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Archive for April 14th, 2015
Southern California to cut water wholesale deliveries by 15 percent
Posted by Reuters: Daina Beth Solomon on April 14th, 2015
Reuters: Southern California's water wholesaler voted on Tuesday to cut its deliveries to cities and communities by 15 percent as the state clamps down on water usage amid a devastating four-year drought.
The Metropolitan Water District's plan aims to put cities in the greater Los Angeles area in compliance with an order by Governor Jerry Brown to reduce water use by 25 percent, the first mandatory statewide reduction in California history.
Beginning in July, two-dozen member agencies will be fined...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Southern California to cut water wholesale deliveries by 15 percentIndia builds first ‘smart’ city as urban population swells
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 14th, 2015
Reuters: India's push to accommodate a booming urban population and attract investment rests in large part with dozens of "smart" cities like the one being built on the dusty banks of the Sabarmati river in western India.
So far, it boasts modern underground infrastructure, two office blocks and not much else.
The plan, however, is for a meticulously planned metropolis complete with gleaming towers, drinking water on tap, automated waste collection and a dedicated power supply - luxuries to many Indians....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on India builds first ‘smart’ city as urban population swellsPesticide Use May Threaten Global Freshwater Biodiversity
Posted by Nature World: None Given on April 14th, 2015
Nature World: Pesticide use, while it's been tied to a decline in honeybee populations and other pollinators, now may also threaten global freshwater biodiversity, according to new research.
Specifically, it's insecticides, a type of pesticide that is used to specifically target and kill insects, that are the problem. Despite the fact that insecticide use is regulated, and cannot surpass legally-accepted regulatory threshold levels (RTLs), it appears that they are still causing problems for various ecosystems...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Pesticide Use May Threaten Global Freshwater BiodiversityEverything Need To Know About Viral Protests Against Hawaii Telescope
Posted by Huffington Post: Chloe Fox on April 14th, 2015
Huffington Post: The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on Hawaii's Big Island is slated to be one of the world's largest, most powerful telescopes. But the $1.4-billion project is now in jeopardy in the aftermath of protests on social media and across Hawaii that brought construction to a halt. The site of the proposed project on the summit of Mauna Kea is a sacred location for many Native Hawaiians, and demonstrations have sparked broader discussions about both respect for indigenous cultures and the meaning of scientific...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Everything Need To Know About Viral Protests Against Hawaii TelescopeCanada Could Lose 70 Percent of Glaciers by End of Century, Study Finds
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 14th, 2015
Yale Environment 360: British Columbia and Alberta could lose 70 percent of their glaciers by the end of the 21st century, creating major problems for local ecosystems, power supplies, and water quality, according to a study in Nature Geoscience. Wetter coastal mountain regions in northwestern British Columbia are expected to lose about half of their glacial volume, the researchers found, but the Rocky Mountains, in the drier interior portion of Canada, could lose 90 percent of their glaciers. “Soon our mountains could...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Canada Could Lose 70 Percent of Glaciers by End of Century, Study Finds9 States Report Record Low Snowpack Amid Epic Drought
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on April 14th, 2015
EcoWatch: California gets most of the attention in drought news coverage because so much of the state is in exceptional drought—the highest level—but 72 percent of the Western U.S. is experiencing drought conditions, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor data. When California’s snowpack assessment showed that the state’s snowpack levels were 6 percent of normal—the lowest ever recorded—it spurred Gov. Brown’s administration to order the first-ever mandatory water restrictions. California’s snowpack...
Tribes Say No to Keystone
Posted by Hill: Timothy Cama and Megan R. Wilson on April 14th, 2015
Hill: Native Americans are pressuring the Obama administration to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, warning the project could infringe on their water rights, harm sacred land and violate America’s treaty obligations. Tribes sent more than 100 pages of letters to the Interior Department earlier this year raising concerns about the project, which would carry oil sands from Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast. “Literally, thousands of sacred and cultural resources that are important to our life-ways and...
Hillary Clinton Has a Keystone XL Problem
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 14th, 2015
Christian Science Monitor: Hillary Clinton announced Sunday that she will run for president in 2016, and environmental groups are welcoming her to the race with the first of what could be many Keystone XL protests.
The controversial pipeline has become a litmus test for environmentalists concerned that Ms. Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, won’t take a bold enough stance to fight climate change. As Secretary of State, Clinton said she was “inclined” to sign-off on the pipeline, which would carry emissions-heavy oil sands...
Fracking Opponents Try Again for Ban on Michigan Ballot
Posted by Detroit News: Jim Lynch on April 14th, 2015
Detroit News: The wheels begin to turn in earnest next week on efforts to bring a ban on hydraulic fracturing before Michigan voters in 2016.
When Michigan's Board of State Canvassers meets Tuesday, the four-member panel will review forms for the collection of signatures to initiate legislation. It's a paperwork formality necessary before supporters of a ban on the controversial natural gas extraction process can begin approaching state residents.
A grassroots organization, the Committee to Ban Fracking...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Fracking Opponents Try Again for Ban on Michigan BallotWhat environmentalists get wrong when they use California drought to attack fracking
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 14th, 2015
Washington Post: With the continual worsening of California’s drought, an odd argument -- in some ways as much meme as argument -- has arisen. It’s the notion that in the context of the drought, it’s important to cut back on the water used in industrial hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” operations in the state.
Here’s one example of the basic idea being expressed, by Californians Against Fracking:
Here’s one solution to #California‘s drought: #BanFrackingNow @JerryBrownGov pic.twitter.com/JtcfmUJXmI
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Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on What environmentalists get wrong when they use California drought to attack fracking