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Archive for May 8th, 2010
United States: Denver’s water chief praised as ‘great mind’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 8th, 2010
Associated Press: Denver's vast and powerful water empire, once seen as a Western bully bent on expansion at any cost, was reeling from defeats and beset by rivals when Hamlet "Chips" Barry took over as manager in 1991. Barry, who died May 2 just four weeks away from retiring, guided the city-chartered utility known as Denver Water through a radical transformation. These days, it's viewed more as a collaborator with other districts and environmentalists, an advocate for conservation and a pioneer in ...
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Canada: Climate change a game changer for Epcor
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 8th, 2010
Edmonton Journal: Where others see drought, Epcor president and CEO Don Lowry senses opportunity. "As time marches on, the scarcity of water will increasingly become an issue, and the requirement to manage it wisely," Lowry said Friday. Speaking to reporters at Epcor's annual meeting in Edmonton, Lowry said water's true value as a precious commodity will become more apparent in coming years and the city-owned company is poised to take advantage at home and abroad. "I look around the rest ...
More than 2M gallons of oil-water mix collected
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 8th, 2010
Associated Press: The Coast Guard says about 2.1 million gallons of an oil-water mix has been collected since a spill in the Gulf of Mexico. BP PLC chief operating officer Doug Suttles has said the mix collected is about 10 percent oil and the rest water. The Coast Guard said Saturday that nearly 190 vessels are involved in the cleanup efforts. More than 160 miles of boom to contain the oil has been put out and crews have used nearly 275,000 gallons of chemicals to break up the oil on the ...
Greenland oil rush looms
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 8th, 2010
Bloomberg: Cairn Energy is betting $400 million this year on striking oil off Greenland, a campaign that will be closely watched by producers such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron that hold rights off the island. The potential rewards may justify the cost of Arctic drilling: Greenland's waters could hold 50 billion barrels of crude and gas, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates, enough to meet Europe's energy demand for almost two years. More companies are on the way. Royal Dutch Shell and Statoil were ...
Third of all plants and animals face extinction
Posted by Water Conserve: Water Conservation RSS Newsfeed on May 8th, 2010
Times (UK): ANIMAL and plant species are being killed off faster than ever before as human populations surge and people consume more, a United Nations report is expected to say this week. It will warn that the expansion of countries such as China, India and Brazil is adding hugely to the environmental threats already generated by developed western nations, and that a third of species could face extinction this century. The report is one of the starkest issued by the UN and the decision to ...
BP suffers snag in Gulf oil containment effort
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 8th, 2010
Reuters: BP Plc suffered a setback on Saturday in an attempt to contain oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico with a huge metal dome when crystallized gas filled the structure, a blow to hopes of a quick, temporary solution to a growing environmental disaster. Word of the snag came as balls of tar appeared in waters off a popular Alabama island beach in what may be the first evidence of spilled oil washing into a populated area. BP engineers have moved the four-story containment dome -- ...
Is the US ready for a 24-hour coastal oil spill response corps?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 8th, 2010
Christian Science Monitor: With the Deepwater Horizon oil spill there's new interest in a national coastal rescue corps to augment the kind of industry and US Coast Guard safeguards that haven't adequately protected sensitive shorelines and economies. "What you need are local watchdogs to monitor oil exploration and transportation," says Steven Picou, a sociologist at the University of South Alabama who studied the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez disaster. "The tragedy is that such programs usually come about only after ...
Canada: Stelmach makes trip to U.S. to play up Alberta’s oilsands
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 8th, 2010
CTV: Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach says he hoped meeting with several U.S. senators in Washington has helped to explain the vital role Alberta's oilsands play in American energy security and job creation. "As the United States moves forward with climate change policies, it is imperative that U.S. lawmakers have a full and accurate understanding of oil sands development," said Stelmach. While in Washington, Stelmach had a chance to meet with senators from Michigan, South Carolina, ...
United Kingdom: Archives of environmentalist Roger Deakin given to university
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 8th, 2010
Guardian: One of the most eccentric literary archives ever assembled, a treasury of writings on ancient trees, weedy ponds, rusting cars, sleepy cats, skylarks, films and photographs, an old pair of swimming trunks and a bundle of damp stained manuscript still smelling strongly of the fish it once wrapped, has been presented to the University of East Anglia. It represents the life's work of Roger Deakin, a maverick who died of brain cancer in 2006 aged 63, and is now seen as a pioneer of the ...
We have lots of water, but Metro urges residents to conserve
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 8th, 2010
Vancouver Sun: When it comes to water, Metro Vancouver has a plentiful supply, with cool, wet summers, huge snowpacks and heavy rainfalls topping up the region's reservoirs. But with a warming climate, global water shortages and a steadily climbing population, Metro Vancouver is once again warning residents to conserve water -- or face the consequences. This could include water metering so residents pay for the water they use or, one day -- far into the future -- treating the Fraser River to ...