Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—June 23, 2011. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is closely watching conditions along the Missouri River where floodwaters are rising at Cooper Nuclear Station and the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant in Nebraska. Unusual Event declarations remain in effect at both plants, the lowest of four levels of[Read More…]
Environmental
Sierra Club Response on Tapping of Strategic Petroleum Reserves
Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–June 23, 2011. Today the Obama administration announced that it will release 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in an effort to offset oil supply disruptions in the Middle East. In response, Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, issued the following statement:[Read More…]
Illinois Reaches Settlement with GM to Fund Recycling of Mercury Switches
Chicago–(ENEWSPF)–June 23, 2011. Attorney General Lisa Madigan today said Illinois children and the environment are big winners in a settlement announced between 12 states and the bankruptcy trust established to resolve claims against the former General Motors Corp. The settlement will help ensure the safe disposal of mercury-containing switches from[Read More…]
Department of Energy to Release Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–June 23, 2011. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today that the U.S. and its partners in the International Energy Agency have decided to release a total of 60 million barrels of oil onto the world market over the next 30 days to offset the disruption in the oil[Read More…]
Bill That Strips Water Protections from Pesticides Advances in Senate
Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)– June 23, 2011. The Senate Agriculture Committee has passed legislation that would allow pesticides to be sprayed into water without a Clean Water Act (CWA) on Tuesday, June 21, and urgent action is needed to stop the bill from passing in the full Senate. The bill, Reducing Regulatory[Read More…]
Pandora’s Cluster – Clash of the Titans
(PHOTO SUPPLIED) Baltimore, MD-(ENEWSPF)- A team of scientists studying the galaxy cluster Abell 2744, nicknamed Pandora’s Cluster, have pieced together the cluster’s complex and violent history using telescopes in space and on the ground, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, the Japanese Subaru telescope,[Read More…]
Solstice Flare and CME – UPDATE
Goddard Space Flight Center -(ENEWSPF)- A CME propelled toward Earth on June 21 may be moving slower than originally thought. Analysts at the GSFC Space Weather Lab have downgraded the cloud’s probable speed from 500 to 400 mph (800 to 650 km/s). Impact is now expected on June 24 at[Read More…]
Cassini Captures Ocean-Like Spray at Saturn Moon
Dramatic plumes, both large and small, spray water ice out from many locations along the famed “tiger stripes” near the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The tiger stripes are fissures that spray icy particles, water vapor and organic compounds. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute Pasadena, CA-(ENEWSPF)- NASA’s Cassini spacecraft[Read More…]
Strongest Evidence Yet Indicates Icy Saturn Moon Hiding Saltwater Ocean
Water vapor jets spewing from Saturn’s icy moon, Enceladus. (Image courtesy NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute) Boulder, Colorado-(ENEWSPF)- Samples of icy spray shooting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus collected during Cassini spacecraft flybys show the strongest evidence yet for the existence of a large-scale, subterranean saltwater ocean, says a new international study led[Read More…]
6.7 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Near Coast of Honshu, Japan
Honshu, Japan-(ENEWSPF)- The United States Geological Survey issued a report on a magnitude 6.7 earthquake 54 miles southeast of Hachinohe, Honshu, Japan. The epicenter is located 32 km (19.9 miles) beneath the earth’s surfact 88 km (54 miles) SE of Hachinohe, Honshu, Japan; 99 km (61 miles) ENE of Morioka, Honshu, Japan;[Read More…]
