Saturday, July 9, 2011

REPORT: Will Natural Gas Fuel America in the 21st Century? David Hughes

REPORT: Will Natural Gas Fuel America in the 21st Century?

David Hughes

Explaining climate change science & rebutting global warming misinformation

Scientific skepticism is healthy. Scientists should always challenge themselves to expand their knowledge and improve their understanding. Yet this isn't what happens in global warming skepticism. Skeptics vigorously criticise any evidence that supports man-made global warming and yet uncritically embrace any argument, op-ed piece, blog or study that refutes global warming.
So this website gets skeptical about global warming skepticism. Do their arguments have any scientific basis? What does the peer reviewed scientific literature say?

Ocean Acifidication Educator Workshop: Final Evaluation Report

Ocean Acidification Educator Workshop: Final Evaluation Report
Ocean acidification (OA) represents a direct chemical change to global ocean chemistry in ... south Florida on ocean acidification, its effects on corals, ...
coralreef.noaa.gov/education/.../2011_fl_oa_wkshps.pdf

Thermodynamic duo

Posted on 5 July 2011 by Doug Mackie

Welcome to the second post in our series about ocean acidification. In the first post we introduced Equation 1 (shown again below) for the formation of calcium carbonate and showed that the formation of calcium carbonate shells is a source of CO₂, not a sink for CO₂.

We noted that most chemical reactions can go both forward or backwards and that we could use thermodynamics to predict the direction.

OA is not OK

Ocean acidification, OA, is very much the other CO2 problem. Ocean acidification is the process of ocean pH decreasing (i.e. becoming more acidic) due to absorption of fossil fuel CO₂ from the atmosphere. Another effect of ocean acidification is to reduce the amount of carbonate that is available to marine organisms, such as shellfish, for making their calcium carbonate shells.

The purpose of this post, the first in a twice-weekly series of posts about Ocean Acidification, is to introduce a single chemical equation. We don't want to lapse into hyperbole but the equation is the E = mc² of ocean acidification. Having said that, knowing E=mc²does not confer knowledge about element formation during a supernova. Likewise, this equation will only be the start of our learning:

We need a few words about chemical equations before we discuss what Equation 1 tells us. On the left side of the arrow is the calcium ion Ca²⁺ (an ion is an atom or molecule that has an electrical charge, in this case 2+ meaning calcium has lost 2 negatively charged electrons to establish a +2 charge). Also on the left are 2 bicarbonate ions (HCO₃^-, with the negative charge meaning it has gained an extra electron). The arrow indicates that the ions on the left of the arrow react to give the molecules on the right of the arrow: calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and water (H₂O).

This equation describes the formation of calcium carbonate (i.e. shells) from calcium ions and bicarbonate ions. It shows that making 1 molecule of CaCO₃ from a calcium ion requires 2 molecules of bicarbonate (HCO₃^–) and releases 1 molecule of H2O and 1 molecule of CO₂. Yes, you read that right: The formation of calcium carbonate shells is a source of CO₂, not a sink for CO₂.

Ocean acidification: Coming soon

Ocean acidification: How much is too much?

Teach the Controversy

The real climate hoax: denying reality and demonising scientists

Measuring the speed of earthchanges by monitoring the planet’s pulse

from The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond by The Extinction Protocol

July 8, 2011 – How do we do this? The planet’s internal gradient is increasing and this means more chaotic conditions are in store for our planet. Among the most visible of these will include further deterioration of the planet’s magnetic field, the collapse of climate stability and the occurrence of more adverse weather extremes, hypervolcanism, and increased tectonic related earthquakes. Thermal energy is a driving force behind tectonic plate movements and so is magma plumes as I discussed in my book and as science has only recently concluded this week. If we look at the earthquakes occurring at Etna, the increased seismic and volcanic activity under Iceland’s divergent rift, the earthquakes in Southeast Australia, the rapid formation of storms in the Eastern Pacific north of Galapagos, and the 5.3 magnitude earthquake on the Central Mid-Atlantic Ridge- we find two important common denominators in all these events: They are all happening simultaneously and they are all occurring around magma plumes. Increased activity at the magma plume at Eritrea and the subsequent eruption of the Nabro volcano is another indication this process is accelerating. (See African hotspot below)

Increased activity at magma plumes: “If magma levels within the Earth’s crust are precipitously rising due to fluctuations in the thermal gradient- then pressures would be greatest at mantle plumes and the deepest fissures and faults in the earth will become more active. Technically, that’s what we’re beginning to see at agitated seismic fault zones across the planet…shallow plumes of magma are deep fissures in the earth’s surface which would be early flashpoint indicators of expanding uniform magma levels.” -The Extinction Protocol, page 564, 566

Plume activity and magnetic reversal: Some scientists, such as Richard A. Muller, believe that geomagnetic reversals are not spontaneous processes but rather are triggered by external events that directly disrupt the flow in the Earth’s core. Proposals include impact events or internal events such as the arrival of continental slabs carried down into the mantle by the action of plate tectonics at subduction zones or the initiation of new mantle plumes from the core-mantle boundary. –Wikipedia

Friday, July 8, 2011

House EPA Appropriations Subcommittee Markup

Yesterday the House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee approved, along party lines, its FY12 appropriations bill for EPA and the Interior Department. Under the bill, EPA would receive $7.1 billion, about $1.5 billion below this year’s C.R. level, and $1.8 billion less than the Administration’s request for 2012. No amendments were offered at markup, but the underlying bill contains the following provisions relating to spending restrictions and policy priorities.

Coal Combustion Residuals Under RCRA

EPA is prohibited from regulating fossil fuel combustion waste, or “coal ash,” as a hazardous waste under Subtitle C of the Solid Waste Disposal Act.

Proposed Rule Under 316(b) of the Clean Water Act

EPA is prohibited from implementing, finalizing or enforcing regulatory requirements under Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act.

Stationary Source Greenhouse Gas Prohibition

For 1 year after enactment of the Act, EPA is prohibited from regulating GHG emissions from stationary sources to address climate change, except for regulations 1) promulgated under CAA title VI or 2) designed to limit or defer existing GHG regulations of stationary sources.

During the same 1-year period, any federal statutory or regulatory provision requiring a permit or permit condition under the CAA for GHG emissions from stationary sources to address climate change shall have no legal effect.

During the same period, any federally enforceable permit condition for GHG emissions from stationary sources to address climate change prior to the date of enactment shall have no legal effect.

During the same period, no cause of action based on federal or state common law or civil tort (including nuisance) may be brought or maintained, and no liability, damages or injunctive relief arising from such action may be imposed for 1) any potential or actual contribution of a GHG to climate change or 2) any direct or indirect effect of potential or actual or past, present, or future increases in GHG concentrations.

For 1 year after enactment of the Act, any permit for a stationary source subject to CAA Title 1 for which an application was submitted prior to the expiration of that 1-year period (regardless of when the permit was issued) shall not include any federally enforceable condition for GHG emissions to address climate change.

Presidential Report on Use of Climate Change Funds

Within 120 days after his FY13 budget submittal, the President shall submit a comprehensive report to the House and Senate appropriations committees detailing all federal agency funding (domestic and international) for climate change programs, projects, and activities for FY11 and FY12, including an accounting of funding by agency, associated costs by line item as presented in the President’s Budget Appendix, and citations and linkages to strategic plans driving funding.

Flexible Air Permitting Programs

EPA shall take no action (including by rulemaking or enforcement) to disapprove or prevent implementation of any flexible air permitting program under which emissions from multiple sources may be combined for purposes of determining compliance with an emissions limitation that 1) has been submitted by a state as a revision to its State Implementation Plan (SIP) pursuant to CAA Section 110 or 2) has been adopted as part of the SIP for such state prior to the date of enactment of the Act.

In addition, EPA shall take no enforcement action against the holder of a permit issued under an air permitting program described in the preceding paragraph based on any disapproval of the program by EPA prior to the date of enactment of the Act.

GHG Permitting/Reporting for Livestock Activities

EPA is prohibited from requiring GHG permits for processes associated with livestock production. In addition, EPA is prohibited from implementing any rule requiring reporting of GHG emissions associated with livestock operations.

Clean Water Act Jurisdiction

EPA is prohibited from changing the definition of navigable waterways under the Clean Water Act.

Storm Water Discharge

EPA is prohibited from expanding storm water discharge requirements under the Clean Water Act.

Mountaintop Removal

EPA is prohibited from implementing and enforcing certain mountaintop removal mining regulations.

The Office of Surface Mining is prohibited from updating the Stream Buffer Rule addressing environmental impacts of mountaintop removal mining.

Endangered Species Act

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is prohibited from listing new species and designating critical habitat under the ESA.

Integrated Risk Information Systems (IRIS)

EPA is directed to improve the IRIS program as outlined in a certain review by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). In addition, EPA is prevented from taking action on any new IRIS assessment that does not follow NAS’s recommendations.

Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011

Congressional intent is clarified on the dual regulation of pesticides near navigable waterways.

The full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to mark up the bill next Tuesday, July 12. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks,

Mark

Mark D. Planning

Director, Government Relations

p: 202.508.5636 | f: 202. 508.5403 | e: mplanning@eei.org

Why Trust Science?

Summer floods threaten record levels as rain predicted

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With rivers still running above flood stage and soils saturated, forecasters predicted on Wednesday this summer flooding season could rival the worst in United States history.
In the "Great Flood of 1993," record-breaking floods from April to August cost more than $25 billion in damages in at least nine states.

New force driving Earth's tectonic plates discovered

Enlarge

A view of the bends of the fracture zones on the Southwest Indian Ridge caused by the slowdown of Africa in response to the Reunion plume head. The image shows the gravity field. Credit: Scripps Institution of Oceanography,UC San Diego

Bringing fresh insight into long-standing debates about how powerful geological forces shape the planet, from earthquake ruptures to mountain formations, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have identified a new mechanism driving Earth's massive tectonic plates.

Stressed out: on the verge of a major geological event in the Pacific?

Image via Wikipedia

Stressed out: on the verge of a major geological event in the Pacific?

Worst drought in 60 years: 12 million Africans face 'fight for survival'

Reloaded: A 2004 secret report warned of catastrophes and coming global upheaval

Posted on July 8, 2011 by The Extinction Protocol

In the BBC series Spooks, the UK and the U.S. supressed a classifed document called Aftermath which warned of coming cataclysms and global upheaval

July 8, 2011 – LONDON – This is a chilling article and we reexamine what was written some 7 years ago in 2004 in light of recent earthchanges. Here’s the UK article in part that appeared in the Guardian: Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters. A secret report, suppressed by US defense chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a ‘Siberian’ climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world. The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism; say the few experts privy to its contents. ‘Disruption and conflict will be endemic features of life,’ concludes the Pentagon analysis. ‘Once again, warfare would define human life.’ The findings will prove humiliating to the Bush administration, which has repeatedly denied that climate change even exists. Experts said that they will also make unsettling reading for a President who has insisted national defense is a priority. The report was commissioned by influential Pentagon defense adviser Andrew Marshall, who has held considerable sway on US military thinking over the past three decades. He was the man behind a sweeping recent review aimed at transforming the American military under Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Climate change ‘should be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a US national security concern’, say the authors, Peter Schwartz, CIA consultant and former head of planning at Royal Dutch/Shell Group, and Doug Randall of the California-based Global Business Network. An imminent scenario of catastrophic climate change is ‘plausible and would challenge United States national security in ways that should be considered immediately’, they conclude. As early as next year, widespread flooding by a rise in sea levels will create major upheaval for millions. Already, according to Randall and Schwartz, the planet is carrying a higher population than it can sustain. By 2020 ‘catastrophic’ shortages of water and energy supply will become increasingly harder to overcome, plunging the planet into war. They warn that 8,200 years ago climatic conditions brought widespread crop failure, famine, disease and mass migration of populations that could soon be repeated. Randall told The Observer that the potential ramifications of rapid climate change would create global chaos. ‘This is depressing stuff,’ he said. ‘It is a national security threat that is unique because there is no enemy to point your guns at and we have no control over the threat.’ Randall added that it was already possibly too late to prevent a disaster happening. ‘We don’t know exactly where we are in the process. It could start tomorrow and we would not know for another five years,’ he said. –Guardian UK, February 22, 2004

**2006 Spooks episode Aftermath:** When a North Sea tidal surge threatens to flood London, an eco-terror group, Divine Earth take control of the Thames Barrier, rig it with explosives and threaten to blow it unless the government publishes a report called, “Aftermath,” which states that the since the world cannot prevent the ensuing catastrophes that will happen as a result of climate change, it would instead develop strategies to benefit from their aftermath by Britain and America militarily positioning themselves to control the world’s remaining resources before the crisis engulfed the Earth.

Now the Pentagon tells Bush: climate change will destroy us

· Secret report warns of rioting and nuclear war
· Britain will be 'Siberian' in less than 20 years
· Threat to the world is greater than terrorism

Researchers push the boundary with high carbon emission scenarios

Researchers push the boundary with high carbon emission scenarios
London, UK (SPX) Jul 08, 2011 - US and Swiss researchers have, for the first time, modelled a climate system with extremely high carbon emissions in an attempt to test the boundaries of the current computer simulation programs that inform us. Published, Tuesday 5 July, in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters, the study has revealed the potentially devastating effects that high carbon emissions could ha ... more

Increased protection urgently needed for tunas, experts urge

from ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

For the first time, all species of scombrids (tunas, bonitos, mackerels and Spanish mackerels) and billfishes (swordfish and marlins) have been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Of the 61 known species, seven are classified in a threatened category, being at serious risk of extinction. Four species are listed as Near Threatened and nearly two-thirds have been placed in the Least Concern category.

Tuna species urgently need protection: IUCN

Fewer bites for Philippine fishermen

IAEA Publication: Exposure of the Public from Large Deposits of Mineral Residues

IAEA Publication - Exposure of the Public from Large Deposits of Mineral Residues

Available here: http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PubDetails.asp?pubId=8647

Exposure of the Public from Large Deposits of Mineral Residues www-pub.iaea.org

IAEA TECDOC Series No. 1660

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Bluefin tuna threatened, environment group warns BY ANDREW DARBY

Bluefin tuna threatened, environment group warns

BY ANDREW DARBY

Climate change and disaster in Montana

The flooding of the Yellowstone River and the oil spill in the riverbed are connected, and the burning of fossil fuels is the key.

Wars, food shortages and mass immigration: How global warming poses dire threat to Britain's security

Chris Huhne: Climate change threatens UK security

Climate change will threaten Britain's national security by causing wars, mass migration and food shortages, Chris Huhne has said.

Floodwaters continue to rise near KCP&L power plants

A Wave of Chinese Money Gives a Lift to Companies Struggling in Tough Times

EPA Funds Green Groups That Sue The Agency To Expand By JOHN MERLINE, INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

EPA Funds Green Groups That Sue The Agency To Expand

By JOHN MERLINE, INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

Webb, Warner introduce bill to drill off Va. coast By Anita Kumar

Webb, Warner introduce bill to drill off Va. coast

By Anita Kumar

Virginia senators roll out offshore drilling legislation

Washington (Platts)--6Jul2011/320 pm EDT/1920 GMT

France bans hydraulic fracturing for shale oil and gas

France bans hydraulic fracturing for shale oil and gas
Lawmakers in France voted to officially ban the use of hydraulic fracturing as a completion method to develop shale oil and gas formations in the country.
Full Article

PHMSA orders ExxonMobil to beef up safety at ruptured Montana pipeline

PHMSA orders ExxonMobil to beef up safety at ruptured Montana pipeline
The Corrective Action Order by PHMSA requires ExxonMobil to re-bury the pipeline underneath the Yellowstone River bed to protect the line from external damage, as well as conduct a risk assessment on the Silvertip Pipeline anywhere it crosses a waterway.
Full Article

ConocoPhillips battles two oil spills in the Bohai Bay

ConocoPhillips battles two oil spills in the Bohai Bay
US super-major ConocoPhillips has been working to contain and clean two oil spills that began in June offshore China.
Full Article

Eni starts oil production at Appaloosa in deepwater GOM

Eni starts oil production at Appaloosa in deepwater GOM
Italian major Eni has begun production from its Appaloosa oil field in the deepwaters of the US Gulf of Mexico.
Full Article

March of the Elites: Why Grassroots Can't Save the Climate

Dust Storm Gives Phoenix A Preview of Mega-Drought

Dust Storm Gives Phoenix A Preview of Mega-Drought

Energy Resources Sulfur emissions 'mask' global warming

Energy Resources

Sulfur emissions 'mask' global warming

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

A look back as scientists raced to estimate oil flow from Deepwater Horizon macondo well

A look back as scientists raced to estimate oil flow from Deepwater Horizon macondo well
(PhysOrg.com) -- The first two weeks of June 2010 were a blur for six scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). As the world focused on the ongoing crisis in the Gulf of Mexico after the blowout of BP's Deepwater Horizon Macondo well, the scientists dropped everything to estimate how much oil was flowing from the mangled wellhead.

Russia bids to expand Arctic border to seek gas

Russia bids to expand Arctic border to seek gas
Russia will submit a claim to the United Nations to expand its Arctic borders, a top official said Wednesday, as scientists embarked on a new expedition to prove its ownership of energy-rich territory.

7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes tectonic plate boundary near Kermadec Islands

from The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond by The Extinction Protocol

Update on Steel Sheets on Reactor 3 Bldg Floor at #Fukushima I Nuke Plant: They Are to Block Radiation from Basement Water

New Force Driving Earth's Tectonic Plates

ScienceDaily (July 6, 2011) — Bringing fresh insight into long-standing debates about how powerful geological forces shape the planet, from earthquake ruptures to mountain formations, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have identified a new mechanism driving Earth's massive tectonic plates.

Exhausted global oil supplies make Arctic the new hydrocarbon frontier

Oil companies and governments are looking north as prices rise and energy security fears grow

Exxon spill another red flag

Exxon spill another red flag The weekend oil spill by ExxonMobil into Yellowstone River gives environmentalits more ammunition in their long-running battle against granting the oil industry increased access to US oil resources.

Continue reading: "Exxon spill another red flag"

http://link.ft.com/r/QM42II/ZGBPQB/OJS3XZ/D4ZW8M/SPN69Q/1G/h?a1=2011&a2=7&a3=6

Jon Rynn: A Fracking Mess – Natural Gas is Not the Fuel of the Future

Posted: 06 Jul 2011 12:21 AM PDT

By Jon Rynn, author of the book Manufacturing Green Prosperity: The power to rebuild the American middle class. He holds a Ph.D. in political science and is a Visiting Scholar at the CUNY Institute for Urban Systems. Cross posted from New Deal 2.0.

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/07/jon-rynn-a-fracking-mess-%E2%80%93-natural-gas-is-not-the-fuel-of-the-future.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NakedCapitalism+%28naked+capitalism%29

Breitling Oil and Gas Issues Update on North American Operations

Entergy Helps New York Avoid Nearly 35,000 Tons of Greenhouse Gases

Maersk orders two ultra deepwater drillships at cost of $1.3B

“We have an ambition of becoming one of the leading drilling contractors in the ultra deepwater segment and this order is another important step in taking a bigger share of this attractive market segment,”says Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling and member of the Executive Board of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group. “The order reflects our commitment to grow our rig fleet enabling us to serve our customers in the ultra deepwater segment on a more regular basis,” Claus V. Hemmingsen continues.

Petrobras makes another two discoveries in the Espirito Basin offshore Brazil

UN study says $76 trillion needs to be invested in Green Technologies over the next 40 years to avoid 'Planetary Catastrophe'

Humanity is close to breaching the sustainability of Earth, and needs a technological revolution greater – and faster – than the industrial revolution to avoid “a major planetary catastrophe,” according to a new United Nations report. The report - The World Economic and Social Survey 2011: The Great Green Technological Transformation (251 pages). The survey says $1.9 trillion per year will be needed over the next 40 years for incremental investments in green technologies. At least $1.1 trillion of that will need to be made in developing countries to meet increasing food and energy demands. Major investments will be needed worldwide in the developing and scaling up of clean energy technologies, sustainable farming and forestry techniques, climate-proofing of infrastructure, and in technologies reducing non-biological degradable waste production.

BraveNewClimate Carbon tax in Australia in 2011

Carbon tax in Australia in 2011

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

EPA Knew About Contamination, Did Nothing

How Hot Did Earth Get in the Past? Team of Scientists Uncovers New Information

UN study says $76 trillion needs to be invested in Green Technologies over the next 40 years to avoid 'Planetary Catastrophe'

Weather Modification: A Covert Weapon Of Destruction

World Temperatures Did Not Rise from 1998 to 2008, While Manmade Emissions of Carbon Dioxide from Burning Fossil Fuel Grew by Nearly a Third

from Washington's Blog by Washington's Blog

Global warming could alter the US premium wine industry in 30 years, says Stanford study

Deep-sea mud in the Pacific Ocean as a potential resource for rare-earth elements

Canadian Oil Sands Project List

Monday, July 4, 2011

As Missouri Floods, Anger Spills Over at Army Corps

As Missouri Floods, Anger Spills Over at Army Corps
Dave Helling and Scott Canon, McClatchy Newspapers: "Now, with the Missouri flooding at record levels over the past two months, enough is barreling out of Lewis and Clark Lake to cover a football field three-and-a-half feet deep every second. Water will race through the dam at that record rate, ultimately swamping farms and towns for hundreds of miles downstream, through August. Why did the six huge Missouri River reservoirs - including Gavins Point, the farthest downstream - fill to the brim and force the months-long release of floodwater? The short answer: The Corps could have prevented or drastically held down flooding by opening floodgates sooner. The reasons it didn't - reasons putting government water managers on the spot this summer - rest in a tangle of history, physics, meteorology and politics."
Read the Article

Warming Ocean Layers Will Undermine Polar Ice Sheets, Climate Models Show

ScienceDaily (July 3, 2011) — Warming of the ocean's subsurface layers will melt underwater portions of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets faster than previously thought, according to new University of Arizona-led research. Such melting would increase the sea level more than already projected.

This view of the seaward edge of Antarctica's floating Ross Ice Shelf shows a region where the ice is cracking and may produce an iceberg. (Credit: Michael Van Woert, NOAA NESDIS, ORA. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce.)