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Archive for December 18th, 2013
Get ready for another Keystone XL showdown on Capitol Hill
Posted by Grist: Ben Adler on December 18th, 2013
Grist: Congressional Republicans are feeling heat from their base for compromising with the president and Senate Democrats on the budget - or, as we used to call it, “governing.” And so, with yet another debt-ceiling limit increase on the horizon in February or March, House Budget Chair Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have said we will default on the national debt unless they extract some concessions. Can you guess what such a concession might be?
Here’s Ryan on...
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Canadian Regulator to Release Northern Gateway Decision on Thursday
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 18th, 2013
Reuters: Canada's National Energy Board will release its decision on whether to approve Enbridge Inc's $6.5 billion Northern Gateway crude oil pipeline on Thursday, the regulator said on Tuesday. The proposed 1,177 km (730 mile) pipeline, intended to carry oil sands crude from near Edmonton, Alberta, to Kitimat on the British Columbia coast, has run into fierce environmental opposition and seen costs mount. The NEB decision on Thursday will be a preliminary recommendation. Final approval rests with the...
Colorado State Regulators Approve New Oil Spill Rules
Posted by Coloradoan: Ryan Maye Handy on December 18th, 2013
Coloradoan: The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission approved Tuesday new spill cleanup regulations for oil and gas drilling in Colorado. The regulations are part of “ongoing efforts to maintain a strong regulatory approach” to oil and gas development in the state and were not directly borne of the spills during the September floods, spokesman Todd Hartman said in an email. The new rules require: • That any spill of five barrels or more must be reported within 24 hours. • That any spill of one barrel...
Steep terrain slows fight against California coastal fire
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 18th, 2013
Reuters: Hundreds of firefighters battled to gain control of a raging wildfire along central California's scenic Big Sur coastline on Tuesday, hampered by steep and brushy terrain and narrow roads, officials said.
By nightfall, the Pfeiffer fire had blackened 769 acres and was 20-percent contained, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Lynn Olson said. Crews expect to extend containment lines around the perimeter of the fire by Friday, she said.
So far, the fire has destroyed at least 15 dwellings and forced...
Avoid Antibacterial Soaps, Say Consumer Advocates
Posted by National Geographic: Brian Clark Howard on December 18th, 2013
National Geographic: Federal officials' questions about antibacterial soaps have raised a lather among environmental and consumer advocates concerned about the safety of controversial ingredients in these cleansers.
Reviving a long-running controversy over antibacterial soaps and body wash, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Monday that the makers of such products will have to prove that they are more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and curtailing infection.
According...