Go Green

By John Sutter

Couple of interesting articles on T. Boone Pickens. He’s got more on his plate than predicting oil prices and writing fat checks to Oklahoma State.

First, from Business Week, a story about his water rights purchases in Texas:

If water is the new oil, T. Boone Pickens is a modern-day John D. Rockefeller. Pickens owns more water than any other individual in the U.S. and is looking to control even more. He hopes to sell the water he already has, some 65 billion gallons a year, to Dallas, transporting it over 250 miles, 11 counties, and about 650 tracts of private property.

Then, from a WSJ blog, more on wind power debates in Congress. The “choicest remarks” in the debate came from Pickens, the blog reports. Pickens owns the world’s largest wind farm, located in the Texas Panhandle:

If we take the natural gas we’re using for electrical generation and move it to transportation, we can replace 38 percent of our foreign oil imports. And that, sports fans, is a real number. (Pickens)

By John Sutter

When I was up in the Oklahoma Panhandle a couple of weeks ago covering the drought, I decided to drop by Kenton, an out-of-the-way place that sits at the foot of Black Mesa, and is the only place in Oklahoma that goes by Mountain Time.

In Kenton, they call it “slow time.” This has all sorts of quirky implications for an independent-minded place like Kenton. It’s especially interesting, though, that Kenton isn’t technically on Mountain Time. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which keeps track of such things, the town is on Central Time, just like the rest of Oklahoma.

For some reason, long before anyone can remember, Kenton decided to switch. The change has stuck, and even the postmaster in town goes by “slow time.”

I bring this up on the environment blog because there’s much ecotourism to be done in Kenton. It’s supposedly a birder’s paradise — with entirely different species from the rest of Oklahoma. And you can hike local canyons and to the top of Black Mesa, which is the highest point in Oklahoma. The land is volcanic, and so there’s a creek bed where dinosaur tracks are frozen in time.

When you drive west from Boise City to Kenton, the land seems to instantly change — prairie to canyon-land in a snap. It’s little-known, but Oklahoma has some of the greatest ecological diversity of any state in the nation. Depending on how you slice it, there are 8 to 12 distinct ecosystems in the state. They’re worth seeing for yourself.

(PS: I got the idea to drop by Kenton when I stumbled onto a blog at okaycity.com.)

By John Sutter

Because I know you didn’t spend the whole weekend sifting through newspapers, here are a few articles of eco-interest you may have missed.

Pig waste: Overnight last Wednesday, a Tyson Foods hog farm in southeast Oklahoma spewed liquid manure — 10,000 gallons of it — all over a field on its property. The spill is being called an accident by Tyson and the state Department of Agriculture. Its spokesman, Jack Carson, said regulatory action is unlikely. Terri Savage, who’s a member of the state environmental quality board, said pig farms like Tyson’s are a “ticking time bomb” for accidents such as this. Oklahoma is the 8th largest pig producer in the nation, with more than 2 million pigs.

Canadian River: A new state study shows creeks and rivers in the Canadian River watershed — which flows across south-central Oklahoma and through Norman — often are contaminated with bacteria 50 to 100 times state standards. Such contamination is common in Oklahoma and the country, but it means swimming can in these waters be risky for some people, particularly the old and young. Most of the pollution is thought to come from animal agriculture.  (you can send comments to the DEQ at an address listed on this public notice.)

Drought: Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Terry Peach is scheduled to visit the drought-stricken Oklahoma Panhandle this week. The situation there has been compared to the Dust Bowl by climatologists and Dust Bowl survivors. Locals have asked state officials to visit the area, and are pleased about Peach’s trip. The drought has received the government’s most severe drought rating. Climatologists in Oklahoma say the situation is consistent with predictions for drought patterns in a warming climate.

Oil spill: A leaky storage tank at Tall Grass Petroleum spilled about 10,000 gallons of oil near Skiatook on June 16. Rain carried the oil into nearby creeks, and environmental officials are still working to clean up the mess. Officials say ecosystems were not damaged by the spill. An environmental official with the Osage Nation, which owns some of the damaged land, said the oil was 3 inches thick on the water in some places. She said clean-up efforts were going well.

What if I told you there was a way to simplify your life and at the same time, do something good for the environment?

What if I also told you that a few simple steps would also reduce the amount of junk mail and catalogs that flood your mailbox every day?

By following these tips from author Sid Kirchheimer, you can reduce the amount of paper that is mailed to your home, plus save you the headache of shredding all those credit card applications.

1. Visit www.optoutprescreen.com to stop pre-approved credit card applications and phone calls.

2. You can also go to www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist and complete the opt-out mailing form, then click the “register online” button. This is the fastest way to get off of the mailing list of the Direct Marketing Association, but it costs $5. Small price to pay, if you ask me.

One other tip that I’ve been hearing on National Public Radio is to visit www.catalogchoice.org to decline paper catalogs you no longer want to receive. Not only do you reduce the impact on the environment, but it might also help you save money by reducing your catalog shopping.

As a recent college graduate, I have an overabundance of credit card, insurance and other unsolicited mailings that clog up my parents’ mailbox every day. So, you’re welcome Mom and Dad! I’m taking my own advice and helping save the environment. But can I keep my J Crew catalog subscription? Please!

Read the full exceprt from Sid Kirchheimer’s “Scam-Proof Your Life” at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16531776/wid/18298287/.

-Lisa 

Dark skies: Millard Fowler at his wheat fields last week. The skies look ominous, but little if any rain fell.

Memories: Fowler carries this photo of his wife, who died at the end of 2007, in his wallet. She was his raven-haired city girl, and he was her goofy country boy. They were married during the heart of the Dust Bowl. Surviving her death was the hardest thing he’s ever done, Fowler said.

By John Sutter

Millard Fowler, 95, was kind enough to take a break from harvesting wheat this afternoon to talk to me from his combine for the Environment Podcast. Fowler is on the phone from Boise City to talk about a drought in the Oklahoma Panhandle that he says is drier than the Dust Bowl, which he lived through.

I asked Fowler about his health because he told me he was hospitalized last week with heart problems. This week, he’s already back out to harvest. He doesn’t expect to bring in much of a crop this year — and probably won’t break even, he said. But he’s not planning on leaving the area, and says other locals are firmly enough rooted in this land that they won’t be leaving either.

Watch a video featuring Fowler and other Cimarron County residents below:

By John Sutter

I’ve heard officials in Oklahoma say that some of our air quality woes are due to pollution that floats north from Texas. Some of the highest smog readings in Oklahoma, for instance, come in right along the Red River, on the Texas border.

The Wichita Eagle put that situation in better context with this story.

The paper talks about air quality as an interstate problem that will require cooperation between cities and states. From their perspective, it is Oklahoma’s pollution that is floating north and causing some of the trouble with unheathy air.

… pollution moves up from larger cities to the south such as Oklahoma City and Dallas. Besides reducing its own ozone, Wichita will have to work regionally with other cities to reduce air pollution, which doesn’t recognize borders.

This all comes against the backdrop of regulation changes. The EPA recently tightened its smog rule, which now has more cities and even rural areas worried about air quality. (my story and podcast on that change; also check out our air quality site.)

By John Sutter

Here’s a bit of what I’m following this week, or found interesting in recent environment news:

Energy: The Economist’s cover story this week is about the need for innovation in the energy sector. As their charts show, changes in the energy sector have been slow, but major economic booms have occurred when new types of energy are discovered and used. Oil has been cheap, so there’s been little incentive for change until recently, the magazine writes. But those times are over. Wind and solar can compete with coal, and, in California, groups like google.org are searching for further alternatives. Oklahoma is situated to be a top-10 wind producer, but most of that potential hasn’t been realized.

Climate: James E. Hansen spoke on Capitol Hill yesterday, 20 years after the scientist testified before Congress that global warming is real and caused by humans. As The New York Times notes on its “Dot Earth” blog, Monday’s talk and Hansen’s previous comments have stirred discussion on this question: Are the leaders of big oil companies committing crimes by knowingly emitting pollutants known to alter the climate and cause extinctions? What do you think?

Sewers: The News-Leader, in Missouri, found that municipal sewers are leaking and fouling up rivers, despite fines from the government. Oklahoma sewer systems paid some of the biggest fines, according to the story:

- States where sewer systems paid the largest amounts in fines, both federal and state, were: California ($7.8 million), Tennessee ($3.4 million), New York ($3 million), Kentucky ($2.9 million), Maryland ($2 million), Florida ($1.5 million), Pennsylvania ($1.4 million), Indiana ($1.4 million), North Carolina ($1.2 million), and Oklahoma ($1.1 million).

Buses: As John A. Williams reports in The Oklahoman, some Edmond residents think riding the local bus sounds nice, but they won’t actually do it.

Climate: If you missed it last week, the U.S. government came out with its broadest report yet detailing the effects of climate change on extreme weather patterns. The report, issued by the Climate Change Science Program, says extreme weather “could seriously effect” agriculture, health and water, according to Reuters. Tying specific weather events to climate change is tricky, but in the long term, trends become more clear, according to scientists. In a center for severe weather like Oklahoma, I wonder what you all think of this report.

Drilling: George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain favor lifting a ban on offshore drilling to cut gas prices. Some have called that proposition disingenuous since the oil could take 10 years to actually hit the market. The Chicago Tribune looks at what offshore drilling could mean for Lake Michigan, and includes this bit from Oklahoma’s Jim Inhofe:

America’s outer continental shelf holds some 14 billion barrels of oil and 55 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, which according to Sen. James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican and ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is more than 25 years of Saudi Arabian imports. That’s in addition to the uncounted billions of barrels in North American oil shale, which, of course, is being extracted by Canada, but not by the United States.

Corn: NYT: Floods in the Midwest are leading the government to consider reducing ethanol mandates and planting conservation land with corn. That would off-set the crops that have drowned in floods. About a quarter of U.S. corn goes into ethanol, which has gained criticism from environmentalists.

Frogs: British scientists examine how Costa Rican tree frogs stave off a deadly fungus by sunbathing. Their skin absorbs and reflects the suns heat, so they don’t dry out. This video is cool, too.

Dish soap: Grist tests four green kitchen soaps. Most still contain potential carcinogens, the environment magazine writes, but read more to decide for yourself what’s safe, and what will tackle the grease on your pots and pans.

By John Sutter

In Sunday’s paper, I wrote about the people of the Oklahoma Panhandle — they’re a gritty, stubborn bunch, who are doing their best to survive a record drought. Last week government forecasters upgraded last week to their most severe category, and old timers comparing the situation to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. (see video at bottom of post; and check out a slideshow with pictures of the drought.)

I talked at length with a man named Millard Fowler, who survived the dirty thirties. He’s 95, and when I tried to call him this afternoon to check in, a friend answered his phone to say Millard was out on his combine, harvesting wheat.

When I last checked in with him on Friday morning, Millard had told me he’d just gotten out of the hospital after having trouble with his heart. He said he was in the hospital overnight, but otherwise was doing just fine. He said he was just getting old.

Then, today, he’s back out on the combine. Friends say he won’t let anyone else touch it.

You find this kind of resiliency, tenacity (even hardheadedness) in many people who live out in Cimarron County, at the western end of the Panhandle. When I first met Millard, we talked for a short while and then I asked him if we could go see his wheat fields, which he says will yield about a third of what they normally do because of the drought. I offered to drive, but he insisted he would. So we hopped in his big, red pickup truck.

“Buckle your seatbelt, you’ll be fine,” the 95-year-old said.

Some people in the Panhandle say this drought will be the end of many farmers and ranchers. Some ranchers already have sold off all of their cattle. Some wheat fields are barren. But there are other locals, like Millard, who downplay the impacts of the drought. Things in the Panhandle have always been hard, they say, and these tough people always seem to find a way to make it through.

They did it during the Dust Bowl, and they’ll do it again now.

Still, even Millard says he’s going to have to lease out his farmland this fall.

He’s getting too old, he said, and it’s too hard to break even without any rain.

By John Sutter

Here are some notes on recent environment stories you may have missed, and what’s coming up this week:

China: There’s a new report to add certainty to the idea that China has surpassed the United States as the world’s top carbon dioxide emitter. Carbon dioxide is the most significant greenhouse gas. You’ll recall that the Senate recently debated a cap-and-trade system to contol carbon emissions. It failed. U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, was an outspoken opponent of the bill.

Tar Creek: Tonight, tornado victims in Picher will get government offers for their property that was destroyed or damaged. Residents of the area, which is part of environmental disaster site, were already in the middle of a federal buyout process when the tornado hit. Find more background on the story here, and look for a story from tonight’s meeting in Tuesday’s paper.

Drought: The Oklahoma Panhandle remains in the middle of a drought that government monitors have labeled “extreme.” State officials say they’re planning a trip up to the Panhandle soon. Residents of the area say they’re selling off herds of cattle and facing non-existent wheat harvests. They say they’re often forgotten by “down staters” in Oklahoma City.

Floods: Meanwhile, the Midwest, and parts of eastern Oklahoma remain soaked in floodwaters. Find a real-time map of flood sites here.

Genius plants/bacteria: These are my two favorite stories from last week, both from NPR. First, this feature on plant research is about one plant can tell who its relatives are. The plants won’t compete with or kill family members, but will strangle others to ensure their survival. The other is about an ocean bacterium that’s responsible for the oxygen in every one in five of your breaths — yet, scientists didn’t know it existed until 20 years ago. Maybe that sounds boring, but listen. The writer makes it hilarious and fun. The bacterium, named Prochlorococcus, even has its own song.

Inhofe: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe has been running a TV ad that talks about his role in getting help and money for residents of Tar Creek. The features a Picher resident who thanks the senator for his help. If you live in the area or have worked with the site, I wonder what your thoughts are. Feel free to comment.

As the Economist explains, erratic weather in East Africa has again left Ethiopia in a famine, not one to the level of the mid-80s, but still severe.

The scale of starvation is so large in part because Ethiopia has virtually no business sector. Therefore families have little if any way to save money for hard times — which come in cycles, are tied to the weather, and are likely to become more severe with climate change.

When rains come at the right time, farmers have food. When they don’t — and that happens often — people starve.

Sound familiar? While Oklahoma doesn’t suffer famine like Ethiopia does, many of the state’s farmers depend on weather patterns that, if anything, are predictably extreme. We have decades of droughts and floods. This is the driest start to a year on record in Oklahoma Panhandle, and many farmers are losing their crops or having to sell of cattle.

Climatologists say it’s hard to make region-specific predictions about climate change. But Deke Arndt, the assistant state climatologist, says this year’s patter of eastern Oklahoma being intensely wet and the Panhandle being incredibly dry is consistent with expectations for a warming world.

Farmers I’ve talked to in the Panhandle say they expect good years and bad years, and sometimes they expect the bad years to be so bad that they won’t have crops. It seems like that kind of long-range planning lets them survive. But I wonder what readers think about our dependency on weather to give us food and money. Do we need better planning, and if so, what would that entail?

Here’s an excerpt from the Economist article on Ethiopia:

A famine on the scale of 1984, when Band Aid and Live Aid raised about $150m in relief for Ethiopia, is still unlikely. Logistics and medical understanding have improved. Yet, sadly, some of the conditions that created that famine have not really changed. Ethiopia still has too many people eking out a living on too little land, depending on rains that can never be relied on. Meteorologists say that the problem is not just the amount of rain but the climate’s increasing volatility.

The government has also failed. After several good harvests since the last big famine, in 2003, Ethiopia had a chance to progress. Instead, it dithered over reforms to promote private business and overhaul the country’s sclerotic banking system and mobile-phone sector. Aside from coffee, qat (a narcotic leaf chewed by Somalis), horticulture and a little tourism, Ethiopia is one of Africa’s very few countries that still has virtually no serious private business—and thus few jobs—outside the state sector. Almost three-quarters of the population may be under- or unemployed.

So few families have a chance to save anything for hard times. The lack of wealth creation makes the government more vulnerable to external shocks. The soaring price of oil may cost Ethiopia $1 billion this year—equivalent to its entire foreign-exchange earnings. Meles Zenawi, the prime minister, cannot be blamed for record oil prices or for the rising cost of food worldwide, both of which have sparked riots in several African countries. But he bears some responsibility for failing to increase his country’s hard-currency earnings.

John