Uppity Wisconsin

As most of you are well aware, last week was a snow week in Washington, DC, and the odds are pretty good that there‘s something like that going on for you as well.

Our good friends in the conservative community have seized upon the moment as proof that this whole “global warming” thing is just a big scam perpetrated by the likes of Al Gore and his Legion Of Weather Nazis; their mission being only to deprive the American people of their Constitutional right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of a Ford Super Duty F-450 King Ranch Edition with the Heavy Service Suspension Package, Snow Plow Prep Package, Transmission Power Take-Off Provision, dual alternators, and supplemental cab heater.

To drive the point home, last week Senator James Inhofe’s family went to the time and trouble to build a little igloo on the National Mall for our amusement.

But here’s a question: just what has the weather been like in other places—for example, in my part of the world...or in the Senator’s home State of Oklahoma? It’s a good question—and the Senator won’t like the answer.

We'll believe it when we see it, but the Journal Sentinel reports that we energies is forecasting lower heating bills for this winter than last year:

Key contributors to the decline: a winter that’s 8% warmer than last year and slightly warmer than normal.

Get that news to State Sen. Glenn Grothman and State Rep. Jim Ott, who co-chair the Wisconsin Legislature's Flat Earth caucus.

The pair have been insisting that Wisconsin's been colder the last two years, so there must not be any global warming.

A representative of the Union of Concerned Scientists patiently explained to a legislative committee that climate is measured in spans of 20 to 30 years, while weather is measured in short periods of time. Ott, a former TV weatherman, is used to measuring it every 15 minutes or so.

So if it's cold out tomorrow, forget what we energies said.  That will be evidence that global warming is over.

The debate over a proposed Wisconsin climate change bill has prompted dueling memos from Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and its allies and the co-chairs of the Governor's Task Force on Global Warming, which is sponsoring the bill.

It also has prompted at least one Freudian slip: WMC complained about the scope of the 174-page bill draft:

We do not believe you intended each policy recommendation contained in the Final Report to be rolled into one, omnibus bill.

Which caused Task Force Co-Chairs Tia Nelson and Roy Thilly to respond:

First, the memo states that our policy recommendations were not intended to be rolled into one ominous bill. This is incorrect.

It’s time, once again, to bring you the news that is not yet news.

For those not yet aware, there will be a climate change conference in New York City next week, conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. The 100 world leaders who will be participating in the conference will be arriving on Monday, and if you’re in New York City the same day, you have a chance to participate in a not-to-be-forgotten “welcome event” and pranking opportunity.

Follow along and I’ll tell you how to get involved—and if you do, they’ll even send you home with a lovely parting gift.

Students in schools throughout the Blue Water Area responded to a call for essay writing explaining what President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration means to them.

"Barack Obama’s inauguration means help with global warming. He believes that global warming is a real threat that needs immediate response." - By Jordan Day, 10, a fifth-grader at Thomas A. Edison Elementary School in Fort Gratiot

The PSC will soon make a final decision on the application by Alliant Energy to build a coal-fired plant n the Mississippi River near Cassville, WI.

We are currently in a public input period for this, but it ends at Midnight Today.  If you are interested in stopping this plant, please leave input on the PSC's Web Site .

Why oppose this plant?  It will

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Last Thursday, the University of Wisconsin-Madison published this story:

An electric snowmobile built by student members of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering Clean Snowmobile Team is now in Greenland, on loan to the National Science Foundation . . . at the Greenland Environmental Observatory (GEO Summit Camp).

Dubbed the Bucky EV, the snowmobile won the zero-emissions category of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC) in Houghton, Michigan, earlier this spring. The goal of this event is to promote the development of clean vehicles that can be used in environmentally sensitive areas where a gas-powered vehicle would contaminate air or snow samples . . .

Location

See map: Google MapsREGIONALLY, this blog concentrates on Northern Thailand and Wisconsin.

TOPICS blogged about include: ~ media ~ environmental awareness ~ community empowerment ~ sustainability & sufficiency ~ agriculture ~ globalization ~ economics ~ government & politics ~ history ~ education ~ religion ~ AND peace

This just in from the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters:

PROTECT A PAST PRIORITY--SEND COMMENTS BY WEDNESDAY AT 5 PM!

Dear Steve,

As you probably remember, Gov. Doyle signed the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Bill (Act 141) in March 2006.  Citizens had been contacting their legislators for well over a year about this bill, and for good reason--it set a renewable energy standard of 10% by 2015, and put Wisconsin on the path to clean, renewable energy sources and jobs of the future.  It was an important, forward-thinking step in the face of a changing economy and the looming global warming crisis.   

One year later, in April 2007, Gov. Doyle signed Executive Order 191, which created the Governor's Task Force on Global Warming.  The Task Force was charged with developing policy recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  This, too, was an important step because scientists have said we must begin to address global warming immediately.

Last year, in a program promoted by the World Wildlife Fund and Sydney, Australia, Sydney turned off all of its lights for one hour.  The effort was an attempt to draw attention to responsible energy use and the issue of global warming.

This year the WWF is asking us to do so around the world.  An hour of darkness doesn't seem too much to ask. If you'd like to participate, turn off your lights between 8 and 9 PM on Saturday, your own local time. Learn more from the Earth Hour web site .

We figured it's about time to practice what we preach here. As of today, Uppity Wisconsin (and indeed, every Cruiskeen Consulting web site) is carbon neutral. We've purchased carbon certificates to cover both our web hosting infrastructure and our travel. So from now on, you can "click green" whenever you come here.

And for those of you who are going to scream how we're just being politically correct in your blogs -- here's another one for you - we're funding wind farms and farm-based methane electrical production through a Native-American based company.

Thought you might want to know.

The Governor's Task Force on Global Warming will hold its first round of public input sessions on August 6, 2007 from 4 to 7 p.m. The session is planned to be held simultaneously in Green Bay, Milwaukee, La Crosse and Madison and is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

If possible, pre-register here. A pdf is at that link that has all the location information for each site.

The task force is made up of "prominent" people - so this is a chance for us non-prominent people to speak. Take this opportunity to speak out on an important issue.

   CNN Airs Rightwing Talker's 'Expose' Of Global Warming

Climate Change, Our Actions, Our Spiritual Journeys Intergenerational Retreat sponsored by Waysmeet Quaker Center 5PM Friday May 4 through 1PM Sunday May 6, 2007 Beaver Creek Reserve, Fall Creek WI (near Eau Claire). We know that our physical sustenance depends on ecosystems that have developed and are dependent on stable climate systems. We are learning how greatly our daily lives and habits affect those systems. The frightening extent of predicted changes deeply affects our emotions and our spiritual lives. This weekend retreat for families and individuals of all ages will be an opportunity to examine all these facets of climate change and to identify ways we can move forward with positive actions. The program will include a mix of presentations & discussion; art, music, and hands-on activities; and time for self-examination and reflection. Schedule below the fold...