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Archive for July 18th, 2014
U.S. EPA pushes ahead with plan to block Alaska copper mine
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 18th, 2014
Reuters: U.S. environmental regulators laid out proposed protections for Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed on Friday that would effectively block the development of the Pebble deposit, which could be one of the world's largest copper mines.
In a 214-page document posted to its website, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to restrict the use of certain waters in the region for disposal of dredged or fill material associated with mining the Pebble deposit.
It is the latest step by the agency...
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El Nino may not bring needed rains parched California
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 18th, 2014
Reuters: California's drought - its worst in decades - is likely to hold steady through the summer months and may not ease in the fall even with an anticipated El Nino weather pattern, a federal drought expert said on Friday.
Extreme drought conditions have enveloped California - the most populous U.S. state and an important agricultural center - since the beginning of the year.
The conditions have left more than 80 percent of the state in parched conditions defined as "extreme" as of this week, up...
Extreme Drought in CA Triggers Halting Fracking Waste Injection Avoid Aquifer Contamination
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on July 18th, 2014
EcoWatch: California officials have ordered an emergency shut-down of 11 oil and gas waste injection sites and a review of more than 100 others in the state`s drought-wracked Central Valley out of fear that companies may have been pumping fracking fluids and other toxic waste into drinking water aquifers there.
The state`s Division of Oil and Gas and Geothermal Resources on July 7 issued cease and desist orders to seven energy companies warning that they may be injecting their waste into aquifers that could...
EPA: Proposed Pebble Mine could destroy Alaskan salmon fishery
Posted by Mother Nature Network: None Given on July 18th, 2014
Mother Nature Network: For one of the largest mines ever conceived, the proposed Pebble Mine project in southwest Alaska hasn't gotten much press. The site, located about 200 miles from Anchorage and accessible only by plane, is said to contain half a trillion dollars' worth of copper, gold and other valuable minerals. For years now a group called the Pebble Limited Partnership has been working to start mining operations at the site, but for just as long, conservation groups have fought the plan, saying it would cause...
EPA Blocks Giant Alaska Mine to Protect Bristol Bay Salmon
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on July 18th, 2014
Environment News Service: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed regulations to protect one of the world's most valuable salmon fisheries, in Bristol Bay, Alaska, from the risks posed by a proposed open pit mine nearly as deep as the Grand Canyon and larger than Manhattan.
This deposit of copper, gold and molybdenum is owned by Northern Dynasty Minerals based in Vancouver, Canada and the Pebble Limited Partnership, based in Anchorage, Alaska. It could become one of the largest open pit mines in the world...
Washington state wildfires force evacuation of town, destroy homes
Posted by Reuters: Victoria Cavaliere on July 18th, 2014
Reuters: A wildfire burning out of control in Washington state’s Cascade Mountains destroyed at least 35 homes and forced the evacuation of an entire town early on Friday, as firefighters faced another tough day battling the blaze amid drought-like conditions.
Four separate fires triggered by lightning in the Methow Valley merged into two on Thursday, quickly scorching 15 miles of land and sending flames encroaching on the central Washington town of Pateros, some 120 miles northeast of Seattle, local emergency...
Wildfires Intensify in Pacific Northwest as Winds Rise
Posted by National Geographic: Brian Clark Howard on July 18th, 2014
National Geographic: More than two dozen wildfires in Oregon and Washington, sparked by lightning strikes last weekend and spurred by hot, dry conditions and strong winds, are expected to intensify Friday. Hundreds of people have been evacuated and about 1,000 homes have been threatened as more than 300,000 acres burn.
"We're going to have another windy day today, so we expect more fire growth, but we're doing the best we can to contain them," says Ken Frederick, a spokesperson with the National Interagency Fire Center...
Atlantic Salmon can Adapt to Warm Waters
Posted by Nature World: None Given on July 18th, 2014
Nature World: Atlantic salmon can cope with climate change, a new study has found.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Oslo and University of British Columbia, has found that populations of Atlantic salmon have the ability to adjust to warmer temperatures.
For the study, researchers looked at salmon populations in two European rivers. The team compared fish population from Norway's northern Alta River with fish population in France's Dordogne River. The temperature of the Alta river...
First U.S. Chikungunya Virus Infections Take Hold
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 18th, 2014
National Geographic: Two people in South Florida are the first to contract a debilitating mosquito-borne disease called chikungunya within the continental United States.
The disease, which causes severe joint pain but is rarely lethal, has spread rapidly throughout the Caribbean in recent months. Of the previous 234 cases reported in the continental U.S., all were in people who got mosquito bites while traveling. elated: "Mosquitoes Carry Painful Chikungunya Disease to Americas.")
The two people, one in Miami and...
Australia will pay dearly for repealing carbon tax
Posted by New Scientist: Azeen Ghorayshi on July 18th, 2014
New Scientist: Australia's carbon tax, one of the world's landmark attempts to stop climate change, is officially no more. The country's government says the move will save money, but in reality the costs will be high.
Instead of decreasing its greenhouse gas emissions, Australia is likely to grow them by up to 18 per cent by 2020. The government has outlined plans to cut emissions in a different way, but analysts say this is likely to cost more and achieve less than the original carbon tax. The repeal may also...