Today’s essential reads.
FRACKING:
NJ Insiders Say All Fuels Should Be Examined for Greenhouse-Gas Footprint
But along with a boom in discovered reserves of natural gas in the United States and an emphasis from the administration and industry on gas as a clean fuel, criticism has risen about drilling methods and the potential emissions and groundwater contamination that could result.
Concerns over the impact of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing on local water supplies and the environment has prompted a number of states, including Texas and Louisiana, to pass or consider passing rules requiring oil and gas operators to publicly disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing.
Why We Need a National Ban on Fracking
A ban would protect public health and our essential resources, sending the message that our communities are more important than the interests of the big oil and gas companies.
BP OIL SPILL:
Black Tide Comes in on Animal Planet
US cable network Animal Planet will air a documentary special about the environmental devastation caused by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Transocean Report Pins Oil Spill Blame on BP
Oil driller Transocean Ltd blamed BP Plc in a report released on Wednesday for last year’s Gulf of Mexico spill in the latest skirmish between the two companies over paying the costs for the maritime oil disaster.
BP Oil Spill Restoration-Project Proposals Due Saturday
For the past year, the state has held public outreach sessions, engaged with stakeholders and the Louisiana Regional Restoration Planning Program to build a master project list. There are more than 300 restoration project candidates, and additional projects can be submitted through Saturday on the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office website, http://losco-dwh.com.
La. Shrimpers Seek Help in Bad Market, Turtle Case
More than 250 Louisiana shrimpers and supporters gathered on the steps of the Capitol in Baton Rouge to protest what they see as a lack of assistance from the federal government in the wake of the BP oil spill.
RADIATION:
Several U.S. Nuke Sites Have Sprung Leaks
With so much focus recently on nuclear power sources in certain other parts of the world, it’s important to note that the U.S. has some considerable issues of its own in that department.
Don’t Hang Up Yet on That Cell Phone-Brain Cancer Issue
More important, Moskowitz notes that if one focuses on recent studies of long-term mobile phone users, one starts to find higher numbers. One especially finds higher numbers for “ipsilateral” tumors—those occurring on the same side of the head that one uses to talk on a cell phone. The issue can get a bit complicated. Recall biases raise one issue. Many people use both ears for cell phone calling. If someone develops a brain tumor on the left side, he may be more likely to say that this is the ear he used most often.
