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Archive for May 13th, 2011
Blackpool uneasy at prospect of ‘fracking’ boom on its coastline
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 13th, 2011
Independent: The allure of Blackpool rock and the rejuvenating effects of its sand and water once made it a magnet for the toiling classes as they took a break from the drudgery of the Lancashire cotton mills.
Today, as the resort battles to cope with the allure of cheap flights to Spain, those three elements are once again attracting outsiders to this part of the English coast in search of a fourth: gas.
Cuadrilla Resources, a British company specialising in the development of shale gas wells, has been...
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NW has too much dam power, plans wind power halt
Posted by Associated Press: Tim Fought on May 13th, 2011
Associated Press: The manager of most of the electricity in the Pacific Northwest is running such a surplus of power from hydroelectric dams that it put wind farms on notice Friday that they may be shut down as early as this weekend.
The Bonneville Power Administration has more than enough electricity during a cold, wet spring that has created a big surge in river flows where hydroelectric dams are located. The agency responded by announcing its intentions to curtail wind power until the grid has more capacity,...
Baffled About Fracking? You’re Not Alone
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 13th, 2011
GreenWire: Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," got a clean bill of health this week in the first scientific look at the safety of the oil and production practice.
But the headlines about the study did not always reflect that. Many, such as "Scientific Study Links Flammable Drinking Water to Fracking," pointed toward the fracturing process as a culprit. Even the press release accompanying the study was titled "Hydrofracking Changes Water Wells."
Confused? Many people are, even some in the thick of the...
Report Stresses Urgency of Action on Climate
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 13th, 2011
New York Times:
Extensive methane leaks discovered under streets of Boston
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 13th, 2011
ScienceDaily: Extensive Methane Leaks Discovered Under Streets of Boston
Earlier this year, Boston University researchers and collaborators conducted a mobile greenhouse gas audit in Boston and found hundreds of natural gas leaks under the streets and sidewalks of Greater Boston. Nathan Phillips, associate professor of geography and environment and director of BU's Center for Environmental and Energy Studies (CEES), and his research partners will present these and related findings at NOAA's Earth System Research...
Nile deal deadline passes with three countries yet to sign up
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 13th, 2011
Guardian: Egypt and Sudan have refused to put in place an agreement that would secure the future of the Nile river, which is the backbone of agriculture for nine north African countries, leaving the river's future in limbo.
But there are signs that the new government in Egypt could adopt a more co-operative stance and open the way for countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya to further their economic development using Nile water.
The deadline for the signing of the proposed Nile Basin agreement passed without...
Brazil’s forest code vote delayed again
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 13th, 2011
Mongabay: Brazil's forest code vote delayed again
Brazil's vote on a revision forest code has been postponed again.
After nearly three days of heated debate and political posturing in the Chamber of Deputies over the bill, which could change how Brazil's wilderness areas are managed, Brazil's Congress said it will delay the vote until next Thursday, May 19. If the bill passes, it would then move to the Senate before going to President Dilma Rousseff, who said during her campaign she will not enact policies...
Fires burn in Sumatra, drive air pollution in Malaysia
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 13th, 2011
Mongabay: Fires burn in Sumatra, drive air pollution in Malaysia
More than 100 Indonesian firefighters are battling peatland fires set by oil palm plantation developers in Riau province on the island of Sumatra, reports the AFP.
"The smoke comes from fires in peatland areas in Riau province," forestry ministry official Deni Haryanto told AFP. "Our satellite monitoring shows that the fires in Rokan Hilir of Bengkalis district have been on and off since they started on Monday."
Smoke from the fires...
Struggling To Contain A Rising Mississippi
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 13th, 2011
National Public Radio: Floodwaters are rising to record heights in the lower Mississippi, weeks before they're expected to crest. Ira Flatow and guests discuss how engineers have boxed in the river with dams, levees and spillways, and whether human-induced climate change might bring more frequent floods.
Significant wouldn't really be the right word to describe the flooding along the Mississippi: Epic is more along the right lines, because the river is so swollen that it's breaking records set way back during the great...
Study Links Methane In Water To Gas Extraction
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 13th, 2011
National Public Radio: Reporting in the journal PNAS, researchers say drinking water containing potentially hazardous methane levels has been found near natural gas wells in Pennsylvania and New York. Ira Flatow and guests discuss the study, and its implications for "fracking" for natural gas.
Up next this hour, the debate over natural gas fracking is on the front burner again. Fracking, to remind you, is a relatively new way of getting natural gas out of the ground, in which a well is drilled deep into rock, and then...