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Archive for March 7th, 2013
Report: Most Insurers not prepared for climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 7th, 2013
USA Today: Most insurance companies do not have comprehensive strategies to cope with climate change despite mounting weather-related claims, says a report to be released Thursday.
Of 184 companies surveyed, only 23 had such strategies, and 13 of those that did were foreign-owned, according to report by Ceres, a Boston-based non-profit that promotes eco-minded business practices. The report says the most prepared tend to be the largest companies with scientists on staff and those that insure property rather...
Canadian Government Targets U.S. Reporters to Promote Keystone XL
Posted by Postmedia: Mike De Souza on March 7th, 2013
Postmedia: The Harper government has created an elaborate strategy to promote approval of the Keystone XL pipeline that includes an outreach program targeting American journalists behind the scenes, newly released diplomatic correspondence reveals.
The documents reveal a flurry of activity among Canadian diplomats in the United States, dating back to the summer of 2011, as unexpected delays and a national North American protest movement started to emerge regarding Alberta-based TransCanada’s pipeline expansion...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Canadian Government Targets U.S. Reporters to Promote Keystone XLObama Interior Pick Championed Outdoor Jobs Over Oil
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 7th, 2013
Bloomberg: As she stood before governors from western U.S. states last June, Sally Jewell made a pitch that was self-evident and revolutionary: Public lands are an economic boon.
“Protecting America’s parks, waters and trails is about protecting the economy, the communities and the people whose lives depend on the ability to play outside,” Jewell, president of Recreational Equipment Inc., told the 22-member governors’ group at a resort in Washington’s Cascade mountains.
Selling fleece jackets, fishing...
Enbridge CEO Says Ready to Spend to Expand U.S. Pipeline Network
Posted by CNBC: Patti Domm on March 7th, 2013
CNBC: Enbridge CEO Al Monaco said the company has $15 billion in hand to put into pipeline expansion.
The boom in U.S. and Canadian oil production has resulted in more oil than can be pumped through existing pipelines, and Enbridge has actively been working to help provide a network that would take crude to the coasts. The U.S. was ill prepared for the mid-continent boom since oil traditionally went inward from the coasts to the center of the country, he said.
Monaco expects a regulatory decision...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Enbridge CEO Says Ready to Spend to Expand U.S. Pipeline NetworkAustralia: Native frogs beat invasive toads
Posted by BBC: Ella Davies on March 7th, 2013
BBC: The tadpoles of Australia's native frogs can outcompete invasive toads, scientists say.
The toads are considered a threat to Australian wildlife, leading researchers to investigate methods to control their population.
A study into competition between wild amphibian young revealed that the presence of green tree frogs reduced cane toad survival.
Experts now suggest reintroducing the familiar frogs to suburban areas.
The results are published in the journal Austral Ecology.
Cane toads...
Proposed Dam Presents Twin Conundrums in Alaska
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 7th, 2013
New York Times: At a time when large dams are being taken down, not put up, the state of Alaska is proposing to construct one of the tallest and most expensive hydroelectric dams ever built in North America. The Alaska Energy Authority is planning to build a 735-foot, $5.2 billion structure on the Susitna River in a largely empty south-central part of the state, which is watered by runoff from the arc of the Alaska Range. The dam, designed to generate up to 600 megawatts of electricity, would create a new power...
New York Assembly Approves Two-Year Moratorium on Fracking
Posted by Bloomberg: Freeman Klopott on March 7th, 2013
Bloomberg: New York’s Assembly approved a two- year ban on the natural-gas drilling method known as fracking, after two previous attempts to block the practice failed and with the state Senate taking a different approach.
The state has been studying the safety of hydraulic fracturing since 2008, and blocked its use in the meantime. The Assembly’s ban would lift in May 2015. Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has said he’s waiting until the Health Department concludes a separate analysis to make a decision....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on New York Assembly Approves Two-Year Moratorium on FrackingCanada: Oliver touts tougher climate rules on pro-Keystone tour
Posted by Globe and Mail: Shawn Mccarthy on March 7th, 2013
Globe and Mail: Canada will soon have some of the toughest climate regulations among oil and gas exporting countries, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said Wednesday as he completed a U.S. visit aimed at boosting support for the embattled Keystone XL pipeline.
In a speech at an industry conference in Houston on Wednesday, Mr. Oliver sought to repair Canada's battered reputation as an environmental outlier, arguing that it is, in fact, a leader among oil-producing countries.
"Canada is the largest supplier...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Canada: Oliver touts tougher climate rules on pro-Keystone tourUK deer numbers spiralling out of control, scientists say
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 7th, 2013
Reuters: Current efforts to control Britain's increasing deer numbers are not enough to stop populations spreading out of control, research by the University of East Anglia showed on Thursday.
There are now more deer in Britain than at any time since the Ice Age, the scientists said.
Without natural predators, populations are continuing to rise, causing a serious threat to biodiversity. High numbers of deer can threaten woodland birds, carry infections such as Lyme disease, damage crops and cause road...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on UK deer numbers spiralling out of control, scientists say