News Round-Up: August 29, 2012

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Today’s Essential Reads

FRACKING:

France to Keep Shale Ban Until Fracking Alternative Emerges

France isn’t prepared to tap its shale energy resources until “clean technologies” are invented to replace hydraulic fracturing, Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg said.

Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon Organize Artists Against Fracking

Yoko Ono said it was not hard to recruit more than 180 artists to help convince Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York not to allow natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale through the hydraulic fracturing process known as fracking.

Fracking Industry Crashes Academic Conference: But That Was Not Even the Worst Part

As an attendee of the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) this February, I expected to learn a great deal about the most pressing issues in environmental science and alternative energy, as well as do some networking with some of the greatest minds in the field with the majestic North Shore Mountains of Vancouver. This was to be a meeting of like-minded scholars, all of whom possess a genuine interest in promoting the health of the planet as well as that of humanity.

Distrust Grows of Fracking Companies

Silica sand mining opponents had a rare face-to-face meeting with a mining company representative here Tuesday, leading to an exchange of ideas.

BP OIL SPILL:

Brazil Judges Uphold Chevron, Transocean Operating Ban

An injunction banning No. 2 U.S. oil company Chevron Corp and its drilling contractor Transocean Ltd from operating in Brazil was upheld by a panel of three Brazilian federal judges on Tuesday while charges over a November oil spill are being considered.

Gulf Coast Leaders Want BP to Clean Up Its Mess

Regional leaders at a Gulf Coast Restoration Summit, held in New Orleans this month, said they’re relieved that Congress passed the RESTORE Act in June, especially given Washington’s gridlock. But they’re unsure when money from RESTORE, which devotes 80 percent of BP’s Clean Water Act fines for the 2010 spill to Gulf states, will be available. Meanwhile, the coast is grappling with the spill’s aftermath, speakers at the August 17 meeting said. Liquid and matted oil linger in coastal marshes, and tarballs continue to wash up in Grand Isle, La.

BP Gets 6.5K Claims Over Bad Gas; 2 Lawsuits Filed

BP says it has received more than 6,500 claims from customers needing repairs after fueling up with some of the 2.1 million gallons of gasoline recalled in three states over high levels of a polymer residue.

Oil Spill Fouls Curacao Shore, Threatens Flamingos

An extensive fuel spill has fouled a stretch of shoreline and oiled pink flamingos and other wildlife in a nature preserve in Curacao, conservationists and residents of the tiny Dutch Caribbean island said.

RADIATION:

Striving to Go Nuclear-Free

As Japan moves to cut back on nuclear power after last year’s disaster in Fukushima, it is running into a harsh economic reality: the cost of immediately abandoning its nuclear reactors may be too high for some big utilities to shoulder.

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Stuart H. Smith is an attorney based in New Orleans fighting major oil companies and other polluters.
Cooper Law Firm

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