2013年1月10日星期四

Fracking is a new and poisonous technique

Mr Gamble needs to explain why it is that "fracking" for oil, as opposed to gas, has only recently been adopted in America, if, according to his principal assertion (letters January 3), precisely the same fracking techniques were available more than forty years ago.

Why wouldn't America have gone straight from home-produced "conventional" to "unconventional" (fracked) oil all those years ago if the current techniques were available then? Too expensive?

More than the curiously selective war on a dictator in Iraq? No Mr Gamble, fracking as currently practiced is a distinct, new and unbelievably poisonous technique, driven solely by short-term greed that pays no regard to the welfare of future generations.

America cannot even point to a reduction in the mining of coal as a partial side-benefit, since it's now able and shows no compunction about doing so, to export it to developing nations, further accelerating global warming. It is of course precisely because of fracking activity that "Their (sic) is no prospect that the cost of renewables will remotely decline..." – With respect shake your circular synapses Mr Gamble, you appear not to know the true price of fossil gas let alone the value of renewables.

Stating that Tessa Munt's assertion that we don't fully understand the impact of this highly controversial technique (fracking) "will not stand up to any rational explanation" is also simply untrue.Creative glass tile and stone mosaic tile for your distinctive kitchen and bath. When fracking in the Mendips was first mooted a year ago, realising that Blackpool, where fracking has caused two significant earthquakes is not in a radon area,Panasonic ventilation system fans are energy efficient and whisper quiet. I 'phoned the local radon protection officer for advice. Neither he nor his superiors at Mendip Council appeared to have considered the impact in relation to the increased emission of radon gas, nor had they had any directives from government.

I then contacted the Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Health Protection Agency (HPA) and had the following reply from team leader Jane Bradley (my bold):

We have not investigated the effect of fracking on radon levels however we are aware that natural movements in the earth (earthquakes etc) do cause short term releases of radon into the atmosphere. However,Our team of consultants are skilled in project management and delivery of large scale rtls projects. these short releases do not have a significant impact on long term radon levels and thus the effect on the annual average radon levels in your property are likely to be minimal, especially as you have the positive ventilation system fitted.

Having read the report (no references to radon),Buy Joan Rivers crystal mosaic Stretch Bracelet. I was satisfied fracking would never be approved for a multiplicity of other reasons. Since powerful interests are seemingly now driving it forward it's timely to re-inspect an apparent illogicality in the above HPA statement. This seems to have placed a foolproof impermeable layer between all the newly mobile radiactive radon 226 gas ( closely associated with the methane in shale deposits) and disregarded any pre-existing vertical fault lines and all potential new ones produced by fracking induced earthquakes.

Radon gas is radioactive (half life four days), second only to smoking as a cause of lung cancer, colourless, odourless and highly soluble in water and permeates to the surface through tiny fissures.

It seems as an absolute minimum there would need to be a fully comprehensive monitoring of surface and ground water radon levels before fracking could commence and qualitative figures obtained on the amount of radon contained in our shales to establish whether the methane content is in fact safe to burn. Unlike the Gulf oil leak, once the pathways for radon to permeate to the surface are created they cannot be sealed off and since it's suggested that up to 70 per cent of the deadly fracking cocktail (including hydrogen cyanide) is not recoverable that seems too much of a gamble.

A former Team Canada synchronized swimmer, Carver-Dias won double gold at the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg and Olympic bronze at the 2000 Games in Sydney. She credits the 12,000 hours she logged training at the Olympium for her success.

“On this pool deck, I likely did 10,000 or more sit ups, spent endless minutes in split positions, pored over my goal book, reviewed my focuses with my coach and team, and exchanged numerous high fives at the end of triumphant training sessions,” Carver Dias said yesterday during a press conference held at the Olympium.

“This place is where the national synchro team in 1998 articulated our dream of achieving a medal performance at the 1999 Pan Am Games, the 2000 Olympic Games and beyond. This is where we sweated, leaned over the edge of the gutter out of breath, dreamed, cried, screamed, shook with nerves, leapt for joy.”

Atlanta’s embrace of the challenge is paying dividends for the city, and it’s also a model for others across the country. Today, half of all the energy used in the United States is consumed by commercial buildings and manufacturing plants. It costs about $200 billion to power commercial buildings and another $130 billion to power our manufacturing facilities yearly. More than 20 percent of the energy used to power buildings is wasted through inefficient design, materials, equipment and operations.Our team of consultants are skilled in project management and delivery of large scale rtls projects.

We know we can significantly cut this waste by employing our fastest, cheapest and cleanest energy resource: energy efficiency. Reducing this waste will save more than $40 billion a year on energy bills and create good paying jobs.

However, challenges still stand in the way of realizing the benefits of energy efficiency. These challenges include maintaining a sustained commitment at the highest levels in companies and local government; making efficiency a core business strategy; creating incentives for tenant and employee behaviors to be in line with efficiency goals; improving the availability of accurate and unbiased energy use information, and promoting good efficiency role models.

Just over a year ago, President Barack Obama launched the Better Buildings Challenge, calling on leading chief executives, university presidents, governments and school districts to reduce their building portfolios’ energy use by 20 percent by 2020 and to share with others their successful strategies.

More than 110 organizations, representing more than 2 billion square feet of commercial buildings — retail stores, office buildings, hospitals, schools and hotels — have stepped forward to lead the way. They have committed to share with others their progress as well as their strategies and solutions to reach their energy-saving goals.

Cities in particular represent a growing market for energy efficiency. In the U.S., more than 80 percent of Americans live in urban areas. Local governments are critical leaders in the nation’s quest to unlock the enormous cost savings and economic opportunities associated with energy efficiency. State and local governments alone represent about 20 percent of the nation’s commercial building space.

Atlanta has created a community-wide program that serves as a national model. Atlanta effectively brought together businesses committed to energy efficiency improvements, and non-profit partners that offer incentives to downtown building owners that who accept the challenge.

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