The Red, White, and Green

Photo via Flickr: Brownpau

Quick quiz: How much did each of the Big Five oil companies pay in federal taxes last year? I’ll give you a hint: It rhymes with Nero.

Nero, as in the infamous emperor who fiddled while Rome burned. Who took sadistic pleasure in the suffering of others. I think the comparison is apt, considering the giant corporations in this country (like ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, ConcocoPhillips, and Chevron) that are reaping record profits at a time when a lot of Americans can’t even put food on the table. At a time when Republicans want to cut funding for schools and disabled veterans in the name of reducing the federal deficit.

Want to reduce the federal deficit? Take away the $4 billion a year that Big Oil receives in subsidies.

That’s what the Democrats are proposing, anyway, which is why today the Senate Finance Committee is holding a hearing with the Big Five executives, who I’m guessing will use every move in their fear-mongering playbook to convince our elected representatives (our elected representatives, as in We, the People) why they deserve a helping hand against the backdrop of more than $35 billion in profits in the first quarter of 2011 alone.

My only question is: Why is it the Democrats who are proposing an end to these subsidies? Isn’t supporting capitalism at its essence (i.e., no subsidies) a core value of the Republican party?

If the Republicans (i.e., the Tea Party Patriots) don’t support repealing oil subsidies, then they don’t have a leg to stand on.

–Jennifer Grayson

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This is the beginning of a new era. If there were ever a time to break free from our dependence on Middle East oil, to move toward our clean energy future, the time is now. As our President said so eloquently last night,

…Let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.

We are capable of anything. Long live the Red, White, and Green — the Red, White, and Blue.

–Jennifer Grayson

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A map of RadNet, EPA's nationwide radiation monitoring system

The federal budget deadline is today, and there’s been a lot of speculation about what a government shutdown could mean for the environment. Yesterday, The Huffington Post reported that the National Park Service could suffer a big blow, citing the 368 parks that were closed during the last government shutdown in 1995-1996.

While I love our national parks profoundly and feel for the workers who may go without pay as a result (not to mention the thousands of stranded vacationers), I think we have a more pressing matter here, and that is: Who’s going to be monitoring the radioactive material that may or may not be affecting the United States as a result of the Fukushima nuclear disaster?

Not EPA, whose RadNet monitoring stations have been keeping tabs on the situation: Administrator Lisa Jackson said the agency would start planning its “orderly shutdown” as of 12:00 this morning. Other watchdogs, like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Defense, may also have to send workers home.

The Department of Energy, which has been recording data with its own aerial monitoring system, may be able to stay in business for the meantime — though it’s unclear how long its funding will last.

There’s a sushi restaurant near me that recently invested in a Geiger counter…

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Wikimedia: National Park Service

This President’s Day, I’m offering evidence that The Red, White, and Green isn’t another left-leaning environmentalist blog. That’s right: We’re honoring a Republican.

Theodore (“Teddy”) Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States. Proof that what now constitutes “conservative” and “liberal” agendas can coexist within the same presidency — heck, within the same man. War hero, Nobel Peace Prize winner, trust buster, hunter. And most relevant to this site, one of our national parks’ greatest champions: creator of five national parks, 18 national monuments (including what is now Grand Canyon National Park), and more than 100 million acres of national forests.

Remember when part of being a conservative was to conserve? I don’t. Will a real Republican please stand up?

–Jennifer Grayson

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AP Photo: Charles Dharapak

The green blogosphere is all abuzz today over the fact that President Obama failed to mention global warming in last night’s State of the Union speech. I say, Who cares?

Nearly 50 percent of Americans now doubt the existence of man-made climate change. Bridge-builder that he is, the president has the sense to realize environmentalists are wasting an awful lot of time and energy screaming at the other side that we’re right.

Instead, we need to focus on all of the other eco efforts he did mention in his speech, like investments in clean energy technology, green jobs — even high-speed rail. Guess what all of those things would help fight?

You guessed it: global warming.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: House GOP Leader

Health care repeal may have passed the House, but it doesn’t stand a chance of passing in the Senate. Still, that hasn’t stopped the Dems from growing a pair and launching an offensive against the GOP’s fruitless efforts. And rightfully so: Americans need to hear why, when so many families are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, Republicans are wasting our time standing up for bloated corporations and pharmaceutical companies.

We know repeal would mean leaving 50 million uninsured Americans high and dry; I say it would be bad news for the planet, too. Here’s why:

With health reform in place, insurance companies will be forced to insure everyone, which means they’ll have to focus more on preventive care to help keep costs in check (e.g., nutrition counseling costs a lot less in the long run than open heart surgery). If reform is revoked, however, our for-profit, quick-fix, waste-driven system will only get worse, including:

Pill pollution. Antibiotics, antidepressants, and sex hormones have already found their way into the drinking water of 41 million Americans. With people denied regular care for chronic conditions, we’ll continue to be a pill-popping nation.

Hospital waste. Hospitals produce 6,600 tons of waste every day. If Americans aren’t able to see their doctors before illnesses become complicated to treat, we’ll continue to see more surgeries, more hospitalizations, and more disposal plastic products as a result in our landfills.

Pesticide-laden commodity crops. You don’t have to have seen Food, Inc. to know that our food system is seriously f-d up, and that America’s agricultural policies are fueling our genetically modified, atrazine-doused, high fructose corn syrup–laden junk food habits. But without mandated coverage, we won’t be forced to connect the dots between ag policy and out-of-control health care costs. Insurance providers and Big Pharma can keep turning record profits, and cost-effective methods (like gasp! a healthy diet) to prevent chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer can continue to be tossed by the wayside.

–Jennifer Grayson

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The State of the Union address will always be near and dear to my heart; it’s when, 12 years ago, I shared my first kiss with my now-husband. (What can I say? Politics has always been a turn-on.) But it’s the buzz that Democrats and Republicans could be crossing party lines to sit together at next Tuesday’s speech that has me feeling particularly warm and fuzzy.

The gesture, an attempt to unite the country after the hostile political climate that preceded last week’s tragic shooting in Tucson, is largely symbolic. But it’s also one that could set us on the path to a united front for a whole host of important issues.

The most top-of-mind, of course, is gun control. But red and blue united could have profound implications for green, too: tackling the toxic chemicals in consumer products; catching up to China’s green tech revolution; boosting safety standards for offshore oil drilling. Aren’t these environmental issues we can all sit side-by-side on?

–Jennifer Grayson

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Martin Luther King Day. Meatless Monday. Seems like an odd pairing for a post, except that Dexter Scott King, the second son of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is a longtime vegan:

From People magazine, where the younger King was once named one of its 50 Most Beautiful People:

As head of Atlanta’s Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Dexter led his family’s three-month battle with the National Park Service over its plans to build a visitors’ center on land the Kings coveted for a museum…He attributes much of his vigor to a vegetarian diet (“It got me in touch with my energy”) and to a health-food store product: Dr. Hauschka’s facial cleanser (“I use it every day”).

Granted, that People article is from 1995, but Dexter King still holds his post as chairman of the board of directors for The King Center, and is, by all accounts, still a vegan. (I’m not so sure about the Dr. Hauschka cleanser.) Inspired by her son, the late Coretta Scott King was also a vegan for the last 15 years of her life.

Eating lower on the food chain continues Dr. King’s message of nonviolence — for the animals, obviously, but really, for all Americans: By lessening our dependence on petroleum-intensive animal agriculture, we also help ensure that we never again fight a senseless war for oil.

Happy birthday, Dr. King.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights. And solar power, as seen in this photo. Photo via Facebook

As we struggle to make sense of the senseless tragedy in Arizona, now seems as good a time as any to bring up the environmentalist stance on the Second Amendment. It would seem that being green would also mean being anti-gun, since the leftist agenda usually includes the two, but this is not always the case.

Ironically, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was gravely injured in Saturday’s shooting, is a strong supporter of the right to bear arms — and is even a gun owner herself. She is also an ardent advocate for solar energy. (Not surprising, considering Arizona is the sunniest state in the country.)

Hunters, too, often consider themselves conservationists, since their sport and/or livelihood depends on keeping natural lands intact for wildlife. In fact, much of the money for government conservation efforts comes from hunting licenses and taxes on firearms sales.

But hunting rifles in the woods are one thing; there’s no justification — green or otherwise — for a semi-automatic handgun at a shopping center in Tucson. Nor is there one for a “target” map as part of a political campaign.

My thoughts and prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, the shooting victims, and their families.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Abeeeer

Now that the dust has settled on the Republicans’ Nov. 2 sweep, I have to wonder: What will this mean for the Red, White, and Green? (Not this site; I now have plenty of fodder for the weeks ahead. I mean the environmental future of this country.) It’s pretty well established that most of the red candidates didn’t exactly put green at the forefront of their campaigns. In fact, a quick survey of their websites reveals that many barely mention the words energy or environment.

So what can we expect from the Republican newbies? Are they all a bunch of climate deniers, or is there a glimmer of hope from some? A quick look:

Sen.-elect John Boozman (R-AK): Calls Cap and Trade a “radical policy” and has led the fight against expanding the Clean Water Act.

Sen.-elect Dan Coats (R-IN): His lobbying and law firm counts Halliburton and BP among its clients.

Sen.-elect Rand Paul (R-KY): Rails against subsidizing alternative energy sources like wind and solar; no mention of repealing the current subsidies for oil companies.

Sen.-elect Kelly Ayotte (R-NH): Questions whether global warming is man-made. This, despite a pro-environment record as the state’s former attorney general.

Rep.-elect Marlin Stutzman (R-IN): Helped create tax credits for biofuel producers in Indiana, but calls climate change a “manufactured controversy.”

Rep.-elect Dan Benishek (R-MI): Blames the lack of energy development in the US on “radical environmentalism.” Signed the No Climate Tax Pledge.

All in all, an astounding 50 percent of the incoming GOP freshman class say it’s climate change they can’t believe in. Read more about it here.

–Jennifer Grayson

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