DL Open Thread: Friday, June 2, 2023

Phoenix Turning Into Ashes?  Lack Of Water Will Do That:

Arizona has determined that there is not enough groundwater for all of the housing construction that has already been approved in the Phoenix area, and will stop developers from building some new subdivisions, a sign of looming trouble in the West and other places where overuse, drought and climate change are straining water supplies.

The decision by state officials very likely means the beginning of the end to the explosive development that has made the Phoenix area the fastest growing metropolitan region in the country.

The announcement of a groundwater shortage means Arizona would no longer give developers in some areas of Maricopa County new permits to construct homes that rely on wells for water.

Arizona’s water problems have begun to percolate through the state’s politics. When she took office in January, Governor Hobbs pledged in her first major address to tighten controls on groundwater use around the state.

As evidence of that commitment, Governor Hobbs released a report that she said had been suppressed by the previous administration, which was Republican-led. It showed that an area west of Phoenix, called the Hassayampa sub-basin, doesn’t have enough water for new wells. As a result, the Arizona Department of Water Resources said it would no longer issue new permits in that region for the construction of homes that would rely on groundwater.

The Bible Removed From Utah Elementary And Junior High Schools Due To ‘Vulgarity Or Violence’.  Well, in one school district, at least, thanks to stoopid new Utah law:

The Bible has been removed from all elementary and middle school libraries throughout the Davis School District after someone challenged its contents.

A committee tasked with reviewing books that fall under review for sexual content last week determined that the Bible will be retained at district high schools, but removed from all elementary and middle schools, Christopher Williams, Davis School District’s director of communication, told KSL.com.

The Utah Legislature in 2022 approved the contentious HB374, which lawmakers have described as a way to weed out content found to be pornographic from K-12 libraries and classrooms.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, defines “sensitive material” as instructional materials that are pornographic or indecent, colloquially referred to as the “bright line” rule in state code.

The Utah Legislature: Restoring godlessness to the schools one book at a time.

This Jim Justice Might Just Be Toxic Enough To Keep Joe Manchin In The Senate.  West Virginia’s richest man is a serial environmental scofflaw:

Federal authorities sued West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s business empire on Wednesday, seeking $7.6 million in unpaid environmental fines and overdue fees. The move adds to Justice’s growing legal and debt problems and comes just a month into his campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Justice Department lawyers filed the suit to collect fines assessed by the Interior Department against 13 companies for strip mining violations that “pose health and safety risks or threaten environmental harm” to neighboring communities.

For years, Justice has been dogged by allegations that his family businesses haven’t paid their business and regulatory debts. In 2020, an investigation by ProPublica and Mountain State Spotlight found that the total judgments and settlements owed by Justice family businesses had reached $140 million. The review found hundreds of lawsuits that dated back more than 30 years, with many filed by workers, vendors, business partners and government agencies, alleging they hadn’t been paid.

The new suit cites more than 130 violations and more than 40 more serious enforcement orders issued between 2018 and 2022. The Justice companies previously argued that the government had reneged on a deal to resolve some of these violations for a $250,000 fine. But a federal judge threw out their case.

“I’m An International Underwear Model–And An Insurrectionist”: Certain to be in high demand in prison:

International underwear model, security guard, and insurrectionist John Strand was finally sentenced to prison today, after being convicted in September on all five criminal counts related to storming the Capitol on January 6. DC District CourtJudge Christopher Cooper sentenced Strand to 32 months in prison, plus a $10,000 fine. The fine took into account the fact that Strand had been fundraising off his conviction for legal defense purposes, even though he was being represented by court-appointed counsel paid for by the taxpayers.

During the sentencing, Cooper lectured Strand about trying to cash in on his “49 minutes of infamy,” referring to the time he spent in the Capitol. “I think you want to cultivate and profit from that.” (Ya think?) He chastised him for failing to take any responsibility for his actions. The lack of remorse, Cooper noted, is one reason his sentence was longer than it otherwise might have been.

800 Million Trees In Amazon Sacrificed For Beef??!!  I’ve never been to a Brazilian Steakhouse.  Don’t think I’ll start now:

More than 800m trees have been cut down in the Amazon rainforest in just six years to feed the world’s appetite for Brazilian beef, according to a new investigation, despite dire warnings about the forest’s importance in fighting the climate crisis.

The beef industry in Brazil has consistently pledged to avoid farms linked to deforestation. However, the data suggests that 1.7m hectares (4.2m acres) of the Amazon was destroyed near meat plants exporting beef around the world.

The investigation is part of Forbidden Stories’ Bruno and Dom project. It continues the work of Bruno Pereira, an Indigenous peoples expert, and Dom Phillips, a journalist who was a longtime contributor to the Guardian​​. The two men were killed in the Amazon last year.

Deforestation across Brazil soared between 2019 and 2022 under the then president, Jair Bolsonaro, with cattle ranching being the number one cause. The new administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has promised to curb the destruction.  (Hope they pledge to plant a shitload of trees as well…)

Yet More Sneaky Dealings At Port Of Wilmington.  A new operator, and pledges to build that Edgemoor facility. Plus virtual silence. Jeff Bullock is really earning his tainted money these days:

Enstructure LLC, a Massachusetts shipping company, was selected to operate the port last week at a meeting of the Diamond State Port Corporation, the state-owned entity that oversees port operations.

Details around Enstructure’s plan for the port are unclear. In a statement, the company said it plans to proceed with developing the Edgemoor property, a former DuPont chemical production facility where the state has long planned to build a container terminal. The company did not respond to requests for comment on its planned investment in the port and how much it expects to pay to lease the port.

The quiet decision by port officials to select Enstructure comes in stark contrast to the public fanfare around GT USA Wilmington five years earlier.

The Diamond State Port Corporation passed a resolution naming Enstructure as the winning bidder to take over the Port of Wilmington at a hybrid meeting at the Buena Vista building near New Castle and on Zoom. When Delaware signed its final agreement with GT USA Wilmington, Carney sat next to company officials at a large ceremony with local and federal politicians in attendance.

The Department of State did not respond to a request for comment regarding Delaware’s plan for future investment in the port. Bullock, the secretary of state, is the chair of the Diamond State Port Corporation board.

They’re screwing us again, this time in total secrecy.

What do you want to talk about?