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Archive for December 28th, 2013
Tragic Year For Wildland Firefighters Ends In Reflection
Posted by National Public Radio: Kirk Siegler on December 28th, 2013
National Public Radio: Thirty-four wildland firefighters died in the line of duty this year. Some of those fatalities were isolated incidents, but one event captured the nation's attention, sparking a larger conversation about the new dangers firefighters face.
That event unfolded in central Arizona on Sunday afternoon, June 30.
"I'm here with Granite Mountain Hot Shots, our escape route has been cut off," says a crew boss on recently released radio traffic from the Yarnell Hill Fire. "We are preparing a deployment...
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United Kingdom: UK power firm boosts compensation for Christmas blackouts
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 28th, 2013
Reuters: One of Britain's biggest power distributors pledged on Saturday to almost triple compensation to households left without power over Christmas after the first of two fierce winter storms battered the country.
UK Power Networks, a distribution network owned by Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Group that covers London, the southeast and east of England, said it would almost triple its compensation to those affected by long-term power cuts.
About 4,000 households across Britain remained without power on...
Brazil’s Rousseff surveys flood damage in home state
Posted by Herald Tribune: None Given on December 28th, 2013
Herald Tribune: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff flew over flood-ravaged areas in her native state of Minas Gerais on Friday and announced more humanitarian aid for the victims of the torrential rains that up to now have left 41 people dead in the southeastern part of the country.
“It’s terrible,” the head of state told reporters, along with Minas Gerais Gov. Antonio Anastasia and other state and local officials.
Minas Gerais has been, together with neighboring Espiritu Santo, the state hit hardest by the...
‘Fracking’ the Monterey Shale — boon or boondoggle?
Posted by LA Times: Alex Prud'homme on December 28th, 2013
LA Times: "Eureka!" reads the California motto, originated in the 19th century Gold Rush. Now some believe the state is on the cusp of a 21st century bonanza, only this time it will be oil that fuels a Golden State boom.
Modern prospectors are eyeing the Monterey Shale formation, a 1,750-square-mile resource-rich swath of land in the San Joaquin Valley. Lying deep beneath the valley's surface is a trove of shale oil -- some 15.42 billion barrels' worth, according to an estimate by the U.S. Energy Information...
Threat of water wars is real, says climate change scientist
Posted by International News: Shahid Husain on December 28th, 2013
International News: In an interview with The News on Friday, Dr Qamar uz Zaman Chaudhry, senior adviser on Climate Change Programme and deputy regional director, Asia, LEAD Pakistan, identified threats to the country due to climate change and global warming. He agreed that “water wars” were real, and said food security was directly linked to climate change. Dr Chaudhry is in town as a resource person at a three-day Saarc workshop on “Climate Change Impacts on Coastal and Aquatic Resources”. The workshop...
United Kingdom: RSPCA has become ‘sinister and nasty’ and should be replaced
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 28th, 2013
Independent: The RSPCA has turned from a “once great British institution” to something “rather sinister and nasty”, according to the head of the Countryside Alliance.
Britain needs a new organisation to look after the welfare of its animals, according to Sir Barney White-Spunner, a former commanding officer in the British army whose cattle herd was only recently cleared after a lengthy shutdown with bovine TB.
Speaking in an interview with the Telegraph, Sir Barney said he was urging his members to reconsider...
Toronto Hydro study warned of increased risk of power outages due to climate change
Posted by Globe and Mail: Kim Mackrael on December 28th, 2013
Globe and Mail: A Toronto Hydro vulnerability study published last year warned that climate change could result in more severe freezing rain storms, increasing the risk of major power outages.
The study, published in September, 2012, says warmer winter temperatures can increase the intensity and quantity of freezing rain and wet snow, which can damage tree branches and overhead wires. Toronto Hydro estimates that about 26,000 customers were still without power on Friday, six days after a massive ice storm swept...
Inspector General Report Finds EPA Should Act Protect Texas Drinking Water From Oil
Posted by Energy Collection: None Given on December 28th, 2013
Energy Collection: A new report was released by the EPA Inspector General (IG)--the environmental agency’s independent internal watchdog-- regarding drinking water contamination linked with natural gas operations in Parker County, Texas, just west of Ft. Worth. The report is a result of an extremely in-depth investigation by the IG of EPA’s enforcement of this case, which started in 2010, and then the agency’s controversial move to abruptly drop the case in 2012. It’s a complicated case with various legal and scientific...