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Archive for August, 2013
Nuclear waste can’t wait
Posted by LA Times: Editorial on August 25th, 2013
LA Times: In the 1957 Isaac Asimov short story "Silly Asses," Earthlings are added to a galactic book of planetary races that have reached maturity -- defined as those that have developed nuclear capability. But then the keeper of the book learns that atomic tests are being conducted on Earth and crosses the planet off the list. Asimov was writing during the A-bomb years, before the construction of nuclear power plants. How unacceptable would it seem to the fictional keeper of the book that we have been building...
United Kingdom: The anger over fracking is real: but the truth is, we can’t manage without gas
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 25th, 2013
Guardian: The battle for Balcombe is a distraction. It allows politicians and businesspeople who want to ditch the green agenda to depict environmentalists as mindless nihilists opposed to modernisation of Britain's energy infrastructure.
It is also fair to ask why anti-frackers are willing to go down to Sussex in large numbers while the oil and gas explorers in Aberdeen and Great Yarmouth are ignored. If climate change is the target of the protesters, there is a case for demonstrating against those who...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on United Kingdom: The anger over fracking is real: but the truth is, we can’t manage without gasRisk at Coast From Fire at Yosemite
Posted by New York Times: Michael Schwirtz on August 25th, 2013
New York Times: Gov. Jerry Brown of California declared a state of emergency for the city and county of San Francisco over the weekend, as a large wildfire near Yosemite National Park threatened water and electricity going to the area. The fire could cause “temporary interruption” of water and electricity, Mr. Brown said on Friday, as reservoirs and hydroelectric plants were at risk. The fire is approaching the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which delivers water to about 2.6 million customers in San Francisco and the...
Domestic natural gas: From boom to overkill
Posted by USA Today: Meghan Foley on August 25th, 2013
USA Today: Natural gas was first a boon for domestic energy producers and then an albatross. Hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking', a process that cracks rock deep underground to release oil and natural gas, made production possible in many previously untapped shale fields, sparking a land grab that began a decade ago.
During President Obama's tenure in the White House, soaring production of natural gas from horizontal drilling and fracking has pushed supplies to record highs for many years. The boom in domestic...
Wildfire forces new closures at Yosemite National Park
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 25th, 2013
Reuters: A fast-moving wildfire on the edge of Yosemite National Park has forced the closure of two more areas of the park, but an official said on Saturday he was cautiously optimistic that firefighters could halt the advance of flames.
The so-called Rim Fire, which had grown to just over 125,000 acres as of early Saturday, remained largely unchecked with extreme terrain hampering efforts at containment, which stood at 5 percent.
The fire had blackened about 12,000 acres in the northwest corner of...
What Is Wrong With The Keystone XL Pipeline?
Posted by Forbes: None Given on August 25th, 2013
Forbes: Just Greed and Politics. Pipeline defects have been identified along a 60-mile stretch of the southern segment of the Keystone XL pipeline, north of the Sabine River in Texas (Winnsboro, Texas). Sections of pipe have dents, faulty welds, and pin-holes in some sections enough to see daylight through.
The installers have been digging up parts of the new southern segment of the Keystone pipeline that only recently have been installed. It seems that the existing leg of the Keystone has spilled more...
Rim Fire Continues to Threaten Yosemite National Park
Posted by Nature World: None Given on August 24th, 2013
Nature World: The so-called Rim Fire blazing through eastern central California expanded by 50 square miles since Friday and continues to threaten the perimeter of Yosemite National Park. It is now said to be five percent contained as of Saturday, an improvement from two percent containment on Friday.
Some backwoods hiking trails and roads leading into the national park have been closed due to the fire, but the Yosemite Valley, which is home to iconic landmarks such El Capitan and the Half Dome rock formations,...
San Francisco Emergency Called as Rim Fire Burns Power Lines
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on August 24th, 2013
Environment News Service: A raging wildfire spreading into Yosemite National Park has damaged electricity infrastructure serving the city of San Francisco 200 miles to the west, forcing California Governor Jerry Brown to declare a State of Emergency in the city.
In his emergency proclamation, Governor Brown said, "The wildfires that started in Tuolumne County have caused damage electric infrastructure serving San Francisco and now threaten damage to property, equipment and resources of the San Francisco Public Utility...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on San Francisco Emergency Called as Rim Fire Burns Power LinesFederal Agencies Announce Plans to Remap Areas Damaged by Hurricane Sandy
Posted by Nature World: Tamarra Kemsley on August 24th, 2013
Nature World: Three federal agencies recently announced plans to to remap parts of the East Coast where Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc a year ago.
The effort, joined by NOAA, the US Geological Survey and the US Army Corps of Engineers, will focus on retrieving data that can then be used to update land maps and nautical charts.
"Our approach is to map once, then use the data for many purposes," NOAA Rear Admiral Gerd Glang, director of NOAA's Office of Coast Survey, said in a statement.
The undertaking...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Federal Agencies Announce Plans to Remap Areas Damaged by Hurricane SandyUnited Kingdom: Liberal Democrats blast environmental damage caused by fracking
Posted by Guardian: Toby Helm on August 24th, 2013
Guardian: Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats have poured scorn on George Osborne's push for a shale gas revolution in the UK, saying the process of fracking has caused extensive environmental damage and water pollution in the US.
The comments, in official policy papers, come as a new Opinium/Observer poll shows strong public opposition to fracking, with resistance particularly strong among women.
Asked if they would like to see various alternative types of energy projects in their area, 60% of people said...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Liberal Democrats blast environmental damage caused by fracking