It’s time to undo the federal land grab of Bears Ears
"When Obama declared the Bears Ears National Monument, he ignored the years of work that Utah’s congressional delegation spent fighting to pass legislation to protect the region through a fair and open process. He ignored the state legislature and the governor. He ignored the stakeholders and local residents who were striving together to find a workable solution. He ignored the best interests of Utah and cast aside the will of the people — all in favor of a unilateral approach meant to satisfy the demands of far-left interest groups."
"With the stroke of a pen, Obama locked away an astonishing 1.35 million acres, a geographic area larger than the total acreage of all five of Utah’s national parks combined. He did so citing his prerogative under the Antiquities Act — a century-old law intended to give presidents only limited authority to designate special landmarks. Instead of exercising restraint under the act, Obama — and indeed, many of his predecessors — wielded this law as a blunt instrument for executive overreach."
"Understanding the history of the Antiquities Act is key to understanding what happened at Bears Ears. The Antiquities Act was a well-intentioned response to a serious problem: the looting and destruction of cultural and archaeological sites. When applied as intended, the law has been indispensable in preserving our nation’s rich cultural heritage. But the law has been abused by past presidents to advance a radical political agenda — all at the expense of the separation of powers."
April 25, 2017 Evening
Good evening! Going home time for me, taking the six o’clock bus home. Light rain and 55 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a east breeze at 8 mph. The dew point is 46 degrees. The skies will clear Thursday around noontime.
Not a terrible day, I kept things moving along. Made some money and it’s going home time. Rain is good this time of year because it reduces the fire risk and accelerates the greening up of the land. Summer will be here before you know it.
Off to the laundromat this evening. I remembered to get cash at the bank, so I will be able to afford to clean my dirty underwear and other stuff. I need to pick up a few things at the store and return some of the plastic bags for recycling. I could use a few random things like some more after shave.
The sun will set at 7:49 pm with dusk around 8:19 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. At sunset, look for rain and 54 degrees. The dew point will be 46 degrees. There will be a east-northeast breeze at 9 mph.
Tonight will continue to rain. Low of 49 degrees at 4am. Eight degrees above normal. Northeast wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2016, it got down to 38 degrees with periods of rain. The record low of 24 occurred back in 1972. We are getting away rapidly from freezing temperatures in the city.
The warmer temperatures with today’s rain have continued to green up the urban landscape, as spring continues to progress. I’m sure it won’t be many more weeks until the landscape gets greener.
New Moon tonight with 2% illuminated. The moon will rise around 4:54 am and set around 7:17 pm. The New Moon will be tomorrow with mostly cloudy skies expected. The Full “Flower” Moon is on Wednesday, May 10th. The sun will rise at 5:56 am with the first light at 5:26 am, which is one minute and 28 seconds earlier than yesterday. Tonight will have 10 hours and 5 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 34 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will rain before noon, then a chance of showers, mainly between noon and 4pm. Cloudy afternoon, with a high of 64 degrees at 3pm. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 54 at 4pm. North wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had rain and a high of 47 degrees. The record high of 90 was set in 1990. 0.3 inches of snow fell back in 1993.
Warm but with a chance of showers throughout the weekend. Saturday, a chance of showers after 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 56 at 6am. Sunday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 71. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 47 at 5pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 64 degrees.
In four weeks on May 23 the sun will be setting at 8:19 pm, which is 29 minutes and 52 seconds later then today. In 2016 on that day, we had fog and temperatures between 81 and 51 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 72 and 49 degrees. The record high of 93 degrees was set back in 1964.
Looking ahead, Average High is 70 is in 3 weeks, Independence Day is in 10 weeks, Election Day 2018 is in 80 weeks and Election Day 2020 is in 184 weeks. I’m bored with waiting. Maybe there will be a few special elections before then. That said, it will be Trump’s America until then.
East Stony Creek
Today’s Energy Jobs Are in Solar, Not Coal
While this article doesn't make it clear, only 1 out of 3 coal jobs is in actual mining. 2 out of 3 coal jobs is in operating the power plants, most of which can relatively easily be converted to burn gas or other cleaner fuels.
Fossil energy generation has to go and with some redesigned infrastructure, can go. It's not going to be cheap or easy, but just because we are getting rid of one source of generation, doesn't mean that jobs will disappear. They'll just go to other sources of generation, because something has to keep the electrons flowing so the lights remain on.
Is Trump about to take away your 401(k)’s biggest tax break?
Across 13th Pond
You can see the tree starting to bud up in the foreground, and how rapidly the morning's blue skies are turning to grey.
Taken on Friday April 22, 2011 at Thirteenth Lake.