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Archive for June, 2013
UK shale gas survey likely to reveal reserves higher than expected
Posted by Guardian: Fiona Harvey, on June 27th, 2013
Guardian: New estimates of the UK's reserves of shale gas will be published on Thursday, and are expected to be much larger than originally thought – potentially supplying the UK with decades' worth of natural gas, if a high proportion of the gas in the rocks can be extracted at a low cost. However that key question that cannot yet be answered due to the lack of experimental wells drilled so far and the challenges posed by the UK's high density of population.
The survey of shale reserves, carried out by...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on UK shale gas survey likely to reveal reserves higher than expectedIn Canada, Pipeline Remarks Stir Analysis
Posted by New York Times: Ian Austen on June 27th, 2013
New York Times: Perhaps it was his choice of words, but a small portion of President Obama’s speech about climate change on Tuesday has attracted a disproportionate amount of attention in Canada. At issue are his remarks about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would send bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. The pipeline requires presidential approval and, for Canadians at least, has become a dominant political issue. “Allowing the Keystone pipeline to be built requires...
John Boehner and Obama’s ‘war on coal’
Posted by Washington Post: Glenn Kessler on June 27th, 2013
Washington Post: "The president's announcement yesterday of essentially a national energy tax and the continuation of the war on coal will only make matters worse, putting thousands and thousands of Americans out of work; increasing the cost of electricity, especially in a state like mine, Ohio, where about 95 percent of our electricity comes from burning coal.' -- House Speaker John a. Boehner (R-Ohio), news conference, June 26, 2013 The Fact Checker grew up in Ohio, and so the House speaker's claim that 95 percent...
Report to find UK shale resources bigger than thought: source
Posted by Reuters: Sarah Young on June 27th, 2013
Reuters: Shale resources in the north of England could be much larger than previously thought, raising the prospect of new domestic gas supplies to replace dwindling North Sea reserves, a government source said on Thursday.
A report by the British Geological Survey (BGS) due to be published later on Thursday will estimate there is 1,300 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas in rocks in the so-called Bowland shale area, which could transform the country's energy market.
Previous estimates have suggested a...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Report to find UK shale resources bigger than thought: sourceDangerous heat wave forecast for Arizona, California deserts
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 27th, 2013
Reuters: A potentially deadly heat wave is expected to bear down on some Arizona and California desert areas in the next few days, forecasters said on Wednesday.
The mercury is predicted to soar well past 110 degrees Fahrenheit and perhaps top 120F (40s and 50s degrees Celsius) starting on Friday in the deserts of southeast California and southern Arizona, Weather.com and the National Weather Service said.
Forecasters said highs could top 118F (48C) in Phoenix on Saturday, potentially setting a new...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Dangerous heat wave forecast for Arizona, California desertsObama Announces New Climate Plan Which Prioritizes Limiting Carbon
Posted by Nature World News: None Given on June 27th, 2013
Nature World News: President Barack Obama has announced a broad plan to deal with the effects of the climate change, specially the rising sea level and severe weather.
The plan also seeks to put in place regulation to control carbon dioxide emission at power plants.
Comprised by 21 pages, the plan outlines a blueprint to expand production of solar and wind energy and include billion of dollars in loan to finance the development of cleaner fossil-fuel and other energy technologies.
In another development, the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Obama Announces New Climate Plan Which Prioritizes Limiting CarbonTorrential rains prompt flood warnings in Midwest
Posted by Reuters: Mary Wisniewski on June 26th, 2013
Reuters: Torrential rains slammed Illinois and other Midwest states on Wednesday, triggering flash flood warnings and causing flight cancellations, commuter train delays and road closings.
Up to 5 inches of rain fell in some places and the National Weather Service warned residents in the region to brace for more downpours and possibly severe thunderstorms Wednesday night.
The weather service issued multiple flash flood and flood warnings for counties in northern Illinois, northwestern Indiana and southeastern...
Study says tar-sands oil not more likely to leak; activists fault study
Posted by Grist: Claire Thompson on June 26th, 2013
Grist: Supporters of the Keystone XL pipeline cheered Tuesday’s release of a study that deemed diluted bitumen - the heavy crude mined in Alberta’s tar sands that Keystone would carry to Texas - just as safe to transport via pipeline as other forms of crude oil. They see the results as further clearing the way for approval of the pipeline.
But environmental groups criticized the methodology and limited scope of the study, which was conducted by the National Academy of Sciences. From Inside Climate News:...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Study says tar-sands oil not more likely to leak; activists fault studyBP steps up spill payments protest with ad campaign
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 26th, 2013
Reuters: BP has stepped up its campaign for a revision of the way compensation for its 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill is calculated by placing advertisements in leading newspapers ahead of a July 8 appellate court hearing in the United States.
The British oil company's advertisements in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post are part of its attempt to put a lid on payments. The company has said that without relief it could be "irreparably harmed" by payouts.
BP has no control over...
11,000+ Massachusetts Residents Call for a Fracking Ban
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on June 26th, 2013
EcoWatch: This morning, more than 11,000 residents called on Beacon Hill to ban the dirty drilling process of fracking, in petitions presented by Environment Massachusetts and its allies at a statehouse news conference. The petitions show wide support for H.788, a bill introduced by Rep. Kocot (D-MA) and Rep. Provost (D-MA) to ban fracking and the processing of its toxic wastewater in the commonwealth.
“In states like Pennsylvania, we have already seen fracking contaminate drinking water and make nearby...
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