Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
Interior Considers Fracking Regulations for Federal Lands
The U.S. Interior Department is poised to propose new regulations for shale-gas production on federal lands.
Ozark Society Sues to Stop Gas Drilling in National Forest
The Ozark Society has sued to stop gas drillling in the Ozark National Forest until an adequate environmental impact statement has been completed.
Independent Review of State Fracking Rules Ignores Setbacks, Disclosure, Critics Say
An independent review of Colorado’s oil and gas drilling regulations pertaining to hydraulic fracturing was released late last week, with at least one conservation group finding it noteworthy for what isn’t in the report.
BP OIL SPILL:
Die-Off Reported in Pensacola’s Oyster Beds
State scientists will head to the Florida Panhandle this week to check on East Bay oyster beds where oystermen are reporting a die-off.
Louisiana Fights Threat of Sanctions in Discovery Phase of Oil-Spill Trial
Louisiana on Monday filed a motion in opposition to a federal magistrate’s threat of sanctions if the state does not produce all documents related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill this week. Louisiana calls the judge’s order an unreasonable demand that would cost it millions of dollars to comply with.
As Dolphins Die, Gulf Residents Ask What About Us?
Willie Seaman of Irvington, AL, lays carpet and floors for a living. But last summer, as the BP well gushed thousands of barrels of oil daily into the Gulf, Seaman signed up with the BP cleanup program, working on a shrimp boat several miles off shore.
BP Rewarded While Gulf Region Struggles to Recover
What’s wrong with this picture? Oil spill response legislation has stalled in the Senate.Gulf shrimpers are having their worst season in more than 50 years. Two thousand claims a week are still rolling into the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.
RADIATION:
Ruling Backs San Francisco on Transparency for Cell Phone Buyers
U.S. District Judge William Alsup last week gave the green light to city authorities to require that retailers distribute fact sheets about cell phone radiation to their customers.
