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After the Ark. Spill: The Future of the Oil Industry
June 18, 2013 9:45 am | by Al Jazeera | Videos | CommentsIn the wake of a ruptured pipeline that coated an Arkansas town in oil over two months ago, residents are complaining about illnesses that could be related to the spill. Al Jazeera take a look at the environmental controls being placed on the U.S. oil industry and what their possible impact on public health could be.
Fracking Fuels Water Fights
June 17, 2013 9:30 am | by GARANCE BURKE, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe latest domestic energy boom is sweeping through some of the nation's driest pockets, drawing millions of gallons of water to unlock oil and gas reserves from beneath the Earth's surface. Hydraulic fracturing, or the drilling technique commonly known as fracking, has been used for decades to blast huge volumes of water, fine sand and chemicals into the ground to crack open valuable shale formations.
Pollution Control Breaks Down at Del. Refinery
June 12, 2013 10:51 am | News | CommentsOfficials say a Delaware City Refinery unit is using backup pollution control after a malfunction that sent a dark plume of smoke billowing from a stack at the plant. A Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control alert says the problem involves an energy-recovery and pollution-control system linked to a coker, which controls emissions.
Regs Report: NFPA2112 Standards
June 12, 2013 10:06 am | by Kimberley Schmitt, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsChem.Info’s recurring Regs Report feature presents new and emerging regulations and enables readers to better achieve compliance. In this installment, we explore the NFPA 2112 standards on flame resistant garments for protection against flash fires.
BP Oil Spill Cleanup Ends in 3 States
June 11, 2013 11:31 am | News | CommentsCleanup work has ended in three of the states affected by BP PLC's massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the company said Monday. The London-based oil giant said the Coast Guard has concluded "active cleanup operations" in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, but the work continues along 84 miles of Louisiana's shoreline.
Chevron CEO: Responding to Safety Concerns
June 11, 2013 10:00 am | by Wall Street Journal | Videos | CommentsChevron CEO John Watson discusses energy production in the wake of BP's massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Watson says energy companies are taking a more proactive approach to safety, securing their systems and operations before government regulators come knocking.
IEA: Energy Emissions Rose to Record High in 2012
June 10, 2013 10:34 am | by KARL RITTER, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe world's energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose 1.4 percent in 2012 to a record high of 31.6 billion tons, even though the U.S. posted its lowest emissions since the mid-1990s, according to the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook report.
NC House Panel OKs Cautious 'Fracking' Bill
June 6, 2013 12:00 pm | by CHRIS KARDISH, Associated Press | News | CommentsNorth Carolina would take a more cautious approach to allowing oil and gas drilling under legislation that won approval Wednesday in a state House committee. The amended bill removes many provisions in a Senate measure that would set a date for regulators to begin issuing permits to energy companies drilling for gas through hydraulic fracturing.
Iowa Copes with Nitrate Surge in Drinking Water
June 5, 2013 10:31 am | by DAVID PITT, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe rain following last year's drought has created a new, unexpected problem: The deluge is washing fertilizer off the farms and into rivers that provide drinking water to much of Iowa. Public officials say the problem will pass, but others worry about the potential risks of never-before-seen levels of nitrate.
Concerns Raised Over Coal Ash in Missouri
June 3, 2013 10:11 am | News | CommentsLast week, the owner of a suburban St. Louis business, Rotary Drilling Supply Inc., reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency over the unauthorized disposal of coal ash, which is the waste produced when coal is burned to produce electricity.
Ill. Passes Nation's Toughest Fracking Regulations
June 3, 2013 10:09 am | by KERRY LESTER, Associated Press | News | CommentsIllinois came a giant step closer to approving the nation's strictest regulations for high-volume oil and gas drilling on Friday, as lawmakers approved a measure they hoped would create thousands of jobs in economically depressed areas of southern Illinois.
Storied Nuke Plant Becomes Environmental Wasteland
June 3, 2013 10:03 am | by SHANNON DININNY, Associated Press | News | CommentsToday the legacy of Hanford Nuclear Reservation is less about what was made here than the environmental mess left behind — and the federal government's inability, for nearly a quarter-century now, to rid Hanford once and for all of its worst hazard: 56 million gallons of toxic waste cached in aging underground tanks.
Temple Inland Fined $3.3M for 2011 Spill
May 30, 2013 10:55 am | News | CommentsA federal judge has ordered Temple Inland, a subsidiary of International Paper, to pay $3.3 million and serve two years of probation for polluting the Pearl River in 2011 with illegal discharges from its Bogalusa paper mill that killed thousands of fish.
Uranium Mine Foes Want Hearing Changed
May 30, 2013 10:39 am | News | CommentsOpponents of a proposed uranium mine in southwestern South Dakota have asked Gov. Dennis Daugaard to change the proposed date of a state hearing on the project, asking for a delay until after another panel holds a hearing on water permits for the project.
Appeals Court Won't Ease Way for Kan. Coal Plant
May 29, 2013 10:32 am | by JOHN HANNA, Associated Press | News | CommentsA three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected a request from Sunflower Electric Power Corp., based in Hays, to overturn a federal judge's ruling that had put a $2.8 billion project on hold. Sunflower wants to build an 895-megawatt plant outside Holcomb.
Odor Complaints Persist at Wis. Processing Plant
May 29, 2013 10:27 am | News | CommentsNew complaints about the odor coming from a Green Bay area plant that processes animal fats and food waste has some Brown County supervisors pushing harder to punish the owners if the matter isn't addressed soon. A supervisor says the county has provided plenty of time for Sanimax to fix the odor problems.
Wal-Mart Pleads Guilty, Will Pay $81.6M for Waste Disposal
May 29, 2013 10:08 am | by GREG RISLING & PAUL ELIAS, Associated Press | News | CommentsEnding an environmental investigation that lasted nearly a decade, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. pleaded guilty in San Francisco Tuesday to misdemeanor counts of violating the Clean Water Act by improperly disposing of pesticides, fertilizer and other hazardous products and will pay a fine of $81.6 million.
Navajo Plans to Block Uranium Transport
May 28, 2013 10:27 am | by FELICIA FONSECA, Associated Press | News | CommentsA uranium mining company seeking a mineral lease on state land in Arizona could have a hard time transporting the ore off-site because of the Navajo Nation's objections to an industry that left a legacy of death and disease among tribal members.
Marching Against Monsanto
May 28, 2013 10:24 am | News | CommentsProtesters rallied in dozens of cities Saturday as part of a global protest against seed giant Monsanto and the genetically modified food it produces, organizers said. Critics say genetically modified organisms can lead to serious health conditions and harm the environment.
Pa. Water Plants Fined by EPA for Drilling Waste
May 24, 2013 10:36 am | News | CommentsThe federal Environmental Protection Agency is fining three western Pennsylvania wastewater plants for discharging natural gas drilling wastewater into the Allegheny River or tributaries that feed it. The fines are contained in a consent agreement with the companies that ran the plants.
Families Sue Whirlpool Over Ohio Cancer Cluster
May 21, 2013 8:10 am | by JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe wait for answers is far from over for parents who for years have lived with the worry of not knowing what's behind the mysterious cancers that have sickened dozens of children in a rural area of northern Ohio. Despite a federal civil lawsuit that points toward a possible cause, the issue is far from settled.
Alaska Unveils Plan to Assess Gas, Oil in ANWR
May 21, 2013 8:05 am | by BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press | News | CommentsAlaska has unveiled a plan to determine the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's oil and gas potential, as the state looks to reinvigorate the debate over whether to drill on the refuge's coastal plain.
Swedish Wastewater Company Reduces Energy Consumption
May 20, 2013 10:03 am | Articles | CommentsWATER/WASTEWATER: Xylem Inc., a leading global water technology company focused on addressing the world’s most challenging water issues, has reduced the energy consumption of a wastewater pumping station in Sweden by 50 percent using its award-winning Flygt Experior solution.
Coast Guard to Take Testimony on Shell Grounding
May 20, 2013 8:42 am | by DAN JOLING, Associated Press | News | CommentsCircumstances surrounding the grounding of a Royal Dutch Shell PLC drill barge off a remote Alaska island will be explored in a public hearing in Anchorage. The Coast Guard says a marine casualty investigation into the grounding of the Kulluk will begin at noon Monday at the Loussac Library and could last two weeks.
Texas Sues BP for Damages Related to Oil Spill
May 20, 2013 8:34 am | by JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press | News | CommentsA lawsuit, filed by the office of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott in federal court in Beaumont, is seeking lost tax revenue, lost revenue from state parks, damages to natural resources and civil penalties from BP for each day that oil was spilled during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill and for every barrel of oil that was illegally discharged.
