I’m not sure how Midway, the turtle, got her name, but it is worth noting that the stomachs of 98% of the Laysan and black-footed albatrosses breeding on Midway, the Pacific island, contained plastics from the notorious “Pacific Garbage Patch,” a soup of discarded waste larger than the state of Texas. If you are interested in this issue, (and have a strong stomach,)\u00a0take a look at artist Chris Jordan’s web site<\/a>.<\/p>\n In what certainly ranks as the understatement of the week, Aquarium staff member Kate Dittloff noted that the ingested plastic “should drive home the importance of being mindful of our waste.”<\/p>\n Plastic is bad enough. So we definitely don’t also need oiled turtles, pelicans and other sea life. The\u00a0Post and Courier<\/em>\u00a0editorializes that\u00a0Governor Haley should respond to the resolutions<\/a>\u00a0passed against offshore testing and drilling by virtually every coastal city and town, and reverse her position on offshore drilling.<\/p>\n Bo Petersen covered a\u00a0standing-room only forum in Mt. Pleasant on Tuesday<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0at which Congressman Mark Sanford and state senator Chip Campsen, joined by the Conservation League’s energy director, Hamilton Davis, condemned offshore exploration as a threat to the economy and the environment of the coast. Senator Campsen emphasized the disruptive, dangerous and under-appreciated on-shore impacts. Congressman Sanford argued that the true conservative response would be to defer to local governments, which are closer to the public than either Columbia or Washington. So far Governor Haley is unwavering in her conviction that exploration and drilling can be done in a way that “protects and never compromises our environment.”<\/p>\n This point of view has been refuted consistently by disasters like the Valdez spill in Alaska, the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf, and just this year, another major spill in Santa Barbara. Past a point, maintaining an opinion that is fundamentally counter to reality can be a result of “motivated avoidance,” a psychological term I’ve mentioned before. It basically means people are very good at rejecting facts that run counter to their goals and aspirations. This can be a big problem when important decisions depend on a clear-eyed view of the world.<\/p>\n The same phenomenon has been exhibited by each of the candidates running for mayor of Charleston.\u00a0This article from the\u00a0Post and Courier<\/em>\u00a0by Diane Knich<\/a>\u00a0reports that\u00a0the latest cost estimate for extending I-526 to John’s Island is $720 million (more than the cost of building the Ravenel Bridge between Charleston and Mt. Pleasant.)\u00a0The state has $420 million for the project. There are no other sources to cover the $300 million shortfall. As they say in math,\u00a0Quod erat demonstrandum<\/em>.<\/p>\n And yet the candidates persist in highlighting building the Extension as one of their top platform items.<\/p>\n The I-526 extension is not the only mayoral issue.\u00a0You can hear the candidate’s positions on issues ranging from development<\/a>, bicycles and mass transit to cruise ships, energy and flooding. There is a lot of footage here, but I have to say that these videos are exceptionally well-made and informative. If you live in Charleston, there is simply no other source of information on the candidates’ position remotely this comprehensive.<\/p>\n (Which is essentially what Robert Behre says in\u00a0this\u00a0Post and Courier<\/em>\u00a0article<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Have a wonderful week!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n[GOOD CREDIT]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This open letter is reprinted with permission from the author. Folks, As Bo Petersen with the\u00a0Post and Courier\u00a0reports,\u00a0the South Carolina Aquarium released<\/p>\n![\"ccl-logo\"](\"http:\/\/growpurpose.com\/charlestongood\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/ccl-logo-150x150.png\"){kind=logo}
Dana Beach
\nCoastal Conservation League
\ncoastalconservationleague.org<\/a><\/p>\n