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Archive for July, 2013
New Yorkers Call for Renewables at Anti-Fracking Rally During Cuomo Fundraiser
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on July 12th, 2013
EcoWatch: Residents gathered today to rally against fracking and for renewable energy outside of Gov. Cuomo’s (D-NY) fundraiser in Syracuse, NY. The concerned residents urged the Governor not to put New York’s clean water, air, environment and economy at risk by allow fracking. Further, they urged the Governor to aggressively invest in renewable energy, which would bring sustainable, good jobs and economic development to New York State without jeopardizing people`s health and existing jobs. "Governor Cuomo...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on New Yorkers Call for Renewables at Anti-Fracking Rally During Cuomo FundraiserDistant Quakes Trigger Temblors in the Oil Patch: Study
Posted by Daily Climate: Brian Bienkowski on July 12th, 2013
Daily Climate: Wells filled with waste injection fluids at oil and gas fields across the United States are at risk of small earthquakes triggered by larger temblors across the globe, according to a new study published Thursday.
Waste injection wells are on the rise as domestic energy production soars and companies increasingly use water and chemicals to unlock natural gas from shale or force oil from wells, a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
As oil and gas industries pump waste into sub-surface...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Distant Quakes Trigger Temblors in the Oil Patch: StudyIncreased Frequency of Earthquakes Linked to Fracking Wastewater Injection Wells
Posted by EcoWatch: Laura Beans on July 12th, 2013
EcoWatch: The increased rates of earthquakes occurring in the central and eastern U.S over the past few years is a growing cause of concern. Two recent reports delve into the probability of man-made, induced earthquakes.
According to the U.S Geological Survey (USGS), more than 300 earthquakes above a magnitude 3.0 occurred from 2010-2012, compared with a much lower national average rate of 21 earthquakes per year observed from 1967-2000. The USGS also found that the increase in seismic activity coincides...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Increased Frequency of Earthquakes Linked to Fracking Wastewater Injection WellsFrance’s top court to review law banning shale gas fracking
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 12th, 2013
Reuters: France's top court said it would examine a challenge to a law that bans hydraulic fracturing, the drilling technique used to produce shale gas and oil.
U.S. firm Schuepbach Energy, which held two exploration permits that were canceled in 2011, has contested the law.
The Constitutional Council, made up of judges and former French presidents, has the power to annul laws if they are deemed to be unconstitutional.
"It is now up to the Constitutional Council to decide whether the law is constitutional,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on France’s top court to review law banning shale gas frackingHumans “Inducing” Earthquakes During Energy Exploration, USGS Report Says
Posted by Nature World News: James A. Foley on July 12th, 2013
Nature World News: Human activities that inject fluids into the ground, such as natural gas extractions and geothermal energy production, are the cause of many earthquakes in the United States, including a destructive 5.6-magnitude tremor in Oklahoma in 2011, according to new research published in the journal Science.
While the continental United States experiences small earthquakes each day, a recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey found that the annual number of earthquakes recorded at magnitude 3.0 or greater...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Humans “Inducing” Earthquakes During Energy Exploration, USGS Report SaysPennsylvanians Demand Senators Declare Independence from Fracking
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on July 12th, 2013
EcoWatch: A week after millions of Americans celebrated our nation’s independence, Pennsylvanians held “Independence from Fracking” rallies outside key state senator’s offices, including Sen. Browne.
The rallies, coordinated by local citizens and statewide environmental groups, highlighted key legislators’ continued opposition to a moratorium on fracking, despite growing support in the Commonwealth. There were rallies outside the offices of Pennsylvania Sen. Baker (R-Wayne), Sen. Browne (R-Lehigh), Sen....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Pennsylvanians Demand Senators Declare Independence from FrackingIn Mekong Delta, rice boom has steep environmental cost
Posted by Yale 360: Mike Ives on July 12th, 2013
Yale 360: Phan Dinh Duc leans against yellow sacks of freshly harvested rice. It’s a warm spring evening in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, and Duc, a local farmer, is waiting for traders to arrive by truck to purchase his produce and sell it on commodities markets. Beyond him lies a vast checkerboard of rice paddies, each filled with water and bordered by a network of canals and roughly 10-foot-high earthen dikes. They enable year-round rice cultivation in an area where, a half century ago, vast floodplains typically...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on In Mekong Delta, rice boom has steep environmental costUS energy industry feeling impact of climate change, report says
Posted by FuelFix: Harry R. Weber on July 12th, 2013
FuelFix: A new U.S. Energy Department report highlights the impact of climate change, including prolonged periods of high temperatures and water shortages, on the energy sector.
The report issued this month says thermoelectric power plants are at risk from decreasing water availability and increasing air and water temperatures, which reduce the efficiency of cooling.
It also says energy infrastructure along the coast is at risk from rising sea levels, increasing intensity of storms, and higher storm...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on US energy industry feeling impact of climate change, report saysEnvironmental Advocacy Groups Gear Up For Keystone Protests Ahead Of State Department’s Decision
Posted by Huffington Post: Lucia Graves on July 12th, 2013
Huffington Post: Environmental groups CREDO, Rainforest Action Network and the Other 98% say they are organizing more than 750 activists to lead mass acts of civil disobedience around the country, should the State Department sign off on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.
Current training sessions include recruiting local organizers and conducting legal research to prepare activists on how to engage in peaceful civil disobedience.
"We will deploy large-scale actions in major cities, and hundreds of activist-led,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Environmental Advocacy Groups Gear Up For Keystone Protests Ahead Of State Department’s DecisionCoral Reefs Face Point of No Return
Posted by Climate News Network: Tim Radford on July 12th, 2013
Climate News Network: Without deep cuts in carbon dioxide emissions, the planet’s coral reefs could be in serious trouble. In a world in which humans continue to burn fossil fuels unchecked, ocean conditions will become ultimately inhospitable, according to U.S. scientists.
Katharine Ricke and Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution in Washington and colleagues make their sombre prediction in Environmental Research Letters. Their argument on the face of it seems inconsistent with other recent research on reef response...