News Round-Up: July 30, 2012

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Today’s Essential Reads

FRACKING:

Thousands Head to Capitol Hill to Protest Fracking Special

On Saturday, thousands were expected to arrive on Capitol Hill to protest the practice of hydraulic fracturing, or perhaps more commonly known as, fracking.

Plenty of Ads and Rallies, but No Difference in Public’s Fracking Opinion

The hot-button issue has spurred rallies, full-page advertisements, plenty of radio and television spots and too many headlines to count.Despite all of it, the public’s opinion of hydraulic fracturing in New York has barely budged.

Shale Gas – Natural, but is it Safe? Protesters Claim “No Fracking Way!”

A swarm of frustrated Americans descended upon the District of Columbia on Saturday afternoon, to participate in the first national mobilization against hydraulic fracturing.  The process involves injecting incredible amounts of water and chemicals into the earth, which cracks, thus creating a pathway for trapped natural gas to escape.

Fracking Dust Alert Not Shocking in Wyoming

A recent federal worker safety alert about dust from sand used in hydraulic fracturing caught few Wyoming oil and gas officials and companies by surprise, despite a lack of research into the danger by state agencies.

BP OIL SPILL:

Levels of Deadly Bacteria More Than 100 Times Higher in Gulf Waters During the BP Spill

Although the Gulf’s oyster harvest was off by about 40 percent due to fishing closures stemming from the BP oil spill, 2010 ranks as one of the deadliest years on record for illnesses caused by eating oysters tainted with Vibrio vulnificus.

Oil Spill Funds Come Ashore

It was not long ago that the Deepwater Horizon oil rig operated by BP exploded and sank off the Louisiana coast, killing 11 people and injuring 17 on April 20, 2010. This was an unprecedented man-made environmental disaster that spewed an estimated 1,000 barrels of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico. Local area residents anticipated in horror the prospect of the beautiful Gulf Coast beaches being covered in oil. Local businesses whose income is derived from the Gulf waited for the financial devastation that would arrive with the oil.

BP Criticised for Neglecting its Accident Safety in Deepwater

BP failed to pay attention to major areas of potential danger on its oil rigs, according to a new report into the Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 people and unleashed America’s worst oil spill.

Enbridge Races to Clean Up Wisconsin Oil Spill, Restart Line

Canada’s Enbridge Inc. raced on Sunday to repair a major pipeline that spilled more than 1,000 barrels of oil in a Wisconsin field, provoking fresh ire from Washington over the latest in a series of leaks.

RADIATION:

Anti-Nuclear Protesters Surround the Diet in Candle-Lit Protest

Thousands of anti-nuclear protesters almost encircled the Diet building in Tokyo on July 29 in the latest of more than four months of demonstrations against the reopening of nuclear plants following the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

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

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