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Archive for January 28th, 2015
United Kingdom: Lancashire council defers Cuadrilla fracking decision
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 28th, 2015
Guardian: Planning decisions on the UK’s full scale fracking have been deferred for eight weeks by Lancashire county council (LCC), which was due to decide this week on two proposals from shale gas explorer Cuadrilla.
But after council planning officers recommended last week that permission should be refused on the grounds of “unnacceptable” noise and heavy truck traffic, Cuadrilla submitted revised proposals.
LCC’s chief legal adviser said on Wednesday that these proposals were “substantive” and therefore...
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Flooding leaves mess in oceanfront Massachusetts after storm
Posted by Reuters: Scott Malone on January 28th, 2015
Reuters: Ocean Street in the waterfront Massachusetts town of Marshfield was littered with lobster traps, downed wires and chunks of houses on Wednesday, after a massive blizzard hammered New England.
Notably absent was much of the 2 feet (30 cm) of snow that blanketed much of the Boston area, since for much of the storm, Ocean Street was under water because of flooding from a breached sea wall. About a dozen homes were badly damaged.
"This area sees flooding regularly, but we haven't seen damage like...
Obama Moves To Cement His Environmental Legacy
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 28th, 2015
National Public Radio: He took steps to protect land in Alaska from oil and gas drilling, and to allow offshore drilling along the coasts of Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia — part of a climate change strategy.
Blizzard Spares New York, Buries Boston, Into Canada
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on January 28th, 2015
Environment News Service: The powerful storm that brought heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions to the Northeast on Monday persisted Tuesday as heavy snow and blizzard conditions paralyzed travel from eastern Long Island to Maine. Snow and strong winds began tapering off from south to north Tuesday night into Wednesday morning as the blizzard system slowly moves northeast into eastern Canada.
While the National Weather Service has posted blizzard warnings for eastern New Hampshire and Maine overnight, and periods of heavy...
Protests Against Fracking in the Sahara Desert Are Spreading in Algeria
Posted by Vice: Pierre Longeray on January 28th, 2015
Vice: Anti-fracking protests have escalated in the small Algerian town of In Salah since the start of January, and have now spread to neighboring towns in the region. The demonstrations have continued despite the government's announcement that plans to tap shale gas reserves have been temporarily shelved amid growing public concern over the environmental impact. Residents of In Salah, a town of 36,000 that is located 750 miles south of the capital Algiers, have been protesting relentlessly since January...
Radical Evolution Isn’t as Random as You’d Think
Posted by Nature World: None Given on January 28th, 2015
Nature World: Evolutionary biologists have always wondered that if we were to hit that "restart" button, would things still turn out as they have? A new study says that's more than likely, as many species seem to have stumbled upon the same few saving-grace traits on their own accord.
That's at least according to a study recently published in the journal Nature Genetics, which details how an international team of experts set out to investigate the evolutionary history of three groups of aquatic mammals - the...
Blizzard slams Boston area, spares New York despite predictions
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 28th, 2015
Reuters: A powerful blizzard struck Boston and surrounding New England on Tuesday, leaving some 4.5 million people grappling with as much as three feet of snow and coastal flooding but sparing New York City residents who had braced for a significant blast. Snow was forecast to keep falling into early Wednesday in eastern New England, possibly setting a record snowfall in Boston. At Logan International Airport, 23.3 inches (59.2 cm) of snow was on the ground early evening, swept higher in parts by strong...