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Archive for July 3rd, 2011
Ruptured Montana Pipeline Was Shut Down Before
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 3rd, 2011
New York Times: An Exxon Mobil pipeline that ruptured late Friday along the Yellowstone River in south-central Montana, spilling crude oil into the river and forcing evacuations, had been shut down for one day in May because of concerns over the rising waters on the Yellowstone, the company said Sunday.
The president of the Exxon Mobil Pipeline Company, Gary Pruessing, said in a conference call that the company decided to restart the line after examining its safety record and determining that the risks of failure...
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Officials assessing damage from Montana oil leak
Posted by Reuters: Ben Berkowitz on July 3rd, 2011
Reuters: A pipeline operated by Exxon Mobil Corp leaked as many as 1,000 barrels of crude oil into the Yellowstone River in Montana and has been shut down, the company said.
Exxon officials said on Sunday there were traces of oil up to 10 miles downriver from the site of what they called a "very unusual" event, though the governor of Montana said the spill may have spread further.
The U.S. oil company said it had slowed processing rates at its Billings refinery following the leak but did not expect...
Teams gauge oil spill as Exxon says damage limited
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 3rd, 2011
Associated Press: Teams of federal and state workers fanned out Sunday along Montana's famed Yellowstone River to gauge the environmental damage from a ruptured Exxon Mobil pipeline that spewed tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the waterway.
The break near Billings, in south-central Montana, fouled the riverbank and forced municipalities and irrigation districts to close intakes.
There were reports of oil as far as 100 miles downstream near the town of Hysham. But an Exxon Mobil Corp. executive...
Warming ocean could melt ice faster than though
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 3rd, 2011
Associated Press: Warming air from climate change isn't the only thing that will speed ice melting near the poles -- so will the warming water beneath the ice, a new study points out.
Increased melting of ice in Greenland and parts of Antarctica has been reported as a consequence of global warming, potentially raising sea levels. But little attention has been paid to the impact of warmer water beneath the ice.
Now, Jianjun Yin of the University of Arizona and colleagues report the warming water could mean polar...
Warming Oceans Will Melt Glaciers Quicker than Expected
Posted by Live Science: Jennifer Welsh on July 3rd, 2011
Live Science: Ice sheets simmering in warmer ocean waters could melt much quicker than realized. New research is suggesting that as oceans heat up they could erode away the ice sheets much faster than warmer air alone, and this interaction needs to be accounted for in climate change models.
"Ocean warming is very important compared to atmospheric warming, because water has a much larger heat capacity than air," study researcher Jianjun Yin, of the University of Arizona, said in a statement. "If you put an ice...
Britain to give emergency food aid to Ethiopia
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 3rd, 2011
Guardian: Britain is to provide £38m in emergency food aid for 1.3 million people in Ethiopia, as parts of east Africa experience the worst drought in decades.
The international development secretary, Andrew Mitchell, announced extra cash for the World Food Programme's work in Ethiopia on Sunday.
"Through no fault of its own, the Horn of Africa is experiencing a severe drought caused by the failed rains," he said. "Britain is acting quickly and decisively in Ethiopia to stop this crisis becoming a catastrophe....