Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
Dallas Twp. Examines Planned Gas Line Rules
Supervisors will soon face another proposed change to the current zoning code that will further regulate the natural gas industry in the township.
Officials Poised to Enact New Gas Drilling Rules
?Natural gas drilling in our region could be just around the corner.
Protect N.J.’s Water from Fracking
Hydraulic fracturing — or “fracking” — is a topic of concern for many New Jersey residents, especially in light of Governor Christie’s recent conditional veto on a fracking ban in New Jersey and his proposed one-year moratorium. This moratorium is too short, and does not allow adequate time to study the environmental impact that fracking could have on New Jersey’s water supply.
Ohio Forges Ahead with Dangerous Fracking
Ohio’s Republican governor, John Kasich, has shown his true colors once again in approving the discharge of millions of gallons of toxic chemicals into the ground to harvest oil and gas through the process known as hydraulic fracturing (Plain Dealer, Sept. 11). While other, more responsible governors insist on further environmental and groundwater studies for this still-unproven process, Kasich is content to tap the pockets of energy company lobbyists without delay.
BP OIL SPILL:
Analysis: Conoco Spill Heightens Scrutiny of Offshore China
China is clamping down on offshore oil drillers after a spill by U.S. firm ConocoPhillips in Bohai Bay, requiring tighter controls in a campaign to beef up environmental protection standards ordered by Premier Wen Jiabao.
In Pictures: Ongoing BP oil leaks in the Gulf
Over one year after a BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico leaked, causing one of the worst environmental disasters in US history, oil continues to surface on the water near the damaged well. On September 11 Al Jazeera reported and photographed a silvery oil sheen, about 7 km long and 10 to 50 metres wide, roughly 19 km northeast of the well.
Loggerhead Sea Turtle Protection Modified
Instead of being considered a single threatened species, they are grouped in nine population segments, five of which are listed as endangered.
Holding BP Accountable for Bad Decisions That Led to Oil Spill Disaster
The federal government’s most conclusive report on the Deepwater Horizon disaster reaffirms the crucial finding shared by some of the other probes into the tragedy: that BP’s failure to assess the well’s risks and the company’s relentless drive to cut corners at the expense of safety were the main catalysts for the catastrophe. That unequivocal conclusion should demolish BP’s efforts to deflect blame for the blowout and the subsequent oil spill, especially when it comes to determining payment of the massive fines related to the incident.
RADIATION:
Radiation Experts: Tokyo May Have to Be Evacuated
At least one billion becquerels a day of radiation continue to leak from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant after the March earthquake and tsunami.
