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Archive for May 9th, 2011
Report links fracking to tainted drinking water
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 9th, 2011
Reuters: A controversial natural gas production technique, which is key to a century of U.S. domestic supply, is causing contamination of drinking water, a report released by the National Academy of Sciences said on Monday.
Scientists from Duke University collected 68 drinking water samples which showed potentially harmful levels of methane in drinking water near drilling sites in Pennsylvania and New York associated with the process of hydraulic-fracturing, or fracking.
"In aquifers overlying the Marcellus...
Gas drilling ‘contaminates water’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 9th, 2011
BBC: Shale gas drilling operations increase the risk of nearby drinking water becoming contaminated with methane, a study has suggested.
Researchers found, on average, methane concentrations 17 times above normal in samples taken near drilling sites.
Growing demand for energy has led to a sharp increase in shale gas extraction around the globe, prompting concerns about the impact of the technology.
The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"We found surprising...
Nuclear Power: Not the Solution to Climate Change
Posted by Monthly Review: Elizabeth A. Stanton and Frank Ackerman on May 9th, 2011
Monthly Review: If carbon emissions from energy production are the problem, is nuclear power the solution? After all, nuclear reactors split uranium atoms to generate heat; no fossil fuels are used on site, and no CO2 is released into the air from the power plant itself. Plenty of voices can be now heard advocating construction of nuclear plants in order to save the environment. The Obama administration supports new loans and incentives for nuclear power, as does the Kerry-Lieberman climate and energy bill.
It's...
Study Finds Methane Contamination Rises Near Shale Gas Wells
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 9th, 2011
Greenwire: Researchers at Duke University have issued a study showing a link between methane contamination of drinking water wells and their proximity to shale gas drilling sites. The study (pdf) would suggest potential for widespread contamination of rural drinking water from drilling in the Marcellus Shale under Pennsylvania, New York and other states. It could also provide substantial backing for drilling opponents and drill-site neighbors who blame drilling for fouled drinking water. "Some of these landowners...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Study Finds Methane Contamination Rises Near Shale Gas WellsBeaver dam lessens impact of massive oil spill in Canada
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 9th, 2011
Mongabay: Google Earth view of location of Little Buffalo, Alberta near site of oil spill. Yellow line is the Canadian border with the US.
The Canadian province of Alberta has suffered its worst oil spill in 35 years with 28,000 barrels of oil (over a million gallons) spilling from a ruptured pipeline operated by Plains Midstream Canada in the Canadian boreal forest. The spill has sullied wetlands near Peace River, but was partially contained by a beaver dam and several small bodies of water according to...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Beaver dam lessens impact of massive oil spill in CanadaUnited Kingdom: This ‘greenest government ever’ is the greatest threat yet to our environment | George Monbiot
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 9th, 2011
Guardian: Goodbye Cameron the Conciliator, hello Cameron the Destroyer. Empowered by last week's elections, the prime minister knows that he can get away with almost anything. Voters failed to punish him for attempting to dismantle the NHS and for ripping up his promise to protect frontline services. What can't he now do?
His next target is the environment. Within the following two weeks – probably on 16 May – the cabinet will decide whether or not to drop its commitment to prevent runaway climate change....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: This ‘greenest government ever’ is the greatest threat yet to our environment | George MonbiotMemphis on flood alert as Mississippi waters hit record peak
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 9th, 2011
Guardian: The city of Memphis, Tennesee has been put on alert for record flooding as the waters of the Mississippi river reached a historic peak.
Police went door-to-door to evacuate people from low-lying neighbourhoods after forecasters said the river could reach its peak of 14.6 metres (48ft) by Monday evening.
Heavy winters in the upper midwest and an extremely wet April – with 600% more rain than normal in some southern states – have turned 2011 into a season of floods along the Mississippi's 2,320-mile...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Memphis on flood alert as Mississippi waters hit record peakMethane contamination of water rises near to shale gas sites, study shows
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 9th, 2011
Guardian: Methane levels in water supplies close to shale gas extraction sites in Pennsylvania and upstate New York are up to 17 times higher than normal, according to research.
A study on the impact of drilling in the region found that about 85% of drinking water wells within 1km of a natural gas well were contaminated.
The study is the latest to challenge efforts to sell natural gas as a cleaner, safer source of energy, and could build momentum for greater federal governance of the industry.
The...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Methane contamination of water rises near to shale gas sites, study showsThe Mississippi River Floods: Is Climate Change to Blame?
Posted by New Republic: James Downie on May 9th, 2011
New Republic: The Mississippi River has continued to rise through the weekend, flooding thousands of acres in the region. Forecasters expect the river to crest in Memphis on Monday night, earlier than previously expected, and farther downstream, Louisiana officials are bracing for a potential flooding disaster. To lessen the chances of flooding in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and other Louisiana cities, the Army Corps of Engineers is expected to open the Morganza Spillway later this week, after already opening the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on The Mississippi River Floods: Is Climate Change to Blame?