Virginia sues Mountain Valley Pipeline for repeated violations
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality have sued the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline for violations of the state’s environmental laws and regulations at sites in Craig, Franklin, Giles, Montgomery, and Roanoke Counties. The lawsuit alleges that Mountain Valley Pipeline has violated Virginia’s clean water protections. Mountain Valley Pipeline is in the process of building a controversial 303.5-mile long natural gas pipeline from Wetzel County, West Virginia to Pittsylvania County, Virginia. The lawsuit is the latest in a string of bad news for fracked gas pipelines in Virginia. In late November, the Army Corps of Engineers suspended an essential permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, restricting developers from doing work on stream or wetland crossings.
An accidentally punctured can of bear spray sends Amazon employees to hospital
Two-dozen Amazon warehouse employees in Robbinsville, New Jersey were sent to the hospital after an automated machine damaged a 9-ounce can of bear repellent containing a concentrated amount of capsaicin, an active component of chili peppers. About 30 other workers were treated at the warehouse in Robbinsville. Most reported difficulty breathing or burning in their throats or eyes, although one of the workers was in critical condition. All employees are expected to make a full recovery. In 2015, the Haslet, Texas fire department responded to an accident at an Amazon facility caused by a robot running over a can of bear repellent. Bear repellent is an aerosol used to deter aggressive or charging bears.
The offspring of celebrity Yellowstone wolf 06 killed by hunter
Yellowstone wolf watchers are mourning the death of Spitfire, the daughter of Yellowstone’s famous wolf 06. 06 became a celebrity in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley for her hunting prowess and frequent appearances along the road in Yellowstone where visitors gather in the hope of spotting wolves. 06 was killed by a hunter in 2012 and her obituary ran in the New York Times. Like her mother, a hunter legally killed Spitfire when she wandered outside of park boundaries. The killing has renewed calls for a buffer around the park so that wolves that live within the safety zone and have little fear of humans cannot be shot if they wander beyond the park’s invisible boundary. Montana has allowed the hunting of wolves since 2011.
