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Archive for July 12th, 2013
Enbridge to increase oil flow under Straits, rally planned
Posted by LA Times: Morgan Sherburne on July 12th, 2013
LA Times: Across the Straits of Mackinac, two pipelines, called Line 5, lie.
Line 5 begins as a 30-inch pipe in Superior, Wis. It cuts across the Upper Peninsula, splitting into two 20-inch pipes to cross the Straits. After the Straits, it runs roughly down I-75 before it cuts east at Bay City, creasing the thumb before crossing the international border again at Port Huron and Sarnia, Ontario.
It also slips between Burt and Mullet lakes, cutting beneath the Indian River.
The oil it transports is a...
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Worldwide Direct Action Campaigns Target Fossil Fuel Industry
Posted by EcoWatch: Lauren Berlekamp on July 12th, 2013
EcoWatch: As the summer heats up, awareness is quickly escalating across the world as different direct action campaigns target a common denominator: the fossil fuel industry.
Earlier this year, organizers including 350.org launched the Summer Heat and Fearless Summer campaigns, calling for a global uprising to "peacefully but firmly" stand up to the industry that is wrecking our future.
As people are joining together to embrace non-violent direct action on behalf of the climate, 350.org published the...
New Yorkers Call for Renewables at Anti-Fracking Rally During Cuomo Fundraiser
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on July 12th, 2013
EcoWatch: Residents gathered today to rally against fracking and for renewable energy outside of Gov. Cuomo’s (D-NY) fundraiser in Syracuse, NY. The concerned residents urged the Governor not to put New York’s clean water, air, environment and economy at risk by allow fracking. Further, they urged the Governor to aggressively invest in renewable energy, which would bring sustainable, good jobs and economic development to New York State without jeopardizing people`s health and existing jobs. "Governor Cuomo...
Distant Quakes Trigger Temblors in the Oil Patch: Study
Posted by Daily Climate: Brian Bienkowski on July 12th, 2013
Daily Climate: Wells filled with waste injection fluids at oil and gas fields across the United States are at risk of small earthquakes triggered by larger temblors across the globe, according to a new study published Thursday.
Waste injection wells are on the rise as domestic energy production soars and companies increasingly use water and chemicals to unlock natural gas from shale or force oil from wells, a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
As oil and gas industries pump waste into sub-surface...
Increased Frequency of Earthquakes Linked to Fracking Wastewater Injection Wells
Posted by EcoWatch: Laura Beans on July 12th, 2013
EcoWatch: The increased rates of earthquakes occurring in the central and eastern U.S over the past few years is a growing cause of concern. Two recent reports delve into the probability of man-made, induced earthquakes.
According to the U.S Geological Survey (USGS), more than 300 earthquakes above a magnitude 3.0 occurred from 2010-2012, compared with a much lower national average rate of 21 earthquakes per year observed from 1967-2000. The USGS also found that the increase in seismic activity coincides...
France’s top court to review law banning shale gas fracking
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 12th, 2013
Reuters: France's top court said it would examine a challenge to a law that bans hydraulic fracturing, the drilling technique used to produce shale gas and oil.
U.S. firm Schuepbach Energy, which held two exploration permits that were canceled in 2011, has contested the law.
The Constitutional Council, made up of judges and former French presidents, has the power to annul laws if they are deemed to be unconstitutional.
"It is now up to the Constitutional Council to decide whether the law is constitutional,...
Humans “Inducing” Earthquakes During Energy Exploration, USGS Report Says
Posted by Nature World News: James A. Foley on July 12th, 2013
Nature World News: Human activities that inject fluids into the ground, such as natural gas extractions and geothermal energy production, are the cause of many earthquakes in the United States, including a destructive 5.6-magnitude tremor in Oklahoma in 2011, according to new research published in the journal Science.
While the continental United States experiences small earthquakes each day, a recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey found that the annual number of earthquakes recorded at magnitude 3.0 or greater...
Pennsylvanians Demand Senators Declare Independence from Fracking
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on July 12th, 2013
EcoWatch: A week after millions of Americans celebrated our nation’s independence, Pennsylvanians held “Independence from Fracking” rallies outside key state senator’s offices, including Sen. Browne.
The rallies, coordinated by local citizens and statewide environmental groups, highlighted key legislators’ continued opposition to a moratorium on fracking, despite growing support in the Commonwealth. There were rallies outside the offices of Pennsylvania Sen. Baker (R-Wayne), Sen. Browne (R-Lehigh), Sen....
In Mekong Delta, rice boom has steep environmental cost
Posted by Yale 360: Mike Ives on July 12th, 2013
Yale 360: Phan Dinh Duc leans against yellow sacks of freshly harvested rice. It’s a warm spring evening in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, and Duc, a local farmer, is waiting for traders to arrive by truck to purchase his produce and sell it on commodities markets. Beyond him lies a vast checkerboard of rice paddies, each filled with water and bordered by a network of canals and roughly 10-foot-high earthen dikes. They enable year-round rice cultivation in an area where, a half century ago, vast floodplains typically...
US energy industry feeling impact of climate change, report says
Posted by FuelFix: Harry R. Weber on July 12th, 2013
FuelFix: A new U.S. Energy Department report highlights the impact of climate change, including prolonged periods of high temperatures and water shortages, on the energy sector.
The report issued this month says thermoelectric power plants are at risk from decreasing water availability and increasing air and water temperatures, which reduce the efficiency of cooling.
It also says energy infrastructure along the coast is at risk from rising sea levels, increasing intensity of storms, and higher storm...