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Archive for May, 2014
Local cities concerned with frac sand hauling
Posted by KARE: None Given on May 15th, 2014
KARE: As the St. Croix River moves by the small town of Taylors Falls, there are some here worried about what may soon be moving through.
"It's going to be a mess," said Taylors Falls Mayor Mike Buchite.
In late April Mayor Buchite said he got an email from the North Branch city manager telling him about a frac sand company, Superior Silica Sands, that might set up shop in her city, but it would haul sand through his.
The sand is used for hydraulic fracturing that extracts oil and gas from the...
El Nino ‘reduces major crop yields’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 15th, 2014
BBC: El Nino events can have a significant impact on the yields of certain major food crops, a study has shown. Researchers say the climatic phenomenon, which triggers changes in temperature and rainfall, can reduce maize yields by more than 4%. El Nino episodes are caused by changes in the sea surface temperature in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Writing in Nature Communications, the team said the data could be used by governments to manage food supplies. They wrote: "Results show that El Nino...
Depletion Of California’s Groundwater Is Triggering Earthquakes, Study Finds
Posted by ThinkProgress: None Given on May 15th, 2014
ThinkProgress: California`s record-breaking drought is helping spark wildfires and drying up farmland, but it appears to be having another unforeseen consequence: increasing the state`s chance of earthquakes.
A study published in the journal Nature on Wednesday found that the depletion of groundwater in California’s San Joaquin Valley is putting pressure on the San Andreas Fault, which could be increasing the risk of earthquakes in the region. Colin Amos, Assistant Professor at Western Washington University...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Depletion Of California’s Groundwater Is Triggering Earthquakes, Study Finds20,000 Evacuated As California Spring Turns To Summer Of Fire
Posted by ThinkProgress: None Given on May 15th, 2014
ThinkProgress: Springtime in California. Birds chirping, flowers blooming. And this year wildfires raging, winds howling, and heat pounding.
In Southern California, almost a dozen fires sent tens of thousands of residents fleeing their homes as exceptionally strong Santa Ana winds from the east, reaching close to 90 mph, pushed back the normal cool coastal breezes blowing in - priming already tinderbox-like fire conditions. More than 20,000 evacuation notices have been issued.
A fire In San Diego County Wednesday...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on 20,000 Evacuated As California Spring Turns To Summer Of FireFate of Ohio’s oil and gas severance tax bill is uncertain
Posted by WKSU: None Given on May 15th, 2014
WKSU: A new tax on oil and natural gas drillers is halfway through the legislature, but is facing an uncertain future. Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler reports on the debate in the House. The bill puts a 2.5 percent severance tax on gross receipts on shale wells that are horizontally fractured, and allows drillers to deduct the commercial activity tax they pay from the severance tax they owe. It is estimated that will bring in $316 million over five years, which would go to an income tax cut. That...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Fate of Ohio’s oil and gas severance tax bill is uncertainGroundwater Depletion Is Destabilizing the San Andreas Fault & Increasing Earthquake Risk
Posted by Earth Island Journal: Katherine Bourzac on May 15th, 2014
Earth Island Journal: Depletion of groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley is having wide-ranging effects not just on the agricultural industry and the environment, but also on the very earth beneath our feet. Massive changes in groundwater levels in the southern Central Valley are changing the stresses on the San Andreas Fault, according to research published today.
Researchers have known for some time that human activity can be linked to localized seismic effects. In particular, much of the debate about fracking in...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Groundwater Depletion Is Destabilizing the San Andreas Fault & Increasing Earthquake RiskBudget axe of small grant fund will hurt conservation groups across Australia
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 15th, 2014
Guardian: Between the papers of any federal budget are the places where ideologies are most strikingly revealed and alliances are displayed. It's also a good place to drop a sounding line to fathom the true depth of a government’s collective likes and dislikes. And so Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s first budget brought its weight to bear on climate change, renewable energy and the environment. The wreckage has been well surveyed but one cut in particular shows how far the budget went to undermine Australia's...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Budget axe of small grant fund will hurt conservation groups across AustraliaBy itself, abundant shale gas unlikely to alter climate projections
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 14th, 2014
ScienceDaily: While natural gas can reduce greenhouse emissions when it is substituted for higher-emission energy sources, abundant shale gas is not likely to substantially alter total emissions without policies targeted at greenhouse gas reduction, a pair of Duke researchers find.
If natural gas is abundant and less expensive, it will encourage greater natural gas consumption and less of fuels such as coal, renewables and nuclear power. The net effect on the climate will depend on whether the greenhouse emissions...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on By itself, abundant shale gas unlikely to alter climate projections