Rainfall In Downbursts, A Climate Change Element, Could Overwhelm Parched Farmland

Midwestern farmers need soaking rains, but too much rain too quickly, as is the trend, could drown the fields.

Wisconsin GOP Senatorial Primary Becoming Political Trivial Pursuit

People have been saying that the Walker recall election sapped focus and energy from the GOP Senate primary contest, and Journal Sentinel columnist Jim Stingl has documented the campaign's distance from depth.

Stingl finds Mark Neumann showcasing an ability to hold a heavy beer stein parallel to the floor.

I'd rather hear more about how long Neumann will hold on to his false talk about federal spending - - from a former math teacher and US House member on the Appropriations and Budget Committees, no less.

But back to the sideshow: Not to be outdone, Tommy Thompson's campaign claims he does 100 push ups a day (in a row?) and Eric Hovde, Stingl writes, practices "Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a means of fitness and self-defense."

OK, I get it. Stingl and Neumann had a little fun, though Neumann has actually competed in these beer stein competitions nationally, and all of that was interesting on its own  - - but the other candidates felt they needed to weigh in.

I doubt Stingl had to browbeat any of them into offering something for comparison.

What's next for the candidates' fitness to serve? A cream-puff eating contest at State Fair, with deep-fried Snicker bar consumption as the tie-breaker?

If running for office is all about political fitness, I'll take Tammy Baldwin against the field.

Walker, Cheesehead-In-Chief, Funds California Rail Line

Remember when Scott Walker forfeited $810 million in Amtrak assistance, killed thousands of rail construction jobs in Wisconsin, and cared less that the money went to other states, like California?

The Los Angeles Times editorially gloated:

But that's perfectly OK with us, because California can use the money. Our state's future high-speed rail line from San Diego to San Francisco and Sacramento is already hitting snags, and we expect many more before the system is complete. The $624 million from Wisconsin and Ohio, combined with the $3 billion in federal funds the state has already received, will help smooth the way. Thanks a billion, cheeseheads.

Well, here's the Friday follow-up.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers approved billions of dollars Friday in construction financing for the initial segment of the nation's first dedicated high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The move marked a major political victory for Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and the Obama administration. Both have promoted bullet trains as job generators and clean transportation alternatives.

"No economy can grow faster than its transportation network allows," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement applauding the legislative vote. "With highways between California cities congested and airspace at a premium, Californians desperately need an alternative

Speak Out At Three WI/MN Locations On Great Lakes Water Level Concerns

From the International Joint Commission that manages the Great Lakes:

News Release
June 18, 2012

International Joint Commission invites Public
Comment on Upper Great Lakes report

The International Joint Commission (IJC) announced today that it is inviting public comment on the final report of its International Upper Great Lakes Study Board, Lake Superior Regulation: Addressing Uncertainty in Upper Great Lakes Water Levels. 

Comments will be accepted at public hearings and by mail, email and on-line until August 31, 2012.

The report [pdf, here] examines whether the regulation of outflows from Lake Superior through the compensating works and power dams on the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie might be improved to take into consideration the evolving needs of users on Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan and Erie. 

The report also examines the potential future impacts of climate change, a management strategy to better anticipate and respond to future extreme water levels, the feasibility and implications of restoring water levels in lakes Michigan-Huron and multi-lake regulation and its impacts throughout the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system.  The report and related supporting documents and peer review are available at the Upper Great Lakes Public Hearings website. 

 “We are asking people who live on the Great Lakes to tell us if the Study Board’s recommendations for managing water supplies on the Upper Great Lakes meet their needs or if other changes need be considered,” said Joe Comuzzi, chair of the IJC’s Canadian Section.

“Commissioners will carefully consider all concerns regarding the regulation of water levels in the Great Lakes before arriving at a decision that balances and suitably protects the interests of all,” said Lana Pollack, chair of the IJC’s U.S. Section.

Commissioners invite the public to present comments at hearings that will be held the following dates and locations:

Monday, July 9	Tuesday, July 10	Wednesday, July 11	Thursday, July 12
Sarnia, ON 7:00 pm EDT Lambton College, Room A223 1457 London Rd.	Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 7:00 pm EDT The Grosse Pointe War Memorial, Activity Room 32 Lakeshore Drive	Port Clinton, OH 7:00 pm EDT Sutton Center 1848 E. Perry St	Holland, MI 7:00 pm EDT Doubletree Hotel 650 East 24th Street
Thunder Bay, ON 7:00 pm EDT Lakehead University, ATAC Room 1001 955 Oliver Road	Duluth, MN 6:00 pm CDT Labovitz School of Business & Economics 1318 Kirby Dr.	Fish Creek, WI 6:00 pm CDT Door Community Auditorium 3926 Wisconsin Hwy 42	Milwaukee, WI 6:00 pm CDT University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Great Lakes Water Institute 600 E. Greenfield Ave.
Saturday, July 14	Sunday, July 15	Monday, July 16	Tuesday, July 17
Sault Ste. Marie, ON 1:00 pm EDT Algoma University Great West Life Theatre, 1520 Queen Street East	Little Current, ON 1:00 pm EDT Northeast Manitoulin and the Islands Recreation Center 9001 Hwy-6 S	Parry Sound, ON 2:00 pm EDT Bobby Orr Community Centre 7-17 Marry Street Midland, ON 7:00 pm EDT North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre 527 Len Self Boulevard	Collingwood, ON 1:00 pm EDT Cranberry Resort 19 Keith Ave, RR#4

Video conference technology will be used to link the hearings scheduled from July 9 – 12 and to allow the participation of some commissioners from other locations.

Two teleconferences will be held for those people who are not able to attend the meetings. One will be held in English and the other in French. Details of the teleconferences will be provided in a subsequent news release. 

Written comments may be submitted to the IJC for receipt by August 31, 2012 from the Upper Great Lakes Public Hearings website or to either address below:

U. S. Section Secretary	Canadian Section Secretary
International Joint Commission 200 L Street NW, Suite 615 Washington, DC 20440 Fax: 202-632-2006 commission@washington.ijc.org	International Joint Commission 234 Laurier Avenue West, 22nd Floor Ottawa, ON K1P 6K6 Fax: 613-993-5583 commission@ottawa.ijc.org

Technical questions should be sent in writing to the Commission if a detailed response is expected. 

The International Joint Commission was established under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to help the United States and Canada prevent and resolve disputes over the use of the waters the two countries share.  Its responsibilities include considering applications for projects that affect the natural levels and flows of boundary waters.  For more information, visit the Commission's website at www.ijc.org.

Contacts:
Ottawa	Bernard Beckhoff	(613) 947-1420
Washington	Frank Bevacqua	(202) 736-9024

From The Fire Zone, An Extreme Weather Warning Remembered

A writer from fire-damaged Colorado is trying to break through our collective amnesia and inertia on the climate issue:

Summer is barely two weeks old and two-thirds of the country is in the grip of a severe drought. More crops will die. More forests will burn. More power brokers will become familiar with the consequences of a derecho. It sounds biblical, but smart scientists have been predicting this very cycle.

In March, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned in a special report of “unprecedented extreme weather and climate events” to come. The events are here, though the skeptics now running the Republican Party deny the obvious, in large part because they are paid to deny the obvious.

2010 Michigan Tar Sand Cleanup Still Ongoing

And getting more costly, as an historic fine for a pipeline break is proposed - - while yet-to-be-completed cleanup costs soar into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Enbridge, the Canadian company responsible for the spill, has been fined for environmental damage in Wisconsin, but won support recently from the Journal Sentinel editorial board for a capacity expansion in the state.

And, Yes, Another Belated Dirty Air Alert

I got this at 4:51 p.m.

Advisory for Ozone (Orange)

Start Time:	4:00PM CT Friday, July 6, 2012
End Time:	1:00AM CT Saturday, July 7, 2012
Counties:	Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan

---

AIR QUALITY INDEX CHART

Air Quality Index (AQI) Values	Levels of Health Concern	Colors
When the AQI is in this range:	...air quality conditions are:	...as symbolized by this color:
0 to 50	Good	Green
51 to 100	Moderate	Yellow
101 to 150	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	Orange
151 to 200	Unhealthy	Red
201 to 300	Very Unhealthy	Purple
301 to 500	Hazardous	Maroon

For More Information:

• Detailed Alert Status Information
• Air Quality Index
• Air Quality Notices Media Kit
• How You Can Help During an Air Quality Notice
• Do a little, save a lot!
• Local DNR air management program contacts

Heat Advisory For Southern Wisconsin Extended Into Saturday

The heat advisory, earlier projected to end Friday, now goes for at least another day:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE 319 PM CDT FRI JUL 6 2012 ...HISTORIC HEAT WAVE TO CONTINUE... .THE HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS OF THE PAST FEW DAYS WILL CONTINUE FOR ALL OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN THROUGH TONIGHT WITH PARTS OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN SEEING MORE DANGEROUS HEAT INTO SATURDAY.

HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB TO THE UPPER 90S TO LOWER 100S OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AND INLAND PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. AN ONSHORE BREEZE WILL KEEP LAKE SHORE AREAS A FEW DEGREES COOLER TODAY...

WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE MIDDLE 90S. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS WILL BE BETWEEN 100 AND 110 ACROSS MOST INLAND AREAS WITH 95 TO 105 NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN. DUE TO THE EXTENDED PERIOD OF HEAT...WHICH HAS REACHED FIVE DAYS TODAY...

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. COOLER AND LESS HUMID AIR WILL GRADUALLY FILTER INTO SOUTHERN WISCONSIN ON SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT BEHIND A COOL FRONT.

UNFORTUNATELY THIS COOLER AIR MAY NOT REACH FAR SOUTHERN WISCONSIN UNTIL LATER SATURDAY...THUS THE EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING HAS BEEN EXTENDED FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

/O.CON.KMKX.EH.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120707T1200Z/ MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE-WASHINGTON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MONTELLO...BERLIN...FOND DU LAC... BARABOO...PORTAGE...WISCONSIN DELLS...BEAVER DAM...WEST BEND 319 PM CDT FRI JUL 6 2012 ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT SATURDAY... AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT SATURDAY. * TIMING...HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. VERY WARM AND MUGGY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT. * TEMPERATURE...HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL REACH 98 TO 101. HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL RANGE FROM 102 TO 107. HEAT INDICES WILL BE ABOVE 75 TONIGHT CONTINUING THE OPPRESSIVE CONDITIONS. * IMPACTS...CONTINUE TO FOLLOW YOUR HEATWAVE SAFETY RULES THROUGH TONIGHT. REMEMBER TO CHECK UP ON ELDERLY RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.

Republicans Vote For Rail Development And Congestion Relief

You'd never see that kind of "reason prevailed" or "suburbs embrace transit" headline in a southeastern Wisconsin newspaper - - take a bow, Waukesha County - - but in a fast-growing Virginia portion of the Metro DC area, with an all-Republican county board, it's the reality:

By opting in, Loudoun, whose explosive growth over the last decade has transformed the western fringe of the metropolitan area, in effect decided to tighten its bonds with the region.

In the process it will also juice economic development in the part of the county near the [Dulles] airport and contribute to ongoing efforts to ease some of Northern Virginia’s worst traffic congestion.

The board’s decision should have been a no-brainer, yet it was anything but. Polls, e-mails, public testimony and the virtually unanimous weight of the county’s business leaders all favored Loudoun’s participation.

But a vocal and impassioned minority mounted an aggressive campaign to stop the project, vilifying Metro — sometimes in veiled racist terms — as a force for evil.

Some critics also had reasonable concerns, such as that Dulles rail would impose an unfair tax burden on Loudoun residents, including many who wouldn’t benefit by the project.

In the end, the board sensibly addressed that by establishing special tax districts to ensure that most of the county’s share of the construction cost will be borne by landowners and developers — but very few homeowners — in the immediate vicinity of the new rail stations.

In the end, reason prevailed, with a crucial assist from Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R), who mounted a concerted lobbying effort toward the all-Republican county board.

Scientists Warn Of Extreme Weather, Consequences

Basic information from the UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies:

The list of unusual conditions over the past year is long. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), last winter was the fourth-warmest on record in the United States; spring was the warmest since record keeping began in 1895; and April marked the end of the warmest 12-month period in U.S. history.

Still, [UW-Madison senior climate scientist Steve] Vavrus says scientists need more information to determine whether global warming is to blame. But he says heat waves like the current one will become more common on a warmer planet as we continue to add greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, primarily through the burning of fossil fuels.

“I think it’s a harbinger of what's to come under greenhouse warming,” says Vavrus. “Virtually all climate models simulate more intense and frequent heat waves as the climate warms, and most of the world has experienced increases in extreme heat during the past several decades.”

Tracey Holloway

That’s not good news for air quality or human health. Tracey Holloway, an associate professor of environmental studies, atmospheric and oceanic sciences, and civil and environmental engineering, says hotter temperatures lead to more ground-level ozone. Breathing ozone can damage lungs and worsen bronchitis, emphysema and asthma, and particulate air pollutants can affect a person’s lungs and heart...

“For the last 40 years of global warming, there is nothing comparable in the instrumental record since about 1880,” [Jack] Williams says. “To find comparable analogs for the amount of warming expected for this century under standard greenhouse gas emission scenarios, you have to go back to the climate changes accompanying the last deglaciation, about 20,000 years ago.”

Waukesha Declines Milwaukee Water Negotiation Conditions, But...

Does that mean that negotiations are dead, buried and unable to be exhumed before they ever began, as Waukesha indicates to Waukesha Patch?

“We are disappointed that Milwaukee prematurely killed this opportunity to negotiate a historic regional cooperation agreement with Waukesha,” said Interim City Administrator Steve Crandell in a prepared statement. 

I ask because I note this line in Don Behm's Journal Sentinel story about events today, where Milwaukee balked at negotiating a water sale to Waukesha that would allow Waukesha to send some water to parts of four neighboring communities:

In countering Milwaukee's proposal for tight constraints on Waukesha's service area, Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak has offered to discuss terms for distributing water to the adjacent municipalities. There has been no response from Barrett or council leaders.

Just remember that two big projects around here were also declared dead - - Miller Park and the agreement leading to the building of the Potowatomi Casino - - and both were eventually put on track.

Milwaukee Common Council Approves Water Negotiation With Waukesha, But...

The water sale issue potentially involving Waukesha as the buyer and Milwaukee as a seller is now framed by home rule considerations:

The Milwaukee Common Council approved without discussion this morning - - validating by a 14-0 vote an earlier Public Works Committee action approved also without objection - - a negotiation with Waukesha to discuss selling water only within Waukesha's current water service territory and not serving the expanded territory that Waukesha included in its application for a Lake Michigan diversion.

Friday afternoon update: In reaction, Waukesha says it expects to conclude a water deal with Oak Creek or Racine in August.

Waukesha has said that is an unacceptable condition; the lead state DNR water staffer working on the state's yet-to-be-completed review of the application has said Milwaukee cannot make that stipulation.

Though Waukesha is still free to sit down with Milwaukee and have a discussion.

Essentially, Milwaukee has open the door; Waukesha is saying, not widely enough.

All eight Great Lakes states would have to approve Waukesha's application prior to implementation, and an application would need a sale agree with a selling community.

Waukesha has said Milwaukee is its preferred supplier, though Racine and Oak Creek are also options.

At this point, many uncertainties.

Response from Waukesha? The state? Fast-tracked negotiations with Oak Creek or Racine?

Waukesha Water Deal Resolution Nearing Debate At Milwaukee Council Meeting

Debate momentarily.

11:01 a.m. update:

The Council approved without debate the Public Works Committee report 14-0, thus approving the resolution to negotiate a water sale with Waukesha serving only the current Waukesha water territory, as approved at the committee level.

GOP State Rep. Continues False Narrative About Recall Election Loss

The shameful pattern continues. The goal: push Voter ID to 'fix' a non-existent problem, and to delay Lehman's swearing-in, costing the GOP control of the State Senate.

Wisconsin Rep. Robin Vos says voter fraud accounted for a portion of Lehman’s victory margin over Wanggaard in Senate recall

Milwaukee OK To Negotiate A Waukesha Water Deal On Tap Today

A resolution to green-light the City of Milwaukee's ability to negotiate a possible sale of Lake Michigan water to the City of Waukesha is on today's Common Council agenda.

Waukesha is legally obliged to locate and provide a new water supply to customers by June, 2018 and has submitted an application to access Lake Michigan water under the terms of an eight-state Great Lakes management Compact. The Wisconsin DNR is still reviewing the application - - the first of its kind - - and the review by the other states has not begun.

All eight states must approve the application for it to be implemented, and identifying a willing seller is an element of a complete application.

While saying in the application it prefers Milwaukee as the seller, Waukesha has said it could buy water from Racine or Oak Creek. A connection with Milwaukee is the least expensive of the three, given its proximity to Waukesha, and existing infrastructure.

Milwaukee city water sale policy, separate from the Great Lakes Compact's procedures, includes demonstrations of cooperation from a water buying community on regional jobs, housing and transit issues - - likely among thorny issues accompanying water sale negotiations because they underscore the long, contentious relationship between Milwaukee and Waukesha over regional cooperation.

A resolution to authorize such discussions with Waukesha was recently approved by the Common Council's Public Works Committee, and that is the resolution forwarded for full Council consideration today.

But Waukesha said it would not accept the water sale negotiation as approved by the Milwaukee council committee because it did not authorize negotiations covering a re-drawn, broader water Waukesha water service territory that includes portions of four neighboring municipalities named in the diversion application at the behest of state officials and regional planners.

The resolution being considered today by the full Common Council was adopted in the Public Works Committee without objection and has the backing of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

Milwaukee fears the broader service territory will kick off development inaccessible to and disadvantageous for Milwaukee interests and residents; Waukesha says any such development would be minimal, and that state and regional planners, not Waukesha, drew the new water service territory map.

The outcome of the disagreement over water service territory, and hence the scope of a water sale negotiation - - or even if there will be a negotiation, let alone a sale and with waht monetary and regional terms  - - is not clear.

Though the Council meeting begins at 9 a.m., and is available to Milwaukee Time Warner subscribers on Channel 25.

But the item to authorize the beginning of negotiations is in the Public Works Committee, and may not be taken up until sometime after 9 a.m.

I'll keep one eye on the TV for you.

WI Legislature, DNR, Are Rushing Wolf Hunt

While a Journal Sentinel editorial wants the proposed Wisconsin wolf hunt green-lighted with policy outcomes autopsied after the fact, environmental legal advocate Jodi Habush Sinykin makes a good case that the hunt is being hurried to a cruel and sloppy start this fall.

Is Wisconsin going to remake its wolf license plate by putting a target over the head? Endangered resource? No kidding.

Endangered resources license plates

 

Writes Sinykin, who notes that Wisconsin, unlike all other states, will allow dogs in the hunt:

Rushed through the legislative process with no notice to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wildlife experts, no input from the state's Wolf Science Advisory Committee and no tribal consultation, the law prescribes a first hunting season for wolves. The law is drawing significant opposition from scientists, mainstream hunters and conservationists alike, owing to an excessively long, 4½-month season that allows hunting of breeding females and to the array of hunting and trapping methods viewed as out of line with traditional values of fair pursuit and public safety considerations... 

 Is this a Wisconsin we're proud of?

The editorial board wants to give the benefit of the doubt to the state.

No one will know how successful the DNR's rules will be until they're put into practice and, even then, probably not until the season is over. It may be that adjustments will have to be made in the rules and perhaps in the law itself. Perhaps the season - now slated to run from Oct. 15 to the end of February - is too long. Perhaps hunters should be barred from using dogs, as is the practice in other states where wolf hunting is allowed. Maybe there should be further restrictions on night hunting and the use of lights.

But most of those fixes would have to be done by the Legislature, and it makes sense to see how the first season goes to see what adjustments are needed.

'Seeing how it goes' means wolves caught in traps or killed after confrontations with dogs.

On, Wisconsin?

Count me out.

In Ethics Cases, WI Supreme Court Has Recusal Fever

'No I don't have to,' says Mike Gableman, and a 3-3 hung jury says, well OK.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman will not have to step aside from hearing cases argued by the law firm that provided him free legal counsel, the court ruled late Thursday.

'Can the rest of you recuse yourselves so I can get excused from this hearing?,' asks David Prosser.

Justice David Prosser has now asked all his colleagues on the state Supreme Court to step aside in his ethics case.

One justice has already recused herself, and Prosser is not expected to participate in the case. If two others remove themselves, the case will effectively end because at least four of the court's seven justices are needed to take any action.

Justice recused is justice excused.

Righties Want A More More Severely Conservative Romney

Politico.com says GOP bigwigs are sick of Romney's Etch-a-Sketching and muddled messaging.

But the staff changes they want would be a higher level of flip-flopping and back-tracking, so I think Romney will find a bigger bone to throw their way.
 
I figure Romney tries to get right with the far, far, far Right with his Veep pick - - a Tea Partier for sure, or certified corporate water-carrier, like Ryan, maybe, or Walker though either might be objects too shiny.

Another Dirty Air Alert For WI Lakefront Counties

As I've been reporting here, the air quality in Milwaukee and other Lakefront counties is again in a hazardous zone  - - and your soon-to-be-senior US Senator supported easing electric generating smokestack emission regulations - - but the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources decided in Walker's first few weeks in office to discontinue air quality "watches" until an"advisory" is needed.

The current advisory began at 3:00 PM and was issued at 3:15, according to the DNR. I got my email at 4:00 PM.

By which time, we were already breathing bad air - - but how long had these conditions been building to this point?

Wisconsin Statewide Air Quality Notices

 1 Active Air Quality Notice

1. Air Quality Advisory for Ozone (Orange)

   Issued: 3:15 pm CT Thursday, July 5, 2012

   Start Time:	3:00 pm CT Thursday, July 5, 2012
   End Time:	1:00 am CT Friday, July 6, 2012
   Counties:	Door, Kenosha, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan

Go Fish? Ron Johnson Backed Easing Power Plant Polllutant Emissions

Hard to imagine a Senator representing Great Lakes anglers backing a plan pushed by energy-resource states to tie the US EPA's hands and let more coal pollutants fall into the air and water, - - and isn't our air quality bad enough as it stands now? - -  but that's where our Ron Johnson cast his losing vote last month.

As Gary Wilson of the Great Lakes Echo project wrote:

Wisconsin’s Johnson also voted for Inhofe’s proposal, which is really tough to understand. Mercury bio-accumulates in the fatty tissue of fish and if there is a state that loves to fish it’s Wisconsin.

What does Johnson’s vote say to the Badger state’s 1.4 million licensed anglers?
Neither Portman’s nor Johnson’s office responded to a request for comment.
But the NRDC did.

More on whom Johnson does not support.