Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Energy vs The Environment:
Manufacturing.net - Study Finds Elevated Contaminant Levels At Fracking Sites, Conventional Wells
"A newly released study found water discharged from energy drilling operations in the U.S. poses risks to human health and the environment,calling for additional government regulations on the practices. The study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, reviewed water samples from fracking sites in Pennsylvania and Arkansas, as well as conventional wells in New York and Pennsylvania. The research by Duke University scientists concluded there were no difference in the levels of certain contaminants between fracking sites and traditional oil and gas wells and found similarly high levels of chloride, bromide, iodide and ammonium at the sites. The latter three compounds, in particular, can impact stream ecosystems and form toxic byproducts chlorination at downstream water treatment plants, according to the report. Levels of ammonia in the samples were 50 times higher than the federal threshold for aquatic wildlife safety. Water samples containing the contaminants had previously been treated and cleared for returning to waterways in Pennsylvania and West Virginia..."
If Not the Public Interest, Whose Interest?
Paul Krugman: Hating Good Government
"...why this hatred of government in the public interest? Well, the political scientist Corey Robin argues that most self-proclaimed conservatives are actually reactionaries. That is, they’re defenders of traditional hierarchy — the kind of hierarchy that is threatened by any expansion of government, even (or perhaps especially) when that expansion makes the lives of ordinary citizens better and more secure. I’m partial to that story, partly because it helps explain why climate science and health economics inspire so much rage. Whether this is the right explanation or not, the fact is that we’re living in a political era in which facts don’t matter. This doesn’t mean that those of us who care about evidence should stop seeking it out. But we should be realistic in our expectations, and not expect even the most decisive evidence to make much difference."
Manufacturing.net - Study Finds Elevated Contaminant Levels At Fracking Sites, Conventional Wells
"A newly released study found water discharged from energy drilling operations in the U.S. poses risks to human health and the environment,calling for additional government regulations on the practices. The study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, reviewed water samples from fracking sites in Pennsylvania and Arkansas, as well as conventional wells in New York and Pennsylvania. The research by Duke University scientists concluded there were no difference in the levels of certain contaminants between fracking sites and traditional oil and gas wells and found similarly high levels of chloride, bromide, iodide and ammonium at the sites. The latter three compounds, in particular, can impact stream ecosystems and form toxic byproducts chlorination at downstream water treatment plants, according to the report. Levels of ammonia in the samples were 50 times higher than the federal threshold for aquatic wildlife safety. Water samples containing the contaminants had previously been treated and cleared for returning to waterways in Pennsylvania and West Virginia..."
If Not the Public Interest, Whose Interest?
Paul Krugman: Hating Good Government
"...why this hatred of government in the public interest? Well, the political scientist Corey Robin argues that most self-proclaimed conservatives are actually reactionaries. That is, they’re defenders of traditional hierarchy — the kind of hierarchy that is threatened by any expansion of government, even (or perhaps especially) when that expansion makes the lives of ordinary citizens better and more secure. I’m partial to that story, partly because it helps explain why climate science and health economics inspire so much rage. Whether this is the right explanation or not, the fact is that we’re living in a political era in which facts don’t matter. This doesn’t mean that those of us who care about evidence should stop seeking it out. But we should be realistic in our expectations, and not expect even the most decisive evidence to make much difference."
