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Archive for May 9th, 2013
Big Ag Agrees to Conserve Cropland, But At What Cost?
Posted by National Public Radio: Allison Aubrey on May 9th, 2013
National Public Radio: Taxpayers help subsidize crop insurance premiums for farmers to the tune of about $9 billion dollars, a figure that's growing each year. These policies protect farmers from major losses, and help support their income even if there's no loss of crops.
And in return? Well, environmentalists argue that farmers who receive this financial support should be required to be good stewards of the land.
In fact, for years, conservation groups have fought to attach some strings to these subsidies to require...
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Shale gas: green groups condemn methane flaring plans for wells
Posted by Guardian: Fiona Harvey, on May 9th, 2013
Guardian: The two companies exploring for shale gas in the UK have confirmed that they intend to flare methane gas from their wells in a move that has been condemned by environmentalists. It is likely to be the most visible sign of the fracking revolution that many in business and government would like to bring to the UK.
Flaring excess gas is widely regarded as environmentally damaging, as burning the methane results in greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. In the US, where fracking...
United Kingdom: Fracking firm’s drilling plan unnerves West Sussex villagers
Posted by Guardian: Jennifer Rankin on May 9th, 2013
Guardian: The only company to have fracked for shale gas in the UK, Cuadrilla, is to drill for oil in a West Sussex village from next month.
The energy firm has said the eight-week exploratory drill near Balcombe will not involve fracking, the process of blasting liquid into rock to free natural gas trapped inside, but nonetheless the planned 3,000ft well in the local woodland of Lower Stumble, near Ardingly reservoir, looks set to hit a wall of opposition in this Conservative heartland.
"It seems such...
Loss of eastern hemlock will affect forest water use
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 9th, 2013
ScienceDaily: The loss of eastern hemlock from forests in the Southern Appalachian region of the United States could permanently change the area's hydrologic cycle, reports a new study by U.S. Forest Service scientists at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory (Coweeta) located in Otto, North Carolina, published online in the journal Ecological Applications and available now in preprint format.
"The hemlock woolly adelgid, an exotic invasive insect, has caused widespread hemlock mortality," says Steven Brantley,...
United Kingdom: Fracking fears in the Home Counties
Posted by Telegraph: Claire Carter on May 9th, 2013
Telegraph: Cuadrilla Resources plans to drill an exploratory well in the village of Balcombe in West Sussex to find out if there is enough oil to drill, or if that fails, gas to extract by fracking. The company is the only one to have fracked for shale gas in the UK, prompting concerns.
However Cuadrilla told a meeting of Balcombe Parish Council it expects to find oil at the site, and the possibility of finding gas and therefore fracking was "unlikely" and it had no immediate plans to frack.
Rodney Saunders,...
Doubt cast on study of lead in rice
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 9th, 2013
BBC: Tests indicating that rice imported to the US contained high levels of lead have been cast into doubt.
At a conference in April, researchers reported that commercially available rice contained many times more lead than US food authorities deemed safe.
The findings sparked international concern over imported rice.
But preliminary independent checks on the findings have failed to replicate the results, and tests suggest the equipment used may have been to blame.
The initial findings, revealed...
Rep. Griffin Wants Exxon Pipeline Relocated, but Keystone Is a ‘No-Brainer’
Posted by InsideClimate: Lisa Song on May 9th, 2013
InsideClimate: Rep. Tim Griffin, a staunch supporter of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, recently asked ExxonMobil to move another, smaller oil pipeline away from a major water source in his home state of Arkansas.
It's a contradiction that grates on opponents of the Keystone, which would run through a critically important aquifer that supplies irrigation and drinking water to Nebraska and seven other states.
"What's good for Arkansas is good for Nebraska," anti-Keystone activist Jane Kleeb said in an email....
Marshall Islands: Action to halt global warming will save my nation
Posted by Reuters: Tony de Brum on May 9th, 2013
Reuters: Minister Tony de Brum of the Republic of the Marshall Islands describes the clear and present danger posed by climate change to his nation, and urges the world to act against this threat.
My country needs a precious gift from the world's people -- the vision to take bold, urgent action on climate change, and the will to follow it through. Only concerted action can protect us from the rising seas and lack of fresh water that now threaten my nation's very existence.
I am from the Republic of...
UK public asked to spot biggest threats to tree health
Posted by Guardian: Jessica Aldred on May 9th, 2013
Guardian: Members of the public are being asked to spot the "six most unwanted" pests and diseases threatening UK trees, as part of a citizen science survey starting on Thursday.
Recent outbreaks of the oak processionary moth and ash dieback disease have added to the increasing number of pests and diseases that have been attacking trees in the past few years, leading to a decline in tree health and in some cases tree loss.
In order to manage the threat, Open Air Laboratories (Opal) researchers, together...