Comment Archives: stories: News: Ochenski
Re: “Coal backlash”
One would think this would have an impact on the proposed Montana coal trains sending coal to China. Also, if PGE is worried about coal dust harming their equipment, do you think coal dust might harm lungs, especially of children or the elderly?
PGE blocks major Oregon coal export project
http://spotlightnews.net/news/story.php?st…
Portland General Electric has blocked energy company Kinder Morgan’s multimillion-dollar proposal to construct a coal export terminal in north Columbia County because of concerns over coal dust....
That land is where Kinder Morgan planned to build and operate an estimated $150 to $200 million terminal to ship coal from the Powder River Basin, perched on the border of Montana and Wyoming to Asia.
But PGE — which itself runs two power-generation facilities on that property with another proposal on its agenda — decided in mid-April the Kinder Morgan pitch could have detrimental effects on its own operations....
PGE spokesman Steve Corson told the Spotlight May 2 his company felt the presumed coal dust that would come from the export terminal might harm its significant investments if Kinder Morgan moved in next door.
“We take in air in the course of operating our generator and the coal dust could be a substantial problem for the facility,” Corson said. “That’s the chief thing.”
Re: “Coal backlash”
I agree, a good article. Idling vehicles waiting for traffic lights have been shown to pollute at higher rates than moving vehicles. Many big cities are currently trying to address that pollution problem, sometimes very creatively. No reason for the middle size cities of Montana to allow this hazard to become reality, and then try to solve it...don't join the big city problem club, keep Montana skies clean now! About China; how about we stop sending more and more American resources overseas. Let's send finished goods out instead. Coal is one of our greatest resources; let's not keep it locked up, but let's also figure out a "best use" for it and use it wisely. Our scientists and engineers are among the best in the world; we can find a way to mine coal and use it on-site. This would be a win-win solution
Re: “They're all the same”
Thanks for the thanks.
I was in Afghanistan in 1969 found them to be honest people and fiercely independent.
Al Qaeda could have been dealt with as an international police action. The nation of Afghanistan did not attack us and most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis. The invasion is clearly a resource driven war of aggression or rather a corporate imperial war crime paid for by the American taxpayer and including a great deal of human suffering.
Re: “Coal backlash”
i dont seem to follow the logic. if coal dust is present when a train is merely idling thru Missoula why hasnt it blown off when the train is doing 50 MPH thru Clinton? but yet im only 60 yards from the tracks . why isnt my car covered everyday?i never see dust not tailing anywhere around my house. is this a scientific anomaly that only manifests itself in Progressive neighborhoods and not in the open country?
Re: “They're all the same”
JConrad,
I have to say that I may not agree with most of the stuff you post but you sure nailed this one. I have nothing to add but a great big THANK YOU FOR YOUR POST.
Shadow
Re: “They're all the same”
An interesting website with information on the homepage of how you can boycott the products of the worst of the corporate imperial energy giants. Congress is totally complicit with the corporate plans for Central Asian resources and think nothing of spending $Trillions of our tax dollars and getting our young people killed for private profit.
http://www.consumersforpeace.org/
And an article on the corporate occupation of Afghanistan. Recently, agreements have been reached on transit fees for the TAPI pipeline. The current plan is to have gas moving through the pipeline by 2015. Could be a long occupation.
Killing and Dying in "the New Great Game": A Letter to Members of the US Military on Their Way to Afghanistan
Thursday 22 October 2009
by: Nick Mottern, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed
excerpt:
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Turkmenistan's President Gurbangulu Berdimuhamedov at the Plaza Hotel in New York on September 21, 2009, at the opening of the 64th UN General Assembly. (Photo: US State Department) US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Turkmenistan's President Gurbangulu Berdimuhamedov at the Plaza Hotel in New York on September 21, 2009, at the opening of the 64th UN General Assembly. (Photo: US State Department)
When you lace up your boots and head for the plane that will carry you to Afghanistan, you will be joining Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson and Gurbangulu Berdimuhamedov in what has been described in the US Congress as "the new great game".
It is a "game" in which the US is seeking to plant itself near the heart of the energy complex of Central Asia, a region to the north and east of the Middle East that possesses important oil, natural gas and hydroelectric resources.
Re: “They're all the same”
Very true article.
Perhaps the campaign season is so sick already it is beneath commentary ?
But one Tester TV ad requires you hit the mute button as soon as it appears on the boob tube.
He presents himself as being concerned with the fate of our veterans by increasing their mileage payments to seek V.A. treatment.
But if he is really concerned with those serving or having served, why has he supported sending more troops to Afghanistan after running on the campaign promise of bringing home the troops ? By sending more troops there will be more killed, physically wounded or psychologically devastated for life.
But now a new agreement has been made to defend Afghanistan with our troops (and your taxes) for ten years after the 2014.
THIS APPEARS TO BE A PERPETUAL OCCUPATION
And the truth of why there are now three large permanent bases and hundreds of small bases and a huge new embassy in Afghanistan is very apparent.
Private corporate interests are seeking to profit from the resources of Central Asia through military control (no luck so far) of Afghanistan. The resources include natural gas, oil, copper, iron, lithium, gold, precious gems and other resources. And recently the DOD (at our expense) did a new survey of resources indicating there are even more resources than previously estimated. The Russians did similar surveys during their occupation.
And win or lose, the increasingly privatized war industries are making record profits win or lose.
So when Tester makes a campaign promise it should seen as empty election rhetoric.
Unfortunately, as Ochenski suggests, Rehberg is yet another career special interest politician.
And if the elected political elites were really concerned about "terrorism" they would change the corporate imperial foreign policies that creates terrorists fighting a guerrilla type war against the empire.
But who are the ultimate terrorists ? Our elected government and military has killed hundreds of thousands in Iraq and an unknown number of Afghans and many others in pursuit of private profits which are subsidized by public debt.
Re: “Coal backlash”
I have one thing to ask the people that post on this. What is your solution to this problem? You never seem to have one but always seem to make an issue of something.
“Such rail traffic will cause tremendous problems, not only for citizens, but also for emergency responders and law enforcement, while substantially increasing local air pollution as thousands of cars and trucks sit idling waiting for coal trains to pass. It's possible to build railroads over underpasses, but the cost to do so would be staggering, especially to local communities already struggling with budgetary constraints.”
Saying stopped vehicles will cause more pollution as they wait for the train to cross is just unintelligent. Have you ever been on Reserve Street during rush hour? By this logic we should shut down a major road in Missoula because of all the pollution the vehicles will cause as they sluggishly move down the road. Will the slowdown in traffic really keep emergency vehicles from responding? I’m not too sure of that as well. Thousand of communities in America have trains that go through the city and county areas. It just seems that California has a problem with it.
"As reported in the Missoulian this weekend, a lawsuit has been filed in California that challenges the rail industry's right to pollute the atmosphere with enormous amounts of diesel exhaust. The basis for the suit is that such exhausts are known human health hazards and thus should be regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The suit, brought by the Natural Resources Defense Fund and others against the rail companies Burlington-Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific, specifically charges that "people living near these rail yards...are in imminent and substantial danger of increased cancer risk, asthma, reduced lung function and other cardiovascular ailments, all as a result of the rail yards' diesel particulate pollution."
This clip out of the article is just absurd. By this logic we should shut down the trains that move freight throughout our nation. I’m willing to bet that some of the items you enjoy in your home were moved by train. What’s next? Shut down the trucking industry because they run on the same fuel as a train? How about that nice diesel truck setting in your driveway? Let’s ban it from being on the road as well. Yea let’s cripple our economy even more by destroying jobs and letting people go without needed goods to purchases.
Re: “Ranchers without honor”
OMG I friggin hate these leftist idiots sooooooo much.
Re: “Ranchers without honor”
Typical of what would come out of Missoula, all comments should be categorically disregarded.
Re: “Coal backlash”
I wonder what sort of work Schweitzer will land after he leaves office ?
Racicot was rewarded for his deregulation treachery in collusion with ENRON with a fat ENRON lobbyist job in D.C. after leaving office.
Re: “Coal backlash”
Good column George. The last time the USA embarked upon sending massive amounts of its natural resources to Asia landed us in WW2 with the Japanese using our resources to wage war against us. Now we have Schweitzer, coal companies, rairoads and ship interests taking our resources to China to help power the Chinese companies that are waging war on our industries and economic interests. We lose the jobs, buy their cheap stuff and get to suffer all the pollution they dump in the ocean and air to help keep their stuff cheap enough for Walmart shoppers.
Re: “Ranchers without honor”
Where are all the animal rights' attorneys? why don't they get involved? What a great case to take on???? The Cattle Association gets away with this because they have powerful attorneys and a lot of money on their side. They need to be challenged by animal rights attorneys! Put forward these cases to any attorneys you know!!!
Re: “Ranchers without honor”
Kishmei -
There are two prominent state senators that should hang their heads in shame over this. One is Jim Peterson, who was Senate President last session, was chair of the Stockgrowers Association and, ironically, sponsored the bill to make the Code of the West law in Montana. The other senator is John Brendan of Scobey, who is well aware of the deal that was made and has no problems whatsoever breaking it.
So, just to call these hypocrites out, here's the Code of the West they were so hot about putting into statute but, obviously, aren't living by -- particularly numbers 3 and 6...which would be "when you make a promise, keep it."
"Although the Code of the West was unwritten, every cowboy knew what it was. The
Ten Principles are Jim Owen's distillation of the timeless, universal cowboy values
that are still relevant to our lives today. They are at the heart of cowboy ethics and of
Jim's book, Cowboy Ethics: What Wall Street Can Learn from the Code of the West.
Rope
1 Live each day with courage
2 Take pride in your work
3 Always finish what you start
4 Do what has to be done
5 Be tough, but fair
6 When you make a promise, keep it
7 Ride for the brand
8 Talk less and say more
9 Remember that some things aren't for sale
10 Know where to draw the line
Re: “Ranchers without honor”
I heard a state senator complaining on the radio about the Fort Peck bison, saying they are bound to get out and damage adjacent ranch lands. He seemed to be forgetting that ranchers have enjoyed a "fence out" law in Montana forever, where anyone who doesn't want their neighbors livestock wrecking their land is required to fence them out. Nor are you allowed to put your neighbors cow in the freezer for trespassing. If ranchers don't like bison they can by golly fence them out just like they've always expected us to do. And if that is difficult, tough.
Re: “Ranchers without honor”
It is time to kick the cowboy welfare bums off public lands as they are getting away with grazing (and sometimes over-grazing and or damaging riparian zones) public lands for a fraction of the fair market value. Grazing cattle near Yellowstone is completely unnecessary and should be stopped entirely to create a winter buffer zone for the bison.
And in many cases the welfare ranchers will block recreational access to public lands and make a killing by privatizing wild game with fee hunting. Clearly, any rancher grazing cows on public land should not be able to block access to that land. The recreational economy is big business in Montana and privatizing public land limits puts a damper on our recreational economy. Thus we are subsidizing an activity that harms the overall economy.
Also, we should begin to condemn access through private land to public land in areas where access is being denied.
Re: “Ranchers without honor”
The State of Montana is bought and paid for by "cattlemen" and its time this stopped! Because of their greed and money they are destroying our natural resources! It is time this state starts stepping on their toes and put them back where they belong...THEY DO NOT OWN THIS STATE..period!!!
Re: “Howling mad”
...........................being a professional woodsman for over 30 yrs , i am still chuckling at all the fear from the big strong ARMED men.........fear ...used to be a fellow would be called "yellow", especially if said demon , the monster , to fear , is furry and four legged ...
i revel in the forest here , and just because it has grizzlys and wolves , it feels right , to be a part of this .....on the ground , its this simple ....
is big tough MAN scared of little doggy ...?......hahahahah
cant you just accept this and be a real human ...your lazy and greedy , fraidy cat stuff is real amusing , but grow up already , fear monger mentality types ...its pathetic
Re: “Howling mad”
"Montana's statewide elk numbers are higher now than when wolves were re-introduced." This quote goes against what they are reporting for the Bitterroot elk herds which were once 2,500 strong and are now down to 800. They do attribute most of the kills to mountain lions but since wolf numbers have grown in the Bitterroot the population has steadily declined which prompts you to think that wolves have a bigger impact than what is reported. Also it is not good to see the impact that wolves have on the Moose population, which seems to get overlooked because FWP does not have a good reporting system or any accurate data for Moose.
My issue with the whole discussion on wolves is that the subspecies of wolf that was released to reintroduce them, is not the native wolf for Montana. They released the Canadian Grey Wolf which is a larger wolf than what was native to Montana. So I see that as introducing a non-native invasive species which is never a good idea for any ecosystem.
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Re: “Livingston's battle”
Puts me in mind of the work being done by Paul Stamets and others, using mushrooms and bacteria to decontaminate the environment.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/…