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 17, 2011
Fracking Disposal Wells Linked to Earthquakes, Banned in Arkansas
Fracking Disposal Wells Linked to Earthquakes, Banned in Arkansas
Friday, September 16, 2011
Fracking Disposal Wells Linked to Earthquakes, Banned in Arkansas
Fracking Disposal Wells Linked to Earthquakes, Banned in Arkansas
IBTimesThe Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission has banned fracking disposal wells for unconventional gas drilling wastes due to earthquakes. The Commission voted unanimously to ban them, and the decision requires the immediate closure of one disposal well and prohibits the construction of new wells within a 1,150 square mile radius.
IBTimesThe Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission has banned fracking disposal wells for unconventional gas drilling wastes due to earthquakes. The Commission voted unanimously to ban them, and the decision requires the immediate closure of one disposal well and prohibits the construction of new wells within a 1,150 square mile radius.
Editor's Note
Dear Readers
I am on business travel today and will resume posting this evening.
Michele Kearney
I am on business travel today and will resume posting this evening.
Michele Kearney
"Global Warming Primer"
"Global Warming Primer" at
<http://www.gemarsh.com/wp-con
<http://www.gemarsh.com/wp-con
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<http://www.gemarsh.com/wp-con
Weathernews to Launch Nano Satellite Next Fall to Monitor & Forecast Fastest Arctic Ice Recession in History
Weathernew
Destructive High Seas Fishing Practices Under Review at the United Nations
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Thursday, September 15, 2011
Army Corps of Engineers worried about the impacts of fracking on dams
Army Corps of Engineers worried about the impacts of fracking on dams
NASA Mars research helps find buried water on Earth
NASA Mars research helps find buried water on Earth
Reality Check: Climate Change is a Human Problem, Not a Political One
Reality Check: Climate Change is a Human Problem, Not a Political One
Arctic Sea Ice: This is a low, no? - September 14, 2011
Arctic Sea Ice: This is a low, no? - September 14, 2011
Final Deepwater disaster report paints bleak picture - September 14, 2011
Final Deepwater disaster report paints bleak picture - September 14, 2011
The full catalogue of failures that led to the destruction of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and the subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have been laid out by a final US government report.The report was released today by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) — set up to replace the discredited Minerals Management Agency wound up in the wake of the disaster (see Nature's special page for all news on Deepwater).
Investigators from BOEMRE and the US Coast Guard lay the blame for the accident on owners of the rig Transocean, contracting company Halliburton and ‘ultimate operator’ BP.
US Seismic Systems technology tapped to monitor hydraulic fracturing stimulations in high temperatures
US Seismic Systems technology tapped to monitor hydraulic fracturing stimulations in high temperatures
BOEMRE, US Coast Guard release final Deepwater Horizon investigation report
BOEMRE, US Coast Guard release final Deepwater Horizon investigation report
US Coast Guard works to stop oil spill offshore Louisiana
US Coast Guard works to stop oil spill offshore Louisiana
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Research & Data: Natural Gas Industry to 2016
Research & Data: Natural Gas Industry to 2016
Natural Gas Industry to 2016 - Abundance of Unconventional Gas Changing the Industry Landscape provides an in-depth analysis of the natural gas market across the world and highlights the various concerns, shifting trends and major players in the region. The report provides forecasts for the exploration and production industry, natural gas pipeline industry, natural gas storage industry, unconventional resources and production and consumption analysis till 2016.
Natural Gas Industry to 2016 - Abundance of Unconventional Gas Changing the Industry Landscape provides an in-depth analysis of the natural gas market across the world and highlights the various concerns, shifting trends and major players in the region. The report provides forecasts for the exploration and production industry, natural gas pipeline industry, natural gas storage industry, unconventional resources and production and consumption analysis till 2016.
Miller Energy readies to drill Alaskan exploration well
Miller Energy readies to drill Alaskan exploration well
September 13, 2011
Source: Miller Energy ResourcesMiller Energy Resources, Inc. (NYSE:MILL) revealed that Voorhees Equipment and Consulting Inc. has finished construction of Drilling Rig-35, and shipment is now under way to its final destination on the Osprey platform in the Cook Inlet of Alaska.
Rig-35 is a National 1320, 2000 hp rig designed for offshore and onshore drilling. Miller made the final payment of $5.77 million on the purchase of the $19.5 million rig by drawing on its line of credit with Guggenheim Corporate Funding, LLC last week.
BOEMRE proposes new rules to strengthen safety in offshore oil and gas
BOEMRE proposes new rules to strengthen safety in offshore oil and gas
September 13, 2011
Source: BOEMRESecretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Director Michael R. Bromwich Tuesday announced a proposed rule that will reduce the likelihood of accidents, injuries and spills in connection with oil and natural gas exploration and development activities, as the Department continues to expand safe and responsible domestic oil and gas development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
DNV report warns the era of cheap oil is ending
DNV report warns the era of cheap oil is ending
Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK – The Det Norske Veritas “Technology Outlook 2020” report presented at Offshore Europe warns that the age of “cheap” oil is coming to an end. With a forecasted 19% increase in global energy demand by 2020, DNV says the sector will have to push the boundaries to satisfy this need.
ABERDEEN, UK – The Det Norske Veritas “Technology Outlook 2020” report presented at Offshore Europe warns that the age of “cheap” oil is coming to an end. With a forecasted 19% increase in global energy demand by 2020, DNV says the sector will have to push the boundaries to satisfy this need.
Climate Change: Public Skeptical, Scientists Sure by Richard Harris
Climate Change: Public Skeptical, Scientists Sure
Weather extremes 2011: U.S. has second-warmest summer on record
Weather extremes 2011: U.S. has second-warmest summer on record
1: The Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation.
Coming in November 2011: The Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Solar flare could unleash nuclear holocaust across planet Earth, forcing hundreds of nuclear power plants into total meltdowns Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033564_solar_flares_nuclear_power_plants.html#ixzz1Xu2YDK3K
Solar flare could unleash nuclear holocaust across planet Earth, forcing hundreds of nuclear power plants into total meltdowns
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033564_solar_flares_nuclear_power_plants.html#ixzz1Xu2YDK3K
Severe Solar Storms Could Disrupt Earth This Decade: NOAA
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/194166/20110808/so
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal agency that focuses on the condition of the oceans and atmosphere, said that a severe solar storm could cause global chaos, wreck satelli...
Deep-sea fish in deep trouble
Deep-sea fish in deep trouble
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 14, 2011 - A team of leading marine scientists from around the world is recommending an end to most commercial fishing in the deep sea, the Earth's largest ecosystem. Instead, they recommend fishing in more productive waters nearer to consumers. In a comprehensive analysis published online this week in the journal Marine Policy, marine ecologists, fisheries biologists, economists, mathematicians and ... more
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 14, 2011 - A team of leading marine scientists from around the world is recommending an end to most commercial fishing in the deep sea, the Earth's largest ecosystem. Instead, they recommend fishing in more productive waters nearer to consumers. In a comprehensive analysis published online this week in the journal Marine Policy, marine ecologists, fisheries biologists, economists, mathematicians and ... more
Double jeopardy: Building codes may underestimate risks due to multiple hazards
Double jeopardy: Building codes may underestimate risks due to multiple hazards
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 14, 2011 - As large parts of the nation recover from nature's one-two punch-an earthquake followed by Hurricane Irene-building researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) warn that a double whammy of seismic and wind hazards can increase the risk of structural damage to as much as twice the level implied in building codes. This is because current codes consider natural ... more
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 14, 2011 - As large parts of the nation recover from nature's one-two punch-an earthquake followed by Hurricane Irene-building researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) warn that a double whammy of seismic and wind hazards can increase the risk of structural damage to as much as twice the level implied in building codes. This is because current codes consider natural ... more
Study predicts sea level rise may take economic toll on California coast
Study predicts sea level rise may take economic toll on California coast
California beach towns could face hefty economic losses caused by sea level rise in the next century, according to a new state-commissioned study conducted by economists at San Francisco State University. The study forecasts the economic impact of sea level rise on five communities: Ocean Beach in San Francisco; Venice Beach and Malibu in Los Angeles; Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County; and Torrey Pines State Reserve in San Diego County.
BHP Billiton's shale gas plans for US spring another leak
BHP Billiton's shale gas plans for US spring another leak
Monday, September 12, 2011
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center: La Niña is back
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center: La Niña is back
September 8, 2011
La Niña, which contributed to extreme weather around the globe during the first half of 2011, has re-emerged in the tropical Pacific Ocean and is forecast to gradually strengthen and continue into winter. Today, forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center upgraded last month’s La Niña Watch to a La Niña Advisory.
NOAA will issue its official winter outlook in mid-October, but La Niña winters often see drier than normal conditions across the southern tier of the United States and wetter than normal conditions in the Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley.
“This means drought is likely to continue in the drought-stricken states of Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of the Climate Prediction Center. “La Niña also often brings colder winters to the Pacific Northwest and the northern Plains, and warmer temperatures to the southern states.”
Climate forecasts from NOAA’s National Weather Service give American communities advance notice of what to expect in the coming months so they can prepare for potential impacts. This service is helping the country to become a Weather Ready Nation at a time when extreme weather is on the rise.
Seasonal hurricane forecasters factored the potential return of La Niña into NOAA’s updated 2011 Atlantic hurricane season outlook, issued in August, which called for an active hurricane season. With the development of tropical storm Nate this week, the number of tropical cyclones entered the predicted range of 14-19 named storms.
The strong 2010-11 La Niña contributed to record winter snowfall, spring flooding and drought across the United States, as well as other extreme weather events throughout the world, such as heavy rain in Australia and an extremely dry equatorial eastern Africa.
Average sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies (degree C) for the week centered on Aug. 31, 2011, indicate the re-emergence of La Niña in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
Download here. (Credit: NOAA)
NOAA's National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA’s National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy. Visit us online at weather.gov and on Facebook.
NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.
Hess expands Utica Shale holdings with $750MM acquisition
Hess expands Utica Shale holdings with $750MM acquisition
Total strikes major gas discovery in the Caspian Sea
Total strikes major gas discovery in the Caspian Sea
Garb Oil & Power Corporation: E-Waste Processing Plants Will Become a Necessity Soon
Garb Oil & Power Corporation: E-Waste Processing Plants Will Become a Necessity Soon
New York extends comment period on fracking policy
New York extends comment period on fracking policy
Michigan Messenger (blog) - - 1 hour ago
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation has extended the public comment period on a proposed new policy on hydrofracking regulation from 60 days to 90 days. The agency has recommended ending the ban on ...
West Virginia Dep issues emergency temporary rule on shale drilling
West Virginia Dep issues emergency temporary rule on shale drilling
Lexology (registration) - 22 hours ago
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP ) has issued an emergency rule (35 CSR 8) that would temporarily require Marcellus shale natural gas drillers to obtain permits and develop plans to protect water quality. ...
Two Types of Fracking
| Two Types Of Fracking Jamestown Post Journal Chautauqua County already benefits greatly from hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," according to Assemblyman Andy Goodell, R-Jamestown. That fracking though is not fracking of the Marcellus Shale, but of smaller, more conventional gas wells. ... |
Farmers fight to protect water
Farmers fight to protect water
Sydney Morning Herald
Photo: Danielle Smith THE state's peak farming body has challenged the coal seam gas industry to prove it will not damage agricultural water supplies and called on companies to disclose on a public register the chemicals they use during fracking. ...
Sydney Morning Herald
Photo: Danielle Smith THE state's peak farming body has challenged the coal seam gas industry to prove it will not damage agricultural water supplies and called on companies to disclose on a public register the chemicals they use during fracking. ...
In Fracking's Wake
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EU to maintain safety checks on food from Japan
EU to maintain safety checks on food from Japan
Brussels (AFP) Sept 9, 2011 - The European Union will extend until year's end checks on potential radioactive contamination in food imports from certain regions of Japan, the EU's executive said Friday. A European Commission statement said controls on food from Japan adopted last March after the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster would be enforced until December 31 and be reviewed every month. The controls "will ... more
Brussels (AFP) Sept 9, 2011 - The European Union will extend until year's end checks on potential radioactive contamination in food imports from certain regions of Japan, the EU's executive said Friday. A European Commission statement said controls on food from Japan adopted last March after the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster would be enforced until December 31 and be reviewed every month. The controls "will ... more
Japan's nuclear disaster - six months on
Japan's nuclear disaster - six months on
Tokyo (AFP) Sept 11, 2011 - Six months after Japan's massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami sparked the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, emergency crews are struggling to stop radiation seeping out. Embattled operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) says it hopes to bring all crippled reactors to stable "cold shutdown" by January, although decommissioning the 1970s-era plant will take decades. ... more
Tokyo (AFP) Sept 11, 2011 - Six months after Japan's massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami sparked the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, emergency crews are struggling to stop radiation seeping out. Embattled operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) says it hopes to bring all crippled reactors to stable "cold shutdown" by January, although decommissioning the 1970s-era plant will take decades. ... more
Arctic ice cover hits historic low: scientists
Arctic ice cover hits historic low: scientists
Paris (AFP) Sept 10, 2011 - The area covered by Arctic sea ice reached its lowest point this week since the start of satellite observations in 1972, German researchers announced on Saturday. "On September 8, the extent of the Arctic sea ice was 4.240 million square kilometres (1.637 million square miles). This is a new historic minimum," said Georg Heygster, head of the Physical Analysis of Remote Sensing Images unit a ... more
Paris (AFP) Sept 10, 2011 - The area covered by Arctic sea ice reached its lowest point this week since the start of satellite observations in 1972, German researchers announced on Saturday. "On September 8, the extent of the Arctic sea ice was 4.240 million square kilometres (1.637 million square miles). This is a new historic minimum," said Georg Heygster, head of the Physical Analysis of Remote Sensing Images unit a ... more
Extreme summertime temperatures to become a regular occurrence
Extreme summertime temperatures to become a regular occurrence
New York NY (SPX) Sep 12, 2011 - In an article in the current issue of the journal Climatic Change Letters, Boston University researchers have estimated the impact near-term increases in global-mean temperatures will have on summertime temperatures in the U.S. and around the globe. The "2C global warming target" is in reference to the current international efforts to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases and limit human ... more
New York NY (SPX) Sep 12, 2011 - In an article in the current issue of the journal Climatic Change Letters, Boston University researchers have estimated the impact near-term increases in global-mean temperatures will have on summertime temperatures in the U.S. and around the globe. The "2C global warming target" is in reference to the current international efforts to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases and limit human ... more
Storm data uncovers landfall threat probabilities
Storm data uncovers landfall threat probabilities
Miami FL (SPX) Sep 12, 2011 - Scientists at the University of Miami's (UM's) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science have found an intriguing relationship between hurricane tracks and climate variability. Angela Colbert, a graduate student in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography, with the collaboration of Professor and Associate Dean for Professional Masters, Dr. Brian Soden, studied data from the Atlantic gathe ... more
Miami FL (SPX) Sep 12, 2011 - Scientists at the University of Miami's (UM's) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science have found an intriguing relationship between hurricane tracks and climate variability. Angela Colbert, a graduate student in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography, with the collaboration of Professor and Associate Dean for Professional Masters, Dr. Brian Soden, studied data from the Atlantic gathe ... more
800,000 years of abrupt climate variability
800,000 years of abrupt climate variability
Cardiff UK (SPX) Sep 12, 2011 - An international team of scientists, led by Dr Stephen Barker of Cardiff University, has produced a prediction of what climate records from Greenland might look like over the last 800,000 years. Drill cores taken from Greenland's vast ice sheets provided the first clue that Earth's climate is capable of very rapid transitions and have led to vigorous scientific investigation into the possi ... more
Cardiff UK (SPX) Sep 12, 2011 - An international team of scientists, led by Dr Stephen Barker of Cardiff University, has produced a prediction of what climate records from Greenland might look like over the last 800,000 years. Drill cores taken from Greenland's vast ice sheets provided the first clue that Earth's climate is capable of very rapid transitions and have led to vigorous scientific investigation into the possi ... more
Sunday, September 11, 2011
BP Oil Spill Stalls Gulf Loop Current Global Consequences if Current Fails to Reorganize
BP Oil Spill Stalls |
Just How Sensitive Is Earth's Climate to Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide?
Just How Sensitive Is Earth's Climate to Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide?
Two new studies look far back in geologic time to determine how sensitive the global climate is to atmospheric CO2 levels
In Hot Water: Ice Age Defrosted by Warming Ocean, Not Rise in CO2
In Hot Water: Ice Age Defrosted by Warming Ocean, Not Rise in CO2
Warmer waters in the deep Pacific triggered the end of the last ice age, preceding the rise in greenhouse gas levels
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