Friends-

Much news to share.  In this edition:

-Solar policy webinars 
-State updates
-Equinox: party

EQUINOX

Equinox, our annual celebration and fundraiser, is March 16 in San Francisco.  Why should you attend?  Well, Rodney Strong Winery just donated 20 cases of their finest.  Someone needs to help drink it.  Also, Colorado Governor Ritter and Nevada Senate Leader Horsford, two solar champions, will be there.  And, if we don't say so ourselves, we throw a great party.  Actual testimony from recent attendee: "Your party literally changed my life.  At your last one, I found my fiance, a job, and an apartment." 

So, if Craiglist isn't working for you, try Equinox.  Buy your tickets here.

WEBINARS
We just got webinar technology, and we aren't afraid to use it.
The first one is on Monday, and features analysis, explication and practical solutions to the jurisdictional issues concerning feed-in tariffs. The Federal Power Act gives the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission exclusive jurisdiction over wholesale power sales, but that does not mean states lack effective tools for establishing wholesale distributed generation markets. Kevin Fox (attorney for Interstate Renewable Energy Council, one of the smartest lawyers we know, and someone with actual practical experience in the matter) will review several of the current legal analyses, translate from legalese, and explain why it is that lawyers are largely reaching the same conclusion regarding state authority over wholesale markets. The webinar will provide a non-partisan menu of practical strategies for advancing wholesale renewable energy generation in ways that fit squarely within state authority.
Register here.

Next up: Community Solar and Project Permit.  See them all here.

STATE UPDATES

Colorado
We've been working with our friends and allies on a major new solar program in the state, and in support, we just released a report estimating the new jobs and economic benefits to the state that investing the the sun would provide.  The press response?  We are going to need a bigger internet.

Arizona
Disaster averted.  A legislator introduced a bill that would have gutted the state's solar market by redefining nukes as renewable energy.  Once the solar industry made it clear what's actually at stake--installers would lose their jobs, solar manufacturing facilities would go where they were wanted--the bill was withdrawn.  Turns out, when push comes to shove, people want solar and the jobs that come with it, and legislators forget that at their peril.  Frankly, it was the best show of political muscle since Arnold Schwarzenegger decided to run for office. 

California and New York
Bi-coastal wins on key net metering provisions.  In California, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill to lift the cap on net metering from 2.5% to 5%, creating long-term visibility in the rooftop solar market.  And in New York, the Legislature passed a critical fix that makes the state's net metering law work for schools, businesses and other larger energy consumers.

Two huge wins for the solar industry.

Nevada
The state is known for central station wholesale solar plants, but we've worked hard to create a rooftop solar market as well.  The cause just had a big win. 

Illinois
There's a lot of roofs in the state.  Latest in the effort to put solar on them all, here.

Busy times, just the way we like it.

Onwards-

Adam + Team

The Vote Solar Initiative
300 Brannan Street, Suite 609
San Francisco, CA 94107
www.votesolar.org

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Stop Captive Breeding And Exhibition Of Whales And Dolphins Now!

The tragic death of a trainer at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida reinforces IDA’s argument that orcas (killer whales) and other dolphins should not be held in captivity. All amusement parks that hold such animals captive are cruel, exploitative, and dangerous to the marine mammals and the people who come in direct contact with them.

IDA also notes the irony of this description of SeaWorld's Orlando orca show, still posted on the SeaWorld website as of March 4, 2010:

"This inspirational new show also accentuates the close relationship SeaWorld trainers have with the killer whales, and will amaze you with a series of exciting new behaviors."

Click here to read more, and see what you can do to help.

Michael Vick Receiving "Courage" Award? IDA Counters, Presenting Vick Our First Cowardice Award

Michael Vick has been chosen to receive the 32nd Annual Ed Block Courage Award, honoring NFL players “who exemplify commitments to the principles of sportsmanship and courage ... He is also a community role model ... an Ambassador of Courage for victims of abuse, violence and neglect.” The award is named for a man who famously advocated on behalf of abused children. Vick will be celebrated at the gala event on March 9 in Baltimore, Maryland. The same Michael Vick who, in an effort to dispose of dogs who didn’t have a taste for fighting, chose to torture them by such ghastly means as electrocution, hanging, and drowning.

In response, IDA will proudly present to Michael Vick our first distinguished IDA Cowardice Award! For spinelessly torturing animals and being the most terrible role model possible for youngsters. We have invited Mr. Vick to our award ceremony, but haven’t heard back yet if he will be joining us.

Matt Would Like To Thank You For Saving His Life

The heartwarming success stories just keep coming from IDA's Project Hope Sanctuary in Mississippi. Last year, we asked you to help us save four starving horses. You responded, Project Hope's compassionate professionals stepped up, and now these four horses are headed to a great new home. Click here to see your support in action, alleviating real suffering and saving real lives.

Please Fax Your Senator And Representative Today For Queenie

We promised we wouldn't give up on the elephant Queenie - we need you to remember her too! Please, even if you've written on her behalf before, do so again. Your letters for Tina and Jewel worked. We must keep up the pressure for Queenie.

Click here to read more about Queenie's situation, and to send a quick fax to your Senator and Representative.

Animal Protection Orgs Including IDA Pledge $1.1 Million For Long-term Animal Relief In Haiti

Today, the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) announced a $1.1 million-dollar agreement with the Haitian government to improve the well being of animals, and repair the country’s damaged veterinary capacity, in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake. IDA is part of the coalition of 20 of the world’s leading animal protection organizations that form ARCH, which is led by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

The coalition also announced the arrival of a fully-equipped veterinary mobile clinic to Port-au-Prince. The donated unit will support ARCH’s animal rescue efforts that have already treated over 3,200 animals. 

Coalition members arrived in Port-au-Prince days after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake shook the Haitian capital to provide immediate medical aid to the stricken animals. Teams continue to treat injured and sick animals, and  provide  vaccinations for thousands of animals. According to the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture, there are an estimated 5 million farmed animals in Haiti (not including birds), and approximately 500,000 dogs living in the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

Why Eating Meat-Shaped Vegetarian Food Is Like Having Sex with a Blow-up Doll

We're living in a time when you can eat fake meat that tastes so real you'd swear an animal had to die for it.READ MORE

Anneli Rufus / AlterNet

Michael Moore: There's Going to Be a Second Economic Crash (and Glenn Beck Can 'F--k off')

Michael Moore lets loose on Beck, the Democrats, and the state of our economy as he unrolls his DVD release of capitalism. READ MORE

Cenk Uygur / The Young Turks

Should Progressives Give Up on Obama? Chris Hedges vs. Rabbi Lerner

Hedges: "The damage Obama and the Democrats have done is immense." Michael Lerner responds. READ MORE

Chris Hedges, Michael Lerner / TruthDig and Tikkun

Controversy Grows over Study Claiming 'Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent'

The author of a study that claims liberals and atheists are smarter than conservatives and believers is called "great idiot of social science" by prominent evolutionary biologist. READ MORE

By Daniela Perdomo / AlterNet

Does Republican Governor Rick Perry's Record of Executing Potentially Innocent People Hurt or Help Him in Texas?

Perry crushed his primary challengers this week and also signed off on the 211th execution of his gubernatorial career, breaking all TX history records. READ MORE

By Liliana Segura / AlterNet

How Did A Bank Lobbyist Score The Top Bank Regulator Job?

For years, John Dugan waged a war against the economy as a top bank lobbyist. Then George W. Bush made him the top U.S. bank regulator. READ MORE

By Zach Carter / The Nation

Is Your Favorite Politician a Sociopath?

So many politicians caught lying, breaking laws and yet none of them seem to believe they really did anything wrong. READ MORE

By Tony Schwartz / AlterNet

Fish Oil Supplements -- Want PCBs With That?

A lawsuit filed in California claims many popular fish oil companies knowingly sell products contaminated with high levels of toxic PCBs. READ MORE

By Rachel Cernansky / Planet Green

Outrage in San Francisco: City Gives Residents 'Organic' Compost Containing Toxic Sewage Sludge

The city's actions are a wake-up call that the entire nation regularly consumes foods grown on fields fertilized with sludge. READ MORE

By Jill Richardson / AlterNet

Kellogg Seeks Weight-loss Health Claim for Cereals

marionnestle

KY Senator Jim Bunning Blocks Pesticide Lobbyist Confirmation

Jill Richardson

Rachel Maddow Talks to ConservaDem Blanche Lincoln's Challenger Bill Halter

AlterNet Staff

King and the Palestinian Struggle for Freedom

Race-Talk

Bart Stupak and His Merry Band Of Eleven Anti-Choicers Want to Run Your Life

RH Reality Check

Great News: Sarah Palin to Write a Book on What Makes America Great

Tana Ganeva

Stop the Attacks on the Clean Air Act

Bruce Nilles

Poisoning the Planet

mycuz

This month we present to you a unique opportunity – we will hand deliver your personal appeal to the U.S. Senate to protect America's last remaining old-growth trees in our Tongass National Forest. We are also continuing to feature some great stories about life in Alaska and the people who work to keep Alaska wild! Enjoy.

Matt Reading
Online Communications Director

Our Tongass National Forest has been impacted by decades of industrial, clearcut logging – acre upon acre of the rainforest has been lost to the buzz of chainsaws with little regard to the health of the forest or the many wildlife and humans that depend on it. It's a heart-breaking picture.

It's all too obvious in the Tongass – the whole puzzle falls apart without conservation.

With your help, we've sent more than 40,000 emails to the U.S. Senate urging them to stop a bill that would give some of the best of our public lands to a private corporation for clearcut logging. But we need to take our actions a step further. The League is printing a small run of cardboard puzzles featuring a stunning photograph of the Tongass. It's a physical manifestation of our message that cannot be ignored – indeed, the puzzle is solved only when the picture of the forest is complete.

Today, we're excited to make you this offer: we will hand deliver a puzzle on your behalf to each of your Senators. But don't delay! The Senate is scheduling a hearing on the "Sealaska bill" in a matter of days. If you haven't already done so, please take action by clicking the link below:

Make sure your Senators get the picture. We'll hand deliver this personal appeal for conservation for only $15.

Gene and Joanne Wilhelm
Little did Gene Wilhelm realize when he arrived for a four-month stay at Point Barrow, Alaska, that his life would soon change forever. A University of Missouri assistant ecologist with ornithological expertise, Gene journeyed to Alaska to conduct research on the ecology of the brown lemming. One day, a local Inupiat mentor named Pete, asked Gene a vital question about his research: "Why do you kill my little brothers?" Seeing what must have been a stunned look on Gene's face at the framing of his question, Pete explained how and why everything in the high Arctic is interconnected, including the human being – that all life is kinfolk. This holistic perspective convinced Gene to commit to preserving the land and wildlife of Alaska. Gene believes the League's mission is a "perfect match" for his goal of conservation.

Gene has taught ecology for nearly 25 years and has a doctorate in biogeography from Texas A&M University. He met Joanne, his wife, while teaching at the University of Virginia. They have made their home in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania for 38 years. Together, the couple conducts nature awareness and sensitivity workshops and guides eco-expeditions to Alaska and other world sites where Native peoples still live symbiotically with nature. They also volunteer each spring with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Alamo, Texas, counting migrating raptors from Latin America.

-- Jennifer Hillman, Anchorage, Alaska

As you may know, winter in Alaska is famous for its brutal cold and super-short daylight hours. All Alaskans complain about the winter, but we secretly take pride in the ruggedness required to survive it. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year and leaves us with only five and a half hours of visible sunshine. Counting the daylight minutes lost leading up to that darkest day is a statewide tradition, and when it arrives, the sun barely crests the mountains here in Anchorage.

Every Alaskan has their own winter survival practices. Many people prefer 'getting outside,' which is really just code for vacationing outside the state – usually in search of sunny climes. Originally from Michigan, I am no stranger to cold, snowy winters and felt instantly at home in Alaska. There's definitely a trick to weathering the long winter months here, but I think I finally have it figured out. My winter survival practice is getting outdoors in Alaska itself. I love ski sports, snowshoeing, ice skating on our frozen waters, and searching for wildlife and their traces in the snow.

Everything slows down in Alaska during these dark winter months. People begin to almost hibernate! But March is the time when Alaska seems to wake up from its slumber. It's the perfect month: warm(er), snowy and lots of daylight. Around this time, we all start placing bets on the exact moment of 'break up' when the ice will dissipate from our rivers and summer will set in. Now we begin counting the number of daylight minutes gained until summer solstice when we will celebrate 24 hours of sunshine!

Dear Friend,

There's finally a bill to stop private, for-profit companies like Blackwater from waging war in our name with little regard for anything beyond their bottom line.

More than 22,000 mercenaries are operating in Iraq and Afghanistan, and these unaccountable hired guns have shot civilians and participated in torture at Abu Ghraib and other detention facilities.

Blackwater is the poster child for all that's wrong with hiring mercenaries for our military tasks. Contractors waste billions of taxpayer dollars while engaging in legally and ethically questionable activities. And when they commit morally repugnant acts like the killing two Afghan civilians in Kabul and an elderly man in Iraq, they're doing so on our dime and in our name.

I just urged my representative to co-sponsor the Stop Outsourcing Our Security Act, which would end military contracts for companies like Blackwater. I hope you will, too.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/military_contractors/?r_by=8038-959060-XQg9ADx&rc=paste1

Latest News from the Frontlines of Animal Welfare
March 5, 2010

1. Woman Arrested for Allegedly Starving Two Terriers
On February 24, ASPCA Special Agent Joe Vais arrested Rlisa Youell after her two starving Jack Russell Terriers were relinquished to a Brooklyn shelter. One of the dogs, Patches, passed away soon after arrival, while the other pup has recovered and been made available for adoption. Find out more about the charges against Youell and her potential punishment. Read More...

2. ASPCA Happy Tails: King of the World
Big Boy King, a dreamy senior Rottweiler, found his forever home with a generous ASPCA team member. Now he’s living the high life in NYC with a Poodle and two cats!

3. Three Dogs Die in Mysterious Meatball Poisonings
ASPCA community partner Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service has launched an investigation into the recent poisonings of three dogs in Spokane, WA.

4. ASPCA Grants $1 Million to Retired Racehorses
Our new Million Dollar Rescuing Racers Initiative will give major grants to equine rescues and sanctuaries across the country to help save retired racehorses.

More Articles:
5. Carriage Horse Phase-Out Bill Introduced in New York City

Please join me and Pesticide Action Network in supporting Midwest farmers concerned about Syngenta’s herbicide atrazine. I’ve just signed a letter telling the Environmental Protection Agency to let the science speak for itself, and stop any closed-door meetings with Syngenta.

Click here (or paste this address in your browser) for the petition & more information on how to get involved: http://action.panna.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2026

March 5, 2010

• Lawmakers urged to use 'common sense' on PBTs
• Atrazine turns male frogs into 'females' who can mate
• Oregon farmers take on Monsanto
• Investors push Chipotle on 'Food With Integrity'
• Food, Inc. goes to the Oscars

In a Thursday hearing on Capitol Hill, experts called for protecting people and the environment from persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs). "We are failing to prevent avoidable harm to our children," testified Ted Sturdevant of the Washington State Department of Ecology. "We are failing to protect the food chain that sustains us, we are failing to save countless millions of taxpayer dollars that are wasted on health care costs and environmental cleanup, and we are failing to exercise common sense." Sturdevant and others who testified before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trace and Consumer Protection called on legislators to prioritize action on chemicals like PBTs that pose an "urgent and unacceptable threat" to public health. The PBT hearing is part of broader efforts to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the federal law governing industrial chemicals.

Several panelists emphasized the long-term ramifications of letting the PBT "genie out of the bottle," citing PCBs and the pesticide DDT as examples of chemicals that have been banned for decades but still contaminate the environment and human bodies. Officials from the EPA and State Department called for TSCA reform to move forward in a way that allows the U.S. to fully engage and provide leadership in international policy arenas such as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs treaty), and the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent. "The best way for the United States to lead internationally, is to do so based on a strong approach at home," testified Dr. John Thompson, of the State Department. Prior to the hearing, Pesticide Action Network submitted a petition to the Subcommittee signed by thousands of concerned citizens across the country calling on Congress to prioritize action on PBTs. A joint letter signed by dozens of organizations working to promote environmental health and justice also called for strong action on PBTs, as did letters to Congress from the American Public Health Association (PDF) and the National Council of Churches (PDF). "The core of this debate is actually quite simple," noted Sturdevant in his testimony. "It all comes down to common sense, and the old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

shareMORE  MomsRising Blog: "Will future generations be less contaminated?" | Digg This

The public case against atrazine continues gaining steam. An unusually dramatic study released in Monday's Proceedings of the National Academy of Science has garnered press from all corners, ranging from FOX "News" to Reuters and Scientific American. The study, conducted by Dr. Tyrone Hayes out of University of California Berkeley, links exposure to atrazine to functional sex-reversal in frogs. Hayes and colleagues studied 40 African clawed frogs, keeping them in water contaminated with 2.5 ppb (parts per billion) of atrazine. The EPA's current drinking water standard is 3 ppb. "Before, we knew we got fewer males than we should have, and we got hermaphrodites. Now we have clearly shown that many of these animals are sex-reversed males," said Hayes in a statement. While still genetically male, the sex-reversed "female" frogs mated and successfully reproduced.

Atrazine is an endocrine disruptor in humans as well, meaning it can interact with the hormone system and have negative health impacts at extremely low levels of exposure -- levels well below what the federal government considers "safe". 

In October 2009, EPA officially reopened an examination of atrazine, despite the fact that it had been reviewed and approved for continued use in 2003. The agency will spend the next year reviewing the health and environmental risks of the chemical.

takeACTION Urge EPA to follow the science on atrazine | Digg This

On Friday, a coalition of organic farmers, Earthjustice, and the Center for Food Safety will be awaiting a Federal Judge's decision on whether or not to grant their request for an injunction that would halt plantings of GM sugar beets on 10 million acres across the nation, according to the New York Times. The "Roundup Ready" beets in question were engineered by Monsanto to tolerate repeated applications of the corporation's profitable herbicide. Two years after being illegally deregulated and approved for sale by the Bush administration, Roundup Ready sugar beets comprise 95% of the crop that farmers will begin planting in April. All of the sugar beets grown for seed are planted in Oregon's Willamette Valley where, despite Monsanto's assurances that the beets are safe, "specklings" - tiny roots planted to produce seed - of Roundup Ready beets were found in compost being sold at garden center in the nearby town of Corvallis. The group asking for the injunction has already won a suit that forced the USDA to reconsider their approval of GE sugar beets and perform and Environmental Impact Survey (EI. Friday's injunction would halt plantings (and sales of sugar from GE beets) until the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service finishes the EIS, a process that could take two to three years. Paul Achitoff, attorney for Earthjustice, said, "The sugar beets were unlawfully deregulated, the court has already found that. Legally, they shouldn't be on the market. Consumers should not be exposed to it, the environment should not be exposed to it.'' The organic farmers represented in the suit point out that the danger is not just cross pollination with compatible crops like table beets and swiss chard, but that modern testing is now sensitive enough to detect GMO pollen on their crops, rendering them worthless regardless of whether or not they're actually pollinated by it. In 2007, a similar lawsuit stopped planting of GE alfalfa until the EIS was complete - a decision that Monsanto is appealing all the way to the Supreme Court. 

shareMORE Earth Justice's press release | Digg This

Over the last two years, Pesticide Action Network has partnered with a group of investors, including Trillium Asset Management Corporation and Investor Environmental Health Network (IEHN), to urge food companies to support sustainable food and agriculture systems that protect the environment, workers, and consumers by reducing use of pesticides in their supply chains. The first company to express interest in revamping their procurement policies to prioritize produce grown without highly hazardous pesticides and with respect for farmworker rights and safety was Chipotle Mexican Grill. While PAN is hard at work finding ways to help Chipotle integrate farmworker rights into their Food With Integrity program, Trillium and IEHN partners are filing a shareholder resolution asking Chipotle to publish a comprehensive report to shareholders discussing how the company is addressing pesticide use reduction in its supply chain.

In their report, Trillium points to new research linking pesticides with cancer and Parkinson's disease and notes that consumers are paying more critical attention to the origins of their food, citing a tripling in organic food sales from $393 million in 2002 to $1.7 billion in 2007. While Chipotle's web site reports progress in sourcing of organic beans (35% of total bean purchases) and antibiotic-free sour cream, chicken and pork, they are not yet moving forward on pesticide-free fresh produce such as avocados. Chipotle estimates that they purchase 5% of the nation's total supply of avocados. According to Trillium's report, "Chipotle's forays into sustainable purchasing lead us to believe the company can undertake this work more holistically and more transparently. Doing so will certainly be a factor in the company's successful entrée into the U.K. next year, where consumer awareness and expectations about supply chain issues is higher."

shareMORE Trillium report: "Betting the Farm"  | Digg This

Food, Inc., a movie aimed at getting viewers involved in changing the food system, is up for an Oscar this Sunday. As one of the film's social action partners, Pesticide Action Network has been part of the documentary's "Hungry for Change" campaign from the beginning. Last June, PAN invited supporters to help "make Food, Inc. the next Inconvenient Truth" by spreading the word. The film took off, and we're excited that the film generated so much buzz about corporate control of our food.

While we take a moment to enjoy this shared achievement, consider donating $35 - about the cost of a movie night for two - to keep our ranks growing.