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Archive for August 24th, 2013
Rim Fire Continues to Threaten Yosemite National Park
Posted by Nature World: None Given on August 24th, 2013
Nature World: The so-called Rim Fire blazing through eastern central California expanded by 50 square miles since Friday and continues to threaten the perimeter of Yosemite National Park. It is now said to be five percent contained as of Saturday, an improvement from two percent containment on Friday.
Some backwoods hiking trails and roads leading into the national park have been closed due to the fire, but the Yosemite Valley, which is home to iconic landmarks such El Capitan and the Half Dome rock formations,...
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San Francisco Emergency Called as Rim Fire Burns Power Lines
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on August 24th, 2013
Environment News Service: A raging wildfire spreading into Yosemite National Park has damaged electricity infrastructure serving the city of San Francisco 200 miles to the west, forcing California Governor Jerry Brown to declare a State of Emergency in the city.
In his emergency proclamation, Governor Brown said, "The wildfires that started in Tuolumne County have caused damage electric infrastructure serving San Francisco and now threaten damage to property, equipment and resources of the San Francisco Public Utility...
Federal Agencies Announce Plans to Remap Areas Damaged by Hurricane Sandy
Posted by Nature World: Tamarra Kemsley on August 24th, 2013
Nature World: Three federal agencies recently announced plans to to remap parts of the East Coast where Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc a year ago.
The effort, joined by NOAA, the US Geological Survey and the US Army Corps of Engineers, will focus on retrieving data that can then be used to update land maps and nautical charts.
"Our approach is to map once, then use the data for many purposes," NOAA Rear Admiral Gerd Glang, director of NOAA's Office of Coast Survey, said in a statement.
The undertaking...
United Kingdom: Liberal Democrats blast environmental damage caused by fracking
Posted by Guardian: Toby Helm on August 24th, 2013
Guardian: Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats have poured scorn on George Osborne's push for a shale gas revolution in the UK, saying the process of fracking has caused extensive environmental damage and water pollution in the US.
The comments, in official policy papers, come as a new Opinium/Observer poll shows strong public opposition to fracking, with resistance particularly strong among women.
Asked if they would like to see various alternative types of energy projects in their area, 60% of people said...
The global impact of U.S. oil and gas development
Posted by Denver Post: Don Smith and Rebecca Watson on August 24th, 2013
Denver Post: Hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") and horizontal drilling are allowing the United States to produce more domestic oil and gas, bringing closer the once unthinkable prospect of America being a net energy exporter. But what are the international implications of America's newfound energy bounty on U.S. foreign policy? An initial caveat: fracking, or more accurately, oil and gas development, is an industrial activity and can cause negative environmental impacts. But many modern activities have environmental...
Most of Manila left underwater as record storms sweep parts of Asia
Posted by ClimateWire: Coleen Jose on August 24th, 2013
ClimateWire: A state of disaster was declared in parts of the northern Philippines earlier this week as a monsoon and typhoon brought incessant rain in the region for three days, triggering mass evacuations and affecting more than 1 million people. Although Typhoon Trami has left the nation and made landfall in southern China yesterday, causing fresh flooding in the region, residents continue to wade in thick mud and water that is chest-deep in some areas. The weather-related deaths, which have risen to 21,...
EPA orders air pollution controls for fracked gas wells
Posted by McClatchy: Renee Schoof on August 24th, 2013
McClatchy: Air pollution from thousands of natural gas wells that are “fracked” every year will be reduced under regulations that the Environmental Protection Agency issued on Wednesday. It’s the first time the EPA has required air pollution controls at hydraulically fractured, or fracked, wells. The new rule targets smog-forming volatile organic compounds and air toxics that increase cancer risks. The same equipment also would trap methane, a potent heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere. President Barack Obama...
Obama position on fracking leaves both sides grumbling
Posted by McClatchy: Sean Cockerham on August 24th, 2013
McClatchy: President Barack Obama’s embrace of fracking is earning wrath from environmentalists but little love from the oil and gas industry. Obama praised the U.S. natural gas boom in a recent climate change speech and credited it with delivering cleaner energy. The boom is a result of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in which chemical-spiked water is pumped underground to free oil and natural gas trapped in shale rock. The Obama administration’s proposed fracking rules say companies don’t have to disclose...
The next hurricane, and the next
Posted by New York Times: Editorial on August 24th, 2013
New York Times: Hurricane Sandy, the monster storm that hit the Atlantic Seaboard on Oct. 29, left at least 159 dead and caused $65 billion in damages. But as a presidential task force made clear this week, Sandy cannot be considered a seasonal disaster or regional fluke but as yet another harbinger of the calamities that await in an era of climate change. With that in mind, the report says that individuals, local governments and states that expect federal help cannot simply restore what was there but must adopt...
Impact of climate change growing in Ohio
Posted by Marion Star: None Given on August 24th, 2013
Marion Star: When most people hear “climate change,” they think of claims that fossil fuel use and deforestation have resulted in stronger hurricanes, intense heat waves and drought. Many others look at such claims as junk science and scare tactics. But a certain amount of conjecture and debate on these matters is healthy. It’s OK to be skeptical, but proof of climate change in Ohio can be found across the state. Algae growing in Lake Erie and other smaller inland lakes, buggy conditions earlier in the year,...