Environmental Groups Praise EPA’s First-Ever Clean Air Protections for Fracking

The following is a press release from the Sierra Club:

Agency Takes Important First Step to Protect Air Quality and Public Health

Washington, D.C.—Today environmental groups praised the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) vital updates to nationwide air quality protections to include oil and natural gas production.  This is the first federal safeguard aimed at curbing air pollution from hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking.’

Making buses better

ConserveNC and the environmental community supports mass transit (buses and rail) because it can reduce the amount of travel by car, reducing fuel consumption and production of pollutants and CO2. 

Two New Features - Events and News

Two new pages are being added to ConserveNC: Events and News. These will be pages, listed near the top of the right hand column.

Solar Hot Water - Industrial Scale

Most articles (here and elsewhere) about solar energy is about the production of electricity from solar cells, typically photovoltaic cells.

Another use way of using sunlight is heating water directly, a process generally referred to as “solar thermal”. Solar water heaters have been available in smaller sizes for residential water heating, but the use of industrial scale solar thermal plants is more unusual, at least not as well reported.

Fracking comments

Here are comments that I submitted to DENR on the shale gas (fracking) issue.

Links to the report, including the full report and the executive summary, can be found at:
http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/guest/denr-study

Comments

Third Fracking Hearing on April 2, New Deadline for Written Comments

Gov. Perdue and Fracking

 Gov. Bev Perdue recently released a statement that appears to support fracking. She told WRAL-TV (click here) that she thought that "From what I saw fracking can be done safely if you regulate it and put fees in place to have inspectors on the ground."

The Governor ignores a couple of issues. First, “can be done safely” is quite different from “will be done safely”. The drilling industry will say that their safeguards will ensure that it will be safe to frack. The same industry said that deep water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico was safe.

Shale Gas Hearing Tuesday, March 27

The Future of Transportation in the Triangle

The Triangle region, particularly Wake County, is getting growing in population and in the number of cars on the road. Not surprisingly, congestion on the Triangle roads is getting worse. The following graphics, from the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) Long Range Transportation Plan shows the congestion level of area roads during the evening rush hour. Green lines are free flowing non congested roads. Yellow lines are roads that are approaching congestion. Red lines are congested roads. 

Solar Power – Will the time come soon when no subsidies are needed?

The good news is that that time when subsidies are not needed for solar power is coming and may be here very soon.

One problem with renewable power, such as solar PV (sun to electricity) and wind is the cost. Presently, to be competitive with fossil fuels renewable power must be subsidized. Subsidies include tax breaks and the renewable energy requirements that require that utilities buy a certain amount of renewable energy, even if they have to pay more than their selling price for the power.

League of Conservation Voters Releases Congressional Scorecard

The League of Conservation Voters (the national organization) released its scorecard of US Senate and House of Representatives members. North Carolina members scored from a high of 100% (Sen. Kagen) to a low of 3% ( Rep. Foxx).

Legislative Environmental Stars Lost

Even before the primary elections, we know that at least four of the leading environment voices in the Triangle will not be returning for the 2012 session. This is due to retirements and placement of two of our environmental friends in the same district.