Todays essential reads
FRACKING:
U.K. Explorer Suspends Shale Gas Drilling After Earthquake
Cuadrilla Resources Ltd., a U.K.- based shale explorer, suspended hydraulic fracturing near Blackpool in northern England on concern it may have triggered an earthquake in the region.
States Getting ‘Fracking’ Acts Together
There seems to be no bottom to this “fracking” debate. On one side, you have the energy companies that pump water, sand and chemicals underground in a process called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to unlock pockets of natural gas. The natural gas industry claims that this resource represents a clean alternative to coal and oil. But on the other side of the fence are the environmentalists who say this practice pollutes water supplies.
Pennsylvania’s Gas Lust: Species Decline and Forest Fragmentation
Now that they’ve succeeded in drawing attention to hydraulic fracturing’s potential harmful effects on water supplies, activists would be wise to adopt a more broad-based approach in their campaign against natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale. Diversification would force the industry to defend itself on multiple fronts.
BP OIL SPILL:
Oil Clean-up Chemical Dispersants More Dangerous Than Oil Itself?
The use of chemical dispersants to clean up the BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast may be more damaging to the ecosystem than the oil itself, according to preliminary findings by University of West Florida researchers.
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Not An Endangered Species — Yet
The Atlantic bluefin tuna currently do not warrant species protection under the Endangered Species Act, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Meeting In Pensacola
A public meeting of a task force created by President Obama to study how best to restore the Gulf of Mexico following last year’s BP oil spill will be held today in downtown Pensacola.
RADIATION:
Japan’s Prime Minister Faces No-confidence Vote Over Nuke Crisis
Japanese opposition parties submitted a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who refused to resign earlier Wednesday over his handling of the crisis caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
The incident at Fukushima has raised awareness in the energy sector over the vulnerability of more volatile energy sources, and Statoil is taking notice. Alluding to an increasing demand for renewables in the market, Stale Tungesvik, the head of Statoil’s newly established renewables sector, said, “after the events and up until now there has been a lot, a lot more pressure.”
Cellphone Radiation Levels Vary Widely, Watchdog Report Says
Some cellphones emit several times more radiation than others, the Environmental Working Group found in one of the most exhaustive studies of its kind.
WHO: Cell Phone Use Can Increase Possible Cancer Risk
Radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization. The agency now lists mobile phone use in the same “carcinogenic hazard” category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform.
The oil spill in Golf of Mexico and the machines used to clean it up are actually more dangerous than the oil itself for the ocean life and all God’s creatures.