What I'm about to present to you is not an Alex Jones fantasy. There aren't Paultards discussing this between bong hits. This isn't a 9/11 Truther hallucination. This is a presentation of cold, hard facts. It is also a reminder of how close we are to complete economic, political, and social disaster in the United States.
In my last column, I wrote about the term environmental justice. For those of you who missed it, here's a quick review of what environmental justice is, courtesy of the commissars at the rogue Environmental Protection Agency:
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"Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means that no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental and commercial operations or policies. Meaningful involvement means that: (1) people have an opportunity to participate in decisions about activities that may affect their environment and/or health; (2) the public's contribution can influence the regulatory agency's decision; (3) their concerns will be considered in the decision making process; and (4) the decision makers seek out and facilitate the involvement of those potentially affected."
http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/basics/ejbackground.html
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Yep, it's a bunch of socialist psychobabble, but what does it mean in actual terms ? Let's ask, oh, I don't know, former "Green Jobs Czar" (and admitted communist) Van Jones:
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"Well, the only reason that we have the unsustainable accounting that we have right now is because incinerators, dumping grounds, and sacrifice zones were put where poor people live. It would never have been allowed if you had to put all the incinerators and nasty stuff in rich people's neighborhoods; we'd have had a sustainable economy a long time ago. We'd have had a clean and green economy a long time ago. It's the environmental racism that allowed the powerful people in society to turn a blind eye for decades to the downsides of the industrial system that got us to this point. So there's a direct relationship between environmental racism and the lack of sustainability of society as a whole. We were the canaries in the coal mines, crying for relief. Now finally the consequences are affecting everyone, with global warming and everything else. The other thing is that the environmental justice agenda is also changing. Before, it was much stronger on demanding equal protection from environmental bad. Now we are also demanding equal opportunity and equal access to environmental good. We don't want to be first and worst with all the toxins and all the negative effects of global warming, and then benefit last and least from all the breakthroughs in solar, wind energy, organic food, all the positives. We want an equal share, an equitable share, of the work wealth and the benefits of the transition to a green economy."
(Emphasis added to the juicy parts.)
(By the way, it also behooves us to note that 'ol Vannie is also a crony of the Fuhrer himself, George $oros.)
http://motherjones.com/environment/2008/10/qa-van-jones
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Crazytown, right ? You don't know the half of it. This is official US government policy. Not a law, mind you, passed by elected CONgressmen and Imperial Senators. No sirree, this madness was brought to us via Executive Order 12898 by Bill Clinton (between sexual escapades, of course).
As a result, every federal agency must take "environmental justice" into account for every action they take, regardless of cost. After all, nothing must get in the way of invented civil rights.
When I say every federal agency, I mean EVERY federal agency.
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You're right, True Believer. That's the Department of Defense's "Environmental Justice Strategy".
Let's take a look-see inside shall we ? (For some weird reason, cut and paste doesn't work on the document, so please bear with me with the screen captures.)
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What does this have to do with defending the nation ? I dunno, hoping you knew, FRiend.
But this gets better. Oh, so much better.
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When governments seek to address "economic opportunities", it can only mean one thing: the redistribution of wealth, which also known as socialism.
How does the DoD intend to do this ?
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???????
"Deputy of Under Secretary of Defense (Environmental Security) " ?
What in the hell ? (Juicy stuff has emphasis added, outrage is in brackets.)
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"Volume 12, Number 30
DoD Helps Protect Human Health, Environment
Prepared remarks by Sherri W. Goodman, deputy undersecretary of defense for environmental security, to the National Conference of Black Mayors, St. Louis, April 25, 1997.Good morning. ... I am here today representing the Department of Defense. Many of the mayors here are very familiar with the many environmental and economic programs DoD administers because they have a DoD installation in their city. Those of you who are unfamiliar with DoD's environmental programs might be surprised to learn that we are the third largest landowner in the federal government. We have a great responsibility to protect human health and the environment, and we take this responsibility very seriously.
Environmental security includes pollution prevention, conservation, compliance, cleanup, the Explosive Safety Board and the Pest Management Board.
I would like to tell you about three ways DoD is supporting you and your communities: DoD's work to implement environmental justice; economic opportunities in the environment; and partnering with communities.
DoD's environmental justice strategy focuses on implementing institutional changes rather than one-time projects to ensure that a healthy and safe environment exists around DoD installations. DoD does not have the authority to issue grants or fund projects specifically for environmental justice. Rather, our approach is to identify opportunities within the day-to-day operations of our installations and in mission-related activities where environmental principles may be applied. By integrating environmental justice issues into existing policy and through the National Environmental Policy Act, we are ensuring that DoD is meeting our environmental justice responsibilities and changing the way we do business.
The military departments have issued or are in the process of drafting guidance for use in considering environmental justice issues. They are also educating and training their personnel on all aspects of environmental justice. [This is also called indoctrination.]
We are also putting the finishing touches on a training video that explains to all DoD military and civilian personnel the requirements of the executive order on environmental justice. Our goal is to increase awareness and infuse the spirit and intent of the executive order into DoD's decision-making process from the bottom to the very top.
We are making information more accessible to environmental justice communities through the Defense Environmental Network Information Exchange, or DENIX. We added a public menu, which has information on DoD's environmental justice initiatives. The Navy also hosts an environmental justice section on their home page for news and information.
We are also working to preserve the contribution of African Americans in the U.S. military through the Legacy Resource Management Program. [Whites, Hispanics, and Asians don't serve ? Since when ?] There are four projects currently under way. They are:
- A study of the African-American community on the lands of the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station [Va.] from 1865-1918;
- The black officer's club renovation and archival project at Fort Leonard Wood [Mo.];
- The Civil War African-American sailors research study;
- A report on the historic context for the African-American military experience. [Huh ? Wha--?]
The executive order focuses attention on the environmental impacts on human health and the quality of life in minority and low-income populations. One of the ways we meet this requirement is through the Toxic Release Inventory. TRI details the toxic releases and waste management practices of DoD installations. In the first year, DoD's toxic releases went down 30 percent. We issued the TRI last year, and the next report is due in May. For example:
- The Lake City Army Ammunition plant, outside of Kansas City [Mo.], underwent a 200 percent reduction of pollutants.
- Robins Air Force Base, near Macon [Ga.], reported a 26 percent reduction.
- Norfolk Naval Base, [Va.] reported a 60 percent reduction.
- Norfolk purchased new equipment that uses water instead of chemicals to clean equipment and ship parts. The shipyard also replaced a number of paints that gave off fumes with lower-emission paints to greatly reduce the number of TRI chemicals emitted. The shipyard achieved significant reductions in TRI releases through its consistent use of the Consolidated Hazardous Material Reutilization and Inventory Management Program. The program, also called "Pharmacy" by the military services, limits distribution of hazardous materials to authorized users in small quantities only. Unused material is returned to collection centers for redistribution. These simple management steps greatly reduce the use of hazardous material and worker exposure to the material.
As DoD downsizes, thanks to the end of the Cold War, the BRAC [base realignment and closure] program has focused on transforming former bases into viable economic and environmental assets by empowering local communities to chart their own economic futures.
In addition, many DoD installations are the last bastions for several endangered species and plants.
- Denver is home to two very important institutions: Mayor Wellington Webb and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. A portion of the arsenal has been made into a wildlife refuge and hosts almost 300 species of wildlife. It is also one of the best examples of short-grass prairie left in the West. Fishermen cast for bass in the refuge's catch-and-release ponds, and school-children get their first close-up glimpse of a bald eagle. All of this activity on the largest cleanup project in all of DoD.
- San Francisco -- home of Mayor Willie Brown and the Presidio -- is another closure base which is being transformed. The Army transferred the installation property to the National Park Service in 1994. While the Army is performing cleanup activities there, the Park Service is playing a key role in the management and care of this beautiful landmark. This national treasure attracts visitors from all over the world and is a valuable asset to the city.
- DoD's Office of Economic Adjustment supports the formation and operation of local redevelopment authorities to promote economic revitalization. A successful reuse plan depends on a community's ability to form alliances that should include workers, businesses, civic leaders, local government, interest groups and traditional underrepresented populations.
- The Office of Economic Adjustment tracks the number of civilian jobs created and lost at 48 (out of 97) BRAC bases. Since 1993, 30,892 new jobs have been created.
- President Clinton's five-part Community Reinvestment Plan emphasized fast-track cleanup at BRAC bases. After almost four years, we believe the program is working because DoD works in partnership with the community, the state, local government and other federal agencies to reach the mutual goal of economic reuse.
In 1994, I issued a memo to my counterparts in the military services encouraging them to maximize opportunities for small disadvantaged businesses in DoD contracts for environmental services. Since environmental cleanup is one of our largest programs, a small business work group was formed to improve access by small businesses to environmental cleanup opportunities.
- An environmental cleanup homepage was established on the Internet.
- Small businesses need exposure. For the past two years, we sponsored the Environmental Cleanup/Small Business Awards. Last year's recipients included a woman-owned business, Human Factors Application, Inc., and two minority business firms, Oarga Services, and the other, also headed by a woman, is Peer Consultants. [Can we say "crony capitalism" ? In the infamous words of Chairman Obama, Yes We Can!]
(1995 Cleanup stats [statistics]: U.S. business received about $1.3 billion; small business received $194 million, or 14 percent; small disadvantaged business received $99 million, or 7.2 percent; and women-owned business received $25 million, or 1.8 percent.)
Community participation in DoD's cleanup program is key to our success. We take great care to keep the public informed and involved in environmental cleanup decisions which impact them. Restoration advisory boards are our primary outlet to foster this communication.
A RAB is a forum through which members of nearby communities can provide input to DoD's environmental cleanup program at active, closing or realigning installations and formerly used defense sites. RABs include members of the local community and representatives of the installation, the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], the state, tribal and local governments.
It is DoD policy to have a balanced and diverse representation on a RAB to reflect the diversity of interests within a community. More than 250 DoD installations are participating on a RAB. I encourage every one of you who have bases in your cities to get involved with your RAB or to work with the public affairs office on the base to determine if there is enough community interest to establish a RAB.
As a side note, DoD is developing the Technical Assistance for Public Participation program to help community members of RABs participate more effectively in the restoration program at local installations. Through TAPP, community members will have the resources to obtain objective, independent analysis of technical cleanup issues. The Congress authorized DoD to spend $6 million for the TAPP program. We plan on having a final TAPP rule completed by the end of this year. (For more information, please visit our Web site [http://www.dtic.mil/envirodod/envirodod.html].)
In addition to RABs, another community-based partnership is with the Naval District Washington. The National Urban Tree House is a cooperative, community-based program involving natural resources education, urban forestry, outreach and research. The program includes education and outreach programs for at-risk youth living in the Anacostia-Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington. There are five research projects in progress, focusing on human and natural environmental relationships and cooperative planning research. [What does this have to do with national defense ? Just curious.]
I wanted to touch on the role of training and how DoD is integrating environmental justice training into our own internal community through education and outreach programs. We are in the process of developing a curriculum about environmental justice for incorporation into all DoD environmental training programs and for our senior leadership. [Well, at least no one was sent to a reeducation camp.] In addition, DoD administers the Environmental Scholarship, Fellowship and Grants Program, which provides environmental education and training partnerships among public universities.
DoD is supporting environmental training to disadvantaged young adults through the Clark Atlanta University and the Minority Institution Consortium. They also offer hazardous waste training courses and degree programs in environmental sciences and engineering.
To summarize DoD's progress in implementing the executive order, we are focusing on four areas:
- Incorporating environmental justice issues into existing policy and guidance;
- Promoting economic opportunities in BRAC communities and small business opportunities for minority businesses;
- Encouraging impacted communities to participate in environmental cleanup decisions that affect them; and
- Training DoD personnel and raising their awareness of environmental justice."
http://www.defense.gov/speeches/speech.aspx?speechid=647
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The rest of the DoD document introduced earlier is much like Inner Party Member Goodman's speech. I, like you, can only take so much and no more.
Before you call me a crackpot and tell me this is old news that happened years ago, let's fast foward to 2012:
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(Emphasis in italics, outrage in brackets.)
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" 'Even as orchestrated campaigns succeed in convincing a growing number of Americans to doubt the established evidence of climate change, the Department of Defense must remain committed to continuing its science-based efforts to address the expected dramatic and far reaching impacts of climate change on the military and on national security.'
Dr. Oreskes, who is also a Professor of History and Science Studies at the University of California, San Diego, and an Adjunct Professor of Geosciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, cited SERDP for peer-reviewed research the program first sponsored in the early 1990s, which added to the scientific evidence of climate change.
Still, she cautioned that even as DoD moves forward in establishing policy and taking action on climate change, the ongoing efforts by certain groups aimed at sowing doubt among Americans and policymakers have succeeded in stalling wide-ranging federal action for the nation as a whole.
Regarding climate change, Americans in general have 'engaged in some magical thinking,' Dr. Oreskes said. 'We’ve denied, or at least doubted, the facts. We’ve persuaded ourselves that the matter is unsettled. But as Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, ‘we may be entitled to our own opinions, but we’re not entitled to our own facts’,' said Dr. Oreskes. 'And the facts of climate change are very clear. By denying those facts, we’ve put ourselves on a collision course with our own future.'
The successful efforts to spread doubt about climate change and its causes are similar to campaigns by a small group of scientists with connections in industry and politics to question the evidence linking smoking to lung cancer, CFCs to the ozone hole, and coal smoke to acid rain, Dr. Oreskes said. In Merchants of Doubt, Dr. Oreskes and coauthor Erik M. Conway detailed the long history of these groups’ campaigns.
'For climate change, they’ve applied the same strategy as they used for tobacco – to insist that the science related to these environmental issues was unsettled and it would be premature for the government to act,' Dr. Oreskes said. As with tobacco and its effects on public health, delaying action on climate change risks potentially devastating consequences for the environment and human health and well being.'
'This is why the facts of science still matter greatly, because we ignore the facts of nature at our peril,' Dr. Oreskes said. 'Denying them does not make them go away.'
'Without energy, there is no economy. And without climate, there is no environment,' Dr. Holdren said. 'Without economy and environment, there is no material well being, no civilized society, no personal or national security. The problem is the world is getting most of the energy its economies need in ways that are imperiling the climate its environment needs. Much greater harm is ahead unless we move rapidly to reduce the offending emissions and adapt to the changes in climate that are no longer avoidable.'
The implications of climate change for DoD are profound, Dr. Holdren said. 'The United States’ dependence on oil and greenhouse gas driven climate change both pose significant national and international security challenges,' he said.
Climate change itself can have impacts on international tensions, [ ???] Dr. Holdren explained. It can increase conflicts over scarce resources such as water, and it can have impacts on the types of missions, for example, those necessitated by instability from flows of environmental refugees. Climate change also can influence the effectiveness of troops in combat as in heatwaves or duststorms. And it can affect troop training and readiness as military installations, depending on location, are subjected to more frequent and varied weather extremes, such as storm surge, sea level rise, more intense hurricanes, or hotter and drier climate.
Regarding energy, DoD is both a major user of fossil fuels and a major emitter of greenhouse gases, Dr. Holdren noted. He praised DoD, and SERDP and ESTCP, for meeting both the energy and environmental challenges in several ways.
First, Dr. Holdren cited DoD’s extensive investment in science and technology to develop such innovations as advanced fuel systems, hybrid propulsion systems, high efficiency engines, lightweight components, and alternative biofuels for ships and aircraft. [Guess who's paying for this junk science ? You are, silly!]
Second, he noted the military’s early procurement of energy efficient technologies and clean energy, which can bring down costs and make these options more available for the nation as a whole. ESTCP’s Installation Energy Test Bed initiative is a good example of early procurement, Dr. Holdren noted. Through this initiative, DoD facilities throughout the nation are being used as energy test beds for innovative technologies. These test beds are validating performance costs and environmental impacts and enabling DoD to transfer lessons learned in design procurement across services and installations.
Third, Dr. Holdren cited DoD’s innovation and responsible operations at installations, including the use of clean energy, energy efficient practices, and environmental stewardship. Building efficiency, he noted, can reduce costs, improve reliability, and improve sustainability on installations. DoD, through SERDP and ESTCP, also is studying advanced electric power systems, which can reduce costs, improve resilience, secure power for critical loads, and reduce carbon emissions. Examples include utility-scale distributed power, wind, solar and fuel cells, microgrids, and vehicle-to-grid power.
'In short, the defense sector is a crucial player in the Obama administration’s national strategy of innovation to address energy and climate challenges,' Dr. Holdren told Symposium & Workshop attendees. 'What you are doing in this domain is immensely important. It is the leading edge, and the White House very much appreciates it.'
'Under the auspices of SERDP and ESTCP, advanced technologies were developed that enhanced the natural degradation of some of the more troublesome contaminants,' Mr. Yonkers said. And advances in nanotechnologies, bioremediation, and chemical approaches are emerging that will help accelerate cleanup even more, he noted.
'Not only are these technologies leading to cost savings, but they are allowing us to meet regulatory standards and to close out sites and do it much more quickly,' Mr. Yonkers said. Sites that just a few years ago were projected to take 50 to 100 years to complete now are projected to be cleaned up in 8 to 10 years, he said.
Still, Mr. Yonkers acknowledged significant challenges remain for cleaning up contaminants such as chlorinated solvents and munitions at difficult sites. Regulatory agencies also are proposing stricter standards on a number of emerging contaminants. 'As we think about the future, we have to be conducting research that addresses a dynamic challenging regulatory cleanup environment with tighter standards,' he said.
Mr. Yonkers also discussed several other areas where progress has been made and challenges remain, including natural resources, sustainability, recycling, pollution prevention, and energy.
The Air Force is the single largest user of energy in the federal government, he said. In FY 2011, the service spent $8 billion on energy - $6.5 billion on jet fuel, $1.1 billion to run installations, and $400 million to fuel non-tactical vehicles. Fuel costs for the Air Force for FY 2012 are projected to exceed $9 billion, he said.
'At the same time we seek to reduce demand and the annual costs, we’re also pursuing energy security,' said Mr. Yonkers. 'Reliable uninterrupted energy is essential in meeting our critical infrastructure needs and hence our critical missions.'
'SERDP’s charter is no less critical today than it was 25 years ago, perhaps more so,' Mr. Yonkers said. In connection with ESTCP, he further indicated that bringing that innovation to the marketplace is key.
Project-of-the-Year Awards Showcase Program Successes and DoD Benefits
During the opening plenary session, SERDP and ESTCP announced
five Projects of the Year to recognize outstanding achievements and
technical advances with significant benefits to DoD. (Photo by Cassi Hayden)
five Projects of the Year to recognize outstanding achievements and
technical advances with significant benefits to DoD. (Photo by Cassi Hayden)
SERDP Projects of the Year
- ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION: Assessing Vapor Intrusion at Chlorinated Solvent-Impacted Sites (Dr. Paul C. Johnson, Arizona State University)
- MUNITIONS RESPONSE: Advanced Signal Processing for UXO Discrimination (Dr. Fridon Shubitidze, Dartmouth College and Sky Research, Inc.)
- RESOURCE CONSERVATION & CLIMATE CHANGE: Forecasting the Effects of Multiple, Interacting Stressors on At-Risk Populations (Dr. Joshua J. Lawler, University of Washington)
- WEAPONS SYSTEMS & PLATFORMS: Combustion Science to Reduce Particulate Matter Emissions for Military Platforms (Dr. Mel Roquemore, Air Force Research Laboratory)
- Passive Sampling to Support Remediation Of Contaminated Sediments (Dr. Philip M. Gschwend, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Following the opening plenary session, attendees took part in the technical program, which offered a selection of 15 technical sessions and four short courses. Technical sessions highlighted research and innovative technologies that are helping DoD address increasingly complex environmental challenges such as energy efficiency and security, emissions from gas turbine engines, controlling munitions constituents on operational ranges, classification of military munitions, and climate change vulnerabilities and impacts.
Stimulating presentations encouraged audience participation and follow-on discussion throughout the technical program. (Photo by
Cassi Hayden)
Cassi Hayden)
Throughout the conference, attendees also took advantage of the many opportunities to meet with colleagues, exchange information, and tour the Exhibit Hall, which featured more than 450 poster presentations and 11 booths showcasing technologies and scientific advances from SERDP, ESTCP, and related environmental and energy research programs.
Presentations from the plenary session, technical sessions, and short courses are available at http://symposium2011.serdp-estcp.org. Coming soon to the web site are on-demand videos from the four short courses—Implementing Classification on a Munitions Response Project, Estimating DNAPL Source Zone Natural Attenuation, Thermal Treatment Technologies: Lessons Learned, and Field Methods to Distinguish between Vapor Intrusion and Indoor Sources of VOCs.
Planning is now under way for the 2012 Symposium & Workshop to be held November 27-29 in Washington, D.C. Watch http://symposium2012.serdp-estcp.org for details. The Call for Poster Abstracts will be released by the end of May with abstracts due July 31.
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