News Round-Up: June 3, 2011

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Today’s essential reads

FRACKING:

Energy Industry Shapes Lessons in Public Schools

Her lessons, like others in dozens of public schools across the country, were approved and funded by the coal industry. Such efforts reflect a broader pattern of private-sector attempts to influence what gets taught in public schools.

Seismic Event Halts British Fracking

A British company exploring unconventional energy sources said it halted hydraulic fracturing in a shale play because of a small seismic event.

States Take Action on Shale Gas ‘Fracking’

When a gas well in Pennsylvania exploded in April it sent thousands of gallons of fluids coursing through the drilling site and into a local tributary. The fluids were laced with a medley of dangerous chemicals, forcing seven families to evacuate their homes.

Fracking Team ‘Omits Key Officials’

The government task team appointed to investigate the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for shale gas in the Karoo appears not to include any environmental experts or officials from the departments of water and environmental affairs.

BP OIL SPILL:

House Panel Faults Administration Spill Response

Representative Darrell Issa, the California Republican who is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, charged Thursday that the Obama administration bungled the response to the Deep Water Horizon explosion and oil spill last year.

The New York Times and the Joplin Tornado’s “Silver Lining”

The death toll from the May 22 Joplin, Missouri tornado now stands at 138, making it the deadliest tornado in the United States in over 60 years. The massive storm left hundreds more injured and destroyed thousands of homes and apartments.

Last 30 Oiled Sea Turtles Released Back to Gulf

The last 30 sea turtles rescued from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, including one that apparently had been bitten by a shark, have gotten well and have been released back into the Gulf.

Repsol Says Will Drill Off Cuba Following U.S. Rules

Following the BP Plc oil spill last year in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. government is worried Cuba may be unable to ensure the safety of its offshore drilling. The United States does not have full formal relations with Cuba.

RADIATION:

Scientific Voyage to Study Japanese Nuclear Impact on Ocean

A team of scientists will set out Saturday from Hawaii on a research expedition to study how radioactive contamination from the nuclear power plant crisis in Japan has spread in the Pacific Ocean and what effects it will have on marine life, the food chain and human health.

Help the Cell-Struck

When most ‘chit chat’ invariably happens over the phone — does a finding about cell phone causing cancer scare people?

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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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