01 February 2011
A group of Republican U.S. senators Monday announced plans to strip the Obama administration of its ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) and 10 other conservative senators introduced sweeping legislation that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating heat-trapping emissions from power stations and industrial plants without permission from Congress.
Posted in Global Warming, Global Warming & Climate Change, Laws & Regulations, Politics & Politicians0 Comments
01 February 2011
A massive snow storm is expected to blanket the United States' midsection Tuesday, affecting a third of the country's population. Governors in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois declared states of emergency Tuesday as snow, sleet and freezing rain began to hammer the region from Texas to Ohio. Blizzard warnings were issued for more than half of the 50 states.
Posted in Air, Atmosphere, & Weather0 Comments
01 February 2011
A potentially deadly storm system, Cyclone Yasi, is swirling toward Australia's northeastern state of Queensland, an area still recovering from last month's massive flooding.
Posted in Climate Science & Weather, Natural Disasters0 Comments
31 January 2011
Wildlife experts say that sedatives may be useful in calming endangered whales caught in fishing line. Researchers tested the approach on a young North Atlantic right whale off the Florida coast last week, The Associated Press reported Sunday. The whale had about 50 feet of fishing rope wrapped through its mouth and around its flippers.
Posted in Mammals0 Comments
31 January 2011
Two Utah mayors are voicing concerns over Chevron's proposed plans to fire up a pipeline that burst twice last year and caused two major oil spills in the Salt Lake region. Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon say the petrochemical company should have consulted them before announcing that it had received the federal go-ahead to resume use of the line, which has been defunct since December, AP reports.
Posted in Air, Atmosphere, & Weather0 Comments
31 January 2011
The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland drew to a close Sunday after a week's worth of debate on global debt, climate change, food shortages, and a host of other international issues.
Posted in International Relations & Treaties, Laws & Regulations, Politics & Politicians0 Comments
31 January 2011
ExxonMobil and Russian state oil company Rosneft have entered into an agreement regarding oil drilling in the Black Sea. According to the deal signed in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 27, the U.S.-based ExxonMobil - the largest privately-owned oil company in the world - will invest $1 billion in Rosneft for a joint-operated oil exploration and production venture in the Tuapse Trough.
Posted in Drilling for Oil, Oil & Petroleum0 Comments
31 January 2011
The Great Plains and Midwest are bracing for an intense winter storm expected to dump 10 inches of snow on the area beginning Tuesday. Meteorologists say freezing rain and snow will sweep through the country's core region starting Monday, with heavy snow and 30 mph winds to follow on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Posted in Atmospheric Science, Climate Science & Weather0 Comments
31 January 2011
A newly active Japan volcano has prompted officials to evacuate over 1,000 people living on the country's southern island, news sources reported Monday. Shinmoedake, a 4,662-foot peak in the Kirishima range on the southern Japan island of Kyushu, erupted last Thursday after 52 years of dormancy.
Posted in Environmental Disasters, Volcanoes0 Comments
31 January 2011
As violent street protests imperil President Hosni Mubarak's regime in Egypt, Israel is calling on Western countries to end criticism of the 30-year leader "in a bid to preserve stability in Egypt" and the Middle East at large, Al Jazeera reports.
Posted in International Relations & Treaties, Military, Politics & Politicians0 Comments
