pollution

Sick Seabirds Warn Of Plastic Pollution In The Oceans

June 8, 2014 Elizabeth Claire Alberts, www.earthisland.org Educate! Birds, Oceans, Plastic, pollution

It’s a late May night on Lord Howe Island, and the moon gleams across the volcanic mountains and white sand beaches of this six-mile long isle off the east coast of Australia. While most people are tucked inside their houses or hotels, conservation biologist Dr. Jennifer Lavers and her colleague, naturalist Ian Hutton, don headlamps and bike to the flesh-footed shearwater colony on the northeast side of the island. Lord Howe Island is one of the two main breeding areas for this seabird in the southwest Pacific Ocean (the other is in northern New Zealand). Tonight the colony bustles with 90-day-old chicks flapping their wings as they prepare for their first 6,500-mile flight north to the Bering Sea. Even though many seabirds are affected by plastic pollution, the plight flesh-footed shearwater illustrates how widespread the problem is. Lavers and Hutton set up a makeshift research station in the colony, and handpick chicks to weigh, measure, and take feather samples. They also undertake a lavage process, guiding a tube down each bird’s throat to flush out its stomach contents. This part may seem gruesome, but the lavage provides important information about shearwater diet and nutrition. If a fledgling’s parents fed it well, it will regurgitate natural food sources like squid and fish. But more often than not, chicks will cough up something that does not belong in their stomachs – plastic.

Sea Shepherd & Ocean Alliance To Document BP Oil Spill

June 6, 2014 Sea Shepherd, www.seashepherd.org Create! BP, Ocean, pollution, Sea Shepherd

Sea Shepherd & Ocean Alliance Set Sail on “Operation Toxic Gulf 2014”. The Campaign will Document the Long-Term Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Toxic Oil Dispersants on Gulf of Mexico Whales, Other Ocean Life. Marine conservation organizations, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Ocean Alliance set sail today on Operation Toxic Gulf 2014, a joint campaign to research and document the devastating and lasting impacts of the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon oil spill on ocean life and marine ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. In this collaborative campaign, Sea Shepherd and Ocean Alliance are sending an international crew to the Gulf region this summer to study and document the chronic effects of the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. Among the crew will be Ocean Alliance Founder and world-renowned scientist, Dr. Roger Payne. Although they employ different approaches, both of these organizations work in pursuit of the same goal: to defend, conserve and protect ocean life worldwide. Both also share an understanding that, as Sea Shepherd Founder, Captain Paul Watson says, “If the oceans die, we die.”

Frack Waste Trucks Blocked From Injection Well Site

June 6, 2014 Appalachia Resist!, www.earthfirstjournal.org Resist! Fracking, Oil, pollution, Protest

An Athens County resident has barricaded the gates of a frack-waste transfer station near the rest area off of HWY 50. No trucks can enter or leave the site, and K&H injection well operations are effectively stopped for the business day. Crissa Cummings, age 42 of Millfield has locked herself to the gate, charging that the recently drilled K&H 2 injection well is operating unsafely. Cummings noted that ODNR reports show that more than 12 tons of contaminated soil and water have been removed from the site since January, and that 410 feet of cement casing has been lost down the injection well shaft, signifying a potentially dangerous situation. “In light of the recent studies that have linked fracking chemicals to birth defects, I feel sick when I think about all the babies and the pregnant friends that were protesting at this site in February, a couple of weeks after the brine spill,” says Cummings. A banner has been placed over the gates that reads “12 TONS OF SOIL AND WATER CONTAMINATED. K&H2 NOT SAFE”. Supporters wearing white hazmat style suits and ventilator masks are gathering, holding signs and chanting. Cummings herself is wearing a ventilator, noting that at least 4 workers have died since 2010 from exposure to frack waste, which contains high rates of benzene and other chemicals that can sicken people and be fatal when inhaled. Cummings says, “When a community says it does not want injection wells because we don’t believe they are safe, and our public servants ignore the desires of the public and our locally elected officials, the only recourse left to us is to use our bodies to stop the toxic frack waste from being injected into these dangerous wells.”

World Oceans Day: The Ins And Outs Of Oceans

June 5, 2014 David Suzuki, www.rabble.ca Educate! Climate Change, Oceans, pollution

June 8 is World Oceans Day. It’s a fitting time to contemplate humanity's evolving relationship with the source of all life. For much of human history, we've affected marine ecosystems primarily by what we've taken out of the seas. The challenge as we encounter warming temperatures and increasing industrial activity will be to manage what we put into them. As a top predator, humans from the tropics to the poles have harvested all forms of marine life, from the smallest shrimp to the largest whales, from the ocean's surface to its floor. The staggering volume of fish removed from our waters has had a ripple effect through all ocean ecosystems. Yet the ocean continues to provide food for billions of people, and improved fishing practices in many places, including Canada, are leading to healthier marine-life populations. We're slowly getting better at managing what we catch to keep it within the ocean’s capacity to replenish. But while we may be advancing in this battle, we're losing the war with climate change and pollution.

Cove Point: Is Regulatory Agency Listening?

June 3, 2014 Anne Meador, www.dcmediagroup.us Resist! Environment, Maryland, pollution

Hundreds filled the auditorium of Patuxent High School in Lusby, Maryland on May 31, eager to tell two representatives from the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC) how they feel about the agency permitting a plant to export natural gas. In a marathon hearing lasting more than six hours, 150 people spoke out for and against the project. In general supporters expressed the sentiment, “Let’s get on with it,” while opponents said, “FERC is failing us.” Two years ago, Dominion Resources filed its application with FERC to add on to the existing Cove Point facility and ship out liquefied natural gas on tankers bound to Asia. Now, two weeks after FERC released its draft Environmental Assessment favorable to Dominion, many eyes are watching as the regulatory process goes into the final stretch. Among a labyrinth of federal and state agencies which must issue permits before construction gets the go-ahead, FERC will likely have the final say.

Hidden Camera Catches Coal Ash Dumping

June 2, 2014 Brandon Baker, www.ecowatch.com Educate! Coal, Ohio, pollution

Two months have passed since hidden-camera images exposed Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E) for dumping toxic coal ash into the Ohio River—a practice the company has engaged in for two decades. The utility has done nothing in response, so two environmental groups figure it’s time to pay up. The Sierra Club and Earthjustice filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to order LG&E to stop the illegal dumping. The company could face up to $68 million in penalties to account for the last five years of its illegal dumping, plus $37,500 for each day moving forward, until the violations are eliminated. The groups notified the company that they intended to sue in March, but that seemed to have no impact on LG&E. Sierra Club and Earthjustice are armed with a year’s worth of footage from a camera that was strapped to a tree. They also have proof from Google Earth satellite images that date back to 1993.

Chevron Shareholder Meeting Draws Protests

May 31, 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire, www.csrwire.com Resist! Chevron, Ecuador, pollution

Dozens of protesters including Ecuadorian indigenous and activists gathered outside the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum in Midland, Texas, to ask Chevron to take responsibility for the widespread contamination in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. The crowd, led by Humberto Piaguaje of the Secoya nation, and Robinson Yumbo of the Cofán nation from the affected communities, held banners and signs condemning Chevron’s refusal to remediate the pollution that its predecessor, Texaco, left in Ecuador after decades of operation in the country’s Amazon region. Texaco, which merged with Chevron in 2001, was found guilty and fined approximately $19 billion by an Ecuadorian court for polluting the rainforest. The decision was ratified by the country’s highest court but reduced the amount to $9.5 billion. The company refuses to pay and instead sued the Ecuadorian plaintiffs and their lawyers under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which was designed to combat organized crime.

Study Estimates BP Spill Killed Over 800,000 Birds

May 30, 2014 Christina Steube, www.sunherald.com Educate! Birds, BP, pollution

Between 600,000 and 800,000 birds have died along the Gulf Coast as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, according to a study to be released this summer by the Marine Ecology Progress Series. Pascagoula River Audubon Center Director Mark LaSalle believes the total is in the seven-figure range. Whatever the number, LaSalle said the massive loss is a "major blow" to the ecosystem. "It's hard to put it into context," he said, adding "we may not ever know exactly how many" birds died as a result of the spill. Although the numbers give insight into the total damage, this study was conducted independently. BP will be responsible only for damage determined by the Natural Resource Damage Assessment study. LaSalle said the official NRDA results aren't expected to be available to the public until the legal process is completed. In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico south of Louisiana, releasing nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the ocean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

19-Year-Old Develops Method To Clean Up Plastic From Oceans

May 22, 2014 Joe Martino, www.collective-evolution.com Create! Ocean, pollution

Another young creative mind working towards bettering our world. 19-year-old Boyan Slat has revealed his plans to the world regarding his Ocean Cleanup Array that could remove 7,250,000 tons of plastic waste from the world’s oceans. The revolutionary device consists of an anchored network of floating booms and processing platforms that could be dispatched to garbage patches around the world. Instead of moving through the ocean, the array would span the radius of a garbage patch, acting as a giant funnel. The angle of the booms would force plastic in the direction of the platforms, where it would be separated from plankton, filtered and stored for recycling. It all began when Boyan Slat launched a project that analyzed the size and amount of plastic particles in the ocean’s garbage patches. He produced a paper of his findings which went on to win several prizes, including Best Technical Design 2012 at the Delft University of Technology. Boyan also had the opportunity to unveil his final concept during a TEDx talk in 2012.

Protest At Museum To End Oil Company Funding

May 19, 2014 Creative Resistance, www.creativeresistance.org Resist! Arts, Creative Resistance, Oil, pollution

2011, Artists from art activist group Liberate Tate staged a performance in the Tate Britain on the anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 workers and spilled 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over 87 days. A naked member of the group had an oil-like substance poured over him by silent figures dressed in black and wearing veils, and lay in a fetal position on the floor in the middle of the exhibition Single Form. Dedicated to the human body, Single Form is one of a series of ‘BP British Art Displays’ staged throughout the galleries of Tate Britain. Liberate Tate is a network dedicated to taking creative disobedience against Tate until it drops its oil company funding. The network was founded during a workshop in January 2010 on art and activism, commissioned by Tate. When Tate curators tried to censor the workshop from making interventions against Tate sponsors, even though none had been planned, the incensed participants decided to continue their work together beyond the workshop and set up Liberate Tate.

Massive Pipeline Rupture Coats Streets Of Los Angeles In ‘Knee-High’ Crude Oil

May 17, 2014 Joanna M. Foster, www.thinkprogress.org Educate! California, Oil, pollution

Residents in Atwater Village in northeast Los Angeles woke up Thursday morning to find crude oil flowing down their streets. A 20 inch wide, above-ground oil line ruptured around 1 a.m., sending a geyser of oil 20 feet into the air according to local reports. The oil has coated a half-square-mile area of the mostly industrial neighborhood. Oil in some areas was reported to be knee-high. According to current estimates, 10,000 gallons of crude oil poured onto the streets before the line could be remotely turned off. Two people were sent to the hospital after they reported feeling nauseous. People at the scene said that the smell of oil was very strong. The Fire Department and a hazardous materials team remain on the scene. Several businesses — including a nearby strip club, which was evacuated during the spill — have reported damages. The exterior of the strip club was coated in oil from the spewing pipe. Cars parked near the site of the spill have also been affected. Although the pipeline was shut off within 10 minutes of emergency crews reaching the scene, oil continued to flow for 45 minutes.

Fracking Well Spills 1,600 Gallons Of Lubricant Into Tributary

May 10, 2014 Jeff Spross, www.thinkprogress.org Educate! Fracking, Oil and Gas, pollution

About 1,600 gallons of oil-based lubricant leaked into an Ohio river tributary this week, after an equipment failure at an oil and gas well. The rig site is located in southeastern Ohio near the town of Beverly, and is owned by PDC Energy Inc. One of the company’s contractors is handling the cleanup, under the supervision of Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency. A spokesperson for PDC told the Associated Press that workers at the site noticed a build up in high pressure in the well, but were unable to contain it thanks to malfunctioning equipment at the well head. That released the oil based fluid, called “mud,” which is used to lubricate the equipment in the well bore during drilling. The mud reached a creek that serves as a tributary to the Muskingum River, and cleanup crews are using containment dams to prevent the fluid from spreading any further. Both the sheriff and fire departments for Morgan County were called in following the leak, and PDC paid to relocate several nearby residents to ensure no one would be harmed if leaking natural gas led to an explosion. Officials said the spill was contained by Wednesday, though also added it could be harmful to marine life.

Time For A Moratorium On Crude Oil Rail Shipments

May 5, 2014 Noah Greenwald, www.commondreams.org Resist! Oil, pollution

Wednesday's fiery train derailment in Lynchburg, Va., is yet another disturbing reminder of the dangers of increasing shipments of particularly explosive Bakken crude oil from North Dakota and western Canada. Shipments of the oil have ramped up dramatically in recent years and a series of derailments, including one in Quebec that killed 47, have raised serious safety concerns. We've got to do something. The best first step is a moratorium on these shipments until we know for sure that people and the environment can be protected. Here's why we need a timeout: The volume of crude oil shipped by rail in the United States increased from 9,500 carloads in 2008 to 400,000 carloads in 2013 -- a more than 40-fold expansion. Much of that oil is from the Bakken region, which, in a study of 86 different crude oils from around the world, contained several times more combustible gases than other oils tested, according to The Wall Street Journal. And yet, despite this massive increase in rail shipments of an explosive fuel, there's been little public scrutiny, and even less government action, to make sure we're doing everything we can to make it safe.

EPA’s Cross-State Pollution Rule Upheld By Supreme Court

April 30, 2014 Dina Capiella and Sam Hananel, www.huffingtonpost.com Create! Environment, pollution

In a major anti-pollution ruling, the Supreme Court on Tuesday backed federally imposed limits on smokestack emissions that cross state lines and burden downwind areas with bad air from power plants they can't control. The 6-2 ruling was an important victory for the Obama administration in controlling emissions from power plants in 27 Midwestern and Appalachian states that contribute to soot and smog along the East Coast. It also capped a decades-long effort by the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that states are good neighbors and don't contribute to pollution problems elsewhere. The rule upheld Tuesday was EPA's third attempt to solve the problem. The rule, challenged by industry and upwind states, had been cast by foes as an attempt by the Obama administration to step on states' rights and to shut down aging coal-fired power plants. Opponents said the decision could embolden the agency to take the same tack later this year when it proposes rules to limit carbon pollution. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy has said the agency will be flexible and work with states on the first-ever controls on power plants for the gases blamed for global warming.

Oil CEO Says Obama Is Wrong On Natural Gas– Go Green Instead

April 28, 2014 Josh Cunnings, www.environews.tv Educate! Barack Obama, Oil and Gas, pollution

Over the past few years, there’s been a lot of talk about natural gas as a “transitionary fuel” in light of the rapidly unfolding climate conundrum, and as you’ve just heard, even president Obama has proudly touted natural gas as his solution to aid America in its transition away from a carbon-powered network towards a clean and green energy future. But can the United States, and the world for that matter, really afford to utilize natural gas as a “methadone,” if you will, to wean ourselves from a debilitating fossil fuel addiction? And do we have the time to ramp up an even loftier infrastructure to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars that will surely commit our resources, and would-be jobs, to a plan that will boost CO2 by billions of additional tons, adding fuel to the fire in what some scientists are already calling the tipping point to a runaway climate disaster? These tough questions were tackled in an EnviroNews exclusive earlier this year when one of our field reporters interviewed an oil and gas CEO of 20 years, who exposed the raw guts of these issues on camera, from under the cloak of darkness.

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