Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill's 30-Year Legacy Matthew Berger WASHINGTON, 3 Sep (IPS) - A surprisingly small number of scientists have studied the impacts of the oil spill resulting from the 1979 blowout at the Ixtoc I oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Wes Tunnell, who first studied the spill's effects in July and August of 1980 and has returned many times since, is one of the few exceptions. more...   Environmentalists Push For Coal-ash Regulation William Fisher NEW YORK, 1 Sep (IPS) - In what promises to be a contentious, high-profile series of debates, the forces of environmental protection will be lining up against those of the electric power industry over the future status of coal-ash. more...   Geothermal: Getting Energy from the Earth Lester R. Brown* WASHINGTON, 31 Aug (IPS) - The heat in the upper six miles of the earth's crust contains 50,000 times as much energy as found in all the world's oil and gas reserves combined. Despite this abundance, only 10,700 megawatts of geothermal electricity generating capacity have been harnessed worldwide. more...   ENERGY Is Fracking Even Worse Than Drilling? William Fisher NEW YORK, 26 Aug (IPS) - With cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico barely underway, energy companies are already assuming a crouching stance in anticipation of a no-holds-barred attack by environmentalists on what the industry says is the next major breakthrough in natural resource extraction. more...   Fish Kills Worry Gulf Scientists, Fishers, Environmentalists Dahr Jamail OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi, U.S., 26 Aug (IPS) - Another massive fish kill, this time in Louisiana, has alarmed scientists, fishers and environmentalists who believe they are caused by oil and dispersants. more...   Climate-related Security Predictions Coming True in Pakistan Matthew O. Berger WASHINGTON, 26 Aug (IPS) - Analysts have been warning for several years that the impacts of climate change directly relate to the national security of the U.S. and other countries, but the link has never been so clear as it is today in northwest Pakistan. more...   Pakistani Officials Seek Funds, Debt Relief in Washington Matthew O. Berger WASHINGTON, 24 Aug (IPS) - Pakistani officials continued their quest for help in light of the floods that have affected 20 million people in their country by meeting with officials at the International Monetary Fund here Monday. more...   US Govt Claims Slammed as "Final Kill" Looms for Gulf Oil Leak Matthew O. Berger WASHINGTON, 20 Aug (IPS) - Between April and August this year, 4.9 million barrels of oil were spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. How much remains today is not yet clear and is a hot topic of debate among academic and government scientists. more...   Mississippi Shrimpers Refuse to Trawl, Fearing Oil, Dispersants Dahr Jamail BILOXI, Mississippi, 20 Aug (IPS) - The U.S. state of Mississippi recently reopened all of its fishing areas. The problem is that commercial shrimpers refuse to trawl because they fear the toxicity of the waters and marine life due to the BP oil disaster. more...   US Gulf Health Problems Blamed on Dispersed Oil Dahr Jamail DAUPHIN ISLAND, Alabama, 12 Aug (IPS) - BP says it is no longer using toxic dispersants to break up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Gulf Coast residents claim otherwise, and say they have the sicknesses to prove it. more...