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Archive for January, 2015
Obama to call for increased methane regulation in State of the Union address
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 13th, 2015
Guardian: Barack Obama will unveil a new plan to cut methane from America’s booming oil and gas industry ahead of the State of the Union address, in an attempt to cement his climate legacy during his remaining two years in the White House.
The new methane rules – expected ahead of the State of the Union speech next week – are the last big chance for Obama to fight climate change, campaigners said.
“It is the largest opportunity to deal with climate pollution that this administration has not already seized,”...
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Comments Off on Obama to call for increased methane regulation in State of the Union addressSenate Votes to Start Debate on Keystone Bill
Posted by New York Times: Coral Davenport on January 12th, 2015
New York Times: The Senate voted Monday to take up a bill that would force approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, opening a debate on energy and climate change that will preview other clashes to come between President Obama and the new Republican Congress. It will also set the stage for the energy and climate battles of the presidential election next year. But the bill’s fate appears certain: Republicans, with the help of some Democrats, are expected to easily push it through Congress, and Mr. Obama is expected...
Senate takes up Keystone XL bill as showdown with Obama looms
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 12th, 2015
Reuters: The U.S. Senate advanced a bill on Monday to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline as Republicans, who have made the project their first priority of the year, try to line up enough votes to overcome a potential veto by President Barack Obama.
The Senate voted 63-32 on a measure to allow debate and the offering of amendments on the bill.
"This evening's vote means it will now advance to the floor for open debate and every member will have an opportunity to offer amendments they believe will strengthen...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Senate takes up Keystone XL bill as showdown with Obama loomsSenate Keystone debate to delve into climate, oil exports
Posted by Politico: None Given on January 12th, 2015
Politico: The Senate's Monday vote to start the debate over the Keystone XL pipeline bill has opened the legislative floodgates for the new GOP Congress, with members on both sides of the aisle set to unleash a torrent of politically sensitive energy amendments on issues such as crude oil exports and climate change.
The climate amendment, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), is designed to pin down senators' views about the connection between humans' greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, while...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Senate Keystone debate to delve into climate, oil exportsIt’s Official: 2014 Hottest Year Ever Recorded
Posted by Nature World: None Given on January 10th, 2015
Nature World: Yea, so 2014's December may have been bone-chillingly cold for some parts of the world. But when measurements from every corner of the Earth from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 were finally combined and averaged, it was revealed that this past year was easily the hottest ever recorded.
That's at least according to Japan's Meteorological Agency, one of the four primary record-keeping organizations that routinely measure, gather, and asses net temperature data from across the globe. This data includes both terrestrial...
NY weighed ‘phased rollout’ of fracking
Posted by Gannett: Jon Campbell on January 10th, 2015
Gannett: New York had been considering a "phased rollout" of large-scale hydraulic fracturing in the months prior to deciding to ban it, with the proposal received well by public-health experts the state had asked for advice. The revelation was included in a series of letters from three experts from top universities, who had been contracted by the state to review its proposals for shale-gas drilling and recommend ways to improve them. The letters, written in late 2012 and early 2013, were first disclosed...
Study: Agent Orange may have affected Air Force workers after Vietnam
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 10th, 2015
LA Times: Two dozen U.S. Air Force planes used to spray Agent Orange during the Vietnam War remained contaminated with the herbicide at levels that likely posed a health risk to some personnel who flew on them in the decade after the conflict, according to a new report.
The report could open the way to medical care and disability pay for hundreds of reservists who worked on the C-123 planes until 1982 and later developed certain medical conditions.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has denied nearly...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Study: Agent Orange may have affected Air Force workers after VietnamGOP House votes approve Keystone pipeline despite veto threat
Posted by Washington Post: Lori Montgomery and Steven J. Mufson on January 10th, 2015
Washington Post: For four years, Republicans in Congress have been accused of obstructing President Obama’s agenda. Now, with the House and Senate under their control, GOP leaders are ready to turn the tables.
During the next few months, congressional leaders plan to approve a steady stream of legislation that has the support of at least a few Democrats but is opposed by the White House. Obama will be forced either to sign these “bipartisan” bills -- including several that would begin to dismantle his Affordable...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on GOP House votes approve Keystone pipeline despite veto threatObama facing rising pressure on Keystone oil pipeline
Posted by New York Times: Coral Davenport and Mitch Smith on January 10th, 2015
New York Times: President Obama came under new pressure on Friday to make a decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline as the Nebraska Supreme Court cleared the way for its construction through the state and the House passed a bill to approve the project.
The House vote of 266 to 153 in favor of the pipeline sends the measure to the Senate, which is likely to pass the bill in the coming weeks.
The Nebraska ruling eliminates Mr. Obama’s chief reason for delaying his decision on whether the pipeline should be...
Australia: Climate change: Why some of us won’t believe it’s getting hotter
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 10th, 2015
Age: What is it about the temperature that some of us find so hard to accept?
The year just ended was one of the hottest on record. In NSW it was the absolute hottest, in Victoria the second-hottest, and in Australia the third hottest.
The first step in getting people to at least agree that it’s getting hotter is to stop talking about how to prevent it. Muddying the two, as we do all the time, gets people’s backs up.
The measure is compiled by the Bureau of Meteorology. It dates back to 1910....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Australia: Climate change: Why some of us won’t believe it’s getting hotter