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Archive for March 27th, 2013
EPA Lets Pesticides on the Market Untested
Posted by OnEarth: None Given on March 27th, 2013
OnEarth: You probably wouldn’t expect to find pesticides in your toothpaste or your gym socks, but they might be in there all the same. And the vast majority of those pesticides have made it into everyday products without adequate oversight by the Environmental Protection Agency. That’s because they’ve been approved through a bureaucratic loophole known as "conditional registration," which means they haven’t been fully tested to ensure that they pose no threat to human health or the environment, as required...
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What does spring look like? Snow blankets Canada, U.S
Posted by Mother Nature Network: Douglas Main on March 27th, 2013
Mother Nature Network: Springtime: the time for flowers, newborn animals … and snow. Nearly half of the United States is currently covered in snow, as is most of Canada, as can be seen in this image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That's the largest extent of snow cover at this point in the season in at least 10 years, according to NOAA. Much of the snow came from a massive spring blizzard that dropped snow throughout the Midwest and East Coast, breaking records in many cities. The town of...
Kansas House pushes for approval of Keystone XL pipeline
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 27th, 2013
Associated Press: Kansas House members are pressing the White House and the U.S. State Department to approve a permit for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas. Related stories Fracking. Tight oil. Do you know your energy vocabulary? Think you know energy? Take our quiz. Cheapest way to heat your home? Four fuels compared. Ads by Google Ally Bank® Official Site Open an Online Savings Account at Ally Bank®, Member FDIC. Apply Now! www.Ally.com Subscribe Today to the Monitor Click...
Arctic ice loss drives extreme weather patterns
Posted by LA Times: Monte Morin on March 27th, 2013
LA Times: Anyone forced to shovel their car out of a snowbank this winter might wonder just how it is a blizzard can occur in a warming climate.
The answer, climate scientists say, may have to do with record sea ice losses in the Arctic.
At a Tuesday news conference, several researchers said that warming conditions in the Arctic may be weakening jet stream currents and causing extreme weather systems to linger in northern mid-latitudes.
"Ironically ... as the ice pack retreats and the Arctic heats...
Protesters grab headlines, but American view of Keystone leans positive
Posted by Globe and Mail: Joanna Slater on March 27th, 2013
Globe and Mail: Randy Evans is neither an energy lobbyist nor an environmental activist. Like most ordinary Americans, the outcome of the Keystone XL pipeline project doesn't keep him up at night.
But earlier this month, Mr. Evans, the editorial page editor for the Des Moines Register in Iowa, decided it was time to weigh in on the controversy. In restrained Midwestern fashion, his newspaper came down in favour of the pipeline.
"Stopping the pipeline will not stop oil drilling or consumption," noted its editorial....
Brazil moves to reduce disaster risk as severe rainfall worsens
Posted by AlertNet: Rafael Spuldar on March 27th, 2013
AlertNet: Increasingly heavy summer rainfall, linked to changing climate conditions, is taking a worsening toll on Brazil. Just this month, 30 people died when heavy rain caused landslides in Petrópolis, a city located in the highlands of Rio de Janeiro state.
Such cases are becoming more common around the country. In São Paulo, Brazil's largest city, at least two people died this summer due to urban flooding. And in January 2011, also in Rio de Janeiro state's highlands, more than 1,000 people were killed...
Nuclear Safety Plan Has Ukrainians Worried
Posted by Inter Press Service: Pavol Stracansky on March 27th, 2013
Inter Press Service: A 300 million euro loan to improve nuclear safety in the Ukraine has been attacked by environmental groups who say it will instead be used to keep ageing reactors working well beyond their planned lifespans - increasing the risks of a nuclear accident -- while doing nothing to address serious issues with the country's energy intensity.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which approved the loan earlier this month, has said that the money will be used to upgrade safety...
Fracking ‘linked to biggest Oklahoma earthquake’
Posted by BBC: Jason Palmer on March 27th, 2013
BBC: Scientists say wastewater injection from hydraulic fracturing was linked to a magnitude-5.7 earthquake that struck the US state of Oklahoma in 2011.
Fracking, as it is known, injects water and chemicals into petroleum wells in a bid to extract trapped natural gas.
Opponents of the practice say that it risks causing seismic events and contaminating groundwater.
The study in Geology shows that "induced seismicity" can occur years after wastewater injection begins.
Most seismic events linked...
United Kingdom: New £5m funding pot aims to shield businesses from flooding
Posted by BusinessGreen: None Given on March 27th, 2013
BusinessGreen: The government has unveiled a £5m package to protect homes and businesses from the risk of flooding, amid rising fears that thousands of properties could be left without flood insurance next year.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) this week announced that 13 regions most at risk from flooding will benefit from the multi-million pound pot for community-based projects to bolster flood resilience.
The areas set to benefit are Blackburn, Buckinghamshire, Calderdale,...
United Kingdom: Half of beaches judged unsafe for swimming
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 27th, 2013
Telegraph: The Marine Conservation Society tested 754 beaches at the end of last summer for sewage and dirt in the water.
The number recommended for swimming was down by only 403, 113 fewer than the previous year.
The remaining beaches could be dangerous for swimming at some point of the year because of sewage and other bacterial flowing into the sea.
The Marine Conservation Society said the fall in water quality was down to one of the wettest summers on record last year.
The rain and flooding led...