These are some of the stories we’ve been following this week.
Gold King Mine entrance
- Last year acid mine drainage from the Gold King Mine rushed into the nearby Animas River, contaminating it with heavy metals. The mine is one of 46 mines that could soon be designated as Superfund sites to be cleaned up by the Colorado Environmental Protection Agency.
- Shops and restaurants are closing and real estate values are plummeting as politicians debate how to respond to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Flint mayor Karen Weaver has requested $55 million to replace the lead pipes that caused the contamination.
- A recently filed lawsuit claims that toxic fumes, odor, and noise from a Marathon oil refinery in Detroit are causing a nuisance for nearby residents. According to one of the attorneys, it’s an environmental justice issue because the community is predominantly minority and low-income.
- Although SoCalGas has plugged the methane leak at the Aliso Canyon facility, the utility needs to maintain storage at the facility to continue providing power throughout its service area. Officials with the utility and the state are looking into ways to improve safety and prevent future leaks.
- A study found that the methane in water wells in one Ohio county was from coal beds, not from hydraulic fracturing operations.
- Fracking operations in North Dakota have been cut back since the price of oil has dropped significantly. The result has been a strain on the state’s economy and on the workers who were employed at the fracking sites.
- Benicia, California voted down a proposal to have oil trains pass through the town.
- Trophy properties in New York are potentially worth millions, but sellers are having a hard time finding buyers.
- With the Dubai real estate market stalling, developers are making every effort to bring in new buyers.
- Some analysts believe Australia is teetering on the edge of a real estate bubble that could burst soon.
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