News Round-Up: June 15, 2011

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FRACKING:

What the Frack?

Don’t, however, be fooled into thinking that just because methane produces a lesser amount of greenhouse gases when it’s burned means that it is necessarily a green-friendly fuel. Especially, as is increasingly the case, when that natural gas is extracted from the earth by means of a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Pennsylvania One Step Closer to Fracking Fee

Pennsylvania is one step closer to imposing a fee on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, companies extracting natural gas from the Marcellus Shale deposits in the state. A state Senate committee voted to move forward with a bill that would impose a fee of $40,000 per gas well. Currently, Pennsylvania has no tax or fee on any of the fracking operations around the state. However, the bill still has a long road to travel in a short amount of time.

Coal Seam Gas Fight Intensifies

The fight intensifies to prevent coal seam gas mining in the Camden Haven.

Ohio Senate Approves Drilling in State Parks

State parks and other lands in Ohio would be opened to oil and gas drilling under a bill that passed the state Senate on Wednesday, despite environmental concerns raised by Democrats.

BP OIL SPILL:

The Real Costs of U.S. Energy

The dirty little secret behind America’s energy policy is that the real price we pay for gas or electricity is far larger than what we see at the pump or on our utility bills. The less obvious costs of our energy choices affect our health, the environment and national security.

JACL Youth Participate in Environmental Justice Summit

The JACL National Youth Student Council (NY/SC) engaged in an intensive two-day Environmental Justice Youth Summit in New Orleans during the Memorial Day weekend.

Nebraska Water Scientists Warn of Oil Pipeline’s Risk, Call for More Study

Great Plains states are risking an unknown level of environmental and economic hurt if the U.S. State Department persists in routing a controversial tar sands pipeline atop the Ogallala Aquifer without further study.

RADIATION:

Cell Phones May Be Danger to Children, Pregnant Mothers

As legislators and concerned citizens, Rep. Dennis O’Brien (R-169) and I would like to thank you for publishing the May 31 Associated Press article “Cell phones a ‘possible’ carcinogen – like coffee.” The World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest announcement that cell phones are possible cancer-causing agents is crucial to be heard in a world with billions of avid cell phone users.

Nuclear Agency Asked to Ensure Maximum Safety

Abu Dhabi: While the Fukushima disaster has not changed Abu Dhabi’s plans for its nuclear reactors, a leading expert on radiation safety said in the capital Wednesday that the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has been asked to examine its plans to ensure maximum safety for the public.

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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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