NC Media Watch

Al Gore’s ocean view villa purchase going virus on the web?

Russ Steele

After hearing on the radio, I typed “Al Gore" + $8,875,000 ocean-view villa” into Google and got 369 hits from around the world.

Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper bought an Italian-style home which has an ocean view, fountains, six fireplaces, five bedrooms and nine bathrooms in Montecito-area according to an LA Times Story here.

I thought that Al Gore was worried about a 20 foot sea level rise?  I guess global warming is not as bad as Al Gore thought.

Here is some California Sea Level Information from Global Warming Science.

Arctic ice is melting, you cannot be serious?

Russ Steele

Yubanet has yet again another Arctic ice melting story based on the 2007 summer ice extent here.

First, according to NASA the 2007 ice loss was due to shift in wind patterns, it had nothing to do with increased human caused warming, because there was no significant warming. Details here, here, and here.  Let's look at what the study said with my comments in brackets [ ].

The findings question previous thought that warmer air transported from lower latitudes toward the pole, or changes in cloud cover, are the primary causes of enhanced Arctic warming.



Dr Screen says prior to this latest data set being available there was a lot of contrasting information and inconclusive data.

"This current data has provided a fuller picture of what is happening in the region," he says.



Over the past 20 years the Arctic has experienced the fastest warming of any region on the planet. Researchers around the globe have been trying to find out why.



Researchers say warming has been partly caused by increasing human greenhouse gas emissions. [ How do they know, how did they measure the human caused greenhouse gasses from the natural emissions? ]

At the same time, the Arctic sea ice has been declining dramatically. In summer 2007 the Arctic had the lowest sea ice cover on record. [ Really? This record only started in 1979 when satellite observations of the planet started.  The Arctic experienced extensive melting in the 1930s and 1940s.  There were no tools for observing the extent of the melt during the last warm PDO, yet ships transited the region during the summer melt.]

Since then levels have recovered a little but the long-term trend is still one of decreasing ice. [If Dr. Screen’s theory is true, should we have seen increased melting in 2008 and 2009?]

Here is the latest ice extent:

Anthony Watts has the latest in the Arctic Spring Ice Melt at the WUWT Sea Ice News.

Recessions long term unemployment

Russ Steele

In past recessions California has lead the nations recovery. This recession is different, we seem to be sinking, with unemployment growing rather than declining. This may be part of a larger trend according to Veronique de Rugy a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
(Click for larger image.)

This week, Veronique de Rugy examines one of the most dramatic recession economic trends – the rise in long-term unemployment. According to seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, last month, over 44.1% of unemployed workers (6.5 million workers) had been unemployed for 27 weeks or more; at the start of 2008, 18.3% of unemployed workers fell into this category. Importantly, these measures of unemployment exclude workers who want employment but were, for various reasons, not included in BLS’s unemployment calculations – an estimated 5.8 million workers.

This trend has continued un-flagged despite numerous jobs bills and policy interventions.

Exit question: Where does the California work force fit on the Mercatus Graphic and why are we not leading the recovery?  Your thoughts?

When parallel climate change universes collide

Russ Steele

Lisa P. Jackson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, reported to the House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment in Hearing today, that the EPA is moving forward with the EPA’s findings that unchecked greenhouse gas emissions pose a serious threat to the American public.

“I am not alone in reaching that conclusion. Scientists at the 13 federal agencies that make up the U.S. Global Change Research Program have reported that unchecked greenhouse gas emissions pose significant risks to the wellbeing of the American public. The National Academy of Sciences has stated that the climate is changing, that the changes are mainly caused by human interference with the atmosphere, and that those changes will transform the environmental conditions on Earth unless counter-measures are taken.”

The U.S. Global Change Research Program has issued a report on the Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States.  This report  makes multiple references to the UN IPCC 2007 Assessment Report, know as AR4.  In addition, many of the AR4 authors  contributed papers to the  Climate Change Impacts report.

Mean while, In a parallel universe described in an exclusive FoxNew report:  Citizen’s Group Plans Extensive Audit of U.N. Climate Report

“. . . Patrick J. Michaels, a scientist and senior fellow in environmental studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, and the past president of the American Association of State Climatologists, told FoxNews.com that the real criticism of the U.N.’s climate report has just begun.

In addition to Laframboise’s NoConsensus.org, he said, there is a new “parallel universe” of online publications emerging, manned by serious scientists critical of the approach by governments around the world to climate change. He includes sites such as Climate Audit, Watts Up With That?, and TheBlackboard in that galaxy.

“A parallel universe is assembling itself parallel to the IPCC,” Michaels told FoxNews.com. "This universe has become very technical -- very proficient at taking apart the U.N.’s findings."

Michaels is presenting a new report during the upcoming Heartland Institute conference on climate change that examines the EPA finding that carbon dioxide is endangering the planet and needs to be regulated. The finding was released last winter on the eve of the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit.

“The endangerment finding was based on the fourth assessment finding by the IPCC and the synthesis report by the U.S. Global Change Research Institute,” said Michaels. He worries that policymakers, who cannot get cap and trade legislation through the U.S. Senate, may try to make regulations based on the U.N.’s global warming report, as incorporated into the “endangerment” finding on CO2.

That report, says Michaels, “suffers from systemic errors.”

It is going to be a very interesting spring as these parallel universes collide. Stay tuned.

Taking a whack at true conservatives

Russ Steele

Local blogger, Jeff "I am centrist" Pelline, takes a whack at McClintock supporters and anyone else who is a strong conservative in the County here.

It seems to me the real losing strategy is for McClintock and the “far right” to split the loyalty of the Republican party, burning up GOP cash in the primary and clearing the way for Jerry Brown to become governor. In our area, Aaron Klein (a community college trustee), Republican Assemblyman Dan Logue and Republican Senator Sam Aanestad also have endorsed Poizner. Kim Pruett, whose spouse is running for the supposedly nonpartisan county clerk-recorder position, is a local McClintock staffer.

All along, I and many others have predicted a Whitman-Brown race for governor. This just shows how far “out there” some of our local politicans are.

I wonder if this Gallup Poll finding applies to Nevada County, California?

Quite frankly I think California is in trouble regardless of who in governor. Poizner supported Al Gore and Whitman supported Barbara Boxer - RINOs. Neither one will be capable of dealing with the entrenched Democrats in the legislature. Brown will commit economic suicide by pushing AB32 and every climate change regulation he can get through the legislature, just to collect the carbon taxes.

No matter who is the Governor, the most important political figures in the next four years will be the Federal Judge and the Bankruptcy Trustee that he/she appoints to oversee California’s bankruptcy.

Oh No! Not another F?

Russ Steele

Every year Nevada County gets a failing ozone grade from the American Lung Association. This grade is based on figures reported to the Environmental Protection Agency, which gave Nevada County an “F” for ozone pollution again for 2010.

The vast majority of Western Nevada County's ozone air pollution is transported from the Sacramento region and, to a lesser extent, the San Francisco Bay Area, according to a press release from the Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District.

But there is really a larger issue, which was examined at length by the Sierra Environmental Studies Foundation. Here is a link to the Foothill Furor – Seeking Basis for Public Policy on Ozone Pollution
From the Abstract:

“Most people know that the county can do little to impact its ability to reach the federally mandated standards. So far the county’s only countering argument has been that its ozone is transported from large upwind sources. The report introduces two new and significant factors to this issue. These are 1) the government’s assessment of non-attainment is based on an arbitrary interpretation of unknown county ozone levels, and 2) the government has no reasonable (science supported) process in place by which it can either prescribe or evaluate any county attainment plan submitted to it – i.e. it cannot follow its own procedures.”

Emphasis was added by author. Read the whole report, there is no valid science that supports the above grade. Just like global warming, we are being baffled by government cow pies.

Is anyone reading climate change blogs?

Russ Steele

Have you ever wondered if anyone is really reading the climate change blogs. Willis Eschenbach has created a self-explanatory chart, posted at Watts Up With That,  showing the traffic on climate blogs(click for a larger image):

WUWT is the top of the heap, twice as good as the one in second place. (Sc) means a sceptical (sic) site , (Mid) is middle of the road, and (AGW) is AGW supporters.

Which one do you read most often?  I read all the (Sc) and (Mid) sites but favor WUWT.

Where are Nevada City’s solar panels hiding? Updated (04-28-10:09:45)

Russ Steele

I keep hearing that Nevada City is the “Solar City of California”  I heard it again today while watching the BoS meeting on AB811 implementation.  This article appeared in the Sacramento Bee on April 18th, 2010:  Nevada City embraces solar power

Nevada City is, according to city officials, the No. 1 solar community in  California, with one in five homes using solar for all or part of their power.

In fact, solar is popular in neighborhoods and communities throughout Nevada County, where more than 400 permits for solar installations have been granted since 2005 and the number has nearly tripled in the last four years.

Really!  Earlier this month I e-mailed Gene Albaugh, the City Manager, and asked for a count of the solar permits by year. He wrote back that Nevada County Planning Department issued the building permits for Nevada City, including the solar permits. 

I contacted the Planning Department and asked how many permits had been issue since 2000.  They said that the data base only went back to 2004. See the chart showing the number of permits issued by year.

With 1415 housing units in Nevada City, if one in every five homes have solar panels in that should equated to 20% of the 1415 housing units have solar panels, for a total of 283 installs.  The County could only find 112 solar installation permits from 2004 to 2009. 

If 400 permits were issued in five years as the “city officials” stated,  that would average about 80 permits a year. And, “...nearly tripling in the last four years”?  Perhaps the Mayor Reinette Senum can explain that math, I cannot. Maybe she explained it to the reporter that wrote the story? Or, maybe the reporter wrote the story wrong? Or, the reported is math challenged and did not understand what the Mayor said. But, I digress.

Bottom line, Nevada City’s solar panels seem to be missing. Where are they?

Update #1(04-28-10:09:45)

In a post here Jeff Pelline takes me to task for questioning the Nevada City solar claims. He points to a report by the Environment California Research & Policy Center as the source of the data. California’s Solar Cities Leading the Way to a Clean Energy Future.

Economic Resource Council’s Annual Report

Russ Steele

I watched Gil Mathew give his Fiscal Year 2009/10 Annual Report to the Supervisors on NCTV Ch-17 this morning.  In summary, the ERC is working very hard with a limited staff, with most of their effort invested in bringing more broadband to Nevada County.

There were some interesting bits of information embedded in Gil’s presentation:

• One of the best economic indicators is the Nevada County Business News Top 50 Employers survey.
• The ERC web page is under going renovations to make adding information much easier.
• Local video companies won awards at the National Broadcaster Association meeting in Las Vegas.
• The probability of wining a second round stimulus grant was low with stiff competition from 700 other middle mile applicants.  Winners should be announced by June or July.
• ERC is exploring other options to bring broadband to the rural areas of the County.
• Business attraction problematic, as most business in California are focused on survival not moving, those that are moving a going out of state according to the California Business Minute web site.

I  visited the California Business Minute: News and Information About the Businesses and Economy of California and found it true fascinating, especially the one minute daily briefings on business in California.   This is a great resource for keeping a finger on how California is competing with the rest of the nation. In the past California lead the nation out of a recession and this time we seem to be sinking deeper and deeper as other states and community are finding solution to problems that seem to be escaping California.  The insight gained from the California Business Minute may prove to be priceless. 

Another interesting site mentioned by Gil was Relocate America. They just published their top 100 places to to live in 2010, with breakouts for the top 10 in multiple categories:
Top 10 Overall Cities
Top 10 Earth Friendly Cities
Top 10 Single/Young Professional Cities
Top 10 Most Affordable Cities
Top 10 College Towns
Top 10 Recovery Cities
Top 10 Retirement Cities
Top 10 Recreation Cities
Top 10 Small Towns
Top 10 Large Cities

Nevada County did not make the cut in any category. We have work to do!

Supervisors seek more information on AB811 program

Russ Steele

AB811 authorizes local governments to create districts to finance the installation of energy and water conservation improvements on residential, commercial, industrial and other real property.

Nevada  County’s participation in AB811 was initially investigated by County Treasure, Chris Dabis before she retired, but she questioned that ability of the county staff to carry the administrative load.   One of the options would be to team up with a larger county, such as Placer County.

All the Supervisors saw merit in this suggestion and instructed staff to collect more information and bring it to the board in six months. Some of the audience that commented on the program though that six months was too long, as Nevada County needed the construction jobs now.

Placer County launched their program last month, and have indicated a willingness to partner once they have worked out the kinks their mPower program.  Details on the Placer County’s mPower program are here and here.

As you can see in the second document there are a number of constraint on property owners who wish to participate in the mPower program (click for a larger image):