Environment | WPN World People News

Activists aboard the Greenpeace ship plan to engage in a peaceful protest against oil exploration adjacent to the Russian Arctic National Park, where Russian oil major Rosneft and US partner ExxonMobil are preparing to drill - in violation of Russia’s own environmental laws.

MAFFS 6, a C130J from the 146th Airlift Wing in Port Hueneme, Calif., drops a line of retardant over the trees in the mountains above Palm Springs July 19, 2013. The 146th Airlift Wing was activated July 18 to support CAL Fire and CAL OES on the Mountain fire and other potential wildfire activity throughout the state.

Earthjustice, Communities for a Better Environment, and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit challenging the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments’ most recent regional transportation plan in Alameda County Superior Court.

Greenpeace International claims the decision is an attempt to prevent it from exposing the activities of Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft. Multiple vessels contracted by Rosneft and US partner ExxonMobil are conducting seismic testing and geological work in the Kara Sea in preparation for offshore Arctic drilling.

The San Rafael fund for biodiversity conservation will provide long-term financing for the management of the Reserva Guyra Reta, and will protect critical ecosystems, maintain global carbon stocks and benefit local communities.

Scott’s Basin in the Deep Creek Wilderness Study Area—this remote area will remain roadless under the settlement.

Japanese nuclear regulators are expressing heightened concern about a fresh leak of radioactive water discovered this week at the troubled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Food Security Bill, a rather ambitious though inadequate measure to eradicate hunger from India, was supposed to be tabled in the parliament. It was not. Despite the claims of supporting the bill, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main opposition party, stalled the parliament over allegations about the government’s efforts to shield those responsible for massive corruption in allocation of coal deposits and refused to budge until the Prime Minister made a statement on the charges. The ruling coalition’s repeated attempts of buying peace for tabling the bill failed to soften BJP’s stance and thus the Food Security Bill got delayed yet again.

Greenpeace Japan met with the Japanese nuclear regulator NRA, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Energy Ministry, but was appalled to learn that it is not yet clear which ministry or agency will take responsibility of the situation. The NRA did not offer any clear solution either to stop the leaks.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an enforcement action in federal district court against Luminant Generating Company, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Energy Future Holdings, for violations of the Clean Air Act. The DOJ filed the case against Luminant on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which first issued a Notice of Violation to Luminant in July 2012. According to EPA, Luminant made unauthorized changes to the Big Brown coal-fired power plant in Freestone County and the Martin Lake coal-fired power plant in Rusk County without properly controlling sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. The case filed under seal follows up on EPA’s Notice of Violation and is the next step in ensuring that Luminant comes into compliance with the Clean Air Act.