One of the key controversies about fracking is the chemical makeup of the fluid that is pumped deep into the ground to break apart rock and release natural gas. Some companies have been reluctant to disclose what's in their fracking fluid. Scientists and environmental advocates argue that, without knowing its precise composition, they can't thoroughly investigate complaints of contamination.
Disclosure requirements vary considerably from state to state, as ProPublica recently charted. In many cases, the rules have been limited by a "trade secrets" provision under which companies can claim that a proprietary chemical doesn't have to be disclosed to regulators or the public.
ALEC and ExxonMobil Push Loopholes in Fracking Chemical Disclosure Rules
Pope calls in Opus Dei troubleshooter to uncover source of Vatican leaks
Vatican staffers who have been leaking embarrassing letters about corruption and nepotism inside the tiny city state are to be hunted down by a crack squad of cardinals led by a senior member of the religious group Opus Dei.
Irritated by the anonymous release of documents to the press this year, Pope Benedict has named Cardinal Julian Herranz, 82, to lead a three-man team which will haul in staffers for questioning and rifle through files until they catch the perpetrators of what has been dubbed "Vatileaks".
Florida judge blocks drug tests for state workers
A federal judge in Miami has tossed out an executive order from Florida Governor Rick Scott requiring drug testing of state employees, saying it violated the constitutional prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures.
The Republican governor last year ordered random drug tests for all state employees and new hires, regardless of whether they were suspected of drug use, arguing it was similar to the financial disclosures required for some workers.
Charles Taylor, former Liberian leader, found guilty of war crimes
Charles Taylor, the U.S.-educated guerrilla leader who fought his way to the presidency of Liberia, was convicted Thursday of crimes against humanity — including murder, rape and slavery — for his role in assisting a bloody rebel movement in neighboring Sierra Leone.
The conviction, in the U.N. Special Court for Sierra Leone, was hailed by chief prosecutor Brenda J. Hollis as a triumph for the idea that political leaders should be held accountable for their deeds in “the new reality” of an international justice system composed of a half-dozen U.N. courts headquartered in the verdant Dutch city of the Hague.
Radioactive Hell on Earth
Fukushima will start burning radioactive debris containing up to 100,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram.
We have now made it more difficult to live on earth and that situation is going to get much worse. There have been severe nuclear accidents before, several very bad ones in Russia and farmers are still feeling the effects of Chernobyl. Hundreds of British sheep farmers still have to obtain a license every time they want to move sheep. Before anything moves off the farm it has to be inspected and scanned with a Geiger counter. That contamination has not gone away; it is still burning people’s and animals’ bodies and will continue to do that for a long time.
Vitamin D supplements 'could cut blood pressure as effectively as some drugs'
A new study, presented at the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) meeting in London, shows direct benefits from taking supplements for five months in winter.
The researchers found that those patients taking the vitamin D supplement of 75 mcg (correct) daily showed a significant reduction in central systolic blood pressure, blood pressure measured near the heart.
DOES THIS GIRL LOOK LIKE A TERRORIST?
Traveling from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Florida, the Frank family was yanked out of line as it boarded the plane in a dispute over how 7-year-old Dina had been screened. The little girl, who has cerebral palsy, walks with crutches and leg braces.
“They make our lives completely difficult,” said her father, Dr. Joshua Frank, a Long Island pediatrician. “She’s not a threat to national security.”
Catholic church urges pupils to sign anti-gay marriage petition
The Roman Catholic church has written to every state-funded Catholic secondary school in England and Wales asking them to encourage pupils to sign a petition against gay marriage.
Students at one south London school were shown a presentation on religious opposition to government plans to let gay couples marry in civil ceremonies. Church leaders believe the proposal would reduce the significance of marriage.
Active fault directly beneath Japan nuclear reactor
Reversing an earlier assessment, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency admitted an active and dangerous fault may be lurking directly beneath one of the two reactors of the Tsuruga nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture.
The surprising judgement by NISA, announced Tuesday night, would force Japan Atomic Power Co. to decommission the plant's reactor 2 if the fault is confirmed as active.
More Articles...
- ALEC Says It Plans To Craft Legislation To Take Down State Renewable Energy Targets
- 3rd Plant Species With Radiation Mutations Found In 3rd Michigan Location
- Top ex-CIA officer on waterboarding tape destruction: ‘Just getting rid of some ugly visuals’
- The List: Accounting for the Iraqi Allies America Left Behind
Page 471 of 1150