Trump has revived a little-utilized part of the Endangered Species Act—formally the Endangered Species Committee but often called the "God Squad" as it can decide whether species may go extinct—in a purported effort to boost oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico. Your favorite legal minds, Scott Greacen of eFriends of the Eel River, Matt Simmons of EPIC, and Jen Marlow from CalPoly Humboldt, join the show to discuss the legal basis for the God Squad, its invocation by Trump, and the potential for it to be used in the Pacific Northwest. 

Support the show

On this week's show, your usual host, Tom Wheeler, is in the hot seat to explain EPIC's long-lasting litigation against Caltrans' Richardson Grove Project. 16 years of litigation, boiled down to a half-hour of radio. 

Support the show

Have a broken lamp that is too sentimental to toss? Is your favorite knife too dull? Is your laptop running slow? Come to the Repair Cafe! By fixing your items, instead of tossing them and buying new, you are not only saving money, you are saving carbon too. Do-gooder and cafe organizer Wendy Ring joins the show to discuss. 

The next repair cafe is Sunday, March 15 from 10-2pm at the Adorni Center. Check out future repair dates on Facebook: Facebook.com/HumboldtRepairCafe 

Are you a fixer and want to help at a future cafe? Click here! 

Support the show

For offshore wind to fight climate change, that power needs to reach the larger statewide grid where it can replace fossil fuel electricity generation. The catch? Humboldt's current transmission lines are too small to transmit that power out of Humboldt. New transmission infrastructure has been proposed to solve this problem, with the California Independent System Operator selecting Viridon to build new 500kV transmission lines. While this is a big project, new analysis from the Schatz Energy Research Center found that the cost to California ratepayers is low, about $1.68 per year. Tanner Etherton, Awbrey Yost and Jim Zoellick from Schatz join the show to nerd out over transmission infrastructure planning.

For more info, check out these recently-released Schatz reports:

• North Coast Offshore Wind Transmission Infrastructure Ratepayer Cost Impact Analysis
• Power Behind the Redwood Curtain: A History of Electric Transmission and Natural Gas Infrastructure in Humboldt County 

Have other questions about offshore wind? Check out northcoastoffshorewind.org.

Support the show

On this week's EcoNews Report, Assemblymember Chris Rogers joins the program to discuss this year's legislative session. Asm. Rogers has emerged as an enviro legislative darling, with bills like year's AB 263, which established minimum instream flow protections for the Shasta and Scott Rivers. Asm. Rogers joins the show to preview three new and exciting bills: 

AB 1984 would redefine corporate powers under state law to remove corporation's ability to spend money on elections. (Asm. Rogers recommends this article to learn more.)

AB 1699 would remove operational hurdles to prescribed fire and address liability issues with the goal of expanding "good fire."

AB 2494 would reimagine state-owned demonstration forests, changing their management goals from "maximum sustained production" of timber to managing for climate, clean water, wildlife, and more.

Support the show

On February 12th, the Trump Administration rescinded the Obama-era "endangerment finding," a legal recognition by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that greenhouse gas emissions were harming and would further harm health and human safety. This endangerment finding allowed the EPA to issue regulations under the Clean Air Act on six climate pollutants, including carbon dioxide. Now, the Trump Administration says that it lacks the legal capacity to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and have tossed the endangerment finding and clean car regulations that aimed to reduce emissions by improving efficiency. To break down what this means, Matt Simmons, Climate Attorney at EPIC, and Scott Grecean, Conservation Director at Friends of the Eel River, join the program. 

Support the show

Roads are a significant barrier to wildlife movement, whether you are a small salamander or a wandering wolf. Environmental activists like guest Steve Blackledge of Environment America have been advocating for the construction of wildlife crossings — physical structures, from big bridges to small culverts — to help mitigate the impact of roads. 

But in this advocacy strange bedfellows have emerged, like motorcycle clubs, whose members want to avoid hitting animals when out riding and insurance companies who want to reduce claims. Now there is a bipartisan effort at both the federal and state government to identify hot spots where roadkill is common, and to create new structures to help both wildlife and drivers more safely get to their destinations.

Support the show

There is a traffic safety crisis on 4th and 5th Streets in Eureka. These streets are extremely dangerous for people walking, biking, and rolling. While Caltrans has made some improvements to crosswalks, there are currently no plans for major safety improvements to 4th and 5th Streets. Colin Fiske of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP) joins the program to discuss how street design increases car crashes and pedestrian strikes and how Caltrans could immediately improve safety in Eureka.

Want to take action? CRTP is petitioning Caltrans to better prioritize road safety improvements on 4th and 5th Streets.

Support the show

On this week's EcoNews Report, we are doing something a little different: climate action theatre. Environmentalists drone about the climate crisis a lot, laden with statistics, science, and doom-and-gloom stories, hoping that with just a little more information, people will straighten up and take this issue seriously.  What is too often missing is the engagement of our imaginations,  essential both to take in the magnitude of the changes happening to our planet and to envision futures where we live within its means. On this week's show, Humboldt friends and neighbors perform mini-plays written as part of Climate Change Action Theatre, an international event created to stimulate our climate imaginations.  Many thanks to climate advocate Wendy Ring for bringing these plays to life!

Support the show

Does thinking about the climate crisis get you down? Do you feel guilty about your consumption? Do you feel overwhelmed thinking about all that dooms our planet? Your emotional response to the state of the environment is understandable—good even!—but if it is impacting your capacity to live a full and vibrant life, maybe it's time to take action.  Ecochaplain Hanna Nielsen joins the show to discuss how to become a more resilient (and more impactful) person. Hanna, together with the Good Grief Network, is also hosting a 10-week program this spring on building community and personal resilience. 

Support the show