You may forward Planet Waves Monsanto Eco to your friends. They can sign up for this free environmental newsletter from Planet Waves. View this edition as a webpage. The new edition of Planet Waves FM has just been posted, covering the Sun in Leo, Mars in Scorpio and looking at the situations unfolding in Ukraine and Gaza. Dear Friend and Reader: Seven oil companies were issued emergency orders to halt the injection of toxic wastewater that could contaminate California's water supply, according to a ProPublica report on July 7.
Damon Nagami, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, explains simply, "Our drinking water sources must be protected and preserved for the precious resources they are, not sacrificed as a garbage dump for the oil and gas industry." Dan River Cleanup: What Is 'Adequately' Clean? Federal environmental officials determined that Duke Energy has 'adequately' cleaned the Dan River in North Carolina, as reported by EcoWatch on July 18. The river was contaminated in February when 39,000 tons of coal ash, containing toxic heavy metals like mercury and arsenic, spilled from their power plant. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said that while Duke has only dredged up 2,500 tons of the waste, recent testing of river water shows contamination levels are below federal limits. Critics like Waterkeeper Alliance attorney Pete Harrison remain unconvinced of the water's safety, warning that "Duke's celebratory announcement that it 'completed' the clean-up threatens to mislead the public into thinking the danger has passed." Sonic Marine Cannons: Not Your Mother's Sonogram Last Friday, the U.S. authorized use of ‘sonic cannons' to search for oil off the nation's Eastern Seaboard, according to an Associated Press report. Sonic cannons direct continuous pulses of high-energy sound at the ocean floor; the reflected sound provides information about the geology below the seabed.
While acknowledging that uncounted marine organisms will unavoidably be harmed by sonic explorations, which the AP story described as "many times louder than a jet engine reverberating through the deep every ten seconds for weeks at a time," the director of the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has defended their authorization as part of a "balanced approach." Balanced, that is, toward oil companies racing to apply for drilling permits when current limits expire in 2018. Research ethics seem to be nowhere near: "No one has been allowed to test anything like this on right whales," said Scott Kraus, an expert on right whales (of which there are only 500 left) at the John H. Prescott Marine Laboratory in Boston. "[The Obama administration] has authorized a giant experiment on right whales that this country would never allow researchers to do." Technically, the data gathered by sonic cannons can be used to determine placement of wind turbines (would that be ‘dirty wind'?). Fossil fuel companies, however, fund the bulk of the research and disclose data only to the government. Fukushima Unit 5 Leak Repaired, Cooling Back Online Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) reported July 8 that the cooling of 994 spent fuel assemblies inside the fuel pool in Unit 5 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan has resumed. The fuel has been safely cooled using an alternative system normally used to cool the reactor. Unit 5's cooling system was shut down July 6 due to a seawater leak in a pipe. According to TEPCO, the leak has been successfully repaired after suspension of the cooling system; the alternate system will continue to cool the assemblies until further repairs are made. TEPCO stated that no workers were exposed to radiation and that there were no negative environmental impacts. Rice Paddy Contamination Confirmed; Fukushima at Fault
Japan's agricultural ministry discovered the contamination in August 2013; several rice paddies were contaminated with radiation exceeding safety standards. "We cannot help but distrust the agriculture ministry, which did not promptly let us know of the matter, despite it being a serious issue," said Katsunobu Sakurai, Minami-Soma Mayor. The agricultural ministry determined that the removal of debris from Fukushima, specifically from the Unit 3 reactor, led to the spread of the contamination. USDA Draws the Curtain on GMO Info for States Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) withdrew a regulation requiring disclosure of GMOs used on U.S. farms, reported The Hill. The withdrawn requirement (in effect since February 2013) would have allowed agricultural officials from individual states and tribal governments to track GMOs under development in their jurisdictions, including notice of test permit applications and interstate transport of GMOs. The USDA cites an exemption in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which protects confidential business practices "from mandatory public disclosure," as reason to withdraw the regulation; GMOs have been increasingly subject to vandalism and threat, as Politico notes. By withdrawing their requirement for the disclosure of GMO use, the USDA has prioritized conformation with FOIA loopholes over the right of individual states (and by implication, the public's right) to know exactly what new organisms are being introduced and developed among us. Former U.K. Environment Secretary Shows True Colors Recently sacked U.K. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson is preparing to deliver a lecture to the Global Warming Policy Foundation, The Independent reported July 18.
Ben Stewart, a spokesperson for Greenpeace, told The Independent that Paterson "has been delivering a rolling 24/7 lecture" for the organization. "Maybe it's for the best he's come out of the closet and formalised the relationship," he added. Paterson's position at the right wing of the Conservative party could challenge Prime Minister David Cameron's leadership and policies -- despite Paterson's actions being "beyond satire," as Guy Shrubsole, an activist with Friends of the Earth, described them. Carbon Tax Upended Down Under Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe in a former British colony, Australia's government has repealed its carbon tax, New Scientist reported Friday. The reversal was won narrowly in the Senate on July 16, and follows Prime Minister Tony Abbott's declaration of a "blood oath" to scrap the tax during his 2012 election campaign; he has been quoted labeling global warming as "absolute crap." The New Scientist describes the tax as having been a "landmark attempt" by a government to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and suggests its removal could adversely impact other nations' attempts to combat global warming. A document co-authored by the World Bank estimates that Australia's carbon emissions will grow by up to 18 percent in the next five years. Global Temps Break Record Again
Antarctica was the only continent not to break heat records; New Zealand, northern South America, Greenland, central Africa and southern Asia showed particularly pronounced record temps. This makes June 2014 the 352nd hotter-than-average month in a row. If those numbers indicate something other than "absolute crap," as Australia's PM Tony Abbott put it, we'll need more than just "a drop to drink" as the Earth continues warming. Yours & truly,  Amanda Painter and the ECO editorial team You may forward Planet Waves Monsanto Eco to your friends. They can sign up for this free environmental newsletter from Planet Waves. View this edition as a webpage. The new edition of Planet Waves FM has just been posted, covering the Sun in Leo, Mars in Scorpio and looking at the situations unfolding in Ukraine and Gaza. Planet Waves Monsanto Watch (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday evening in Kingston, New York by Planet Waves, Inc. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Business Manager: Chelsea Bottinelli. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Research, Writing and Editing: Planet Waves Monsanto Watch is produced by a team consisting of Elizabeth Michaud, Amanda Moreno, Amanda Painter, Amy Elliott, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick and Chad Woodward.  The Leo Birthday reading by Eric Francis is now available at the lowest pre-order price. Dear Friend and Reader: Jupiter just moved into Leo a few days ago <> and the Sun just joined it. Very soon, Eric will have an extended birthday reading for the Leos in your life.
He speaks directly to you in plain language, in studio-quality audio -- it's like he's sitting right in the room with you. Even more, your reading takes a deep and introspective look at things you've been questioning, thinking about or trying to work out. Here's what some of Eric's listeners have said about their readings: "Leo birthday readings are totally FANTASTIC!!! I so totally recommend if you are Leo or Leo Rising. Wow! Even Eric’s tarot card reading seems right on the center spot with observations, intuitions and thoughts I have had for myself going into this birthday anniversary time. Thank you for the explicit reinforcement, Eric Francis!" "Thank you for your love and care in how you delivered the Leo Reading. It truly touched deep within my Leo core and whole-self." Your reading will be divided into three sections -- two astrology segments of about half an hour each, and a section of astrology afterthoughts and a tarot reading. The reading is accessible and playable on any kind of computer or mobile device (smartphone, iPad, etc.). Eric's birthday readings now include a live question and reply forum where you can ask Eric questions directly, which will be held a week or two after the reading publishes (archived for those who cannot make it). You also get access to last year's reading, so that you can review and check Eric's accuracy, plus an extended written description of your birth sign. This is one of the most affordable, useful and excellent reading packages in the entire astrological profession. It will make an awesome gift for you if you have Leo Sun, Moon or rising. And if you order now, you'll get the lowest price we offer -- just $24.95 (after publication the reading will be $49.95). At the current amazing price, why not order one for yourself and for the most important Leos in your life? I know they'll benefit from Eric's reading just as much as you will. Wishing you all the luck and abundance that Jupiter has to offer this year. Thanks for supporting Planet Waves! Yours,  Chelsea Bottinelli To unsubscribe, click here e Wiki | Friends | Editors | Contact Us Copyright © 2013 by Planet Waves, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Other copyrights may apply. Some images used under Fair Use or Share Alike attribution. |
