FIRST LOOK:

If you’re in a position to help, here’s a list of organizations seeking donations to aid individuals in need due to the Pacific Northwest heat wave. 

We’re shocked, shocked. Well, not that shocked: Two top ExxonMobil lobbyists were caught on camera admitting that despite an appearance of supporting some climate policy now, the company is still lobbying against climate change legislation, UK’s Channel 4 News first reported. The footage was obtained by an undercover reporter working for Unearthed, Greenpeace UK's investigative platform, who posed as a headhunter. In the footage, lobbyist Keith McCoy explains how the company has been targeting senators to downplay or remove climate measures from the president’s infrastructure plan, and says he has been speaking with Senator Joe Manchin’s office on a weekly basis. He also revealed that Exxon uses its support of a carbon tax as “a talking point,” because it does not believe the policy has any real chance to actually become law. In addition, McCoy admitted the company worked with “shadow groups” to fight early climate legislation, claiming only that “there’s nothing illegal about that.” Exxon’s chief executive Darren Woods released a statement in response, saying he was shocked by the claims and that they do not accurately reflect the company’s stance on climate change. “The recording we’ve heard today only solidifies what we already know: for decades, fossil fuel companies have lied to the public, to regulators, and to Congress about the true danger posed by their products,” Rep. Ro Khanna said in a statement. (Unearthed, Channel 4, New York Times $, The Hill, Insider, Bloomberg $, Reuters, The Guardian, Axios, Gizmodo, Washington Examiner, Reactions: Channel 4, Wall Street Journal $)

Biden Meets With Western Governors to Talk Wildfires: President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met (virtually) with a bipartisan group of Western governors yesterday to discuss preparations for this year’s wildfire season, which is expected to be especially severe due to an ongoing drought fueled by climate change. "Climate change is driving the dangerous confluence of extreme heat and prolonged drought. We're seeing wildfires of greater intensity that move with more speed and last well beyond traditional months, traditional months of the fire season," Biden said. At the meeting, the President announced he was raising the pay of federal firefighters to ensure they make at least $15 an hour. The federal government also plans to hire more seasonal firefighters, provide retention bonuses, and add to surge capacity by training additional personnel. However, many of the new proposals discussed in the meeting are unlikely to be ready for the current wildfire season, which has already begun in many parts of the West. The governors of California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming attended the meeting, while the governors of Arizona, Idaho, Montana did not, all expressing disappointment at not having received invitations. (Meeting: CNN, Reuters $, USA Today, Associated Press, Mercury News, Newsweek The Guardian, New York Times $, CNBC, NBC News, Salt Lake Tribune, Fox News. Missing Invitations: Idaho Statesman, Boise Public Radio; Climate Signals background: Western Drought 2020-2021, Wildfires) 

As Heat Deaths Rise, Inequities Become Clear: Hundreds of deaths in the Pacific Northwest and Canada are now being reported as the record-shattering heat wave that has engulfed the region for the past five days finally begins to let up. At least 63 deaths in Oregon and 13 just in King County, Washington have been tied to the heatwave, and in British Columbia there have been 486 sudden deaths since Friday, well above the average of 165. Of those who died in Oregon, all were over the age of 45 and most had underlying health conditions. "This was a true health crisis that has underscored how deadly an extreme heat wave can be, especially to otherwise vulnerable people,’’ said Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Vines. “As our summers continue to get warmer, I suspect we will face this kind of event again.’’ Like with most climate change impacts, this extreme heat was not felt equally. Incarcerated people in Oregon have reported extreme temperatures, a lack of cold water, and a disregard for those who have underlying conditions that can make heat exposure more dangerous. Workers at as-seen-on-TV Voodoo donut shop in Portland, Oregon staged a walkout over the weekend after extreme temperatures caused several employees to show signs of heat exhaustion, and three employees who participated in the strike were eventually fired as management refused to recognize the worker’s recent Unionization. People experiencing homelessness are another group that has been hit particularly hard by this heat wave. While details are still coming in, Jimmy Jones, executive director of a community action group in Salem, Oregon, explained to WBUR the impact of extreme heat on the state’s homeless population, and said “we had quite a few heat-related medical problems with several people passing away in a neighboring community.” (Deaths: New York Times $, Washington Post $, Seattle Times $, CNN, PBS NewsHour, Axios, CBS, ABC, Fresno Bee, The Hill, USA Today, CNN, Weather Channel, Boise State Public Radio, NY Mag; Homeless Community: WBUR, KMVT; Inmates: Oregon Live; Voodoo Doughnut: Huffpost, Williamette Week, EATER; Climate Signals background: Northwest Pacific Heat Wave) 

PNW HEAT WAVE: Experts react to record 121 degrees in Canada (Washington Post $), Seattle under the heat dome (The New Yorker $), how the extreme heat in the Pacific Northwest is taxing electric grids (and people's air conditioners) (TIME), extreme heat in Portland is an ‘acute disaster on chronic disaster’ (The Nation), deadly Canadian heatwave eases but continues to shatter records (Reuters), five ways the Pacific Northwest heatwave is breaking cities’ infrastructure (Quartz), a deadly summer in the pacific northwest augurs more heat waves, and more deaths to come (InsideClimate News)

HEAT + FIRES: Wildfire devastates Canadian town that's been suffering through 121 degree heat (Gizmodo, CNN), The deadly heat wave is triggering dozens of wildfires in western Canada (NPR)

PESTICIDES: The department of yes (The Intercept)

DENIAL: The chamber of commerce has been exposed as one of the primary obstacles to climate action (Esquire), Big oil and gas kept a dirty secret for decades. Now they may pay the price (The Guardian), Patreon is bankrolling climate change deniers while we all burn (Vice)

GRID: New York faces Blackouts as extreme heat strains the grid (Gizmodo), NYC urges power conservation to avoid outages as heat peaks (Bloomberg $)

CHAMPLAIN TOWERS: Right-wing media outraged energy secretary talked about climate change and Miami condo collapse (Gizmodo), Hurricane Andrew transformed Florida’s building codes. The Champlain Towers collapse could usher in a new era of regulations. (Washington Post $), climate scientists say building collapse is a 'wake-up call' about the potential impact of rising seas (CNN), Florida officials vow rescue effort at Surfside condo will continue, despite time, storm threat (Washington Post $), Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm suggests climate change played role in Florida condo collapse  (New York Post)

4TH OF JULY: Over 100 fire scientists urge the US West: Skip the fireworks this record-dry 4th of July (The Conversation), cities across US west ban Fourth of July fireworks amid wildfire fears (The Guardian)

CLIMATE COVERAGE: Climate coverage feels the heat, again (Columbia Journalism Review), record-breaking temperatures mean we must change the way we talk about the climate emergency (The Conversation)

AGENCIES: Buttigieg: 'There's no time to argue' over climate change (The Hill)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Scoop: Wall Street vet leaving Kerry's climate team (Axios)

LAWSUITS: Environmentalists allege pollution from West Virginia mine (AP), Taylor Energy loses appeal over Hurricane Ivan oil cleanup bill (Bloomberg Law)

DOD: How the Marine Corps struck gold in a trash heap as part of the Pentagon’s fight against climate change (InsideClimate News)

THE HILL: We couldn’t say ‘climate change’: Rep. Melanie Stansbury on her staffer days (Roll Call), A Republican backpedals after years of climate advocacy (E&E $)

INFRASTRUCTURE: Exclusive: White House signals "clean" standard push in budget reconciliation (Axios), Biden wants to take on heat-buckled roads in his infrastructure update (NPR)

POLITICS: There is no such thing as 'moderate' climate policy (Canary Media)

CITIES AND STATES: Biden backs Maine town saying no to WWII-era oil pipeline (Bloomberg $), Oregon leaps past California and Washington as legislators pass bill to decarbonize power grid by 2040 (Utility Dive), New Jersey’s second offshore wind project will power more than a million homes (Philadelphia Inquirer), sailing the uncharted waters of climate change — literally (MPR)

IMPACTS: Climate change is ‘fundamentally’ altering Yellowstone’s ecosystem (PBS NewsHour), Arctic Circle land temperature reaches 48C during ‘persistent heatwave’ in Siberia (The Independent), Madagascar is headed toward a climate change-linked famine it did not create (Washington Post $)

HEAT: How heat waves form, and how climate change makes them worse (Vox), scientists warn of climate change intensifying heat waves (The Hill), how to redesign cities to withstand heat waves (Vox), this is what happens to your body during extreme heat (CNN), how heat kills 700 in the U.S. annually (The Oregonian), climate change may cause historic heat waves more often than once every 1,000 years, experts say (ABC), US cities are suffocating in the heat. Now they want retribution (The Guardian)

DROUGHT: What’s causing the drought in the west — and why it’s so bad (PBS NewsHour)

WILDFIRES: A state on fire (The Independent), California 'hotshot' firefighters quit over $13.45 an hour pay amid wildfire season (Newsweek), as wildfires get worse, so are firefighter shortages. Climate change and low pay aren’t helping (Colorado Public Radio), as western wildfires worsen, FEMA is denying most people who ask for help (NPR)

OREGON FIRES: Oregon governor invokes Emergency Conflagration Act to combat wildfire (The Hill, AP)

HURRICANES: Surfside rescue teams keep watchful eye on the Atlantic; one system is forecast to become Tropical Storm Elsa (USA Today)

FLOODS: Now Detroit is flooded with calls for help and repairs (Michigan Radio)

PG&E: PG&E proposes rate increase for wildfire prevention (Reuters)

METHANE: GOP touted a climate caucus; methane vote shows its limits (E&E $)

OIL & GAS: U.S. natural gas producers hope customers will pay more for 'green gas' (Reuters), National Grid warns of permitting risks to meet growing gas demand (Politico), Global gas prices rally on hot summer, storage demand (Reuters)

COAL: Vast majority of new coal-power plants ‘uneconomic’ (FT $)

HEAT PUMPS: Are ‘heat pumps’ the answer to heat waves? Some cities think so. (New York Times $)

WATER: Matt Damon on global water and climate crisis (NowThis), running out of water: how climate change fuels a crisis in the US west (The Guardian)

GRID: Our energy grids can’t handle the heat—in fact, they’re making it worse (Fortune)

ACTIVISM: 3 environmental activists arrested after occupying Waltham energy company offices overnight (WBUR), Dear bank CEO, you are cordially invited to defund this pipeline (Bloomberg $)

STRATEGY:All the right words on climate have already been said (Nieman Lab)

AMAZON: Amazon says pandemic growth increased carbon emissions by 19% (Bloomberg $)

ADS: U.S. climate ads by conservatives, for conservatives, shift views (Reuters)

ART: Banksy painting of Washington’s Mount Rainier which offers brutal critique of climate crisis sells for $6.3m (The Independent)

FINANCE: ‘Decisive’ decade in climate change fight needs lending surge (Bloomberg $), should homeowners pay for climate change? (CAL Matters)

FARMING: Here's how farmers are helping with climate change - they're putting carbon back in the soil (San Francisco Chronicle)

FOOD: The food system’s carbon footprint has been vastly underestimated (Civil Eats)

GASOLINE: Some gas stations seeing outages ahead of busy July 4 travel weekend (NBC)

SOLUTIONS: California tests off-the-grid solutions to power outages (AP)

PLASTIC: Pa. efforts to halt plastic bag bans recede as Philadelphia begins to enact its own law (NPR)

RELIGION: Sacred Grounds (Grist)

YARDS: Ditching grass could help your backyard thrive (Washington Post $)

OH NO: Rattlesnakes may be one of the only winners of climate change crisis (CNET)

INTERNATIONAL: U.K. to end all coal power in 2024, accelerating emissions goal (Forbes), biggest China bank abandons $3 billion Zimbabwe coal plan (Bloomberg $), China industry grinds to a halt to celebrate communist centenary (Bloomberg $), Australia ranks last for climate action among UN member countries (The Guardian), ‘deeply irresponsible’: federal government loan for new Queensland coalmine criticised by campaigners (The Guardian)

• The country is on fire, and the biggest obstacle to action is the GOP (Washington Post. Paul Waldman column $)
• There’s no way temperatures are this high. It’s time for an audit. (Washington Post, Alexandra Petri column $)
• Water is a human right. Here’s how California can ease the burden of utility bills (Sacramento Bee, Bill Dodd And Lena Gonzalez op-ed $)
• We must break the link between climate change and modern-day slavery (Miami Herald, Rachel Rigby op-ed)
• Democrats have a year to save the planet (New York Times, Farhad Manjoo column $)
• Biden risks botching a key chance to fight climate change (Washington Post, Thea Riofrancos and Mark Paul op-ed $)
• No one was prepared for the Northwest heat wave — especially not the animals (Washington Post, Tove Danovich $)
• Climate change is here. Michigan needs infrastructure to cope with it. (Detroit Free Press, Sandra Turner-Handy op-ed)
• Canada is a warning: more and more of the world will soon be too hot for humans (The Guardian, Simon Lewis op-ed)
• This heat wave is a retirement issue — 6 ways to build climate change into your retirement planning (MarketWatch, Tanja Hester op-ed)

Heritage Foundation Concerned About Big Salary For Conservation Group CEO, Despite Having Paid Its Own CEOs Far More 

It is almost certainly true that most, if not all, CEOs get paid entirely too much. No one’s doing ten, twenty, or a hundred times more work leading a company than the workers they oversee, so their pay shouldn’t be orders of magnitude bigger, either. Now, some might disagree, and claim that the economic market should be free to decide how much people’s work is worth. One would expect that conservative lobby groups would be the first to defend high CEO salaries, and indeed, the Heritage Foundation has done just that. 

Which is what makes it so surprising to see a hit piece by “reporter” Kevin Mooney at the Koch/Mercer/tobacco/polluters-funded Heritage Foundation’s fake news website, the Daily Signal, attacking a high CEO salary. Apparently the “big salaries” at the Congressionally-created National Fish and Wildlife Foundation “raise eyebrows.” 

Whose eyebrows? Well there’s Alex Echols, who worked at NFWF from 1995 to 2000 and told Mooney that “I don’t know if there is anything untoward with NFWF, but the fact that the salaries are as high as they are does raise some questions.” Now, those questions might have answers, like the ones that Heritage Foundation experts have laid out before in defense of other CEOs. 

But most of the raised eyebrows Mooney “reports” are coming from his fellow conservative front group employees, like Heritage’s Katie Tubb, and Heritage’s former in-house climate science denier Nick Loris, who’s now “vice president of public policy” for the “Conservative Coalition for Climate Solutions.” (Yet another fake coalition to make it look like Republicans aren’t gleefully lighting the planet on fire with fossil fuel campaign contributions.)

That said, the salary is pretty high. NFWF CEO Jeff Trandahl got paid $1.29 million in 2018, more than the $200,000 to $600,000 range of other green groups that Mooney mentions, from the Sierra Club to National Audubon Society. 

But one group Mooney doesn’t mention is the Heritage Foundation. Because had he done so, it would have made it obvious that this is much less about careful oversight of philanthropic funds, and more about bad faith hit pieces on environmental organizations. 

While Mooney, Tubb and Loris were quick to throw stones at Randahl’s $1.29 million salary, the Heritage Foundation paid its President James DeMint just shy of $1.4 million dollars in 2017. 

When Heritage replaced him in 2018 with Kay Cole James (a Black woman) they dropped that compensation to just $504,136. Don’t worry about her though, because in 2019 her pay rose to $868,411, so she’s clearly on an upward trajectory

She’ll likely keep earning more, but she’d  have to more than triple her salary (and double Trandahls) before she catches up to Heritage’s longtime President Edwin Feulner, who got $3.5 million in compensation when he left in 2013, “a figure” the Hill’s Alexander Bolton wrote in 2014, “that could raise eyebrows among the think tank’s critics.” 

It’s hard to imagine how someone overseeing an organization that shapes the facts to fit its politics could possibly earn such incredible amounts of money, but Bolton offers a clue. In DeMint’s first year as president in 2013, Heritage’s budget grew by 31%, thanks to “a $25.9 million contribution from an unnamed donor.” (Probably unrelated that Rebecca Mercer, a billionaire hedge fund heiress who funded Trump, Parler, Breitbart and a racist, urine-obsessed climate denier, just so happened to become a Heritage Trustee in 2014.) 

But if Heritage is fine with paying its own CEO a million for bringing in millions in funding, why would it have a problem with a CEO bringing in, as Mooney notes, billions of dollars in grants, being paid similarly? 

Unless, of course, it’s not actually about the money at all, and just the latest in a long line of Kevin Mooney’s lazy anti-environmental screeds. 

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