...regulations related to each site. These environmental considerations, such as their effects on air, water, and land, will have an impact on the final decision where Big Rapids will be located. Regardless of the chosen site, the laws instituted by the EPA must be followed. The following states environmental regulations will be discussed: Arizona, Texas, and Tennessee. Environmental regulations for the state of Arizona are enforced by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Arizona’s environmental regulations primarily focus on air, water, and waste. The Grand Canyon National Park is protected by the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts – these provide for monitoring of hazardous air and water pollutants because of its historical significance. According to the Glen Canyon Institute (2010, para. 6), Congress passed the Grand Canyon Protection Act to protect the Canyon and mitigate damages associated with building new structures within it. Big Ben National Park, located on the Rio Grande River in Texas, is another potential site for Big Rapids. The Texas Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for the regulation of air and water pollution as well as waste reduction. The Rio Grande River is primarily used for irrigation and serves as the habitat for many species of wildlife. The E ... Merced River – California --- Yosemite Environmental regulations for the state of California are enforced by the California Environmental Protection Agency. The Cal/EPA enforces the state’s...
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...11/4/2013 Well Integrity: Hydraulic Fracturing & Well ConstructionWhat are the Factual Risks? George E. King Apache Corporation SPE Webinar 5 November 2013 History • Invented in era of 1943 to 1947 by Standard Oil of Indiana (Stanolin => Pan American => Amoco). • Fully commercial by 1954. • First multi-fractured deviated wells in 1975. • Million pound sand jobs in mid 1970’s • Million gallon fracs in mid 1980’s. • Horizontal multi-fractured shale wells in 1988. • Over 1 million jobs completed by mid 1990’s. • About 2 million jobs completed by 2012. 1 11/4/2013 Oil and Gas Development – The Stages 1. Assessment – is it worth drilling? • Seismic, outcrops, lab work, etc. 2. Exploration - initial drill, well construction, limited fracs • Identify what cannot be assessed in laboratory. 3. Development / Construction / Stimulation • Main development – drill, construct, fracturing 4. Operations / Production – the work • Flow – maintenance, operation styles, 5. Reclamation – Restore surface & seal old well Red Flags to the Community • • • • • • Trucking – congestion, accidents, road damage. Chemicals – unidentified, misidentified, no info. Perception of high water usage Influx of workers Spills Lack of contact from the developers! • Hysteria Sources: Bloggers, slanted “university studies” “documentaries” some “environmentalists”, media, rumor mills….. Definitions • Fracturing Operations – – – – – ...
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...Watershed Test Answer the following questions on your “Ghetto Scantron Sheet.” When you finish, turn in your test and remain quiet until others are finished. 1. Which of the following lists contain only the EPA’s important beneficial uses for watersheds? A. Agriculture, Urban Development, Drinking water B. Urban Development, Recreation, Fish and Shellfish consumption C. Fish and Shellfish consumption, Aquatic Life habitats, Drinking water D. Swimming, Boating, Canoeing, Rope swinging, Cleaning stuff. What Federal agency is responsible for assessing and monitoring the bodies of water in the U.S.? A. Environmental Precipitation Association B. Environmental Principle Agency C. Environmental Protection Association D. Environmental Protection Agency What Act of Legislation gave them the power to monitor and assess our nation’s watersheds? A. Clean Air Act of 1972 B. Clean Water Act of 1972 C. Clean Air Act of 1792 D. Clean Water Act of 1792 If a body of water receives a level 1 assessment by the EPA, it means that the water is: A. Clean B. Dirty C. Not too clean and not too dirty If a body of water receives a level 3 assessment by the EPA, it means that the water is: A. Clean B. Dirty C. Not too clean and not too dirty If a body of water receives a level 5 assessment by the EPA, it means that the water is: A. Clean B. Dirty C. Not too clean and not too dirty 7. Which of the following is NOT an example of a watershed? A. Trinity River Basin B. Cooper Creek River Basin C. Lake Ray Roberts...
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...PrintEmailArticle ToolsPage 1 of 1 Burning coal for energy causes more harm to the environment than it is worth. Gov. Rick Perry and Texas utility companies are in favor of 16 newly proposed coal-fired plants. Coal has been used in the past and has been proven dependable. Environmentalists, ranchers and many Texas mayors are concerned about air quality. Texas emits the most greenhouse gases of any state. Coal is a plentiful and cheap energy source, which is partially what makes it so appealing. However, burning coal pollutes the air tremendously. Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and Houston Mayor Bill White object to the proposal along with 15 other mayors and about one-third of all Texans. According to National Public Radio, Miller wants a cleaner way to produce energy with coal. The Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle is 70 percent to 90 percent cleaner than the present method of burning coal. Unfortunately, it is more expensive. Perry is in favor of creating energy by burning coal and says that the IGCC is not ready for Texas. According to NPR, he said that it is a good idea but Texas needs energy now and cannot wait for new systems to be put into place. The decaying state of the environment cannot wait either. Freshman premajor Lauren Wright said, "It is important to think about the long-term consequences and not the immediate benefits of burning coal." IGCC is newer and better technology. It would be foolish not to take advantage of cleaner technology in order to...
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...The current event I chose to write about is ocean pollution. Ocean pollution is a huge issue. Some people wonder why do people throw trash in the ocean? Well, people throw trash in the ocean because they are too lazy to get up and throw it away in a trash can or just can’t find one, so instead, they toss it in the ocean. They need to be aware of what it's doing to hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales, and other marine mammals, and more than 1 million seabirds. These creatures die each year from ocean pollution. You might not pollute in the ocean, but you might do it somewhere not realizing where it’ll go. Small pieces of trash that people throw on the street are usually washed into storm drains during rainstorms. The storm drains carry...
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...We need to spend a greater amount of time finding alternates to getting oil to Texas. The Pipeline is to go through where people’s homes currently reside so when they build the pipeline those houses will have to be demolished and multiple families will have to move. The demand for oil will persist until we find a better, carbon-free way to drive our cars, trucks, planes, and trains (McElroy). You could have trucks take the oil to Texas instead of hurting the land by building a pipeline through people’s lives. How would you feel if you had to move out of your home and leave all the memories behind so that Texas can have oil? The farmers that have crops growing around the Pipeline could end up losing their crops because of all the chemicals that are around them. Some of the farmers rely on their crops for their income as they sell to people around and businesses the world. The people that are building the Keystone seem like they don’t care about the well-being of the...
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...Areas with better average pay rates will not necessarily show improvement over areas of lower averages if the cost of living is too high. Some of the annual pay averages for US (United States) cities include Billings, Montana – $41,660, Los Angeles, California – $53,000, and San Antonio, Texas – $41,870 (“Occupational Employment Statistics”). Conversely, when it comes to the state’s cost of living indexes, Montana has a higher than normal cost of living index (102), while Texas has a substantially lower one (92.6) (“Cost of Living Data Series Second Quarter 2015”). California has the fifth highest cost of living index within the US (133.7) (“Cost of Living Data Series Second Quarter 2015”). The average cost of living index is counted as 100. This number incorporates a number of expenses including groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, and health (“Cost of Living Data Series Second Quarter 2015”). These counts indicate that Texas would more than likely provide the most positive change financially with relocations; whereas, California, even at the higher pay rate, would demonstrate the most...
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...used to get gas and oil from shale rock. The process of fracking is injecting the mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the rock at a high pressure to release gas (BBC, 2013). Fracking technology experiences long time of development. In 1947, Stanolind Oil conducted the first experimental fracturing to stimulate natural gas; in 1949 Halliburton conducted the first commercial fracturing to extract natural gas (Montgomery and Smith, 2010). Until 2003 fracking was used widely, energy companies actively expand natural gas exploration in Texas and Pennsylvania (Eecworld, 2010). fracking played an important role in America's natural gas resources for many years and countries such as Canada, England and China are actively pursuing implementation of fracking. Nationally, fracking can boost energy industry and promote economic grow in countries. However, like any advanced technology, it can also raise environmental concerns, cause water and air pollution. Therefore, whether the advantages of fracking worth the disadvantages? Yes, it worth. fracking is good, so it should be used on a massive scale to contribute to the increasing demands of energy. There are three economy advantages of fracking. Firstly, fracking can increase natural gas production. With enough supply of natural gas can meet countries’ domestic demand for natural gas at current high levels consumption of natural gas for more than decades. Nowadays, countries such as America, Russia and Qatar are using fracking as a way...
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...In order for one to solve a problem, he or she must first be aware that one exists. In this case, it is known that the hard-working and bright George Mackee has established a good and professional relationship with his boss, Bill, from Austin, Texas. George received a call from Bill regarding the problem, that the smokestack emissions coming from George’s plant in Hondo, Texas, has reached levels higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) guidelines permit. Bill said that the headquarters was not going to invest in new smokestack scrubbers that would simply solve this problem. Since margins were at the tightest they could be. Fines started to collect up since they couldn’t reduce the pollution or pass the EPA. Momentarily after...
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...early 2013. We will begin by looking at the two opposing sides to the argument. There are many groups of people who advocated for the implementation of a city ordinance banning single-use bags in Austin and who continue to support it. The Austin City Government, led by Mayor Lee Leffinwell, and the Austin Resource Recovery, formerly known as the Solid Waste Services (SWS) Department, were the main proponents who pushed the ordinance into effect. In addition, the Zero Waste Advisory Commission and the Environmental Board of Austin both performed a variety of analysis, which resulted in them viewing the bag ban as the best step forward in achieving Austin’s Zero Waste goals as part of the Austin Resource Recovery Master Plan (Gedert). The Texas Campaign for the Environment was also one of the first groups to push the Austin government to consider banning single-use bags and to...
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...I am originally from the small West Texas town of Fort Stockton, Texas, population 8500. Although, it is a small community, local residents are very proud of a few things there; it’s history, the ever-present roadrunner statue, local team sports and keeping the community a clean and safe place to call home. Both sides of my family have deep roots in Ft. Stockton and it is a place that I am proud to say I call home. However, the best part is knowing that my family (and a part of me) will forever be a part of its rich history and involvement in political issues. My maternal grandfather, who was raised in Mexico but born in the US, he met and lived in Ojinaga, Mexico with my grandmother and his family. He wanted to give his children an opportunity for a better life, so in the early 1980’s, he moved the family across the border to Fort Stockton. He worked as a ranch hand for many years while my grandmother stayed at home with the kids. In the early 1990’s the family opened up a restaurant, Bienvenidos Mexican Food, which quickly became a local favorite. The restaurant has doubled in size and remains a local hotspot to this day. All three of their kids graduated from Fort Stockton High...
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...Ocean Pollutants Found in Tuna Weaken the Immune System There is actually an island of garbage twice the size of Texas in the Pacific Ocean. Has anyone ever wondered where all that trash came from? Where all that trash ends up? Or who gets affected by it? A solution should be made for ocean pollution for the sake of ocean life, but specifically, Yellowfin tuna. Ocean pollution is caused by many reasons, oil spills. Fertilizers, garbage, sewage disposal, and toxic chemicals. Ocean pollutants found in Tuna are weakening our immune system, is affecting the entire food chain, and is also harming sea life. With this in mind, ocean pollution is being detrimental to not only Tuna, but also the ocean and humans as well. As an illustration, ocean pollutants were found in Yellowfin tuna and is making our immune system weaker. Meaning, “Persistent Organic Pollutants, or POP, affected an important cellular protein found in most animals and plants.” (Ocean Pollutants Found in Tuna Weaken the Immune System, TakePart) TakePart also explains that, “The protein, called P-gp, usually ejects toxins from the body. But the team found that all 10 pollutants weakened P-gp’s protective function.” In other words, pollutants were found in yellowfin tuna which affects our protein cells and also weakens our immune system. Thus, ocean...
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...Comparison between California and Texas There are many things to consider and compare when deciding to move to another location. One has to consider the climate, cultures, economics, crime rate, and agriculture. Some states are so different, they don’t seem like they’re in the same country. Many people move to California or Texas for the vast opportunities. The climates in California range from cool wintry weather in the north, to sunny and hot weather in the south. Texas weather changes from hot to rainy and sometimes too cold with some areas with sleet and snow. Californians take pride in their location, and they are proud to live in one of the most diverse places in the continent of the United States. The environment plays a role in attracting good employees and keeping them healthy. Forbes in 2007 ranked California as the 14th greenest state in the nation, and gave Texas a rank of 34. The publication based its ranking on such factors as energy consumption and pollution (KQED.org news). The housing in California is a lot more expensive than in Texas. There’s no point relocating to another state if your employees can’t find a place to live. According to Trulia.com, the median sales price of a home in California is $452,000, compared to only $144,900 in Texas (KQED.org news). The school system in California the students are taught very different compared to the students in Texas. The scores of tests that are given between the two states explain very much the difference about...
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...Driving through the state of Texas, among other areas of the world, one can see the beauty of wind power being harnessed by the wind turbines that line the fields. When thinking about renewable alternative energy and places that are successfully incorporating the energy into daily lives, Texas immediately came to mind. Texas is ranked number one in the nation for wind energy capacity (Texas wide open for business, 2014). If one were to look at Texas as a country, it would rank number 6 on a global scale for installed wind energy capacity (Texas wide open for business, 2014). Wind turbines are used to generate electricity from wind. What is interesting about wind energy is that it is a form of solar energy, caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun (Wind Energy Development, n.d.). There are advantages and disadvantages to wind energy. First to discuss a few advantages. Wind energy is friendly to the environment and does not use fossil fuels while generating electricity from wind energy (Clean Energy Ideas, 2007-2015). Turbines are a great way to generate energy in remote location and they can be different sizes to support different population sizes (Clean Energy Ideas, 2007-2015). When wind power is combined with solar electricity it is great for developed and developing countries in providing a steady, reliable supply of electricity (Clean Energy Ideas, 2007-2015). Finally, wind is free, and new technologies are making this more efficient to harness wind power...
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...Historically, the South Texas Plains supported grassland or savanna-type climax vegetation with dense mixed brush along dry washes and flood plains of the Rio Grande. The extensive shrub lands of the Lower Rio Grande Valley have been converted to agriculture and urban over the past 60 years. Much of this land, particularly the more fertile soils, has been cleared for production of vegetables, citrus, sugarcane, cotton, and other crops. Unfortunately for the Ocelot, the best soil types also grow the thickest brush and thus produce the best habitat. Less than 5% of the original vegetation remains in the Rio Grande Valley. Only about 1% of the South Texas area supports what is currently defined as optimal habitat. Most of this habitat occurs...
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