RSS Feed
Archive for April 29th, 2011
The Oil’s Story, From Wellhead to Beach
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 29th, 2011
GreenWire: The oil was lucky to last as long as it did.
As it began to rush out of the Deepwater Horizon's bent pipes and busted caps 5,000 feet beneath the sea's surface, the oil and gas unleashed last year by BP PLC's Macondo well discovered a dangerous, exotic environment. The Gulf of Mexico was full of reactive chemicals, voracious wildlife and splitting pressure. Dangers lurked at every corner.
The oil faced an epic journey after its millennial rest beneath the sea. Some would remain hidden, trapped...
Posted in 
EPA Starts Work on Diesel Fracking Guidance
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 29th, 2011
GreenWire: U.S. EPA is in discussions with industry to issue formal guidance on how drillers can perform hydraulic fracturing with diesel fuel, seeking to resolve an issue that has chipped away at the credibility of both the agency and industry.
"We are in the process of engaging the public, industry, states and environmental groups as we develop permitting guidance for companies that use diesel fuel," EPA said in a statement, confirming a comment by Administrator Lisa Jackson to reporters earlier this week....
Changes In Great Lakes Threaten Transplanted Fish
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 29th, 2011
National Public Radio: Forty years ago, fisheries biologists in Michigan dazzled the nation when they took salmon from the Pacific Ocean and planted them in the Great Lakes. Their success transformed the lakes into a sport-fishing paradise and created a multi-billion dollar industry. But now invasive species have changed the food web in the lakes. Salmon are struggling to find food, and the state might end one of its stocking programs.
Forty-five years ago, biologists in Michigan dazzled the nation. They took salmon...
Groups call on BLM to act against Wyoming ozone
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 29th, 2011
Associated Press: Environmentalists are asking regulators to consider slowing the pace of gas drilling in western Wyoming after several days of severe ozone pollution last winter.
Ozone levels in the Upper Green River Basin topped the highest levels in Los Angeles all last year. The ozone results from air pollution from gas drilling, which has picked up with the reviving economy.
The Wyoming Outdoor Council, Upper Green River Alliance and other groups are asking the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to slow gas...
World’s largest beef company signs Amazon rainforest pact
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 29th, 2011
Mongabay: World's largest beef company signs Amazon rainforest pact
The world's largest meat processor has agreed to stop buying beef from ranches associated with slave labor and illegal deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, according to the public prosecutor's office in the state of Acre. The deal absolves JBS-Friboi from 2 billion reals ($1.3 billion) in potential fines and paves the way for the firm to continue selling meat to companies concerned about their environmental reputation.
The agreement...
Losses from deforestation top $36 billion in Indonesian Borneo
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 29th, 2011
Mongabay: Losses from deforestation top $36 billion in Indonesian Borneo
Illegal forest conversion by mining and plantation companies in Indonesian Borneo has cost the state $36 billion according to a Forest Ministry official.
Speaking to AFP, Forestry Ministry information center director Masyhud said that more than 1,200 mining companies and 500 oil palm plantation firms are under investigation by the Ministry of Forestry for operating illegally in Central, East and West Kalimantan provinces on the...
Illegal Logging, Mining Ravages Kalimantan, Costs Indonesia $36.4b
Posted by Jakarta Globe: None Given on April 29th, 2011
Jakarta Globe: The Ministry of Forestry says illegal logging, land clearance, forest fires and mining has devastated Indonesian Borneo and cost the country an estimated Rp 311.4 trillion ($36.4 billion).
Raffles Panjaitan, director for forest investigation and protection at the ministry, said an estimated 1,236 mining firms and 537 oil palm plantation companies were operating illegally in Central, East and West Kalimantan on the Indonesian half of Borneo.
The companies had caused losses put at Rp158.5 trillion...
Species from other climes invading state
Posted by GreenWichTime: None Given on April 29th, 2011
GreenWichTime: Animals from tropical waters have been showing up in Connecticut waterways, while cold-loving creatures, like lobsters, are becoming more scarce. Invasive plants and animals continue to encroach upon the state's lakes, ponds and woodlands, according to the 2010 annual environmental report compiled by the state Council of Environmental Quality, which was released this month.
Although the state of the air, water and wildlife in Connecticut has held mostly constant, according to "Environmental Quality...
Fighting water-borne disease in Africa, and making millions in the process
Posted by Fast Company: Lisa Katayama on April 29th, 2011
Fast Company: Vestergaard Frandsen makes an ingenious water filter that's too expensive for the people who need it. They figured out how to give it away and still make money.
Swiss-based Vestergaard Frandsen--makers of mosquito nets and the LifeStraw--has figured out a solution to turning a profit while saving the world.
The company is launching a campaign today that could change the plight of water-borne illnesses in Kenya, while making the company a tidy sum of money. Over the next five weeks, 4,000 temporary...
Forests to change irreversibly
Posted by Deccan Chronicle: None Given on April 29th, 2011
Deccan Chronicle: Experts meeting under the National Mission for a Green India warn that ten years down the line India’s key forests, including the Himalayas, western ghats and central India could alter irreversibly.
Making this dire warning was Dr Ravindranath, a professor at the Centre for Sustainable Technologies at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. He emphasised that an expected 2ºC increase in temperature due to climate change would result in a major shift from the present “forest type as we know...