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Archive for January, 2012
Keystone XL pipeline a priority for Fred Upton
Posted by Politico: Jake Sherman on January 22nd, 2012
Politico: House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton said on Friday he wants to jump-start the Keystone XL pipeline project on the back of legislation to extend the payroll tax holiday until the end of the year.
"I'm there,' the Michigan congressman said at the GOP's annual retreat, adding it's "within the scope' of the negotiations by the joint House-Senate conference committee considering the tax-cut extension.
It's an attempt by Republicans to continue the fight over building the pipeline after...
California solar strikes gold in New Jersey
Posted by Sacramento Bee: Rick Daysog on January 22nd, 2012
Sacramento Bee: It may be better known for smokestack industries, but New Jersey is fast becoming a green haven for a number of Sacramento-grown solar companies.
Lured by some of the most attractive incentives in the solar industry, SPI Solar of Roseville and Premier Power Renewable Energy of El Dorado Hills have lined up a significant amount of work in the Garden State.
SolarCity and SunRun, two other large California solar companies with a big presence in Sacramento, have made huge inroads in New Jersey's...
Biodiversity crisis: Habitat loss and climate change causing 6th mass extinction
Posted by Bay Area Indymedia: None Given on January 22nd, 2012
Bay Area Indymedia: Scientists meeting at the University of Copenhagen have warned that biodiversity is declining rapidly throughout the world, describing the loss of species as the 6th mass extinction event on the earth. The world is losing species at a rate that is 100 to 1000 times faster than the natural extinction rate, with the challenges of conserving the world's species larger than mitigating the negative effects of global climate change. Related: Climate change and habitat loss threaten biodiversity, extinction...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Biodiversity crisis: Habitat loss and climate change causing 6th mass extinctionClimate plan aims to help ecosystems adapt to change
Posted by New Mexican: Staci Matlock on January 22nd, 2012
New Mexican: The debate over the causes of climate change continues to rage, but federal, state and tribal agencies aren't waiting around for the argument to be settled. They believe climate change is here, and they're working on ways to help wildlife, land and communities adapt.
Two federal agencies and a state wildlife department have developed a broad plan for helping ecosystems become more resilient as the climate changes.
The National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy was released...
Industry scours lesser-known fields in search for next big play
Posted by Greenwire: Nathanial Gronewold on January 21st, 2012
Greenwire: With record-low U.S. natural gas prices worrying oil and gas companies that have invested heavily in breakthrough shale plays, the industry is sending drilling to tight oil prospects and resources rich in natural gas liquids -- better investments as crude prices linger near $100 per barrel.
And with competition already fierce in North Dakota's Bakken field and south Texas' Eagle Ford, companies are turning toward lesser-known oil-rich formations in what could be the next chapter in the North American...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Industry scours lesser-known fields in search for next big playDisbelief Still as Florida Reacts to Burning of 3,500-Year-Old Tree
Posted by New York Times: Lizette Alvarez on January 21st, 2012
New York Times: Back, way back, before King Tut was born and Alexander the Great roamed his empire, the Senator sprouted in a swamp here in central Florida, one of thousands of its kind. So on Monday, when word got out that the huge, 3,500-year-old bald cypress had burned and collapsed, people from the area who thought that nothing — not hurricanes, not loggers, not disease — could fell the Senator, sank into disbelief. In a state known for its sprawl and its zeal for pouring concrete, the Senator stood as a testament...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Disbelief Still as Florida Reacts to Burning of 3,500-Year-Old TreeCongress has legal clout on Keystone pipeline: study
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 21st, 2012
Reuters: The Congress has the constitutional right to legislate permits for cross-border oil pipelines like TransCanada's Keystone XL, according to a new legal analysis released late on Friday. The study by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service could give a boost to Republicans drafting legislation to overturn a decision this week by President Barack Obama to put the $7 billion Alberta-to-Texas project on ice. Historically, U.S. presidents have made executive decisions on pipelines that cross borders....
Carbon dioxide is ‘driving fish crazy’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 21st, 2012
ScienceDaily: Rising human carbon dioxide emissions may be affecting the brains and central nervous system of sea fishes with serious consequences for their survival, an international scientific team has found.
Carbon dioxide concentrations predicted to occur in the ocean by the end of this century will interfere with fishes' ability to hear, smell, turn and evade predators, says Professor Philip Munday of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.
"For several years our...
Exxon Mobil to Pay $1.6 Million in Penalties for Yellowstone River Oil Spill
Posted by Yahoo!: Rachel Bogart on January 21st, 2012
Yahoo!: Exxon Mobil has reached an agreement with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to pay $1.6 million in penalties over the Yellowstone River oil spill, according to the Associated Press. The agreement specifically details that the oil company will spend $1.3 million on future environmental projects, pay $300,000 in cash, and reimburse state agencies for $760,000 in emergency response costs. The penalty is the largest in the history of the agency. With this landmark decision, here are some...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Exxon Mobil to Pay $1.6 Million in Penalties for Yellowstone River Oil SpillWeird Winter Continues with Western Storms
Posted by Climate Central: Andrew Freedman on January 20th, 2012
Climate Central: If you're on the Left Coast and like snow, it may be time to rejoice. If you're on the East Coast, though, don't hold your breath.
The winter weather pattern is finally changing, steering long-awaited storms into California, Oregon, and Washington, while still failing to excite snow lovers along the East Coast. Aside from a light-to-moderate snow event on Saturday, the Washington-to-Boston corridor is likely to see milder than average conditions heading into early February, according to recently...