Resources & Research

Dec. 18, 2014
FACT SHEET: Guidance on Considering Climate Change in NEPA Reviews and Conducting Programmatic NEPA Reviews
SOURCE: U.S. Council on Environmental Equality (CEQ)

As part of an ongoing effort to modernize implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act and promote effective and transparent environmental reviews, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) today released updated draft guidance for Federal agencies on how to consider greenhouse gas emissions and the impacts of climate change in their NEPA analyses, as well as final guidance on conducting programmatic NEPA reviews. These measures will increase the efficiency of environmental reviews and help agencies make informed decisions that are sound investments of taxpayer dollars and good for American communities.

READ MORE: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/Press_Releases/December_18_2014

===============
A Dec. 2014 report from Sightline Institute provides useful background information on Kinder Morgan:
The Facts About Kinder Morgan
http://www.sightline.org/research/the-facts-about-kinder-morgan-2/

===============
One of the links on the BLM’s Lobos Pipeline page refers visitors to this undated U.S. Department of Energy FAQ page for more information on CO2. Here is the DOE’s response to one question:

Could CO2 leak into drinking water?
A. No known contamination of groundwater has occurred from CO2 injection. However, unintended CO2 release, either from wells or along faults and fractures, could impact groundwater quality. Increases in dissolved CO2 concentration that might occur if CO2 migrates from a storage reservoir to the surface would alter groundwater chemistry, potentially affecting shallow groundwater used for potable water and industrial and agricultural needs. Dissolved CO2 forms carbonic acid, altering the pH of the solution and potentially causing indirect effects, including mobilization of metals, sulfate, or chloride, and possibly giving the water an odd odor, color, or taste. In the worst case, byproducts of CO2 migration into groundwater resources might reach dangerous levels, excluding the use of groundwater for drinking or irrigation. Another potential consequence of geologic storage of CO2arises from displacing salty brines from the storage formation into an adjacent freshwater geologic formation. In the unlikely event that this happened, it could degrade the quality of the formation, potentially limiting beneficial uses.
READ MORE: http://www.netl.doe.gov/research/coal/carbon-storage/Carbon-Storage-FAQs/co2-in-our-drinking-water

===============
The fracking/real estate conundrum continued
Oil and gas shale boom threatens mortgage markets

By Joel Dyer
Dec. 19, 2013
From: StopthePipeline.org
http://www.stopthepipeline.org/news-about-the-constitution-pipeline/banks-imposing-large-buffer-zones-around-homes-as-a-condition-for-mortgage/

Working to protect New Mexicans from harmful impacts of development in our communities