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Archive for July, 2013
Crude mishaps on trains spike as rail carries more oil
Posted by EnergyWire: Mike Soraghan on July 17th, 2013
EnergyWire: The number of spills and other accidents from railroad cars carrying crude oil has skyrocketed in recent years, up from one or two a year early in the previous decade to 88 last year.
Only four of those were classified as serious by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), and none involved injuries. So they didn't even approach the human tragedy caused by a runaway oil train in Quebec earlier this month.
But the jump highlights a side effect of crude oil production...
Calif. Agencies Begin Weighing Options to Replace Nuclear Supply
Posted by Reuters: Eileen O'Grady on July 17th, 2013
Reuters: Six California state agencies met to try to satisfy competing electric and air quality issues amid the pressing need to replace the electric supply lost after the crippled San Onofre nuclear plant was retired early, officials said on Monday.
Southern California Edison, owned by Edison International , said in June it would retire both nuclear reactors at San Onofre, totaling 2,150 megawatts, more than a year after severe damage was discovered in thousands of tubes inside newly installed steam generators....
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Calif. Agencies Begin Weighing Options to Replace Nuclear SupplyTop Senate Dem Might Conduct Oversight of Keystone Pipeline
Posted by Hill: Zack Colman on July 17th, 2013
Hill: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is weighing whether to conduct oversight of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline.
Wyden told reporters Tuesday that he’s had “a number of conversations” with senators about oversight proceedings for the proposed Canada-to-Texas pipeline.
“There are a host of questions with respect to Keystone, foremost of which is the evidence pointing to the fact that much of that energy is going to get exported,” Wyden said after a Senate...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Top Senate Dem Might Conduct Oversight of Keystone PipelineThe Costs of Climate Change and Extreme Weather Are Passing the High-Water Mark
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 17th, 2013
Time: Hurricane Sandy cost the U.S. some $70 billion in direct damages and lost economic output. This is, obviously, a lot of money -- Sandy was the second most expensive hurricane in U.S. history after a small tropical storm called Katrina. Much of that cost was borne by the government -- local, state and federal -- and some of it was absorbed by those of us who lived in the storm`s path. But about $20 billion to $25 billion of the damage from the storm was eventually covered by the insurance industry....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on The Costs of Climate Change and Extreme Weather Are Passing the High-Water MarkTrade-offs between food security and climate change mitigation explored
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 16th, 2013
ScienceDaily: Improving crop yields using sustainable methods could cut greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 12% per calorie produced according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. At the same time, these changes could provide more food to people in need.
Agriculture and land use change contributed about 1/3 of total human greenhouse gas emissions in the past decade, through crop cultivation, animal production, and deforestation. By producing more food on less land, it may...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Trade-offs between food security and climate change mitigation exploredSeawater and solar power grow crops in the desert
Posted by CNN: Daisy Carrington on July 16th, 2013
CNN: In the scorching desert of Qatar, scientists are showing that saltwater can be used to help grow crops.
A one hectare research initiative known as the Sahara Forest Project -- modest in size, but not in ambition -- has produced a harvest of barley, cucumbers and arugula in the last few months using a mix of ingredients not usually associated with successful agriculture: seawater and Qatar's ample supply of heat.
Conceived in Norway, the first-ever Sahara Forest Project facility launched last...
U.S. Farmers View Climate Change as Just Another Weather Challenge
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 16th, 2013
Scientific American: If it isn't torrential downpours, then it's too dry. If there's one thing U.S. farmers can count on, it's bad weather and, perhaps as a result, many of them don't think humanity is to blame for the long-term shifts in weather patterns known as climate change. But even though agriculture is a major contributor to global warming, it may not matter whether farmers believe in the environmental problem.
Take, as an example of skepticism, Iowa corn farmer Dave Miller, whose day job is as an economist...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on U.S. Farmers View Climate Change as Just Another Weather ChallengeWhat’s causing oil sheens near Deepwater Horizon spill site?
Posted by LiveScience: Douglas Main on July 16th, 2013
LiveScience: Recurrent sheens of oil in the Gulf of Mexico near the site of 2010's Deepwater Horizon oil spill have baffled researchers and led to fears that oil may once again be spewing from the seafloor well. But a study published this week in the journal Environmental Science and Technology shows that there is no new leak: The oil is coming from isolated tanks and pockets within the wreckage of the sunken rig, according to a statement from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which funded the research....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on What’s causing oil sheens near Deepwater Horizon spill site?Keystone XL Conflict of Interest: Obama Attorney’s Law Firm Represents TransCanada
Posted by EcoWatch: Steve Horn on July 16th, 2013
EcoWatch: A recent DeSmogBlog investigation reveals that Robert Bauer, former White House Counsel and President Obama`s personal attorney, works at the corporate law firm Perkins Coie LLP, which does legal work for TransCanada`s South Central Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Project, formerly known as Alaska Gas Pipeline Project.
Furthermore, Dan Sullivan, current Commissioner of Alaska`s Department of Natural Resources, and former Alaska Attorney General and former Assistant Secretary of State in the Bush Administration,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Keystone XL Conflict of Interest: Obama Attorney’s Law Firm Represents TransCanadaBP sets up ‘snitch line’ for fraudulent Deepwater Horizon damages claims
Posted by Guardian: Dominic Rushe on July 16th, 2013
Guardian: BP has set up a "snitch line" to reward people who inform the oil giant about fraudulent claims related to 2010's massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The hotline promises that "tips that lead directly to an indictment, a recovery of money paid, or the denial of a claim because of fraud or corruption may entitle the reporter to a reward".
The move comes after BP appealed to a New Orleans court to reassess the terms of its compensation deal with local businesses, claiming it is being forced...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on BP sets up ‘snitch line’ for fraudulent Deepwater Horizon damages claims