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Archive for July, 2012
U.S. Meat Producers Call for Pause in Ethanol Quotas in Wake of Drought
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 31st, 2012
Yale Environment 360: U.S. meat, poultry, and dairy producers are urging the Obama administration to suspend a quota for corn-based ethanol production, warning that the renewable fuels standard could trigger a food crisis as a prolonged drought pushes corn and soybean prices to record levels. In a letter sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a coalition that includes the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Pork Producers Council asked for a one-year waiver on federal ethanol quotas, saying...
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United States: Enbridge Line 14 pipeline expected to restart Wed: official
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 31st, 2012
Reuters: Enbridge Inc could get approval from U.S. regulators to restart the Line 14 crude oil pipeline by Wednesday evening after a spill in Wisconsin forced its closure, a local official said.
The 318,000-barrels-per-day Line 14, which carries Canadian crude to refiners in the Midwest, was shut on Friday after the discovery of the spill that leaked more than 1,000 barrels of crude, covering one nearby house with oil.
Line repairs were expected to be completed on Tuesday, prior to testing by the U.S....
Study: West’s forests could see 100-year drought
Posted by LiveScience: Jesse Emspak on July 31st, 2012
LiveScience: Western forests could be facing a 100-year drought, turning to scrubland by the end of the century – and taking their ability to soak up carbon with them, according to a new study.
The new research, published in Nature Geoscience July 29, suggests the western evergreen forests, which cover an area from southern Canada to northern Mexico, took up a lot less carbon from the atmosphere during the drought that lasted from 2000-2004. That's normal, and expected. The question is what happens after that....
China’s largest inland saltwater lake keeps expanding
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 31st, 2012
Xinhua: The surface area of China's largest inland saltwater lake has been expanding for eight years, according to the latest remote sensing survey.
The Qinghai Lake in northwest China's Qinghai province measured 4,354.28 square km, according to satellite data collected on July 19 and published on Sunday, said Zhou Bingrong, deputy chief of the provincial institute of meteorological sciences.
The figure was 14.58 square km larger than the same time last year, and the largest in 12 years, he said. ...
Record summer heat killing more fish
Posted by Great Lakes Echo: Jennifer Kalish on July 31st, 2012
Great Lakes Echo: This summer’s unusually high temperatures and continuing drought are killing fish across the Great Lakes region.
“There’s nothing wrong water quality-wise,” said Randy Schumacher, fisheries supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “The species simply can’t tolerate that hot of water for this extended period of time.”
There were multiple reports of fish kills in early July across Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois, according to state fisheries supervisors....
Drought strains U.S. oil production
Posted by CNN: Steve Hargreaves on July 31st, 2012
CNN: One of the worst droughts in U.S. history is hampering oil production, pitting farmers against oilmen and highlighting just how dependent on water modern U.S. energy development has become.
Over 60% of the nation is in some form of drought. Areas affected include West Texas, North Dakota, Kansas, Colorado and Pennsylvania, all of which are part of the recent boom in North American energy production.
That boom is possible partly by hydraulic fracturing. Known as fracking for short, the controversial...
Texans join call for EPA to waive ethanol mandate
Posted by Houston Chronicle: William Pack on July 31st, 2012
Houston Chronicle: Texas ranchers and dairy operators Monday backed a request by national agricultural producers to suspend the nation's Renewable Fuels Standard because it is causing corn prices to soar and livestock producers to suffer.
A coalition including the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and National Pork Producers Council petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency for a waiver "in whole or in substantial part" to the output requirements under the Renewable Fuels Standard for 12 months.
"An...
Extreme Heat Continues to Plague South Central States
Posted by Climate Central: Andrew Freedman on July 31st, 2012
Climate Central: Dangerous heat is once again roasting South Central states, with heat advisories and warnings in effect through the end of the week in eight states -- including nearly all of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. So far this month, numerous heat records have been shattered across the U.S., and for some locations in the lower 48 states, July 2012 may go down in history as the warmest of any month on record.
According to the National Weather Service, Tulsa, Okla., likely set a record on Monday for...
3000 new species of amphibians discovered in 25 years
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 31st, 2012
Mongabay: The number of amphibians described by scientists now exceeds 7,000, or roughly 3,000 more than were known just 25 years ago, report researchers in Berkeley.
David Wake, an emeritus biology professor at the University of California, this week announced the 7,000th amphibian cataloged on AmphibiaWeb, a project which since 2000 has sought to document every one of Earth's living frogs, salamanders, newts, and caecilians. The 3,000 'new' species means that scientists have described a previously unknown...
Stubborn 2012 Heat Wave Roasts Eight States
Posted by Climate Central: Andrew Freedman on July 31st, 2012
Climate Central: Like an unwanted houseguest, intense heat and humidity have overstayed their welcome in the South Central states from Kansas southeastward to Mississippi. For many parts of this region, triple-digit heat is likely throughout this weekend and into the first full week of August, with even more records falling by the wayside.
So far during July, hundreds of records have been broken in an eight-state hot zone that encompasses Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee...