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Archive for the ‘Water Conservation’ Category
Coal suspension affects 30-plus mining projects
Posted by Associated Press: Otis Underwood on January 16th, 2016
Associated Press: The Obama administration announced a moratorium on new coal development on public land Friday while it studies the impact of the USA leasing program on climate change, prompting fresh criticism that President Obama is ramping up his "war on coal". The executive order also called for the Department of Interior to initiate an immediate review of coal operations on federal lands with an eye toward determining "how to ensure American taxpayers are earning a fair return for the use of their public resources"....
Michigan Governor in Hot Water Over Flint Water Crisis
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on January 16th, 2016
Environment News Service: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican, Thursday asked President Barack Obama to declare both an emergency and an expedited major disaster for Genesee County as a result of ongoing emergency water response efforts in the city of Flint.
Snyder requested federal aid in the form of individual and public assistance to help residents and state and local government agencies to protect the health, safety and welfare of Flint`s more than 102,400 residents.
Located along the Flint River, 66 miles...
Obama temporarily bans new coal leases on federal land
Posted by LA Times: Matt Pearce on January 16th, 2016
LA Times: Angering coal supporters, the Obama administration announced a temporary ban on new coal leases on federal lands Friday as part of a broad environmental and economic review of the nation's federal coal program.
The decision, which was lauded by environmental advocates, came three days after President Obama said in his State of the Union address that he would "push to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources, so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet,"...
Brazilian court suspends operating license Belo Monte dam
Posted by Mongabay: None Given on January 16th, 2016
Mongabay: The gigantic Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, located on the Xingu River in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, stood just weeks away from beginning operation this week — but the controversial mega-dam, the third largest on earth, has now been blocked from generating electricity by the Brazilian court system until its builders and the government meet previous commitments made to the region’s indigenous people. Federal court judge Maria Carolina Valente do Carmo in the city of Altamira, in the state...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Brazilian court suspends operating license Belo Monte damBelo Monte dam operations delayed by Brazil court ruling on indigenous people
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 15th, 2016
Guardian: The start of operations at Brazil’s Belo Monte dam could be held up following a court judgment that operators have yet to provide adequate support to indigenous groups affected by the giant construction.
The world’s fourth biggest hydropower plant was due to test its first turbines within weeks on a stretch of the Xingu river in the Amazon that is a centre of ethnic and biological diversity.
But even as the reservoirs begin to fill, the controversy that has dogged the project since its inception...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Belo Monte dam operations delayed by Brazil court ruling on indigenous peopleNot All Frogs Are Doomed By That Deadly Amphibian Fungus
Posted by Gizmodo: Maddie Stone on January 15th, 2016
Gizmodo: For twenty years, the deadly fungal disease Bd has been wiping out amphibians across the world. But a new study offers hope that some frogs will be spared, thanks in part to an unexpected savior: climate change.
It’s not often that we hear about positive impacts of anthropogenic climate change. And yet, a team of scientists at the Wildlife Conservation Society is now predicting that in Africa’s Albertine Rift--one of the most biodiverse places on the planet--global warming will cause Bd’s range...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Not All Frogs Are Doomed By That Deadly Amphibian FungusCanada: Climate Change Could Slash Natives’ Fish Catches
Posted by KUOW: None Given on January 15th, 2016
KUOW: Northwest coastal tribes have counted on salmon and herring for thousands of years to fill their nets and fuel their cultures. That could change in just a few decades as warmer waters drive fish north, according to a study out this week from the University of British Columbia.
Researchers looked at 98 species that native, or First Nations, communities catch on the B.C. coast.
"What we find is that most of the species will have a decrease in potential catch and abundance by 2050," said UBC professor...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Canada: Climate Change Could Slash Natives’ Fish CatchesWhy Does So Much U.S. Coal Come from Federal Land?
Posted by National Geographic: Christina Nunez on January 15th, 2016
National Geographic: By hitting “pause” on granting new federal coal leases, the Obama administration is facing up to an uncomfortable reality in its drive to meet climate targets: Nearly 41 percent of American coal comes from government-owned land. The price industry pays to mine that coal hasn’t changed in more than 30 years. Now, the Interior Department plans for the first time to factor impacts on the environment and human health into the deal. The shift announced Friday aims to bring a decades-old leasing policy...
Obama Halts Federal Coal Leasing Citing Climate Change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 15th, 2016
Scientific American: The Obama administration on Friday brought a temporary halt to new coal mining leases on federal lands while it conducts a three-year review meant to bring coal leasing in line with U.S. climate policy.
The moratorium comes just days after Obama said in his State of the Union Address that he would push to change the way the government manages its oil and coal resources to reflect the costs they impose on both taxpayers and the planet. The moratorium takes place immediately, but does not halt coal...
Obama Halts Coal Leases on U.S. Public Lands
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on January 15th, 2016
Environment News Service: No new coal leases will be issued on public lands while the Obama Administration conducts a comprehensive review of the federal coal program to identify and evaluate potential reforms, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced today.
Taxpayer-owned federal lands supply roughly 40 percent of all U.S. coal production, and mining under existing leases will continue during the review.
"Even as our nation transitions to cleaner energy sources, building on smart policies and progress already underway,...