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Archive for March 27th, 2013
Cleanup of 2010 Mich. Dilbit Spill Aims to Stop Spread of Submerged Oil
Posted by InsideClimate: Lisa Song on March 27th, 2013
InsideClimate: If all goes well, the next oil removal operation on Michigan's Kalamazoo River will mark the beginning of the end for the cleanup of the largest oil pipeline spill in U.S. history The spill, which occurred in July 2010, already has cost pipeline operator Enbridge Inc. more than $820 million in cleanup expenses. That figure could top $1 billion [3] by the time the latest operation is carried out. The goal of the new effort is to dredge three areas of the river where the U.S. Environmental Protection...
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Canada: Wastewater Leak from Oil Sands Plant Enters Athabasca River
Posted by CBC: None Given on March 27th, 2013
CBC: Suncor has now confirmed that a wastewater leak from an outfall pond at its oilsands plant north of Fort McMurray, Alta., did enter the Athabasca River.
Samples from the leak have been sent to a lab for a rush analysis, according to Alberta Environment Minister Diana McQueen.
'Nobody will be held accountable for it -- but the fact remains that this is an ongoing issue.'-- Chipewyan Chief Allan Adam
McQueen said she doesn’t want to make any presumptions about the nature or volume of the leaked...
Arctic: Ice loss in the polar north may deliver a frigid spring in the temperate zone
Posted by ClimateWire: Christa Marshall and Stephanie Paige Ogburn on March 27th, 2013
ClimateWire: Ice loss in the Arctic may be fueling extreme weather like the frigid spring conditions lingering over much of the United States, scientists said yesterday.
While no one weather pattern can be tied to climate change, the ongoing chill is consistent with global warming in the sense that diminishing sea ice could be changing the jet stream, they said.
Could April repeat February? Scientists say rapidly melting ice in the Arctic may extend cold weather storms in the United States. New Englanders,...
Canada: Alberta Tests Athabasca River to Gauge Oil Sand Leak’s Toxicity
Posted by Globe and Mail: Kelly Cryderman on March 27th, 2013
Globe and Mail: More than a day after industrial waste water leaked from a Suncor Energy Inc. site into the Athabasca River, the oil-sands giant and the province were still trying to determine which, if any, toxic materials were carried into the major Alberta waterway.
On Monday, staff at the Suncor oil-sands base plant north of Fort McMurray discovered a pipe carrying water that had been used in bitumen extraction and upgrading had frozen, cracked and was leaking into an outfall pond near the river for at least...
Federal Plan Aims to Help Wildlife Adapt to Climate Change
Posted by LA Times: Neela Banerjee on March 27th, 2013
LA Times: The Obama administration Tuesday announced a nationwide plan to help wildlife adapt to threats from climate change.
Developed along with state and tribal authorities, the strategy seeks to preserve species as global warming alters their historical habitats and, in many cases, forces them to migrate across state and tribal borders.
Over the next five years, the plan establishes priorities for what will probably be a decades-long effort. One key proposal is to create wildlife "corridors" that...
Mainers Join to Petition U.S. on Tar Sands Regs
Posted by Public News Service: Mark Scheerer on March 27th, 2013
Public News Service: More than 55 groups and individuals are petitioning the federal government to halt plans to pump corrosive tar-sands oil from Canada to American ports for export.
Current regulations are inadequate, they say, and raise the risk of catastrophic spills. Petitioners are out to stop both the Keystone XL pipeline and a plan to use an existing, aging pipeline to send tar-sands oil across New England to Portland.
The corrosive tar sands, which Canadian companies want to sell and ship overseas, would...
Quake Tied to Oil-Drilling Waste Adds Pressure for Fracking Rules
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem and Jim Efstathiou Jr. on March 27th, 2013
Bloomberg: Scientists have linked Oklahoma’s biggest recorded earthquake to the disposal of wastewater from oil production, adding to evidence that may lead to greater regulation of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas.
The 5.7-magnitude quake in 2011 followed an 11-fold bump in seismic activity across the central U.S. in recent years as disposal wells are created to handle increases in wastewater from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma, Columbia University and...
Report: LA Kings Coach to Press Obama on Keystone Pipeline
Posted by The Hill: Zack Colman on March 27th, 2013
The Hill: Los Angeles Kings head coach Darryl Sutter said pucks, politics and the Keystone XL pipeline are on the agenda Tuesday when the Stanley Cup champions meet President Obama.
Sutter, who owns a ranch in Alberta, told Canada’s The Globe and Mail that he plans to press Obama on the proposed Alberta-to-Texas oil sands pipeline.
“I’m gonna ask him about it – damn rights I am,” Sutter said ahead of the ceremonial White House meeting.
Sutter, an Alberta native, is the latest in a long list of Canadians...
U.S. Defense Department Stands by Its Oil Sands Fuel
Posted by Globe and Mail: Shawn Mccarthy on March 27th, 2013
Globe and Mail: The U.S. Defence Department has rebuffed an environmentalist campaign to stop it from using fuel processed from oil sands crude, saying there would be no environmental benefit and such a move would be impractical.
In a decision posted on the U.S. federal register last week, the department said its use of products from the oil sands had "no significant impact" on the environment, and therefore did not require it to change its procurement practices. The Defence Logistical Agency purchased $12.6-billion...
Shore Rebuilding, Renters Go South for Summer
Posted by New York Times: Kate Zernike on March 27th, 2013
New York Times: In a typical summer, Terriann and Joseph LoVerde’s rental here makes for a listing a real estate broker called a real moneymaker.
A block from the beach! Walk to town! Two units and a cottage in back — bring the extended family!
This year, they would have to include a few caveats: Hurricane Sandy wiped out walls and windows, after washing away three houses between the LoVerdes’ and the beach.
Here in the heart of the Jersey Shore, the warmer days of spring hint at the promise of summer:...