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Archive for June 26th, 2013
Torrential rains prompt flood warnings in Midwest
Posted by Reuters: Mary Wisniewski on June 26th, 2013
Reuters: Torrential rains slammed Illinois and other Midwest states on Wednesday, triggering flash flood warnings and causing flight cancellations, commuter train delays and road closings.
Up to 5 inches of rain fell in some places and the National Weather Service warned residents in the region to brace for more downpours and possibly severe thunderstorms Wednesday night.
The weather service issued multiple flash flood and flood warnings for counties in northern Illinois, northwestern Indiana and southeastern...
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Study says tar-sands oil not more likely to leak; activists fault study
Posted by Grist: Claire Thompson on June 26th, 2013
Grist: Supporters of the Keystone XL pipeline cheered Tuesday’s release of a study that deemed diluted bitumen - the heavy crude mined in Alberta’s tar sands that Keystone would carry to Texas - just as safe to transport via pipeline as other forms of crude oil. They see the results as further clearing the way for approval of the pipeline.
But environmental groups criticized the methodology and limited scope of the study, which was conducted by the National Academy of Sciences. From Inside Climate News:...
BP steps up spill payments protest with ad campaign
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 26th, 2013
Reuters: BP has stepped up its campaign for a revision of the way compensation for its 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill is calculated by placing advertisements in leading newspapers ahead of a July 8 appellate court hearing in the United States.
The British oil company's advertisements in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post are part of its attempt to put a lid on payments. The company has said that without relief it could be "irreparably harmed" by payouts.
BP has no control over...
11,000+ Massachusetts Residents Call for a Fracking Ban
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on June 26th, 2013
EcoWatch: This morning, more than 11,000 residents called on Beacon Hill to ban the dirty drilling process of fracking, in petitions presented by Environment Massachusetts and its allies at a statehouse news conference. The petitions show wide support for H.788, a bill introduced by Rep. Kocot (D-MA) and Rep. Provost (D-MA) to ban fracking and the processing of its toxic wastewater in the commonwealth.
“In states like Pennsylvania, we have already seen fracking contaminate drinking water and make nearby...
Indian River Lagoon’s Dolphins May Face Increased Risk of Choking to Death: A Study
Posted by Nature World News: None Given on June 26th, 2013
Nature World News: With Florida's Indian River Lagoon (IRL) earning a reputation as a dolphin graveyard, researchers recently published an examination on one of the threats facing the area's dolphins.
The IRL comprises 40 percent of the Florida coastline and is the most biodiverse estuary in the United States. Moreover, it is home to a group of approximately 700 dolphins that never venture outside of lagoon.
Because of multiple single cases of asphyxiation in dolphins caused by fish lodged in the esophagus being...
Visions of a Greener Pipeline
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 26th, 2013
New York Times: After two years of study, President Obama this week defined the criteria for what will be one of the signature decisions of his presidency: the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would carry heavy crude from here to American refineries must not “significantly” worsen global warming. Anticipating that standard, Canadian oil companies have embarked on a race to develop cleaner technologies that will make their production less damaging to the environment. From improving valves to revamping giant boilers...
Crop yields no longer keeping up with population growth
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 26th, 2013
Mongabay: If the world is to grow enough food for the projected global population in 2050, agricultural productivity will have to rise by at least 60%, and may need to more than double, according to researchers who have studied global crop yields.
They say that productivity is not rising fast enough at present to meet the likely demands on agriculture.
The researchers studied yields of four key staple crops-maize, rice, wheat and soybeans-and found they were increasing by only about 0.9% to 1.6% a year....
Canada insists on C$1 billion clean-up fund for major oil lines
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 26th, 2013
Reuters: Companies operating major crude oil pipelines in Canada will be required to have C$1 billion ($954.97 million) available to fund clean ups from any spills, the Canadian government said on Wednesday. Joe Oliver, Canada's minister of natural resources, also announced new fines that will soon come into force for companies and individuals that violate environmental laws. The fines will range from C$25,000 to a maximum of C$100,000. Oliver was speaking in British Columbia, where the provincial government...
Stormy weather boosts newly planted U.S. corn crop
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 26th, 2013
Reuters: Thunderstorms that brought significant rainfall to the northern U.S. Midwest early this week, accompanied by warm temperatures, bolstered growth prospects for recently planted corn and soybean crops, an agricultural meteorologist said on Wednesday. "There will be additional showers into the weekend in the central and southwest Midwest and heavier rains are expected in the east," said Joel Widenor, meteorologist for Commodity Weather Group. Drier weather next week in the north will also help ensure...
Climate Change and the Colorado River: New Study Warns of “Megadroughts”
Posted by Nature World News: None Given on June 26th, 2013
Nature World News: With some 30 million people relying on it, the Colorado River is a crucial American artery that, researchers warn, could shrink by nearly half its current size by 2050.
However, estimates regarding the river are varied, with the low end falling at just 6 percent.
For this reason, researchers at the University of Washington, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Studies and NOAA banded together to investigate and explain the reason why these discrepancies exists and summarize...