Sierra in the News
2012-09-26 22:42
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Climate Change, Ecosystems, Alberta Tar Sands Pipelines, Wilderness and Species Conservation, Government, Atmosphere & Energy
The Globe and Mail (September 27, 2012)
Environmentalists sue to force Ottawa to protect species along Northern Gateway route Add to ...
By Dene Moore
One of the most powerful foes of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline through northern British Columbia is not a lawyer or a conservation group or any of the many First Nations who have lined up against the project.
It’s a very large, very, very old fish.
The Nechako white sturgeon is listed as an endangered species under the...
2012-09-14 18:42
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Nuclear Phaseout, Radioactive Waste, Nuclear-Free Canada
The Japanese government has unveiled a plan to phase out nuclear power by 2030, in a major policy shift after last year's Fukushima disaster.
Under proposals put forward by a government panel, the reactors would be shut down completely by the year 2040.
Before the Fukushima disaster, nuclear power supplied about a third of Japan's energy needs.
Japan aims to increase the use of renewable energy and import more oil, coal and gas for its power needs.
more
2012-09-12 18:39
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Nuclear Phaseout, Radioactive Waste, Nuclear-Free Canada
Nearly 30 years after it went into operation, it appears the days are numbered for Quebec’s only operating nuclear power plant.
A spokesman for the Parti Québécois said the newly elected government will go ahead with a plan to close Gentilly-2 in Bécancour. The party has wanted to do it since December 2009, Éric Gamache said.
“There is no indication that we will not respect that position,” Gamache told The Gazette Tuesday.
He did not say how the PQ...
2012-09-11 18:33
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Nuclear Phaseout, Radioactive Waste, Nuclear-Free Canada
The Parti Québécois will go ahead with its plan to shut the Gentilly 2 nuclear power plant in Bécancour, a party spokesperson said Tuesday.
It is something the party has wanted since December 2009, Éric Gamache said Tuesday.
“There is no indication that we will not respect that position,” Gamache told The Gazette.
He did not say how the party would do it, but noted that it does not require a vote in the National Assembly, where the PQ is in a minority...
2012-09-08 23:51
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Climate Change, Energy Onslaught, Government, Atmosphere & Energy
SASKATOON - Coal-fired power plants got more regulatory breathing room than expected to release greenhouse gases Wednesday, something federal Environment Minister Peter Kent says is necessary to protect Canada's power supply.
The final regulations for coal-powered plants, released Wednesday, stipulate they can emit no more than 420 tonnes of greenhouse gases per gigawatt hour of electricity generated.
This number is significantly higher than the 375 tonnes per gigawatt...
2012-09-06 23:43
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Government
The Fraser Institute, Canada's leading right-wing think tank, received over $4.3 million in the last decade from eight major American foundations including the most powerful players in oil and pharmaceuticals, The Vancouver Observer has learned.
In May, it was found that the US oil billionaire Koch brothers gave the Fraser Institute half a million dollars since 2007. But further investigation shows the insitute received funding from other major US foundations.
The issue of...
2012-09-06 23:38
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Water, Water Quality, Government, Radioactive Waste, Great Lakes, Nuclear-Free Canada
First-Nations communities along the St. Lawrence River are warning the federal government to get tough with firms that wish to transport nuclear waste via the waterway, despite new challenges created by the Tory government’s massive omnibus budget bill.
Bruce Power, Canada’s first privately-owned nuclear power generator located on Lake Huron, had applied to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in 2010 to transport nuclear waste to a Swedish treatment facility. The waste...
2012-09-06 23:34
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Alberta Tar Sands and Mackenzie River Delta, Water, Alberta Tar Sands Pipelines, Energy Onslaught, Water Quality, Toxics, Health & Environment
EDMONTON - Thousands of people depend on the water below Alberta’s oilsands region, but the effects of industrial development on those water tables is not yet fully understood, a new report says.
The Cumulative Environmental Management Association released a 37-page report Tuesday that explains groundwater in the region, and warns that lower water levels and poor quality could have “far-reaching consequences.”
more
2012-09-05 23:31
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Alberta Tar Sands Pipelines, Energy Onslaught, Toxics, Health & Environment
Doctors with the Canadian Medical Association are calling for more research into the health effects of resource extraction projects such as the Alberta oilsands.
more
2012-08-29 23:43
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Climate Change, Oceans, Atmosphere & Energy
The amount of sea ice in the Arctic is at an all-time low, suggesting that climate change is leading to a dramatic shift in the north, according to a new report.
In an analysis released this week, the U.S.-based National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said that Arctic sea ice cover has melted to a record low, breaking the previous record set in 2007.
Satellite data from August 26 showed that sea ice extent fell to 4.10 million square kilometers, the lowest amount ever seen since...
