Last week's projections that two tropical storms will wallop the Gulf Coast simultaneously will not pan out, as Tropical Storm Laura veered away from Florida and slowed down slightly. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Marco has stayed the course, but lost strength as it barrels towards Louisiana and Texas, according to CNN.
On Sunday night, Marco was downgraded to a tropical storm and conditions in the Gulf of Mexico make it unlikely to regain strength. This is a welcome relief from the worrying predictions that first suggested the Gulf Coast, a region experiencing spikes in coronavirus cases and struggling to turn around testing in a timely manner, would have to prepare for two powerful hurricanes striking within hours of each other.
Instead, it looks like Marco will run along the coastline as it fizzles out, dropping rain later today and tomorrow, according to CNN. And yet, right behind Marco, Laura is gaining strength in the Caribbean and may become a category 2 storm when it makes landfall on Wednesday or Thursday.
Even though Marco is expected to lose strength, meteorologists are still unsure of how Laura will behave and are urging residents to prepare for the worst.
"You need to be prepared to ride out the storms, you and your family, wherever you are at dark tonight," said Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana said during a news briefing on Sunday, as The New York Times reported warnings that residents may need shelter in place for as long as 72 hours. He added that Laura could delay both search and rescue teams and power companies from addressing power outages.
The impending storms forced Louisiana to shut down its state-run coronavirus testing centers for Monday and Tuesday, while New Orleans will shutter its city-run testing sites today, according to The Washington Post. That could mean trouble if people start to become complacent about their vigilance or if they start to congregate in order to find shelter from the storm.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster to enlist the National Guard to run sanitation teams and mobile testing units, which can help ensure that people test negative and are safe to relocate. Abbot also said that it is possible to convert two facilities treating COVID-19 patients in Houston and San Antonio into emergency medical shelters, according to The Washington Post.
In Houston, Mayor Sylvester Turner said residents should include coronavirus testing as part of their hurricane preparation. He said in a press conference that it would be selfish of residents not to get tested for the virus before going to shelter with others. That sort of complacency could lead to a resurgence of the virus, said Turner, as The Washington Post reported.
"Hurricanes are unpredictable, no matter how much science we have," said Richard Zuschlag, the chief executive of Acadian Ambulance based in Lafayette, LA, which is in the paths of both storms, as The New York Times reported.
Meteorologists said that while Marco could cause storm surges of up to six feet along the Mississippi River, Laura might drive them up to 10 feet. The storms will hit as a one-two punch and are expected to inundate the southern parts of Louisiana with five to 10 inches of rain, according to The New York Times.
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A large loggerhead with other injuries washed ashore during the latest cold-stunning event and was treated at New England Aquarium. New England Aquarium
Hundreds of endangered sea turtles were stranded on beaches after suffering "cold stunning" in the waters off Cape Cod, Mass. Local rescuers and wildlife rehabilitators stabilized the turtles at the New England Aquarium (NEAQ) and National Marine Life Center and began treatment. Many of the sea turtles were transported by land or air to partner facilities around the Eastern Seaboard for longer-term care to make room for more incoming, cold-stunned animals.
<p>"Cold stunning" is a hypothermic reaction that occurs when sea turtles are exposed to cold water for a prolonged time, explained Connie Merigo, NEAQ's Director of the Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Department. The dangerous condition typically develops in sea turtles when water temperatures reach 50 degrees F and cause the animals to stop eating and swimming, she said. They float, unable to eat or dive, exposed constantly to wind and waves. When winds shift onshore after storms, they work with surface currents and high tides to push stunned turtles onto the shore, where beach walkers find and rescue them.</p><p>"Sea turtles are ectothermic, meaning they take on the temperature of the water or air around them," Bette Zirkelbach told EcoWatch. "They are not able to regulate their body temperature, so cold water temperatures become dangerous for these turtles. A lower body temperature slows the turtles' heart rate and circulation, lowering oxygen levels and leading to severe lethargy. If left untreated, cold-stunning can progress to shock, pneumonia and even death."</p><p>Zirkelbach is the manager at <a href="https://www.turtlehospital.org/" target="_blank">The Turtle Hospital</a> in Marathon, Florida, a facility that received 40 critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles last week from NEAQ for longer-term care.</p><p>"When turtles are cold-stunned, they appear dead. There is no movement and very little reflex," Merigo told EcoWatch. "Sometimes we need a Doppler and an ultrasound to even detect a heartbeat because a turtle's heart slows so much when it is cold-stunned. It can slow to just three beats a minute even, but you can usually still save that turtle."</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzIyOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTk2NTkxM30.uPQ4mM8LmDGvoiUdYSTwmJQVKL35MUGjLJoI1N3Uabg/img.jpg?width=980" id="a364f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="952b9deffdc016a498dc630a2ba3029a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Rehabilitators at The Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys assess critically endangered, cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtles flown in after rescue in New England. The Turtle Hospital
<p>NEAQ and local rescuers begin seeing turtles every fall when water temperatures drop to that 50 degrees F threshold, and typically expect to find them into early January. After that, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/sea-turtle-cape-cod-weather-2621527394.html" target="_self">temperatures are so cold that any animals found are usually no longer alive</a>.</p><p>Merigo estimated that this year's cold season "looks very busy" and noted that local rescue efforts had already surpassed 400 turtles.</p><p>"It is a lot of animals. They're still coming in," she told EcoWatch as she surveyed 39 rescued turtles that day and 20 the day prior. "So far, this is a huge year."</p><p>At NEAQ, the turtles are gradually warmed up about five to 10 degrees F a day. More aggressive warming can cause serious damage and the turtle might not survive, Merigo said. Emergency treatments also include providing replacement fluids, balancing electrolytes and addressing pneumonia. Assessments take place for other serious problems too, such as shell or limb fractures, frostbite, emaciation and eye damage.<span></span></p><p>As local aquariums don't have the capacity to care for all the injured turtles, a group of private pilots called <a href="https://www.turtlesflytoo.org/" target="_blank">"Turtles Fly Too"</a> donated planes, fuel and time to transport some to various partner facilities around the country. Other turtles were driven to closer care facilities.</p><p>"We have a huge network of really great partners working with us, so if we can spread out the care, we can give better care to all the animals," Merigo said.</p><p>The 40 Kemp's ridley sea turtles recovering in The Turtle Hospital will continue to be treated and rehabilitated anywhere from 30 days to a year, depending on the severity of injuries, Zirkelbach said.</p><p>The turtle expert noted that while she's treated cold-stunned turtles from the north before, the newest arrivals were the most cold-stunned Kemp's ridleys ever received at one time.</p><p>Kemp's ridleys are the most endangered species of sea turtle in the world, Zirkelbach and Merigo confirmed. They are also the smallest species of sea turtle, according to <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/kemps-ridley-turtle" target="_blank">NOAA</a>.</p><p>The majority of cold-stunned animals are juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtles, estimated to be between one and five years old, Zirkelbach said. Merigo hypothesized that their smaller size contributes to cold-stunning sooner than other species, and are also washing up on beaches earlier.</p><p>Merigo noted that sea turtles are really resilient, making the entire rescue and rehabilitation program worth it. Once warm, fully rehabilitated and healthy, the turtles recovering at The Turtle Hospital will go to another part of Florida where juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtles will return to the ocean, Zirkelbach said.</p><p>"Sea turtles have a built-in GPS, so <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/sea-turtles-navigation-science-2646450308.html" target="_self">they will get back on track</a>," she assured.</p><p>Both experts noted a potential connection with the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>, and a 2019 <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0211503" target="_blank">study</a> found that warming seas increase cold-stunning events for Kemp's ridley sea turtles in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Warmer global temperatures do not cause the cold-stunning, but could explain why the turtles are in the area in the first place.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzIzMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTgxOTg1OH0.QWKoy52CB5H4y1YyzsYY8HOHJx_T4X8Fw4bluAOBjdc/img.jpg?width=980" id="663d1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="02cad25916148ea692ea1914462dad64" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<p><br/></p>After rescue, cold-stunned sea turtles received immediate emergency care and assessments at the New England Aquarium. Caitlin Cunningham / New England Aquarium
<p>In the past decade, the Gulf of Maine, which spans from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, has warmed 99 percent faster than the rest of the ocean, Zirkelbach said. The warm water encourages turtles that migrate north along the Gulf Stream in warmer months to stay in the bay longer.</p><p>"Turtles that fail to migrate south get stuck in the unique horseshoe-shaped topography of the Cape Cod peninsula, and when temperatures drop, the bay becomes a death trap," she added.</p><p>Before ocean temperatures warmed, the waters of Maine were too cold for many of these sea turtles, Merigo echoed. Now, with warming sea surface temperatures, Maine can reach the high 70s to low 80s, which is "perfect turtle temperature," she said. The potential for more turtles getting trapped in the bay and then cold-stunned is nerve-racking for Merigo.</p><p>In addition to shifting habitats as waters warm, warming global temperatures also disrupt natural gender balance in sea turtles, Merigo warned. Gender is determined by the temperature of eggs in nests, and as the planet warms, it will result in all females at some point, she said.</p><p>"The turtles we work with are all endangered and threatened," Merigo said. "For sea turtles in general, the future is a little grim. Climate change is real; it does impact them."</p>From Your Site Articles
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Jupiter and Saturn Will Form ‘Double Planet’ This December for the First Time in 800 Years
20h
Science
On Dec. 21, Jupiter and Saturn will be so closely aligned that they will appear as a "double planet." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory / YouTube
The night sky has a special treat in store for stargazers this winter solstice.
<p>On Dec. 21, Jupiter and Saturn will be so closely aligned that they will appear as a "double planet," Rice University astronomer Patrick Hartigan announced in a university <a href="https://news.rice.edu/2020/11/19/christmas-week-worlds-will-align-for-spectacular-heavenly-sight-2/" target="_blank">press release</a>. This is called a conjunction, and the last time such a close one between the two planets was visible from Earth was in 1226.</p><p>"That's just [shy] of 800 years ago" <a href="https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics</a> spokeswoman Amy Oliver <a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/12/03/2020-great-conjunction-rare-christmas-star-jupiter-saturn-align/3808185001/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">told USA TODAY</a>. "Call [2020's conjunction] a unique, holiday gift to the world. Maybe it's the soothing band-aid for 2020."</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5337d80301fe60e7bb3f852458f07708"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NEVCDhEyKx0?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>A conjunction occurs when two celestial objects appear close together when seen from Earth. The conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn occurs when the orbits of the two planets align with Earth's, something that only happens once every 20 years and is referred to as a "great conjunction," <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/2567/whats-up-december-2020-video/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20Saturn%20will%20appear,as%20some%20of%20Jupiter's%20moons.&text=This%20event%20is%20called%20a,together%20in%20our%20nighttime%20sky." target="_blank">according to NASA</a>.</p><p>However, this great conjunction brings the planets even closer together than usual. They will appear to be separated by just a tenth of a degree, or the thickness of a dime held at arm's length.</p><p>"On the evening of closest approach on Dec 21 they will look like a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_planet" target="_blank">double planet</a>, separated by only 1/5th the diameter of the full moon," Hartigan said in the press release. "For most telescope viewers, each planet and several of their largest moons will be visible in the same field of view that evening."</p>
<p>However, if the skies are cloudy the night of the 21st itself, the planets will still be close from Dec. 16 to 25. The space between them will be less than the diameter of the full moon.</p><p>The phenomenon will be easiest to see from the equator, but should be visible everywhere on Earth. To see it, look to the low western sky for about an hour after sunset. However, those in northern latitudes should try to look for the sight as closely after sunset as possible.</p><p>"The further north a viewer is, the less time they'll have to catch a glimpse of the conjunction before the planets sink below the horizon," Hartigan explained.</p>
<p>If you miss this conjunction, another so close won't be visible until 2080. After that, it will not occur again until after 2400. While the last time the phenomenon was visible was in the Middle Ages, a similar alignment occurred in 1623, but it was too close to the sun to be seen from Earth, USA TODAY explained.</p><p>"You would be lucky to see this once in a lifetime," Andrew Jacob of the Sydney Observatory said, as the <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/jupiter-saturn-great-conjunction-christmas-800-years-b155652.html" target="_blank">Evening Standard</a> reported.</p><p>The event is also known as the "Christmas Star" or the "Star of Bethlehem."</p><p>German astronomer Johannes Kepler theorized in 1614 that a similar conjunction might have been the source of the bright "star" that the Wise Men followed to visit the baby Jesus in the nativity story.</p>
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Rough handling can result in birds becoming injured before slaughter. Courtesy of Mercy for Animals
By Dena Jones
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was sued three times this past summer for shirking its responsibility to protect birds from egregious welfare violations and safeguard workers at slaughterhouses from injuries and the spread of the coronavirus.
<p>Over the years, it has become abundantly clear that federal regulators not only let animal abusers off the hook but also placate the factory farm industry by subverting worker and consumer interests. On July 27, a growing number of animal advocacy organizations joined a lawsuit that <a href="https://mercyforanimals.org/mercy-for-animals-joins-lawsuit-challenging" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">challenged the USDA</a> over its recent bird flu response plan, which indemnifies factory farms and fails to address how intensive confinement contributes to disease outbreaks. One day later, unions representing workers across six states <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2020-07-28/unions-sue-usda-over-faster-chicken-plant-production-speeds" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sued</a> the USDA over its approval of faster slaughter line speeds that they say will endanger workers.</p>
<p>In August, my organization, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), and Farm Sanctuary <a href="https://awionline.org/press-releases/usda-sued-compel-humane-handling-birds-slaughter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sued</a> the USDA over its persistent failure to require humane handling of poultry at slaughter, resulting in damaged or contaminated products that violate the federal <a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/rulemaking/poultry-products-inspection-acts" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Poultry Products Inspection Act</a> and compromise food safety and meat quality.</p><p>Our lawsuit comes after we initially <a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/e138fe1a-d380-42b2-88b7-f24a11ed7d7f/Petition-AWI-PPIA-121713.pdf?MOD=AJPERES" target="_blank">petitioned</a> the department in 2013 to uphold its congressional mandate and codify poultry humane handling standards into enforceable regulations. After six years, during which time federal inspectors documented <a href="https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/publication/digital_download/20TheWelfareBirdsSlaughter.pdf" target="_blank">more than 2,000 incidents</a> of poultry mistreatment, the USDA denied our petition <a href="https://www.natlawreview.com/article/animal-rights-groups-file-lawsuit-against-usda-to-tackle-inhumane-treatment-poultry" target="_blank">in 2019</a>. At the same time, the department denied a second petition asking it to address the <a href="https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/temp/FA-AWI-Poultry-loading-transport-holding-incidents.pdf" target="_blank">problem</a> of birds being abandoned in the holding areas of slaughter plants — often in extreme heat or cold for extended periods.</p>
<p>Ongoing reviews of USDA enforcement records by AWI reveal that every year, government inspectors document the suffering of tens of thousands of birds from suffocation, blunt force trauma, and heat or cold stress before even reaching the slaughter line. This widespread suffering is entirely preventable, as it is caused by neglect, inadequate worker training, faulty equipment, and intentional acts of cruelty at slaughterhouses.</p><p>In 2018, for instance, <a href="https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/Butterfield-2018-incident.pdf" target="_blank">Butterfield Foods Company failed to protect its hens</a> during their transportation to a Minnesota slaughter plant in subzero temperatures, resulting in nearly 10,000 deaths, with many birds frozen to their cages. More than 9,000 birds died in a <a href="https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/Butterfield-2020-incident.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">similar incident at the same plant this past winter</a>.</p><p>A Butterball plant in North Carolina held a truck of turkeys for 31 hours last year, <a href="https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/Butterball-holding-incident-Jan-2019.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">depriving them of food and water</a>. By the time they were unloaded, a large number of birds had perished, and some had begun cannibalizing weaker birds.</p>
<p>Each year, about <a href="https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/pg15bd88s/kw52js65h/d217r6115/pslaan20.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">9 billion chickens and turkeys are slaughtered</a> in the United States, yet plants suffer no consequences when most forms of mistreatment are observed during USDA audits. There are no fines, no slowing or stopping of the slaughter line, and no shuttering of a plant even if egregious or repeat violations occur.</p><p>For instance, a Jennie-O slaughter plant in Minnesota was <a href="https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/Jennie-O-Turkey-repeated-laceration-incidents.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">written up 10 times in 2018 from February to August for severe injuries to turkeys</a>, including large areas of torn skin, hemorrhaging and muscle mutilation — all due to malfunctioning equipment — yet the USDA did not penalize the plant or require operators to fix the problem.</p><p>Even incidents of willful mishandling are tolerated. At the Southern Hens facility in Mississippi, <a href="https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/Southern-Hen-repeated-bird-tossing-incidents.pdf" target="_blank">USDA inspectors cited the plant 10 times in the month of March 2020 alone</a> because workers were seen tossing crates to the ground six feet below as the live birds inside frantically flapped their wings and tried to escape. This callous indifference not only causes stress, injuries and painful deaths for animals; it can also <a href="https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/RelationshipBetweenAnimalHandlingMeatQuality.pdf" target="_blank">damage the final meat product</a> for the consumer.</p>
<p>Under the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the USDA is required to reduce the incidence of damaged and/or potentially unsafe (or "adulterated") poultry products. But while federal inspectors have issued official notices and directives drawing a connection between the mistreatment of live birds and adulteration, they have taken <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/poultry-slaughter-plants-2625984903.html" target="_self">no concrete steps to stop it</a>.</p><p>Instead, the USDA permits the poultry industry to police itself through voluntary standards that — based on the department's own records — are clearly inadequate. Meanwhile, industry executives falsely claim that when inhumane handling occurs, government inspectors take action. Each side contends that the other is responsible for animal welfare. In reality, no one is protecting birds at slaughter.</p><p>The USDA has repeatedly demonstrated that it is unwilling to act against industry interests — even when doing so would improve poultry product quality and help prevent the abuse of the vast majority of land animals killed for food.</p><p>You can help protect birds at slaughter by <a href="https://awionline.org/compassion-index#/243" target="_blank">sending a message to the USDA</a>, asking the agency to change its regulations and policies to prevent neglect and abuse of birds at slaughter.</p>
<p><em>Dena Jones is the director of the Farm Animal Program for the nonprofit <a href="https://awionline.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Animal Welfare Institute</a> (AWI) in Washington, DC. Since 1951, AWI has sought to alleviate suffering on animals inflicted by humans.</em></p><p><em>This article was produced by </em><a href="https://independentmediainstitute.org/earth-food-life/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Earth | Food | Life</em></a><em>, a project of the Independent Media Institute.</em></p>
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A view of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge during Arctic Bird Fest on June 25, 2019. Lisa Hupp / USFWS
By Julia Conley
Conservation campaigners on Thursday accused President Donald Trump of taking a "wrecking ball" to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as the White House announced plans to move ahead with the sale of drilling leases in the 19 million-acre coastal preserve, despite widespread, bipartisan opposition to oil and gas extraction there.
<p><br/></p>
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<div id="21f45" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a6afe64073afbbc1a8de578a912fe75c"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1334553961173450753" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today’s decision to guide @Interior’s Arctic Refuge drilling strategy is deeply flawed: It violates Indigenous righ… https://t.co/ypkVlab9WZ</div> — NRDC 🌎🏡 (@NRDC 🌎🏡)<a href="https://twitter.com/NRDC/statuses/1334553961173450753">1607017433.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Seven weeks before Trump is set to leave office, the administration <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/528550-trump-admin-to-sell-oil-leases-at-arctic-wildlife-refuge-before" target="_blank">announced</a> it plans to conduct the sale virtually on Jan. 6. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will enter a notice about the sale in the Federal Registry next week.</p><p>The announcement comes a week after Bank of America <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/01/lame-duck-trump-pushes-arctic-pillage-bank-america-latest-bank-rule-out-drilling" target="_blank">became the latest bank </a>to rule out financing of drilling projects in the Arctic Refuge. JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo have also stated in the past year that they will not give financial backing to fossil fuel extraction in the Arctic, leading the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency last month to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/20/trump-administration-accused-trying-bully-banks-financing-arctic-fossil-fuel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">propose a new rule </a>that would bar financial institutions from refusing to lend to specific sectors in the name of "fair access."</p><p>"Arctic Refuge drilling makes zero sense in today's reality of high oil market volatility and with every major U.S. bank and many international banks unwilling to invest in risky, expensive Arctic oil projects," said Adam Kolton, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League. "The administration is simply rushing to sell off one of the wildest places left on earth for pennies on the dollar before President-elect Biden takes office in January."</p>
<div id="aa452" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="eb00932e62d3b20ed13dffb5594ec80a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1334510970195111960" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Every major US bank has now walked away from destructive, risky drilling in the Arctic refuge. Banks recognize this… https://t.co/XM7z8EOZMg</div> — Senator Jeff Merkley (@Senator Jeff Merkley)<a href="https://twitter.com/SenJeffMerkley/statuses/1334510970195111960">1607007183.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>According to Kolton, Trump's plan to move forward with his deeply unpopular leasing plan is "yet another dangerous political favor" to the fossil fuel industry and an action which suggests he is eager to do as much damage to the environment before Biden — who opposes drilling in the Arctic Refuge — is inaugurated.</p><p>"President Trump's electoral fate has been sealed and his days in office are numbered," he said. "The fact that the sale will be officially noticed on December 7, one day after we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Arctic Refuge by Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, symbolizes the degree to which the president has taken a wrecking ball to decades of bipartisan conservation support."</p><p>The timing of the announcement, added the Natural Resources Defense Council, makes "a mockery of the ongoing public comment period."</p>
<p>The Gwich'in people, who have hunted caribou on the land that is now the Arctic Refuge for thousands of years, are among the most vocal opponents to drilling in the region. In August the tribe <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2020/08/gwich-allied-groups-sue-trump-agencies-for-illegal-lease-program-arctic" target="_blank">sued</a> the Interior Department and the BLM over the Trump administration's plan to sell leases in the refuge's 1.5 million acre coastal plain.</p><p>"The Interior Department's Arctic Refuge leasing process has been flawed from the outset, ignoring science and Indigenous voices throughout and failing at every turn to sufficiently analyze the impacts drilling will have on our climate, our air and water quality, the health of wildlife or the future of local Indigenous communities," said Kolton.</p><p>In addition to negatively impacting the Gwich'in people, opponents <a href="https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2019/public-overwhelmingly-opposes-drilling-in-arctic-refuge" target="_blank">say</a> drilling in the Arctic Refuge would also harm the polar bears that live there and have already been harmed by the warming of the planet, numerous fish species, and nearly 200 species of migratory birds.</p><p>"For decades, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has stood as a symbol of our nation's strong natural legacy," said Ellen Montgomery, public lands campaign director for Environment America. "Its breathtaking landscape is home to endangered polar bears, caribou, wolves, muskoxen, and migratory birds that travel annually to all 50 states. Destroying their home in the craven desire for more oil is a tragic mistake."</p><p>"Once this seal is broken, there is no going back," Montgomery added. "Industrial-level oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Refuge cannot occur without doing catastrophic damage to vital habitats."</p><p>According to a poll released in August by Morning Consult, just 31% of Americans<a href="https://morningconsult.com/2020/08/24/oil-gas-drilling-public-lands-arctic-refuge-poll/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> support</a> drilling in the Arctic Refuge.</p><p>In light of public opinion, banks' unwillingness to fund drilling projects, and signs that renewable energy industries are <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2219927-us-green-economy-has-10-times-more-jobs-than-the-fossil-fuel-industry/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">poised to grow faster</a> than the fossil fuel sector in the coming years, Kolton said, "any oil company bidding on this sale will face not only economic challenges, but enormous reputational and legal risks as well."</p><p>"America is transitioning to a new administration that has already pledged to protect the refuge," said Montgomery. "We are rapidly moving to renewable energy and clean transportation options. We don't need the current administration to jam this through, using a 'going out of business sale' approach. We strongly urge oil companies to take a pass." </p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzI0OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMzM1NTAxMn0.p0VJn1wad-svlR0j6HZIKdjTdplbcN8XPG4YwXeAvbw/img.jpg?width=980" id="e3345" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e2e7747f5ec85c57a804b5a38c48d874" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/03/just-days-exit-trump-plans-going-out-business-sale-arctic-drilling-leases" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>The Sheenjek River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Alexis Bonogofsky / USFWS
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The Bond Fire, started by a structure fire that extended into nearby vegetation on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020 in Silverado, CA. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images
Hot, dry and windy conditions fueled a wildfire southeast of Los Angeles Thursday that injured two firefighters and forced 25,000 to flee their homes.
<p>As of Thursday evening, the Bond Fire had spread to 6,400 acres and was only 10 percent contained, the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) <a href="https://twitter.com/OCFA_PIO/status/1334707425090289667" target="_blank">tweeted</a>. It comes as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/california" target="_self">California</a> has already experienced its worst year for wildfires, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-california-fires-a73ac9314c83900cf0b252ec1b26eb5c" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a>. The Bond Fire is also burning close to where the Silverado Fire forced tens of thousands to evacuate in October. Among them was Kolbi Winters, who had to evacuate again Thursday.</p><p>"I had one month literally to enjoy myself before another fire happened," Winters told The Associated Press. "If this continues happening, and we don't take care of this, one day, I'm not going to have a home."</p><p>California's worsening fires have been linked to the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>, as warmer temperatures make the state and its vegetation drier, fueling the flames.</p>
<p>The Bond Fire began in a house before 10:15 p.m. Wednesday night, <a href="https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/12/03/bond-fire-firefighters-hurt-irvine-silverado/" target="_blank">CBSLA reported</a>. However, three factors influenced its spread, according to <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/03/weather/southern-california-edison-power-outage/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. A combination of Santa Ana winds up to 70 miles per hour, humidity as low as four percent and the hottest temperatures across the continental U.S. created a "particularly dangerous situation" for fires in the region, the National Weather Service Los Angeles said. These factors prompted utilities to shut off power to 123,000 customers as a preventative measure and sparked several fires, of which the Bond Fire was the largest, according to The Associated Press. High winds helped turn the house fire into a wildfire.</p><p>"When crews arrived it was a fully engulfed house and the winds were extremely strong and they pushed flames into the vegetation," OCFA spokeswoman Colleen Windsor told The Associated Press.</p><p>The blaze then damaged other structures.</p>
<p>"We know that a number of houses have been damaged, potentially destroyed," OCFA chief Brian Fennessy said at a press conference, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/us/bond-fire-california.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported.</p><p>Fennessy also said that more than 500 firefighters from more than 30 agencies were helping to battle the flames. Two of those firefighters, who were with the U.S. Forest Service, were injured sometime Thursday afternoon, according to CBSLA. They were treated by paramedics and taken to a hospital, where their condition was not known. However, their injuries were not life-threatening, according to The New York Times.</p><p>The fire forced 25,000 to evacuate, though some evacuation orders were lifted, CNN reported. Evacuations were complicated by the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic. Because of the contagious disease, authorities could not set up an overnight shelter and <a href="https://twitter.com/OCFA_PIO/status/1334486964922249216" target="_blank">advised</a> people to stay with family or in a hotel.</p>
<p>The Red Cross set up an evacuation point and said it had provided hotel rooms for 170 people, The New York Times reported.</p><p>The combination of back-to-back fires and the pandemic have taken a toll on the local community and its small businesses.</p><p>"Because of the fire, the quality of the air is very bad," 47-year-old Mohadeseh Sadollahi, who owns the Bellaria Coffee House in the evacuated community of Foothill Ranch, told The New York Times. "People can't sit outside, and they can't sit inside. As a small-business owner paying all my bills and rent, I can't fix it very easily."</p>
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