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Archive for October 7th, 2013
36 Risk Arrest Protesting Keystone XL at Boston Rally
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on October 7th, 2013
EcoWatch: Thirty-six people risked arrest today while staging a peaceful sit-in at the State Department’s office in Secretary Kerry`s hometown of Boston in opposition to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. More than 200 supporters also rallied at Monday’s event in support of those risking arrest.
For the second time this year, the State Department refused to arrest grandparents, scientists, President Obama and Secretary Kerry supporters and other anti-Keystone XL protesters even though both entrances...
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Scientists uncover high radioactivity near fracking site in Pennsylvania
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 7th, 2013
Guardian: Scientists have for the first time found dangerous levels of radioactivity and salinity at a shale gas waste disposal site that could contaminate drinking water. If the UK follows in the steps of the US "shale gas revolution", it should impose regulations to stop such radioactive buildup, they said.
The Duke University study, published on Wednesday, examined the water discharged from Josephine Brine Treatment Facility into Blacklick Creek, which feeds into a water source for western Pennsylvania...
Global Frackdown 2 Calls for a Worldwide Ban on Hydraulic Fracturing
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on October 7th, 2013
EcoWatch: On Oct. 19, people from around the world will unite for a day of action to protest fracking. A project of Food & Water Watch, the second annual Global Frackdown will bring thousands of people together that are calling for an international ban on fracking.
Filmmaker Josh Fox calls on concerned citizens around the world to join together for the Global Frackdown event in the video below.
According to Global Frackdown, the anti-fracking movement has grown exponentially since the event last year,...
Dark water: A year after Hurricane Sandy
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 7th, 2013
New York Times: In lines at the grocery store and the post office here, the usual pleasantries are still squeezed out by talk of the slow pace of reconstruction, spiking flood insurance premiums and whether the hospital, movie theater or sports club will ever reopen. Nearly a year after Sandy, you hear the same refrain everywhere: “Hey, how are you doing? Are you guys back home yet?” About a quarter, possibly more, are not.
Our own extensive renovations were finished months ago, but I have yet to hang pictures...
In Rim fire’s aftermath, controversy over recovery effort
Posted by LA Times: Louis Sahagun on October 7th, 2013
LA Times: Calls for massive salvage logging, restoration and reforestation projects in the 257,000 acres of public wilderness scarred by the Rim fire have ignited controversy over how to proceed with the largest recovery effort undertaken in the Sierra Nevada. "We're hoping to negotiate our way through this, but we need the infrastructure and personnel," said Jerry Snyder, a spokesman for the Stanislaus National Forest. "This effort will be huge, so we'll also need additional help from Washington." But time...
Water in Earth’s atmosphere may cause climate warming
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 7th, 2013
Times of India: Water vapour in Earth's stratosphere contributes to warmer temperatures and likely plays an important role in the evolution of climate on our planet, a new study has found.
Researchers found that increased surface temperatures, such as from the addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, leads to increased humidity in the stratosphere.
Because stratospheric water vapour is a greenhouse gas, this leads to additional warming, they said. This cycle is frequently called a climate feedback.
"We...
In Wake of Colorado Flooding, U.S. Reps Call for Hearing on Oil and Gas Spills
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on October 7th, 2013
EcoWatch: Two House Democrats, Rep. Polis (D-CO) and Rep. DeFazio (D-OR), have called on the House Natural Resources Committee to investigate numerous oil and gas spills during Colorado’s devastating floods in September. The hearing would call on members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) and local elected officials to share their assessments of the damage the flooding has caused--and may cause in the future.
In a letter to committee Chairman...
Getting giddy over shale won’t do much to keep the lights on
Posted by Telegraph: Benedict Brogan on October 7th, 2013
Telegraph: Next month the Government will produce a map of the best places in Britain to drill for shale gas. A lot of politicians – Conservatives in particular – will hate it. The latest data will confirm what is already well known: that the country’s vast onshore reserves are buried not just in the “desolate North” so unfortunately described by George Osborne’s father-in-law, but under vast tracts of southern Tory shires, in Sussex and elsewhere. Exploiting the wealth beneath our feet will involve some unpopular...
Eiffel Tower-Sized Channels Discovered Beneath Antarctic Ice Shelf
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 7th, 2013
RedOrbit: The discovery of hundreds of kilometers worth of channels beneath a floating ice shelf in Antarctica could help experts understand how the ice will respond to changes in environmental conditions, according to a study published Sunday in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Researchers from the University of Exeter, Newcastle University, the University of Bristol, the University of Edinburgh, the British Antarctic Survey and the University of York located the channels using satellite images and airborne...
Trumped by Federal Authority Over Pipeline Safety, Ark. Lawmakers Must Settle for Symbolism
Posted by InsideClimate: Elizabeth McGowan on October 7th, 2013
InsideClimate: Arkansas state legislators leery of lax federal oversight of oil pipelines have attempted to beef up safety standards to try to prevent another disastrous spill in their own backyard. They're aware, however, that their efforts are largely symbolic. That's because, in most instances, a state statute cannot infringe on the federal government's constitutional authority to set and enforce rules about petroleum pipelines. But for local lawmakers trying to calm constituent fears after a 65-year-old pipeline...