"A majority of voters in states home to some of the biggest oil and gas drilling fields want the government to regulate the burning or releasing of natural gas from wells, according to a new poll."
"A surprising hot spot of the potent global-warming gas methane hovers over part of the southwestern U.S., according to satellite data."
"CN train derailment in Saskatchewan caused petroleum distillate to ignite, forcing about 50 people to evacuate from a nearby community. The CN train derailment comes in the wake of recent high-profile oil train accidents."
"The share-price boom at U.S. energy firms has gone bust, due to slumping global growth and tumbling crude prices."
"The average fuel economy of new US cars and trucks hit a record 24.1 miles per gallon (mpg) last year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Overall fuel economy for new cars and trucks has risen almost 5 mpg since 2004."
While the idea that government neglect and public ignorance are the right approach to chemical safety and security has lost some credence, information on chemical accidents is still hard to come by. Here are tips as well as news about the National Response Center's database of oil and chemical spills.
Federal agencies are still grinding forward on decisions about disclosure of often-toxic ingredients pumped into the ground during "fracking" to produce gas and oil. Significant decisions may come eventually from the Interior Department, the EPA, and the Obama White House. But don't bet on any courageous decisions until after the November election.
"Pennsylvania environmental regulators are pursuing a record $4.5 million fine against a gas driller over what they describe as a major case of pollution from a leaking waste pit."
"A European Union plan to label Canadian tar sands oil as highly polluting as part of its fight against climate change has been abandoned after years of opposition from Canada, clearing the way for exports of tar sands crude to the European market."
"Here’s to the continual intellectual tussles that produce technological leaps like the super-efficient and durable LED light bulbs that are increasingly displacing incandescent and fluorescent bulbs (and sooty kerosene lamps) and garnered a Nobel Prize for three physicists on Tuesday."
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