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Archive for April 12th, 2013
USDA Climate Head: Global Warming To Bring More ‘Miserable Days’
Posted by U.S. News and World Report: Jason Koebler on April 12th, 2013
U.S. News and World Report: The director of the United States Department of Agriculture's Climate Change Program said Wednesday that global warming will cause an increase in the number of "miserable days" over the next several years.
William Hohenstein said that the "misery index," a measure of temperature and humidity, will continue to get higher in many parts of the country, especially the southwest. He said the number of days with temperatures above100 degrees will increase. With it, farmers might face increasingly difficult...
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Arkansas Exxon Spill Much Bigger Than Initially Thought
Posted by Salon: Natasha Lennard on April 12th, 2013
Salon: As noted here, ExxonMobil in conjunction with Arkansas authorities have taken pains to shroud in relative secrecy the disaster in Mayflower, Ark., after a pipeline rupture leaked thousands of barrels of tar sands oil. Comments from a state attorney general Wednesday revealed that the spill was “substantially larger” than was initially believed, but that the size of the leak still remains unknown. A report from the Mayflower Incident Unified Command Joint Information has revealed that the pipeline...
Environmental Questions Take Back Seat at Confirmation Hearing for E.P.A. Nominee
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 12th, 2013
New York Times: Most of the biggest challenges facing the Environmental Protection Agency — climate change, major new regulations on power plant emissions, biofuels production and enforcement of clean air and water laws — were virtually absent from Thursday’s confirmation hearing for President Obama’s nominee to head the agency, Gina McCarthy. Instead, Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee repeatedly returned to relatively arcane disputes over e-mail accounts used by top officials at...
Arkansas TV Stations Pull Ad Criticizing Exxon After Legal Threats
Posted by Facing South: None Given on April 12th, 2013
Facing South: A satirical ad criticizing Exxon Mobil that was set to air this week on Arkansas TV stations was pulled at the last minute after the company threatened legal action.
The Irving, Texas-based oil giant is in the spotlight for its March 29 Pegagus oil pipeline break in Mayflower, Ark., which spilled an estimated 300,000 gallons of Canadian tar sands bitumen, a highly impure form of petroleum, in a residential community. Of the 22 families evacuated as a result of the spill, four are being allowed...
Canada’s Environment Minister Announces New Climate Change Initiative in U.S
Posted by Vancouver Sun: William Marsden on April 12th, 2013
Vancouver Sun: The rupture of a pipeline carrying heavy Canadian crude to Texas on March 29 highlighted to many Americans the potential danger of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
The spill caused the evacuation of a neighbourhood in Mayflower, Ark., as more than 19,000 barrels of crude contaminated streets, a local creek, sidewalks and lawns – and it has renewed the challenge of persuading Americans that the Keystone XL, which will deliver 830,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta to Texas, is a safe bet....
Fracking Rule Is ‘Imminent’
Posted by The Hill: Ben Geman and Zack Colman on April 12th, 2013
The Hill: The Interior Department is on the cusp of releasing a controversial, heavily lobbied proposal to regulate oil-and-gas “fracking” on public lands.
Outgoing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told a House subcommittee Thursday that the draft regulations will surface soon.
“The rule is imminent,” Salazar told an Appropriations Committee subpanel. “I expect that my successor will be announcing it in the very near future.”
It’s Interior’s second swing at the plan after pulling back an earlier version...
Liberal Dems Press White House to Reject Keystone Pipeline
Posted by The Hill: Zack Colman on April 12th, 2013
The Hill: A group of House Democrats pressed the White House to reject the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline during a closed-door meeting with President Obama’s top climate adviser.
“I think some messages were delivered. The occasion was used to deliver some concerns,” Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) told reporters after the Thursday meeting between White House aide Heather Zichal and the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), which Connolly co-chairs.
The meeting was a catch-all regarding...
Spring Storm Smashes Snow and Temperature Records
Posted by Climate Central: Andrew Freedman on April 12th, 2013
Climate Central: You name the type of precipitation, and odds are that it is falling somewhere between Texas and Minnesota on Wednesday, as ice storm warnings, winter storm warnings for heavy snowfall, and flood watches and warnings have all been issued across this region as a strong spring storm moves through.
Forecast high temperatures on Wednesday, April 10, showing the sharp contrast ahead of and behind the Arctic cold front.
The storm has smashed all-time snowfall records and set new benchmarks for a late...
TEPCO Plans for Storing Radioactive Water Dealt Heavy Blow
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 12th, 2013
Asahi Shimbun: Radioactive water continues to leak from tanks at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. Space is running out to store the hundreds of tons of contaminated water produced each day. And the initial plan to address the growing water problem now appears flawed.
That is the situation facing plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., which on April 9 admitted to another leak in an underground storage tank holding contaminated water.
The discovery at the No. 1 tank may force TEPCO to change its emergency...