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Archive for March, 2014
What John Podesta’s annoying hippie-punching tells us about Obama’s climate agenda
Posted by Week: Ryan Cooper on March 22nd, 2014
Week: This week, President Obama's special adviser John Podesta dropped a few classic Washington bromides about those unreasonable environmentalists:
"If you oppose all fossil fuels and you want to turn that switch off tomorrow, that is a completely impractical way of moving toward a clean-energy future," Podesta told reporters during a roundtable discussion at the White House.
"With all due respect to my friends in the environmental community, if they expect us to turn off the lights and go home,...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on What John Podesta’s annoying hippie-punching tells us about Obama’s climate agendaCities should tap reused water as dry spells become more prevalent, say experts
Posted by Channel NewsAsia: Monica Kotwani on March 22nd, 2014
Channel NewsAsia: Cities should tap reused water as droughts and dry spells become more prevalent, and local water agencies should better engage the public to create an awareness of conservation measures, experts said at a water reuse conference in California on Wednesday.
It shared how NEWater had helped Singapore get through a recent dry spell.
In Northern California's Yolo County, farmers are starting their planting season amid a grim backdrop.
California has entered its third year of drought, and recent...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Cities should tap reused water as dry spells become more prevalent, say expertsNew Mexico cancels permit to expand leaky nuclear waste site
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 22nd, 2014
Reuters: New Mexico on Friday withdrew a temporary permit allowing two new disposal vaults at a U.S. government nuclear waste dump grappling with a release of radiation in February, state regulators said.
Seventeen workers at the Carlsbad-area "waste isolation pilot project" (WIPP) were exposed to radiation after an accidental leak last month from the site which stores waste from U.S. nuclear labs and weapons production facilities.
State regulators were withdrawing the draft expansion permit to identify...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on New Mexico cancels permit to expand leaky nuclear waste siteNorth Dakota Pipeline Rupture Spills 34,000 Gallons of Crude
Posted by Associated Press: Josh Wood and James MacPHERSON on March 22nd, 2014
Associated Press: Cleanup workers have contained about 34,000 gallons of crude that spewed from a broken oil pipeline in northwestern North Dakota, state health officials said Friday.
North Dakota Water Quality Director Dennis Fewless said the breach occurred Thursday morning on Hiland Crude LLC's pipeline about 6 miles northeast of Alexander. A gasket on the above-ground pipeline appears to have failed near a compressor station, spewing about 800 barrels of crude, Fewless said. A barrel holds 42 gallons.
Fewless...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on North Dakota Pipeline Rupture Spills 34,000 Gallons of CrudeE.P.A. Agrees to Join North Carolina in Reviewing Spill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 22nd, 2014
New York Times: The federal Environmental Protection Agency will join North Carolina regulators in addressing potential violations of the Clean Water Act at Duke Energy power plants, including a massive spill of toxic coal ash last month in the Dan River, state officials said on Friday. The secretary of the state’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources, John Skvarla, invited the federal agency’s “participation and coordination” in a March 14 letter to the head of its regional office, the state department...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on E.P.A. Agrees to Join North Carolina in Reviewing SpillClimate change threatens human’s and wildlife’s access to water, says new report
Posted by Tico Times: Zach Dyer on March 21st, 2014
Tico Times: Sea turtles in Costa Rica face threats from poachers when they come ashore to lay their eggs, but another threat comes from the water itself. Rising sea levels in the Caribbean are washing away valuable beaches where many of these endangered animals lay their eggs, noted a new report on climate change vulnerability in Costa Rica on Friday. Sea turtles aren’t the only ones facing future threats from climate change. A new report estimates that a lack of rainfall and rising sea levels from climate...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Climate change threatens human’s and wildlife’s access to water, says new reportWorld Water Day: Rising water insecurities can propel conflicts in future, warn experts
Posted by Express Tribune: None Given on March 21st, 2014
Express Tribune: Experts have warned that rising water insecurities can propel conflicts in the future if not conserved properly and utilised frugally.
They also urged the need for proper conservation and management of water resources in the country.
They were speaking at a seminar titled “Water for Future: Perspectives from Pakistan” to mark the the World Water Day here on Friday, said a press release.
The event was organised the Oxfam, the Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO), the Sustainable...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on World Water Day: Rising water insecurities can propel conflicts in future, warn expertsNorth Carolina to withdraw Duke Energy settlement over coal ash spill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 21st, 2014
Associated Press: North Carolina regulators say they have asked a judge to withdraw a proposed settlement that would have allowed Duke Energy to resolve environmental violations by paying a $99,000 fine with no requirement that the $50bn company clean up its pollution.
The state Department of Environment and Natural Resources said in a statement on Friday that it would scuttle the proposed consent order to settle violations for groundwater contamination leeching from coal ash dumps near Charlotte and Asheville....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on North Carolina to withdraw Duke Energy settlement over coal ash spillThe Upside To Thawing Permafrost Is…Nothing, It’s Bad
Posted by Science 2.0: None Given on March 21st, 2014
Science 2.0: Every dark cloud has a silver lining and the silver lining for a thawing permafrost is...still a dark cloud.
The climate is warming in the Arctic at twice the rate of the rest of the globe. That has led to a longer growing season and increased plant growth, which captures atmospheric carbon - that is good - but it is thawing the permafrost, which releases carbon into the atmosphere. Permafrost contains three to seven times the amount of carbon sequestered in tropical forests. A thawing permafrost...
Rich nations to start fund to help cut methane emissions abroad
Posted by Reuters: Ben Garside on March 21st, 2014
Reuters: Nations including the United States and Sweden are advancing plans to launch a new fund this year to pay for methane emission reduction projects in the developing world.
The countries are aiming to set up a so-called Methane Abatement Facility with pledges of $100 million under the auspices of the World Bank to buy and cancel carbon credits, initially from projects that cut emissions at landfill waste sites.
The aim is to deliver fast-acting cuts to greenhouse gas output blamed for climate...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Rich nations to start fund to help cut methane emissions abroad