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Archive for December 20th, 2013
Canadian Panel Approves Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on December 20th, 2013
Environment News Service: The Joint Review Panel for the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline Project today recommended that the federal government approve the multi-billion dollar pipeline, subject to 209 required conditions. The Government of Canada is expected to make its final decision on the pipeline by July 2014.
Conservation groups condemned the decision, saying that the three-member panel`s recommendation ignores overwhelming scientific evidence against the pipeline and widespread public opposition.
The...
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Still Uncertain: Climate Change’s Role in Drought
Posted by Climate Central: Bobby Magill on December 20th, 2013
Climate Central: It's common for direct connections to be drawn between climate change and the effects of the devastating droughts that have been afflicting the U.S. and other parts of the world over the last decade. A new analysis led by scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research says there are still many uncertainties about how climate change is affecting drought globally, though.
The analysis, authored primarily by NCAR senior scientist Kevin Trenberth, concludes that more global precipitation...
Can human civilization continue indefinitely?
Posted by LiveScience: Tia Ghose on December 20th, 2013
LiveScience: Human beings have altered the Earth so much that human extinction is a real possibility if people continue on their current path. But if they can figure out a way to live sustainably, at least some human civilizations could become quasi-immortal, one researcher says. The challenge is to change the societal outlook to one that is long-term and accounts for humanity's central role in shaping the planet's destiny, instead of one that reacts to immediate crises and thinks in the short term. "For...
PA Supreme Court Finds Parts Act 13 Unconstitutional, Allows Municipalities to Limit Fracking
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on December 20th, 2013
EcoWatch: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued an opinion yesterday in the closely-watched case of Robinson Township v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, No. 63 MAP 2012.
The case was a challenge filed by several Pennsylvania municipalities against the state legislature’s adoption of Act 13. Act 13 sought to eliminate zoning authority from municipalities over oil and gas extraction.
Act 13 was passed in 2012 to remove any local barriers to the expansion of drilling and fracking across the state. Provisions...
Pennsylvania gas drilling decision leaves future uncertain
Posted by Associated Press: Mark Scolforo and Marc Levy on December 20th, 2013
Associated Press: The energy industry and policy makers in Pennsylvania, the heart of the nation's gas drilling boom, are thinking about their next moves after the state's highest court threw out significant portions of a law that limited the power of cities and counties to regulate the industry. The state Supreme Court voted 4-2 on Thursday to strike down portions of a 2012 law that had been crafted by Gov. Tom Corbett and his industry-friendly allies in the Legislature. Republican leaders in the General Assembly...
Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals Found At Fracking Sites Linked To Cancer, Infertility: Study
Posted by Huffington Post: Dominique Mosbergen on December 20th, 2013
Huffington Post: Hormone-disrupting chemicals linked to cancer, infertility and a slew of other health problems have been found in water samples collected at and near hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," sites in Colorado, according to a new study published in the journal Endocrinology this week.
Researchers say they found elevated levels of these chemicals -- known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) -- in surface water and groundwater samples collected in the state's Garfield County, a fracking hotspot...
Replacing Coal w/ Natural Gas Saves Water, Investigation Reveals
Posted by Softpedia: None Given on December 20th, 2013
Softpedia: A report published in this week's issue of the journal Environmental Research Letters says that switching from using coal to using natural gas in order to produce electricity can help save noteworthy amounts of water.
What's more, it can help lower some region's vulnerability to drought.
In the paper, researchers working with the University of Texas at Austin explain that, as part of this investigation into the benefits of relying on natural gas rather than on coal to meet energy demands, they...
Global climate game abandons biodiversity
Posted by Conversation: Penny van Oosterzee on December 20th, 2013
Conversation: The latest climate talks in Warsaw may have achieved little in the way of action on climate change, but they were even worse for biodiversity. In fact, since early climate talks in the 1990s, biodiversity has vanished from international and Australian climate policy. So, why has biodiversity become decoupled from climate change?
Biodiversity, carbon’s forgotten partner
Biodiversity is the global blind spot in climate change. Food, shelter, clean water and a climate that nurtures life are underpinned...
Natural gas production surges in Pennsylvania
Posted by Christian Science Monitor: Charles Kennedy on December 20th, 2013
Christian Science Monitor: By then end of this year, Pennsylvania may be the second-biggest gas-producing US state, behind Texas, as production at the Marcellus Shale soars, according to a new report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
For now, Pennsylvania ranks third for gas production in the US, but data for this year is still coming in and the state is clearly the fastest-growing, while Texas remains the all-out leader.
According to the EIA, natural gas production in Pennsylvania grew by 72% from 2011...
Canadian Review Panel Approves Plans Oil Pipeline
Posted by New York Times: Ian Austen on December 20th, 2013
New York Times: An environmental and economic review panel approved plans for a pipeline and port project that, if built, will move oil from Alberta’s oil sands to tankers on Canada’s Pacific Coast. After approval stalled in Washington for the Keystone XL pipeline, which would link the oil sands to the United States Gulf Coast, the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, which would cost about 7.9 billion Canadian dollars, or about $7.4 billion, became Canada’s backup plan for increasing oil sands production. The...