Archive for June 28th, 2014

United Kingdom: Allow fracking in national parks, says outgoing Enviro Agency chief

Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 28th, 2014
Independent: Fracking should be allowed in national parks and fears over its impact have been “exaggerated,” according to the head of the Environment Agency. The chairman, Chris Smith, who is stepping down next month, dismissed concerns about its possible impact on the national parks and sites of special scientific interest that could be licenced for fracking. In an interview with the Times, Mr Smith said: “Provided it is done carefully and properly regulated, those fears are definitely exaggerated.” He...
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Rare-earth mining in China comes at a heavy cost for local villages

Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 28th, 2014
Guardian: From the air it looks like a huge lake, fed by many tributaries, but on the ground it turns out to be a murky expanse of water, in which no fish or algae can survive. The shore is coated with a black crust, so thick you can walk on it. Into this huge, 10 sq km tailings pond nearby factories discharge water loaded with chemicals used to process the 17 most sought after minerals in the world, collectively known as rare earths. The town of Baotou, in Inner Mongolia, is the largest Chinese source...
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United Kingdom: Allow fracking in national parks, says Environment Agency chief

Posted by Guardian: Ben Quinn on June 28th, 2014
Guardian: Fracking in national parks should be permitted because the visual impact can be limited when the process is "done properly", the outgoing chairman of the Environment Agency has declared. Chris Smith, who is due to step down from the post next month, waded into the debate over fracking by dismissing the claims of those campaigning against the impact of the controversial drilling at particular sites. "Provided it is done carefully and properly regulated, those fears are definitely exaggerated,"...
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Floods in Alaska national park prompt emergency evacuations

Posted by Reuters: Steve Quinn on June 28th, 2014
Reuters: More than 100 tourists and workers have been airlifted out of a private lodge in Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve after floods washed out portions of a road and left them stranded, a National Park Service spokeswoman said on Friday. The group was evacuated late on Thursday by four fixed-wing airplanes and two helicopters after rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday morning caused two nearby shallow creeks to swell, said park spokeswoman Kris Fister. The creeks turned into a "confluence...
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