How would you react if you turned on the news on Tuesday morning to only find out your house and entire neighborhood had been condemned under the state’s quick take eminent domain law, for a large renewable energy project by a private developer?

How would you react if you turned on the news on Tuesday morning to only find out your house and entire neighborhood had been condemned under the state’s quick take eminent domain law, for a large renewable energy project by a private developer?

The state would compensate you for fair market value and moving expenses but you would have to moved out of your home within 30 days. By filing a quick take deed with the county clerk, the state had already taken title to your property, your only choice is to take the check the government is sending you or sue in the court of claims for additional compensation based on what you believe the fair market value is to be.

In theory, homeowners and other property owners could band together and sue the state under Article 78 arguing that the project was arbitrary and capricious under the law but you could not challenge the individual eminent domain as quick take can not challenged in court. But even there, everything was stacked up against you as the state had decided building renewable energy projects was their priority, and the state with its millions in resources had no interest in defending homeowners and farms against big solar.

Solar and wind energy in many ways is the next interstate highway system. The climate crisis is already unlocking the next generation of Robert Moses and the master builders. The solar or wind farm must be built, the hell with the environment or community. A crisis affords no time to consider such impacts, the outcome has been predetermined by government officials. The bulldozers must come, the cement laid, steel I beams set and the thousand of acres of silicon and glass panels set into place.

I have a friend who visited a CalTrans office during the 1960s, and said the experience was like visiting a war room filled with enormous maps that filled the walls detailing the planned superhighways. The walls were certainly backed by stacks of files that contained detail survey data and rooms of super computers and reels of magnetic tape that would be used to crank out letters and prefilled out checks to owners of condemned property for compensation without much human intervention. Cold hard, statistics and FHWA regulations basically predetermined the route after all.

With massive government subsidies and the climate crisis the renewable energy projects must go ahead without question or significant evaluation of environmental impacts. The future has been predetermined by the planners, there is no turning back, we are told. Historic buildings must be hauled off to the landfills, forests stripped of their timber, farm fields stripped of their soils and concreted, open space industrialized. There are good union jobs, tax revenue, campaign contributions and patronage jobs after all to fill.

At least I’m glad to hear that local governments are asking solar developers about decommissioning plans, requiring some kind of bonding and calculations on landfill space to dispose of the panels when their time is done, not imagine they will be recycled into pixie dust. But no time to focus on that, the tax revenue and campaign contributions are more important than community character in a fucking climate crisis.

While I’m sure it won’t be popular, I sure hope people do rise up and ask before it’s to late:

Why and what cost?

Elk roaming Colorado with a car tire around its neck for 2 years is finally freed – CBS News

Elk roaming Colorado with a car tire around its neck for 2 years is finally freed – CBS News

Elk roaming Colorado with a car tire around its neck for 2 years is finally freed

October 12, 2021 / 8:53 AM / CBS/AP

Wildlife officials in Colorado say an elusive elk that has been wandering the hills with a car tire around its neck for at least two years has finally been freed of the obstruction. The elk was spotted in July of 2019 with the cumbersome necktie but evaded capture until Saturday night, CBS Denver reports.

The 4-and-a-half-year-old, 600-pound bull elk was spotted near Pine Junction, southwest of Denver, on Saturday evening and tranquilized, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Officers with the agency had to cut off the elk's five-point antlers to remove the encumbrance because they couldn't slice through the steel in the bead of the tire.

Weather Update – October 13, 2021

Should be mild for the weekend but maybe a bit rainy. πŸ’¦

Maybe that means we can stick a fork in the leaves 🍴 at least for the higher elevations, although it’s still be pretty green down here in city. I am going to probably stay in town to volunteer on some local political campaigns, and spend some time reading. Sunday I’ll probably do a short, local hike and maybe go out to the parents house for Sunday dinner.

It would have been a nice week to have gone to West Virginia, πŸ‚ but I kind of messed up the amount of time it would take to get my truck aligned and new tires. But with gas prices so high, and that fact I’ve been to West Virginia so many times before, I don’t think it’s a big loss. I could still go later in the month, but over the past few days, I’ve been thinking less and less of that. I did have a nice Columbus Day Weekend though down in the Catskills, camping down at Betty Brook. No crying over spilled milk, West Virginia will be around for another year.

I might still go to Pennsylvania or the Finger Lakes come November, πŸ¦ƒ but nothing is set on stone on that either. A lot depends on my schedule, and how things go getting my truck fixed up. She’s becoming an old gal, but I need to make at least some repairs so it passes inspection in November and I can continue to travel and explore.

Today.
Feels like …
September 21st.

Areas Dense Fog then Partly Sunny

Areas of dense fog before 11am. Otherwise, partly sunny.

Light south wind.

and

72 degrees , 62 max dew point, 6:16
sunset.
Tonight.
Feels like …
August 30th.

Patchy Fog

Patchy fog between 2am and 3am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy.

Calm wind.

and

58 degrees , 7:07
sunrise.
Thursday.
Feels like …
September 19th.

Partly Sunny

Partly sunny.

Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.

and

73 degrees , 62 max dew point, 6:14
sunset.
Thursday Night.
Feels like …
September 3rd.

Mostly Cloudy

Mostly cloudy.

Calm wind.

and

57 degrees , 7:08
sunrise.
Friday.
Feels like …
September 17th.

Partly Sunny

Partly sunny.

Light south wind.

and

74 degrees , 63 max dew point, 6:12
sunset.
Friday Night.
Feels like …
August 13th.

Chance of Showers

A chance of showers, mainly after 2am. Mostly cloudy.

Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

and

61 degrees , 63 max dew point, 7:09
sunrise.
Saturday.
Feels like …
September 19th.

Showers is likely then Showers

Showers, mainly after 8am. High near 73. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

and

73 degrees , 64 max dew point, 6:11
sunset.
Saturday Night.
Feels like …
September 24th.

Showers then Chance of Showers

Showers, mainly before 8pm. Low around 49. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

and

49 degrees , 7:11
sunrise.
Sunday.
Feels like …
October 14th.

Mostly Sunny

Mostly sunny.

 

and

62 degrees , 45 max dew point, 6:09
sunset.
Sunday Night.
Feels like …
October 1st.

Mostly Cloudy

Mostly cloudy.

 

and

46 degrees , 7:12
sunrise.
Monday.
Feels like …
October 19th.

Mostly Sunny

Mostly sunny.

 

and

60 degrees , 6:07
sunset.
Monday Night.
Feels like …
October 7th.

Partly Cloudy

Partly cloudy.

 

and

44 degrees , 7:13
sunrise.
Tuesday.
Feels like …
October 12th.

Mostly Sunny

Mostly sunny.

 

and

63 degrees , 47 max dew point, 6:06
sunset.