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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Saturday, September 10, 2011
Is Fracking Safe? The Top 10 Controversial Claims About Natural Gas Drilling
Is Fracking Safe? The Top 10 Controversial Claims About Natural Gas Drilling
Members of Congress, gas companies, news organization, drilling opponents: They've all made bold claims about hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and the U.S. supply of underground natural gas. We take on 10 controversial quotes about natural gas and set the record straight.
Lawrence Solomon: Science getting settled
Lawrence Solomon: Science getting settled
Aug 26, 2011 – 11:37 PM ET | Last Updated: Aug 27, 2011 10:08 PM ET
New, convincing evidence indicates global warming is caused by cosmic rays and the sun — not humans
Bakken oil shipping to get boosted using rail by over 500,000 barrels per day by the end of 2012
Bakken oil shipping to get boosted using rail by over 500,000 barrels per day by the end of 2012
Kansas-based Lario Logistics said it will open a 100,000 barrel-per-day crude-by-rail terminal in North Dakota's Bakken Shale oil area this month, a move that will boost the region's capacity to ship crude on railways by about 75 percent.North Dakota oil production has tripled in four years, reaching 380,000 bpd in June and reached 423,592 barrels per day in July.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Seismic tension points breakout across the globe
Seismic tension points breakout across the globe
September 9, 2011 – In my opinion, the recent pattern of moderate quake eruptions across the globe could possibly be an early-warning sign or prelude to another large earthquake event. (Above) With the addition of 5.0 magnitude earthquakes in Comoros (near Africa) and Martinique on September 9th, I feel the globe is now reaching a critical seismic diffusion maximum that further increases the possibility of an event. Persons in high-risk seismic areas should remain alert for the potential occurrence of likely events over the next 24 to 72 hours. –The Extinction Protocol
Offshore quake shakes Vancouver Island
A 6.4-magnitude earthquake off the west coast of Vancouver Island should be a wake-up call to British Columbians, a B.C. geologist says.
Talisman's chief issues best-practices blueprint to drilling industry
Talisman's chief issues best-practices blueprint to drilling industry
Bracewell, Shearman Take Lead on $1.15 Billion Fracking IPO
Bracewell, Shearman Take Lead on $1.15 Billion Fracking IPO
Posted by Brian BaxterTwo Am Law 100 firms are advising on a planned $1.15 billion initial public offering by Frac Tech International (FTS), which helps oil and gas industry clients extract assets from the ground through hydraulic fracturing, a controversial process better known as fracking.
Fort Worth–based FTS is one of the largest providers of fracking services in the country, according to industry publication Upstream Online. The company runs roughly 30 fracking units in shale basins throughout the U.S., and sells a water-and-sand solution critical in the fracking process to such customers as Anadarko Petroleum, Chesapeake Energy, Marathon Oil, and XTO Energy.
Bracewell & Giuliani corporate partner Michael Telle in Houston is advising FTS on its upcoming IPO, the terms of which were not disclosed in an Securities and Exchange Commission filing by the company. William Hicks is FTS's general counsel, while Sharon Hicks serves as senior legal counsel for the company. (William and Sharon Hicks are husband and wife, according to an SEC filing.)
Flooding Brings New Wrinkle to Fracking Report By MIREYA NAVARRO
Flooding Brings New Wrinkle to Fracking Report
By MIREYA NAVARROPacific summit sounds alarm on climate change
Pacific summit sounds alarm on climate change
Auckland (AFP) Sept 8, 2011 - Pacific leaders identified climate change as the greatest threat to the region Thursday, ordering officials to start work on plans to help people forced to relocate by rising sea levels. The 16-nation Pacific Islands Forum said the impact of climate change was already apparent in countries such as Kiribati, where some villagers have had to abandon their homes as the seas rise, and finance wa ... more 
Auckland (AFP) Sept 8, 2011 - Pacific leaders identified climate change as the greatest threat to the region Thursday, ordering officials to start work on plans to help people forced to relocate by rising sea levels. The 16-nation Pacific Islands Forum said the impact of climate change was already apparent in countries such as Kiribati, where some villagers have had to abandon their homes as the seas rise, and finance wa ... more
World needs to do more against desertification: Algeria
World needs to do more against desertification: Algeria
Algiers (AFP) Sept 8, 2011 - The world needs to do more to combat desertification, which threatens close to a third of the planet's population, Algeria said Thursday at the opening of a conference here. "One of the leading causes of global food insecurity - namely the loss of natural resources, land degradation and desertification - is poorly tackled," Algerian Agriculture Minister Rachid Benaissa said. ... more
Algiers (AFP) Sept 8, 2011 - The world needs to do more to combat desertification, which threatens close to a third of the planet's population, Algeria said Thursday at the opening of a conference here. "One of the leading causes of global food insecurity - namely the loss of natural resources, land degradation and desertification - is poorly tackled," Algerian Agriculture Minister Rachid Benaissa said. ... more
East Africa, Arab world face food crisis
East Africa, Arab world face food crisis
Mogadishu, Somalia (UPI) Sep 8, 2011 - The United Nations warns that the famine in war-wracked Somalia is spreading and that 750,000 people could die in the next six months if international aid isn't increased. In famine-struck East Africa a cow costs $1,000 these days. The Arab world, buffeted by political upheaval triggered in January in large part by rising food prices, is facing a new round of food shortages. In s ... more 
Mogadishu, Somalia (UPI) Sep 8, 2011 - The United Nations warns that the famine in war-wracked Somalia is spreading and that 750,000 people could die in the next six months if international aid isn't increased. In famine-struck East Africa a cow costs $1,000 these days. The Arab world, buffeted by political upheaval triggered in January in large part by rising food prices, is facing a new round of food shortages. In s ... more
Deadly floods hit US northeast in wake of Irene
Deadly floods hit US northeast in wake of Irene
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (AFP) Sept 9, 2011 - Heavy rain on Thursday swamped areas of the US northeast already sodden from Hurricane Irene, with up to five people killed as flash floods forced over 100,000 to leave their homes. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood warning for counties in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland and Virginia, as towns became inundated, busy highways closed down and com ... more 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (AFP) Sept 9, 2011 - Heavy rain on Thursday swamped areas of the US northeast already sodden from Hurricane Irene, with up to five people killed as flash floods forced over 100,000 to leave their homes. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood warning for counties in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland and Virginia, as towns became inundated, busy highways closed down and com ... more
La Nina returns, bringing more severe weather: US
La Nina returns, bringing more severe weather: US
Washington (AFP) Sept 8, 2011 - The weather phenomenon known as La Nina is returning for another season, likely bringing more drought, heavy rains and severe weather to some parts of the world, US forecasters said Thursday. Experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center upgraded last month's La Nina Watch to a La Nina Advisory, the agency said in a statement. The back-to ... more 
Washington (AFP) Sept 8, 2011 - The weather phenomenon known as La Nina is returning for another season, likely bringing more drought, heavy rains and severe weather to some parts of the world, US forecasters said Thursday. Experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center upgraded last month's La Nina Watch to a La Nina Advisory, the agency said in a statement. The back-to ... more
able development world's top issue: UN chief
Sustainable development world's top issue: UN chief
Sydney (AFP) Sept 8, 2011 - United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday singled out sustainable development as the top issue facing the planet with the world's seven billionth person expected to be born next month. Key to this was climate change, and he said time was running out with the population set to explode this century. "Next month, the seven billionth citizen of our world will be born," the UN secretary ge ... more 
Sydney (AFP) Sept 8, 2011 - United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday singled out sustainable development as the top issue facing the planet with the world's seven billionth person expected to be born next month. Key to this was climate change, and he said time was running out with the population set to explode this century. "Next month, the seven billionth citizen of our world will be born," the UN secretary ge ... more
Record drought keeps grip on U.S. states
Record drought keeps grip on U.S. states
Lincoln, Neb. (UPI) Sep 7, 2011 - The percentage of land suffering from exceptional drought reached record levels in August in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, scientists said. A record 81.08 percent of Texas was facing exceptional drought as of Aug. 31, Brian Fuchs of the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln said. Oklahoma at 69.1 percent and Kansas with 17.4 percent also experienc ... more
Lincoln, Neb. (UPI) Sep 7, 2011 - The percentage of land suffering from exceptional drought reached record levels in August in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, scientists said. A record 81.08 percent of Texas was facing exceptional drought as of Aug. 31, Brian Fuchs of the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln said. Oklahoma at 69.1 percent and Kansas with 17.4 percent also experienc ... more
Hess and CONSOL form JV to develop Utica Shale
Hess and CONSOL form JV to develop Utica Shale
Hess Corporation said it had formed a joint venture agreement with CONSOL Energy Inc. to acquire a 50% interest in CONSOL’s nearly 200,000 acres in the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio for aggregate payments of $593 million
Hess Corporation said it had formed a joint venture agreement with CONSOL Energy Inc. to acquire a 50% interest in CONSOL’s nearly 200,000 acres in the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio for aggregate payments of $593 million
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BP has announced the drilling of a successful appraisal well in a previously untested northern segment of the Mad Dog field in the US Gulf of Mexico confirming a significant resource extension for the field complex
Chevron discovers oil at Moccasin in the deepwaters of the US Gulf of Mexico
Chevron discovers oil at Moccasin in the deepwaters of the US Gulf of Mexico
Chevron Corporation announced a new oil discovery at the Moccasin prospect in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico
Full Article
Chevron Corporation announced a new oil discovery at the Moccasin prospect in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico
Full Article
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Directly comparing Fukushima to Chernobyl - September 07, 2011
Directly comparing Fukushima to Chernobyl - September 07, 2011
Illegal fishing under the spotlight - September 07, 2011
Illegal fishing under the spotlight - September 07, 2011
Unlocked by melting ice-caps, the great polar oil rush has begun
Unlocked by melting ice-caps, the great polar oil rush has begun
Trillions are at stake, and the ecological risks are equally huge. Michael McCarthy reports
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Japan's ex-PM Kan feared 'uninhabitable Tokyo': report
Japan's ex-PM Kan feared 'uninhabitable Tokyo': report
Tokyo (AFP) Sept 6, 2011
Japan's former premier Naoto Kan feared Tokyo would be rendered uninhabitable by the Fukushima nuclear crisis, he said in an interview published Tuesday in which he recalled the "spine-chilling" thought.
He added it would have been "impossible" to evacuate all of the 30 million people in the event of a mass exclusion zone encompassing Tokyo and the Kanto region, and said that this risk made nuclear power a too dangerous option.
"Deserted scenes of Tokyo without a single man around came across my mind," he told the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper, describing his thoughts as the nuclear emergency deepened in the days after the March 11 quake and tsunami.
"It really was a spine-chilling thought," he said.
Tokyo (AFP) Sept 6, 2011
He added it would have been "impossible" to evacuate all of the 30 million people in the event of a mass exclusion zone encompassing Tokyo and the Kanto region, and said that this risk made nuclear power a too dangerous option.
"Deserted scenes of Tokyo without a single man around came across my mind," he told the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper, describing his thoughts as the nuclear emergency deepened in the days after the March 11 quake and tsunami.
"It really was a spine-chilling thought," he said.
Pacific shows climate change a reality: UN chief
Pacific shows climate change a reality: UN chief
Auckland (AFP) Sept 6, 2011
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that visiting Pacific nations threatened by rising seas had reinforced his belief that climate change was real and posed a genuine threat to humanity.
Ban stopped in the Solomon Islands and Kiribati on his way to New Zealand for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), and described the two small nations as "on the front line" of the climate change issue.
Auckland (AFP) Sept 6, 2011
Ban stopped in the Solomon Islands and Kiribati on his way to New Zealand for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), and described the two small nations as "on the front line" of the climate change issue.
East Coast Earthquake: Is the New Madrid Fault Line Next?
East Coast Earthquake: Is the New Madrid Fault Line Next?
Is the number of earthquakes increasing? Why Virgina may be a preview of things to come
Is the number of earthquakes increasing? Why Virgina may be a preview of things to come
Who Are America's Top 10 Gas Drillers?
Who Are America's Top 10 Gas Drillers?
More than 14,000 oil-and-gas companies were active in the United States in 2009. But multinational giants like Exxon Mobil and BP now produce much of the nation's gas.
Proposed Changes to Climate Change Agreements Could Increase Carbon Emissions
Proposed Changes to Climate Change Agreements Could Increase Carbon Emissions
Firms which are eligible for Climate Change Agreements (CCAs) should find it easier to comply and some will save money under new Government proposals. However, the Government has not presented any estimates of the impact it will have on emissions.
Insurance Companies Admit to Being Unprepared for Climate Change
Insurance Companies Admit to Being Unprepared for Climate Change
The vast majority of insurers are unprepared to handle climate risks even though they acknowledge the impact of climate change on extreme weather events, according to a report by investor coalition Ceres.
In 2009, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) approved a mandatory climate risk disclosure standard for insurers, but it was later weakened in some states, which made participation voluntary and non public. Using data submitted by 88 insurers to regulators in six states, Boston-based Ceres, a coalition of investors and environmental groups, gauged the extent to which insurers see climate change as a key risk factor in their
Read more...
In 2009, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) approved a mandatory climate risk disclosure standard for insurers, but it was later weakened in some states, which made participation voluntary and non public. Using data submitted by 88 insurers to regulators in six states, Boston-based Ceres, a coalition of investors and environmental groups, gauged the extent to which insurers see climate change as a key risk factor in their
Read more...
'750,000 facing death' as Somalia famine spreads: UN
'750,000 facing death' as Somalia famine spreads: UN
Nairobi (AFP) Sept 5, 2011 -
Three-quarters of a million people are facing death by starvation in Somalia, the UN said Monday as it reported that famine had spread to a sixth southern region of the beleaguered Horn of Africa state. "Tens of thousands of people have already died, over half of whom are children," according to a statement from the United Nation's food security analysis team for Somalia, which said the Bay ... more
Nairobi (AFP) Sept 5, 2011 - Three-quarters of a million people are facing death by starvation in Somalia, the UN said Monday as it reported that famine had spread to a sixth southern region of the beleaguered Horn of Africa state. "Tens of thousands of people have already died, over half of whom are children," according to a statement from the United Nation's food security analysis team for Somalia, which said the Bay ... more
Why the Energy Industry Doesn't Like the Term 'Fracking'
Why the Energy Industry Doesn't Like the Term 'Fracking'
Latest Report Forecasts Significant Spending in the Oil & Gas Drilling Technologies Market in 2011' Says Visiongain
Latest Report Forecasts Significant Spending in the Oil & Gas Drilling Technologies Market in 2011' Says Visiongain
Arctic Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Market to be Worth $11.93bn in 2011' Says Latest visiongain Report
Arctic Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Market to be Worth $11.93bn in 2011' Says Latest visiongain Report
Monday, September 5, 2011
Study sharpens picture of how much oil and gas flowed in Deepwater Horizon spill
Study sharpens picture of how much oil and gas flowed in Deepwater Horizon spill
September 5, 2011
In a detailed assessment of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, researchers led by a team from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have determined that the blown-out Macondo well spewed oil at a rate of about 57,000 barrels a day, totaling nearly 5 million barrels of oil released from the well between April 20 and July 15, 2010, when the leak was capped. In addition, the well released some 100 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
A Storm of Anxiety Over Fresh Oil Batters the Gulf
A Storm of Anxiety Over Fresh Oil Batters the Gulf
In the Gulf, another maelstrom has hit. But the tropical storm Mother Nature has brewed is not the top concern on some resident’s minds. Instead they are worried about the threat of fresh oil sighted in the in the general vicinity of BP’s Macondo well. 
Statement by EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson on the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards
EPA Press Office (News Media Only) press@epa.gov
202-564-4355
FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE
September 2, 2011
Statement by EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson on the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Since day one, under President Obama’s leadership, EPA has worked to ensure health protections for the American people, and has made tremendous progress to ensure that Clean Air Act standards protect all Americans by reducing our exposures to harmful air pollution like mercury, arsenic and carbon dioxide. This Administration has put in place some of the most important standards and safeguards for clean air in U.S. history: the most significant reduction of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide air pollution across state borders; a long-overdue proposal to finally cut mercury pollution from power plants; and the first-ever carbon pollution standards for cars and trucks. We will revisit the ozone standard, in compliance with the Clean Air Act.
Statement by the President on the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2011
September 2, 2011
Statement by the President on the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Over the last two and half years, my administration, under the leadership of EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, has taken some of the strongest actions since the enactment of the Clean Air Act four decades ago to protect our environment and the health of our families from air pollution. From reducing mercury and other toxic air pollution from outdated power plants to doubling the fuel efficiency of our cars and trucks, the historic steps we’ve taken will save tens of thousands of lives each year, remove over a billion tons of pollution from our air, and produce hundreds of billions of dollars in benefits for the American people.
At the same time, I have continued to underscore the importance of reducing regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty, particularly as our economy continues to recover. With that in mind, and after careful consideration, I have requested that Administrator Jackson withdraw the draft Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards at this time. Work is already underway to update a 2006 review of the science that will result in the reconsideration of the ozone standard in 2013. Ultimately, I did not support asking state and local governments to begin implementing a new standard that will soon be reconsidered.
I want to be clear: my commitment and the commitment of my administration to protecting public health and the environment is unwavering. I will continue to stand with the hardworking men and women at the EPA as they strive every day to hold polluters accountable and protect our families from harmful pollution. And my administration will continue to vigorously oppose efforts to weaken EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act or dismantle the progress we have made.
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