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Archive for September 5th, 2014
EPA setting its sights on methane
Posted by US News: Alan Neuhauser on September 5th, 2014
US News: The Environmental Protection Agency may be turning an eye toward curtailing emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, agency Administrator Gina McCarthy said this week.
“What is a methane strategy for oil and gas that we can embrace?” McCarthy said Tuesday during a forum in New York City hosted by Barclays. “Methane isn’t a waste – it’s a wasted opportunity when it leaks.”
Increasing amounts of methane have escaped into the atmosphere over the past decade,...
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Sunlight boosts CO2 from thawing permafrost
Posted by ClimateWire: Christa Marshall on September 5th, 2014
ClimateWire: Arctic permafrost holds about twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, making its ultimate fate a key factor in the severity and pace of climate change impacts.
Now a study reports that old assumptions of how permafrost carbon breaks down in Arctic lakes and rivers may be wrong. Instead of bacteria being responsible for the conversion of carbon into carbon dioxide, the real culprit in many cases is sunlight, according to the research supported by the National Science Foundation.
The findings...
‘BP should pay they’ve done a lot of damage’: Gulf workers hail ruling
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 5th, 2014
Associated Press: Environmentalists, recreational fishermen and people who make their living on the Gulf of Mexico are hailing a federal judge’s ruling that could mean $18 billion in additional fines for BP over the nation’s worst offshore oil spill.
Lisa Smith cheered and gave an emphatic “yes” Thursday afternoon when she heard about the decision as she fished off a beach bridge in Florida.
“BP should have to pay, they’ve done a lot of damage,” Smith said.
In the town of Lafitte, Louisiana, David Robin said...
Full house likely as Nebraska top court hears Keystone XL case
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 5th, 2014
Reuters: Backers and opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline are expected to pack a courtrooom in Lincoln on Friday when the Nebraska Supreme Court hears arguments about whether the state's governor was wrong to approve a route for the controversial project.
At issue is a 2012 law that gave Governor Dave Heineman the authority to approve a route for TransCanada Corp's proposed Canada-to-Texas project, which would carry tar sands crude oil from Alberta to Texas.
Siting issues are typically settled by the...
United Kingdom: Public opposes fracking national parks & under private land
Posted by Blue and Green: Charlotte Malone on September 5th, 2014
Blue and Green: A new poll has found the controversial possibility of fracking operations coming to UK national parks and private land is opposed by the majority of the public.
In July, the government revealed that British national parks would be open to fracking “under exceptional circumstances”. Energy companies can now apply for new licences to drill for shale oil and gas after more than half the country was opened up for potential exploitation, with national parks, World Heritage sites and areas of outstanding...
Kenya: Kenya poaching crisis ‘national disaster’
Posted by Agence France-Presse: Peter Martell on September 5th, 2014
Agence France-Presse: Kenya's government was under renewed pressure Friday to declare a "national disaster" because of the rampant slaughter of elephant and rhino, with two major newspapers dismissing wildlife authority claims that the situation was under control.
Conservation groups have repeatedly said the state-run Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is losing the fight against poachers and the organised crime bosses that pay them, and that the country's famed wildlife -- key to the nation's vital tourism economy -- is...
Heavy rains kill 73 in Pakistan as floods spread
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 5th, 2014
Reuters: At least 73 people have been killed across Pakistan after heavy rains brought flash floods and caused homes to collapse in the Punjab and Kashmir regions, government officials said Friday.
Most deaths occurred in the city of Lahore, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's powerbase, further damaging the government's standing after weeks of protests aimed at forcing the premier to step down.
As the political crisis dragged through its third week, people's attention turned to the devastation brought by...
United Kingdom: Public opposes push to frack national parks
Posted by BusinessGreen: James Murray on September 5th, 2014
BusinessGreen: Widespread public opposition to the government's fracking plans has again been underlined this week, as a new poll commissioned by the Guardian revealed a majority of people think fracking should be banned from national parks.
Ministers have said there would need to be "exceptional circumstances" to allow fracking in national parks, but have angered green groups by refusing to ban shale gas developments from the UK's most sensitive environments.
Now it appears that a clear majority of the public...
Sustainability software market tipped to top $1bn
Posted by BusinessGreen: None Given on September 5th, 2014
BusinessGreen: Corporate spending on environmental health and safety (EH&S) software is set to soar over the next five years, as economic recovery and tightening regulations combine to drive demand for sustainability software systems.
That is the conclusion of a new report from corporate sustainability research firm Verdantix, which predicts corporate spending on EH&S software will grow at 15 per cent a year through to 2018, creating a $1bn market across eight leading economies by 2018.
The market projections...
Where does Hillary Clinton stand on fracking?
Posted by Grist: None Given on September 5th, 2014
Grist: Hillary Clinton never actually said the word "fracking" during her keynote address at the National Clean Energy Summit in Nevada on Thursday, but she still clearly laid out her views on the technique: She`s all for it. She says it needs to be conducted and regulated properly so it doesn`t cause excessive environmental harm, but she believes that can be done. Which puts her totally in line with President Obama, and out of line with most of the environmental community.
During her address, Clinton...