JASON J. CZARNEZKI

8:52pm EDT: I’m a Wisconsin native, and now that the NY Times has declared that today’s Wisconsin elections are a “referendum on the Governor,” I thought I’d do some live blogging.  There are two key races in Wisconsin today.  First, the Supreme Court race between incumbent Justice David Prosser and the challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg.  (For the record, I oppose elections for judges.)  And, second, the race for Milwaukee County Executive, a nonpartison race, between philanthropist Chris Abele and Republican State Representative Jeff Stone.  More details here.

I have no clue who will win these races, given the political turmoil in Wisconsin and the shifting demographics of southeastern Wisconsin, other than predict that the races will be close.

Polls close in Wisconsin in 8 minutes.

9:00pm EDT: Polls have closed in Wisconsin.

9:04pm: Another reason judges should not be elected.  See here.

9:21pm: Some Wisconsin towns and cities ran out of ballots.

9:23pm:

9:26pm:

9:29pm:

9:37pm:

9:40pm:

9:45pm:  With 8% reporting, Supreme Court race still too close to call.  Prosser has taken 234 vote lead.

9:51pm:

9:55pm: 11% reporting.  Prosser 51%, Kloppenburg 49%

10:00pm: Milwaukee County Executive, 7%: Chris Abele, 7,797, 58% /Jeff Stone, 5,684, 42%

10:02pm: Prosser maintains small lead with 13% reporting.

10:07pm:

10:12pm: I’ve been trying multiple websites for the quickest results. It looks like this website is doing the best: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/118885959.html

10:13: With 17% reporting and over 300,000 votes in the Supreme Court race is too close to call. Abele has opened up a large lead in the County Exec race, but I wish I knew what districts were reporting.

10:16pm:

10:30pm:

10:31pm:  So far, these results are good news for the Obama re-election campaign.  A too-close-call statewide race and a, so far, “democratic” lead in the non-partison Milwaukee County race is good news from Dems as voter turnout among Dems in Milwaukee will be much higher in a presidential election year.

10:33pm: Are we in for a long wait on the Supreme Court race result?

10:38pm: Abele up 60-40 with 55% reporting.  Supreme Court still at 50-50%.

10:44pm:

10:47pm:

10:53pm.  I’m slight confused right now, or the Stone campaign was very wrong about their chances.  See here.

10:56pm: Abele maintains significant lead with 65% reporting.

10:57pm: “We’re feeling it’s very close and it may be a long night,” said Kloppenburg campaign manager.

11:04pm: Supreme Court back to 50-50%.  Abele still up.

11:06pm: CHRIS ABELE PROJECTED WINNER IN MILWAUKEE COUNTY EXEC RACE.

11:08pm:

Milwaukee County Executive	REPORTING	81%
	Chris Abele	101,509	62%
	Jeff Stone	62,971	38%

Results from JSONline.

11:09pm: Supreme Court race still very tight.

11:10pm: Again, this is all very good news for WI state Dems, and has to concern any legislators that may be potentially recalled on both sides of the aisle, given the tone and turnout of a spring nonpartison election.  Still good news for the Dems in WI in 2012.

11:14pm: Article on the Abele win. See here.  See here too.

11:16pm: Very high turnout.  And 70% (!!!) turnout in Madison.

11:19pm:  Report from a Milwaukee friend, “Jeff Stone gave what seems to be a concession speech just after 10:00pm [central time].”

11:25pm:  It looks like the Supreme Court race won’t be able to be called for some time.

11:42pm:

11:46pm: 76% reporting, Supreme Court race still close to call.  My reports on the ground tell me that half the Madison votes have yet to be counted (good for Kloppenburg as she’s getting 72% of votes in Dane County), and still many outstanding votes is Waukesha County (good for Prosser as he’s getting 73% of the vote there).  Kloppenburg only getting 57% of vote in Milwaukee county.  Dems usually need 60% of the vote in Milwaukee County to win a statewide race.  Will the turnout in Dane County be enough for her to keep a slight lead at the end?

11:50pm: Lot of Waukesha vote out yet (very good for Prosser).

11:52pm: Even the campaigns aren’t sure who’ll win this thing.  See here.

11:54pm: Too close to call.

11:57: Kloppenburg up 51-49% with 82% reporting.

12:04am: Kloppenburg still up 51-49% with 85% in.

12:10am: Race tightening.  50-50%, less than 5000 vote difference with 88% of precincts in.

12:13pm:  Unrelated to elections update from Vermont – it’s snowing, and I still have 3 feet of snow in my backyard.

12:14am:

12:24am: 92% reporting, Kloppenburg up be less than 2000 votes.

12:30am: still too close to call, but Prosser takes small lead.

12:41am: updated results.

12:45am: Prosser up by less than 2000 votes with 97% reporting.

12:49am: Here are the county by county results.  http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2011/by_county/WI_Supreme_Court_0405.html?SITE=AP&SECTION=POLITICS

1:04am: Bedtime.  Below are the current results.  I wonder if there might be a recount.

X

OMB released “A Statement of Administration Policy” stating:

The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 910, which would halt the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) common-sense steps under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to protect Americans from harmful air pollution. H.R. 910 would also increase the Nation’s dependence on oil and other fossil fuels as well as contradict the scientific consensus on climate change.

If the President is presented with this legislation, which would seriously roll back the CAA authority, harm Americans’ health by taking away our ability to decrease carbon pollution, and undercut fuel efficiency standards that will save Americans money at the pump while decreasing our dependence on oil, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.

The underlines for emphasis are in the original.

As many know, I was a 2009-2010 Fulbright Scholar in Guangzhou, China. One of the highlights of living in Guangzhou was its fantastic subway system. The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy has now awarded Guangzhou the “2011 Sustainable Transport Award.” Congratulations.

“Republicans Open Inquiry on Yucca Mountain Shutdown.” See http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/republicans-open-inquiry-on-yucca-mountain-shutdown/

This raises the issue about what we should do with nuclear waste. I have a basic question: Regardless of political opposition, where is the safest and best place, from a scientific standpoint, to store nuclear waste? Is that place Yucca Mountain.

Second Annual Colloquium on Environmental Scholarship

at Vermont Law School

September 23, 2011

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Vermont Law School will host the Second Annual Colloquium on Environmental Scholarship on September 23, 2011.  The Colloquium offers the opportunity for environmental law scholars to present their works-in-progress and recent scholarship, to get feedback from their colleagues, and to meet and interact with those who are also teaching and researching in the environmental and natural resources law area.

If you are interested in presenting a paper at the Colloquium, please submit a working title and short abstract to Professor Jason J. Czarnezki at czarnezki@gmail.com no later than April 15, 2011. For an abstract to be eligible for submission, the author must anticipate that the paper will still be at a revisable stage (neither published nor so close to publication that significant changes are not feasible) by the date of the Colloquium.  We will do our best to include all interested presenters, and will notify authors about acceptances no later than May 2011.

In a slight modification to last year’s format, this year, all selected participants will be required to submit a paper draft no later than September 1, 2011, and all participants will be asked to provide commentary on another participant’s paper draft at the Colloquium.  Final papers will also be eligible for publication in the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law.

The Colloquium will take place on Friday, September 23, and Vermont Law School’s Environmental Law Center and its faculty will host a cocktail reception on Thursday evening, and dinner on Friday evening.  Further Colloquium details regarding schedule, events, lodging, and transportation will be forthcoming and available at http://www.vermontlaw.edu.

BP wants to resume drilling in Gulf: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/business/energy-environment/04bp.html?_r=1&hp

Efforts to plug reactor leaks in trouble: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/world/asia/04japan.html?hp

Crackdown in China: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/world/asia/04china.html?hp

The Herald of Randolph article about my book (front page last week) is now viewable online:

http://www.ourherald.com/news/2011-03-24/Front_Page/VLS_Prof_Writes_on_Being _An_Environmentalist_Every.html