Can Fracking Cause Quakes?
Direct links between the gas extraction process and recent quakes point to the seismological side effect.
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, January 7, 2012
Can Fracking Cause Quakes?
Damning New Letter from NY State Insider: 'Hydraulic Fracturing as It's Practiced Today Will Contaminate Our Aquifers'
Damning New Letter from NY State Insider: 'Hydraulic Fracturing as It's Practiced Today Will Contaminate Our Aquifers'
A former technician responsible for investigating and managing groundwater contamination for New York State opens up about risks from fracking.
New research suggests North American continent is a slow eroder
New research suggests North American continent is a slow eroder
(PhysOrg.com) -- When looking at the great expanse of the whole of North America, it’s difficult to not see it all as a relatively permanent plot of land between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It doesn’t seem to change all that much, except for what we people do to it. Thus, it likely won’t come as much of a surprise to most that live here on this big continent, that new research shows that what we take for granted, does appear to be true, that is, the North American continent erodes very slowly. So slowly, writes Terrence Blackburn and his team of researchers from MIT, that not much has changed over the past billion and a half years. The team has come to this conclusion after studying volcanic rocks found in the mountains of Montana, and as they describe in their paper published, in Science, it doesn’t look like much change is coming in the future either.
(PhysOrg.com) -- When looking at the great expanse of the whole of North America, it’s difficult to not see it all as a relatively permanent plot of land between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It doesn’t seem to change all that much, except for what we people do to it. Thus, it likely won’t come as much of a surprise to most that live here on this big continent, that new research shows that what we take for granted, does appear to be true, that is, the North American continent erodes very slowly. So slowly, writes Terrence Blackburn and his team of researchers from MIT, that not much has changed over the past billion and a half years. The team has come to this conclusion after studying volcanic rocks found in the mountains of Montana, and as they describe in their paper published, in Science, it doesn’t look like much change is coming in the future either.
The nuclear, biological and climate threat - 2011 reviewed
The nuclear, biological and climate threat - 2011 reviewed
In this special issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, published by SAGE, experts reflect on 2011 and highlight what to look out for in 2012 in the areas of nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, biosecurity, and climate change. Topics that have made the headlines during the previous 12 months, including the increased tension surrounding Iran's nuclear programme, the aftermath of the Fukushima incident, and the state of US policy on climate change, are analyzed in detail in this special issue.
In this special issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, published by SAGE, experts reflect on 2011 and highlight what to look out for in 2012 in the areas of nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, biosecurity, and climate change. Topics that have made the headlines during the previous 12 months, including the increased tension surrounding Iran's nuclear programme, the aftermath of the Fukushima incident, and the state of US policy on climate change, are analyzed in detail in this special issue.
Friday, January 6, 2012
How Fracking Wastewater Is Tied To Quakes by Christopher Joyce
How Fracking Wastewater Is Tied To Quakes
Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout: Lessons for Offshore Drilling Safety
Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout: Lessons for Offshore Drilling Safety
The report is available for download at this link: http://wellintegrity.net/Documents/NAE%20-%20Macondo%20Final%20Report.pdf
BP Oil Spill: Engineering Experts Attack Industry Safety Culture
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Ohio Earthquakes Likely Caused by Fracking Wastewater
Ohio Earthquake Likely Caused by Fracking Wastewater
Injecting wastewater deep underground is the prime suspect, potentially widening earthquake worries linked to hydraulic fracturing
Arctic Report Card 2011 Update - NOAA
Arctic Report Card 2011 Update - NOAA
This report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration finds that Persistent warming has caused dramatic changes in the Arctic Ocean and the ecosystem it supports.Ocean changes include reduced sea ice and freshening of the upper ocean, and impacts such as increased biological productivity at the base of the food chain and loss of habit for walrus and polar bears.
Secure Water Act Report to Congress -- DOI
Secure Water Act Report to Congress -- DOI
This report Reclamation Climate Change and Water 2011 from the Bireau of Reclamation assesses climate change risks and how these risks could impact water operations, hydropower, flood control, and fish and wildlife in the western United States.The report to Congress represents the first consistent and coordinated assessment of risks to future water supplies across eight major Reclamation river basins, including the Colorado, Rio Grande and Missouri river basins. The report, which responds to requirements under the SECURE Water Act of 2009, shows several increased risks to western United States water resources during the 21st century.
The report notes that projected changes in temperature and precipitation are likely to impact the timing and quantity of stream flows in all western basins, which could impact water available to farms and cities, hydropower generation, fish and wildlife, and other uses such as recreation.
Net Worth: The Economic Value of Fisheries Conservation - US FWS
Net Worth: The Economic Value of Fisheries Conservation - US FWS
This report from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service dated Fall 2011 highlights the $3.6 billion in annual contributions to the U.S. economy made by the Fisheries Program andits many partners: states, tribes, NGOs and private organizations.
Beyond 2012: Meeting the Nation's Environmental, Energy, and Resources Challenges -- ABA Webinar
Beyond 2012: Meeting the Nation's Environmental, Energy, and Resources Challenges -- ABA Webinar
This ABA sponsored CLE programwill focus on law and policychallenges the nation is likely to face in mid-2013 in the environmental,energy, and resource areas, and possible approaches to address them. Thesechallenges will exist regardless of who controls the White House and Congressat that time.For that reason, the speakers will concentrate on assistinglawyers and clients in anticipating and responding to critical issues withoutregard to the outcome of the 2012 election. Many current controversies anddilemmas seem likely to persist, but the speakers, who have vast experience intheir fields, will identify and comment on emerging topics as well. The programwill include remarks by each speaker centered on his or her area of expertise,followed by a discussion among the speakers of topics on cross-cuttingimportance.
Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Format: Live Webinar
Duration: 90 minutes
Time: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM Eastern
Earth's massive extinction: The story gets worse
Earth's massive extinction: The story gets worse
January 5, 2012
Enlarge
Dr. Hamed Sanei analyzes chemical records of the sedimentary rocks deposited during the Latest Permian Extinction event. Dr. Sanei is a research scientist with Natural Resources Canada and an adjunct professor at the University of Calgary. Credit: University of Calgary/Riley Brandt.
Trouble in paradise: Ocean acidification this way comes
Trouble in paradise: Ocean acidification this way comes
January 5, 2012 By Cheryl Dybas
Something wicked this way comes: ocean acidification arrives in paradises like Mo'orea.Credit: NSF Moorea Coral Reef LTER Site
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.---Shakespeare, Macbeth
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
News Method of preventing fracking-related earthquakes could cost $10M a pop
News
Method of preventing fracking-related earthquakes could cost $10M a pop
Ohio earthquake was not a natural event, expert says
Ohio earthquake was not a natural event, expert says
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Will Fossil Fuel Companies Face Liability for Climate Change?
Will Fossil Fuel Companies Face Liability for Climate Change?
Ohio Halts Wells After Quake, Won't Stop Natural-Gas Drilling
Ohio Halts Wells After Quake, Won't Stop Natural-Gas Drilling
Oil and gas 'fracking' wastewater caused 11 earthquakes in Ohio: seismologist
Oil and gas 'fracking' wastewater caused 11 earthquakes in Ohio: seismologist
Wasstewater wells have also been suspected in quakes in Arkansas, Colorado, and Oklahoma
What is Both Sustainable and Renewable that Makes Financial Sense Today?
What is Both Sustainable and Renewable that Makes Financial Sense Today?
The answer is: Municipal solid waste (“MSW”) and its conversion into energy! There are few, if any, energy technologies that can claim to be both renewable and sustainable but also reliable and financially attractive. Why is this so?
To understand this, it’s necessary to understand what MSW is and is not. According to the U.S. EPA, MSW includes non-hazardous solid waste from residential, multifamily, commercial, and institutional (eg., schools, government offices) sources, see following chart. This definition excludes many materials that are frequently disposed with MSW in landfills, such as combustion ash, water and wastewater treatment residuals, and construction and
Read more...
To understand this, it’s necessary to understand what MSW is and is not. According to the U.S. EPA, MSW includes non-hazardous solid waste from residential, multifamily, commercial, and institutional (eg., schools, government offices) sources, see following chart. This definition excludes many materials that are frequently disposed with MSW in landfills, such as combustion ash, water and wastewater treatment residuals, and construction and
Read more...
Uncertainty Underground Yucca Mountain and the Nation's High-Level Nuclear Waste
Uncertainty Underground
Yucca Mountain and the Nation's High-Level Nuclear Waste
Edited by Allison M. Macfarlane and Rodney C. Ewing
Yucca Mountain and the Nation's High-Level Nuclear Waste
Edited by Allison M. Macfarlane and Rodney C. Ewing
BP Oil Spill: Engineering Experts Attack Industry Safety Culture
BP Oil Spill: Engineering Experts Attack Industry Safety Culture
Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout: Lessons for Offshore Drilling Safety
Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout: Lessons for Offshore Drilling Safety
The report is available for download at this link: http://wellintegrity.net/Documents/NAE%20-%20Macondo%20Final%20Report.pdf
Monday, January 2, 2012
Deep Gulf drilling thrives 18 mos. after BP spill
Deep Gulf drilling thrives 18 mos. after BP spill
(AP) -- Two hundred miles off the coast of Texas, ribbons of pipe are reaching for oil and natural gas deeper below the ocean's surface than ever before.
(AP) -- Two hundred miles off the coast of Texas, ribbons of pipe are reaching for oil and natural gas deeper below the ocean's surface than ever before.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
4.0 magnitude quake hits eastern Ohio
4.0 magnitude quake hits eastern Ohio
"Youngstown is not an area that's traditionally a center of seismic activity," Hansen said. "The data is indicating that an injection well very close by is what is causing these earthquakes."
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