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Archive for June, 2013
Rockland County Bans Radioactive Fracking Waste
Posted by EcoWatch: Grassroots Environmental Education on June 5th, 2013
EcoWatch: A coalition of health and environmental groups have joined together to congratulate the Rockland County Board of Legislators for voting unanimously to prohibit the sale, application and disposal of waste products in the county from natural gas drilling operations. The new law bans the sale of all gas drilling waste, its processing at all wastewater treatment plants, and its application on all roads including applications for de-icing and dust control purposes within Rockland County. The groups are...
By the Numbers: Reducing Food Loss and Waste
Posted by World Resources Institute: Brian Lipinski on June 5th, 2013
World Resources Institute: This post is the second installment of WRI’s blog series, “Creating a Sustainable Food Future.” The series explores strategies to sustainably feed 9 billion people by 2050. All pieces are based on research being conducted for the 2013-2014 World Resources Report. Look for the next installment tomorrow, which will highlight a number of solutions to reduce food loss and waste.
The world produces about 4 billion tons of food per year, or about 6 quadrillion calories. That’s a large amount, but what’s...
TransCanada Digging Up Defective Segments of New Pipeline, Angering Landowners in Texas
Posted by InsideClimate: Lisa Song on June 5th, 2013
InsideClimate: A Canadian company is repairing dozens of defects along the newly laid southern leg of the Keystone XL—the section of the oil pipeline that does not need approval from the U.S. State Department and is already under construction. The Oklahoma-to-Texas pipeline is not yet operational, but landowners worry that the repairs hint at more serious problems that could someday lead to oil spills. The project will carry primarily Canadian oil—including diluted bitumen from Alberta's oil sands—from Cushing,...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on TransCanada Digging Up Defective Segments of New Pipeline, Angering Landowners in TexasNation’s drinking water system needs $384B upgrade
Posted by CNN: Wenqian Zhu on June 5th, 2013
CNN: The nation's drinking water systems are deteriorating, and $384 billion needs to be spent in the next 17 years to maintain a safe supply for millions of Americans, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The most significant expense, $247.5 billion, should go to replacing the aging pipes, many of which are between 50 to 100 years old, the EPA said. Although upgrades need to be made to systems nationwide, the agency said California, Texas and New York need the money the most....
Australia: Human Deforestation Outweighs Climate Change for Coral Reefs
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 5th, 2013
ScienceDaily: Better land use is the key to preventing further damage to the world's coral reefs, according to a study published this week in the online science journal Nature Communications.
The study, by an international team including a researcher from The University of Western Australia's Oceans Institute, has important implications for Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
The study authors write that preventing soil erosion and sediment pollution arising from human activities such as deforestation are crucial...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Australia: Human Deforestation Outweighs Climate Change for Coral ReefsChina’s mega water diversion project begins testing
Posted by Guardian: Jennifer Duggan on June 5th, 2013
Guardian: When it is completed, it will be one of the world's biggest feats of engineering. China's South-North Water Diversion Project, initially a vision of Mao's, will take water from the south of the country to the arid northern region, including the capital Beijing, which suffers from water shortages.
The ambitious project has been under construction since 2002 and it is expected to take almost 50 years for all sections to be complete. It aims to pump almost 45 billion cubic metres of water a year...
Officials Urge Evacuations in German Floods
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 5th, 2013
New York Times: Officials in eastern Germany’s river cities and towns on Wednesday urged citizens in vulnerable areas to evacuate their homes as the Elbe River and its tributaries swelled ever higher, amid some of the worst flooding that some regions have seen in centuries. More than 600 residents of Dresden, where the floodwaters were expected to peak later in the day, were brought to safety, city officials said. Electricity and water services to the city’s affected center were cut off. Farther north in Bitterfeld,...
Hurricane Sandy and Climate Change Drive Up the Pollen Count
Posted by Daily Beast: None Given on June 5th, 2013
Daily Beast: FIRST THE heat. Then the storms. Now the ... pollen? Massive quantities of pollen are floating through the air, causing people to sniff, sneeze, and itch. And it turns out a changing climate could be to blame.
In the Northeast, tree pollen is at the highest level in the 25 years that Leonard Bielory, an allergy and immunology expert at Rutgers University’s Center for Environmental Prediction, has been tracking it. He says it’s a continuation of a trend he’s been seeing for years, and he expects...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Hurricane Sandy and Climate Change Drive Up the Pollen CountAustralia has huge deposits of shale gas – but it won’t come cheap
Posted by Guardian: Oliver Milman on June 5th, 2013
Guardian: Australia could be sitting on more than 1,000tn cubic feet of untapped shale gas, but effective environmental regulations and a fall in costs are needed before this resource can be fully exploited, according to a new report.
The Australian Council of Learned Academies study found that while Australia had huge deposits of gas, it would "not be cheap gas in most circumstances' and would have a slightly higher rate of carbon emissions than standard gas, albeit significantly less than coal-fired power....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Australia has huge deposits of shale gas – but it won’t come cheapAnother contaminated water leak at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 5th, 2013
Reuters: The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant said it had found another leak of contaminated water on Wednesday, piling pressure on the utility to curb the problem as it seeks permission to release water to the sea.
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant was hit by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami more than two years ago, triggering nuclear reactor meltdowns and explosions.
Tokyo Electric Power, or Tepco, said a worker patrolling the area spotted the leak just after noon, with...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Another contaminated water leak at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant