News Roundup
‘(Reuters) – The House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday that would speed up approvals for drilling in the Arctic by removing regulatory hurdles that have stymied development of the area’s vast oil and gas resources.’
via House OKs speed-up of Arctic oil/gas permitting | Reuters.
‘WASHINGTON (AFP) – Former US vice president and environmental activist Al Gore has accused President Barack Obama of failing to lead on climate change, warning that the very survival of civilization was at stake.’
via Obama has failed to lead on climate: Gore – Yahoo! News.
‘KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As record floodwaters along the Missouri River drench homes and businesses, concerns have grown about keeping a couple of notable structures dry: two riverside nuclear power plants in Nebraska.’
via Flooding Brings Worry About Nebraska Nuclear Plants – NYTimes.com.
‘BRACEVILLE, Ill. – Radioactive tritium has leaked from three-quarters of U.S. commercial nuclear power sites, often into groundwater from corroded, buried piping, an Associated Press investigation shows.’
Here’s the larger threat:
‘…Nuclear engineer Bill Corcoran, an industry consultant who has taught NRC personnel how to analyze the cause of accidents, said that since much of the piping is inaccessible and carries cooling water, the worry is if the pipes leak, there could be a meltdown. ‘
via AP IMPACT: Tritium leaks found at many nuke sites – Yahoo! News.
‘OSLO (Reuters) – Life in the oceans is at imminent risk of the worst spate of extinctions in millions of years due to threats such as climate change and over-fishing, a study showed on Tuesday.’
via Ocean life on the brink of mass extinctions: study – Yahoo! News.
‘In a defeat for environmentalists, the Supreme Court agreed with the companies that regulating greenhouse gases should be left to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Congress, not the courts.’
via UPDATE 1-US top court rejects global warming lawsuit | Energy & Oil | Reuters.
‘Developing nations publicly insist the rich must agree far deeper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, but increasingly believe that only a weaker deal can actually be achieved to keep the existing Kyoto Protocol, or parts of it, alive beyond 2012.’
‘(Reuters) – Negotiators made scant progress toward salvaging the United Nations’ Kyoto Protocol for fighting climate change beyond 2012 at two weeks of talks ending on Friday, delegates said.’
via U.N. climate talks make scant progress to save Kyoto | Reuters.
‘(Reuters) – The U.S. Energy Department offered on Friday a $150 million conditional loan guarantee to 1366 Technologies Inc to support development of the company’s solar wafer technology.’
via U.S. offers $150 million loan aid for solar wafers | Reuters.
‘The overwhelming scientific evidence tells us that human greenhouse gas emissions are resulting in climate changes that cannot be explained by natural causes.’
Full letter: Climate change is real: an open letter from the scientific community.