Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
Critics of Energy ‘Fracking’ Raise New Concern: Sand
Fracking, the latest push in the quest to produce oil and gas, has been blamed for environmental problems ranging from flammable tap water to minor earthquakes. Now a new risk is being alleged: sand mining.
Fracking Must Be Halted Until We Know More
Cuadrilla Resources, the energy firm leading the controversial drilling forshale gas in the UK, has made its initial estimate of the size of gasreserves near Blackpool.
Shale Drilling Must Improve to Protect Environment, GDF Says
The technology used to extract oil and gas from shale rocks, a process that has revolutionized the U.S. energy industry, should be improved to protect the environment, the head of Europe’s largest gas company said.
As a Rocky Mountain News reporter in the early ’80s, Mark Stevenscovered the end of Bill McNichols‘ 14-year mayoral career. With theMacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, he spent time focusing on the 1985 Mexico City earthquake and political upheavals in Latin America. At the Denver Post in the ’90s, he followed the “eye-opening” challenges of growth in urban education.
BP OIL SPILL:
Bill to Steer BP Oil Spill Fines to Gulf States Passes Committee
A bipartisan effort to secure at least 80 percent of fines from the BP Gulf oil spill for the five Gulf Coast states – Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas – advanced Wednesday as the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved the bill by voice vote.
Local Officials Back BP-Fine Bill
Local environmental activists and officials say Congress should quickly approve a bill that would dedicate billions of dollars in BP oil-spill fines toward coastal restoration and economic recovery.
President Barack Obama is racking up an impressive losing streak when it comes to energy.
The Gulf’s Ocean and Inland Fish Face Multiple Threats
If it weren’t for bad luck, fish in and near the Gulf might have no luck at all. Decades of commercial overfishing, along with oil and gas exploration and refining, hurricanes and last year’s BP spill are among those misfortunes. Consumers are left with plenty of considerations — like the water their dinner was pulled from, whether to eat scarce varieties and the need for coastal protection.
RADIATION:
Russian Nuclear Submarine Hit by Fishing Trawler
The Russian navy says that one of its nuclear submarines has been hit by a fishing trawler and suffered minor damage.
