Today’s essential reads.
FRACKING:
Natural Gas Line Blowout Forces Evacuation In Lafayette Parish
Families affected by a natural gas well blowout in this south Lafayette Parish community are being asked to collect five days worth of clothing and supplies when they are escorted back to their homes later Wednesday, several family members said.
Number-Crunching the Footprint of a Gas Fracking Boom, Forest by Forest
Pennslyvania has a total of 4.5 million acres of public lands. Estimates show that as few as 500,000 of these are permanently protected from gas drilling
EPA Requests Chesapeake’s Fracking Blowout Info
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has requested information from Chesapeake Energy Corporation on any hazardous chemicals released in a blowout at a Pennsylvania natural gas well last week.
Alberta Landowner Seeks $33 Million Over Methane In Drinking Water
A southern Alberta landowner who has long claimed coal bed methane drilling polluted her well has launched a lawsuit demanding more than $10 million each from Encana, the Alberta government and the province’s energy regulator.
BP OIL SPILL:
Carnival Sues BP, Others For Oil Spill Damages
Cruise operator Carnival Corp has filed a lawsuit against BP Plc (BP.L) and other companies seeking damages that resulted from the biggest oil spill in U.S. history.
Health Impact of BP Oil Spill Will Be Studied
Thousands of BP clean-up workers are being asked to participate in a long term study about the possible health effects of the Gulf oil spill.
Many Gulf Coast Residents Still Frustrated by Handling of BP Oil Spill
It’s been a year since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded. But for some Gulf Coast residents, their anger at BP and the government has hardly subsided.
JAPAN NUCLEAR CRISIS:
Radiation Readings in Fukushima Reactor Rise to Highest Since Crisis Began
Radiation readings at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi station rose to the highest since an earthquake and tsunami knocked out cooling systems, impeding efforts to contain the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.
Culture of Complicity Tied to Stricken Nuclear Plant
Given the fierce insularity of Japan’s nuclear industry, it was perhaps fitting that an outsider exposed the most serious safety cover-up in the history of Japanese nuclear power. It took place at Fukushima Daiichi, the plant that Japan has been struggling to get under control since last month’s earthquake and tsunami.
In Nuclear Accident, Risks Extend Beyond Evacuation Zone
The nuclear power accidents at Fukushima this spring and at Chernobyl 25 years ago Tuesday show that radiation releases can endanger people and contaminate land many miles beyond evacuation zones.
