By SHARON UDASIN 08/03/2014 Project was aiming to prove usability of approximately 40 billion barrels of oil found in te shale rock layer of the Shfela basin in south-central Israel. Just before the Jerusalem District Committee for Planning and Building is set to discuss the fate of a pilot oil shale drilling project on Monday, […]

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Mohammed Zaatari| The Daily Star SIDON, Lebanon: With the long-term project to turn Sidon’s notorious dumpsite into a proper landfill completed in early July, a new report has praised the recently constructed seawall for having stimulated the re-emergence of marine life. The report, compiled by the municipality of Sidon, surveyed the marine biodiversity and fisheries […]

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Knesset panel: Haifa Oil Refineries air pollution must be cut Mayor Yona Yahav agrees, says five-year study about to start. By Zafrir Rinat and Eli Ashkenazi | Aug. 1, 2014 A Knesset subcommittee has recommended stricter measures to reduce the air pollution caused by Haifa’s Oil Refineries, in view of the high cancer rate in […]

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NBC The fuel tanks at Gaza’s only power plant came under attack early Tuesday. Thick black smoke billowed over Gaza City as the fire raged at the power plant, which is the enclave’s second-largest source of electricity and the only provider inside the territory for its 1.8 million citizens. Fathy Sheikh Halil, who is the […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 07/31/2014 Report says companies won’t implement projects without Erdogan’s consent. Any agreement to export natural gas from Israel’s large Leviathan reservoir to Turkey can only occur following an improvement in political relations between the two countries – relations that have grown increasingly fragile during the Israeli-Gazan conflict – according to an Institute […]

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Michael Klare At first glance, the fossil-fuel factor in the recent outbreaks of tension and fighting in the Middle East may not seem evident, but in reality these conflicts are part of an energy war, writes Global conflicts are increasingly fuelled by the desire for oil and natural gas and the funds they generate. Iraq, […]

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Tuesday, 29 July 2014 Rising temperatures from a flaming oil depot may ignite nearby reserves containing 90 million liters of fuel which will lead to a “catastrophe” affecting a radius of three to five kilometers, Libyan officials warned on Tuesday according to Al Arabiya News Channel. The Buraiqa fuel depot continues to burn out of […]

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Target area is a sensitive region, and results would be inconclusive, argue environmental groups. By Zafrir Rinat | Jul. 29, 2014 The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has called for halting the approval process for oil shale drilling in the Judean Plain, ahead of a crucial discussion on a proposed pilot production facility. The authority […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 07/31/2014 Emissions of volatile organic compounds from Haifa plants amount to 2,400 tons per year, in comparison to 111 tons per year in Ramat Hovav, says report. Emphasizing the urgency of curbing pollution levels in the Haifa Bay region, MK Dov Henin presented critical findings to Internal Affairs and Environment Committee members […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 07/27/2014 Sunday’s approval occurred followed a recent authorization in June to move forward with the program from the National Council for Planning and Building. The Ministerial Committee on Interior Affairs, Services and Local Government unanimously approved on Sunday a plan for transporting natural gas from additional future terminals to the country’s transmission […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 07/29/2014 Panel members recommend setting a uniform royalty rate on all natural resources of 5%, to remain consistent with global standards. Adam Teva V’Din (Israel Union for Environmental Defense) and the Movement for Quality Government on Monday slammed the Sheshinski 2 for taking a conservative stance with regards to the country’s natural […]

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Ryan Stultz| The Daily Star BEIT MERY, Lebanon: Better known for the capital’s glittering nightlife and exclusive beach clubs, Lebanon is launching a new, ambitious strategy to promote something entirely different: rural tourism. “We need to begin marketing not just the country – but destinations” within Lebanon, Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon said Thursday night at […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Jul 27, 2014 | 23:11 AMMAN — Work is currently under way to link households with no access to wastewater services in Madaba Governorate to the sewage network, a government official said on Sunday. Implementation of the project started this week, the Water Ministry official said, noting that the sewage network […]

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Stuart Schoenfeld While the eyes and ears of the world were focused on bombs, rockets, civilian casualties, tunnels and fire-fights, I have been following a different kind of Middle East news. Here are some news reports just from the last week or so: • Zafrir Rinat reported in Haaretz on the steady decline of Mediterranean […]

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Middle East Report 271 Summer 2014 FUEL AND WATER: THE COMING CRISES Demand for fuel and water in the Middle East is rapidly increasing. Populations are growing, as are expectations of middle-class levels of consumption. Supplies of fuel and water are finite, however, and renewable water reserves are dwindling fast. The summer issue of Middle […]

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At TheMarker’s Energy Conference, Israeli exec sees future for Israeli gas exports, but adds: exports to Palestinians, Jordan ‘would be philanthropy.’ By Ora Coren | Jul. 24, 2014 Israel’s vast new natural gas reserves could break the diplomatic and commercial ice between Israel and its neighbors, but Jerusalem might still need an accommodation with the […]

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Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) today announced that all service stations in the Enoc/Eppco network are now providing the ultra-low sulphur ‘Green Diesel.’ This follows the UAE Federal Cabinet decree aimed at raising the UAE’s standards of diesel fuel from 500ppm to 10ppm, whereby all commercial diesel vehicles and equipment motorists are to use the […]

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Two stories: Minister: No magic solutions for water, electricity – Daily Star Sign of things to come as wellspring village dries up – Daily Star Minister: No magic solutions for water, electricity – Daily Star BEIRUT: Water and Energy Minister Arthur Nazarian said Lebanon’s chronic power and water problems are accumulated over many years, stressing […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 07/24/2014 “We hope that the drilling will bear fruit and lead Israel to energy and security independence,” a statement from the company said. Green-lighting plans that remain contentious among environmentalists and area residents, the Northern District Committee for Planning and Building approved on Thursday a program for exploratory oil drilling in the […]

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by Mohammad Ghazal | Jul 24, 2014 AMMAN — Jordan on Thursday awarded a contract to Spanish engineering firm Elecnor to build a 65-75 megawatt wind power plant in the southern region. The $112 million power plant — which will be located in Maan, some 220km south of Amman — is expected to be operational […]

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