Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
Pa. Should Follow N.J.’s Lead, Ban Fracking
Has the Marcellus shale money train hit a dead end in New Jersey with Gov. Chris Christie? Could the hundreds, if not thousands, of natural gas drilling accidents occuring in the past two years or more in Pennsylvania, regarding methane and groundwater contamination occurrences, have laid the groundwork for the New Jersey legislature, which incidently unanimously passed a bill by the Senate of 32 to 1 and the Assembly 56 to 11 banning hydraulic fracturing in New Jersey, awaiting Gov. Christie’s signature?
US Forest Plan Raises Stakes In Fracking Battle, Republicans Say
Republicans are growing concerned with a proposal by the U.S. Forest Service to ban hydraulic fracturing in a national forest, saying it could mark the first step in a broader effort to eliminate the natural gas- drilling technique.
Lawsuits Predicted as New York Towns Ponder Whether to Block Fracking
New York environmental officials have released a blueprint for regulations that eventually would allow hydraulic fracturing to begin in most parts of the state—except for key watersheds and aquifers and on state land.
Akron: ‘Fracking’ In Residential Area?
Residents in the Goodyear Heights neighborhood were offered royalties and a signing bonus from drillers in exchange for the right to extract natural gas from deep underneath their homes.
BP OIL SPILL:
BP Argues Gulf Recovery So Strong That Future Loss Claims Should End
BP is arguing that most victims of last year’s Gulf oil spill should not get any more payouts for future losses because the hardest-hit areas are recovering and the economy is growing.BP is arguing that most victims of last year’s Gulf oil spill should not get any more payouts for future losses because the hardest-hit areas are recovering and the economy is growing.
BP Oil Spill, Katrina Show That We Need a Technology of Thoughtfulness: Fred Commoner
The National Oil Spill Commission, in its January 2011 report, called for improved technology for oil spill prevention and containment. A year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, amid ongoing problems in Gulf Coast reconstruction, work on such technology is quietly under way.
Despite bland assurances from big oil that they’re doing all they can to make things right in the Gulf, impacts from the industry on our people and ecosystems are vast. They include chronic oil spills, land lost (Louisiana alone losses a football size of land every 30 minutes due to soil erosion in part because of canals from the industry), decaying infrastructure, and impacts on marine life. These are just some of the reasons why Florida residents and politicians continue to be in heated debates to stop offshore drilling from coming to its shores.
RADIATION:
Nine Mile Workers Ponder Strike
Union workers at two nuclear power plants on Lake Ontario are set to go on strike.
Radiation Probe Finds Risks at Ohio Nuclear Plant
Nuclear plant workers in Ohio violated several safety regulations and had to avoid a 6-foot-deep hole in the floor when increased radiation levels forced them to flee their work area in April, federal regulatory officials said in a preliminary report.
