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Archive for November, 2014
Neil Young Boycotts Starbucks Over Its Opposition to GMO Labeling
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on November 18th, 2014
EcoWatch: Neil Young has long been known for his involvement in environmental and social justice issues. Now Young has extended his longtime activism to another area: taking on Starbucks and its association with the anti-GMO labeling Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). The GMA has spent heavily in states where GMO labeling has been on the ballot, working to defeat it, usually coming in just behind Monsanto in the size of its donations. “Goodbye Starbucks!” Young announces on his website. “I used to...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Neil Young Boycotts Starbucks Over Its Opposition to GMO LabelingPresident Obama’s climate leadership faces the Keystone XL challenge
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 18th, 2014
Guardian: What a change a few years makes. For those of us concerned about climate change, seven years ago marked a low-point. It was a time where no meaningful actions had been taken to reduce carbon pollution and prepare our nation and the world for the threat of global warming. Now, we celebrate a series of major plans and actions that have the potential for helping us avoid the worst climate risks.
These past years have cemented Obama’s legacy as a climate-aware president. They have also cemented the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on President Obama’s climate leadership faces the Keystone XL challengeGermany Govn’t Reiterates Its Ban on Fracking
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 18th, 2014
Reuters: Germany said on Monday it has no plans to lift a ban on fracking, following a report in news magazine Der Spiegel that it was considering lowering the hurdles for shale gas extraction to allow test drilling.
At present, Germany only plans to allow fracking below a depth of 3,000 metes (yards), to ensure that there is no danger to ground water supplies. Der Spiegel had reported that this depth boundary would be scrapped.
While denying the report, a spokeswoman for the Environment Ministry did...
India says “no” to coal plant after inadequate environmental impact assessment
Posted by Scientific American: Melissa C. Lott on November 17th, 2014
Scientific American: A panel of judges has struck down the environmental clearance for a proposed 3.6 GW coal-fired power plant in Tamil Nadu, India.
The decision by the National Green Tribunal responded to an appeal by local villagers who cited concerns about water and air pollution in this already polluted area. In their review, the judges found that the “casual approach” to the project`s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was patently unacceptable. More specifically, the tribunal reported that the EIA was “inadequate...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on India says “no” to coal plant after inadequate environmental impact assessment10 Arrested as ‘We Are Seneca Lake’ Protests Continue
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on November 17th, 2014
EcoWatch: Ten people were arrested today for blockading the gates of Texas-based Crestwood Midstream’s gas storage facility on the shore of New York’s Seneca Lake. This protest marks the fourth week of the “We Are Seneca Lake” campaign to stop the major expansion project at the methane gas storage facility where plans are underway to store highly pressurized, explosive gas in abandoned salt caverns on the west side of Seneca Lake.
Thirty-five people have been arrested so far during this campaign, including...
Wildlife crime wanted list released
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 17th, 2014
BBC: The public is being asked to provide information on the locations of nine fugitives suspected of serious environmental crimes.
The appeal, from Interpol, is part of an effort to track down individuals involved in illegal fishing, logging and wildlife trafficking.
The trade in wildlife crime is said to be worth around $213bn per annum, according to the UN.
This is the first time that individuals have been targeted.
Investigators from 21 countries gathered at Interpol's headquarters in...
Keystone Senate vote hangs in balance after Obama remarks
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 17th, 2014
Reuters: Supporters of the Keystone XL pipeline in the U.S. Senate scrambled on Monday to gather one last vote to pass a bill that authorizes the project that would help send Canadian oil to the U.S. Gulf, a task made harder after President Barack Obama made his toughest comments yet on the topic.
All eyes were on Senator Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat who is retiring. He had originally told backers he would vote "no." But unions and the oil industry were pressuring him, an aide to a top Republican...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Keystone Senate vote hangs in balance after Obama remarksMeet Republicans in Congress who don’t believe climate change real
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 17th, 2014
Guardian: It’s much easier to list Republicans in Congress who think climate change is real than it is to list Republicans who don’t, because there are so few members of the former group. Earlier this year, Politifact went looking for congressional Republicans who had not expressed scepticism about climate change and came up with a list of eight (out of 278).
But with the GOP taking over the Senate next year – and with the Senate set to vote on approving the Keystone XL pipeline on Tuesday – the question...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Meet Republicans in Congress who don’t believe climate change realReject Keystone XL Pipeline, We Need Radical Change to Prevent Catastrophic Warming
Posted by AlterNet: Naomi Klein on November 17th, 2014
AlterNet: House lawmakers passed legislation Friday to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline to bring carbon-intensive tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to the Texas Gulf Coast. The Senate is expected to vote this week on a similar pro-Keystone bill backed by Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu. Landrieu is facing a tough battle to keep her seat in a runoff next month against Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy, who also happens to be the sponsor of the pro-Keystone bill in the House. Landrieu spoke last week...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Reject Keystone XL Pipeline, We Need Radical Change to Prevent Catastrophic WarmingS Dakota Sioux tribe calls Keystone XL pipeline approval ‘act of war’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 17th, 2014
Guardian: A Native American tribe in South Dakota has called a congressional vote to approve the Keystone XL pipeline an “act of war” and vowed to close the reservation’s borders if the US government tries to install a pipeline there.
The prospective route for the pipeline, which would connect Canadian tar sands fields to the Gulf coast, runs through the 922,759-acre (1,442 sq mi) Rosebud Sioux reservation in south-central South Dakota. The House of Representatives voted 252-161 on Friday to approve the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on S Dakota Sioux tribe calls Keystone XL pipeline approval ‘act of war’