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Archive for May 24th, 2013
Five Arrested at Mountaintop Removal Protest
Posted by on May 24th, 2013
EcoWatch: This morning, three residents of Central Appalachia and two supporters with Mountain Justice chained themselves to an industrial tank of black water in front of Alpha Natural Resources’ headquarters in Bristol, VA, to protest Alpha’s mountaintop removal strip mining and coal slurry operations across the region. All five blockaders have been arrested.
“I’m risking arrest today because mountaintop removal has to end now for the future viability of Appalachia,” said Emily Gillespie of Roanoke, VA,...
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Proposed Coal Export Terminals Putting People and Planet at Risk
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on May 24th, 2013
EcoWatch: On Wednesday, Northwest-based groups filed a formal petition with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asking it to evaluate the cumulative and related impacts of all proposed coal export terminals in Oregon and Washington.
There are currently two active coal export proposals in Washington--Cherry Point (north of Bellingham) and Longview--and one proposal in Boardman, OR, that would collectively export a total 100 million metric tons of coal per year if built. Formally submitted by Earthjustice, the...
To defeat Keystone, environmental movement goes from beltway to grassroots
Posted by InsideClimate: Katherine Bagley on May 24th, 2013
InsideClimate: As decision day nears on the Keystone XL oil pipeline, the environmental movement looks different than it did in 2009—the last time a major climate policy fight took center stage in Washington.
Then, the nation's largest green groups were the main engine behind a movement to pass federal climate change legislation. They spent vast quantities of financial and political capital lobbying congressional negotiators and corporations, before the bill failed in 2010.
This time, the main force of opposition...
Ottawa to fund $5M study of effects of climate change on western Canadian rivers
Posted by Calgary Herald: Colette Derworiz on May 24th, 2013
Calgary Herald: From the Rockies to the Prairies and the Arctic to the United States border, a $5 million investment will allow scientists to study Western Canada’s major river systems and how they are affected by climate change.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada has announced seven environmental projects that will receive about $32 million in funding over five years through the Climate Change and Atmospheric Research initiative.
It includes $5 million for the Changing Cold Region...
Keystone XL’s Southern Leg Nears Completion
Posted by Houston Chronicle: Zain Shauk on May 24th, 2013
Houston Chronicle: The southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline is more than 75 percent complete and construction is proceeding on schedule, a spokesman for pipeline owner TransCanada told FuelFix.
“We have some pump stations to build, but we’ve made great strides on the pipeline itself,” said David Dodson, a spokesman for the Canadian pipeline giant.
TransCanada in April pushed back its estimated completion date for the northern segment of the Keystone XL project, which is planned to eventually connect oil sands...
Canada: Quebec to Hold Own Hearings On Enbridge Pipeline Plan
Posted by Globe and Mail: Shawn Mccarthy AND Kelly Cryderman on May 24th, 2013
Globe and Mail: The Quebec government has announced plans to hold its own hearings on Enbridge Inc.'s proposed pipeline project to bring western oil to Montreal, a move that could raise roadblocks to Alberta's efforts to access new markets for its growing oil production.
Parti Québécois Environment Minister Yves-François Blanchet said Thursday that review would be done simultaneously with the National Energy Board and will allow local citizens and municipalities to make recommendations on how to make the pipeline...
State Department Releases Keystone Pipeline Comments
Posted by Bloomberg: Michael Shepard and Jim Snyder on May 24th, 2013
Bloomberg: The U.S. State Department released about 100,000 public comments it has received on TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the first batch of more than 1.2 million submitted to the agency on the project.
The comments on a draft environmental impact study were posted yesterday on a government website a month after the State Department reversed an earlier decision not to release them. The agency said last night in a statement that it would publish comments in similarly sized batches...