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Archive for July 23rd, 2013
ExxonMobil subsidiary, with arm twisted behind back, agrees to treat fracking wastewater
Posted by Grist: John Upton on July 23rd, 2013
Grist: XTO Energy, an ExxonMobil subsidiary, will reluctantly shell out $20 million to properly treat and dispose of fracking wastewater in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It will also pay a $100,000 EPA fine as part of a settlement agreement [PDF] over water-pollution charges [PDF].
From PennLive:
The company is accused of violating the Clean Water Act by releasing over approximately 65 days between 6,300 and 57,373 gallons of fluids that contained barium, calcium, iron, manganese, potassium, sodium,...
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Thunder, hail and lightning: Heavy storms mark climax of longest heatwave for nearly 40 years
Posted by Independent: Heather Saul on July 23rd, 2013
Independent: A fortnight's rain fell overnight in parts of Britain, bringing a stormy end to the country's longest heatwave in seven years.
The thunder, lightning and hail that broke the sunny spells on Monday night will last intermittently throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, coupled with torrential rain and the risk of flash floods, weather experts warned.
Pershore in Worcestershire recorded the highest rainfall last night with more than an inch (25.8mm) falling - half the area's 50mm average total for the...
New Studies Examine Link Between Food Crops and Global Warming
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2013
RedOrbit: In light of growing concern over the potential impact of climate change on the global agricultural industry, researchers are searching for new ways to help ensure global access to some of the most important food crops.
In one such study, Toshichika Iizumi of the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences in Tsukuba, Japan and an international team of colleagues report that they have discovered a way to use climate data to help predict some crop failures several months prior to harvest....
China’s Shenhua drains groundwater for coal project-Greenpeace
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2013
Reuters: A project operated by China's largest coal miner, Shenhua Group, has reduced groundwater levels in a region of Inner Mongolia and discharged high levels of toxic wastewater, environmental campaign group Greenpeace said on Tuesday.
The report, the first by Greenpeace to single out and publicly challenge one of China's powerful state-owned companies, comes as the country's new leadership steps up its focus on pollution amid growing protests over environmental degradation.
China recently canceled...
Thunder, hail and lightning: Heavy storms interrupt peak of longest heatwave in nearly four decades
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2013
Independent: It was a stormy end to Britain's three week heat-wave as thunderstorms and lightening marked the end of the hottest temperatures in seven years, weather experts have said.
Thunder, lightning and hail broke the sunny spells on Monday night and will last intermittently throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, coupled with torrential rain and the risk of flash floods.
The sunnier climate provided the nation with weeks of scorching temperatures, peaking yesterday at 33.5C in London - the hottest day since...
Canada: 1.5 Million Gallons of Crude Oil Spilled in Quebec Town
Posted by Montreal Gazette: None Given on July 23rd, 2013
Montreal Gazette: It might take weeks before the extent of the damage from the July 6 train derailment in Lac-Mégantic is known, but 16 days after a train carrying crude oil crashed into the heart of Lac-Mégantic, the provincial government has revealed just how much oil appears to have been spilled.
There were 7.2 million litres of light crude oil aboard the ill-fated Montreal Main & Atlantic Railway train, but Quebec’s Department of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks says about 5.7 million litres were...
12 Arrested at Enbridge Oil Pipeline Protest in Michigan
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2013
Associated Press: Authorities in Michigan say they’ve arrested eight people who are part of a protest that’s attempting to block Enbridge Inc. from building a replacement oil pipeline across the state into southwestern Ontario. The Ingham County sheriff’s department said four other people who had attached themselves to equipment will also be arrested for trespassing. The Lansing State Journal reports the arrests came during a protest about 90 kilometres west of Detroit by the Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands...
Africans vulnerable to climate change due dependency on rain-fed agriculture
Posted by Nyasa Times: None Given on July 23rd, 2013
Nyasa Times: Malawi Minister of Environment and Climate Change Management Halima Daudi has attributed East and Southern Africans vulnerability to climate change to heavy dependence on rain-fed subsistence agriculture for livelihoods and on wood energy for cooking and heating.
The Minister made the remarks at the Southern Voices on Climate Change, East and Southern Africa Regional workshop being held at Sunbird Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi on Tuesday when she officially opened the workshop which ends Thursday....
Greenpeace reveals Chinese state coal company’s ruthless water grab
Posted by Greenpeace: None Given on July 23rd, 2013
Greenpeace: A state-owned Chinese coal company is overexploiting groundwater and illegally dumping toxic industrial wastewater, highlighting the need to curb the country's burgeoning coal industry, Greenpeace East Asia has revealed. In the report 'Thirsty Coal 2' [1], Greenpeace East Asia reveals that the Shenhua Group, the world's biggest coal producer by volume, is exploiting water resources in Inner Mongolia at a shocking scale. Shenhua's operations have sparked social unrest and caused severe ecological...
Federal Fracturing Rule Carries Hefty Price, Industry Groups Say
Posted by Fuel Fix: Simone Sebastian on July 23rd, 2013
Fuel Fix: The Obama administration`s proposed rules on hydraulic fracturing would cost an average $96,913 per well, according to a study commissioned by two oil industry groups. The Western Energy Alliance and the Independent Petroleum Association of America say the new federal standards for drilling new oil and natural gas wells on public lands would cost a total of $345 million a year, if applied to all 3,566 projects that could be affected by the rules. Conducted by John Dunham and Associates, the study...