News Round-Up: July 3, 2012

N

Today’s Essential Reads

FRACKING:

Commerce City Approves Fracking Rules

City councilmembers voted unanimously to approve a set of city-level regulations on oil and gas to create a way for the city to retain control in regulating proposed fracking and drilling operations.

General Assembly Overrides Perdue Vetoes on Budget, Fracking

North Carolina Republican lawmakers on Monday overrode Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue’s vetoes of budget legislation and a bill that would authorize hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, to get at natural gas deposits.

Ohio Fracking Results in Poisonous Drinking Water

This just in. . .Results from a sample of brine from hydraulic fracturing operations have revealed numerous hazardous materials, leaving many residents increasingly frustrated at the inaction of Ohio’s Division of Natural Resources (ODNR), the agency responsible for regulation of the State’s shale development.[1]

At House Hearing, Water Issues Dominate

When water became scarce in Texas last year, scrutiny quickly fell on the state’s burgeoning energy industry. Proposed new coal plants had trouble getting water permits. And hydraulic fracturing drillers faced accusations of groundwater contamination and excessive water use.

BP OIL SPILL:

Louisiana Bayou Slow to Recover from Gulf Oil Spill

The Louisiana bayou is still struggling to recover from the 2010 oil spill that caused its coastal wetlands to erode at historic rates.

Bohai Bay Oil Spill Lawsuits Filed in US

United States attorneys acting on behalf of about 30 fishermen in Shandong province filed a lawsuit against ConocoPhillips in the Southern District Court of Texas on Tuesday (Beijing time).

Restoration, Alabama Style: RESTORE Act Should Assist All Parts of the State Damaged by Oil Spill

The “RESTORE Act,” passed recently by Congress, is a welcomed piece of legislative justice.

Enbridge Faces $3.7-Million Penalty for Michigan Oil Spill

Enbridge Ltd. has 30 days to respond to a proposed $3.7-million dollar civil penalty stemming from a pipeline spill in Michigan in July 2010.

RADIATION:

The Nuclear Industry and Venting, Round 2

The debate over making post-Fukushima Daichi improvements to American reactors is getting down into the details, and one focus is pressure relief vents.

Add comment

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

Follow Us

© Stuart H Smith, LLC
Share This