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Thursday, January 1, 2015
Monday, December 29, 2014
COREXIT - BP oil spill dispersants concern Nova Scotia environmentalist
Bill C-22 is 'an absolute, total abdication of regulatory responsibility'
CBC News Posted: Dec 29, 2014 9:38 AM AT Last Updated: Dec 29, 2014 9:38 AM AT
Crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill washes ashore in Orange Beach, Ala., on June 12, 2010. (Dave Martin/Associated Press
A Shelburne County environmentalist is raising concerns about a toxic chemical that could be used off Nova Scotia in the future.
When the Deepwater Horizon oil platform erupted in flames in 2010, it spewed oil into the Gulf of Mexico, but some research says the cleanup was worse because about 6.8 million litres of the chemical Corexit 9500A was used to disperse the oil.
The dispersant used by oil company BP, when mixed with crude oil, was found to be 52 times more toxic than oil alone to some microscopic plankton-like organisms called rotifers.
"When you mix this stuff with the oil, you create a compound that is substantially more dangerous than even the dangerous dispersant on its own or even the dangerous oil on its own and this is the issue that we have," says John Davis, a founder of the No Rigs Coalition.
He says Shell has already put out bids to use Corexit if there is a spill at a well planned for the Shelburne Gully.
"The creators of CoRexit will tell you it's less toxic than dish soap. All you have to do is read the warning label to know that it’s a highly, highly dangerous chemical.… There is no doubt in my mind that if Shell made the effort they could find ways to clean up the oil and not just be prepared to disperse it and put it under water and out of sight," he says.
'Total abdication of regulatory responsibility'
Davis says there is legislation in place to prevent the use of chemicals like Corexit, “but what happened here is that the federal government has decided to put forward legislation called Bill C-22 — which in fact creates a circumstance where the oil company can go and utilize the product, the dispersants, and then report after the fact to the regulatory agencies. It is an absolute, total abdication of regulatory responsibility.”
Bill C-22 was introduced by the federal minister of Natural Resources earlier this year.
It would pre-approve emergency plans for oil and gas companies to deal with spills, such as the speedy use of dispersants, or chemicals used to break oil into smaller particles in the event of an oil spill at sea.
Davis says he worries the chemical could end up on the Georges Bank, pointing out the Labrador Current would carry any material right to the fertile fishing grounds.
"It’s that [upwelling of water] that provides much of the nutrients that makes Georges Bank such an important biological place — and so important to us as an economical generator," he says.
A publication in the February 2013 issue of the scientific journal Environmental Pollution, found that on their own, the oil and dispersant were equally toxic. But when combined, the oil and dispersant increased toxicity to one of the rotifer species by a factor of 52.
'High and immediate human health hazards'
Dispersants cause giant pools of spilled oil floating atop the sea to break up into tiny droplets that then dilute with water just below the surface. The process helps creatures including turtles, birds and mammals that need access to the surface, and also ensures less oil flows ashore where it can choke coastal wildlife. However, it increases the amount of oil just below the surface, potentially contaminating the organisms that live there.
Scientists at the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes in Mexico and the Georgia Institute of Technology now say Corexit 9500A is far more harmful than previously thought to a key dweller of those sub-surface depths.
An Environment Canada study states the dispersant is 27 times safer than common dish soap, but some say that figure is dangerously misleading. The study also states that five of Corexit's 57 ingredients are linked to cancer and can pose "high and immediate human health hazards."
In all, the British Petroleum oil leak was the largest offshore petroleum spill in U.S. history, sending 4.9 million barrels (584 million litres) of crude into the Gulf of Mexico.
Friday, December 12, 2014
CLF Scoop: Study Commission Nears Final Recommendations to Counter Ocean Acidification
CLF Scoop: Study Commission Nears Final Recommendations to Counter Ocean Acidification |
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Posted: 11 Dec 2014 12:55 PM PST
The sixteen member commission empowered by the Maine legislature to conduct a brief, six month investigation into the effects of coastal and ocean acidification on fish and shellfish commercially harvested in Maine nears the end of its term and recommends further study and other measures to immediately begin to address the impacts of ocean acidification.
As noted in prior blogs here and here, offshore ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels, gets deposited in the ocean, and mixes with water to form carbonic acid. Near shore coastal acidification occurs when runoff from storms carries nitrogen, acidic fresh water, and other pollutants to the ocean. The nitrogen and other nutrient rich pollutants cause algal blooms, which die and release carbon dioxide into the ocean. Both forms of acidification dissolve shells of larval shellfish and possibly stunt growth of lobsters and crabs by causing them to form extra hard outer shells. The study commission did an impressive job. Its members were appointed by the legislature and by the Commissioner of Maine's Department of Marine Resources. They worked with a practically non-existent budget and largely volunteered their time away from their jobs as lobstermen, shellfish harvesters, shellfish farmers, marine researchers, scientists and more. During meetings and on various subcommittees, the members generously shared their expertise and commitment to working together. The result of their efforts will be seen soon, when the Commission releases its final report. The near final draft contains a complete listing of all research regarding the effects of ocean acidification on Maine marine life and recommends actions we can take to prevent ocean acidification from destroying our commercial shellfisheries, including lobsters which account for 80% of commercial landings in Maine. The report also appends proposed new legislation that would establish a long term study commission to coordinate further research into the many areas where we lack data and further measures to combat ocean acidification. Here are some things that we all can do to protect our shellfish from ocean acidification:
The post Study Commission Nears Final Recommendations to Counter Ocean Acidification appeared first on Conservation Law Foundation.  |
Monday, June 2, 2014
TIDAL POWER: Request for public input on potential locations for tidal turbines in Grand Passage
Request for public input on potential locations for tidal turbines in Grand Passage
Fundy Tidal is seeking public input on potential locations for tidal turbines in Grand Passage. Turbine locations will be selected based on many factors, including community input, flow speeds, depth, seabed, waves, marine life, fishing zones, and acceptable infringement on navigation. Fundy Tidal is currently assessing these factors working in collaboration with Dalhousie University, Acadia University, University of New Brunswick, Dynamic Systems Analysis, and Clean Current Power Systems.
A 1-year demonstration is planned with a turbine from Clean Current, with deployment scheduled for spring 2015. The Clean Current turbine is 3.5 m in diameter and has a rated power of 65 kW. The turbine would supply approximately 130,000 kWh of energy annually, which is enough to power approximately 6 to 8 homes. The Clean Current turbine is shown on Figure 1, and more information is available at www.cleancurrent.com.
Five study areas in Grand Passage are shown on Figure 2. The study areas are locations within which a turbine or turbines could be deployed. Based on technical considerations, study area GP-3 is currently the preferred location for demonstrating and testing the Clean Current turbine. However, continued assessment including community input could lead to development in other study areas. Any study area selected for further investigation will require detailed assessment of tidal flow and seabed conditions, monitoring environmental conditions, and environmental assessment.
The study areas are large compared to the footprint of an actual development. An example footprint within study site GP-3 is shown on Figure 3. The example shown is a 10 x 15 meter floating platform (red box), surrounded by a 50 x 55 meter no navigation zone (green box) to allow safe clearance of the mooring lines. The design requires site-specific refinement, and is intended to provide a sense of scale for the impact of a floating turbine platform in Grand Passage. Submerged designs that would pose minimal, or no, infringement on navigation are also being assessed.
We are seeking public input on the study areas, including preferred locations assuming both floating and submerged designs. Specific focus on the potential for a floating platform in GP-3 would be appreciated, and feedback on all study areas is valued.
A study area will be selected as the focus for activities during the summer, fall, and winter of 2014, leading to deployment of a turbine in early 2015.
A questionnaire intended to assist in providing input is available in Print Format or Online Format. Hard copies of the questionnaire and this notice have been posted at several businesses and public service buildings throughout the islands, with additional copies available to take home. This notice has also been posted to the "Islanders" and "Brier Island" Facebook groups.
Feedback can be provided through the Online Questionnaire or by email to community@fundytidal.com , mail to Box 1209, Westport, Nova Scotia, Canada B0V 1H0, and in public forum in Freeport on May 18, 2014. An information and discussion session will be held following the Fireman's Breakfast. For further information on Fundy Tidal please visit www.fundytidal.com.
Figure 1: Clean Current tidal turbine
Figure 2: Grand Passage study site locations. Green squares are labels only, they do not indicate positioning of turbines. The study areas are locations within which a turbine or turbines could be deployed, and are large compared to the footprint of an actual development (see Figure 3).
Figure 3: Example floating turbine footprint in study area GP-3. The example shown is a 10 x 15 meter floating platform (red box), surrounded by a 50 x 55 meter no navigation zone (green box) to allow safe clearance of the mooring lines (four lines extending from platform).
Dana Morin
Director-Business Development
Fundy Tidal Inc.
Box 1209, Westport, Nova Scotia, B0V 1H0
Office: (902) 839.2078
Cell: (902) 790.3565
www.fundytidal.com
Box 1209, Westport, Nova Scotia, B0V 1H0
Office: (902) 839.2078
Cell: (902) 790.3565
www.fundytidal.com
FORESTRY: Tory Forest Strategy Sells Rural New Brunswick and the Environment Down the River
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| Clearcut (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The decision of the Alward government to permit 21% more clearcutting on Crown land this year will be ruinous for both rural communities and wildlife, according to Green Party Leader David Coon. "This corporate forest plan sells rural New Brunswick and our environment down the river. It runs roughshod over the values and aspirations that Ne Brunswickers hold dear," said Coon.
The Green Party wants to create the conditions for an innovative and diverse forest industry that suits our forest and sustains our rural communities, but Coon says the Alward plan will make that impossible.
"This is the greatest give-away of forest resources to corporations in living memory," said Green Party leader David Coon. "Rural communities will be unable to rebuild their local forest economies because the Premier will give away their local natural resource base to corporate mills in other regions. Local independent mills will become a thing of the past and the market for independent woodlot owners will be devastated. As for wildlife, entire populations will be eradicated without adequate habitat in which to live," said Coon.
"The current system has become corrupted," said David Coon. "We want to take operational control of the Crown lands back from the corporations nd manage them for the public good, with decision-making authority given to local communities," said Coon.
Over the past decade, experts employed by the Department of Natural Resources determined that the 3.26 million cubic metres of spruce and fir clearcut from Crown land was unsustainable and harvest levels needed to be lowered to reflect the available wood supply. The only way harvest levels can be raised, is to allow clearcutting in the 26% of the Crown lands where only selection harvesting had been permitted in order to sustain wildlife habitat and provide streamside buffers.
"The long-term timber objectives of the Alward forest plan will dramatically increase herbicide spraying and convert much of the remaining natural forest on Crown lands to plantations," according to the Green Party leader.
"Once again, we see the Alward government siding with money and power rather than with New Brunswickers," said Coon.
Friday, December 13, 2013
COUGAR IN MIRAMICHI - Real or Hoax
This photo showed up on Facebook today. Reportedly taken in Miramichi, the sighting has not been validated at yet. Indeed some folks have suggested that it is a stuffed cougar. What do you think?
Monday, September 2, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
POSTER: Drawings of Campobello Island – Harper’s Weekly late 1800s
Full-sized poster of fascinating drawings of Campobello Island showing Head Harbour, the huge fishing fleet, The Friar, A General view from Lubec and the fabulous East Quoddy Lighthouse. Artist Harry Fenn. Perfect for your den, office or cottage. Late 1800s
For pickup or shipping, packaging tube and handling extra @ $10.00.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
NUCLEAR: Vermont Yankee – Another Day Another Court Hearing
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| English: The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Conservation Law Foundation - Posted: 03 Jun 2013 08:43 AM PDT
Entergy wants to stop Vermont regulators from having any say over its operations.This latest skirmish involves the building of a back-up diesel generator. Entergy claims the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires the generator and that Vermont is getting in its way. It needs the Federal Court to stop any Vermont review of the proposal.
Hold on. Vermont's regulators already issued a proposal that would approve the generator. The only deadline is one that is self-imposed by Entergy. The current schedule allows a final decision even before Entergy's self-proclaimed "deadline."
So what's this really about? Entergy's world view seems to suggest that the less oversight it has the better. But that's not good for Vermont. The federal court should see through Entergy's antics and allow the Vermont proceedings to continue.
You can read Entergy's Complaint here and the State's reply here.
LNG - NS Wants US Gas for LNG Export, Reversing M&NE Pipeline
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| Boston, Mass. (Sept. 8, 2006) - A Coast Guard 25-foot response boat is flanked by two tugs as the Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) tanker Berge Boston is moored to the pier at an LNG facility in Boston. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Luke Pinneo (RELEASED) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Save Passamaquoddy Bay
PO Box 222
Eastport, ME 04631
The Latest Update to the Save Passamaquoddy Bay website:
Nova Scotia
- East Coast LNG project gains momentum, strikes supply deal with Germany's E.ON
- Pieridae inks $35-billion deal for gas from Goldboro LNG
- Pieridae Energy signs LNG deal for proposed project in Goldboro, N.S.
- Contact Exploration's Goldboro LNG partner signs 20 year sales agreement with customer
- E.ON signs up for Goldboro LNG volumes
- E.ON confirms Canada LNG deal, denies plans to cancel Gazprom contracts
Robert Godfrey
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