Crucial Prayer Topics : Creation Care & Energy

Oil Platform Explodes Off Louisiana Coast; 13 Rescued
AOL News - September 3, 2010

(Sept. 2) -- An offshore oil platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico today and all 13 workers were rescued from the water, the Coast Guard said. The blast sparked a fire on the platform about 100 miles south of Louisiana's Vermilion Bay, four months after the Deepwater Horizon disaster. But this time, there was no immediate sign of an oil leak....[view article]

BP preps next step in effort to seal Gulf oil well
CNN - August 30, 2010

(CNN) -- More than three weeks after plugging its ruptured oil well with cement and mud from above, BP plans to start a procedure Monday that will pave the way for a permanent fix for the well....[view article]

Texas fights Obama over global-warming lawless power grab
Washington Times - August 26, 2010

The state's slogan is "Don't mess with Texas." But the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is doing just that, and at stake is whether the Obama administration can impose its global-warming agenda without a vote of Congress....[view article]

Trapped Chile miners get supplies
BBC - August 24, 2010

Thirty-three miners trapped underground in Chile since 5 August have begun receiving glucose, rehydration tablets and medicine....[view article]

Why Is BP Delaying the Bottom Kill Operation Till September?
Fox News - August 20, 2010

(Aug. 20) -- National Incident Commander Thad Allen said Thursday that BP's unruly well won't be killed once and for all until September. Original estimates had planned for the bottom kill -- which will kill the well for good -- to take place this month. At several points, emergency crews were even said to be ahead of schedule on the project, but no longer....[view article]

Politics, Not Science, Drove White House to Release Rosy Gulf Oil Report
Breitbart - August 20, 2010

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's controversial report on the Gulf oil spill was not finished when the White House chose to release it, a government scientist told congressional investigators....[view article]

Obama Administration Not Disclosing the Full Truth on the Gulf
Wall Street Journal - August 13, 2010

"A third of the impact is being overlooked,' said the University of Georgia's Samantha Joye, who was among the first to detect evidence of the underwater clouds of oil droplets and various petroleum hydrocarbons from the damaged well. Earlier this week, Dr. Joye and a team of marine researchers from the University of Georgia and the Georgia Sea Grant program challenged the government's accounting of the oil cleanup, saying that as much as 79% of the oil remained in the...[view article]

As BP, feds explore whether final plug is needed for Gulf gusher, locals fear being forgotten
Fox News - August 12, 2010

NEW ORLEANS - With the oil well that had been spewing into the Gulf of Mexico plugged from the top and BP PLC and federal officials pondering whether the final plug, or "bottom kill," is needed, local officials fear national disengagement from what remains a crisis of unknown proportions....[view article]

Radiation, plague, and fires: foreign embassies urgently evacuate staff from Russia
- August 11, 2010

A hasty evacuation of diplomatic staff from foreign embassies, like a stampede, began in Moscow. Many embassies are trying to hide the evacuation for political reasons. Mass evacuation of the embassies of Canada and Poland was officially reported at night on August 7....[view article]

U.S., BP Near Deal on Fund
Wall Street Journal - August 10, 2010

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration and BP PLC are close to a deal to use future revenues from the oil giant's Gulf of Mexico operations to guarantee its $20 billion cleanup and compensation fund, a move that would give both sides an incentive to continue production in the Gulf, scene of the U.S.'s worst-ever offshore oil spill....[view article]

Moscow Death Rate Doubles as Many Flee Heat, Smog
AOL News - August 10, 2010

Moscow's death rate has doubled, a city health official said today, as a nearly unprecedented heat wave and acrid smog from wildfires grip the capital, causing tens of thousands to flee....[view article]

Gulf relief well crews watch for tropical weather
AP - Associated Press - August 10, 2010

NEW ORLEANS -Crews finishing work meant to forever stop oil from leaking from a blown-out undersea well into the Gulf may have one more hurdle to overcome: the weather....[view article]

BP well could be permanently sealed by end of week
CNN - August 10, 2010

(CNN) -- The disaster of epic proportions in the Gulf of Mexico still is on track to be resolved at the end of this week, according to the federal point man in the region....[view article]

BP: Focus is on killing well, not future drilling in Gulf
CNN - August 7, 2010

(CNN) -- A BP official on Friday talked about the possibility of resuming drilling at the site of the Gulf oil disaster, but the company clarified his remarks....[view article]

Muscovites struggle to breathe as acrid smoke grips city
CNN - August 7, 2010

Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- The Moscow skyline of the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral vanished Friday as a blanket of thick, noxious smoke shrouded the metropolis, leaving many of the city's 10 million residents with sore throats and burning eyes....[view article]

Crude still coats marshes and wetlands along Gulf
AOL News - August 6, 2010

Type the intro here if you are linking to another story, otherwise paste the entire story here and leave the url blank. The website will display a maximum of 80 words for the introduction. If you are pasting from Word use the word pasteboard icon....[view article]

Tropical Storm Colin Regenerates; Busy Season Predicted
AOL News - August 6, 2010

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Record high ocean temperatures and the development of a climate phenomenon known as La Nina will keep the Atlantic hurricane season on track to be the busiest since 2005, government forecasters said Thursday....[view article]

Cementing of Well Completed
Wall Street Journal - August 6, 2010

BP PLC has finished pumping its rogue well in the Gulf of Mexico with cement, effectively sealing it for good. But the government insists it's still too early to start celebrating victory....[view article]

BP to pour cement into well in next phase of 'static kill'
CNN - August 5, 2010

(CNN) -- BP plans to start pouring cement into its crippled well in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday in the next phase of the well-killing operation known as a "static kill."...[view article]

Scorching heat prompts warnings in 18 states
CNN - August 5, 2010

(CNN) -- Forecasters have issued advisories for at least 18 states Thursday as dangerous heat continues to scorch parts of the South, Midwest and the North....[view article]

Forecasters to Update Atlantic Hurricane Outlook
The New York Times - August 5, 2010

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) -- The U.S. government is set to update its outlook for the Atlantic hurricane season. In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted this could be the busiest hurricane season since 2005, when hurricanes Katrina and Rita ripped along the same part of the Gulf Coast now coping with one of the world's worst oil spills....[view article]

Oil Spill Cleanup Workers Include Many Very, Very Small Ones
The New York Times - August 5, 2010

Among the hidden stars of the gulf cleanup is an oil-hungry bacterium that Dr. Seuss could have named - Alcanivorax. It and fellow microbes are breaking down a significant amount of the oil that gushed into the environment from BP's runaway well, scientists say. The microbial feasting is known as biodegradation....[view article]

BP gears up to halt oil spill confirmed 'world's worst'
BBC - August 3, 2010

The US government has said the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the biggest oil leak ever, as BP prepares its "static kill" operation to permanently seal its well. A new government estimate suggests BP's Macondo well leaked 4.9 million barrels of oil before being capped last month....[view article]

On Gulf, crews hope kill attempt will do the trick
AP - Associated Press - August 3, 2010

NEW ORLEANS - Crews hoped to begin pumping mud and perhaps cement down the throat of the blown-out oil well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday in what BP officials said could be the method of attack that finally snuffs the spill....[view article]

Feds, parish presidents discuss cleanup at "contentious" meeting
CNN - July 30, 2010

New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- What's next now that the oil stopped flowing, and what will happen when BP's crippled well in the Gulf of Mexico is finally, permanently sealed?...[view article]

Coast Guard may start redeploying cleanup resources once Gulf well is killed permanently
Fox News - July 29, 2010

The government's point man for the Gulf spill plans to meet with coastal parish officials Thursday to talk about what's next now that the oil has stopped flowing....[view article]

Reid Abandons Cap & Trade in Face of Bipartisan Opposition
Fox News - July 23, 2010

Hitting a wall of bipartisan opposition to placing a price on carbon, even if just in the utility sector, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Thursday unveiled a narrow, limited energy bill that contains no cap and trade plan....[view article]

Bad weather could hamper effort to seal oil well
CNN - July 22, 2010

New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- Bad weather may impact BP's attempts to create a permanent fix to the oil disaster, a BP official said Thursday....[view article]

Scientists weighing new option for shutting down oil well
CNN - July 20, 2010

Washington (CNN) -- As tests continue Tuesday on BP's ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists are weighing a new option for permanently sealing it....[view article]

China oil pipelines burn for 15 hours after explosion
BBC - July 17, 2010

Two oil pipelines which exploded in the Chinese port city of Dalian started a fire which burned for 15 hours. Around 2,000 firefighters extinguished the blaze, which began after a ship carrying 300,000 tonnes of oil unloaded its cargo on Friday....[view article]

Mini Nuclear Power Plants on the Way
On Watch in Washington - July 16, 2010

A San Francisco engineering company which has worked on more than half of the nuclear power stations in the U.S. is supporting an effort to build “the world’s first commercially viable, small modular nuclear power plants.” Bechtel Corp. is partnering with Babcock & Wilcox Co. in a move that “has the potential to be a real game changer,” according to Jack Futcher, president of Bechtel’s power business unit. The companies say the...[view article]

Oil Stopped Flowing into Gulf, For Now
On Watch in Washington - July 16, 2010

Give thanks that the oil is at least temporarily stopped flowing into the ocean. Pray that the solution will be made permanent and that cleanup and recovery will happen quickly. After 85 days of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, BP finally achieved a temporary halt to the oil spill on Thursday. The company closed the valves on a tight-fitting cap to completely seal off the well for the first time since the...[view article]

Gulf spill: BP prepares for key oil well test
BBC - July 15, 2010

Adm Thad Allen: "When BP is ready, we will start to increase the pressure in the capping stack" Oil firm BP is preparing to test the strength of its leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico, in its latest bid to stop the flow. BP began shutting valves linked to the new cap, but a "small leak" in a pipe has delayed the tests. The firm said it would take a "short while" to fix....[view article]

BP Installs Sealing Cap on Errant Well
Wall Street Journal - July 13, 2010

HOUSTON-BP PLC said Monday night it had installed a new sealing cap that could halt the oil spewing from its broken well in the Gulf of Mexico, raising the possibility that a nearly three-month long environmental crisis could soon be contained....[view article]

This time it's oil trouble for Lake Pontchartrain
AP - Associated Press - July 7, 2010

NEW ORLEANS - Oil from the ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico is seeping into Lake Pontchartrain north of New Orleans, threatening another environmental disaster for the huge body of water that was rescued from pollution in 1990s....[view article]

Green machine: Cars could run on sunlight and CO2
New Scientist - July 6, 2010

Greenhouse-gas-pumping cars are, let's face it, never going to be green. But innovative sunlight-powered fuel production techniques could inch motor vehicles towards carbon neutrality....[view article]

Hurricane could suspend oil capping for two weeks
CNN - July 2, 2010

(CNN) -- Oil could flow unrestricted for two weeks into the Gulf of Mexico if a hurricane moved toward the BP oil spill, according to a timeline from Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who's managing the federal government's response to the disaster....[view article]

Tropical weather could exacerbate Gulf Coast woes
CNN - June 25, 2010

New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- Downtrodden Gulf Coast residents may soon have something besides the oil spill to worry about. But it's not really a "new" threat -- it's what they fret about every summer: tropical weather. There is a 70 percent chance that a weather system in the western Caribbean will better organize and form at least a tropical depression in the next 48 hours, the National Hurricane Center said Friday morning....[view article]

Florida Closes Beach as Gobs of Oil Wash In
Fox News - June 25, 2010

NEW ORLEANS - More dirty evidence of the massive oil spill washed ashore along the Gulf Coast for residents who don't need anymore reminders of their frustration over failed efforts to stop the crude gushing from a blown-out undersea well....[view article]

Japanese told to go to bed an hour early to cut carbon emissions
Telegraph - June 24, 2010

Japanese households are being urged to go to bed one hour earlier than normal in order to help tackle climate change....[view article]

Cap back after robot nudge stalls oil collection
AP - Associated Press - June 24, 2010

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A cap was back in place on BP's broken oil well in the Gulf of Mexico after a deep-sea blunder forced crews to temporarily remove what has been the most effective method so far for containing some of the massive spill....[view article]

Florida Panhandle County Takes Oil Matters Into Its Own Hands
Fox News - June 18, 2010

A Florida Panhandle community that's been victimized by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico says it can fight the destruction of its beaches and waterways better than the federal government -- but it's left with one problem: "Who will pay the bill?...[view article]

Analysts: Relief Wells May Not Stop Spill Until Christmas
AOL News - June 17, 2010

(June 17) -- President Barack Obama promised in his speech Tuesday night that sometime in August, the Gulf oil spill will finally be tamed. The leak will be plugged. The live "spillcam" can be turned off....[view article]

Obama taps Michael Bromwich as watchdog for offshore oil drilling
The Washington Post - June 16, 2010

The man appointed Tuesday by President Obama to oversee offshore oil drilling has no experience with oil and gas issues, but he has a reputation for cleaning up embattled organizations....[view article]

After delays, U.S. begins to tap foreign aid for gulf oil spill
The Washington Post - June 14, 2010

Four weeks after the nation's worst environmental disaster, the Obama administration saw no need to accept offers of state-of-the-art skimmers, miles of boom or technical assistance from nations around the globe with experience fighting oil spills....[view article]

Obama to Reopen Oil Drilling
Wall Street Journal - June 8, 2010

WASHINGTON-The Obama administration, facing rising anger on the Gulf Coast over the loss of jobs and income from a drilling moratorium, said Monday that it would move quickly to release new safety requirements that would allow the reopening of offshore oil and gas exploration in shallow waters....[view article]

22-mile oil plume under Gulf nears rich waters
AP - Associated Press - May 29, 2010

NEW ORLEANS - A thick, 22-mile plume of oil discovered by researchers off the BP spill site was nearing an underwater canyon, where it could poison the foodchain for sealife in the waters off Florida.Type the intro here if you are linking to another story, otherwise paste the entire story here and leave the url blank. The website will display a maximum of 80 words for the introduction....[view article]

Hurricane season may make spill worse
USA TODAY - May 20, 2010

As hurricane season looms, forecasters, scientists and residents along the Gulf Coast worry that a major storm could make the oil spill worse....[view article]

Academics urge radical new approach to climate change
BBC - May 11, 2010

A major change of approach is needed if society is to restrain climate change, according to a report from a self-styled "eclectic" group of academics....[view article]

Some oil spill events from Friday, May 7, 2010
AP - Associated Press - May 7, 2010

Events May 7, Day 18 of a Gulf of Mexico oil spill that began with an explosion and fire on April 20 on the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, owned by Transocean Ltd. and leased by BP PLC, which is in charge of cleanup and containment. The blast killed 11 workers. Since then, oil has been pouring into the Gulf from a blown-out undersea well at about 210,000 gallons per day. The slick threatens the U.S. coastline....[view article]

In Gulf Oil Spill, Fragile Marshes Face New Threat
The New York Times - May 1, 2010

COCODRIE, La. - With oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico unabated and officials giving no indication that the flow can be contained soon, towns along the Gulf Coast braced Saturday for what is increasingly understood to be an imminent environmental disaster....[view article]

Visit Seen as Sign That Wind Farm to Be Approved
The New York Times - April 28, 2010

BOSTON - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar was headed to Boston on Wednesday to make a noon announcement on whether the Cape Wind project, the nation's first offshore wind farm, off the coast of Cape Cod, will go forward....[view article]

How Cap And Trade Was 'Trashed'
NPR.org - April 27, 2010

It's not clear whether climate-change legislation has any chance in the Senate this year. What is clear is that even if the chamber does manage to pass a bill, it will be much less ambitious than the version approved by the House last year....[view article]

Nine-year wind farm fight splits Cape Cod
CNN - April 20, 2010

Falmouth, Massachusetts (CNN) -- The Rev. William Eddy stands at the bow of his 53-foot sailboat nestled in the postcard setting of Cape Cod....[view article]

Obama opens new oil drilling offshore in climate drive
Reuters - April 7, 2010

(Reuters) - Obama unveiled plans on Wednesday for a limited expansion of U.S. offshore oil and gas drilling in an effort to win Republican support for new proposals to fight climate change....[view article]

Surge of Enthusiasm Greets US Offshore Power Study
AOL News - April 6, 2010

(April 5) -- A new wind is blowing in, stirring up the scientific, media and business communities with its powerful implications for the U.S. energy supply: limitless, renewable, clean electricity that's capable of powering the entire Eastern Seaboard....[view article]

Resort may close to save local tribe
Gadling - March 30, 2010

The Indian government is considering closing a resort on one of the Andaman islands in order to save a formerly remote tribe from extinction. The resort, run by Barefoot India, is near the forest home of the Jarawa tribe....[view article]

A new dawn for global nuclear power
The Washington Post - March 29, 2010

Russia is running out of power and plans to build over 40 new nuclear power stations in the next 20 years to make up for the shortfall....[view article]

* Environment * Energy Earth Hour - climate change campaigners urge global switch-off
Guardian - March 26, 2010

The biggest turn-off in human history will start at 8.30pm tomorrow in Chatham, a tiny South Pacific island with only 12 street lamps. Almost 25 hours later, but at 9.30pm the same day, it will finish on the other side of the international dateline in the Galapagos Islands, where scientists at the Charles Darwin Research Station will share a candle-lit dinner with several hundred locals and environmental activists....[view article]

Let's Celebrate God's Creation Together - Hope For Creation: A Live Simulcast
Evangelical Environmental Network - March 17, 2010

Let's Celebrate God's Creation Together - Hope For Creation: A Live Simulcast  - April 22, 2010     Psalm 100 (NIV) 1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.  2 Worship the LORD with gladness;         come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the LORD is God.         It is he who made us, and we are his;         we are his people, the sheep of his...[view article]

Potential new source for biofuel found
UPI - March 10, 2010

YORK, England, March 10 (UPI) -- British scientists say they've discovered a mechanism that might lead to a new way of converting wood and straw into liquid biofuels....[view article]

Is There Enough Food Out There For Nine Billion People?
The New Republic - February 9, 2010

Sometime around 2050, there are going to be nine billion people roaming this planet-two billion more than there are today. It's a safe bet that all those folks will want to eat. And that's... an incredibly daunting prospect. Right now, an estimated one billion people go hungry each day. So add two billion more people, a limited supply of arable land, plus the fact that rising incomes will boost demand for meat and dairy products, plus the fact that many...[view article]

ftp://www.ifapray.org/020310/hillary_un-150.jpg
AOL News - February 2, 2010

(Feb. 2) - The United States, China and dozens of other countries have submitted pledges to limit greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 - the first hurdle required in a voluntary pact set up at last year's U.N. climate change summit in Copenhagen....[view article]

Invasive Asian Carp Inspire Lawsuits, Extreme Archery
- December 30, 2009

(Dec. 29) -- They're the "nuclear bombs" of American waterways. That's the analogy Michigan attorney general Mike Cox has drawn for the Asian carp, which is rapidly taking over stretches of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers -- so rapidly, in fact, that his state is now seeking a legal injunction to help prevent the carp from invading the Great Lakes. Cox's hope is that the courts accomplish what science could not: A recent experiment with poison in the Chicago river...[view article]

Israeli company finds oil beneath Rosh Ha'ayin
Haaretz.com - December 26, 2009

An Israeli oil exploration company on Thursday announced that it had found a huge amount of oil and gas during drilling below the city of Rosh Ha'ayin this week. Givot Olam Oil Exploration Limited Partnership said that more than 60 percent gas was measured in the drill, indicating the first such find in Israel.  ...[view article]

Water from Hadera desalination plant enters National Water Carrier
The Jerusalem Post - December 24, 2009

The latest desalination plant began pumping water into the National Water Carrier on Wednesday, Mekorot, the national water company announced....[view article]

Al Gore Gets It Wrong at Copenhagen Talks
AOL News - December 15, 2009

AOLNews - It is an inconvenient time for Al Gore to be fudging numbers on global climate change. With the specter of the "Climategate" e-mails hanging ominously over the Copenhagen climate change summit, the former vice president told a crowd there on Monday that one scientist had predicted the polar ice cap would have no summer ice in five to seven years....[view article]

Gov't Says Greenhouse Gases Dangerous
CBN News - December 8, 2009

For the first time, the federal government is claiming that greenhouse gases are dangerous for the public health....[view article]

Beinecke: Major Progress Is Being Made
Roll Call - November 12, 2009

With momentum building for U.S. action on global climate change, nearly 200 countries will take part in a United Nations summit on the issue next month in Copenhagen....[view article]

Clean Coal Using Plasma Furnaces
Christian Newswire - October 19, 2009

FREDERICK, MD, Sept. 20 /Christian Newswire/ -- The United States is often called the Saudi Arabia of coal. Up to now, burning coal to generate electric power has created pollution harmful to our environment, damaging to our health, and that might contribute to climate change. Well, that's about to change. Plasma furnaces can retrofit old coal-burning electric power plants so that they meet strict new EPA requirements....[view article]