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Archive for May 28th, 2015
Telescope Construction Cont atop Hawaiian Volcano
Posted by Science Times: Rachel K Wentz on May 28th, 2015
Science Times: The best place to view space is from a locale far from the glaring lights of human habitation. And what better spot than the isolated Hawaiian islands, in the middle of the northern Pacific? Unfortunately, the residents of Hawaii abhor the idea of another telescope marring their sacred mountain. So they have banned together to bid the giant scope a hearty "Aloha!"
The $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), which its nonprofit company claims will transform the fields of astronomy, astrophysics,...
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Federal government orders pipeline company clean California oil spill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 28th, 2015
Reuters: The federal government on Wednesday ordered a company at the center of a Southern California oil spill to continue its efforts to clean up the pipeline breach that dumped crude onto a pristine stretch of shoreline and into the Pacific Ocean.
The order from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Coast Guard also requires Texas-based Plains All American Pipeline to submit a written plan by June 6 that will outline measures for analyzing the spill's effects on the environment.
The...
Hundreds evacuated in Texas after storms leave least 15 dead
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 28th, 2015
Reuters: Hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate flood-threatened areas of Texas on Wednesday as torrential rains battered the state, where at least 15 people have been killed in weather-related incidents this week, including six in Houston.
People were told to stay away from more than 200 homes in Parker County where the Brazos River was poised to overflow its banks about 30 miles (50 km) west of Fort Worth on Wednesday night, county officials said.
"The river is coming up fast and flowing at dangerous...
Scientists Warn to Expect More Weather Extremes
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 28th, 2015
New York Times: Torrential rains and widespread flooding in Texas have brought relief from a yearslong drought to many parts of the state. Such unpredictable and heavy rains are a big part of what climate scientists say that many Texans can expect in years to come. The relief has come at a great cost. The death toll from storms across the state and Oklahoma has reached at least 19, by some estimates, and the property damage is so extensive that Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has declared some 40 counties disaster areas....
Climate Change a Factor in Texas Floods, Largely Ignored
Posted by Texas Tribune: Neena Satija and Jim Malewitz on May 28th, 2015
Texas Tribune: Climate change is taking a toll on Texas, and the devastating floods that have killed at least 15 people and left 12 others missing across the state are some of the best evidence yet of that phenomenon, state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said in an interview Wednesday. "We have observed an increase of heavy rain events, at least in the South-Central United States, including Texas," said Nielsen-Gammon, who was appointed by former Gov. George W. Bush in 2000. "And it's consistent with what...