Archive for May 31st, 2014

California’s fire fighters are braced for long, hot – & busy – summer

Guardian: Fire Helicopter One skimmed over the roofs of Fullerton, rotors whumping, and banked east, crossing the 91 freeway into a national park which from a distance appeared lush and green. Scudding between two canyons, however, you could see it was brown scrub – a desolate vista of parched grass and stunted vegetation covering steep slopes. "In a normal year these hills would be covered with brilliant yellow and purple wildflowers," said David Lopez, pointing out of the cockpit window. "But because of...

United Kingdom: Fracking company warns over access

Press Association: A leading fracking company has warned that the industry will grind to a halt in Britain unless the Government allows it to drill under people's property without permission. Cuadrilla chief executive Francis Egan told The Times it would be impractical to negotiate access with every landowner where it wants to use the controversial pressure mining technique. David Cameron and George Osborne have hailed the potential benefits of fracking to the UK, and last week the coalition launched a consultation...