Shearon Harris nuclear plant shut down because of cracking, N%O

By John Murawski — This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/05/16/2897074/shearon-harris-shut-down-because.html#storylink=cpy

A Black Mound of Canadian Oil Waste Is Rising Over Detroit, NY Times

By IAN AUSTEN   Published: May 17, 2013

WINDSOR, Ontario — Assumption Park gives residents of this city lovely views of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit skyline. Lately they’ve been treated to another sight: a three-story pile of petroleum coke covering an entire city block on the other side of the Detroit River.

Detroit’s ever-growing black mountain is the unloved, unwanted and long overlooked byproduct of Canada’s oil sands boom.

And no one knows quite what to do about it, except Koch Carbon, which owns it.Read article here

The company is controlled by Charles and David Koch, wealthy industrialists who back a number of conservative and libertarian causes including activist groups that challenge the science behind climate change. The company sells the high-sulfur, high-carbon waste, usually overseas, where it is burned as fuel.

Arkansas - Water, Air & Quakes in Spotlight

Events

• May 17, 9 AM, Sanford (2420 Tramway Rd): Compulsory Pooling study group meeting. Agenda will be posted here. 
• May 20, 7 PM, Rocky Mount (Unitarian Univ. Fellowship Hall). The Rush to Frack: Why NC is Vulnerable and What You Can Do (presented by Hope Taylor). Medoc group (NC Sierra). Call Margaret at (252) 985-1804
• May 28, 7 PM, Hillsborough (3616 Schley Rd): Fracking Discussion w/Prof. Rob Jackson. See flyer for details 
• May 30, 3-7:30 PM (Drop in session), Sanford (1403 N. Horner Blvd): Do You Own Your Mineral Rights? Workshop with the Cumnock Preservation Association. Contact Debbie Hall, (919)775-7506, or Therese Vick, (919)345-3673, for more information. 

News 

Groundwater Unaffected by Shale Gas Production in Arkansas
“A new study by scientists at Duke University and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finds no evidence of groundwater contamination from shale gas production in Arkansas. "Our results show no discernible impairment of groundwater quality in areas associated with natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing in this region," said Avner Vengosh, professor of geochemistry and water quality at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.” May 15, Science Daily Click here to review the Abstract.

All Around the Country, Regulators are getting Bullied Over Fracking.
More than four years after America's hydraulic fracturing boom kicked off, conflicts of interest between officials charged with regulating the controversial practice and the oil and gas industry remain widespread. May 16, Business Insider

Breaking: Interior Department Bows to Pressure from Oil and Gas Industry, Weakens Fracking Rules
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed an updated set of rules governing hydraulic fracturing, on public lands today. The controversial oil and gas development technique—in which drillers blast millions of gallons of chemically treated water into the earth to force oil and gas from underground deposits—has been linked to air and water pollution and public health problems. May 16, EcoWatch

Natural gas industry has a 'fracking' wastewater problem, study says
“The current boom in U.S. natural gas production from glassy shale rock formations is poised to usher in an era of energy independence and could bridge the gap between today's fossil-fuel age and a clean-energy future. But that future may be swamped in a legacy of wastewater, a new study suggests.” May 16, NBC Science

Bill: Ban fracking pollutants for treatment or dumping in state
State Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk was joined Wednesday by opponents of the natural gas drilling technique known as high-volume hydraulic fracturing to announce she'll introduce a bill to ban ‘the treatment, discharge, disposal, transportation or storage’ of hydrofracking waste products in New York state.’” May 15, Times Union (Albany, NY)

Commentary

Faulkner County: ExxonMobil's "Sacrifice Zone" for Tar Sands Pipelines, Fracking
There are few better examples of a "sacrifice zone" for ExxonMobil and the fossil fuel industry at-large than Faulkner County, Arkansas and the counties surrounding it. May 15, DeSmogBlog

Getting a handle on the economic effects of drilling in NC
“Like many public issues, drilling for energy resources in our country has both strong advocates and equally vocal critics. Supporters see domestic energy development as a route to national energy self-sufficiency and lower fuel prices. Detractors worry about possible costs to the environment and our health. North Carolina has joined this debate. Estimates show our state has the largest reservoirs of off-shore energy resources of any East Coast state. There are also thought to be significant supplies of natural gas underground in the central part of the state.” May 16 , News and Observer

Industry can’t set fracking rules (Rockingham, NC)
“We’re disturbed that a new rule set for approval by the North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission requiring some disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing was withdrawn at the request of industry giant Halliburton. Fracking could be economically beneficially here if done right, but the recent move does not fit that standard.” May 16, Richmond County Daily Journal

Wishing away polluted water in NC?

Yesterday, a state Senate committee approved legislation (Senate Bill 515¹) that would violate the Clean Water Act and put the drinking water supply of almost half a million North Carolinians at risk.

If passed, S515 would repeal important protections for North Carolina’s Jordan Lake, which were enacted (after years of negotiation) in 2009 to clean up this vital drinking water source. Send a message to your state legislators and urge them to oppose S515 today:

http://action.ncconservationnetwork.org/JordanLakeRules

This backwards bill would essentially wish away current pollution in Jordan Lake rather than controlling the pollution at the source, as required under the Clean Water Act. North Carolina shouldn’t be letting polluters off the hook while our water quality is at risk. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird summed up this logic best, “It’s a law of nature. What happens upstream, what you put in the water, ends up downstream."²

Sponsors of S515 have argued that we cannot be sure that the Jordan Lake rules will clean up the lake and meet water quality requirements. They’re wrong. These rules will greatly improve water quality in the lake, protect public health, and benefit the region’s economy. Jordan Lake is not just a critical source of drinking water in the Triangle region, it’s also an important recreational destination for the whole state.

Tell your state legislators to oppose S515 and protect the Jordan Lake rules because delaying the clean-up will only increase costs over time.  http://action.ncconservationnetwork.org/JordanLakeRules