Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING;
Pro Surfer Chadd Konig to Paddle 250 Miles to Raise Awareness About Hydraulic Fracturing
A pro surfer from Santa Barbara, Calif., is adding another long-distance ocean voyage to his growing resume of environmental activism by paddling 250 miles through cold, sharky waters between Santa Cruz and Point Conception.
Natural Gas Areas Cover Most of Southern Maryland
A new government assessment has identified two areas covering nearly all of Southern Maryland that have the potential for hydraulic fracturing to mine natural gas.
Conservation Group Criticises Fracking Approval
Conservation groups say a shale gas operation starting work in a Mid West nature reserve should have been assessed by the Environmental Protection Authority.
Fracking Issues Require New Laws
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves high-pressure drilling into deep underground rock formations to mine for shale or methane gas. The drilling is vertical until it reaches the relevant rocks, when it will become horizontal. A mixture of water, toxic chemicals and sand is pumped into the rock and the gas released by enlarging small fissures is pumped back to the surface.
BP OIL SPILL:
Arctic Spill Response: Coast Guard’s Papp Should be Ashamed
Someone needs to get the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Robert Papp, lessons in how to read a chart because he appears clueless about Alaska’s Arctic despite a recent over-flight.
Rig Shortage Means Record $4.5 Billion Blowout Binge: Energy
RADIATION:
NYT: Video Shows Fukushima Crisis Talks
As Hiroko Tabuchi reports in Friday’s New York Times, the Tokyo Electric Power Company released 150 hours of video this week that was recorded during teleconferences last year in the first days of the crisis at the utility’s nuclear plant at Fukushima.
