Environmental Health News: Archives
March 11, 2011
Environmental Health News: Archives.
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While all links worked when entries were posted to the database, different publishers have different policies about retaining articles and providing access to archived material. Thus some of the links, particularly older ones, may no longer be functional. For links no longer working, you may be able to gain paid access to text via the publisher’s site.
Rich with natural gas, Texas eyes more oversight. In Texas, environmental concerns have led lawmakers, particularly those from the Barnett Shale region, to file a number of bills to increase oversight of the natural gas industry, spanning issues from well emissions to the safety of gas pipelines. Austin Texas Tribune, Texas. 11 March 2011.
U.S. shale-drilling technologies finding new homes abroad. The United States is starting to see its shale gas revolution spread around the globe, but drilling technologies that allowed U.S. production to soar are likely to remain a North American phenomenon for some time. Greenwire. 11 March 2011.
Lawmakers declare New Jersey a no-fracking zone. New Jersey lawmakers yesterday unanimously approved a bill to ban the practice of drilling for natural gas by hydraulic fracturing. For practical purposes, the bill will have little impact since no drilling is occurring in New Jersey. Montclair NJ Spotlight, New Jersey. 11 March 2011.
Gas prices change Senate energy politics. Votes on halting EPA climate regulations, offshore drilling and even opening Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development are all within a hair of going the Republicans’ way, and several rank-and-file Democrats up for reelection hold crucial votes. Politico. 11 March 2011.
US Republicans assail Obama as gas prices rise. US President Barack Obama’s Republican foes on Thursday blamed his energy policies and efforts to combat climate change for soaring oil and gasoline prices and called for boosting domestic production. Agence France-Presse. 11 March 2011.
Republicans promise full House vote on EPA climate rules within weeks. Republican efforts to strip the US Environmental Protection Agency of the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions completed their first legislative step yesterday, when a key House subcommittee approved the controversial Energy Tax Prevention Bill. London Business Green, United Kingdom. 11 March 2011.
Norway Socialists hold firm on no Arctic drilling. Norway’s Socialist Left party vowed on Thursday to reject any compromise that could lead to drilling off a pristine Arctic archipelago, setting the stage for talks that risk fracturing the Labour-led cabinet. Reuters. 11 March 2011.
Groups say facilities wrongly discharging drilling wastewater. Two municipal sewage treatment facilities that together discharge 150,000 gallons a day of Marcellus Shale wastewater into the Monongahela River watershed don’t have federal permits for such pollution discharges and should, according to environmental organizations. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania. 11 March 2011.
Water authorities step up radiation testing. Concerns over the impact of Marcellus shale gas drilling on water supplies is resulting in more testing of water for radioactive contamination. Pittsburgh Valley News Dispatch, Pennsylvania. 11 March 2011.
River basin forum: Fracking and other big challenges ahead. Is natural gas drilling the elephant in the room when it comes to the Delaware River Basin? Or the gorilla? Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania. 11 March 2011.
Delaware river faces threats. Threats ranging from global warming to natural gas drilling could threaten the water quality in the Delaware River, scientists and environmental advocates said Thursday. Associated Press. 11 March 2011.
Pennsylvania tries to track fracking wastewater. The natural gas industry’s claim that it is making great strides in reducing how much polluted wastewater it discharges to Pennsylvania rivers is proving difficult to assess, because of inconsistent reporting by energy companies and data entry errors in the state’s system for tracking the contaminated fluids. Associated Press. 11 March 2011.
Gas wells’ fans, foes join debate. With the Allegheny County Council mulling bills to prohibit gas wells within either 500 feet or 2,000 feet of residential structures, more than 400 people turned out on Thursday for a public hearing on the issue, with dozens outside council chambers listening to stereo speakers. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pennsylvania. 11 March 2011.
Retooled Marcellus is moving forward. A bill to regulate development of the Marcellus shale is back on the floor of the House Friday morning for a second reading after surviving scrutiny in the House Finance Committee. Beckley Register-Herald, West Virginia. 11 March 2011.
Gas inspectors: Bill will give DEP full hiring power. Delegates added more teeth to a Marcellus shale regulatory bill Wednesday, handing the Department of Environmental Protection the power to hire inspectors. Beckley Register-Herald, West Virginia. 11 March 2011.
U.S. offshore drillers still reeling from spill. Oil drilling in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico is still stuck in neutral even after U.S. regulators last month issued the first new drilling permit since the deadly 2010 Macondo well blowout. Reuters. 11 March 2011.
Pass the best law. As Lawmakers formulate a Marcellus shale regulatory bill with less than two days left in the legislative session, West Virginia has a chance to step forward and be a leader when it comes to properly managing its massive gas resource. We can be No. 1 in something good by being meticulous right now. Beckley Register-Herald, West Virginia. Editorial, 11 March 2011.
Ease restrictions on drilling to avoid future oil shortages. We can’t allow politics and wishful thinking to threaten the prosperity and economic well being of the nation. It’s time to start creating the energy we need here at home, including development of nuclear energy. Denver Post, Colorado. Editorial, 11 March 2011.
Does natural gas drilling make people sick? When an energy company announced plans to start drilling inside a sprawling housing development in a Western Colorado subdivision, residents became concerned. In their minds, industry representatives have long downplayed the health risks of emissions from natural gas operations. High Country News. Opinion, 11 March 2011.
Aerosol chemistry and the Deepwater Horizon spill. Human activities can alter aerosols, thereby affecting climate and air quality. Our inability to accurately predict the composition and mass of atmospheric aerosols, however, is inhibiting progress in both areas. Science. Opinion, 11 March 2011.
Wind energy works for Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has been in the forefront of this nation’s energy industry since coal mining began in the mid 1700s. It’s been home to the world’s first commercial oil well and nuclear power plant. It was also home to the first utility scale wind project east of the Mississippi River. Erie Times-News, Pennsylvania. Opinion, 11 March 2011.
Texas legislation could give gas companies an even bigger edge. Frustrating Fact No. 1 about Barnett Shale urban natural gas drilling: The table is tilted in favor of the companies that are doing the drilling. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas. Opinion, 11 March 2011.
Pennsylvania governor gives authority over environmental permitting to energy exec. Pennsylvania has come under fire as pollution from drilling in the Marcellus Shale threatens water resources across the state. But instead of ratcheting up oversight, Gov. Tom Corbett wants to hand authority over some of the state’s most critical environmental decisions to an energy executive. ProPublica. 10 March 2011.
Pennsylvania’s Marcellus wastewater stats flawed. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s statistics on Marcellus Shale natural gas activity contain serious flaws and inconsistencies, and do not accurately report the volume of wastewater being reused in the industry’s much-touted recycling efforts. Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania. 10 March 2011.
Pressure rises on shale gas. Concerned about environmental damage, a pair of Canadian provinces have stepped up scrutiny of two unconventional means of extracting fossil fuels from the ground. Wall Street Journal. 10 March 2011.
EPA chief has science on his side. Is that enough? A little over a year ago, Dr. Al Armendariz brought hope to hope-starved generations of Texas greens, folks who’d spent years confronting skeptical Texas legislators and growing accustomed to the sense the state was selling its environmental policy down a hazy, toxic river. Dallas Observer, Texas. 10 March 2011.
Panelists cite potential, hurdles for natural gas. Natural gas could be a major source of low-cost electricity nationwide, as an upsurge in domestic production drives costs down and looming environmental mandates encourage utilities to retire power plants that run on dirtier-burning coal. San Antonio Express-News, Texas. 10 March 2011.
Petrochemicals. Cheap raw materials and a muted industry downturn are adding up to good times for U.S. companies. Chemical & Engineering News. 10 March 2011.
Plan to test for gas gets backing. Energy giant Shell should be allowed to drill a small number of exploration wells to test whether natural gas can be extracted from deep under the Karoo through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Cape Town Cape Times, South Africa. 10 March 2011.
Shell Ningaloo drilling faces tough rules. Energy giant Shell faces increasingly rigorous environmental regulatory requirements to win approval for oil and gas exploration near Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef. Shell has applied for federal approval for 60 days’ exploration drilling in an area about 50km west of the Ningaloo marine park’s boundary. Australian Associated Press. 10 March 2011.
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