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Archive for December, 2013
Politicians’ Delay Means Climate Catastrophe for Malawi’s Poor
Posted by Inter Press Service: Mabvuto Banda on December 12th, 2013
Inter Press Service: Delays in finalising Malawi's climate change policy, which has been in the making for the last three years, are affecting millions of families living in disaster-prone areas across this southern African nation, says the country's minister of environment and climate change management Halima Daudi.
Daudi, who led the Malawian delegation to COP19 in Warsaw last month, tells IPS that the delay in drafting and making the policy operational comes at a cost to many of Malawi`s vulnerable.
"For example...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Politicians’ Delay Means Climate Catastrophe for Malawi’s PoorNacogdoches-based pipeline opponent files for Texas governor’s race
Posted by KTRE: Donna McCollum on December 12th, 2013
KTRE: Mike Bishop of Douglass is preparing to run for governor.
The outspoken Nacogdoches County landowner is known best for his ongoing legal battles over the Keystone X-L Pipeline.
Mike Bishop is frustrated with mainstream politics.
"Both parties in this country have failed. Both parties in the State of Texas have failed," said Bishop.
So the conservative turns to the Constitution Party of Texas not only as a supporter, but as a Gubernatorial Candidate. Bishop likes the party's stand on,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Nacogdoches-based pipeline opponent files for Texas governor’s raceHouse Dems press Obama to halt Keystone XL review
Posted by Hill: Laura Barron-Lopez on December 12th, 2013
Hill: House Democrats are calling on President Obama to delay the highly anticipated release of the State Department's environmental review on the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline.
In an effort led by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) on Thursday, 24 House Democrats sent a letter to Obama, highlighting "serious corporate conflicts of interest" in State's preparation of the environmental impact statement (EIS) on TransCanada's proposed pipeline.
At issue is the contractor brought on by State, Environmental...
Keystone Pipeline Seen Bigger for Suncor Than TransCanada
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 12th, 2013
Bloomberg: U.S. President Barack Obama’s ruling on Keystone XL is becoming more critical for oil-sands producers such as Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNQ) than pipeline builder TransCanada Corp.
Calgary-based TransCanada has about C$33 billion ($31 billion) of projects on its books, even without the $5.4 billion pipeline the company had targeted for completion in 2012. For producers, Keystone is the earliest export line scheduled to ease bottlenecks which have helped push Canadian heavy crude $27 a barrel...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Keystone Pipeline Seen Bigger for Suncor Than TransCanadaTransCanada proposes new Energy East pipeline route to bypass N.B. town
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 12th, 2013
Canadian Press: A spokesman for TransCanada says the company is looking to address concerns raised by the mayor of Edmundston, N.B., about the route for the Energy East pipeline project. Edmundston Mayor Cyrille Simard had wanted assurances the route for the west-to-east pipeline would not harm his city’s watershed area and wouldn’t run close to residential neighbourhoods. Philippe Cannon, a spokesman for TransCanada’s project, says a new route was proposed during an open house held by the company in Edmundston...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on TransCanada proposes new Energy East pipeline route to bypass N.B. townGovernments fail to agree EU limit on food-based biofuels
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 12th, 2013
Reuters: EU energy ministers on Thursday failed to agree on a compromise deal to limit the use of transport fuels made from food crops, which critics say pushes up food prices and can do more harm than good to the environment.
EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said the delay would only damage the European Union in its efforts to reduce dependence on imported oil and gas and curb greenhouse gas emissions.
"If we delay and postpone, the winners will be OPEC and Russia," he said.
Last year in...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Governments fail to agree EU limit on food-based biofuelsScientists Map Vast Reserves Freshwater Under The Seabed
Posted by National Public Radio: Alan Yu on December 12th, 2013
National Public Radio: Scientists think there are vast reserves of fresh groundwater buried under the oceans - a potentially valuable resource for coastal cities that need freshwater.
A recent report in Nature estimates the amount of fresh groundwater around the world at about 120,000 cubic miles - that's 100 times more than all the groundwater that has been pumped up from wells since the 1900s. The reserves are scattered across coastal regions around the world.
Researchers drilled down at various spots and used...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Scientists Map Vast Reserves Freshwater Under The SeabedKeystone XL Southern Leg Now Being Injected With Oil
Posted by EcoWatch: Steve Horn on December 11th, 2013
EcoWatch: Keystone XL's southern half is one step closer to opening for business. TransCanada announced that "on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013, the company began to inject oil into the Gulf Coast Project pipeline as it moves closer to the start of commercial service."
The line fill comes weeks after an investigation revealing potentially dangerous anomalies such as dents, faulty welding and exterior damage that could lead to pipeline ruptures, tears and spills. Photo credit: Public Citizen
The Sierra Club's...
Federal Court Hears Feverish Arguments Over Mercury Emissions
Posted by Forbes: None Given on December 11th, 2013
Forbes: While most of the energy sector’s attention this week has centered on the Supreme Court’s review of pollution crossing state lines, a sizable portion of it has been targeted to what a federal court will decide with regard to mercury releases.
The case is about whether coal-fired power plants should be required to install pollution controls that would limit mercury releases, which all sides concur is among the most insidious pollutants there is. The disagreement is over whether the technologies...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Federal Court Hears Feverish Arguments Over Mercury EmissionsCourt Appeals Upholds San Francisco Plastic Bag Ban
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on December 11th, 2013
EcoWatch: A unanimous California Court of Appeal upheld San Francisco’s expanded plastic bag ban, marking the latest in a string of victories for local laws phasing out single-use plastic bags.
The lawsuit, brought by the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, had disputed the procedures San Francisco used to expand its plastic bag ban in 2012 and the legality of banning plastic bags in restaurants. This is the first appellate court to consider the restaurant issue. Yesterday’s ruling sets the stage for more cities...