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Worst Fracking Wastewater Spill North Dakota Leaks 3 Million Gallons Into River
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 23rd, 2015
EcoWatch: Three million gallons of brine, a salty, toxic byproduct of oil and natural gas production—also known as fracking wastewater—spilled from a leaking pipe in western North Dakota. State officials say it’s the worst spill of its kind since the fracking boom began in the state. The spill was reported 17 days ago when Operator Summit Midstream Partners found a toxic leak of salty drilling waste from a pipeline in the heart of the Bakken oil boom. Officials say there’s no immediate threat to human health...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Worst Fracking Wastewater Spill North Dakota Leaks 3 Million Gallons Into RiverHow We Banned Fracking in New York
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 22nd, 2015
EcoWatch: My friends, we are unfractured.
And thereby hangs a tale.
It’s a tale in which we all are—each one of us is—a starring character and a co-author. We are the maker of this story that has been shaped by our unceasing, unrelenting efforts—all of which mattered and made a difference.
Every rally. Every march. Every jug of Dimock water. Every public comment. Every local ban. Every letter to the editor. Every letter to the Governor. Every concert. Every expert testimony at every hearing.
It...
Remarkable Images of California’s Epic Drought Show Impact on Farmers
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 19th, 2015
EcoWatch: With California experiencing the worst drought in 1,200 years, recent NASA satellite images documenting the stunning groundwater loss in California and the announcement last week that 2014 was the hottest year on record attributable to drivers of climate change, it’s vitally important that the seriousness of this issue stays top of mind for people, companies and policymakers.
One award-winning photojournalist, artist and filmmaker in the Western San Joaquin Valley, Randi Lynn Beach, is doing her...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Remarkable Images of California’s Epic Drought Show Impact on FarmersObama Administration Unveils New Methane Regulations
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 14th, 2015
EcoWatch: Carbon emissions and their role in driving climate change have been in the headlines for years. But recently another greenhouse gas has made headlines: methane. As research has shown, when it comes to fueling climate change, methane is up to 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Today, the Obama Administration announced new regulations to curb methane emissions, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction operations. This follows up on the president’s announcement last June of a plan to cut carbon...
GOP Agenda Promises Worst Attack on Environmental Protections in Decades
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 5th, 2015
EcoWatch: Last year, it often seemed like we were fighting attacks on the environment from all sides. But those of us pushing back against pollution and climate change enjoyed some significant victories in 2014, including the People’s Climate March in New York in September—said to be the largest environmental march in history—the dimming prospects for drilling in the Arctic, and of course, the fracking ban in New York state.
2015 is shaping up to be a year of even bigger environmental battles, with a new...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on GOP Agenda Promises Worst Attack on Environmental Protections in DecadesNative Voices Say No to Keystone XL Pipeline at DC Rally
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 5th, 2015
EcoWatch: On Jan. 3, more than 150 people from as far away as Canada, New Mexico, Virginia and New York gathered in front of the White House in Washington, DC to urge Congress and President Obama to say no to the Keystone XL pipeline. Organizers of the rally felt it was essential to make their voice heard prior to the Keystone XL debate taking center stage as Congress reconvenes this week.
On Wednesday, Jan. 7, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on legislation to try and...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Native Voices Say No to Keystone XL Pipeline at DC RallyPlunging Oil Prices Trigger Economic Downturn in Fracking Boom Town
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 3rd, 2015
EcoWatch: When fracking and horizontal drilling made the oil embedded in North Dakota‘s underground Bakken shale formation accessible for extraction, it touched off something akin to a gold rush in the state.
Oil production has grown 600 percent in the last decade. Small towns, called “man camps,” have sprouted with growing populations of oil field workers, bringing both increased economic activity and employment and increased crime and social problems such as sexual assaults. But plummeting oil prices...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Plunging Oil Prices Trigger Economic Downturn in Fracking Boom TownFracking Ban in New York Paves the Way for Other States
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on December 18th, 2014
EcoWatch: Fantastic news came from the state of New York this week when the Cuomo administration announced its decision to ban fracking in the state. This exciting decision is a tribute to everyone who has worked so hard in New York to protect the state from the ravages experiences elsewhere from fracking.
Here’s the full story: On Wednesday, the Governor convened a cabinet meeting where Acting Health Commissioner Howard Zucker presented the findings of the Department of Health’s review on fracking. He...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Fracking Ban in New York Paves the Way for Other StatesFamilies Forced to Flee Their Homes From Out-of-Control Leak at Fracking Well
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on December 17th, 2014
EcoWatch: More than two dozen families have been forced to flee their homes in Monroe County in eastern Ohio as natural gas poured from a leak at an unused fracking well, the C0lumbus Dispatch revealed.
According to Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) spokeswoman Bethany McCorkle, crews lost control of the well Saturday and have not yet been able to stop the leak. Families were evacuated from homes within a 1.5-mile radius of the well near the Ohio River. “There’s still a steady stream of natural...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Families Forced to Flee Their Homes From Out-of-Control Leak at Fracking WellCuomo Bans Fracking in New York State
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on December 17th, 2014
EcoWatch: In a victory for environmental, health and community activists, fracking has been banned in New York state. That was the conclusion reached at a public, livestreamed meeting of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s cabinet in Albany today. Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation Joseph Martens issued the order, following a report on his own findings and a strongly cautionary report from Dr. Howard Zucker, commissioner of the Department of Health, who compared the unknown health impacts of...