Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
Concerned Citizens Protest Lubbock Fracking Contract
Lubbock motorists might have noticed a small protest gathering Friday afternoon in front of Science Spectrum, 2579 South Loop 289. Five people held signs and paced the sidewalk as motorists drove by.
Signatures Turned In to Put Anti-Fracking Measure on Longmont Ballot
Supporters of an anti-fracking charter amendment turned in their petitions to the Longmont city clerk Friday, submitting more than 8,200 signatures.
Fracking Foes Build Momentum for Recycling
The worst U.S. drought in a half century is putting pressure on natural-gas drillers to conserve the millions of gallons of water used in hydraulic fracturing to free trapped gas and oil from underground rock.
OSHA: Overexposure to Silica a Health Hazard for Workers in Hydraulic Fracturing Operations
Workplace safety regulators say that workers in the hydraulic fracturing industry are at risk of serious health effects from respiratory exposure to silica.
BP OIL SPILL:
Factbox: BP’s Potential Price Tag for the Gulf Spill
BP Plc (BP.L)(BP.N) faces substantial civil and potentially criminal liability stemming from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, which killed 11 rig workers and caused America’s biggest offshore oil spill. A rough calculation of those costs, based on estimates from analysts and some previously paid items, could put the total bill at more than $69 billion. That would assume a judge finds BP to be grossly negligent, a contention BP strongly disputes. BP has taken a $37.2 billion charge against its earnings for the spill.
Dolphin Mass Deaths In The Gulf Of Mexico Due To The BP Oil Spill And Other Factors
The BP oil spill, the largest ever oil spill on open water to date, contributed significantly to the historically high number of dolphin deaths in the Gulf of Mexico, says a two-year scientific study released July 19. A variety of other environmental factors contributed.
Lionfish Population is Exploding in the Gulf Just Two Years After They First Arrived
A small fish nestled among swaying stalks of sea whip coral about 11 miles off the Alabama coast may be poised to shift the balance of life in the Gulf of Mexico.
Shell Loses Control of Arctic Drilling Rig in Alaskan Harbor
Royal Dutch Shell’s preparedness to drill offshore in the harsh and remote Arctic Ocean this summer has been called into question by a series of recent events.
RADIATION:
Fukushima Watch: Doctoring Dosimeters — How Far Did It Go?
Over the weekend, a subcontractor that worked at the devastated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant confessed to asking some of its employees to put lead covers on their dosimeters in order to keep their radiation exposure readings artificially low.
