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Art Berman: Reflections on a Decade of Shale Gas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHkKa4Zj_94

Art Berman, Labyrinth Consulting Services, Houston, talks to HGS about his research into the economics of drilling and producing unconventional reservoirs in the United States. He discusses the Eagle Ford, Haynesville, Barnett and other shale gas plays. Berman presents graphs that show shale gas uneconomic to drill and produce at current gas prices. He says the public is mislead by energy company statements that gas reserves are large and that companies are making a profit from shale gas. The Houston Geological Society is not responsible for content or conclusions presented in this talk.

By: HGSGeoEducation

http://www.hgs.org/multimedia_Education

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EPA Report on Fracking in Texas Raises New Concerns

An inspector general's report says the EPA was justified in investigating claims of water contamination near a fracking site in Texas.

latimes.com - By Neela Banjeree - December 24, 2013

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency was justified in intervening to examine possible risks of gas drilling to Texas drinking water, the agency's internal watchdog reported Tuesday.

But environmentalists say the report raises fresh concerns about the EPA's 2012 decision to halt its investigation into possible well-water contamination in Parker County, Texas.

The EPA inspector general's report is the latest analysis to spotlight the regulator's handling of high-profile cases of alleged drinking-water contamination near natural gas drilling sites.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Census Bureau Introduces New Interactive Mapping Tool along with Latest American Community Survey Statistics

census.gov- December 17, 2013

The U.S. Census Bureau released Census Explorer, a new interactive mapping tool that gives users easier access to neighborhood level statistics. The mapping tool uses updated statistics from the 2008-2012 American Community Survey (ACS), which were also released today.

The new application allows users to map out different social, economic and housing characteristics of their state, county or census tract, and to see how these areas have changed since the 1990 and 2000 censuses. The mapping tool is powered by American Community Survey statistics from the Census Bureau's API, an application programming interface that allows developers to take data sets and reuse them to create online and mobile apps.

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National Health Security Preparedness Index (NHSPI)

submitted by Deirdre Darragh

nhspi.org

The NHSPI™ examines the health security preparedness of the nation by looking collectively at the health security preparedness of states. The Index results are updated annually.

The NHSPI™ applies the National Health Security Strategy definition of national health security: the state in which the Nation and its people are prepared for, protected from, and resilient in the face of health threats or incidents with potentially negative health consequences.

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Presidential Task Force on Climate Change (PTFCC)

CLICK HERE - whitehouse.gov
State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force

CLICK HERE - whitehouse.gov
Climate Change Resilience

Local leaders planning for climate effects

news.yahoo.com - by Matthew Daly - December 10, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to climate change, local officials have a message for Washington: Lead or get out of the way.

 

Local governments have long acted as first responders in emergencies and now are working to plan for sea level rise, floods, hurricanes and other extreme events associated with climate change.

As a presidential task force prepares for its first meeting Tuesday, local officials say they want and need federal support, but they worry that congressional gridlock and balky bureaucratic rules too often get in the way.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Federal Study Warns of Sudden Climate Change Woes

(CLICK HERE - STUDY - ABRUPT IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE - Anticipating Surprises)

National Academy of Sciences

ap.org - by Seth Borenstein - December 3, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hard-to-predict sudden changes to Earth's environment are more worrisome than climate change's bigger but more gradual impacts, a panel of scientists advising the federal government concluded Tuesday.

The 200-page report by the National Academy of Sciences looked at warming problems that can occur in years instead of centuries. The report repeatedly warns of potential "tipping points" where the climate passes thresholds, beyond which "major and rapid changes occur." And some of these quick changes are happening now, said study chairman James White of the University of Colorado.

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Researchers Link Earthquakes In Texas To Fracking Process

      

CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK

thinkprogress.org - By Katie Valentine - December 6, 2013

Researchers at Southern Methodist University have linked a string of 2009 and 2010 earthquakes in Texas to the injection of fracking wastewater into the ground, according to a new study.

The researchers examined the group of more than 50 earthquakes that hit the area of Cleburne, Texas in 2009 and 2010, and found that they could have happened because of wastewater injection wells associated with fracking operations. Before 2008, the Fort Worth Basin of Texas had never experienced an earthquake.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

STUDY - Analysis of the Cleburne, Texas, Earthquake Sequence from June 2009 to June 2010

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WEATHER ADVISORY -URGENT

Tue Nov 26 15:57:54 2013 
STATUS: Open - Active 
PROGNOSIS: Monitoring 
Weather-Nor-Easter 
Citywide  

 

(OEM WEATHER DISTRIBUTION LIST)

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY 
345 PM EST TUE NOV 26 2013

...STRONG WINDS EXPECTED FROM LATE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MAINLY 
IN AND NEAR NEW YORK CITY AND COASTAL SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST NEW 
YORK AND CONNECTICUT...

NORTHERN MIDDLESEX-SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD-SOUTHERN NEW HAVEN-HUDSON- 
SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER-NEW YORK (MANHATTAN)-BRONX- 
RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)-KINGS (BROOKLYN)-NORTHERN QUEENS- 
SOUTHERN QUEENS- 
345 PM EST TUE NOV 26 2013

...WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 9 AM EST 
WEDNESDAY...

* LOCATIONS...NEW YORK CITY...HUDSON COUNTY...SOUTHERN 
  WESTCHESTER COUNTY... COASTAL SOUTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT...AND 
  NORTHERN MIDDLESEX COUNTY.

* HAZARDS...STRONG WINDS.

* WINDS...SOUTHEAST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH.

* TIMING...STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE FROM LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY 
  WEDNESDAY MORNING.

* IMPACTS...POTENTIAL FOR DOWNED TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES...AND 
  POSSIBLY A FEW TREES...CAUSING PROPERTY DAMAGE AND POWER 
  OUTAGES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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Voltaic Systems - Solar Chargers

voltaicsystems.com

Voltaic Systems makes products that produce and store their own power to run your electronics anywhere. We are based in New York City and ship directly to customers and our partners worldwide from warehouses in New Jersey and the Netherlands.

http://www.voltaicsystems.com/

About - Voltaic Systems

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House Votes to Block Federal Fracking Rules

submitted by Margery Schab

thehill.com - by Pete Kasperowicz - November 20, 2013

The House passed legislation Wednesday evening that would block the Department of the Interior from regulating hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in states that already have their own regulations in place.

Members passed the bill 235-187 with the help of 12 Democrats; two Republicans voted against it.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

govtrack.us - H.R. 2728

rules.house.gov - H.R. 2728

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