Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
Anti-Fracking Measures Left Out of Budget
Just yesterday, a pair of measures supported by environmental groups were left out of a final state budget agreement.
How the Natural Gas Craze Will Impact Renewable Energy
A morning chunk of last week’s Wall Street Journal ECO:nomics Conference at the beachside Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara focused on a decidedly less picturesque topic — hydraulic fracking and natural gas.
N.C. Fracking Debate Draws Hundreds To Chapel Hill
More than 500 people packed the auditorium at East Chapel Hill High School on Monday to discuss a draft report from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on the feasibility of hydraulic fracturing in North Carolina. The crowd was overwhelmingly against the practice, which is currently not allowed in the state.
Officials Run First-Ever Fracking Poll
A valuable resource deep under Maryland has surfaced on the public’s radar. Hydraulic fracturing—fracking, for short—is the subject of a first-ever poll.
BP OIL SPILL:
Total Dismisses Blast Risk at North Sea Gas Leak
French oil major Total dismissed fears on Wednesday of a blast at its Elgin North Sea platform, even though explosive natural gas is bubbling up less than 100 metres from a flare left burning when workers had to evacuate the site.
Brazil Oil Workers File Lawsuit Against Chevron
Brazil’s largest oil workers union filed a civil lawsuit against oil company Chevron and drilling firm Transocean that seeks to cancel their rights to operate in the offshore oil field where they suffered an oil spill last November.
Auburn Researcher Finds Dangerous Bacteria in Tar Balls from Gulf Oil Spill
Cova Arias usually studies oysters, not tarballs. But when balls of oil started washing up outside her Dauphin Island Lab after the BP oil spill, the Auburn University professor and her team decided to run a few tests. They particularly wondered whether the tarballs contained any of the lethal bacteria that they track in seafood.
BP Oil Spill Seriously Harmed Deep-Sea Corals, Scientists Warn
Deep sea corals appear to have been seriously harmed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to scientists.
RADIATION:
Still Critical: Radiation Levels at Fukushima Can Kill In Minutes
A lethal level of radiation has been detected inside one of the reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, throwing fresh doubts over the operator’s claims that the disabled complex is under control.
