Fracking

muguide:

Dear Frackactivists and Friends:

In New York City today, the last hearings will be held on the New York

State Proposed Gas Drilling Rules.  New York State was the first state in

the union to pass a moratorium, and lead the way in protecting its

citizens, so it’s critical that we get as many people to this hearing in

support of a Ban on fracking and expose this negligently flawed document!

If you are in the area, this is your last opportunity to come and comment

in person!

As it now reads, the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact

Statement does little to protect New Yorkers from the dangers of gas

drilling and extraction. Whether it is the lack of defined disposal methods

of the toxic wastewater or the inadequate buffer between drilling

operations and water wells, whether it is the loophole allowing companies

to hide what chemicals are in their frack fluid, or it is the deplorable

lack of a Public Health Impact Study, the dSGEIS is not

acceptable. Fracking is intrinsically contaminating and no amount of

regulations will ever make it safe.

*NYDEC Hearings TODAY*

NOVEMBER 30

Tribeca Performing Arts Center

199 Chambers Street

New York, New York 10007

*1pm-4pm OR 6pm-9pm*

“

With the nation’s attention diverted by the drama over the debt ceiling, Republicans in the House of Representatives are loading up an appropriations bill with 39 ways — and counting — to significantly curtail environmental regulation.

One would prevent the Bureau of Land Management from designating new wilderness areas for preservation. Another would severely restrict the Department of Interior’s ability to police mountaintop-removal mining. And then there is the call to allow new uranium prospecting near Grand Canyon National Park.

”

Leslie Kaufman / NYT: House Republicans Try to Roll Back Environmental Rules

Never let a serious crisis go to waste… those poor oil companies need help.

“There is really no debate about climate change in China. China’s leaders are mostly engineers and scientists, so they don’t waste time questioning scientific data. [It] is a practical discussion on health and wealth. There is no need to emphasize future consequences when people already see, eat and breathe pollution every day.”

Peggy Liu, chairwoman of the Joint U.S.-China Collaboration on Clean Energy, a nonprofit group working to accelerate the greening of China. 

From Thomas Friedman’s NYT op-ed about China’s recent developments in addressing climate change versus our lack thereof. 

(via dihard)

“From 1956 to 2006, for every dollar invested in all forms of rail, the nation invested six dollars in aviation and 16 dollars in highways.”
Siemens Takes Campaign for U.S. High-Speed Rail Straight to the Customer

Is the BP Gusher Unstoppable?

From a comment on The Oil Drum:

Contrary to what most of us would think as logical to stop the oil mess, actually opening up the gushing well and making it gush more became direction BP took after confirming that there was a leak. In fact if you note their actions, that should become clear. They have shifted from stopping or restricting the gusher to opening it up and catching it. This only makes sense if they want to relieve pressure at the leak hidden down below the seabed…..and that sort of leak is one of the most dangerous and potentially damaging kind of leak there could be. It is also inaccessible which compounds our problems. There is no way to stop that leak from above, all they can do is relieve the pressure on it and the only way to do that right now is to open up the nozzle above and gush more oil into the gulf and hopefully catch it, which they have done, they just neglected to tell us why, gee thanks.
“They have about a month before they declare Chapter 11. They’re going to run out of cash from lawsuits, cleanup and other expenses. One really smart thing that Obama did was about three weeks ago he forced BP CEO Tony Hayward to put in writing that BP would pay for every dollar of the cleanup. But there isn’t enough money in the world to clean up the Gulf of Mexico. Once BP realizes the extent of this my guess is that they’ll panic and go into Chapter 11.”
Matthew Simmons: BP Has About One Month Before It Has To Declare Chapter 11