Alaska Moose Sighting & Thoughts on Maui
Here's the latest dispatch.
Good morning,
For you newbies out there, welcome to Outsider on the Inside. I hope this dispatch from in and around the nation’s capital on underreported topics finds you well.
If you’re just discovering my musings, here’s a backgrounder and make sure we’re connected on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Bull Moose Sighting
While filming in Alaska, I was lucky to spot and film this impressive bull moose.
We spotted him off Seward Highway near Potters Marsh Wildlife Viewing Boardwalk just south of Anchorage, Alaska.
I used my Sony Alpha mirrorless camera 200-600mm lens to (safely) capture this footage. I processed the footage and zoomed in a bit because I know not to encroach any wild animal’s turf. That’s why I spent thousands of dollars on equipment in recent years to shoot close from afar.
I’m coming up against some work deadlines and a trip to State Policy Network Annual Meeting in Chicago this week, so I’ll have to delay releasing my Alaska-themed video blogs. They will drop no later than September 30th, 2023.
Thanks for understanding!
Preservationist Environmental Policies Fueled Maui Wildfire Mismanagement
As catastrophic wildfires ravaged Maui, preservationist environmentalists didn’t miss an opportunity to politicize the tragedy.
As of this writing, over 100 Hawaiians have tragically lost their lives and many, sadly, are still unaccounted for. Yet, those ceaselessly beating the climate crisis drum have encircled our fellow Americans like vultures to exploit their plight instead of consoling them.
Notable mouthpieces, namely Democratic lawmakers, have used the situation to pressure President Joe Biden to finally declare a climate emergency once and for all.
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), a climate zealot, told POLITICO, “The devastation in Maui is a clear sign that the president must declare a climate emergency — now. While FEMA is providing resources to the local heroes on the ground fighting for the lives and livelihoods of Hawaiians, the underlying climate-driven conditions of drought, extreme heat, environmental injustice, and non-resilient infrastructure will remain.”
But the publication warned against the declaration, writing, “Declaring a climate emergency could come with political risks for an incumbent president heading into an election year, potentially spurring a spike in already high gas prices. Plus, any executive action Biden takes would likely face legal challenges, including going up against a conservative Supreme Court that has already ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the broad authority to rein in carbon pollution.”
Is climate a factor that precipitated the deadly Lahaina wildfires? Let’s sift fact from fiction.
First, let’s ask ourselves this: does climate affect wildfire intensity? Does it actually play a role, or is its role limited or non-existent? The truth lies with the latter.
A 2018 Institute of Physics (IOP) Science study of key drivers fueling high-severity fires concluded that live fuel contributes the most (53%) — followed by weather (23%) and then climate (14%). And a recent University of Montana study also poured cold water on climate change being the primary cause behind wildfires. It is humans–not climate–that ingite the majority of wildfires out West. The study said, “Human ignitions started 76% of the wildfires that destroyed structures, and those fires tended to be in flammable areas where homes, commercial structures and outbuildings are increasingly common.”
Stop 30-By-30 Summit: Irving, TX
Join me in Irving, Texas, September 22-23, 2023 at the second annual Stop 30-by-30 Summit hosted by American Stewards of Liberty.
Last year, I spoke how preservationists are using the initiative to restrict recreational fishing and hunting access on public waters and lands, respectively.
This year, I’ll moderate a public lands panel alongside Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI), chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands, and other panelists.
Sign up for the convention here.
ICYMI
Articles/commentary/media appearances from the past week.
MEDIA MENTIONS
A website run by the late Lucianne Goldberg reposted my Maui wildfire Townhall column today.
ARTICLES/BLOGS
IWF: Companies With High ESG Scores Don’t Pollute Less Than Counterparts
IWF: OMB Recommends Adding “Ecosystem Services” To Cost-Benefit Analysis For Regs, Gov’t Spending
Townhall: Preservationist Environmental Policies Fueled Maui Wildfire Mismanagement
Podcasts You May Have Missed
Catch up on District of Conservation episodes below.
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—Gabriella