You are here

Home

Environment

Supreme Court Preserves Victory Over Oil/Gas Development in Utah

Sun, 2013-10-20 23:58 — admin

earthjustice.org - October 18, 2013 - Doug Pflugh

It is rewarding to successfully wrap-up a case. This can be especially true when our work protects special places, preserving them for future generations. It is a pleasure to be able to point at a map and say, “Those are the places that were saved.”

The U.S. Supreme Court took action last week that did just that—endorsing an earlier conservation victory and ending the long fight over proposed oil and gas development on the doorstep of beloved public lands in the west ...

Country / Region Tags: 
US - West
General Topic Tags: 
Energy
Environment
Land Use
Water
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Situation Report

Climate Change Creates Complicated Consequences for North America's Forests

Sun, 2013-10-20 20:29 — Maeryn Obley

Dartmouth Professor Matt Ayres studies the southern pine bark beetle, a forest pest that may be the largest source of disturbance in coniferous forests throughout North America. (Credit: Eli Burakian)

Image: Dartmouth Professor Matt Ayres studies the southern pine bark beetle, a forest pest that may be the largest source of disturbance in coniferous forests throughout North America. (Credit: Eli Burakian)

sciencedaily.com - October 15th, 2013

Climate change affects forests across North America -- in some cases permitting insect outbreaks, plant diseases, wildfires and other problems -- but Dartmouth researchers say warmer temperatures are also making many forests grow faster and some less susceptible to pests, which could boost forest health and acreage, timber harvests, carbon storage, water recycling and other forest benefits in some areas.

The Dartmouth-led study, which appears in the journal Ecological Monographs, reviewed nearly 500 scientific papers dating to the 1950s, making it the most comprehensive review to date of climate change's diverse consequences for forests across the United States, Canada and the rest of North America.

Country / Region Tags: 
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Climate
Ecosystems
Environment
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Situation Report

Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Ongoing Lessons for New York (and elsewhere)

Sun, 2013-10-20 11:34 — Gina Angiola
This panel discussion,Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Ongoing Lessons for New York, is an extremely informative review of the devastating nuclear event in Japan, the continuing challenges there, and the implications for our own nuclear energy facilities in the U.S. Start the video around 5 minutes in, as there is dead-time at the beginning. The total length is roughly three hours.

The panel includes the former Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan; Ralph Nader, political activist, author, attorney and lecturer; Dr. Gregory Jaczko; former NRC Commissioner, Peter Bradford; and nuclear engineer, Arnie Gundersen. The panel specifically addresses concerns regarding the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant now operating with an expired license in Buchanan, New York.

Country / Region Tags: 
Global
Japan
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Energy
Environment
Oceans
Tsunami
Vulnerability
Water
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Situation Report

Chevron Goes to Trial in New York Over $18 Billion Ecuador Award

Sat, 2013-10-19 18:12 — Kathy Gilbeaux

A Chevron gas station sign is pictured at one of their retain gas stations in Cardiff, California October 9, 2013. 
Credit: Reuters/Mike Blake

reuters.com - by Bernard Vaughan - October 14, 2013

(Reuters) - Chevron Corp will try to convince a U.S. judge this week that a group of Ecuadorean villagers and their U.S. lawyer used bribery to win an $18 billion judgment against Chevron from a court in Ecuador, in the latest chapter in a long-running fight over pollution in the Amazon jungle.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

CLICK HERE - Wikipedia - History - Lago Agrio Oil Field

Country / Region Tags: 
Global
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Energy
Environment
Pollution
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Problem
Situation Report

Increased Mercury Levels Near Tar Sands

Thu, 2013-10-17 21:10 — Kathy Gilbeaux

priceofoil.org - by Andy Rowell - October 15, 2013

CLICK HERE - STUDY - Mercury Trends in Colonial Waterbird Eggs Downstream of the Oil Sands Region of Alberta, Canada

Scientists have released yet another academic study that indicates the growing ecological impact of the tar sands.

They measured the amount of mercury in birds eggs downstream from the tar sands and compared them to eggs some distance away from the polluting region.

What they found was that the eggs of certain species of predatory birds living downstream from the tar sands were found to have “statistically significant increases” of the dangerous heavy metal, mercury.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Country / Region Tags: 
Global
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Energy
Environment
Pollution
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Problem
Situation Report

ND Waits 11 Days to Tell Public About Oil Spill

Sun, 2013-10-13 22:43 — Gina Angiola
BISMARCK, N.D. October 11, 2013 (AP)
By JAMES MacPHERSON Associated Press

 

When a pipeline rupture sent more than 20,000 barrels of crude spewing across a North Dakota wheat field, it took nearly two weeks for officials to tell the public about it.

The break in a Tesoro Corp. pipeline happened in a remote area, and officials say no water was contaminated or wildlife hurt. But environmentalists are skeptical and say it's an example of a boom industry operating too cozily with state regulators.

"It shows an attitude of our current state government and what they think of the public," said Don Morrison, executive director of the Dakota Resource Council, an environmental-minded landowner group with more than 700 members in North Dakota. "It's definitely worrisome. There is a pattern in current state government to not involve the public."...

FULL STORY HERE

Country / Region Tags: 
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Disaster Response
Energy
Environment
Pollution
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Problem

Saturday, October 19, 2013 is Global Frackdown Day - attend an event near you

Tue, 2013-10-08 21:29 — admin

Unknown-1

On Saturday, October 19, 2013, there will be hundreds of events taking place throughout the world to bring to light the dangers of fracking.

See what events are taking place in your area

Meeting / Event Tags: 
Presentation
Country / Region Tags: 
Global
General Topic Tags: 
Energy
Environment
Water
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Other

Judge Hears Claims BP Lied to Feds About Oil Spill

Sun, 2013-10-06 18:46 — Kathy Gilbeaux

FILE- In this July 11, 2010, file photo, provided by BP, workers onboard the Transocean Discoverer Inspiration deploy the 3 Ram Capping Stack to the Deepwater Horizon BOP in the Gulf of Mexico. Experts for BP and the federal government used the data from the gauges in calculating how much how much oil spilled into the Gulf during the 87 days it took to plug the well. But they will provide a judge with widely different estimates when the second phase of a trial resumes Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, for litigation spawned by the spill. (AP Photo/BP, Marc Morrison, File)

ap.org - abcnews.com - by Michael Kunzelman
September 30, 2013

The focus of a trial over BP's massive 2010 oil spill has shifted from the causes of the deadly disaster to the company's struggle to plug its blown-out well while millions of gallons of crude gushed into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months.

The trial's second phase opened Monday with claims that BP could have capped the well much sooner if it hadn't ignored decades of warnings about the risks of a deep-water blowout or withheld crucial information about the size of the spill from federal officials.

Country / Region Tags: 
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Energy
Environment
Pollution
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Other

Fracking Produces Annual Toxic Waste Water Enough to Flood Washington DC

Sat, 2013-10-05 22:57 — Kathy Gilbeaux

REPORT - Fracking by the Numbers - Key Impacts of Dirty Drilling at the State and National Level (47 page .PDF report)

CLICK HERE - Fracking by the Numbers - Key Impacts of Dirty Drilling at the State and National Level

CLICK HERE - Fracking by the Numbers - New Report First to Quantify Damage Done by Gas Drilling

Growing concerns over radiation risks as report finds widespread environmental damage on an unimaginable scale in the US

theguardian.com - by Suzanne Goldenberg
October 4, 2013

Fracking in America generated 280bn US gallons of toxic waste water last year – enough to flood all of Washington DC beneath a 22ft deep toxic lagoon, a new report out on Thursday found.

Country / Region Tags: 
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Energy
Environment
Water
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Problem
Situation Report

ExxonMobil company charged with fracking-related crimes

Fri, 2013-10-04 23:53 — Maeryn Obley

ExxonMobil's flag flies near an oil refinery.Image: ExxonMobil's flag flies near an oil refinery.

grist.org - September 12th, 2013 - John Upton

ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO Energy is being prosecuted for alleged environmental crimes after it spilled fracking wastewater into a Pennsylvania river in 2010.

The company’s response? It claims the criminal charges could harm the environment.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Country / Region Tags: 
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Energy
Environment
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Situation Report

Pages

Subscribe to Environment
howdy folks