Archive for October 2nd, 2015

African crops, economies at risk as El Nino threatens to scorch & soak

Reuters: Standing waist-deep in a hole, South African maize farmer Tom van Rooyen digs at the side with a small pickaxe. "There is moisture 25 centimeters down but nothing beyond that. If we get below-average rains, it will be a disaster," he said, wiping the red dust from his calloused hands. Poor rains are forecast for South Africa's maize belt because of the El Nino weather pattern, expected to bring more drought to already-parched southern regions in Africa and potential flooding in the east. This...

Exxon Fined $2.63 Million for Arkansas Pipeline Spill

Reuters: The U.S. pipeline safety office has fined Exxon Mobil Corp $2.63 million for spilling crude oil in an Arkansas residential area in 2013, the regulator said on Thursday. The Illinois-to-Texas, 20 inch (51 cm), Pegasus pipeline spilled about 3,190 barrels of oil in a neighborhood near the town of Mayflower. Regulators initially estimated the spill was about 5,000 barrels. The case will be closed when the civil penalty is paid and terms of a compliance order are completed, the Pipeline and Hazardous...