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Archive for March 4th, 2015
More data needed fracking, water
Posted by Durango Herald: Peter Marcus on March 4th, 2015
Durango Herald: La Plata County Commissioner Gwen Lachelt worries that studies about the impact hydraulic fracturing has on water do not delve deep enough into the issue.
A study released Tuesday by the U.S. Geological Survey found a lack of data available relative to impacts to water quality in areas where fracking is prevalent.
It pointed out that there is not a national water-quality monitoring program in place that focuses on gas and oil development, so more data and research is necessary to better understand...
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Keystone XL Veto Override Fails in Senate
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on March 4th, 2015
EcoWatch: The U.S. Senate today attempted to override President Obama’s veto of legislation that would force approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, but fell short with a vote of 62-37. To override the President’s veto it would have required 67 votes in the Senate. Next step is for the National Interest Determination process to complete its assessment and then the State Department will make its final recommendations to President Obama, most likely in the coming months.
“The definition of insanity...
Vast Saharan dust plumes shown heading across Atlantic to the Amazon in images
Posted by Telegraph: Philip Sherwell on March 4th, 2015
Telegraph: Huge dust clouds swirling across the Atlantic from northern Africa to South America are pictured in stunning new images released by the US space agency Nasa that illustrate how Earth’s largest tropical rainforest relies on its biggest, hottest desert to flourish.
Scientists have now for the first time calculated how much dust makes this transatlantic journey from the Sahara to the Amazon basin where it fertilises depleted soils with life-sustaining nutrients.
Some 27.7 million tons of Saharan...
U.S. Senate fails to override Obama’s veto of Keystone XL approval
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 4th, 2015
Reuters: The U.S. Senate failed on Wednesday to override President Barack Obama’s veto of legislation approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline, leaving the controversial project to await an administration decision on whether to permit or deny it. The Senate mustered just 62 votes in favor of overriding the veto, short of the two-thirds needed. Thirty-seven senators voted to sustain Obama’s veto. The Senate action means the House of Representatives will not vote on override. Republican Senator John Hoeven...
California Orders 12 Oil-Field Wells Shut to Protect Groundwater
Posted by LA Times: Chris Megerian on March 4th, 2015
LA Times: California officials, responding to concerns about groundwater contamination, are closing 12 wells in the Central Valley used to dispose of chemical-laden water from oil and gas production, regulators announced Tuesday.
Steve Bohlen, who leads the state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, said the wells are being shut down "out of an abundance of caution for public health."
Ten of the wells, including some owned by Chevron, have been closed voluntarily and the companies have surrendered...
Wisconsin: Big mining experiment fades away
Posted by Kenosha News: None Given on March 4th, 2015
Kenosha News: Wisconsin's great test of whether environmentalists and iron miners can be friends, or could at least live together in peace, will have to wait for another time.
Gogebic Taconite, the company that planned a huge iron mine in northwestern Wisconsin, announced Friday that it was closing its office in Hurley and that the mine, which was projected to employ up to 700 people, was "unfeasible at this time, ' according to a brief item by the Associated Press.
In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal...
A Bad River Win; Gogebic Taconite Putting Wisc. Mine on Hold
Posted by Indian Country: Mary Annette Pember on March 4th, 2015
Indian Country: Gogebic Taconite announced last week that it is closing its office in Hurley, Wisconsin and, for now, putting plans on hold to build a huge open pit iron ore mine in the pristine Penokee Mountains in Northern Wisconsin. The proposed 4.5 mile wide mine would have produced 8 million tons of finished taconite annually, rivaling the huge Hibbing Taconite in Minnesota according to a report in the Duluth Tribune.
The planned area of the Wisconsin mine is located directly over the Great Northern Divide...