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Archive for September 13th, 2014
Crews battle out-of-control wildfire as Southern California bakes
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 13th, 2014
Reuters: Hundreds of firefighters spent a second day on Saturday battling a wildfire burning out of control in a national forest southeast of Los Angeles, as the region baked under triple-digit temperatures that prompted authorities to issue a "heat alert."
The so-called Silverado Fire, which broke out in the Cleveland National Forest on Friday morning, had charred some 1,600 acres (647 hectares) by Saturday afternoon as it burned through brush and chaparral left bone dry by California's record drought....
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Gov. Hassan signs 3 bills designed to protect NH against pipeline spills
Posted by Union Leader: None Given on September 13th, 2014
Union Leader: Gov. Maggie Hassan signed three bills Friday afternoon designed to help the state better regulate pipelines and to better prepare for any pipeline emergencies that might happen.
Amid the mountain splendor that is the New Hampshire Presidential Range, Hassan also signed a fourth bill establishing a Rural Affairs Commission, something she said she knows Sen. Jeff Woodburn, D-Dalton, "has wanted for a long time."
To help with pipeline safety, House Bill 325 gives the state Department of Environmental...
Pakistan-India monsoon floods: Averting future disasters
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 13th, 2014
BBC: After yet another devastating flood, experts say that what Pakistan and India need to do is build more dams and reservoirs.
It makes these annual disasters all the more tragic that for most of the year both countries have little rain.
Yet after leaving more than 450 dead and a swathe of destruction on both sides of the border, much of the water dumped on the Kashmir and Punjab regions in the past 10 days will now be wasted.
Critics say both the Indian and Pakistani governments have repeatedly...
The Pros and Cons of Fracking
Posted by Nature World: None Given on September 13th, 2014
Nature World: Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," has gained popularity over recent years, and given the controversy over this practice, new research decided to lay out some of its environmental pros as well as cons.
Fracking involves blasting huge amounts of water, sand and chemicals deep into underground rock formations to access valuable oil and natural gas. While this is a form of alternative energy, it also has harmful environmental implications, influencing local air pollution, earthquakes and, especially,...