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Archive for May 26th, 2010
Feds: La. barrier plan could push oil onto Miss.
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
Associated Press: Federal officials say Louisiana's request for a coastal sand barrier to block the oil slick pushing in from the Gulf of Mexico could inadvertently funnel oil deeper into unprotected areas and onto neighboring Mississippi. Documents released Wednesday show federal officials are concerned the barrier could alter tides and end up driving oil east -- into Mississippi Sound, the Biloxi Marshes and Lake Borgne. Eager to build the berms before the damage gets worse, Louisiana ...
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Japan could be geothermal energy leader: US expert
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
Agence France Press: A prominent US environmentalist said Wednesday Japan should focus on developing geothermal energy, saying the volcanic island-nation could become the global leader in the field. "Japan could make geothermal energy the centre of its new energy economy just as the US or China will make wind the centre of theirs," Lester Brown, president of the US-based Earth Policy Institute, told a news conference. "There are no leaders in the world today in this field. There is no industrial ...
Lawmakers Question Salazar On Drilling, Oil Spill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
National Public Radio: MELISSA BLOCK, host: And to another hearing on the Gulf spill, this one on Capitol Hill. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told members of a House panel that the Obama administration has been relentless in its response to the blowout. Regarding future oil drilling, Salazar said the administration is trying to move forward with a balanced approach, one that says don't drill everywhere and when you do drill, it must be done in the right places and the right ways. NPR's Brian Naylor ...
Exxon Mobil CEO says company is helping BP
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
Associated Press: The CEO of Exxon Mobil Corp. says the oil industry's biggest challenge is regaining public trust after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Exxon Mobil's Rex W. Tillerson insisted that deep-water drilling is safe, and he warned against quick decisions to regulate the companies more closely. Tillerson added that his company has advised BP PLC on how to stop the oil flow. He said BP was pursuing the right tactics. Tillerson said he was surprised by the size of the ...
World’s ‘number one frog’ faces extinction from New Zealand government
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
Mongabay: Archey's frog is a survivor: virtually unchanged evolutionarily for 150 million years, the species has survived the comet that decimated the dinosaurs, the Ice Age, and the splitting of continents. Seventy million years ago New Zealand broke away from Australia, essentially isolating Archey's frog and its relatives from all predatory mammals. Yet, if the New Zealand government has its way this species may not survive the century, let alone the next few decades. The New Zealand ...
Dams to provide clean energy
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
Vientnam News: HA NOI "" Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai emphasised the opportunity more than 800 delegates from 90 countries had to ensure water security as well as cope with water deterioration and climate change when he opened the 78th annual meeting of the International Commission for Large Dams in Ha Noi yesterday. The meeting would also provide the chance to promote the development of technology in dam safety, he said. "The Viet Nam Government has given much attention to the use ...
Collaborate on water, Himalayan scientists urged
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
SciDev.Net: Himalayan countries must set aside their differences and collaborate on science in order to avoid a common water crisis, says a report. Environmental pressures, including those from climate change, could have unprecedented effects on the livelihoods of millions of people in the Hindu-Kush Himalaya region, according to the study, published by the UK-based Humanitarian Futures Programme, the Aon Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre, and China Dialogue. Yet scientific research is ...
Stripe rust threat to wheat worse than predicted
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
SciDev.Net: An epidemic caused by a new strain of wheat fungus could cause billions of dollars in crop losses across North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, according to researchers. The wheat stripe rust -- or yellow rust (Yr) -- epidemic is far worse than predicted, scientists from various Middle-Eastern institutions have found. "The situation is severe, some farmers will suffer 30--60 per cent yield loss. In the worst cases, yield loss is 100 per cent," said Maarten Van Ginkel, ...
Top tips for your own eco-warriors
Posted by Water Conserve: Water Conservation RSS Newsfeed on May 26th, 2010
Independent (UK): One of the most exciting things about being a parent is teaching your child new skills, values and talents. So why not invest quality time teaching them how to keep their planet clean, green and beautiful -- for all our futures? One of the most exciting things about being a parent is teaching your child new skills, values and talents. So why not invest quality time teaching them how to keep their planet clean, green and beautiful -- for all our futures? Recycling ...
Feds announce timber program for Tongass forest
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
Associated Press: The U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday announced a program to open up economic opportunities and spare the remaining old-growth trees in the country's largest national forest. The forest service said the approach in Tongass National Forest will move timber harvesting into roaded areas of previously clear-cut sections and away from old-growth timber in roadless areas. The program is in line with a new direction the Obama administration set for the 17-million-acre rain forest in ...