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Archive for February, 2013
White House Weighs Emissions Rules for Existing Coal Plants
Posted by Wall Street Journal: Ryan Tracy on February 6th, 2013
Wall Street Journal: President Barack Obama in next week's State of the Union speech will lay out a renewed effort to combat climate change that is expected to include using his authority to curb emissions from existing power plants, people who have talked to the administration about its plans said.
President Barack Obama is said to be pushing for specific goals on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
The action, building on a pledge in the second inaugural address, fits within Mr. Obama's larger strategy of making...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on White House Weighs Emissions Rules for Existing Coal PlantsObama’s secretary pick has conservation, oil industry chops
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 6th, 2013
Greenwire: President Obama this afternoon is scheduled to announce that REI chief Sally Jewell will be nominated to become the 51st secretary of the Interior, an unconventional pick that has garnered early praise from conservation groups and some oil industry backers.
Jewell, who has led the outdoor retailer since 2005, was considered a dark horse candidate to replace outgoing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who plans to depart by the end of next month.
She will become the first woman to be nominated...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Obama’s secretary pick has conservation, oil industry chopsWarm Weather Forces Changes Ahead of Iditarod Race
Posted by New York Times: Mary Pilon on February 6th, 2013
New York Times: By 9:30 most mornings here in the world’s unofficial dog-sledding capital, Luan Marques has harnessed 10 Alaskan huskies to his sled and shot off into the awakening woods for a training ride, his sights set on the famous Iditarod competition next month. The thick, powdery blanket of snow on the trails and the frigid temperatures have made a musher haven out of Willow, where locals joke that dogs outnumber humans. But as Marques rode this winter, he and his huskies trudged over dirt patches and bramble,...
Canada: First Nations Group Forms Energy Company
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 6th, 2013
Globe and Mail: For the Canadian energy industry desperate to pump oil and natural gas through British Columbia, the single greatest obstacle has been the dozens of first nations fighting to ensure pipelines are never built.
Now, some of the leading figures in Canada's aboriginal business community are offering a bridge across the province's difficult political landscape. They have formed Eagle Spirit Energy Holdings Ltd., a company quietly working to create a first nations-owned energy corridor across northern...
North Dakota’s Bakken Oil Finally Hits the East Coast
Posted by Bloomberg: Matthew Philips on February 6th, 2013
Bloomberg: One of the consequences of the U.S. oil boom is that all that crude gushing out of the Midwest has outpaced our ability to move it around. The result is a series of bottlenecks like the one in Cushing, Okla., where there are now more than 50 million barrels of oil stuck in tanks the size of 747s. That’s about a three-day supply of oil for the U.S., just sitting there.
This glut has led to big disparities in gasoline prices across the U.S. Right now, drivers are paying about $3.75 for a gallon...
Sierra Club Chief ‘Confident’ that Kerry, Obama Will Scuttle Pipeline
Posted by The Hill: Ben Geman on February 6th, 2013
The Hill: Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune predicted victory Tuesday in activists’ battle against the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline, calling President Obama’s vow to focus on climate change in his second inaugural speech a good omen. “We are confident that [new Secretary of State John] Kerry will advise the president and the president will decide to reject this pipeline because it is such a clear first test of the president’s commitment to actually fighting climate change and ... moving...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Sierra Club Chief ‘Confident’ that Kerry, Obama Will Scuttle PipelineAlaska climate body hasn’t met since 2011, documents show
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 5th, 2013
Guardian: A rapid-response taskforce, intended to protect Alaska from the worst effects of climate change, has failed to meet for two years, according to newly released documents.
The Immediate Action Work Group, which reports directly to Alaska's governor, Sean Parnell, was charged with developing immediate response plans to future climate disasters.
The taskforce was established by Sarah Palin during her time as governor, in an effort to protect a state that is acutely vulnerable to climate change....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Alaska climate body hasn’t met since 2011, documents showBP objects to $34 billion oil spill claims sought by states
Posted by Reuters: Andrew Callus and Braden Reddall on February 5th, 2013
Reuters: BP Plc has tallied up claims made by states and local governments on the U.S. Gulf Coast for economic and property damages from the Macondo oil spill, and come up with a figure of $34 billion, which it deems "substantially" overstated.
The company has struggled with political, financial and legal fallout ever since the April 2010 explosion, which caused the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
The $34 billion total, provided for disclosure reasons with the company's financial results on...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on BP objects to $34 billion oil spill claims sought by statesMichigan’s 21 Million Gallon Frack Job: A National Record?
Posted by EcoWatch: Ban Michigan Fracking on February 5th, 2013
EcoWatch: The destruction of the world’s fresh water due to fracking is at the uppermost of our minds, as we live and drink the water in the Great Lakes state. How much water is being used for Michigan’s frack industry is now proven to be obscenely underestimated. Michigan may have set a national record for allowing Encana Oil & Gas USA to frack a natural gas well with more than 21 million gallons of water. A second nearby well is set to be fracked with more than 16 million gallons, according to a permit...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Michigan’s 21 Million Gallon Frack Job: A National Record?Report: Warming bringing big changes to forests
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 5th, 2013
Associated Press: Big changes are in store for the nation's forests as global warming increases wildfires and insect infestations, and generates more frequent floods and droughts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warns in a new report. The study released Tuesday is part of the National Climate Assessment and will serve as a roadmap for managing national forests across the country in coming years. It says the area burned by wildfires is expected to at least double over the next 25 years, and insect infestations...