blizzard in February, supplies of natural gas flowing into the region were dangerously low compared to demand, George said.
"This winter we just went through revealed some critical reliability issues for us," she said, adding that ISO New England is working on a short-term solution for the coming winter as well as long-term ones to address the lack of supplies in the region.
One option is to build transmission infrastructure to bring energy down from Hydro-Quebec in Canada, according to Robert Rio, senior vice president for government affairs for Associated Industries of Massachusetts.
Between panels, Cape Light Compact administrator Maggie Downey said she is nervous about the potential for additional spikes in energy prices.
Compact officials have faced criticism for electric costs that exceeded those paid by NStar customers since the regional energy agency formed in 1997 to buy power in bulk for Cape and Martha's Vineyard customers. Critics have also complained about what they see as the Compact's lack of transparency and its relationship with the Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative, created in 2007 to develop renewable energy projects.
Downey, however, thought many of the speakers on Monday vindicated the Compact's decision to support the cooperative financially.
"This is a way to avoid costly transmission upgrades," she said, adding that the construction of local renewable energy projects helps reduce the need to pass transmission costs on to utility customers.
Dennis Duffy, vice president of Cape Wind, thinks concern over the natural gas supply is a reason to cheer projects such as the company's proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm.
"The ISO identified natural gas shortfalls as the primary reliability concern for New England," he said outside the summit. "The real benefit of offshore wind and Cape Wind is high production at those times when the system is most a risk and the power is most valuable."
Cape Wind's opponents have argued the project's high cost will be detrimental to businesses and residential ratepayers, alike. Supporters say the project's environmental benefits and its impact on the broader energy market are worth higher bills in the short term.
During an interview between panels, Coakley said she believes that, despite the drop in natural gas prices, the agreement she helped negotiate setting the cost of power for Cape Wind is still a good deal for customers. However, she said, her office would take another look at it if circumstances change drastically.
"We still need to get it completed and need to see how it's going to operate and what costs are going to look like," she said, adding that it appears Cape Wind is on track to be built.
Coakley also said there are benefits from the Cape Light Compact in terms of economies of scale but her staff would check on any other concerns brought to their attention.
Panelists at the summit praised state legislators for pushing renewable energy but cautioned that businesses need transparency and consistency in utility rates to compete.
"You need to be a rate expert to understand your bill," said Christopher Schaper, chairman of the Western Mass Industrial Group.
Pilgrim nuclear station foes seek day in court
PLYMOUTH — The Cape Downwinders could finally get their day in court.
Ten members of the Cape-based watchdog group that has long called for the closure of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth were arrested Sunday and arraigned in Plymouth District Court on Monday for trespassing onto power plant property after a rally outside the gate.
Arlene Williamson of Mashpee; Margaret Rice-Moir of Brewster; Douglas R. Long of Orleans; Janet Azarovitz, William Maurer and Joyce Johnson, all of Falmouth; Femke Rosenbaum, of Wellfleet; Debra McCulloch of Truro; Diane Turco of Harwich; and Sarah Thacher of East Dennis were all charged with trespassing.
The 10 were attempting to deliver a letter to Entergy Corp., the company that owns and operates the Plymouth power plant, said Turco, a frequent Downwinders spokeswoman.
"The message was we were indicting Entergy for criminal negligence for its continued operation of a G.E. Mark I boiling water reactor when it is unsafe," Turco said. "They didn't take the letter."
The 10 slipped through the center of the closed plant gate on State Road at about 4 p.m., following a rally attended by about 100 people, Plymouth police Capt. John Rogers said.
"They were advised by security that they were trespassing, but they refused to leave," Rogers said.
Police made the arrests without incident, he added, and the 10 were released on their own recognizance.
Turco said the group is looking for "its day in court."
Sunday wasn't the first time members have been arrested for trespassing.
Some of the same people trespassed on May 20, 2012, according to Turco, in order to deliver a letter asking Entergy to withdraw its application for relicensing of the plant.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission renewed the plant's license for 20 years in June.
That time, their attempt to take a stance publicly in court was thwarted when the district attorney recommended the charges be dismissed days before the trial, Turco said.
"We were ready for the trial," Turco said. "We had some pretty interesting information to present."
A spokeswoman for Entergy said in an email Monday that peaceful rallies are allowed, but protesters may not trespass onto the plant property.
"We respect the rights of opponents to make their opinions known and peacefully protest, but when they resort to trespassing, then it becomes a police matter," said Carol Wightman. "We take security very seriously. Our focus is on safety at the plant and the safety of our employees and the public."
Turco said the 10 protesters are due back in court July 19 for a pretrial hearing.
Meanwhile the power plant saw some action of its own Monday. Plymouth firefighters answered an emergency call there shortly after 4 a.m. An auxiliary oil pump's motor was burning, but station personnel were able to put the fire out with extinguishers before the fire department arrived, Fire Chief Edward Bradley said.
"There was a lot of smoke and heat," Bradley said. "They were alerted when a circuit-breaker tripped."
Wightman said the fire was on the non-nuclear side of the plant. The cause is being investigated, she said. "There were no injuries to plant or off-site personnel and no threat to public health or safety," she said.
The plant has been shut down since April 14 "for a planned refueling and maintenance outage."
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