Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
Panel OK’s Bill to Keep Gas Drill Waste Out of NJ
Lawmakers on Thursday approved legislation banning hydraulic fracturing byproducts from other states from entering New Jersey, citing concerns about waste from neighboring Pennsylvania endangering public health and the environment in the Garden State.
N.C. House And Senate Agree To Allow Fracking
In the last two weeks, both the State Senate and House of Representatives have approved the legalization of hydraulic fracturing (the mining of natural gas from shale) in North Carolina. State senator for Orange and Person counties Ellie Kinnaird says this move is in blatant opposition to the will of the people.
No Action on Fracking Until Watchdog Report
Public concerns about fracking have been acknowledged by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council but it will not take further action unless the findings of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) report require it.
Fracking Report is Not Yet Ready
An inter-ministerial report on hydraulic fracturing in the Karoo has not yet been received by the cabinet, but all indications are that the controversial process of extracting shale gas from deep underground is likely to get the green light next month.
BP OIL SPILL:
Some Oysters Not Regrowing Post-Spill
It’s been two years since more than half of the state’s oyster grounds were wiped out during the BP oil spill, and oysters in some of Louisiana’s most important harvest areas aren’t coming back.
Gulf Coast Deserves Piece of Penalties From Oil Spill
Have you ever seen one of those cash giveaway machines that radio stations use at live remotes? Someone is chosen to step into a Plexiglas booth filled with money. High-speed fans begin blowing paper money everywhere. The person gets to keep all they can grab in 30 seconds. It is a cash grab extraordinaire. It is like that in Washington every time a dollar trickles in. Except Washington is a big booth with a lot of money and a lot of people playing the grabbing game.
Study: BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Could Still Be Damaging Fish
Oil residue from the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could be causing potentially lethal defects in fish, according to a Smith College biologist.
LSU Health Sciences Center to Use BP Funds to Treat Mental Illness
The LSU Health Sciences Center is getting a huge financial boost in its efforts to treat people suffering from mental illness because of BP’s oil spill.
RADIATION:
Japan Approves Renewable Subsidies in Shift From Nuclear Power
Japan approved on Monday incentives for renewable energy that could unleash billions of dollars in clean-energy investment and help the world’s third-biggest economy shift away from a reliance on nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster.
