Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
EPA Findings Point to Water Contamination from Hydraulic Fracturing
Recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ) findings have raised awareness of potentially harmful levels of water contamination that may be the result of hydraulic fracturing. Lawsuits from individuals who believe their water has been contaminated by hydraulic fracturing are coming in all across the country and support for stricter regulations is growing.
Oklahoma Becomes Sixth State To Pass Fracking Disclosure Law
Oklahoma has become the sixth state to impose fracking disclosure rules on the oil and gas industry. As of July 1, oil and natural gas companies must disclose the chemicals used when hydraulically fracturing rock to extract oil and gas.
Fracking Boom Spurs Environmental Audit
As hydraulic fracturing unlocks new gas reserves, researchers struggle to understand its health implications.
IEA says U.S. Needs More Fracking Regulation
The U.S. could benefit from lower energy prices due to the shale gas boom, but it needs stricter regulations, the International Energy Industry said.
BP OIL SPILL:
US Probe Into Whether BP Lied to Congress Over Gulf Spill
According to the Journal, prosecutors are looking into statements the company made to members of Congress at a closed-door briefing of members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee by officials from BP, Halliburton and Transocean.
Report: Bellinger Hid Expenses From BP (DOCUMENT)
Okaloosa County officials continue to uncover details of how Mark Bellinger misappropriated millions of dollars in public money.
Ex-BP Engineer Mix’s Travel Restrictions Eased by Judge
A former BP Plc (BP/) engineer charged with destroying evidence sought in a federal probe of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill won permission to travel within the U.S. until his case comes to trial.
Orleans, Jefferson Environmental Losses Could Double by 2030, Entergy Report Says
If nothing is done to restore and protect coastal wetlands, annual storm losses in Orleans and Jefferson parishes could double by 2030, according to a new report from Entergy. The report estimates that the two parishes now face $878 million in economic losses a year because of storm surge, subsidence and land use expansion and development. By 2030, the losses could balloon to more than $1.5 billion a year in 2010 dollars, if the area experiences the worst-case sea-level rise and climate change.
RADIATION:
Measuring Radiation Between Calls: A Smartphone for the Post-Fukushima Age
A smartphone smart enough to be your pocket Geiger counter? Responding to demand from people concerned about radiation levels in post-Fukushima Japan, cell phone carrier Softbank Corp. has unveiled a mobile phone that can measure them.
