The week that was: Fracking special
To read about how advances in hydraulic fracturing technology led geologists and energy companies to believe that a previously uneconomic source of natural gas might be tapped in the Marcellus Shale and Appalachian Basin, click on the map to be taken to an overview from Geology.com
Josh Fox’s documentary “GasLand,” broadcast last Monday on HBO, planted the suggestion that as former Vice President Dick Cheney was waging his “war on terror” in the wake of 9/11, his energy task force set America on a path capable of poisoning the drinking water supply of New York City, along with that of Pennsylvania, Delaware, parts of Ohio and West Virginia.
In May 2001, the report of the National Energy Policy Development Group gathered by former Halliburton CEO and then Vice President Dick Cheney concluded, "Most new gas wells drilled in the United States will require hydraulic fracturing." Click on the
The week that was, 6/13-19/2010
'Tanker Traffic' by Kathryn Altus, 2010. Water based oil on canvas, 36" x 24" and part of the "Some seas" exhibit at the Lisa Harris Gallery in Seattle. Click on the image to be taken to the gallery.
'Tanker Traffic 2' by Kathryn Altus, 2005. Oil on canvas, 24 x 20" oil on canvas. Click on the image to be taken to the artist's website.
Approximately 40 percent of the coastal wetlands of the lower 48 states is located in Louisiana. — “Watermarks,” LaCoast / USGS*
Oil has been observed on approximately 503 total miles of U.S. coastline. –– Florida update, Gov Monitor, June 19, 2010
“… simply protecting the shore and the nesting habitat is not protecting the birds that forage out over the water.” — Melanie Driscoll, director of bird conservation for the National Audubon Society’s Louisiana Coastal Initiative, Yale Environment 360…
The week that was, 6/6-12/2010
… while excess rain involves modest gains, deficiency involves large losses. — “Monsoon, welcome,” commentary by Ramesh Chandra, director of India’s National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, Financial Express, June 9, 2010
A draconian drilling moratorium might make more sense if the industry had a history of devastating oil spills. — Opinion piece, “The second oil disaster,” The Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2010
“One of the last pristine, most biologically diverse coastal habitats in the country is about to get wiped out. And there’s not much we can do about it.” — Felicia Coleman, director, Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, “Even the best outcome won’t be good,” USA Today, June 7, 2010
… the Old and Middle rivers – tributaries of the San …
The week that was, 5/30-6/5/2010
June 5, 2010 marked the 34th anniversary of the failure of Teton Dam. Click on the image for background from J. Davis Roger of the Missouri University of Science & Technology
Thirty-four years ago Saturday, eastern Idaho changed forever. The eight-month-old Teton Dam on the Teton River near Rexburg collapsed on June 5, 1976, drowning 11 people and 18,000 head of livestock and causing $2 billion in damage. — “Time to be blunt. The Teton dam won’t be rebuilt, nor should it be,” editorial in the Idaho Times-News, June 3, 2010
“The only matter that could take Egypt to war again is water.” — Anwar Sadat quoted in “War clouds gather as nations demand a piece of the Nile,” Times of London, June 4, 2010
Ethiopia this month opened the 460MW Tana Beles dam, which would have been considered an act of war in Sadat’s time. …
The week that was, 5/23-29/2010
The backpack of an U.S. Army soldier overflows with small American flags during the “Flags In” ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, May 27, 2010. Click here for the photo essay of the flag planting by William D. Moss
Click here for the Washington Post project “Faces of the Fallen,” remembering the 5,462 American servicemen and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The Week that was” will return next week.
… « go back — keep looking »North American Native Plant Societies
After the lawn
Garden blogs
