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Archive for May 7th, 2010
United States: Vermont Senate backs Hydro-Quebec renewable-energy status
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 7th, 2010
Burlington Free Press: The Senate voted unanimously Thursday to back a bill that grants Hydro-Quebec status as a renewable-energy source, a move supporters say will give Vermonters a better deal on power but that environmentalists contend will discourage creation of new renewable energy. "This change was requested by the utilities as part of their negotiations with Hydro-Quebec," said Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee Chairwoman Virginia Lyons, D-Chittenden. "We were told without this decision ...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on United States: Vermont Senate backs Hydro-Quebec renewable-energy statusBracing For Disaster In The Gulf Ecosystem
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 7th, 2010
National Public Radio: IRA FLATOW, host: This is SCIENCE FRIDAY, from NPR. I'm Ira Flatow. A bit later in the hour, we're going to be talking about outside-the-box ideas, literally, for tackling the Gulf oil spill, and if you have an idea for an engineering - stop, how to stop that crude oil from leaking out or help clean it up, give us a call, our number, 1-800-989-8255. Or tweet us, @scifri, or drop us a comment at our website, at sciencefriday.com. We'll get to those in a minute. First, ...
Nature Fighting Back Against Gulf Oil Spill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 7th, 2010
National Geographic: Driving down Highway 23 last week in the southern Louisiana fishing town of Port Sulphur (map), David Ojeda could smell that something wasn't right. Turbulent winds over the approaching Gulf of Mexico oil spill were blowing strong odors inland, the 68-year-old shrimper suspects. "Everybody's worried," he said Wednesday at the Port Sulphur harbor, which was filled to capacity with fishers rendered idle by the spill. "Nobody knows what will happen." Unpleasant though it may be ...
As BP oil spill fight continues, more areas closed to the public
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 7th, 2010
Christian Science Monitor: With confirmed sightings of oil across a 50-mile chain of islands that line Louisiana's Southwestern coast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has ordered the affected area closed to public entry. The agency also expanded an earlier ban on fishing in the area east of the Mississippi River. Last Sunday, NOAA announced a ten-day ban on all recreational and commercial fishing between the mouth of the Mississippi River and Florida's Pensacola Bay. That set off alarms ...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on As BP oil spill fight continues, more areas closed to the publicRwenzori ice cap faces extinction in 40 years
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 7th, 2010
Monitor: The ice cap on Rwenzori, one of the world's most treasured mountains, is fast melting and could disappear within 40 years, an environmental expert has warned. Dr Aryamanya Mugisha, the executive director of the National Environment Management Authority, told Daily Monitor in an interview yesterday that the melting of the ice on one of the peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains have largely been a result of climatic changes like global warming. "Because of rising temperatures over the ...
Drought may halve Jersey’s potato crop
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 7th, 2010
Guardian: With their papery, easily removable skin and their tender, waxy flesh, Jersey royals are the most prized of the spring crop of potatoes. Their short harvesting season starts around now and farmers usually send more than 30,000 tonnes to the UK in the early months. But the crop may fail to materialise from Jersey this year as the Channel Island has been hit by the worst drought in 34 years. According to potato growers, the first crop may be cut in half because of a lack of rainfall in ...
Tainted nuke plant water reaches major NJ aquifer
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 7th, 2010
Associated Press: Radioactive water that leaked from the nation's oldest nuclear power plant has now reached a major underground aquifer that supplies drinking water to much of southern New Jersey, the state's environmental chief said Friday. The state Department of Environmental Protection has ordered the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station to halt the spread of contaminated water underground, even as it said there was no imminent threat to drinking water supplies. The department launched a ...
Gulf Oil Spill Could Threaten Human Health
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 7th, 2010
HealthDay: The massive oil slick menacing the Gulf of Mexico and now some barrier islands off the coast of Louisiana could prove devastating to the environment while posing risks to public health, experts say. Some people along the coast are already reporting headaches, nausea, coughing and throat irritation, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental action group. "There are significant health risks associated with this oil spill and the risks aren't just ...
Ala. researchers find oil chunks approaching coast
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 7th, 2010
Associated Press: Dauphin Island Sea Lab researchers say they believe parts of the oil slick are closer to the northern Gulf coast than previously thought. Scientist Monty Graham said Friday they found honeycombed chunks of what appear to be crude oil and tar floating in the water about 35 miles south of Dauphin Island, Ala. Officials from the U.S. Coast Guard and BP PLC say they are investigating the odd discovery. The company and federal agency have said the oil chunks are tar balls, which ...
Water levels down in Canada’s Saint Lawrence seaway
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 7th, 2010
Agence France-Presse: Seasonal water levels in the Saint Lawrence seaway -- a major North American shipping corridor -- have reached their lowest point in 40 years, the Quebec hydro center warned Friday. This follows one of the warmest Canadian winters on record, in which very little snow fell. Hydrometric meters showed an average of 7,000 cubic meters per second (247,200 cubic feet per second) flowing past the island city of Montreal, much lower than the norm of 10,000 cubic meters per second ...