Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
Fracking Study Looks at Pollution Potential to Drinking Water
A new study being done by the Department of Energy may provide some of the first solid answers to a controversial question: Can gas drilling fluids migrate and pose a threat to drinking water?
More Study Needed on Fracking Safety
It already seems as if we’ve already been debating it for a while, but in another sense, the debate in North Carolina over hydraulic fracturing has only just begun.
US Insurer Won’t Cover Gas Drill Fracking Exposure
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. has become the first major insurance company to say it won’t cover damage related to a gas drilling process that blasts chemical-laden water deep into the ground.
Westchester Legislators Target Fracking Wastewater, May Ban Treatment in County
The Westchester County Board of Legislators is crafting legislation that would ban the treatment of wastewater from hydrofracking in public and private sewage plants in the county.
BP OIL SPILL:
No Rush to Spend BP Fine Funds
Congress has cleared the path for the bulk of the penalties BP will pay to be handed over to the states harmed by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. What remains unclear is what path Mississippi will take in spending that money.
Has the Gulf Recovered From the BP Oil Spill?
Two years ago this Sunday, the BP wellhead that ruptured in the Gulf of Mexico was capped. The disaster killed 11 people and spilled nearly five million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. How has the Gulf recovered and what have we learned?
St. Pete Beach Files Lawsuit Against BP Over Oil Spill
Not one drop from the BP oil spill touched local beaches, but the city of St. Pete Beach is going after the giant, filing a lawsuit that is a first of its kind.
BP Agrees to $13 Million Fine From OSHA
The oil company BP agreed to pay a $13 million fine in connection with safety violations, a U.S. Department of Labor statement said Thursday.
RADIATION:
Fukushima Watch: No Reactors, Fewer Jobs?
Japan may have fired up its first nuclear reactor since the Fukushima Daiichi accident, but the debate over the restarts rumbles on. While safety issues and potential power shortages have dominated the debate so far, another less-discussed issue is the potential impact on employment of trying to keep most or all of the nation’s 50 reactors offline.
