EnviroPolitics Blog

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith resigns from the pro-Trump cable network

Paul Farhi reports for the Washington Post

Shepard Smith, one of Fox News’ leading anchors and a frequent critic of President Trump, will step down from the network, effective immediately, the network announced Friday.

Smith, Fox’s chief news anchor and anchor of its afternoon news program, “Shepard Smith Reporting,” said the decision to leave was his own, but gave no further reason for stepping down. He announced his resignation on the air on his Friday program, which Fox said would be his last.

Smith has been at Fox News since its founding 23 years ago, and was one of the first people hired for its launch in 1996.

In a statement, Smith said, “Recently I asked the company to allow me to leave Fox News and begin a new chapter. After requesting that I stay, they graciously obliged. The opportunities afforded this guy from small town Mississippi have been many. It’s been an honor and a privilege to report the news each day to our loyal audience in context and with perspective, without fear or favor.”

Smith has often incurred the wrath of loyal Fox viewers by his skeptical reporting and commentary on President Trump. After a presidential press conference in early 2017, for example, he called some of Trump’s responses “absolutely crazy.” He went on to defend CNN, Fox’s rival news network, when Trump called its reporting “fake news.”

“CNN’s reporting was not fake news,” Smith said at the time. “Its journalists follow the same standards to which other news organizations, including Fox News, adhere.”

Smith even had the stature to take on his own network’s conservative commentators. After one suggested in early 2017 that British agents had been recruited by President Obama to bug Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign, Smith set the record straight: “Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the now-president of the United States was surveilled at any time, in any way. Full stop.”

Trump, in turn, has occasionally disparaged Smith on Twitter.

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Fox News anchor Shepard Smith resigns from the pro-Trump cable network Read More »

Monster typhoon bearing down on Japan

Waves churned up by advancing typhoon in Kihu, Japan (Associated Press photo)

**Updated at 1:40 p.m.**
By CBS News
Tateyama, Japan — This city of 45,000 sits on the southern end of Chiba Prefecture, also known as the Boso Peninsula. Bordering Tokyo Bay to the east, it is usually known for surfing, sun and recreation.

But driving south down the Tateyama Expressway, we start to see the first signs of distress left from the last typhoon, Faixi, which roared through only a month earlier. On either side of the highway, across otherwise placid countryside, is that familiar sign of damage in one of Asia’s most typhoon-prone nations: buru-sheet — blue tarps shielding damaged roofs from the elements.

Along the coast and even further inland, there are broken windows and scarred facades. Heavy pieces of decor at a theme park, Tokyo German Village, were overturned like Tinker Toys; the roof of one building was ripped off like cardboard.

Now, the area is bracing for a new storm, expected to usher in roaring winds and as much as 30 inches of rain. It is forecast to hit Japan’s east coast this weekend, including Tokyo.

Japan advises hundreds of thousands to evacuate
Tokyo eerily quiet, bracing for the worst typhoon in 6 decades

When we stopped at a shore in Tateyama, a pair of employees from the local Aeon supermarket were busy at work, shoveling dirt into dozens of trash bags. They explained the makeshift sandbags would be stacked around the entrance, in hopes of preventing storm surge flooding from Saturday’s super-typhoon, Hagibis.

The store won’t be open for business, of course. Across central and eastern Japan, home to tens of millions, life will screech to a halt. Nearly all subways and local trains will be shuttered, as will the famous bullet train on part of its most lucrative run, between Tokyo and Nagoya. Nearly all domestic flights have been canceled in and out of Tokyo’s gateways, Haneda and Narita.

JAPAN-WEATHER-TYPHOON — This photo shows blue sheets on damaged houses from the previous Typhoon Faxai in Tateyama, Chiba prefecture on October 11, 2019. JIJI PRESS/JIJI PRESS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Countless weddings, concerts and sporting events — including pro baseball series games and two matches of the World Rugby Cup — are also off. The Japan Meteorological Agency, which has issued stark warnings about the severity of the typhoon, told the nation that Hagibis will match the ferocity of the Kanogawa typhoon of 1958, when more than 1,200 lives were lost.

The monster of a storm will unleash gusts of up to 157 mph (252 kph), and waves could reach as high as 43 feet (13 meters). The effects will not only be felt in Tateyama, but also across much of Japan’s main island, Honshu. For residents, who have picked grocery and hardware store shelves clean as they stocked up, it will be a weekend to hunker down, and hope the electricity stays on.

Monster typhoon bearing down on Japan Read More »

NYDEC advises boaters of seasonal dock removals along the Mohawk River

Docks Removed Each Year after Columbus Day

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that the agency will soon be removing its boating docks located along the Mohawk River.

The docks are removed annually after Columbus Day to prevent damage from lowered water levels as part of the seasonal management of the canal. Boaters who use the docks are advised to plan accordingly. The removals will take place on a rolling basis, and some docks may still be in place after Oct. 14, but boaters should not expect them to remain in place throughout the fall and winter. For questions about the docks, call Regional DEC fisheries Manager Chris VanMaaren at (607) 652-2620. The Nelliston dock has already been removed. The docks affected by the removals are:

Amsterdam at Quist Road;
Amsterdam at Lock 10;
Canajoharie;
Ft. Plain; and
Freeman’s Bridge

The Mohawk River’s water levels are managed by the New York Power Authority/Canal Corporation to prevent flooding and aid boat navigation. Heavy snowpack and/or spring rain have a direct impact on the canal levels.

The opening of the navigation season is dependent upon these natural conditions. Once the gates are dropped at each section of the dam, the water level rises to allow safe boating. The navigation buoys are installed first, then the boat docks are installed.

DEC plans to install the boat docks by Memorial Day, depending on weather and other factors. Official notice of the canal’s opening and closing dates will be announced by Canal Corporation, usually in May.

NYDEC advises boaters of seasonal dock removals along the Mohawk River Read More »

Bear hunt starts Monday in New Jersey and so will the controversy it triggers

Bear dashes across urban street in New Jersey

Editor’s Note: The news release below was sent by the New Jersey Assembly Republican Office. Hunters likely will agree with its content. Others, not much or not at all. If you feel strongly about the subject, feel free to express yourself by clicking on the Leave a Comment link above.

SPACE SAYS BEAR HUNT MAKES NEW JERSEYANS SAFER, SHOULD BE PERMITTED ON STATE-OWNED LANDS

TRENTON, N.J. – With the six-day October bear hunt starting Monday, Assemblyman Parker Space is asking the Legislature to advance his bill (A169) to establish the Fish and Game Council as the sole entity responsible for regulating hunting, fishing and trapping and prohibit the closing of state-owned lands for such purposes without consent from the council. Last year, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order banning bear hunting on all state-owned lands – an attempt at fulfilling a campaign promise that he would end the hunt altogether.

“Before Gov. Murphy took office, we had a sound bear management plan in place and there is absolutely no reason to stop hunting on state-owned lands,” said Space (R-Sussex). “The bear hunt has proven to be very effective at keeping the population in check and limiting human encounters. Murphy’s motives are purely political and go against expert recommendations and decades of research.”

Black bears in New Jersey have been responsible for property damage, car accidents, livestock kills, pet attacks, human attacks, and one human fatality (in 2014). A 2016 study by researchers at Utah State University, found human-bear conflicts in New Jersey declined by about 20 percent the year after a hunt. In the years following an absence of a hunt, it rose by approximately the same amount. In 2009, a year without a hunt, there were 2,714 black bear damage and nuisance reports. Last year, there were 703.

“New Jersey has one of the healthiest bear populations in the nation and we have controls in place to ensure we don’t exceed the harvest goal,” said Space.

According to the Division of Fish and Wildlife, black bears have been sighted in all of the state’s 21 counties. The Utah State University study stated New Jersey’s bear numbers are “on par with the rich salmon streams in Southeast Alaska.” While there is no exact count of black bears in New Jersey, most estimates range between 3,500 and 4,000.

The total harvest goal for the October and December bear hunts is between 20 and 30 percent of tagged bears that year. The December hunt can be extended by four days if the numbers are less than 20 percent or it could be canceled altogether if hunters reach the 30 percent goal in October.

“Politicians against the bear hunt like to play into people’s emotions, but a 400 pound bear can do some serious damage,” said Space. “We have seen nearly a 70 percent decrease in the number of black bear disturbances over the last decade in which we’ve had a hunt.”

New Jersey has a comprehensive, multi-year bear management plan to address the bear population, human-bear conflicts and bear emigration. The plan states that without regulated sport hunting, New Jersey’s black bear population will double in five years.

Space also has a proposal for a constitutional amendment to preserve the right of people to fish, hunt, trap and harvest fish and wildlife in New Jersey. It is waiting to be heard in both Assembly and Senate committees.

Bear hunt starts Monday in New Jersey and so will the controversy it triggers Read More »

Jersey Shore could suffer beach erosion as stalled storm hits with gusty winds

By Jeff Goldman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A coastal flood warning has been issued starting Thursday afternoon for much of the Jersey Shore as a stalled weather system off the coast continues to batter beaches with gusty winds and mounting high tides, prompting concerns over significant beach erosion.

The National Weather Service describes the storm as a “long duration coastal flood event” with flood watches upgrading to warnings as of 4 p.m. Thursday and lasting until 1 a.m. Saturday for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean counties. Flooding is expected to hit the moderate stage at the high tides Thursday night and Friday in Jersey Shore towns in those counties.

Minor flooding is expected along bays and beaches in Monmouth, Middlesex and Salem counties, as well as along the Delaware River. Those areas remain under a coastal flood watch.

Significant beach erosion is expected along the Shore “due to the prolonged nature of the event,” the weather service said.

The flooding is being driven by multiple days of strong on-shore winds with gusts up to 40 mph.

“This event affects 5 consecutive high tide cycles dating back to Wednesday evening,” the National Weather Service said in its latest storm briefing Thursday morning. “Water will not be allowed to drain from many of the back bays and estuaries. As a result, the cumulative impacts may be significant.”

The low-pressure system in the Atlantic Ocean isn’t bringing much rain to New Jersey, though.

______________________________________________________________________

Jersey Shore could suffer beach erosion as stalled storm hits with gusty winds Read More »

Acute wildfire danger has California power utilities pulling the plug on millions of customers

Armando Espinoza delivers paper products to a cafe in downtown Sonoma, Calif., where power is turned off, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. Pacific Gas & Electric has cut power to more than half a million customers in Northern California hoping to prevent wildfires during dry, windy weather throughout the region. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) — Armando Espinoza delivers paper products to a cafe in downtown Sonoma, Calif., where power is turned off, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019…. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

By Janie Har and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ of the Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Millions of people in California woke up in the dark Wednesday after Pacific Gas & Electric started shutting off power to prevent what the utility called an unprecedented wildfire danger.

PG&E said it cut power to more than 500,000 customers in Northern California and that it plans to gradually turn off electricity to nearly 800,000 customers to prevent its equipment from starting wildfires during hot, windy weather.

A second group of about 234,000 customers will lose power starting at noon, the utility said.

The utility plans to shut off power in parts of 34 northern, central and coastal California counties to reduce the chance of fierce winds knocking down or toppling trees into power lines during a siege of hot, dry, gusty weather.

Gusts of 35 mph to 45 mph (56-72 kph) were forecast to sweep a vast swath of the state, from the San Francisco Bay area to the agricultural Central Valley and especially in the Sierra Nevada foothills, where a November wildfire blamed on PG&E transmission lines killed 85 people and virtually incinerated the town of Paradise.

The winds will be the strongest and most widespread the region has seen in two years, and given the scope of the danger, there was no other choice but to stage the largest preventive blackout in state history, PG&E said.

“This is a last resort,” said Sumeet Singh, head of the utility’s Community Wildfire Safety Program.

However, people should be outraged by the move, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “No one is satisfied with this, no one is happy with this,” he said.

The utility needs to upgrade and fix its equipment so massive outages aren’t the norm going forward, he said.

It could take as many as five days to restore power after the danger has passed because every inch of power line must be checked to make sure it isn’t damaged or in danger of sparking a blaze, PG&E said.

The news came as residents in the region’s wine country north of San Francisco marked the two-year anniversary of deadly wildfires that killed 44 and destroyed thousands of homes. San Francisco is the only county in the nine-county Bay Area where power will not be affected.

To the south, Southern California Edison said more than 106,000 of its customers in parts of eight counties could face power cuts as early as Thursday as Santa Ana winds loomed.

The cutbacks followed a plan instituted after deadly wildfires — some blamed on downed PG&E transmission lines — destroyed dozens of lives and thousands of homes in recent years and forced the utility into bankruptcy over an estimated $30 billion in potential damages from lawsuits.

The outages Wednesday weren’t limited to fire-prone areas because the utilities must turn off entire distribution and transmission lines to much wider areas to minimize the risk of wildfires.

Classes were cancelled for thousands of schoolchildren and at the University of California, Berkeley, Sonoma State University and Mills College.

The California Department of Transportation said it was installing generators to avoid closing the Caldecott Tunnel linking the East Bay to San Francisco and the Tom Lantos Tunnel on State Route 1 in Pacifica.

“The tunnels can’t operate without power,” Caltrans tweeted.

PG&E had warned of the possibility of a widespread shut-off Monday, prompting residents to flock to stores for supplies as they prepared for dying cellphone batteries, automatic garage doors that won’t work and lukewarm refrigerators.

Acute wildfire danger has California power utilities pulling the plug on millions of customers Read More »