Today’s essential reads.
FRACKING:
Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today released the following statement after the release of updated recommendations to address the development and production of shale gas resources in New York State through the use of horizontal, high-volume, slick water hydraulic fracturing.
DEC Sets Out Rules for Hydrofracking
Drilling permits for hydrofracking could go out as early as next winter, New York’s Environmental Commissioner said Friday. Additionally, DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens named a special commission of business leaders and environmentalists to keep track of the drilling.
NJ First In U.S. To Ban Hydrofracking
In an unprecedented and pioneering move, New Jersey’s state legislature became the first in the nation to pass a bill to enforce a statewide ban on a controversial gas drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking”. The bill passed the Senate 32-1 and the Assembly 58-11.
BP OIL SPILL:
Transocean: No Apologies Over Gulf Oil Spill
From the day its Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, Transocean has denied wrongdoing, deflected blame, and paid dividends, not cleanup costs. So far, its hardball strategy is working.
One Year After BP Oil Spill, AA Fishermen Struggle to Recover
Gulf Coast fishermen and community groups voice their frustrations one year after the Gulf Coast oil spill.
AP Exclusive: Feds Grill Former BP Chief Hayward
Grilled by the Justice Department and plaintiffs suing the oil giant he once ran, former BP chief Tony Hayward fought off accusations that he sought to prop up the company’s falling share price through his subordinates’ daily briefings on the Gulf oil spill, and that the firm failed to keep its promise to share its data on how much crude was spewing into the sea, documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Tours Spill Affected Areas
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder toured Alabama’s Gulf Coast Thursday. Holder’s first stop was Dauphin Island.
Holder: Gulf Recovery Fund Needs To Run Faster, With More Transparency
Attorney General Eric Holder emphasized the need for speed and transparency of recovery efforts along parts of the Gulf Coast affected by last year’s BP oil spill during his visit to the area Thursday, the Alabama Press-Register reported.
RADIATION:
U.S. Must Learn From Japan Nuclear Crisis
As floodwaters recently rose at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant in Nebraska, many Americans wondered whether an incident on the scale of the Fukushima nuclear accident could happen in the United States. On March 11, a huge earthquake forced the shutdown of several nuclear reactors in Japan. The quake also triggered a tsunami that knocked out the emergency diesel generators at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. As backup batteries drained of their electrical charge about five hours later, electricity was not available to run coolant pumps, leading relatively quickly to meltdowns of reactors’ cores and release of radioactive materials to the environment. Almost four months later, the plant’s operators are still struggling to cope with the aftermath of this damage.
Fire Near NM Nuclear Lab Largest in State History
The threat of wildfire reaching the Los Alamos nuclear lab and the town that surrounds it eased as crews made progress under cloud cover and rain, but concerns turned Friday to lands held sacred by a Native American tribe as firefighters braced for a hot, dry weekend.
