
Environment America
Today the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed modest new rules for hydraulic fracturing operations on public lands, and the Vermont legislature voted to ban the dangerous drilling practice entirely. Environment America’s Senior Attorney John Rumpler issued this statement in response:
"Fracking poses grave threats to our water, our parks and our forests. While today’s proposed rule contains some modest steps, the administration must do much more to protect our environment from the dangers of destructive drilling.
"For starters, America’s pristine natural treasures should not be fracked. With drill pads, compressors, pipelines and waste pits, fracking is turning forest acres and rural landscapes into industrial zones.
"Last fall, a key administration panel on fracking recommended “[p]reservation of unique and/or sensitive areas as off limits to drilling . . .” Yet the proposed BLM rule appears silent on this core principle. Moreover, the administration should ban the use of toxic fracking chemicals in our forests and anywhere near our national parks, but the proposed rule only includes a weak, after-the-fact disclosure of such chemicals.
"In contrast, legislators in Vermont showed no such equivocation when it comes to protecting our health and environment from fracking, as its house of representatives voted 103-36 today to ban the practice. The bill also bars the toxic wastewater from fracking—a critical issue as New York mulls whether to allow fracking to commence next door.
"Fracking is posing a staggering array of threats to our health and environment—especially to our drinking water. We urge Secretary Salazar to issue a final rule that truly addresses those threats."
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New EarthX Special 'Protecting the Amazon' Suggests Ways to Save the World’s Greatest Rainforest
To save the planet, we must save the Amazon rainforest. To save the rainforest, we must save its indigenous peoples. And to do that, we must demarcate their land.
A new EarthxTV film special calls for the protection of the Amazon rainforest and the indigenous people that call it home. EarthxTV.org
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EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
By Anke Rasper
"Today's interim report from the UNFCCC is a red alert for our planet," said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The report, released Friday, looks at the national climate efforts of 75 states that have already submitted their updated "nationally determined contributions," or NDCs. The countries included in the report are responsible for about 30% of the world's global greenhouse gas emissions.
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Plastic Burning Makes It Harder for New Delhi Residents to See, Study Suggests
India's New Delhi has been called the "world air pollution capital" for its high concentrations of particulate matter that make it harder for its residents to breathe and see. But one thing has puzzled scientists, according to The Guardian. Why does New Delhi see more blinding smogs than other polluted Asian cities, such as Beijing?
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In a historic move, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) voted Thursday to ban hydraulic fracking in the region. The ban was supported by all four basin states — New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York — putting a permanent end to hydraulic fracking for natural gas along the 13,539-square-mile basin, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
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Colombia is one of the world's largest producers of coffee, and yet also one of the most economically disadvantaged. According to research by the national statistic center DANE, 35% of the population in Columbia lives in monetary poverty, compared to an estimated 11% in the U.S., according to census data. This has led to a housing insecurity issue throughout the country, one which construction company Woodpecker is working hard to solve.
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