Study: Fracking Waste Poses Severe Threat To Wildlife

September 5, 2013

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fracking water “killed virtually all aquatic wildlife” at the site of one spill.

Think fracking spills pose little threat to fish and wildlife? Think again.

A new study conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey is drawing attention to the devastating impacts of fracking wastewater spills, profiling a 2007 Kentucky incident that left in its wake a decrepit environment unsuitable for animal inhabitation.

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Spilled fracking fluid likely killed Kentucky fish-USGS

August 29, 2013

Hydraulic fracturing fluids that spilled into a Kentucky creek in 2007 likely caused "widespread death or distress" to fish, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," has revitalized U.S. oil and gas production in recent years but also prompted charges that it damages the environment, causes minor earthquakes and contaminates drinking water.

The USGS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a study of Acorn Fork, a small Appalachian creek in southeastern Kentucky, following a release of fracking fluids from nearby natural gas wells in 2007 and after a local resident complained that fish had been dying.

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CarbonClix Launches a Get Started Guide to help users reduce their carbon footprint and save money

September 4, 2013

A free Get Started Guide is now available from CarbonClix. The Guide examines the direct impact individuals have on the environment through daily activities, such as use of transport and household energy consumption and provides easy to follow tips on how to reduce carbon emissions and save money on household bills.

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Power Surge: Will The EV Revolution Overwhelm The Grid?

August 27, 2013

It seems logical to argue that an EV merely shifts pollution from the tailpipe to the stereotypical pollution-belching, coal-fired power plant down the road. Much more than just an embarrassing bit of irony for the mobile environmentally-conscious, this argument raises the specter of EV-induced brown-outs, followed by an even more ironic rush to build more polluting power plants to keep up with the EV's power demand. Now that Telsa Motors' (TSLA) Model S has proven that an EV can achieve mass market appeal, this rather thorny argument needs to be objectively addressed.

Power Generation 101

To accurately assess the potential impact a substantial increase in EV charging would have on the power grid, we must begin with the understanding that power generation is a real-time business. Utilities do not possess a means of storing mass quantities of electricity that were produced at a time when demand was low so that they can be dispensed when demand is high. This means that a utility must maintain enough power generation capacity to meet peak demand year-round, 24 hours a day, all the while knowing that it may only need all of that power for a fraction of that time (say mid-afternoon on the hottest days of the summer when every residential and commercial air conditioning system is running full-tilt). Though every region is different, the typical utility runs its plants with the cheapest operating costs (coal and nuclear) non-stop to cover a carefully calculated "base load." As demand ramps up beyond this base load, marginal generation is brought online.

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