"Kern County OKs Mile-Long Oil Trains"
"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Mile-long trains filled with millions of gallons of flammable crude oil may be rolling through Kern County next year."
Source: AP, 09/12/2014
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Coast Guard: We Can't Adequately Respond To Great Lakes Heavy Oil Spill
"The U.S. Coast Guard and other responders are not adequately equipped or prepared for a “heavy oil” spill on the Great Lakes, according to a Coast Guard commander who is pushing for action."
Source: Detroit Free Press, 09/12/2014
"Fracking Workers Exposed To Dangerous Amounts of Benzene, Study Says"
"Some workers at oil and gas sites where fracking occurs are routinely exposed to high levels of benzene, a colorless gas that can cause cancer, according to a study by the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety."
Source: LA Times, 09/12/2014
Pesticides A Concern for Aquatic Life in Most U.S. Urban Streams: Study
"Some of the more than 500 million pounds (220 million kg) of pesticides used yearly in the United States are concentrated at levels that pose a concern for fish and water-dwelling insects, the U.S. Geological Survey report on pesticides from 1992 to 2011 said. The levels seldom topped human health standards."
Source: Reuters, 09/12/2014
Interior Coal Lease Data Not Available Online
You — as an owner (one of 314 million) of the coal reserves on federal land — might want to know whether the Bureau of Land Management is getting a fair return for your property when it is sold to a coal company. Good luck with that. Certainly, there is a database of federal coal lease activity. It's just that you would have a really hard time getting to it.
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Obama Admin Hides KXL Wildlife Impact Documents
An environmental group is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for denying a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for information on the impacts of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline on whooping cranes, piping plovers and other endangered species. Photo: Piping plover/USFWS.
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Firm Seeks To Silence Fracking Pollution Concerns with Defamation Suit
The video of Steve Lipsky setting his drinking water on fire nearly went viral on You Tube. The fracking company he thinks caused the problem is suing him for defamation. Now that case is headed for the Texas Supreme Court. Oral arguments are scheduled for December 4.
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White House Nears Decision Shielding Frack Chem Disclosure
BLM has drafted a "final" rule — but that must be approved by the White House Office of Management and Budget, which often serves as a backroom channel for industry to change regulations. The final product — still undetermined — is likely to be a disappointment to those who had hoped for Obama administration leadership on fracking disclosure.
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"Regulators Reject Call for Nuke Plant Shutdown"
"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday rejected a senior federal expert's recommendation to shut down California's last operating nuclear power plant until the agency can determine whether its twin reactors can withstand powerful shaking from nearby earthquake faults."
Source: AP, 09/11/2014
"Mexico Pollution, Water Disputes Turn Political"
"Water pollution disasters in Mexico have turned into political battles as officials struggled Wednesday to blame each other for the problems."
Source: AP, 09/11/2014
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