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Ocean-going Robots – NASA Looks to Future

April 3, 2012

NASA speaker to examine the future application of robots for ocean research & data collection
 
What happens when Silicon Valley meets marine science?  You have a robot that can operate independently for years at sea.
 
Bill Vass, CEO of Liquid Robotics is to present a talk at NASA's Langley Research Center,  "Where The Cloud Meets the Ocean," discussing how seven megatrends are converging to change the way ocean research operations and data collection is done across the globe.

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Oil spill on Arkansas River under investigation

April 2, 2012

BARLING, Ark. (AP) - The Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers are investigating a possible oil spill in the Arkansas River in Barling.

The Coast Guard received a report of a rainbow-colored sheen on the water near lock and dam 13, which they said is consistent with an oil spill.

Coast Guard officials told KHBS-TV (http://bit.ly/HG3Nrs) the river is moving swiftly and they are trying to catch up with the sheen as it moves toward Mississippi.

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US To Approve Shell's Alaska Oil Spill Response Plan - Interior Secretary

March 28, 2012

WASHINGTON –  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday the department would approve Royal Dutch Shell's (RDSA, RDSA.LN) oil-spill response plan for exploratory oil wells in the Beaufort Sea this summer, a move the company called "another major milestone" toward drilling there this summer.
 
Salazar, speaking at a press conference about Atlantic Ocean energy development, said the approval would come later Wednesday as part of the Obama administration's effort to support oil and gas development as well as renewable energy.

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Activists worry about oil spill due to North Sea platform gas leak

March 29, 2012

EDINBURGH, Scotland –  Environmental groups warned Thursday they fear an oil spill could be triggered at a North Sea offshore platform that has been leaking highly pressurized gas since the weekend.
 
A flame is still burning in the stack above the Elgin platform, which stands about 150 miles off the coast of Aberdeen, eastern Scotland, after a leak of flammable gas Sunday-- prompting all 238 staff to be evacuated on Monday.
 
Platform operator Total S.A. insists there is no threat of any explosion under current weather conditions, but said that surveillance flights have detected a sheen around the platform estimated to extend over 1.85 square miles.

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U.S. study predicts pipeline spills

March 28, 2012

FORT MCMURRAY, ALTA. - A recent study from Cornell University argues that if Keystone XL is approved in its entirety, it’s not a matter of if a catastrophic leak will occur, it’s when.

Industry officials, however, insist pipelines are the safest method of transporting crude oil.

The authors of the study compiled statistical data from spills in the completed portion of the pipeline between Alberta and Illinois.

The study found that since June 2010, that section experienced more than 35 spills in the U.S. and Canada. In its first year, the spill frequency for Keystone’s U.S. segment was 100 times higher than TransCanada’s forecast.

The authors say this data means a major spill for Keystone XL is a statistical certainty if the pipeline is operated over the next 50 years.

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