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Archive for December 19th, 2012
Exploring the Mekong’s Uncertain Future
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 19th, 2012
New York Times: Picture a river that has catfish the size of bears. With a giant freshwater stingray that could blanket a king-size bed and weighs as much as a buffalo.
Imagine a river that carries so much water during the annual flood that one of its major tributaries would hit this wall of water, stop, and then be pushed backwards, flowing upstream for several months each year into an enormous rainy-season lake that becomes such a factory of fish production that an entire country depends on it for their protein....
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Germany: Renewable Energy Share to Rise to 23% This Year
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 19th, 2012
Associated Press: German utilities say this year's share of renewable energies in the country's electricity production is forecast to rise some 15 percent on the year, largely on the back of a continuing solar-power boom.
Utilities' industry association BDEW said Tuesday the share of wind, solar and biomass power is expected to rise from 20 percent in 2011 to 23 percent this year.
Strong growth in new solar power installations -- helped by subsidies -- is expected to lead to a solar output surge of 47 percent...
California Proposes First-Ever Fracking Regulations
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 19th, 2012
LA Times: Under pressure from state lawmakers and environmentalists, Gov. Jerry Brown's administration released draft regulations for hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," the controversial drilling process driving the nation's oil and gas boom. The proposed rules, released Tuesday, would require energy companies to disclose for the first time the chemicals they inject deep into the ground to break apart rock and release oil. They also would have to reveal the location of the wells where they use the procedure....
City in Colorado Is Sued Over a Drilling Ban
Posted by New York Times: Jack Healy on December 19th, 2012
New York Times: An industry group representing oil and gas companies has sued a city in Colorado that outlawed hydraulic fracturing, saying voters had no right to ban the drilling practice. The lawsuit, filed on Monday by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, seeks to overturn the ban on the contentious practice that passed by a wide margin last month in the northern Colorado city of Longmont. The measure, the first of its kind in the state, still allows oil and gas drilling within city limits, but it prohibits...
Canada Coal Mining Expansion Prompts Fears of Pollution Flowing into Montana
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 19th, 2012
Missoulian: Expansion plans at some Canadian coal mines have alarmed American officials over the amount of heavy metals pollution that could be flowing across the international border into Montana.
“We’re seeing increased selenium runoff from existing mining activity, that’s why we’re concerned,” said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional director Jim Martin. “We’ve had a number of formal and informal conversations with the (British Columbia) provincial government.”
The mines lie in the Elk River...
Canada: Despite Opposition, Enbridge Doubles Down on Gateway
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 19th, 2012
Globe and Mail: Enbridge Inc. is pouring more money into plans to carry Alberta oil to the West Coast for export, in a substantial show of confidence that its controversial Northern Gateway pipeline project will one day be built. At the same time, the company is working to its expand its reach into northwestern British Columbia as it seeks a deal with an Australian firm to propose a natural gas export terminal. It is a two-pronged strategy that has Enbridge pressing further into a region where it faces choppy...
Fracking Health Impact Study Details Requested By New York Environmental Groups
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 19th, 2012
Associated Press: A coalition of environmental groups called on New York state officials Tuesday to release details of a health impact study for shale gas drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing.
Representatives of a dozen prominent organizations signed a letter to Health Commissioner Nirav Shah and Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joseph Martens. They asked them to make public the health impact study being evaluated by a scientific panel, and called for public hearings and a 60-day public comment...