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Archive for January 31st, 2014
Australia to Dump Dredged Sand in Great Barrier Reef Waters, Adding to Site’s Mounting Woes
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 31st, 2014
National Geographic: This week's decision to dump dredged sand and silt in Great Barrier Reef waters has prompted warnings that the troubled ecological treasure is one step closer to a spot on World Heritage's "list of shame."
"We're going backwards on the reef-that's the sad truth," says WWF-Australia Reef Campaign Director Richard Leck.
Last year the World Heritage Committee (WHC) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned that without urgent management improvements,...
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Comments Off on Australia to Dump Dredged Sand in Great Barrier Reef Waters, Adding to Site’s Mounting WoesAmid Drought, California Agency Will Withhold Water Deliveries
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 31st, 2014
Associated Press: Amid California’s most crippling drought of modern times, state officials announced on Friday that they would not allocate water to agencies that serve 25 million people and nearly a million acres of farmland. The announcement was the first time in the 54-year history of the State Water Project that such an action has been taken. The director of the California Department of Water Resources, Mark Cowin, said the action was taken to conserve the little water that remained behind the dams in the state’s...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Amid Drought, California Agency Will Withhold Water DeliveriesKeystone XL pipeline closer to reality after State Department review
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 31st, 2014
Guardian: The Keystone XL, a mundane pipeline project that escalated into a bitter proxy war over climate change and North America's energy future, moved one important step closer to reality on Friday.
The State Department, in its final environmental review of the project, concluded that the pipeline, which would carry crude from the Alberta tar sands in Canada to refineries on the Texas Gulf coast, would not – on its own – have a “significant” effect on carbon pollution.
The report acknowledged that...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Keystone XL pipeline closer to reality after State Department reviewNew Fish Species Discovered Western US Rivers
Posted by Nature World: James A. Foley on January 31st, 2014
Nature World: A new species of fish has been confirmed swimming in rivers in the western US, according to the US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Like most new animal species confirmed today, the physical differences between this new fish species, a type of sculpin, are few when compared to its kin. But genetic analysis of the fish revealed that it is indeed a new species.
"Recognizing species of sculpins is a challenge because even distantly related species look very much alike. So rather...
California agency will not deliver water to farmland afflicted by drought
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 31st, 2014
Associated Press: Amid California's most crippling drought of modern times, state officials on Friday announced they will not allocate water to agencies that serve 25 million people and nearly 1m acres of farmland.
The announcement marks the first time in the 54-year history of the state water project that such an action has been taken. State department of water resources director Mark Cowin said the action was taken to conserve the little water that remains behind the dams in the state's vast system of reservoirs....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on California agency will not deliver water to farmland afflicted by droughtApproving Keystone XL could be biggest mistake of Obama’s presidency
Posted by Guardian: Michael Mann on January 31st, 2014
Guardian: I have made my position on the Keystone XL pipeline quite clear. Approving this hotly debated pipeline would send America down the wrong path. The science tells us now is the time that we should be throwing everything we have into creating a clean 21st century energy economy, not doubling down on the dirty energy that is imperiling our planet.
Now that the State Department has just released a final environmental impact report on Keystone XL, which appears to downplay the threat, and greatly increases...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Approving Keystone XL could be biggest mistake of Obama’s presidencyState Department Releases Final Environmental Impact Statement Keystone XL Pipeline
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 31st, 2014
EcoWatch: The State Department today released the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline project.
The controversial project would carry as much as 830,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day from Alberta, Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast. The State Department’s Final Supplemental EIS concluded that the pipeline wouldn’t increase the rate of extraction of tar sands and thus isn’t likely to significantly increase carbon pollution.
“The idea that this...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on State Department Releases Final Environmental Impact Statement Keystone XL PipelineState Dept. Delivers Unwelcome News For Keystone Opponents
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 31st, 2014
National Public Radio: The U.S. State Department made a much-anticipated announcement on the Keystone XL pipeline on Friday. Its report finds that while the heavy crude oil that the pipeline will carry from Canada is dirtier than regular crude, stopping the pipeline won't keep that crude in the ground. There are other ways besides the pipeline that will likely keep the heavy crude business afloat. This decision won't please opponents of the pipeline, nor does it give the go-ahead to the project. Secretary of State John...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on State Dept. Delivers Unwelcome News For Keystone OpponentsWestern U.S. drought puts big strain on reservoirs
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 31st, 2014
CBS News: Satellite photos show the Colorado River, which feeds Nevada's Lake Mead, is drying up, meaning the lake is rapidly shrinking. The lake provides water for 20 million people in southern Nevada, southern California and Arizona -- and it's lost 4 trillion gallons of water since 2000. Ben Tracy reports.
Record Brazil heat pressures crops, energy prices, government
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 31st, 2014
Reuters: Even by Brazilian standards - man, it's hot. January was the hottest month on record in parts of Brazil including its biggest city, São Paulo. The heat, plus a severe drought, has kindled fears of water shortages, crop damage and higher electricity bills that could drag down the economy during an election year for President Dilma Rousseff. The scorching conditions don't constitute a crisis quite yet, officials say. Weather has been mostly normal in other regions including Brazil's soy belt, where...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Record Brazil heat pressures crops, energy prices, government