factohio.org
MARCH 2022 NewsLetter
News & Views The War We Cannot Afford to Lose - Dr. Randi Pokladnik, p2 Climate Change Regulations Face Challenge - John Elder p3 Why Gardening with Native Plants Matters - Anne Caruso p4 Death by Democracy - Book Review - John Elder p5 Take Action Lights Out Cleveland - Alison Grant, p6 UUCC Morning Forum p7 Connecting the Dots - UUJO, p8 Radioactive Brine FrakTracker, p8 Fact updates Strategic Plan - Judy Hart Membership - Ron Prosek
Fact Ohio Faith communities together for a sustainable future
In This Issue:
Thank you to everyone who attended our FactOhio Speaker Series opening event with author Paul Bogard as he delved into his books The Ground Beneath Us and End of Night. For those who were unable to attend, the conversation was recorded and can be viewed at FactOhio’s youtube channel. Our Speaker Series will continue in June with Dan Flores, environmental writer and former professor of the history of the American West at the University of Montana. A native of Louisiana and currently a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, he has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and numerous magazines. Dan is the award-wining author of eleven books, His upcoming book, Wild New World: The Epic Story of Animals and People in America (W. W. Norton) is scheduled for release in October of this year. Details will be posted on our website and in our newsletters.
The War We Cannot Afford to Lose Pivoting away from fossil fuels as they become weapons in this fight for oil. Dr. Randi Pokladnik, PhD Environmental Studies
Continued on Page 9
Dr. Svitlana Krakovska, a Ukrainian climate scientist and member of the International Panel on Climate Change recently said, “Human induced climate change and the war on Ukraine have the same roots, fossil fuels, and our dependence on them,” Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels from Russia is “funding the war” in Ukraine. Russia, the second largest producer of natural gas, has been accused of using the resource in a geopolitical way against European countries dependent on its gas. Europe views the worsening situation in Ukraine as justification to double up its investments in renewable energy. The IEA and EU leaders proposed a series of steps to accelerate clean energy: fast-tracking permitting for wind and solar projects, revisiting decisions to phase out nuclear energy, and doubling the rate of conversions from natural gas boilers to electric heat pumps in buildings.” All of these would cut European natural gas demand. However, oil and gas companies in the US, along with many politicians including Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, are using the war to rationalize more drilling and fracking in the US. Manchin recently said, “Russia has weaponized energy and the thing I know about an adversary or a bully is if they have a weapon, you better have one that will match it or be better than theirs”. However, Natural Resource Chair Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona) writes in a recent op-ed, “Doubling down on fossil fuels is a false solution that only perpetuates the problems that got us here in the first place,” stating that it is time to “cut the lifeline to fossil-fuel despots like Putin.” The newly released UN Climate Report clearly shows we are losing the battle against climate change. UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteras announced “the evidence detailed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is unlike anything he has ever seen, it is an “atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership.” Damaging effects from human-induced (anthropogenic) climate change are happening at a much faster rate than previous modeling had predicted. At least 40% of the world’s population is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, and these impacts will be felt most in areas that have contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions. The report stresses that the window to act in a meaningful way and avoid major destruction will close by the end of this decade. The “David and Goliath” battle environmental activists (especially activists in the Appalachian region) have waged against the fossil fuel industry often feels like a war. The Appalachian region has become a resource colony, the residents have become collateral damage, and the landscape often looks like a war zone after the extraction of coal, oil, and gas. At one time, it was said that McDowell County, WV exported more coal than any other county in the USA. However, it now sits in poverty with the less than 20,000 residents who still call it home. Harry Caudill’s “Night Comes to the Cumberlands” details the story of broken miners living in a broken land as coal mining destroyed the landscape as well as the bodies of the miners. Mountaintop coal removal (MTR) replaced long-wall mining in the 1970s. Often referred to as “strip mining on steroids,” this technique uses monstrous machinery rather than miners. Millions of pounds of explosives are used to blast off up to 1000 feet or more of the mountains’ elevation. Peaks that took millions of years to form are gone in a matter of days. Thousands of miles of streams are buried under the mine spoils, and what remains of the once diverse mesophytic forest ecosystem is a flattened sterile moonscape. MTR has destroyed over 500 mountains and flattened an area equivalent to Delaware. John McQuaid, a writer for the Smithsonian Magazine, once said of MTR, “I've reported on devastation around the world, from natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, to wars in Central America and the Middle East, to coastlines in Asia degraded by fish farming. But in the sheer audacity of its destruction, mountaintop coal removal is the most shocking thing I've ever seen.” As the coal industry slowly dies in the area, local, state, and federal politicians are touting new ways to extract wealth from the region: petrochemicals and plastics. Both require hydrocarbon gasses obtained by using high pressure hydraulic fracking. This technique forces hydrocarbons from shale deposits under the region, and is as destructive and polluting as coal mining. It requires millions of gallons of freshwater, produces millions of gallons of toxic radioactive brine, releases volatile organic compounds and methane gas, and contaminates surface and ground water. A study by Yale Public Health found that of the hundreds of chemicals used in fracking, over 80 percent have never been reviewed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Of the 119 that have been reviewed by IARC, 55 were found to be carcinogenic. Among the chemicals most frequently used in fracking, 24 are known to block hormone receptors in humans (according to a 2017 study published in Science Direct). Make no mistake, we all are witnessing a war; a war waged on our planet by the fossil fuel industry and those who benefit financially from these industries. Like most wars, money is needed to fund this endeavor. Federal taxpayer-funded grants, subsidies, and tax incentives help fuel the climate crisis by providing financial incentives for continued extraction. Pennsylvania lawmakers offered Royal Dutch Shell nearly $1.7 billion over 25 years to construct the plastics-making Shell Cracker Plant in Monaca, Pa. “Conservative estimates put U.S. direct subsidies to the fossil fuel industry at roughly $20 billion per year, with 20 percent currently allocated to coal and 80 percent to natural gas and crude oil. European Union subsidies are estimated to total 55 billion euros annually.” Just like a conventional war, propaganda and lies are used to mold public opinion. “The fossil fuel industry has perpetrated a multi-decade, multibillion dollar disinformation propaganda and lobbying campaign to delay climate action by confusing the public and policymakers about the climate crisis and its solutions.” The residents of Appalachia have learned that when it comes to extractive industries, rules and regulations for human health and the environment are more often than not watered down, ignored, unenforced, or non-existent. The oil and gas industries are exempt or excluded from certain sections of these federal environmental laws: Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to Know Act. It is difficult to win a war when the cards are stacked against you, but the war for a livable planet is one we cannot afford to lose. We will have to make sacrifices but the people of Appalachia have sacrificed their health, lives, and land for decades to fuel the nation. It is time to demand renewable energy. It is time to stop subsidizing the companies responsible for the destruction of our planet. No more wars for fossil fuels. As Dr. Svitlana Krakovska of Ukraine declared, “We will not surrender in Ukraine, and we hope the world will not surrender in building a climate-resilient future.” Bill McKibben recently commented that if the USA cannot choose renewable energy while watching the incredible courage of the people in Ukraine, then “I don’t know if we’re ever going to do it.”
Fossil Fuel Sacrifice Zones
Much attention is focused on whether a forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling will limit the EPA’s options for addressing climate change. But we need to be aware that on March 12 Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill aimed at cutting state rules that may have a similar effect on Ohio’s ODNR regulation of the fossil fuel industry. The bill instructs state agencies to review their rules periodically, and it only allows those rules to remain in place if they meet certain criteria. The bill says, “In making its review, the agency shall consider the continued need for the rule, the nature of any complaints of comments received concerning the rule, and any relevant factors that have changed in the subject matter affected by the rule.” While the fracking industry is not singled out, ODNR regulations – weak as they already are – will be subject to this review. Among the “relevant factors” may well be the oil and gas crisis related to the war in Ukraine. So at both the state and national level it seems law-makers want to limit the ability of agencies to fulfill their mandates under such legislation as Clean Air Act of 1970, the Clean Water Act of 1972, and the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974. Of course, the so-called Cheney/ Halliburton Loophole already exempts the oil and gas industry from these and subsequent environmental protection bills. Here in Ohio another factor is the effort by our Senate and House to limit the ability of local governments to enact rules their own citizens want. According to the Ohio Municipal League, since 2003 17 laws have been passed that usurp local control. Another 21 bills are pending. Two bills that were recently signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine have special significance for environmental sustainability. One law blocks Ohio cities from banning “natural” gas, an action that has been taken by a small but growing number of progressive cities in an effort to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. The other law, which the Ohio Municipal League called “an overstep by the legislature to interfere in the values of local communities,” bans - for at least a year - prohibitions on single use plastic bags. On the other hand, last August Gov. DeWine signed Senate Bill 52 into law, allowing county commissioners to reject or place limits on the siting of specific wind or solar industrial developments. Some of the same legislators who argued against the bans on plastic bags and “natural” gas because “a patchwork approach to energy policy by cities or counties is unworkable” supported the bill to give counties the power to restrict wind and solar power, in effect authorizing a new patchwork quilt of alternative energy rules. If the Supreme Court limits the ability of the EPA to institute meaningful environmental regulations, the task of combatting climate change will be even harder. But in any case we need to challenge efforts by Columbus lawmakers to block Ohio regulations that could limit the damage from the fracking industry and slow the transition to alternative energy.
Climate Change Regulations Face Challenges by John Elder
Continued on Page 10
Guernsey County is in the center of beautiful Ohio with rolling fields and a historic state park. Kevin and Marlene Young have owned property in Guernsey for 47 years, investing time, savings, and labor into their 21 acres. They built their home here, with space for horses, stables, a half-mile race track, and workspace to modify street rods. As the Youngs neared retirement they looked forward to enjoying the land that they worked on for so long. In 2016 Caithness Energy took over the land across from their home. The massive Guernsey Natural Gas Power Station is now under construction in their front yard. Read More
Spring is here again in Northeast Ohio and forsythia shrubs, Bradford Pear trees, and lilac trees will soon be blooming. These are beautiful and popular, so who knew they and other non-native trees, shrubs and plants are contributing to the drastic reduction of insects, birds, and native plants? Not me! It was only when a good friend began learning about gardening with native species that I was subject to lectures on the dangers of planting non-natives. I, who compost my food scraps, recycle my waste paper, metal, and allowable plastic. How could such a conscientious person as I be contributing to insect and bird loss, native plant destruction, and (gasp!) climate change in my garden! After a brief period of resistance, I began to listen to my friend. I learned that native plants evolved with native animals and insects for millions of years. They are all part of the same ecosystem acting together for their mutual benefit. Plants give food and shelter, and Insects and animals help with pollination and seed dispersal. In addition, native plants require less water, and make beneficial changes to the soil. Many non-native plants do not support any insects, leading to fewer pollinators and less food for birds. Many non-natives, like forsythia, are invasive and crowd out the native plants which do support insect life. I can attest to the invasiveness of forsythia. I witnessed mine take over a 10 by 4 foot garden bed. I love that bright yellow after a long winter of nothing but brown branches. But I realized the switch to natives is extremely important. Doug Tallamy, of the TV series “Growing a Greener World” and author of Bringing Nature Home points out that “some 96 percent of North America’s terrestrial birds rear their young on insects rather than seeds or berries, so when insects decline, they do too.” (1) Some of the native trees in Northeast Ohio that are not invasive and that support insect, bird, and animal life are native oaks like Chestnut Oak (Quercus montana ), native willows like Black Willow (Salix nigra), native cherry trees like Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), native pines like the white pine (Pinus strobus), and native populars like tulip popular (Liriodendron tulipifera). All of these are hosts to a large variety of caterpillar species which give us pollinators as well as food for birds. Besides protecting biodiversity, another benefit of native trees is that they store more carbon dioxide than non-natives. Trees are carbon sinks, and planting them is an important way to combat climate change. Planting native trees and shrubs makes this action most effective. It’s not hard to find out which species of trees, shrubs, and plants are native to your area. The Audubon Society has a native plant finder. To use their plant finder put in your zip code. If you’re on Facebook, a group called Pollinator Friendly Yards administered by native species expert Leslie Nelson Inman has a wealth of information on gardening with natives. Finding natives in the big box or nursery stores, though, can be a challenge. Some native species that may be available are: the Eastern Red Bud Tree (Cercis canadensis), Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), Chokeberries (Aronia), Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), Swamp rose-mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), and Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides). If you can’t find the native species you want, chances are you can order it through Prairie Moon Nursery, a mail order company. You can visit their website at www.prairiemoon.com and order their catalog. If we plant all or part of our gardens with native plants we’ll be helping to restore the balance and health of our piece of nature. References 1. How Non-Native Plants Are Contributing to a Global Insect Decline by Janet Marinelli, December 8, 2020.https://e360.yale.edu/features/how-non-native-plants-are-contributing-to-a-global-insect-decline. Say No to Non-Native Plants, Shrubs and Ornamental Trees. Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District blog. https://www.cuyahogaswcd.org/blog/2019/03/04/say-no-to-non-native-plants-shrubs-and-ornamental-trees.
Why Gardening with Native Plants Matters by Anne Caruso
Tulip Poplar
Death By Democracy: Protecting Water and Life is a book of “frontline stories from Ohioans fighting corporate and state power,” published by the Ohio Community Rights Network in association with CELDF (The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund). Many of the stories of the cities and counties featured in the book are told by or feature people who are well-known in our FaCT community, including – to name just four – Susie Biersdorfer, Gwen Fischer, Rev. Sharon Kiesel and Kathie Jones. FaCT members participated in many ways in the protests, demonstrations, petition drives, public hearings and other efforts, so they may be especially interested in this assessment of two decades and more of efforts to protect the health of humans, other life, and the environment we share. Tish O’Dell, the Ohio Community Organizer for CELDF, edited this book with the help of Simon David-Cohen, a graduate of a CELDF “Democracy School,” but key local leaders wrote each of the eight chapters about particular campaigns (Athens County, City of Columbus, Medina County, Portage County, City of Toledo, Williams County, and City of Youngstown). Their stories have many common threads, but the basic unifying element is that these efforts, based on the 1912 Ohio Constitution’s affirmation of “the people’s” right to propose and initiate new laws at the municipal and state level, have been met with unyielding opposition from a combination of governmental officials and corporate influence. And the courts have consistently sided with the opposition. In the words of the Conclusion, “Even though the single issues featured in the stories within the book vary - from water privatization, fracking, injection wells, pipelines, industrial agriculture, local elections or oil/gas extraction - each community faced similar obstacles when they began to fight for a new purpose of government to protect people and the planet.” Death By Democracy does not provide any “what now” proposals in light of the frustration experienced by these Ohio activists in their campaigns. Perhaps FaCT’s “Sharing/Support Circles” will provide at least some of the veterans both a renewal of energy and fresh ideas for the next phase in our common endeavor for a sustainable future. To purchase this book email http://www.ohiocrn.org or http://www.celdf.org.
Death by democracy tells of Ohio's Battles for ENvironmental Health review by John Elder
Lights Out Cleveland by Alison Grant
Song Sparrow
Spring bird migration is underway, and in North America alone that means a mass movement of billions of birds. Some of those warblers, thrushes, sparrows and woodcocks never make it to their summer breeding grounds because they collide with buildings, especially tall, light bathed structures in urban downtowns. Usually flying at night, the birds become disoriented by light pollution and shimmering glass, sometimes circling buildings until they fall in exhaustion, other times fatally striking walls and windows. The volunteer group Lights Out Cleveland has crews in downtown Cleveland each morning before dawn, starting in mid-March and going to about June 1, to collect birds from sidewalks and streets. Patrols are resumed for fall migration. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, go to this site for information on how to sign up: Lights Out Cleveland is in need of more volunteers this spring! Many of the fallen birds are dead, but some – about 3 out of 10 - survive, are picked up and taken to the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village, which has a remarkable release rate of 95 percent because of the talents of wildlife rehabilitation specialist Tim Jasinski and his crew. Lights Out Cleveland started in the spring of 2017 thanks to the combined efforts of Jasinski; Matthew Shumar, program coordinator for the Ohio Bird Conservation Institute; and Harvey Webster, formerly chief wildlife officer and museum ambassador for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (now ambassador emeritus). Since its launch the group has collected some 20,000 birds. The volunteer group has asked large downtown buildings to turn off lights during spring and fall migration. Some buildings have already enrolled in the program, including 200 Public Square, the Ernst & Young tower, FirstEnergy Stadium and Fifth Third Center. Similar efforts are underway in about 30 cities across North America. Cornell University, renown for its ornithology programs and expertise, cites recent research that estimates 365 to 988 million birds die each year in collisions with buildings, including not only high-rises but also residences. Lights Out Cleveland’s “collision monitoring crews” walk specific routes multiple times each morning. Spring migration is just getting underway; the number of downed birds will increase as migration season gets into full swing. Fall migration is even busier because adult birds are returning south with young born a few months earlier. One morning in October 2017, the program’s first year, skies were clear and winds favorable overnight for a heavy movement of birds. Then a front came through, sending birds into the urban jungle to evade the weather. “The clouds hung so low you could not see the top half of most of the buildings,” recalled volunteer coordinator Liz McQuaid. Crews that morning picked up over 250 birds. Bird experts used to think that birds would typically fly into the south side of buildings as they head north and the north side in their fall migration south. But it turns out collisions are more a factor of what windows are reflecting – if other buildings, birds tend not to mistake windows for clear passage. But if windows are reflecting clouds and other scenes of nature – trees on Public Square, say -- they are misled. Volunteers carry large nets on sticks, similar to butterfly nets, to trap injured birds. They are carefully removed from the nets and placed in lunch bag-like brown bags. Those that have made it are sometimes just stunned and in need of rest and nourishment. From downtown, all the birds are taken to the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center. Dead ones are weighed, documented, put in plastic bags and placed in a freezer until there are enough to take to the Natural History Museum for further bird studies. Live ones fly free. The first to do so, a Song Sparrow, shot off March 17 into the woods behind the nature center. Lights Out Cleveland is in need of volunteers for this spring and for fall migration. Learn more at: ohiolightsout.org/participate/monitoring/
Fracking, Radioactive Brine, and Icy Roads UUCC Community Forums Date - March 27, 2022 9:30 am - 10:45 am Speakers: Cheryl Johncox, Fossil Fuels Organizer, Sierra Club, and Ted Auch, Ph.D., Director, FracTracker Alliance, Great Lakes Program. The brine that the oil and gas industry produces as waste is being used on Ohio’s roads as a de-icer. Limited testing indicates the brine contains radioactive concentrations that can pollute soil or become airborne as radioactive dust, thus contaminating drinking water and agricultural products. This toxic radioactive waste is also disposed of in Class II Injection wells where it can also contaminate groundwater. Click Here to Attend
Race, Equity, and the Lead Crisis: Part Two
The Ohio General Assembly has two parallel bills in committees in the House (HB 282) and in the Senate (SB 171) that would commodify vertical-well-derived brine products, like Aqua Salina, to be spread on roads and other surfaces in the state to control ice and dust. Use of these products entails the spreading of dangerous radioactive material into the environment. Designating these radioactive products as commodities would remove them from oversight and regulation, a prospect so dangerous that even ODNR opposes these bills. Take a closer look at where brine waste is spread as a deicer at FracTracker.
Our March conversation will feature: Crystal M.C. Davis, Vice President of Policy & Strategic Engagement for the Alliance for the Great Lakes Robin Brown, Concerned Citizens Organized Against Lead University Circle in Cleveland is home to CASE Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, and the Cleveland Clinic, all cutting edge medical facilities. However, in the area surrounding University Circle an estimated 30 to 50 percent of children under the age of 6 suffer from lead poisoning. Thousands of families live in unsafe housing and send their children to schools with unsafe water. We’ll discuss lead service line replacement and the human impact of inaction. The urgency of diagnosing and treating lead poisoning cannot be overstated. If left untreated, high levels of lead in children can cause brain damage, developmental delays, and life-long disabilities. On March 27, we continue our conversation as Connecting the Dots: People, Planet, Power focuses on Race, Equity and the Lead Crisis. Register for this online conversation and action here: Check for updates at the facebook event.
Brine Waste on Ohio Roads
The War We Can't Afford to LoseContinued from page 2
Climate Change Regulations Continued from page 3
Gardening with Native Plants Continued from page 4
Redbud
Read the full text of Senate Bill 9 here.
FaCT Strategic Planning
Your dollars at work - Ron Prosek, Treasurer We hope you have been enjoying FaCT’s Distinguished Speaker Series via Zoom. We began 2022 with science and environmental writer Paul Bogard on March 5. On June 4 we will be bringing you environmental writer Dan Flores. Your dollars help to support this series, so thank you for making this program possible. The FaCT Board is working its way toward employing professional help in carrying out its mission, beginning with hiring a highly experienced consultant to work on organizational development and fund raising. This consultant will help FaCT expand its resources and strengthen its organizational structure and operations. Here again, your donated dollars will help FaCT retain these services to help FaCT grow. Thank you for your support! To make a donation, please make your check out to FaCT. Please mail with check to: FaCT, P.O. Box 1235, Mentor, OH 44061. Or donate at www.factohio.org - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NAME:____________________________________________Phone:______________________ Email:_______________________ Address:_______________________________________________________________________ Amount of this donation:_______________________________ THANK YOU! [Mar 2022] Contributions to FaCT are tax-deductible as FaCT is an IRS-designated 501c3 public charity. I would like to make an ANNUAL PLEDGE of $_____________, THANK YOU! payable: in_____monthly installments ___quarterly ___semi-annually ____in 1 payment on_____________date
The Planning Committee for Strategic Planning met with Institute of Conservation Leadership (ICL) consultants Joy Jackson and Peter Lane to provide an overview of the role of the Planning Committee and an outline of the Phase II Strategic Planning process. Role of the Committee: Work with ICL to move the process forward and shepherd it through the organization; support development of the survey, interview questions, and agendas; conduct interviews; draft strategic plan and; More frequently than the whole board (be the “eyes and ears”). Timeline: March – April: Clarify/finalize expectations - Develop date gathering needs and protocols - Finalize timeline; April – May: Schedule session with board - Schedule stakeholder session and/or interviews; May- June: Examine mission and vision - Examine strategic directions - Answer “big questions”; July – August: Committee leads drafting of new plan - Board provides feedback - New plan approved by early September. Next Steps: A second meeting of the Planning Committee is now being scheduled for late March. The formal engagement of the entire FaCT Board in the Strategic Planning Process will begin the first week in April.
FaCT Membership