The Stream, July 25: New Report on Coal Plants Exposes Michigan Regulation

Energy
Of 274 coal plants nationwide that discharge coal ash and scrubber wastewater into waterways, at least 16 are in Michigan, according to a new report released by the Sierra Club. “This report makes it clear that DTE needs a lesson in common sense: dumping poisons into our water without disclosing threatens the health, drinking water and recreation opportunities in Detroit,” said Patrick Geans, Sierra Club Michigan Beyond Coal organizer and participant in a conference this morning that discussed the implications of the report.

Activists in West Sussex, England, are blocking a Cuadrilla truck from entering an oil testing site, BBC News reported. While the company was granted permission to begin exploratory work in 2010, efforts have been delayed by local concerns, despite reassurances of “exploratory drilling only.”

A drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana collapsed Wednesday afternoon after a natural gas cloud ignited, United Press International reported. “There is no observed sheen on the water surface,” said a Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement regulator.

Water Management
The Pearl River County Utility Authority is able to test city sewer lines by dispersing smoke through the system, The Picayune Item reported. Fans blow liquid smoke into the pipe system, which will then rise from the ground where there are breaks or leaks.

Climate Change
New research indicates that for every one degree increase in temperature, sea levels will eventually rise 2.3 meters (7.5 feet), Yale Environment 360 reported. “The real new thing is we have asked the question not how much sea level rise will there be in 2100, but rather how much sea level rise are we already committed to at a certain level of global warming,” said Anders Levermann, research leader.