Michele Kearney's Environmental Blog - Environmental degradation and waning natural resources including energy resources threaten U.S. security. And the loss of renewable natural resources, including forests, fresh water, fish and fertile soils, can drive political instability and conflict in the developing world, and around the globe. In short, natural resoures, energy and the environment are national security issues.
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Friday, September 2, 2011
U.S. Government and Biofuels: Too Much Too Soon
U.S. Government and Biofuels: Too Much Too Soon
It would seem, despite the inability of the cellulosic ethanol industry to produce an economically viable product to date, that it remains this Administration’s answer to coming liquid fuel shortages. Last week President Obama announced that $510 million from the Government, would be invested in biofuels, with an equal amount of private funding.
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy will invest up to $510 million during the next three years, in partnership with the private sector, to produce advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels for military and commercial transportation, President Barack Obama announced today. Read more...
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy will invest up to $510 million during the next three years, in partnership with the private sector, to produce advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels for military and commercial transportation, President Barack Obama announced today. Read more...
So Much for the Polar Bears - Arctic Drilling to Begin
So Much for the Polar Bears - Arctic Drilling to Begin
The “good” news for wildlife around the Arctic Circle is that BP, renowned despoiler of the Gulf of Mexico, will not be coming.
BP’s 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred as the Macondo blowout), which surged for three months, has won a place in the Guinness book of records as the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.
The bad news is that U.S. oil international Exxon Mobil has sealed an Arctic oil exploration deal with Russia’s state-owned oil firm Rosneft, following an agreement signed on 29 August in the presence of
Read more...
BP’s 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred as the Macondo blowout), which surged for three months, has won a place in the Guinness book of records as the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.
The bad news is that U.S. oil international Exxon Mobil has sealed an Arctic oil exploration deal with Russia’s state-owned oil firm Rosneft, following an agreement signed on 29 August in the presence of
Read more...
Fusion power Next ITERation?
Fusion power
Next ITERation?
Generating electricity by nuclear fusion has long looked like a chimera. A reactor being built in Germany may change that
The return of the BP disaster?
| The return of the BP disaster? |
| Oil is resurfacing again not far from the location of the BP Macondo Well off the Gulf of Mexico, 15 months on |
Is oil leaking in the Gulf from the BP spill site?
Is oil leaking in the Gulf from the BP spill site?
A patch of oil has been documented about a quarter-mile northeast of the Macondo wellhead leased by BP. The company has provided a live feed of the Gulf well to officials, who could not see leakage.
Map of worldwide Cesium-137 dispersal ***30 year half life***
Map of worldwide Cesium-137 dispersal ***30 year half life***
Here is a map of the Cesium 137 dispersal throughout the world, show where it is concentrated from the French IRSN. Check out the site. Cesium has a half life of 30 years!
[link to www.irsn.fr]
[link to www.irsn.fr]
French map of cesium-137 deposition from Fukushima shows the US more contaminated than Western Japan
French map of cesium-137 deposition from Fukushima shows the US more contaminated than Western Japan
Seismic tension on northern Japan highlights escalating danger
地球と空の振動: Seismic tension on northern Japan highlights escalating danger
Second giant ice island set to break off Greenland glacier
Second giant ice island set to break off Greenland glacier
Astonished scientist says he was 'completely unprepared for the gob-smacking scale of the breakup, which rendered me speechless'
Hurricane Irene Demonstrates Threats to Coasts As Climate Changes
Hurricane Irene Demonstrates Threats to Coasts As Climate Changes
Extracting natural gas from shale can be done safely, says researcher
Extracting natural gas from shale can be done safely, says researcher
PhysOrg.com - - Aug 31, 2011
Natural gas currently provides more than a quarter of the energy used in the United States and that fraction is likely to continue growing. New technologies are making it easier and more economical to produce natural gas from where it lies in shale ...
3 Studies Confirm Shale Gas Is Not Worse Than Coal
3 Studies Confirm Shale Gas Is Not Worse Than Coal
Exxon Exports Fracking to Russia…and Opens Gulf of Mexico to Russians
Exxon Exports Fracking to Russia…and Opens Gulf of Mexico to Russians
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Satellite Observes Unusually Hot July in the Great Plains
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Editor's Note
Dear Readers
I will be on business travel Thursday, September 1. I will be posting over Labor Day weekend; however, I will be away a few days next week. Hopefully no earthquakes and/or other weather conditions will
interrupt a few days break.
Best Regards.
I will be on business travel Thursday, September 1. I will be posting over Labor Day weekend; however, I will be away a few days next week. Hopefully no earthquakes and/or other weather conditions will
interrupt a few days break.
Best Regards.
Hurricane Irene: Scientists collect water quality and climate change data from huge storm
Hurricane Irene: Scientists collect water quality and climate change data from huge storm
While Hurricane Irene had officials along the U.S. East Coast preparing for mass evacuations, scientists were grabbing their best data collection tools and heading straight for the storm's path.
Scientist creates new hypothesis on ocean acidification
Scientist creates new hypothesis on ocean acidification
Manoa HI (SPX) Aug 31, 2011 - Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been rising due to the burning of fossil fuels. Increased absorption of this carbon by the oceans is lowering the seawater pH (the scale which measures how acidic or basic a substance is) and aragonite saturation state in a process known as ocean acidification. Aragonite is the miner ... more
Manoa HI (SPX) Aug 31, 2011 - Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been rising due to the burning of fossil fuels. Increased absorption of this carbon by the oceans is lowering the seawater pH (the scale which measures how acidic or basic a substance is) and aragonite saturation state in a process known as ocean acidification. Aragonite is the miner ... more
Moderate 5.4 underwater earthquake strikes North Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Moderate 5.4 underwater earthquake strikes North Mid-Atlantic Ridge
American Elements Says That U.S. Needs a Strategic Metals Reserve
American Elements Says That U.S. Needs a Strategic Metals Reserve
American Elements president and chairman of the board Michael Silver is advocating that the Obama administration establish a U.S. Strategic Metals Reserve.
As Silver envisages the repository, it would be modeled on the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which began the year after the 1973-74 oil embargo, when OPEC member states’ anger over U.S. support for Israel during its 1973 war led to an embargo of oil shipments to the U.S., temporarily tripling oil prices.
Silver said, "The cost of these key strategic metals has increased 25+ fold in the last year.
These metals are very precious
Read more...
As Silver envisages the repository, it would be modeled on the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which began the year after the 1973-74 oil embargo, when OPEC member states’ anger over U.S. support for Israel during its 1973 war led to an embargo of oil shipments to the U.S., temporarily tripling oil prices.
Silver said, "The cost of these key strategic metals has increased 25+ fold in the last year.
These metals are very precious
Read more...
Extreme 2010 Russian Fires and Pakistan Floods Linked Meteorologically
This map shows temperature anomalies from July 20-27, 2010, compared to temperatures for the same dates from 2000 to 2008. The anomalies are based on land surface temperatures observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite. Areas with above-average temperatures appear in red and orange, and areas with below-average temperatures appear in shades of blue. Oceans and lakes appear in gray. For more about this image, please visit this NASA Earth Observatory page. Credit: NASA/Earth Observatory
Exxon wins BP's lost Russian Arctic fields
Exxon wins BP's lost Russian Arctic fields
By Robert M Cutler
MONTREAL - ExxonMobil, the United States oil major and the world's biggest company, and Russia's Rosneft have signed an agreement to develop the three offshore areas in Russia's Arctic shelf.
By Robert M Cutler
MONTREAL - ExxonMobil, the United States oil major and the world's biggest company, and Russia's Rosneft have signed an agreement to develop the three offshore areas in Russia's Arctic shelf.
Global Update: Cholera: Climate Change Isn't a Culprit in Increasing Outbreaks, Study Finds
Global Update: Cholera: Climate Change Isn't a Culprit in Increasing Outbreaks, Study Finds
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
Ocean temperatures may have increased, but nutrients washed downriver by flooding seems to have been a greater driving force behind cholera's rise.
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
Ocean temperatures may have increased, but nutrients washed downriver by flooding seems to have been a greater driving force behind cholera's rise.
How Much Marcellus Shale Gas Is There, Really?
How Much Marcellus Shale Gas Is There, Really?
by Mike Orcutt
A new estimate suggests there's 80 percent less gas than previously thought. That may still be plenty.
Read More »
by Mike Orcutt
A new estimate suggests there's 80 percent less gas than previously thought. That may still be plenty.
Read More »
US Energy Department panel endorses shale fracking, suggests pumping ground with millions of gallons of chemical water will help save environment
US Energy Department panel endorses shale fracking, suggests pumping ground with millions of gallons of chemical water will help save environment
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033464_shale_fracking_environment.html#ixzz1Wc6Kq1AQ
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Earthquakes to the core -- Researchers drill down at the epicenter
Earthquakes to the core -- Researchers drill down at the epicenter
England’s quakes put spotlight on fracking
England’s quakes put spotlight on fracking
By David R. Baker dbaker@sfchronicle.com
Fracking wastewater devours all life in West Virginia forest
Fracking wastewater devours all life in West Virginia forest
Fracking fluid, the liquid waste left over from the controversial mining technique, wreaks havoc on a plot of land in a test by the U.S. Forest Service.
Researchers study link between fracking, earthquakes
Researchers study link between fracking, earthquakes
Arkansas Earthquakes Decline After 'Fracking' Injection Well Closures
Arkansas Earthquakes Decline After 'Fracking' Injection Well Closures
UCB Milk Sampling Results
UCB Milk Sampling Results
Back to Main UCB Air and Water Sampling PageThe following are results for milk samples obtained from a Bay Area organic dairy where the farmers are encouraged to feed their cows local grass. We have detected I-131, Cs-134, and Cs-137 and are tracking their levels.
Christopher Busby: Chernobyl-like radiation found in Tokyo
Christopher Busby: Chernobyl-like radiation found in Tokyo
NISA Mentions "Neptunium-239" in August 29 Press Conference
NISA Mentions "Neptunium-239" in August 29 Press Conference
(UPDATE on 8/29/2011: NISA backtracked in the joint conference (TEPCO/government) in the afternoon, and now says it's not sure about the conversion rate of neptunium-239 into plutonium-239.)
Soil Contamination in 34 Locations in Fukushima Exceeds Chernobyl Confiscation/Closed Zone Level
Soil Contamination in 34 Locations in Fukushima Exceeds Chernobyl Confiscation/Closed Zone Level
In one location, the contamination level is more than 10 times the Chernobyl level.Everything you’ve heard about the tar sands and energy security is wrong 9
Everything you’ve heard about the tar sands and energy security is wrong
Drilling in North America is the single greatest threat to our nation’s energy security.9
Monday, August 29, 2011
Oceans of energy to power a planetary civilization
Oceans of energy to power a planetary civilization
Urbana IL (SPX) Aug 30, 2011 - University of Illinois scientists have engineered a new strain of yeast that converts seaweed into biofuel in half the time it took just months ago. That's a process that's important outside the Corn Belt, said Yong-Su Jin, a University of Illinois assistant professor of microbial genomics and a faculty member in its Institute for Genomic Biology. "The key is the strain's ability to fermen ... more
Urbana IL (SPX) Aug 30, 2011 - University of Illinois scientists have engineered a new strain of yeast that converts seaweed into biofuel in half the time it took just months ago. That's a process that's important outside the Corn Belt, said Yong-Su Jin, a University of Illinois assistant professor of microbial genomics and a faculty member in its Institute for Genomic Biology. "The key is the strain's ability to fermen ... more
NASA refutes drought-driven declines in plant productivity, global food security
NASA refutes drought-driven declines in plant productivity, global food security
Boston MA (SPX) Aug 30, 2011 - A new, comprehensive study by an international team of scientists, including scientists at Boston University in the US and the Universities of Vicosa and Campinas in Brazil, has been published in the current issue of Science (August 26, 2011) refuting earlier alarmist claims that drought has induced a decline in global plant productivity during the past decade and posed a threat to global food s ... more
Boston MA (SPX) Aug 30, 2011 - A new, comprehensive study by an international team of scientists, including scientists at Boston University in the US and the Universities of Vicosa and Campinas in Brazil, has been published in the current issue of Science (August 26, 2011) refuting earlier alarmist claims that drought has induced a decline in global plant productivity during the past decade and posed a threat to global food s ... more
Why Haven't Gas Prices Fallen More?
Why Haven't Gas Prices Fallen More?
With the US economy stuck in the doldrums, weakening the demand for oil and its products, and with the fall of at least portions of Tripoli foreshadowing the eventual return of Libyan oil exports to the market, it must seem puzzling that US gasoline prices haven't dropped farther in the last few weeks.
Whales, Electricity, and Sustainability
Whales, Electricity, and Sustainability
A few weeks ago I was thrilled to speak at the inaugural Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy, organized by the University of Illinois-Chicago in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory, Northwestern University, Illinois Institute of Technology, and the University of Chicago. The students were from diverse fields and between them and the other speakers I learned a lot (including some cool vertical farming design!).
Green Scissors 2011: A Misguided Proposal for Budget and Environmental Reform
Green Scissors 2011: A Misguided Proposal for Budget and Environmental Reform
This post was co-authored by another TEC blogger, Matthew Stepp, Clean Energy Policy Analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). Originally published at Americans for Energy Leadership.
Low Carbon Strategies and Economic Growth
Low Carbon Strategies and Economic Growth
At the intersection of global energy depletion and concerns about human impact on the environment lie some serious and oft overlooked issues. Largely gone from our public discourse is the idea that oil is infinite. It is now accepted, even to previous staunch cornucopians, that increasing, or even maintaining oil production will come only at higher costs. The new response to the energy/environmental crisis is to transition to a green economy, replacing our declining stocks of fossil sunlight with new technologies able to harness our current sunlight in its various forms. That these renewable technologies are available, viable and becoming
Read more...
Read more...
Brazil’s Rapidly Expanding Offshore Oil Industry
Brazil’s Rapidly Expanding Offshore Oil Industry
While the US Obama administration carries on a de facto offshore oil moratorium, Brazil is rushing to develop its own vast offshore petroleum resources. Brazil is spending over $220 billion in an attempt to almost triple its offshore production from over 2 million bpd to over 6 million bpd in 2020. Brazil's oil industry faces tremendous challenges, working far offshore and deep under the surface.
...the technical and logistical challenges involved in tapping this oil are immense – the oil is under a layer of salt as far below the waves as commercial jetliners cruise above them. As a result, Petrobras, Read more...
...the technical and logistical challenges involved in tapping this oil are immense – the oil is under a layer of salt as far below the waves as commercial jetliners cruise above them. As a result, Petrobras, Read more...
Dispersants Used in BP Gulf Oil Spill Linked to Cancer
Dispersants Used in BP Gulf Oil Spill Linked to Cancer
BP used over 1.8 million gallons of dispersant during the three-month long oil leak that gushed 4.9 million barrels of crude oil from the Macondo well.
Betting the farm against climate change
Betting the farm against climate change
Global warming is extracting real costs, even in states where the governors are in denial.
Financial Times Energy 8/29
FT.com - Energy |
| US coal-fired power stations under threat |
| http://link.ft.com/r/DHGUVV/ |
| China set to challenge global wind industry |
| http://link.ft.com/r/DHGUVV/ |
| EFH facing $1.2bn compliance bill |
| http://link.ft.com/r/DHGUVV/ |
| Match made between slick and Macondo oil |
| http://link.ft.com/r/DHGUVV/ |
| Push for permits in Gulf of Mexico |
| http://link.ft.com/r/DHGUVV/ |
Sunday, August 28, 2011
90-Day Shale Fracking Report
 wikipedia The Shale Gas Subcommittee of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board is charged with identifying measures that can be taken to reduce the environmental impact and improve the safety of shale gas production. Natural gas is a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, providing a quarter of the country’s total energy. Owing to breakthroughs in technology, production from shale formations has gone from a negligible amount just a few years ago to being almost 30 percent of total U.S. natural gas production. This has brought lower prices, domestic jobs, and the prospect of enhanced national security due to the potential of substantial production growth. But the growth has also brought questions about... | |
'Fracking': Rock fracturing's relation to quakes
'Fracking': Rock fracturing's relation to quakes
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=
Global Natural Gas Potential
Two Choices for Western States on Energy-Transmission Overhaul, Say Experts
Two Choices for Western States on Energy-Transmission Overhaul, Say Experts
New report says the $200B that Western states will spend on electricity systems will determine the course of their energy future to 2050 and beyond
By Maria Gallucci, SolveClimate News
Time to Start Work on a Panic Button? By JUSTIN GILLIS
Time to Start Work on a Panic Button?
By JUSTIN GILLISLife cycle greenhouse gas emissions of Marcellus shale gas
Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of Marcellus shale gas
Biofuels and carbon management
Biofuels and carbon management
Abstract
Public policy supports biofuels for their benefits to agricultural economies, energy security and the environment. The environmental rationale is premised on greenhouse gas (GHG, “carbon”) emissions reduction, which is a matter of contention. This issue is challenging to resolve because of critical but difficult-to-verify assumptions in lifecycle analysis (LCA), limits of available data and disputes about system boundaries. Although LCA has been the presumptive basis of climate policy for fuels, careful consideration indicates that it is inappropriate for defining regulations. This paper proposes a method using annual basis carbon (ABC) accounting to track the stocks and flows of carbon and other relevant GHGs throughout fuel supply chains. Such an approach makes fuel and feedstock production facilities the focus of accounting while treating the CO2 emissions from fuel end-use at face value regardless of the origin of the fuel carbon (bio- or fossil). Integrated into cap-and-trade policy and including provisions for mitigating indirect land-use change impacts, also evaluated on an annual basis, an ABC approach would provide a sound carbon management framework for the transportation fuels sector.
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