Latest News
Guard Duty -
“Some summers, our ladies attract foxes like children to the Good Humor truck. One day my husband spotted a young red fox trotting across our neighbor’s yard in broad daylight, carrying one of our fat Black Australorps in its mouth. ‘Hey!’ my husband yelled out the window. ‘Drop that!’ The animal turned toward the noise, staring with golden eyes, and instantly, inexplicably complied. Then it trotted off, as casually as a person resuming an errand—leaving our hen frightened, minus some feathers but unhurt.” —From “Predators in the Barnyard,” Sy Montgomery’s Orion story about her (largely peaceful) interactions with the wildlife tempted by her free-range hens
Indicted -
In 2010 the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia exploded, killing 29 people. Today the company's former CEO was brought up on federal charges that he violated mine safety laws. If convicted, Don Blankenship (once dubbed "The Dark Lord of Coal Country" by Rolling Stone) could spend 31 years in prison. Charleston Gazette
A Tale of Two Leaks -
The Trans Niger pipeline dumped 21 million gallons of crude oil near Bodo, Nigeria, in 2008, affecting 69,000 people. Internal documents leaked to the press now confirm that employees of Shell Oil, the pipeline’s owner, told the company that the pipe was at risk of rupturing two years before it eventually did. Despite the warning, Shell did not address the failing pipeline that was of "immediate and utmost concern.” This sounds familiar. BBC
Coal Miners' Slaughter -
“Most coal miners die alone, one at a time, either in roof falls or equipment accidents or—incredibly in this day and age—from black lung, a deadly but preventable disease that most Americans probably think is a thing of the past. Coal-mining disasters get historic markers. Black lung deaths just get headstones.” —From “A Scourge for Coal Miners Stages a Brutal Comeback,” Ken Ward Jr.’s YaleE360 story about the modern-day resurgence of black lung disease
Pipeline Power Play -
Both houses of Congress could be hours (or days, in the slow-moving Senate's case) away from a lame-duck vote that would attempt to force approval of the controversial Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline. And the measure could receive some Democratic support, despite President Obama's objection to short-circuiting the legally mandated environmental review process. (It's there for a reason, folks—like making sure we don't allow dangerous pollution to cross the country in an unsafe manner and contribute further to climate change.) Huffington Post
Breakthrough -
The world’s two largest greenhouse gas emitters have agreed to dramatically curtail carbon pollution, a move meant to kick-start global negotiations on a climate pact to be inked in Paris next year. The surprise deal was announced late yesterday during President Obama’s visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The rest of the world might quibble about details, but there's no doubt now that the two bigs have serious skin in the game. New York Times