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Archive for August, 2013
United Kingdom: Fracking: ‘blanket opposition’ risks ignoring needs of fuel-poor, says CofE
Posted by Guardian: Fiona Harvey, Sam Jones and Matthew Taylor on August 16th, 2013
Guardian: The Church of England has entered the fracking debate, arguing that "blanket opposition" to the controversial method of extracting gas risks ignoring the needs of those in fuel poverty and undermining efforts to find less polluting fuels.
The church's intervention came as the head of the UK's leading fracking company, Cuadrilla, appealed for calm from protesters as hundreds more activists prepared to descend this weekend on the small village of Balcombe in West Sussex, which has become the centre...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on United Kingdom: Fracking: ‘blanket opposition’ risks ignoring needs of fuel-poor, says CofEBeyond Keystone XL: Three Controversial Pipeline Proposals
Posted by EcoWatch: Kiley Kroh, ThinkProgress on August 16th, 2013
EcoWatch: While the national debate remains largely focused on President Obama’s impending decision regarding the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, communities across the U.S. and Canada are grappling with the oil and gas industry’s rapidly expanding pipeline network--cutting through their backyards, threatening water supplies and leaving them vulnerable to devastating spills.
As production booms in Alberta, Canada’s tar sands and fracking opens up vast oil and natural gas deposits around America, companies...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Beyond Keystone XL: Three Controversial Pipeline ProposalsSkyTruth’s First Phase of Marcellus FrackFinder Nearly Complete
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on August 16th, 2013
EcoWatch: Exactly two weeks ago, we officially launched the first stage of our new skytruthing initiative--FrackFinder: Project TADPOLE. Since the launch, our amazing volunteers have taken the project from 10 percent complete to 73 percent complete; that`s over 64,000 completed tasks (task = number of times an image is viewed and classified).
On our website is a live, interactive map that illustrates, by county, the progress that our FrackFinder volunteers have made toward completing all tasks for Pennsylvania....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on SkyTruth’s First Phase of Marcellus FrackFinder Nearly CompleteFracking boom could lead to housing bust
Posted by Grist: None Given on August 16th, 2013
Grist: When it comes to the real estate market in Bradford County, Pa., where 62,600 residents live above the Marcellus Shale, nothing is black and white, says Bob Benjamin, a local broker and certified appraiser. There aren’t exactly “fifty shades of grey,” he says, but residential mortgage lending here is an especially murky situation.
When Benjamin fills out an appraisal for a lender, he has to note if there is a fracked well or an impoundment lake on or near the property. “I’m having to explain a...
Keystone XL Seen Harming ‘Quality Night Skies’ Near Parks
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on August 16th, 2013
Bloomberg: Building the Keystone XL pipeline would lead to more manmade light and noise in sparsely populated regions, which may harm natural resources, wildlife and visitors to national parks, the U.S. Interior Department said.
In comments submitted to the State Department as part of an environmental review, Interior warned that developer TransCanada Corp. (TRP) isn’t adequately dealing with risks to “cultural soundscapes” and “high quality night skies” from disturbances during construction and from pumping...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Keystone XL Seen Harming ‘Quality Night Skies’ Near ParksUnited Kingdom: Fracking protesters gather for six-day camp as Balcombe drilling suspended
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 16th, 2013
Press Association: Anti-fracking protesters have welcomed the suspension of an exploratory oil-drilling operation in West Sussex, as the first of hundreds of extra activists started to arrive.
Up to 1,000 more campaigners are set to descend on the outskirts of Balcombe, for the six-day Reclaim the Power camp. It has been organised in opposition to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which some fear the energy firm Cuadrilla will go on to conduct after it has completed its exploratory drilling.
Campaigners were...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Fracking protesters gather for six-day camp as Balcombe drilling suspendedUnited Kingdom: Law breaking fracking protesters ‘heroic’ like the suffragettes, says leader
Posted by Telegraph: Steven Swinford on August 16th, 2013
Telegraph: Thousands of people are expected to take part in six days of "direct action" against Cuadrilla, a company that is currently digging for oil near Balcombe in West Sussex.
Operations at the facility have been suspended while the protests are taking place, and hundreds of police have been drafted in.
The parish council has urged the protesters to "stay away" if they are planning any illegal acts, and said that they have heard rumours of a "mass trespass".
Jamie Kelsey-Fry, from the No Dash...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Law breaking fracking protesters ‘heroic’ like the suffragettes, says leaderCould smart meters stem $14bn in annual water losses?
Posted by BusinessGreen: Heather Clancy on August 16th, 2013
BusinessGreen: Debates about most smart meter installations have centered on projects at electric utilities.
But intelligent networks and sensor technology could have an even more profound positive impact on ageing water infrastructure around the world, according to several experts participating in a Navigant Research seminar this week.
Those benefits include operational cost reductions ranging from three per cent to five per cent, more accurate billing processes, enhanced leak detection, better customer...
United Kingdom: Drilling pause for Balcombe fracking protests is sensible move, say police
Posted by Guardian: Fiona Harvey, on August 16th, 2013
Guardian: Cuadrilla has halted its oil-drilling operations in West Sussex in anticipation of an influx of anti-fracking protesters at the site this weekend.
The company, which is pioneering the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing in Britain, said that after discussions with police it had doubled the height of its security fences and installed razor wire at the Balcombe site, and had called a halt to the drilling until further notice. A spokesman said this was owing to concerns "for the health...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Drilling pause for Balcombe fracking protests is sensible move, say policeDrought Forces Restrictions On Colorado River Water Releases
Posted by National Public Radio: Ted Robbins on August 16th, 2013
National Public Radio: Relentless drought will force the government to cut back on water releases between Glen Canyon and Lake Mead. It's the first time that's happened since dams were built on the Colorado River. Reduction starts next year, and the announcement gives the 40 million water users in the Southwest time to plan.
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Drought Forces Restrictions On Colorado River Water Releases