Daryl Hannah, scientist arrested at W.Va. mine protest
SUNDIAL, W.Va. (AP) — More than two dozen people — including actress Daryl Hannah and NASA climate scientist James Hansen — were arrested Tuesday in the latest protest in a growing civil disobedience campaign against mountaintop removal in Southern West Virginia.
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State Police said about 30 people were charged Tuesday afternoon after they blocked State Route 3 near a Massey Energy subsidiary’s coal processing plant in Raleigh County.
Full AP story here
In a statement distributed by the Rainforest Action Network, whose executive director was also arrested, Dr. Hansen said:
I am not a politician; I am a scientist and a citizen. Politicians may have to advocate for halfway measures if they choose. But it is our responsibility to make sure our representatives feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not what is politically expedient. Mountaintop removal, providing only a small fraction of our energy, should be abolished.
No Jimbo, you are an activist and advocate for a cause.
Note to NASA: Now can you fire this guy?
Meanwhile, back at the RealClimate ranch today, the sound of crickets…
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Bill: if you are opposed to coal mining, then you better support uranium mining. We need energy. If you are emotionally invested in scenery, then take a look at the way they do uranium mining these days – it’s called in-situ mining. You can barely even tell that there is a mining operation going on. Just remember, if we don’t grow it, we mine it. Either way, the earth and man’s ingenuity are providing us all with a far, far better life than our ancestors had. And don’t feel guilty about it – there is nothing wrong with this.
The problem with MTR, as I understand it, is that the coal company has to blast the top off the mountain, which fills the surrounding valleys with dust for days. Instead of a few miners filling their chest with coal dust, everybody in the surrounding area gets a dose of silica dust in their lungs. This is not a good thing.
[Open pit mining is something completely different.]
The long term MTR effect on the environment is very small, since this technique is not useful everywhere and restoration is thorough. The short range effect on people is much more significant. I’d side with Hansen on this one. If he wants to abandon AGW for MTR, more power to him.
Unfortunately, from the comments here – this ride is virtually over. But fun while it lasted!
I’m curious if Hansen has a security clearance? The arrest would need to be reported, and could potentially jeopardize his job if a clearance is required for the position. The Hatch Act is being misinterpreted and, from what I’ve read, it has never really been invoked anyway. Security issues, and this would clearly be a security issue, are taken very, very seriously, however.
Mark
*Seriously enough that people usually report themselves when they’ve committed an infraction. Better to admit it and get a slap then fail to disclose and get it revoked, which is a permanent condition.
Joel Shore (18:39:08)
However, you are also incorrect in regards to the “perfectly legal oversight” of him. The NASA inspector general report () concluded:
Our investigation found that during the fall of 2004 through early 2006, the NASA Headquarters Office of Public Affairs managed the topic of climate change in a manner that reduced, marginalized, or mischaracterized climate change science made available to the general public through those particular media over which the Office of Public Affairs had control (i.e., news releases and media access).
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Further, it is our conclusion that the NASA Headquarters Office of Public Affairs’ actions were inconsistent with the mandate and intent of NASA’s controlling legislation—the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 19581 (Space Act) and NASA’s implementing regulations—insomuch as they prevented “the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination” of information concerning NASA’s activities and results.
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Regarding media access, our investigation confirmed that, contrary to its established procedures, the NASA Headquarters Office of Public Affairs declined to make one of NASA’s scientists, Dr. James E. Hansen, available for a radio interview with National Public Radio in December 2005.
That IG report is an interesting document, but it hardly constitutes a smoking gun in terms of any “illegality” in NASA’s treatment of Mr. Hansen. The only instance that even rose to the level of a violation of policy was the NPR incident, in which the the problem was quickly admitted to and more specific rules promulgated shortly thereafter. The bulk of the rest of the report seems to devolve to a dispute in interpretation of the Space Act between the Public Affairs personnel and the IG, whose unique view seems to me to imply that any cluck on the payroll who calls himself a scientist ought to have an unfettered right to dispense press releases without any interference from the chain of command. I also found it interesting that the IG seemed to have no compunction against offering personal characterizations and imputations of political motivation for the personnel of the PA office, while it seemed not to enter his mind at all that the “scientists” involved might have political motivations of their own for some of their more editorial additions to their press releases. Despite the spate of terminations of IGs of other agencies lately, I suspect, given the “even-handed” nature of this report, that this fellow’s tenure in the job is not in danger.
Bulk mineral commodities like iron ore and coal are mined at lower cost when (a) there is less overburden weight to remove and (b) gravity assists full haul trucks down the hill instead of up out of a pit. So less fuel is used, less GHG is produced, lighter machinery is needed and the product takes less from your wallet.
In brief, this is the logic of hilltop mining. Now, if you can provide a good reason why a rounded, rehabilitated hilltop is better than a flat, rehabilitated hilltop, after the mining is over, I’d be keen to listen. Nature is lowering hills all over the world every second of the day.
As to breaking the law in protest about hilltop mining, that should never be allowed. The difference between a civil country and an unruly one is adherence to the rule of law. You can admire the person for the strength of beliefs (no matter how ignorant) but you cannot condone deliberate breaking of the law.
Actually if the only issue here is carbon soot/ silica been spread around for people to breath (I am sure the company in questions would have measures in place that the Carbon would collapse on to the ground ect?), I would tend to agree with Jorge. Maybe Hansen has only gone in this capacity?
“Meanwhile, back at the RealClimate ranch today, the sound of crickets…”
have not looked at real climate for a while but looks like i have not missed much. They have a post every week or so while wuwt has two or three a day. Looks like it got quiet after the weblog awards or is it that since the science is settled there is not much to say.
Where can I get a “Free James Hansen’ T shirt?? 🙂
cheers David
Joel
Good post, but like Smokey I am still waiting for your article.
As regards Hansen’s protest, this is the right climate war but perhaps the wrong PR battle on which sceptics should fight it? Surely there are plenty of other battles coming up we would all feel more comfortable fighting-and yes of course I understand the politics involved here.
Still, these are your mountain tops and your environment, and at least this stops him coming over to the UK causing trouble 🙂
Tonyb.
Could you see Christopher Monckton making such an ass of himself in public?
Note to Anthony – ass = donkey not the other kind of “ass”. Although that works too… 😀
[snip- over the top, sorry]
jorgekafkazar (23:01:32) :
The long term MTR effect on the environment is very small, since this technique is not useful everywhere and restoration is thorough. The short range effect on people is much more significant. I’d side with Hansen on this one. If he wants to abandon AGW for MTR, more power to him
I suggest you look at the Appalachian Mountains on Google Earth. Most Brown mountaintops seen are the result of mining.
The latest version of google earth has a historical view option which allows you to see the before and after effects.
The MTR is extensive (some sites suggest 500 locations). Note that the removal happens usually 1 peak away from a road (hiding it from view). Check out some of the action group web sites – restoration is more covering the hole with vegetation, not clearing the filled valleys and filling holes.
Wonder who removed Mt St Helens’ top for example? Praps he should lead a protest against him (or her).
“I am not a politician, I am a scientist and a citizen” – If it walks like a politician, talks like a politician and lies like a politician, then a politician is what it is, protestations to the contrary.
“Meanwhile, back at the RealClimate ranch today, the sound of crickets…”
Apparently, the downturn (cooling?) in their recent postings is “..because of the preparations for the next IPCC assessment and the need for our group to have a functioning and reasonably realistic climate model with which to start the new round of simulations”
A functioning and reasonably realistic climate model? Well, that would be a good start! I wonder what they had before..?
Let’s all share the above mentioned Facebook-Group “Fire James Hansen”!
Anti snip mode – on
How can someone who holds the highest office in the United States of America utter to the entire World a statement about Carbon Dioxide polluting water? Coca Cola want to reply?
If he were in the UK [ his comment would be considered a possibility in the junior schools] so he would have to write out 300 times……..
” I must not open my mouth and put both feet in at the same time!”
Any of his staff to be seen wincing in the TV background?
But then we have George Brown….. Doh!
Reply: You get the self control award of the day. ~ charles the moderator
It’s obvious that he is a bad decision maker, he has political agenda.
You don’t become the head of NASA without being smart. Getting himself arrested was the perfect way to avoid the debate.
Can we get big print-outs of various volcanic eruptions as posters with captions like “Nature does MTR!!” to be present at the debate.
That ISS one would be too impressive not to catch media attention.
You guys are just going off in the wrong direction: there is so much derision with respect to Hansen that the blinders are hard to remove.
The issue here is simple: removing the top of a mountain. Anyone ever seen it? This is exactly analogous to dumping pollutants into rivers.
I’m very pleased that at least someone famous [or maybe famous in his own mind] is standing up for this appalling activity.
Cut the guy some slack and enough of the ad hominem. Agree or not the guy has balls to stand up for what he believes.
Is Hansen’s politics driving his science? Or is his science driving his politics? That would be a main criteria for me in deciding whether he keeps his job. He certainly has a right to protest, and no one is saying otherwise. Civil disobedience raises the stakes. I accept Dr. Martin Luther King’s concept: we live a society where civil disobedience works. If your cause is just, your punishment for your civil disobedience brings shame to the government for its unjust laws, and (according to MLK) you are obligated to willingly and peacefully accept the consequences for civil disobedience.
@Brian Johnson uk
“We have George Brown – Doh!” Sadly not, we have the Gordon version; at least George Brown used to make us laugh.
If James Hansen is willing to be arrested to support his belief in Global Warming, why wouldn’t he also be willing to doctor the GISS data to support that belief? After this demonstation of his priorities, how can anything that comes out of GISS be trusted?