Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
New York Student to Represent U.S. in International Stockholm Junior Water Prize Competition
Kunal Sangani of Fayetteville, N.Y. was named the U.S. winner of the 2012 Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP)—the most prestigious international competition for water-related research—during a ceremony this past weekend in Boston, Mass.
NYT: Environmental Groups Say They Will Fight Cuomo’s Gas Drilling Plan
A coalition of environmental groups plans to campaign against a proposal that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is weighing to approve limited drilling for natural gas, the groups said Tuesday.
Report Finds Quake Risks Linked to Carbon Storage, Fracking Wastewater Injections
A major new report concludes that more research is needed to better understand risks of seismic activity linked to injections of wastewater from natural gas drilling, potential large-scale underground storage of carbon dioxide emissions and other energy technologies.
State Agency Requests More Funding on Fracking
The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) does not have the personnel or money to pursue natural gas development in the state properly without hurting existing programs, according to a letter to legislative leaders.
BP OIL SPILL:
New Oil Spill Offices Get 13,000 Claims in First 2 Weeks of Operation
More than 13,000 residents and businesses submitted claims during the first 2 weeks of the administration of a court-monitored settlement of litigation involving the Gulf oil spill, officials said this afternoon.
The Big Fix DVD Release uncovers BP Oil Spill in New Documentary
Two years after the BP Oil Spill, “The Big Fix” documentary DVD is being released today, Tuesday, June 19, 2012. To bring you the inside scoop, we interviewed Sundance Award-Winning Directors Joshua and Rebecca Tickell about their journey to uncover the truth behind this tragedy. Big thanks to Executive Producers Peter Fonda, Tim Robbins, and Maggie Wachsberger, along with Green Planet Productions for making this film happen.
The Secretary of the Interior illegally approved the first sale of an offshore oil and gas lease in the Central Gulf of Mexico since the environmental horrors of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, four environmental groups claim in Federal Court. Oceana, Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Natural Resources Defense Council sued the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Department of the Interior and their top officials, claiming the government’s approval of the new lease violates the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.
One Day Left to Bid on Gulf Offshore Leases
The sun is setting for drillers wanting a new piece of the Gulf. There’s one more day to bid on leases to drill offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.
RADIATION:
Nuclear Operator in Japan Exonerates Itself in Report
The much vilified operator of the tsunami-hit nuclear power plant at Fukushima released a report on Wednesday that said the company never hid information, never underplayed the extent of fuel meltdown and certainly never considered abandoning the ravaged site. It asserts that government interference in the disaster response created confusion and delays.
