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Archive for March, 2013
New EU farm subsidy plan criticised by green groups
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 20th, 2013
BBC: Farmers will be paid twice by taxpayers for the same work if Europe's farm ministers get their way over subsidies.
Ministers have backed double payments for environmental activities - even though the EU Commission and MEPs warn this would be wasteful and illegal.
They also watered down the Commission's plan to oblige farmers to deliver some public benefit for their 58bn-euro (£50bn; $75bn) annual subsidies.
The Irish EU presidency praised the outcome. But green groups are outraged.
The...
New Yorkers opposed to fracking: poll
Posted by New York Post: Rik Kriss on March 20th, 2013
New York Post: New Yorkers are turning against fracking, according to a new poll.
Quinnipiac University said its survey shows "for the first time ever' opposition to the controversial natural gas drilling technique "by a clear margin,' 46-39 percent.
That's a turnaround from 47-42 percent support in August 2011 as Gov. Cuomo continues to delay a decision on whether to allow high-volume horizontal drilling.
The poll shows upstate voters slightly in favor of drilling in Marcellus Shale (44-42) and the suburbs...
Both sides agree on tough new fracking standards
Posted by Associated Press: Kevin Begos on March 20th, 2013
Associated Press: Some of the nation's biggest oil and gas companies have made peace with environmentalists, agreeing to a voluntary set of tough new standards for fracking in the Northeast that could lead to a major expansion of drilling.
The program announced Wednesday will work a lot like Underwriters Laboratories, which puts its familiar UL seal of approval on electrical appliances that meet its standards.
In this case, drilling and pipeline companies will be encouraged to submit to an independent review...
Chevron, Green Groups Agree Set Standards for Shale Gas
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on March 20th, 2013
Bloomberg: Chevron Corp. (CVX) joined natural gas producers and environmental groups to form an independent center that will set standards for drilling by hydraulic fracturing in the U.S. Appalachian region.
Gas output in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia is booming as drillers unlock shale deposits using the process, also called fracking, that shoots water, sand and chemicals underground to crack rock and free trapped gas. The process has spurred complaints from landowners and environmental groups about...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Chevron, Green Groups Agree Set Standards for Shale GasUK promises shale gas tax breaks, public benefits
Posted by Reuters: Karolin Schaps and Sarah Young on March 20th, 2013
Reuters: Britain said on Wednesday it will introduce generous tax breaks for shale gas and tackle the nascent industry's public perception problem by making sure local communities benefit from resources found in their areas.
Finance Minister George Osborne said in his annual budget announcement he will introduce a new gas field tax allowance for shale gas, an industry that he expects can help kick-start Britain's stagnant economy.
"Shale gas is part of the future and we will make it happen," he said...
U.K. Pledges Tax Breaks for Shale Gas, Low Emissions Cars
Posted by Bloomberg: Alex Morales and Sally Bakewell on March 20th, 2013
Bloomberg: U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne offered tax breaks to low emissions vehicles while promising support for shale gas developers and energy- intensive industries in his annual budget today.
Osborne told lawmakers the U.K. will support the manufacture of “ultra-low emission vehicles” with tax incentives. He also said he’ll bring in a “generous new tax regime” to promote early investment in shale gas, and will exempt ceramics and other industries from the climate change levy, a tax...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on U.K. Pledges Tax Breaks for Shale Gas, Low Emissions CarsMali conflict ups pressure on climate-stressed herders
Posted by AlertNet: Soumaila T Diarra on March 20th, 2013
AlertNet: The recent conflict in northern Mali, where the situation remains volatile, has left many livestock herders in fear of losing millions of cattle, sheep and goats at a time when they were already struggling to find enough pasture for their animals due to drought.
Since the spring of 2012, violence between Islamist groups who grabbed much of the north from Tuareg nomads, and the army, supported by foreign troops for the past two months, has disturbed the West African nation's traditional grazing...
Erosion eats away land along 22 percent of Thai coastline
Posted by AlertNet: None Given on March 20th, 2013
AlertNet: Thailand has lost 22 percent of its 2,600-km coastline - more than 12,600 hectares of land - over the past 30 years as a result of climate change and upstream dams, The Nation newspaper reported.
The damage was caused by stronger and bigger waves triggered by climate change, as well as upstream dams that deposit less sediment at river-mouth areas, Thanawat Jarupongsakul, head of the Chulalongkorn University's unit for disaster and land information studies, told the newspaper.
The Chao Phraya...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Erosion eats away land along 22 percent of Thai coastlinePoll: President Obama voters don’t want Keystone
Posted by Politico: Erica Martinson on March 20th, 2013
Politico: Environmentalists armed with new poll numbers have a warning for President Barack Obama: Approving the Keystone XL pipeline would put him at odds with core members of his base. The poll reveals an electorate deeply split on the Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline, which is wildly popular among Republicans and almost equally unpopular among Democrats. A small majority of people overall either support the project or don’t know what to think, according to results provided to POLITICO. But the Center for...
Researchers devise hidden dune filters to treat coastal stormwater runoff
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 20th, 2013
ScienceDaily: When it rains, untreated stormwater can sweep pollutants into coastal waters, potentially endangering public health. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have developed low-cost filtration systems that are concealed beneath sand dunes and filter out most of the bacteria that can lead to beach closures.
"It was not economically feasible to use a tract of beachfront property to treat stormwater. Instead, we were able to devise a system that could be installed in an area that was...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Researchers devise hidden dune filters to treat coastal stormwater runoff