"Satellite Sees Hot Spot of Methane in US Southwest"
"A surprising hot spot of the potent global-warming gas methane hovers over part of the southwestern U.S., according to satellite data."
Source: AP, 10/10/2014
Energy & Fuel
"CN Train Derailment: Petroleum Cars Catch Fire in Saskatchewan"
"CN train derailment in Saskatchewan caused petroleum distillate to ignite, forcing about 50 people to evacuate from a nearby community. The CN train derailment comes in the wake of recent high-profile oil train accidents."
Source: AP, 10/09/2014
"Oil-Price Swoon Hits Energy Firms’ Shares"
"The share-price boom at U.S. energy firms has gone bust, due to slumping global growth and tumbling crude prices."
Source: Wall St. Journal, 10/09/2014
"EPA: US Cars More Efficient Than Ever"
"The average fuel economy of new US cars and trucks hit a record 24.1 miles per gallon (mpg) last year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Overall fuel economy for new cars and trucks has risen almost 5 mpg since 2004."
Source: Christian Science Monitor, 10/09/2014
Chemical Accident Data Won't Be Bottled Up
While the idea that government neglect and public ignorance are the right approach to chemical safety and security has lost some credence, information on chemical accidents is still hard to come by. Here are tips as well as news about the National Response Center's database of oil and chemical spills.
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Will Fracking Disclosure Decisions Put Profits Above Health?
Federal agencies are still grinding forward on decisions about disclosure of often-toxic ingredients pumped into the ground during "fracking" to produce gas and oil. Significant decisions may come eventually from the Interior Department, the EPA, and the Obama White House. But don't bet on any courageous decisions until after the November election.
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Penn. Slaps Record $4.5 Million Fine on Leaking Fracking Waste Pit
"Pennsylvania environmental regulators are pursuing a record $4.5 million fine against a gas driller over what they describe as a major case of pollution from a leaking waste pit."
Source: AP, 10/08/2014
"EU Scraps Plan To Label Canada's Tar Sands As Highly Polluting"
"A European Union plan to label Canadian tar sands oil as highly polluting as part of its fight against climate change has been abandoned after years of opposition from Canada, clearing the way for exports of tar sands crude to the European market."
Source: Reuters, 10/08/2014
"The Long Bright Path to the Nobel Prize for LED Lighting"
"Here’s to the continual intellectual tussles that produce technological leaps like the super-efficient and durable LED light bulbs that are increasingly displacing incandescent and fluorescent bulbs (and sooty kerosene lamps) and garnered a Nobel Prize for three physicists on Tuesday."
Source: Dot Earth, 10/08/2014
"Cuomo Administration Edited And Delayed Key Fracking Study"
"A federal water study commissioned by the Cuomo administration as it weighed a key decision on fracking was edited and delayed by state officials before it was published, a Capital review has found."
Source: Capital NY, 10/07/2014
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