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Archive for May 15th, 2015
House Republicans scrap climate change preparedness proposal
Posted by Dallas Morning news: None Given on May 15th, 2015
Dallas Morning News: House Republicans on Friday nixed legislation by a Dallas Democrat that would have asked certain agencies to take weather, water availability and climate change into account in their strategic plans.
The bill had bipartisan support in committee, but at the start of the vote Rep. Ron Simmons, R-Carollton, alerted members that the House GOP caucus opposed the measure. That vote failed 47-84, mostly along party lines.
In an interview Friday after the vote, Simmons said the caucus wants to “make...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on House Republicans scrap climate change preparedness proposalCanada to pledge 30 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 15th, 2015
Reuters: Critics dismissed the pledge, noting Canada has no chance of meeting its existing 2020 target for cutting the output of gases widely blamed for global warming.
Canada's right-of-center ruling Conservatives say they will tackle climate change while avoiding measures that might kill jobs. The party has deep political roots in the west, where emissions are soaring as the oil-rich tar sands are developed.
As part of Friday's announcement, Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq said the government...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Canada to pledge 30 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissionsAll eyes are on Seattle as it fights Shell’s dirty Arctic plans
Posted by Grist: Bill McKibben on May 15th, 2015
Grist: Location, location, location — the realtor’s mantra holds true, even in this virtual age. And right now, this weekend, the white-hot center of the environmental world is Seattle, Wash., because it sits on some of the most crucial real estate on planet earth. Seattle has long had a strong green tradition (why else would Grist make its home there?). It grew, perhaps, from the fierce attachment to the remarkable natural beauty of Puget Sound, of Mt. Rainier looming over the skyline. In any event, world-class...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on All eyes are on Seattle as it fights Shell’s dirty Arctic plansBringing Age of Fossil Fuels to an End
Posted by Dissident Voice: Al Engler on May 15th, 2015
Dissident Voice: Unprecedented assembles evidence that carbon emissions from fossil fuels are pushing humankind to unprecedented crises. Weather events are becoming more severe. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, storms are more frequent. Ice caps and glaciers are melting. Sea levels are rising. Oceans are becoming more acidic.
A professor emeritus of philosophy and religion, David Ray Griffin discusses in his book, Unprecedented: Can Civilization Survive the Co2 Crisis? (Clarity Press, 2015), human-caused climate...
Poor land use worsens climate change in St. Xincent
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 15th, 2015
Inter Press Service: His job allows him a unique view of what is taking place in the interior of this volcanic east Caribbean nation, where the landscape mostly alternates between deep gorges and high mountains."Sometimes we hardly see any fish along the coastline, because there are no trees to cool the water for the algae to get food." -- Joel Poyer
Poyer, a 54-year-old social and political activist and trade unionist, is hoping that during the 18 months before he retires, he can get the government and people of...
Why did New York ban fracking? The official report is now public
Posted by InsideClimate: Neela Banerjee on May 15th, 2015
InsideClimate: New York issued its long-awaited environmental assessment of fracking Wednesday detailing a wide range of health and climate concerns that underpinned Governor Andrew Cuomo's decision last December to impose a statewide ban on the practice.
High-volume hydraulic fracturing "raises new, significant, adverse impacts not studied" in the state's last major analysis of oil and gas development in 1992, the 2,000-page report concludes. The negative effects that fracking could bring to the state include:...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Why did New York ban fracking? The official report is now publicSouth Africa: Fracking out in the open at last
Posted by Mail and Guardian: None Given on May 15th, 2015
Mail and Guardian: The strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of shale gas development has to be completed in two years – before exploration for the energy source begins in earnest, assessment leader Professor Bob Scholes said this week.
The government`s shale gas interdepartmental task team on Tuesday launched the SEA, calling it a "science-based assessment to improve our understanding of the risks and opportunities of shale gas development".
In his budget speech in February, the minister of finance, Nhlanhla...
New York releases long-awaited study prompted fracking ban
Posted by EnergyWire: Ellen M. Gilmer on May 15th, 2015
EnergyWire: New York state officials yesterday finally unveiled the controversial environmental study that led to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's (D) decision to ban hydraulic fracturing in the Empire State.
The final environmental impact statement, in the works for almost seven years, outlines the health and environmental concerns cited by Cuomo's administration in December, when acting state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said fracking's risks outweigh its potential economic benefits.
The decision set off victory...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on New York releases long-awaited study prompted fracking banProsecutors: Duke Energy ignored warnings before ash spill
Posted by News and Observer: None Given on May 15th, 2015
News and Observer: A federal judge ordered Duke Energy to pay a record $102 million criminal penalty Thursday for a humbling litany of ignored warnings that preceded last year’s coal ash spill into the Dan River.
The penalty is the largest criminal fine in North Carolina’s federal courts, Senior U.S. District Judge Malcolm Howard said in accepting a plea agreement between Duke and prosecutors.
“It is our hope this prosecution speaks loudly,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas Walker of Raleigh, whose office convened the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Prosecutors: Duke Energy ignored warnings before ash spillEnvironmental Groups Sue Over Oil Train Rules Cite Amtrak Crash
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 15th, 2015
Huffington Post: Environmental groups are suing the Obama administration over recently announced rules for transporting oil by rail, arguing they allow unsafe tankers to remain on the tracks for a decade.
Earthjustice filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court's 9th Circuit Wednesday. It says new Department of Transportation rules fail to protect Americans from exploding trains.
The groups tied what they see as shortcomings of the new rules to Tuesday's Amtrak passenger rail disaster in Philadelphia, which killed...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Environmental Groups Sue Over Oil Train Rules Cite Amtrak Crash