Earthgauge news for the week of May 29
Anti-logging activist murdered in Amazon – Al Jazeera English 
An Amazon environmental activist and his wife were killed late on Monday and the crime is being investigated as a possible assassination to silence the outspoken forest defender, according to police.
A US Smart Grid Would Save Energy Consumers 2 Trillion Over the Next 20 Years – Global Green World
There’s a lot of yelping these days about the cost of renewable energy technology but in some cases the investment is just a fraction of the payback. For instance, with a nation wide smart grid in the United States, new estimates say the U.S. could save up to $2 trillion over the next twenty years with an investment of $476 billion.
Analysis: China drought ignites global grain supply concerns – Reuters
A prolonged drought in China could hit grains output in key growing regions, further squeezing global supplies and putting upward pressure on prices
Big Oil Companies Face Growing Concern On Fracking – World Environment News
Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting a mix of water, chemicals and sand into the earth to break up shale rock, in order to release oil or natural gas. Environmentalists say it can contaminate groundwater with dangerous chemicals. Large blocks of investors in the two biggest U.S. oil companies on Wednesday demanded more disclosure about the environmental risks of extracting oil and gas through hydraulic fracturing.
