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Archive for June 25th, 2013
In Keystone boost, U.S. study sees no added risk from Canada oil
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 25th, 2013
Reuters: The Keystone XL pipeline got a boost on Tuesday as a landmark U.S.-mandated report said heavy Canadian oil is no more likely to cause pipeline leaks than other crudes, knocking back one of the biggest objections to the project.
Following a series of high-profile pipeline leaks over the past three years, environmental groups raised the alarm over the prospect that Canada's growing stream of heavy bitumen crude, which is diluted with light fuel to flow through pipelines, could corrode the lines...
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Obama to announce new power plant carbon cuts
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 25th, 2013
Associated Press: U.S. President Barack Obama said the State Department should not approve the Keystone XL pipeline unless it is sure the project will not increase greenhouse gas emissions.
Obama made the announcement Tuesday in a speech on his climate change plan at Georgetown University.
"Allowing the Keystone pipeline to be built requires a finding that doing so would be in our nation's interest," Obama said. "And our national interest will be served only if this project does not significantly exacerbate...
RELEASE/VICTORY! Ecological Internet Welcomes Full Protection for Tasmania, Australias World Heritage Old-Growth Forests
Posted by Water Conservation Blog on June 25th, 2013
By Ecological Internet, http://www.ecoearth.info/ and http://forests.org/
Media Contact: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org, +1 (608) 332-5650
By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI)
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org
(Madison, Wisconsin) Ecological Internet a small forest and climate protection NGO with a global reach is thrilled to have contributed to an additional 170,000 hectares (about 420,000 acres) of Tasmania, Australia, old-growth forests [search] being protected. Following decades of local protest, six years of blockades, tree sitting, and extensive international affinity campaigns spearhead by Ecological Internet and others, most of Tasmanias remaining old-growth has been granted World Heritage area protection, which should exclude further logging. The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage area has been extended to include the iconic Upper Florentine and areas within the Styx, Huon, Picton, and Counsel River Valleys.
Tasmania is home to the tallest hardwood forests on Earth, with eucalyptus trees reaching nearly 100 metres and living for over 400 years, existing within one of Earth's greatest tracts of large, connected, and ecologically intact temperate rainforest. Tasmania contains large tracts of natural old-growth forest, glacial landforms, alpine and sub-alpine environments, wild rivers, indigenous heritage sites, and critical endangered species habitat. There are many species that rely on old growth trees ...
Keystone Aided as Bitumen Study Finds No Greater Spill Risks
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 25th, 2013
Bloomberg: Heavy crude oil to be carried by the proposed Keystone XL pipeline poses no greater risk of a spill than other types of oil, the National Research Council said in a report.
The report disputes arguments made by Keystone opponents that diluted bitumen, a tar-like substance mined in Alberta’s oil sands, is more corrosive than conventional crude oil and is more likely to create ruptures and oil spills in pipelines.
“There have been several studies to look at this over the years, but none that...
Record heat wave hits Alaska
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 25th, 2013
Associated Press: Baked Alaska is taking on a new meaning this week. Temperatures in Anchorage, the country's northernmost city, reached the 80s and are expected to remain high through the weekend.
Meteorologists say the jet stream, a big river of air high above Earth that dictates much of the weather for the Northern Hemisphere, is causing the unseasonably high temperatures. The jet stream has been unusually erratic the past few years. They blame it for everything from snowstorms in May to the path of Superstorm...
Obama to confirm tough new power plant emissions rules
Posted by BusinessGreen: James Murray on June 25th, 2013
BusinessGreen: The White House has today confirmed President Obama's long-awaited climate strategy will include new restrictions on emissions from coal-fired power plants, a major push to increase investment in clean energy technologies, and the introduction of new efficiency standards for appliances and buildings.
Documents released this morning ahead of the President's landmark speech at Georgetown University this afternoon, outline a new three-pronged strategy based on cutting domestic carbon emissions, increasing...
Obama unveils climate change plan that goes around Congress
Posted by The Hill: Ben Geman on June 25th, 2013
The Hill: President Obama is launching fresh battles over climate change with plans to curb emissions using executive powers that sidestep Congress -- including controversial rules to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants.
The wide-ranging plan, which Obama will tout in a speech later Tuesday, also beefs up federal efforts to help deploy low-carbon and renewable energy, and has programs to help harden communities against climate-fueled extreme weather.
Internationally, it seeks to knock down...
Obama to lay out three-part plan for addressing climate change
Posted by CBS News: Stephanie Condon on June 25th, 2013
CBS News: With little to no hope on Capitol Hill for action on climate change, President Obama on Tuesday plans to bypass Congress and move forward with executive actions designed to reduce carbon emissions.
In a speech at Georgetown University, the president will lay out what the administration is billing as a comprehensive plan built on three pillars: cutting the nation's carbon pollution, leading global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and preparing the United States for the impacts of climate change....
Obama climate-change speech to be combed for Keystone clues
Posted by Globe and Mail: Paul Koring on June 25th, 2013
Globe and Mail: With an eye on his legacy, President Barack Obama will unveil Tuesday sweeping plans to help save the planet from runaway global warming by curbing greenhouse-gas emissions.
But the toughest climate-change decision soon to cross the President's Oval Office desk - the fate of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline designed to ship Alberta oil-sands crude across America - likely won't even rate a mention. Anti-Keystone XL activists said they will demonstrate at Georgetown University where Mr. Obama is...
Arkansas Times Launch Campaign to Crowdfund Oil Spill Reporting Project
Posted by InsideClimate: Stacy Feldman on June 25th, 2013
InsideClimate: InsideClimate News this week launched a campaign to raise funds for an innovative national-local reporting collaboration with the Arkansas Times that will investigate the causes and consequences of the Exxon pipeline spill in Mayflower, Ark. on Mar. 29. The campaign is being run on ioby.org, an innovative, non-profit crowdfunding platform.
"We are appealing to our readers to help crowdfund this effort and show that modest donations can have a cumulative impact to improve the public interest,"...