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Archive for June 21st, 2011
GAO: leaks at aging nuke sites difficult to detect
Posted by Associated Press: Jeff Donn and Justin Pritchard on June 21st, 2011
Associated Press: U.S. nuclear power plant operators haven't figured out how to quickly detect leaks of radioactive water from aging pipes that snake underneath the sites — and the leaks, often undetected for years, are not going to stop, according to a new report by congressional investigators.
The report by the Government Accountability Office was released by two congressmen Tuesday in response to an Associated Press investigation that shows three-quarters of America's 65 nuclear plant sites have leaked radioactive...
G20 ministers meet to tackle surging food prices
Posted by Reuters: Marie Maitre and Sybille de La Hamaide on June 21st, 2011
Reuters: G20 farm ministers meet in Paris on Wednesday to review steps to curb food price volatility amid doubts France will win unanimous backing for a cornerstone proposal to tighten regulation for commodity markets.
Paris has made tougher commodity trading rules a priority of its 2011 presidency of the Group of 20 leading economies as President Nicolas Sarkozy has blamed speculators for food price inflation that fed unrest in North Africa and the Middle East.
While all G20 nations have agreed that...
Senate blocks bill that included ethanol repeal
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 21st, 2011
Associated Press: Republicans blocked a Senate jobs bill on Tuesday that included a repeal of the ethanol tax credit. Yet ending that tax break remains a live option for budget cutters looking for ways to reduce massive federal deficits.
The Senate voted 51-49 against allowing a final vote on the overall bill, which would have renewed the Economic Development Administration for five more years. All 47 Republicans were joined by four Democrats in derailing the bill. Democrats fell 11 votes short of the 60 they needed...
N.Y. Missed Deadline on Indian Point Decision, Operator Says
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 21st, 2011
New York Times: The Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, N.Y.
New York State missed a deadline for ruling on an application for a water quality certificate for the Indian Point nuclear plant, the plant’s owner, Entergy, said on Tuesday in a notification to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The filing raised the possibility that state officials may have lost a tool for blocking a license renewal for the plant`s nuclear reactors.
The commission must decide whether to grant a 20-year extension to the...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on N.Y. Missed Deadline on Indian Point Decision, Operator SaysHimalayan glaciers show mixed response to climate change
Posted by Deutsche Welle: None Given on June 21st, 2011
Deutsche Welle: Glacier melt is threatening water supplies Melting glaciers usually serve as one of the most vivid reminders of global warming. Yet in some places - such as in parts of the Himalayan mountain range - climate change has actually made them advance.
For centuries, the communities living at the foothills of the Himalayas have depended on the water that flows down from the mountains.
The region's many rivers are fed by melting snow and monsoon rains, eventually joining the powerful currents of the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Himalayan glaciers show mixed response to climate changeALERT! Stop UN Climate Science Panel Moves to Fund, Research & Implement Geoengineering “Climate Solution”
Posted by Water Conservation Blog on June 21st, 2011
By Ecological Internet's Climate Ark Climate Change Portal
TAKE ACTION HERE NOW!
Geoengineering is the proposed large scale manipulation of Earths oceans, soils, sunlight and atmosphere with the intent of combating climate change. With no mandate, the UN's International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [search] has begun talks on funding geoengineering research [search]. Past adoption of virtually all major new technologies regardless of risk shows us if developed, geoengineering will surely be implemented. Modifying Earth at a planetary scale is so complex, and ecological and other side effects potentially so severe, that dire unintended consequences are certain. Simply, a biosphere cannot be engineered. The only way to address climate and ecology change is to end ecosystem loss and fossil fuel use; while equitably reducing emissions, consumption and population. Tell the United Nations to get out of the business of geoengineering, and lead by example in embracing social change and personal transformation adequate to achieve global climate and ecological sustainability.
Posted in Uncategorized Comments Off on ALERT! Stop UN Climate Science Panel Moves to Fund, Research & Implement Geoengineering “Climate Solution”Replacing crops with trees barely slows warming
Posted by CBC: None Given on June 21st, 2011
CBC: A key climate change reduction strategy recommended by the United Nations won't have much effect on global temperatures, according to a couple of Canadian scientists.
Afforestation involves planting trees over croplands that aren't very productive in order to absorb more carbon dioxide from the air. High emissions of carbon dioxide have been linked to climate change, especially rising average global temperatures.
But even if 100 per cent of the area planted with crops now was gradually replaced...
Floods threaten Nebraska nuclear plants
Posted by Washington Times: None Given on June 21st, 2011
Washington Times: Two nuclear-power plants in Nebraska remain threatened by Missouri River flooding, including one plant where a fire briefly shut down a cooling system for spent fuel rods earlier this month. Federal and state officials said there is no danger of a radiation leak and insisted the facilities would not see a repeat of Japan`s Fukushima nuclear-power plant disaster. Jeff Hanson, spokesman for the Omaha Public Power District that operates the Fort Calhoun Station, dismissed Internet reports by bloggers...