RSS Feed
Archive for October 16th, 2012
Groups Sue California Over Lack of Fracking Regulations
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 16th, 2012
Reuters: Environmental groups sued the state of California on Tuesday in an effort to stop hydraulic fracturing as regulators attempt to devise new rules for the controversial oil and gas extraction practice.
The lawsuit accuses the regulator, the California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, with failing to evaluate the risks, even though fracking was used for 600 wells in the state last year.
Fracking, or pumping chemical-laced water and sand into a well to...
Posted in 
Extreme highs and lows: Climate change and the Missouri River
Posted by St. Louis Post-Dispatch: None Given on October 16th, 2012
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Since the end of the last ice age, the Missouri River has experienced extreme fluctuations in volume. The Missouri has always bounced up and down because the weather across the Great Plains quickly shifts between hot and cold and between bone dry and monsoonal.
Since last year, Missouri Basin residents have witnessed firsthand the river’s capricious character. In June 2011, the Upper Missouri (the river northwest of Sioux City) hauled an astounding 13.8 million-acre-feet (MAF) of water. Never...
Extreme hurricanes hitting US more frequently, study says
Posted by LA Times: Monte Morin on October 16th, 2012
LA Times: The question of whether or not global warming influences the strength or frequency of hurricanes is a matter of heated scientific debate.
Though some climate scientists argue that increased sea surface temperature and cyclone activity are linked, others say the evidence is ambiguous at best. Some contend that news media distortions and a lack of historical, standardized hurricane data only make it seem like the storms are worse.
Now, a new study is likely to stoke the debate even further. On...
Housing, Climate Change and Environment Linkages
Posted by Sudan Vision: None Given on October 16th, 2012
Sudan Vision: In all cases, the association between housing and health is complex, and causal relationships can be hidden in or otherwise influenced by confounding variables and effect modifiers. Climate change mitigation strategies can directly and indirectly affect housing and health. Presenting the full range of housing and health impacts allows systematic consideration of climate change mitigation policies that reduce health risks and generateoptimal health co-benefits. This chapter summarizes key environmental...
Texas Judges Issue Restraining Orders Against Keystone XL Protesters
Posted by News-Journal: Peggy Jones on October 16th, 2012
News-Journal: Two state district court judges have issued temporary restraining orders against Keystone XL Pipeline protesters in Wood and Franklin counties.
The court orders prohibit protesters from interfering with, preventing or obstructing construction of the pipeline being built across private property in the two counties en route to the Gulf Coast.
The Wood County restraining order was issued last week in 402nd District Court, about the same time a New York Times reporter and photographer were detained...