Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
More Than 18,000 Comment On Fracking
The responses came from Buffalo to Albany, Plattsburgh to Long Island, from across the Southern Tier and from as far away as Nevada.
Study Links Fracking to Health Risks
A study of the health impacts of gas drilling has found water contaminated with fracking chemicals and toxic metals posed the most significant risk to humans and animals.
Clock On Local Fracking Decisions Ticking Down
As a March 15 deadline for many Athens County landowners approaches to cash in on their oil-drilling leases with the West Virginia-based Cunningham Energy firm, a number of questions are still up in the air.
Concern About Fracking’s Link to Earthquakes Isn’t Ridiculous
While there is no evidence that hydraulic fracturing by itself “causes” earthquakes, Columbia University seismologists have determined that 11 recent earth tremors near Youngstown, Ohio (including one 4.5 in magnitude) were “most likely” caused by the nearby injection of ‘fracking’ wastewater into wells in the region.
BP OIL SPILL:
BP Appeals Violation Notices Stemming From Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
BP and its contractors are appealing a series of notices issued by the Interior Department in recent months that found the companies violated federal offshore drilling regulations during the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Keystone XL Decision Requires Environmental Review Process
President Obama has listened to the American people and started an in-depth environmental review of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. One tiny glitch in this pipeline — like the one involving the BP oil spill — could damage our fresh, clean water supply. Forever. But certain forces in Congress have passed unrelated tax-relief legislation that forces the president to make a decision on the pipeline within 60 days — without a full environmental review.
TIME: Anti-BP Protesters Make Cameo Appearance in Pro-BP Ad
It might be lesson one of putting together any ad spot: scrub away anything that might make your company look bad. Especially if your company already looks bad.
BP’s public relations people are playing a real blinder over in the US. Still trying to apologise for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010, BP are running an ad campaign, but one of the ads includes an embarrassing gaff.
RADIATION:
As Fukushima Cleanup Begins, Long-term Impacts are Weighed
The Japanese government is launching a large-scale cleanup of the fields, forests, and villages contaminated by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. But some experts caution that an overly aggressive remediation program could create a host of other environmental problems.
