Eco-news in brief 7-10
By CG News Editor April Jaynes
Local developer signs consent order to resolve past EPA complaint
Hydraulic fracturing developer James Brent Hayes recently signed a consent order in the Athens County Common Pleas Court to settle a legal complaint filed against him two years ago by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The complaint claimed that Hayes repeatedly broke state-laws regarding storm-water runoff regulations, sewage facility installation and water pollution regulations. The consent order states that Hayes will pay the state EPA a civil penalty totaling $38,125 and that he must provide a “complete and approvable” storm-water pollution prevention plan before preforming any development work.
Seabed mining surge uncovers treasures, inciting speculation
Recent advancements in marine geology are fueled by metal shortage predictions and the discovery of sulfide-rich bodies of gold, silver, copper, cobalt, lead and zinc in volcanic zone seabeds. Public, government-funded groups are searching the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans for the various sulfides while private companies such as the Odyssey Marine Exploration of Tampa, Fla. are assessing volcanic zones around Pacific island nations like New Zealand and the Solomon Islands. Despite recent studies and conferences, environmentalists are concerned that there is not enough seabed mining research to support the industrial methods used to extract the samples.
New study invalidates claim that arsenic supports extraterrestrial life
Science journal released two papers that rebut research led by Felisa Wolfe-Simon of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute in 2010 which lead to speculation of the existence of extraterrestrial life. The research concluded that bacteria found at Mono Lake in California could grow by substituting arsenic for phosphorus, however the two papers recently published obtain data that contradict this finding. Dr. Wolfe-Simon still stands on her research, despite recent bacteria tests.
