Ohio: Rules Tightened for Wells by Henry Fountain
“State officials on Friday instituted stricter rules for oil and gas industry disposal wells like one that scientists have linked to minor earthquakes in Youngstown. The rules, contained in a report by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, will require a well owner to conduct and analyze geophysical tests on a new well before disposal begins and will prohibit drilling into deep Precambrian rocks that are more likely to contain seismic faults.” READ MORE
Cincinnati Joins Clean Air Cities Campaign by Hannah McCartney
“Cincinnati is the latest city to join the Clean Air Cities campaign, according to a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity, who spearheads the campaign. As a member, Cincinnati joins the likes of dozen other cities, including Seattle, Wash., Berkeley, Calif., Tuscon, Ariz. and Cambridge, Mass.
Cincinnati City Council passed a resolution on Wednesday to join the campaign as part of council’s “Green Cincinnati Plan,” which has also initiated the use of SORTA’s hybrid buses, the Cincinnati Energy Alliance, implementation of LEED-certified buildings and the Electric Car Parking Initiative.
The Clean Air Cities campaign is a nationwide effort to urge cities to be proactive in speaking to the Obama administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use the Clean Air Act to make worthwhile reductions in greenhouse gas pollution and slow global warming.” READ MORE
Ohio Kids with Asthma: The Real Face of Climate Change? by Mary Kuhlman
“Thousands of Ohio children with asthma struggle to breathe each day, and some experts say a major culprit is smog caused by industrial pollution. This week, for the first time ever, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to propose standards to limit carbon pollution from new power plants nationwide.
At the Natural Resources Defense Council, senior scientist Kim Knowlton says carbon pollution is linked not only to climate disruption, but also to significant health hazards like smog.
“The icon of climate change, is more than the image of a polar bear on a melting ice floe trying to survive. It’s really the face of a child with asthma, using an inhaler to breathe.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 250,000 Ohio children suffer from asthma, and nationally, the EPA estimates 8,100 deaths a year are caused by pollution from industrial boilers. Opponents of the new rules warn they will increase energy prices and threaten domestic jobs. However, supporters say they will result in cleaner air and spur job creation in the transition to cleaner energy sources.” READ MORE
Photo: Trevor Lee via Favim