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Archive for September 24th, 2015
Wisconsin DNR delays decision on land sale to Scott Walker donor
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 24th, 2015
Associated Press: The Department of Natural Resources' board has put off deciding whether to sell a parcel of state-owned lakefront property to one of Gov. Scott Walker's major donors.
The agency wants to sell 1.75 acres along the Rest Lake shoreline to Elizabeth Uihlein for $275,000.
Uihlein and her husband, Richard, have donated nearly $3 million to Walker's presidential super PAC, Unintimidated PAC, and Our American Revival, Walker's now-defunct political committee. She owns a condominium complex adjacent...
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Faith Leaders Speak Out Against Fracking Amid Pope Francis’ Visit to U.S
Posted by EcoWatch: Wenonah Hauter on September 24th, 2015
EcoWatch: Earlier this year, Pope Francis called for decisive climate action in his encyclical. Now, while the Pope is visiting the U.S. for the first time, faith leaders across the country are speaking out against fracking--a form of extreme fossil fuel extraction that hurts our health and communities, contributes to climate change, and will prolong our dependence on oil and gas at the expense of the development of truly renewable energy.
Today, Food & Water Watch is previewing a Faith Against Fracking...
US EPA hears widely different views on methane emission threat
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 24th, 2015
Associated Press: Over-regulating methane emissions could discourage the use of environment-friendly natural gas, an energy industry representative told the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday. However, a former Colorado air quality official countered that such controls would be a cost-effective way to fight climate change. The EPA heard radically different views as it opened public hearings in Denver on its proposal to slash allowable methane emissions from oil and gas production. Sessions were also scheduled...
Colorado Supreme Court to Make Historic Ruling on Fracking Bans
Posted by EcoWatch: Gary Wockner on September 24th, 2015
EcoWatch: Tensions are rising to a crescendo across Colorado as the Colorado Supreme Court has agreed to hear the extremely controversial issue of whether fracking bans and long-term moratoriums are allowed in the state. Back in 2012 and 2013, five Colorado cities—Boulder, Broomfield, Lafayette, Longmont and Fort Collins—all enacted long-term moratoriums or bans. Boulder County also enacted a long-term moratorium. So far: The City of Boulder’s long-term moratorium was not challenged and remains intact....
Brazil’s Environmental Agency Denies Operating License to Controversial Belo Monte Dam
Posted by Blue and Green: None Given on September 24th, 2015
Blue and Green: On Tuesday night, the Brazilian press reported that the country’s Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) had temporarily denied Norte Energia’s request for an operating license for Belo Monte Dam. The reports cited serious examples of non-compliance with legally required measures to mitigate and compensate project impacts. Without the license, Norte Energia can’t close floodgates and fill a reservoir that will flood large portions of the city of Altamira before it begins...
Fracking Firms Struggle to Survive
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 24th, 2015
Wall Street Journal: A series of bankruptcies and closures is sweeping across the oil industry as dozens of hydraulic-fracturing companies, many of which are small, privately owned and just a few years old, are at risk from low oil prices, Alison Sider reports. Small start-ups began to challenge the oil-service giants in 2008, as American wildcatters embraced fracking—the process of blasting a slurry of water, sand and chemicals down a well to break apart densely packed rock, unlocking trapped oil and natural gas. “There...