Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026An inch of rain yesterday, big amanitas and some other fungi today. Can't swear they weren't there before, but the timing is probably not coincidental. 060
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 07/09/2026The NYT is still the Great Gray Lady, despite all their colorful pictures and videos. They can publish this without once using the term "silly." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/07/u...nytimes.comTrump Posts Map Suggesting New Mexico Be Renamed as ‘New America’The suggestion, posted on social media, appeared to be the latest in the president’s efforts to alter geographic names. 000
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Pileated woodpeckers have discovered @bbharrell.bsky.social's suet feeder and the nearby post, so I'm posting the post and the woodpeckers too. 010
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Induction range liberates us from direct use of fossil fuels. Still need to get our electric utility to clean up the remaining half of its act. 011
Reposted by Steve HarrellAlex Marten 🇧🇷🇺🇸🇺🇦🇸🇾🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ @amarten.bsky.social · 15/07/202630 Million acres corn for ethanol production supplies 3% of US energy, while if converted to solar the same acres would provide 100% of US energy needs. #climatechange #climate www.nytimes.com/video/opinio...nytimes.comVideo: Opinion | The Very Good and Very Bad News on Climate 1103
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 17/07/2026Once-a-summer treat. Red huckleberry pancakes courtesy @bbharrell.bsky.social 1170
Reposted by Steve HarrellBarbara B. Harrell @bbharrell.bsky.social · 09/07/2026More from Samish Hill today. Just me and @steveharrell.bsky.social. We saw two other humans and one smiling dog during 3 miles on trail. #Bellingham #PNW #nativeplants 231
Reposted by Steve HarrellBarbara B. Harrell @bbharrell.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Summer color for bloomscrollers 🌺 Nodding onion, Cascade penstemon, deer-fenced cape fuchsia and crocosmia—all of intense interest to our local rufous and Anna's hummingbirds. English lavender occupies bees and other pollinators, seems to please the neighbors ;-) #PNW #Bellingham #garden #habitat 031
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 12/06/2026We don't need investor-owned utilities. Period. "The judge called Consumers’ plan to sell the dams and buy back the power at an inflated price ‘highly problematic’ and ‘inconsistent with the public interest’" bridgemi.com/michigan-env...bridgemi.comJudge: Michigan should reject Consumers’ ‘highly problematic’ dam sale - Bridge MichiganAfter reviewing thousands of pages of legal filings tied to the sale, Judge James Varchetti concluded that the deal is not in the public interest. His conclusion is meant to advise the Michigan Public... 010
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 10/06/2026This has to be a metaphor for something. Sorry I'm too stupid to figure out exactly what. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/07/n...nytimes.com 000
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 08/06/2026This is fascinating. Big-E environment groups long fought against building transmission lines and are now fighting the people who are fighting transmission lines. Whatever brings in the dough. heatmap.news/daily/sunzia...heatmap.newsBuild It and They Will Come AroundEnvironmental advocates initially opposed SunZia and CHPE, but they love the two transmission projects now. 021
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 06/06/2026I think this may be significant. Most people think of AI in general as a triple negative: Polluter, rate raiser, job killer. heatmap.news/daily/data-c...heatmap.newsThe Data Center Backlash Is Impossible to MissJust look at Heatmap’s latest poll results. 1157
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 06/06/2026A new definition of "food security": Ensuring markets for soybean exports. www.scmp.com/news/china/a...scmp.comUS farm chief says reliance on China threatens American ‘freedom’Agriculture secretary’s warning comes as tariffs weigh on China trade and Hormuz disruptions drive up fuel and fertiliser costs. 002
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 23/05/2026I guess it takes a boomer to see the irony in this statement, from Ainslie Johnstone at The Economist: "I’m oddly low-tech when it comes to exercise. I have one of the most basic sports watches on the market…" 000
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 22/05/2026Interesting logic here: "Turns out we've succeeded in keeping more polluting cars on the road, and since there are going to be more of them, we need to allow them each to pollute more." insideclimatenews.org/news/1805202...insideclimatenews.orgEPA Claims ‘Overwhelming Rejection’ of EVs as It Moves to Loosen Air Pollution Rules - Inside Climate NewsA proposed rule would give auto manufacturers until 2029 to meet smog and particulate matter emissions standards while the agency reconsiders the requirements altogether. 032
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 22/05/2026The Environmental Pollution Agency is at it again: insideclimatenews.org/news/1805202...insideclimatenews.orgEPA Claims ‘Overwhelming Rejection’ of EVs as It Moves to Loosen Air Pollution Rules - Inside Climate NewsA proposed rule would give auto manufacturers until 2029 to meet smog and particulate matter emissions standards while the agency reconsiders the requirements altogether. 010
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 22/05/202630 GW solar complex. For comparison, the world's largest hydroelectric dam, Sanxia or Three Gorges, is 22 GW. www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol...canarymedia.comHow big can solar go? These 3 projects show us the gigascale futureA handful of sensationally large developments are underway around the world, testing just how big solar can get. 010
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 22/05/2026Tale of two bills: IRA: Huge amount of investment in solar and batteries OBBA: Decline in investment in solar and batteries. Effects overlap in time. Net results: We're getting a lot, but we'll get less in the next few years. heatmap.news/energy/rhodi...heatmap.newsIs U.S. Clean Energy Manufacturing Booming or Busting?Two new reports out this week create a seemingly contradictory portrait of the country’s energy transition progress. 010
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 22/05/2026The key to the current geothermal boom: "the one form of electricity generation everyone in Washington can agree on (it’s both carbon-free and borrows techniques, equipment, and personnel from the oil and gas industry)." I guess we need to take it when we can get it. heatmap.news/energy/mount...heatmap.newsExclusive: Western States Form New Bipartisan Geothermal ConsortiumThe effort brings together leaders of four Mountain West states with nonprofit policy expertise to help speed financing and permitting for development. 021
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 12/05/2026Explore this gift article from The New York Times. I think we all knew most of this separately, but as a summary it's overwhelming. Whttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/opinion/trump-is-fighting-the-worlds-stupidest-culture-war.html?unlocked_article_code=1.h1A.L18y.aQalqq5DAA2n&smid=bs-sharenytimes.comOpinion | Trump Is Fighting the World’s Stupidest Culture War 130
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 24/04/2026Serviceberry or Saskatoon (Amalanchier alnifolia) has a short but spectacular bloom. 020
Reposted by Steve HarrellDavid Stroup @davidstroup.bsky.social · 23/04/2026Striking cover image (and title!) for @timothyagrose.bsky.social’s forthcoming book with @uwapress.uw.edu. The “Studies of Ethnic Groups In China” series (edited by none other than @steveharrell.bsky.social) continues to be a vital resource for scholars in the field! uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295...uwapress.uw.eduSettling Xinjiang 0116
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 07/04/2026Spring quartet, clockwise from upper left: Western skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus), western white trillium (Trillium ovatum), salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum). 010
Reposted by Steve HarrellMeade Krosby @meadekrosby.bsky.social · 07/04/2026Long-term studies are vital to understanding how species and ecosystems are responding to climate change and other environmental stressors, but difficult to sustain under typical short-term grant cycles. LTER has been funding these since 1980. This is breaking something that can’t be replaced. 313163
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 03/04/2026Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) in emerging Philadelphus lewisii (mock-orange) branches lives up to his name. 000
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 28/03/2026Thousands of Bellinghamsters turned out today. 020
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 26/03/2026Further perverting our already screwed-up agriculture. apnews.com/article/gaso...apnews.comEPA approves sale of a higher-ethanol fuel to try to lower gas pricesThe Environmental Protection Agency has announced it would allow gas stations to continue selling slightly cheaper E15 this summer in a move that may be good for drivers and corn growers but will like... 120
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 26/03/2026Not worth the carnage, but a silver lining nevertheless: www.bbc.com/news/article...bbc.comOctopus Energy boss: We've seen a 50% rise in solar panel sales since start of war in IranThe UK giant is optimistic but chief executive Greg Jackson tells the BBC he is making contingency plans. 010
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 25/03/2026Just had to post this: the anti-matter truck: www.scientificamerican.com/article/phys...scientificamerican.comPhysicists just took a road trip with a load of antimatter. Here’s how it wentScientists at CERN built a container weighing about a ton to transport just 92 subatomic antimatter particles without annihilating them 000
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 25/03/2026The environmental destruction from critical mineral extraction is the tradeoff we pay for getting off fossil fuels. But in some cases, the prices is greater than the gain. I don't think anyone knows yet about the case of deep sea mining. This mandates caution. gcaptain.com/trump-admini...gcaptain.comTrump Administration Quietly Expands Pacific Seabed Mining Area as Environmental Review BeginsThe U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has advanced the next phase of potential offshore mineral leasing near the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, expanding the area under considerati... 000
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 25/03/2026A story of resilience here: not only building resilience against oil shocks and weather emergencies, but demonstrating resilience against policy idiocy. Cheers to Dominion and our wobbly but still standing court system. virginiamercury.com/briefs/domin...virginiamercury.comDominion produces first power from Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project • Virginia MercuryDominion Energy’s major Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is now sending power to the grid, after its first commercial turbine was switched on Monday 010
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 25/03/2026In addition to the killing, destruction of buildings, and GHG, there is the matter of pollution. There must be horrible health effects from all that smoke. 000
Reposted by Steve HarrellMarc Kodack @ridden6570.bsky.social · 25/03/2026Virginia Beach offshore wind farm has started producing electricitywhro.orgVirginia Beach offshore wind farm has started producing electricityThe milestone comes months after the Trump administration tried to block the project from moving forward. 002
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 24/03/2026So the next White House priority is "make sure brown children grow up illiterate." www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/u...nytimes.comStephen Miller Asks Why Texas Pays to Teach Undocumented Children 001
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 23/03/2026Virtually certain from today's arguments that SCOTUS will invalidate ballots received after E-day, even if they are postmarked earlier. It'll cause a huge mess in WA, CO, and even MS, which was the object of the suit. Anything to shrink the electorate! www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...seattletimes.comHow this U.S. Supreme Court case affects WA’s vote-by-mailA case argued today before the U.S. Supreme Court could affect Washington’s mail-in voting systems. Here’s what we know. 000
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 23/03/2026The greenhouse effect is news now?? UN report discovers (at least provisionally) a scientific fact that was first accurately calculated in 1897. Progressssss!!!!! www.nytimes.com/2026/03/22/c...nytimes.comThe Balance That Keeps Climate Stable Is Out of Whack, U.N. Report Finds 010
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 23/03/2026Your taxpayer dollars at work. Can this be legal? www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/c...nytimes.comTrump Administration to Pay $1 Billion to Energy Giant to Cancel Wind Farms 031
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 23/03/2026Amazing picture of what a landslide looks like from above. www.cascadiadaily.com/2026/mar/21/...cascadiadaily.comNorthbound I-5 to remain closed due to slide; debris removal begins Sunday | Cascadia Daily NewsInterwest Construction Inc. will start emergency debris removal March 22 011
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 23/03/2026"it’s also hard to imagine how the modern green movement can persuade enough people to support political action to fight the climate crisis, while simultaneously assuring them that their personal contributions to the crisis don’t really matter." www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/o...nytimes.comOpinion | Get an Electric Vehicle and You Can Stop Worrying About $5 Gas 020
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 22/03/2026It's hard to capture photographically these busy critters at their nest construction, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) in Red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) 020
Reposted by Steve HarrellMark Lemley @marklemley.bsky.social · 17/03/2026The US is no longer a liberal democracy, according to the top global watchdog on freedom and democracy. We're falling fast, and are now classed the same as Guatemala, Colombia, and Peru www.v-dem.net/documents/75...v-dem.net 53285453300
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 22/03/2026What Lovins was promoting half a century ago: His BAU was mostly coal and nuclear (no fracking yet), electricity was a problem, not a solution (cuz it would be coal or nuclear). His transition was to passive technologies and conservation (less surprising). www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...foreignaffairs.comEnergy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?Where are the United States' energy policies leading it, and what are its choices in terms of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and the electricity grid? 020
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 21/03/2026Anybody who has missed this: Don't. www.newyorker.com/projects/int...?newyorker.com 000
Steve Harrell @steveharrell.bsky.social · 21/03/2026@billmckibben.bsky.social is (and this is a compliment) very eloquent in stating the obvious: www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...newyorker.comThe Iran War Is Another Reason to Quit OilWhat if the drone is to warfare as the solar panel is to energy? 1114