Sunday,  May 12, 2013 • Vol. 14--No. 296 • 26 of 28 •  Other Editions

(Continued from page 25)

• "We are still removing the rubble very carefully as dead bodies are still coming up," said Maj. Moazzem Hossain, a rescue team leader. "The dead bodies are decomposed and beyond recognition."
• Hossain said they are trying to identify the bodies by their identity cards. "If we get the ID cards with the bodies then we are lucky," he said.
• On Friday, the search teams received a much-needed boost when they found a young seamstress who had managed to survive for 17 days on dried food and bottled and rain water.
• ___

Plans to increase exports of liquefied natural gas could accelerate fracking boom, critics say

• WASHINGTON (AP) -- A domestic natural gas boom already has lowered U.S. energy prices while stoking fears of environmental disaster. Now U.S. producers are poised to ship vast quantities of gas overseas as energy companies seek permits for proposed export projects that could set off a renewed frenzy of fracking.
• Expanded drilling is unlocking enormous reserves of crude oil and natural gas, offering the potential of moving the country closer to its decades-long quest for energy independence. Yet as the industry looks to profit from foreign markets, there is the specter of higher prices at home and increased manufacturing costs for products from plastics to fertilizers.
• Companies such as Exxon Mobil and Sempra Energy are seeking federal permits for more than 20 export projects that could handle as much as 29 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day.
• If approved, the resulting export boom could lead to more hydraulic fracturing, a drilling technique also known as fracking. It has allowed companies to gain access to huge stores of natural gas underneath states from Colorado to New York while raising concerns about groundwater contamination and even earthquakes.
• The drilling boom has helped boost U.S. natural gas production by one-third since 2005, with production reaching an all-time high of 25.3 trillion cubic feet last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Today in History
The Associated Press


• Today is Sunday, May 12, the 132nd day of 2013. There are 233 days left in the year. This is Mother's Day.

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