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The drilling report was produced with data from the Texas Railroad Commission, from Dec. 23 to Dec. 29. The following counties were searched: Anderson, Angelina, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Dallas, Ellis, Freestone, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Houston, Kaufman, Leon, Limestone, Marion, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Panola, Rains, Robertson, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood. For information aboutthe drilling report contact Business Editor Casey Murphy at cmurphy@tylerpaper.com or 903-596-6289.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
NOAA proposes listing 66 reef-building coral species under the Endangered Species Act
NOAA press release: November 30, 2012
In compliance with a federal court ordered deadline, and consistent with existing international protections, NOAA Fisheries announced today that it is proposing Endangered Species Act (ESA) listings for 66 coral species, including 59 in the Pacific and seven in the Caribbean. This science-based proposal is more limited than the 2009 original petition that led to a settlement agreement and the court order. In order to ensure robust input, NOAA has been engaging the public since the process began three years ago. Before this proposed listing is finalized in late 2013, there will be a 90-day public comment period during which NOAA will hold 18 public meetings.
Earlier this year, the President directed that any potential future designations of critical habitat carefully consider all public comments on relevant science and economic impact, including those that suggest methods for minimizing regulatory burdens. Therefore, any potential future critical habitat designation in connection with today’s proposed listing will include a full analysis of economic impact, including impact on jobs, and to the extent permitted by law, adopt the least burdensome means, including avoidance of unnecessary burdens and costs on states, tribes, localities, and the private sector of promoting compliance with the ESA. As this process moves forward, NOAA will work with stakeholders to minimize any potential impacts of possible future action on the economy and jobs and, in particular, on construction, fishing, farming, shipping, and other important sectors.
Elkhorn coral is an icon of the Florida Keys, but was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2006. (Credit: NOAA.)
“Healthy coral reefs are among the most economically valuable and biologically diverse ecosystems on earth,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary for commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “Corals provide habitat to support fisheries that feed millions of people; generate jobs and income to local economies through recreation, tourism, and fisheries; and protect coastlines from storms and erosion. Yet, scientific research indicates that climate change and other activities are putting these corals at risk. This is an important, sensible next step toward preserving the benefits provided by these species, both now and into the future.”
NOAA is proposing seven species as endangered and 52 as threatened in the Pacific, and five as endangered and two as threatened in the Caribbean. In addition, the agency is proposing that two Caribbean species already listed under the Act be reclassified from threatened to endangered. NOAA is seeking public comment on the proposed listing before making a final listing decision by December 2013.
Corals have measurable economic value for communities around the world. One independent study reported that coral reefs provide approximate $483 million in annual net benefit to the U.S. economy from tourism and recreation activities and a combined annual net benefit from all goods and services of about $1.1 billion. NOAA also estimates the annual commercial value of U.S. fisheries from coral reefs to be more than $100 million; reef-based recreational fisheries generate an additional $100 million annually.
Listing species as endangered does not prohibit activities like fishing or diving, but prohibits the specific “take” of those species, including harming, wounding, killing, or collecting the species. It also prohibits imports, exports, and commercial activities dealing in the species. These protections are not automatic for species listed as threatened, but can be established for them as well. Furthermore, if species are eventually listed, NOAA will consult with other federal agencies that permit projects that may harm corals to help avoid further damage. The consultation process allows NOAA to work with federal agencies and project proponents to develop ways for projects to proceed, but in a way that protects the long-term health of these important species.
NOAA has identified 19 threats to the survival of coral, including rising ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, and coral disease. As carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere, the oceans warm beyond what corals can withstand, leading to bleaching, and the frequency and severity of disease outbreaks increase, causing die-offs.
This proposed listing is in response to a 2009 petition from the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) to list 83 coral species as threatened or endangered under the ESA. In 2011, NOAA and the CBD entered into a stipulated settlement agreement requiring NOAA to submit for publication a proposal as to 82 of the 83 coral species by April 15, 2012. In March 2012, the District Court for the Northern District of California approved an amended settlement agreement ordering NOAA to submit a proposal regarding the 82 coral species on or before December 1, 2012. All of these coral species being proposed for listing are already protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
NOAA used the best available scientific information to assess the status of the species and decide if the species met the ESA’s definitions of endangered or threatened. Earlier this year, after publication of a peer-reviewed status review report and a draft management report, NOAA took an additional step of seeking public comment prior to proposing the listing. NOAA received approximately 42,000 comments and collected 400 relevant scientific articles, reports, or presentations, which were all considered when making the proposed determination.
NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Visit us at www.noaa.gov and join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.
For more information, background documents, and instructions on submitting comments, go to http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2012/11/82corals.html
Drilling Report, December 16
The drilling report was produced with data from the Texas Railroad Commission, from December 2 to 8. The following counties were searched: Anderson, Angelina, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Dallas, Ellis, Freestone, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Houston, Kaufman, Leon, Limestone, Marion, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Panola, Rains, Robertson, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood. For information contact Business Editor Casey Murphy at cmurphy@tylerpaper.com or 903-596-6289.
Drilling Report, December 23
The drilling report was produced with data from the Texas Railroad Commission, from December 9 to 15. The following counties were searched: Anderson, Angelina, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Dallas, Ellis, Freestone, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Houston, Kaufman, Leon, Limestone, Marion, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Panola, Rains, Robertson, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood. For information contact Business Editor Casey Murphy at cmurphy@tylerpaper.com or 903-596-6289.
Wind and Solar Power Paired With Storage Could Power Grid 99.9 Percent of the Time
Science Daily
Dec. 10, 2012 — Renewable energy could fully power a large electric grid 99.9 percent of the time by 2030 at costs comparable to today's electricity expenses, according to new research by the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical Community College.
A well-designed combination of wind power, solar power and storage in batteries and fuel cells would nearly always exceed electricity demands while keeping costs low, the scientists found.
"These results break the conventional wisdom that renewable energy is too unreliable and expensive," said co-author Willett Kempton, professor in the School of Marine Science and Policy in UD's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. "The key is to get the right combination of electricity sources and storage — which we did by an exhaustive search — and to calculate costs correctly."
Read more at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121210133507.htm
Lawsuit Targets $3 Billion in U.S. Funding for Fossil Fuel Project in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
From: Editor, Center for Biological Diversity
Published December 14, 2012 08:52 AM
Conservation groups filed a lawsuit today challenging the U.S. Export-Import Bank's nearly $3 billion in financing for a massive Australian fossil fuel facility in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Construction and operation of the liquefied natural gas facility will threaten sea turtles, dugongs and many other protected marine species, as well as the Great Barrier Reef itself.
"Dirty fossil fuel facilities don't belong in a world-famous marine sanctuary like the Great Barrier Reef," said Sarah Uhlemann, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. "This liquefied natural gas project doesn't meet U.S. standards, and we shouldn't be subsidizing the world's fossil fuel dependence or the destruction of a natural wonder like the Great Barrier Reef."
The Export-Import Bank, a federal agency that funds international projects to promote U.S. exports, provided a $3 billion loan in May 2012 for the project, which will be located in Queensland, northeast Australia. The Australia Pacific LNG project will include drilling 10,000 coal-seam gas wells in interior Queensland using controversial "fracking" techniques, digging nearly 300 miles of gas pipelines and constructing a massive natural-gas processing facility and export terminal. To provide access to the new terminal, the project requires dredging the adjacent harbor and its seagrass beds. Increased tanker traffic will eventually ship the fuel across the Great Barrier Reef to ports in Asia and around the world
Read more at http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/45345
Monday, December 24, 2012
Pirates Beware: The U.K. Is Handing Over Your Loot
The Final BattleBy Chris Hedges How Dark Money Helped Republicans Hold the House
By Olga Pierce, Justin Elliott and Theodoric Meyer, ProPublica Where Are We Heading—Bedford Falls or Pottersville?
By Robert Reich Truthdigger of the Week: Zack Kopplin
By Alexander Reed Kelly
Petition Seeks Piers Morgan’s Deportation Over Anti-Gun Comments Firefighters Shot Dead at N.Y. Blaze GOP Senator Who Says He Doesn’t Drink Is Charged With DUI Romney the Reluctant Presidential Candidate, Another Kennedy Weighs Senate Run, and More Koch’s Next Target: Hurricane Sandy Victims
‘Call Me Crazy,’ NRA Chief Says of Controversial New Gun Proposal Debunking NRA Power, Apocalyptic Myths and the Fiscal Cliff ‘Left, Right & Center:’ Guns and the Naked Fiscal Cliff Happy Holidays From Truthdig
We Value Belonging More Than PrivacyA Simple, Excellent and Surprising Film
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The Questions Education Reformers Aren’t AskingDig led by Mike Rose Gore Vidal: His Life and Legacy
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Larry's List 
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Posted on Dec 24, 2012 
The government of the United Kingdom plans to allow copyrighted material to be copied for personal use; Julian Assange gives kudos to Bradley Manning from the balcony of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London; meanwhile, South Africa’s ruling party has called for an official boycott on Israel. These discoveries and more below.
On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.
UK Law Relaxed On Digital Copying
Making digital copies of music, films and other copyrighted material for personal use is to be made legal for the first time under U.K. government plans.
What Turned Jaron Lanier Against the Web?
The digital pioneer and visionary behind virtual reality has turned against the very culture he helped create.
In a Year of Politicians and Bad News, Surprising Stories of Resistance
The giddy heights of 2011—the Wisconsin uprising and Occupy Wall Street—yielded this year to a slog of an election season where many crucial questions were not even up for debate, from labor law reform to the minimum wage to climate change.
And All Shall Worship Money
If money is now society’s religion, does it then follow that economists are the clergy of the modern age?
Obama Will Ride to the Rescue ... for Republicans
The Republicans have put themselves in a holy mess with this Plan B debacle.
Boeing Uses Potatoes Instead of People to Test Wi-fi
US planemaker Boeing used an unusual substitute for passengers to test its in-flight wi-fi system - potatoes.
Assange Praises Bradley Manning
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange emerged for a rare public address Thursday, praising jailed U.S. soldier Bradley Manning in an address delivered from the balcony of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.
South Africa’s ANC Makes Support for Israel Boycott its Official Policy
For the first time ever, the African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party in South Africa, today made the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel part of its official policy.
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