In the News
Report justifies EPA decision on fracking despite agency’s bow to industry
RT
December 24, 2013
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A 2010 US Environmental Protection Agency order for a gas drilling company in Texas to clean its tainted water wells was justified, the agency’s inspector general has determined. The EPA rescinded the order in 2012 after the company protested.
Tagged with: fracking, epa, texas, range resources
ShaleTest Is Cruising
Ft. Worth Weekly | Gayle Reaves
December 18, 2013
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It felt like being a witness to history: watching Sharon Wilson learn how to use a FLIR camera to detect otherwise-invisible streams of toxic emissions from gas-drilling facilities. Gas company executives who have fought the veteran critic of their industry, in venues from South Texas to the floor of the U.S. Congress, might think of it as more of a nightmare — like seeing Sherlock Holmes getting a stronger magnifying glass.
Tagged with: fracking, air pollution, water contamination, shaletest
New oil boom lurks in Denver-Julesburg Basin
Denver Post | Mark Jaffe
December 16, 2013
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Denver-based Whiting Petroleum sold its Texas holdings for $816 million in July and said it would use the cash to "accelerate" development of Colorado's Niobrara shale.
"The one thing we don't have to worry about in the Niobrara is oil in place," James Brown, the company COO, told analysts in November. "There is a tremendous amount of oil in place."
Tagged with: fracking, colorado, niobrara shale
Oil and gas regulatory framework playing catch-up
Denver Post | Mark Jaffe
December 15, 2013
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Colorado regulators, in some cases pushed by grassroots groups and legislators, have enacted several new rules aimed at overseeing oil and gas drilling.
"When these booms come, the regulatory framework is always slow catching up," said Bruce Baizel, head of the Durango-based Oil and Gas Accountability Project.
Tagged with: fracking, regulation, air pollution, colorado
Did Dallas Just Ban Fracking?
Think Progress | Andrew Breiner
December 12, 2013
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The Dallas City Council voted Wednesday to require any gas wells to be placed at least 1,500 feet from homes, a move that the gas industry says might as well be a ban on drilling. Combined with the fact that the council would still have to approve any permit for a drilling site, factoring in neighborhood impact, fracking opponents are calling the ordinance a victory as well. A two-thirds council vote would be needed to alter the setback requirement in particular cases.
Tagged with: fracking, texas, ban, dallas
Dallas City Council passes restrictive gas drilling ordinance
Dallas Morning News | Randy Lee Loftis
December 11, 2013
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Update, 2:33 p.m.: The council has adopted the plan commission’s recommendation for a 1,500-foot setback between wells and homes. Council Member Scott Griggs’ motion, which includes an ability for the council to reduce the setback in particular cases with a two-thirds vote, passed 9-6.
Tagged with: fracking, texas, setbacks
The Music Man Makes Another Sale
Ft. Worth Weekly
December 11, 2013
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Well, here we are in River City, folks. Don’t mind those little quakes — that’s just the Earth’s way of showing how much it enjoys all that drillin’ and frackin’ and stuff that’s going on around here these days. And those little leaks that keep happening at gas wells and compressor stations? Pshaw — the smell of money, don’t ya know. As for that song about how the stars at night are big and bright? Well, we’re really not that deep in the heart of Texas, just on the northern rim, so you have to expect the air to be a bit thicker here. And the roads more torn up from all the trucks … .
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Dallas council votes 9-6 to enact gas drilling restrictions
WFAA | Teresa Woodward
December 11, 2013
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DALLAS –– The Dallas City Council voted 9-6 Wednesday to block gas drilling within 1,500 feet of a home, business or church. Drilling supporters say that effectively bans the process because few companies will try to adhere to such strict rules.
"Are you guys out of your mind?" asked an animated Bill Crowder, speaking to Dallas City Council members. "You're going to turn down an economic boon that gave Fort Worth $54 million last year? $9.4 million went to Fort Worth ISD!"
Dallas OKs gas drilling rules that are among nation’s tightest
Dallas Morning News | Randy Lee Loftis
December 11, 2013
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Dallas adopted one of the nation’s most restrictive ordinances on natural gas drilling Wednesday, requiring more than a quarter-mile between wells and protected uses such as homes.
The City Council voted 9-6 to adopt a City Plan Commission recommendation for a 1,500-foot setback around gas wells. Dallas’ current ordinance requires 300 feet.
How to find a charity for giving
Today Show | Farnoosh Torabi
December 10, 2013
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It’s important to understand to whom and what you’re giving and Yahoo host and personal finance expert Farnoosh Torabi has tips to help you identify the right charity.
You can make your holiday gift here.
Tagged with: donate
Annual Charity Guide
Vegetarian Times | Juliet Pennington
December 1, 2013
We're thinking globally and acting locally with our annual charity guide.
Tagged with: mining, no dirty gold, bristol bay, donate
Fracking nightmare: ‘Like living in a very heavy industrial zone’
RT
November 29, 2013
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Texan anti-fracking activist Sharon Wilson described to RT the consequences of fracking she had to face, including being forced to move home due to air pollution, a lack of clean water and toxic chemicals.
Wilson was forced to move out of her home, which was located on the Barnett Shale formation in Texas, because “it was like living on the edge of a volcano,” according to her blog. She became an activist to fight fracking and help others facing the same situation.
Tagged with: fracking, public health, texas, earthquakes
House passes Tipton energy bill, 228 to 192
Durango Herald | Joe Hanel
November 20, 2013
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Rep. Scott Tipton celebrated the passage of his Planning for American Energy Act through the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The bill requires the secretary of the Interior to issue four-year plans on ways to boost energy output from public lands to meet the projected national demand for energy.
Tagged with: fracking, congress, doi
The untold story of the Pacific Islands
The Guardian | Dan Gay
November 20, 2013
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A dead pig lolls among the flotsam on South Tarawa beach. No children play in the water – unusual in the Pacific islands, where a childhood spent splashing in the ocean is an age-old rite. In Kiribati's capital, years of poor waste disposal coupled with overpopulation and a limited supply of water have polluted the lagoon, making it too dirty to swim in. Over 50,000 people crowd into 2,500 acres, a population density twice as high as that of New York.
Although the Pacific islands are well-known as the first casualties ofclimate change, a tale less often told is of the environmental and energycrisis at home.
Tagged with: mining, climate change
In N.M., 3,600 violations, 1 court case, 0 fines
E&E News | Mike Soraghan
November 14, 2013
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New Mexico oil and gas regulators haven't fined a single driller for violations this year. They didn't last year, either. Or the year before that.
That's not for a lack of problems at well sites. Since 2010, inspectors recorded more than 3,600 violations.
Instead, it's because the state Oil Conservation Division hasn't had the authority to levy fines since March 2009. So when inspectors find a problem, there's not much they can do except ask the driller to fix it.
Tagged with: fracking, new mexico, regulations, enforcement
Montana metals in demand
Missoula Independent | Jimmy Tobias
November 14, 2013
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A Texas-based mining company called U.S. Rare Earths is on the move in Montana. The company says it has found rich deposits of rare earth metals near the Lemhi Pass in southwest Montana, where exploratory drilling has proceeded at a rapid pace.
"This is the premier rare earth property in the country," says company CEO Kevin Cassidy.
Tagged with: mining, montana, rare earths
5 Reasons Fracking Is a Death Sentence For Arid States
Care2 | Beth Buczynski
November 3, 2013
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As we move into a time of unprecedented climate change, many are worried about where we’ll find enough food and energy to sustain nearly 10 billion people. Food and energy are big demands, yes, but few seem to realize that without an adequate supply of drinking water, neither will matter. Water is the new oil, and there are parts of the world that have already run dry.
In August, The Guardian reported that the town of Barnhart, Texas had completely run out of water after a fracking boom in the region sucked away every last drop of groundwater. Thanks to rampant fracking, 30 more Texas cities are teetering on the edge of a similar disaster.
Tagged with: fracking, water, waste, switzer
Who’s to blame for Peru’s gold mining troubles?
The New Yorker | Stephanie Boyd
October 28, 2013
Thirteen years ago, I flew to the state of Madre de Dios, in Peru’s southeastern Amazon jungle, and was mesmerized by the view from my plane’s window: a vast forest canopy stretching to the horizon. The purpose of my visit was to check out the recently created Tambopata National Reserve, a two-hundred-and-seventy-five-hectare protected area and surrounding buffer zone, created to preserve one of the Amazon’s most biodiverse zones from gold mining and other destructive practices.
Tagged with: mining, no dirty gold, gold mining, peru
Reform measures may come up during budget conference
E&E News | Manuel Quiñones
October 22, 2013
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Reforming the nation's mining laws may become a topic of debate during the upcoming budget negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, as lawmakers look to find cost savings and new sources of revenue.
Not only has President Obama proposed several mining reform measures in annual budget requests to Congress, but the House Budget Committee's fiscal blueprint touted by Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and many GOP leaders also includes a reform push, albeit more scaled back.
Tagged with: mining, 1872 mining law, congress, reform
Fracking fluid blows out nearby well
KASA | Tina Jensen
October 19, 2013
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COUNSELORS, N.M. (KRQE) - More than 200 barrels of fracking fluid, oil and water blew out of a traditional oil well on BLM land in the San Juan Basin in late September raising questions about who is responsible for the spill.
State regulators say the blowout on a Parko Oil well happened because of pressure from nearby fracking operations run by Encana Oil.
Tagged with: fracking, new mexico, blowout
Colo. starts levying fines for late FracFocus reports
E&E News | Mike Soraghan
October 18, 2013
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Colorado is pursuing 11 companies for neglecting to report hydraulic fracturing chemicals to the FracFocus website, the first time a state has undertaken broad enforcement of its disclosure requirements.
The move follows reports that more than one-fifth of the reports companies filed for wells in Colorado and Pennsylvania last year were late (EnergyWire, June 7). That prompted criticism that state officials weren't making good on promises to scrutinize drillers.
Tagged with: fracking, colorado, disclosure, chemicals, fracfocus
Tarnished gold: why Peru’s forced labor mining matters to the US
The Guardian | Barbara Fraser
October 16, 2013
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About one-fifth of the gold exported from Peru is illegally mined, with forced labor extracting much of the precious metal that ends up in cellphones, computers and jewelry, according to US nonprofit Verité
Peru's Andean mineral wealth has made it the world's sixth-largest gold producer and boosted it into the ranks of middle-income countries, but some miners have paid for the boom with their freedom – or their lives.
Tagged with: mining, gold, no dirty gold, human rights, peru, worker safety
Flood spills spur review of state plans for oil
The Denver Post | Mark Jaffe
October 7, 2013
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DENVER—As floodwater started to rise Sept. 11, some oil and gas operators began shutting wells and securing facilities. It would be five days before state regulators announced their own plans.
"Did the state have a disaster plan for the oil and gas fields?" asked Bruce Baziel, energy program director of the environmental group Earthworks. "It was hard to tell."
From the start, state oil and gas regulators were gathering information and passing it on to the incident commander overseeing disaster response, said Alan Gilbert, a Colorado Department of Natural Resources official.
Tagged with: fracking, colorado, spills
Why Miners Walked Away From the Planet’s Richest Undeveloped Gold Deposit
Businessweek | Brad Wieners
September 27, 2013
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Before pulling out of the Pebble Mine project last week, Anglo American (AAUKY), one of the world’s biggest mining companies, had invested six years and at least $541 million—in a partnership with Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty Minerals (NAK)—to develop the site in southwestern Alaska. Wait, pause on that number for a sec: $541 million. That’s right, the London-based multinational and its U.S. subsidiary (AA Pebble) just forfeited a return on more than half a billion dollars of its shareholders’ money. By the end of its 60-day withdrawal from the project (mid-November), that figure will probably end up closer to $580 million. Anglo American has also indicated it will write down a $300 million loss (misreported as a “penalty” elsewhere) to remove the proposed mine as an asset from its books.
Tagged with: mining, gold, bristol bay, jewelry retailers, anglo american, salmon
Breaking the Set: Fracked-Up Earthquakes
RT | Abby Martin
September 25, 2013
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Tagged with: fracking, epa, eagle ford shale, earthquakes
State Agency Responds to Report Criticizing Eagle Ford Shale Fracking Regulation
San Antonio Current | Mary Tuma
September 25, 2013
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A “toxic mix of irresponsible industry operators and negligent regulators,” as well as suffering families, marks hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” in the Eagle Ford Shale, according to a newly released critical report by national environmental non-profit group, Earthworks’ Oil and Gas Accountability Project.
The study, titled “Reckless Endangerment While Fracking the Eagle Ford,” slams state agencies like the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for failing to provide oversight and take action to both reduce pollution, notify residents and penalize facilities. Researchers undertook their own air pollution testing to conclude fracking the shale threatens the health and safety of residents in the area.
Tagged with: fracking, public health, eagle ford shale, texas railroad commission
Karnes Residents Say Health Problems Are Linked to Eagle Ford Fracking
WOAI | Jim Forsyth
September 24, 2013
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Activists in Karnes County are raising new warnings about the dangers of fracking, saying the Eagle Ford shale boom is threatening their health, 1200 WOAI's Stephanie Narvaez reports.
Environmental activist Sharon Wilson told neighbors in Panna Maria, not far from Karnes City last night that people aren't speaking up because they're intimidated against going against an industry which has created so many jobs and has so much invested in the region.
Tagged with: fracking, public health, eagle ford shale, health
Regulatory Negligence Endangers Texas Citizens As Eagle Ford Fracking Impacts Soar
DeSmogBlog | Farron Cousins
September 23, 2013
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There’s no denying that Texas is the state that dirty energy built. It remains the single largest source of domestically produced oil in the United States, and currently has more fracking wells than any other state. With an abundant supply of dirty energy money, the state government of Texas is completely owned by the dirty energy industry.
This trifecta of industry domination is playing itself out in southern Texas, in what has become a no man's land for federal regulators.
Tagged with: fracking, public health, eagle ford shale
Eco-Investigators Say Fracking Air Pollution Is Poisoning Families in Texas
Truthout | Mike Ludwig
September 23, 2013
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Cameron Cerny moved with his mother and father to Karnes County in southern Texas 10 years ago. The 15-year-old boy used to take long bike rides through the country with his mother, Myra, but they don't take rides together much anymore. Karnes County is in the heart of the oil-rich Eagle Ford Shale formation, which has become a relatively new hotspot for intensive oil drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." Since 2010, 18 oil wells were drilled or fracked within a mile from the Cernys' home, and a total of 37 existing wells, along with processing facilities and a wastewater injection well, operate within two miles of their home.
"[There's] loud trucks all day, there's smells that just smell horrible," Cerny told environmental investigators in July. "Nose bleeds all the time because of [this] stuff, in the middle of the night."
Tagged with: fracking, public health, eagle ford shale
The Big Picture: One week until a government shutdown?
RT | Thomm Hartmann
September 23, 2013
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Tagged with: fracking, public health, colorado, eagle ford shale
Report says regulators ignoring health risks of Eagle Ford
San Antonio Express-News | Jennifer Hiller
September 20, 2013
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A new report from the nonprofit environmental group Earthworks says government regulators are ignoring health risks in the Eagle Ford Shale region.
The report, “Reckless Endangerment While Fracking the Eagle Ford,” focuses on Karnes County, considered the core of the field with some of the most intense drilling. Earthworks took air samples, used an infrared camera that makes releases of methane and volatile organic compounds visible and looked at state investigations of various sites.
Tagged with: fracking, eagle ford shale, health
Watchdog group says public may be at risk living in Eagle Ford Shale area
KENS5 | Joe Conger
September 19, 2013
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KARNES CITY -- An oil industry watchdog group said state regulators are leaving the public at risk in the Eagle Ford Shale oil fields.
Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project issued its report today, calling on the industry and the government agencies which oversee the oil companies to clean up their acts.
The group says the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality or TCEQ failed to respond properly to illegal emissions from some oil and gas facilities.
Tagged with: fracking, eagle ford shale, health
Report Slams Eagle Ford Shale Regulators for Health Hazards Lax Oversight
San Antonio Current | Mary Tuma
September 19, 2013
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A newly released critical report by national environmental non-profit group, Earthworks, describes drilling in the Eagle Ford Shale as marked by a “toxic mix of irresponsible industry operators and negligent regulators,” as well as suffering families. Beneath the Eagle Ford formation in South Texas lies a 400-mile stretch of oil and gas, ripe for major corporations to drill. The process employed—a method called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking”—pumps a mixture of water, sand and chemicals at high pressures thousands of feet below the ground to break up the shale in order to emit the fuel source.
Tagged with: fracking, eagle ford shale, health
Air Pollution from Fracking in Eagle Ford Shale Threatens Health, Report Claims
Texas Observer | Forrest Wilder
September 19, 2013
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Unlike North Texas’ Barnett Shale play, South Texas’ Eagle Ford fracking bonanza has never received the close scrutiny of fracking skeptics, researchers and regulators. Part of that is because Eagle Ford production didn’t really take off until 2011. It’s also much more sparsely populated than some of the fast-growing parts of the Barnett Shale, especially around Fort Worth and Denton. And, frankly, a lot of people are getting oil-rich from leases or work in the oilfield making decent pay.
Tagged with: fracking, eagle ford shale, health
No penalties for chronic polluter in Eagle Ford—report
E&E reporter | Mike Lee
September 19, 2013
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Texas regulators investigating complaints at two sites in the Eagle Ford Shale oil field found air pollution levels so high that it was unsafe to stay in the area. Yet the state agency in charge of air pollution allowed the oil company that owns the facilities to fix the problems without paying a penalty, according to a report from an environmental group.
The episodes in Karnes County, southeast of San Antonio, show the need for tougher regulation of the oil and gas industry, said the Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project, which based the report on a document it obtained under the state Public Information Act.
Tagged with: fracking, eagle ford shale, health
U.S. Forest Service set to decide on fracking in George Washington National Forest
Washington Post | Darryl Fears
September 7, 2013
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George Washington National Forest is more than just one of the largest expanses of pristine land in the East. It’s the leafy cradle of the Shenandoah, James and Potomac rivers, a source of drinking water for millions of people in greater Washington.
The forest — nearly 2 million acres of natural splendor straddling Virginia and West Virginia — might also hold another treasure: natural gas trapped under a deep layer of rock called the Marcellus Shale.
Tagged with: fracking, water, george washington national forest, virginia
Front Range drilldown: In the fight over oil and gas regulation, local control gains ground
High Country News | Joshua Zaffos
September 5, 2013
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On a chilly March night, city councilmembers faced an unusual sight: citizens imploring them to increase taxes. They had packed council chambers to plead for a proposed ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, within city limits. Industry and state officials, including Gov. John Hickenlooper, intimated that such a move could get Fort Collins sued for overstepping local authority. Anti-fracking proponents didn't blink at the potential costs of a lawsuit. One told city leaders: "Feel free to raise my property taxes."
Tagged with: fracking, regulation, colorado
Fracking Friends And Foes Await Decision On George Washington National Forest
WAMU | Jonathan Wilson
September 3, 2013
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Sometime in the next few months, the U.S. Forest Service will announce whether it's going to allow hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, within Virginia's George Washington National Forest. It wouldn't be the first national forest to allow fracking, but advocates on both sides of the debate view the looming decision as crucial.
The forest service was originally scheduled to deliver a decision in September, but planning staff officer Ken Landgraf recently announced his agency needs a little more time to finalize its plan.
Tagged with: fracking, water, george washington national forest, virginia
Legislators hears from panelists on water use in fracking
The Daily-Times | James Fenton
August 29, 2013
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FARMINGTON — Safety concerns over water used by the oil and gas industry for hydraulic fracturing dominated discussions during a Thursday meeting of state legislators at San Juan College.
State legislators heard from a panel of industry officials, scientists and related agencies during a meeting of the state's Water and Natural Resources Committee and the Drought Subcommittee at the college's Henderson Fine Arts Center.
Tagged with: fracking, new mexico, water
A Texas Rebel’s Fight for Her Land
More Magazine | Suzanna Andrews
August 27, 2013
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How a down-on-her-luck single mother in a ramshackle trailer reinvented herself as the bright, bold, unapologetically outrageous voice of the antifracking movement
We're Loving These Hoop Earrings From Jewelry Designer Melissa Joy Manning That Are Sustainable AND Benefit Charity!
Glamour | Amy Wicks
August 21, 2013
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Fashion designers are more focused than ever on sustainability and finding ways to be aware of the environment and the materials used to create your favorite looks. But they aren't the only ones. Jewelry designers are also finding ways to bring your favorite trends to light, in the most eco-friendly way possible.
Tagged with: no dirty gold, jewelry
The first rule of fracking is: Don’t talk about fracking
Grist | Claire Thompson
August 2, 2013
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The Hallowich children were just 7 and 10 years old when their family received a $750,000 settlement to relocate away from their home in Mount Pleasant, Penn., which was next door to a shale-gas drilling site. By the time they’re grown up, they may not remember much about what it was like to live there — the burning eyes, sore throats, headaches, and earaches they experienced thanks to contaminated air and water. And maybe it’s better if they don’t remember, since they’re prohibited from talking about the experience for the rest of their lives.
Tagged with: fracking, non-disclosure agreement
‘Frack Gag’ Bans Children From Talking About Fracking, Forever
Climate Progress | Andrew Breiner
August 2, 2013
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When drilling company Range Resources offered the Hallowich family a $750,000 settlement to relocate from their fracking-polluted home in Washington County, Pennsylvania, it came with a common restriction. Chris and Stephanie Hallowich would be forbidden from ever speaking about fracking or the Marcellus Shale. But one element of the gag order was all new. The Hallowichs’ two young children, ages 7 and 10, would be subject to the same restrictions, banned from speaking about their family’s experience for the rest of their lives.
The Hallowich family’s gag order is only the most extreme example of a tactic that critics say effectively silences anyone hurt by fracking. It’s a choice between receiving compensation for damage done to one’s health and property, or publicizing the abuses that caused the harm. Virtually no one can forgo compensation, so their stories go untold.
Tagged with: fracking, non-disclosure agreement
Congress Wants to Know Why the EPA Keeps Backing Off its Own Fracking Research
Dallas Observer | Amy Silverstein
July 24, 2013
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The Environmental Protection Agency has a tendency to walk away from its own research suggesting that fracking pollutes drinking water. A Congressional hearing scheduled for today will look into why that is.
The hearing, called "Lessons Learned: EPA's Investigations of Hydraulic Fracturing," will be held jointly by the House Science, Space and Technology Committee's Subcommittees on Environment and Energy.
Homeowners from Parker County, Texas, the Pavillion area of Wyoming and Dimock, Pennsylvania -- all communities featured in the HBO documentaries Gasland and Gasland 2 -- charge that local fracking operations made their drinking water flammable, but that the EPA has ignored their concerns.
Tagged with: fracking, epa, public health, water contamination
Commission director apologizes to fracking critics
Durango Hearld | Emery Cowan
July 19, 2013
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The state’s top gas and oil regulator backpedaled on a comment he made earlier this week that fracking opponents are generally affluent enough that they don’t have to worry about heating and cooling costs.
“It was an overgeneralization and improperly so,” said Matt Lepore, director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, after a presentation at Friday’s Gas and Oil Regulatory Team meeting in Durango.
Tagged with: fracking, colorado
Natural gas pipeline voted down by Adams County Planning Commission
Examiner | Chris Time Steele
July 13, 2013
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The Adam's County Planning Commission denied the Front Range Pipeline at 2 a.m. on Friday July 12, 2013, in Brighton, Colo. The meeting began at 6 p.m. on Thursday July 11, 2013 where people for and primarily against the Front Range Pipeline gave their insights and opinions. Unions such as the Pipefitters and anti-fracking organizations such as Colorado Extraction Resistance were also in attendance. The proposed Front Range Pipeline, which is being developed by Enterprise Products Partners, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and DCP Midstream will be 435 miles in length beginning near Greeley in Weld County, Colo. and ending in Skellytown in Carson County, Texas. Front Range Pipeline LLC states that benefits of the pipeline would include jobs, revenue, increased local commerce, and that landowners will be compensated.
Tagged with: fracking, psyops, gasland
Josh Fox on Gasland Part 2, the Fracking-Earthquake Link & the Natural Gas Industry’s Use of PSYOPs
Democracy Now!
July 12, 2013
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Scientists are warning that the controversial practice of natural gas hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, may lead to far more powerful earthquakes than previously thought. Fracking injects millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals deep into the earth in order to break up shale rock and release natural gas. A new study published Thursday in the journal Science by a leading seismology lab warns that pumping water underground can induce dangerous earthquakes, even in regions not otherwise prone to tremors. The new report comes as Academy Award-nominated director Josh Fox has released the sequel to his highly acclaimed documentary "Gasland," which sparked a national discussion on fracking. The new film, "Gasland Part II," exposes how the gas industry and the government’s portrayal of natural gas as a clean and safe alternative to oil is highly suspect. He also discusses how drilling companies have admitted to having several former military psychological operations, or PSYOPs, specialists on staff, applying their skills in Pennsylvania to counter opponents of drilling. "What’s really disappointing about this is that this is a moment when an American president has come forward and spoken about climate change and exhibited his obvious and earnest desire to take on the problem; however, the emphasis on fracked gas makes this plan entirely the wrong plan," says Fox, noting that methane released from fracking sites is more potent than other greenhouse gases. "Moving from coal to fracked gas doesn’t give you any climate benefit at all. So the plan should be about how we’re moving off of fossil fuels and onto alternate energy."
Tagged with: fracking, psyops, gasland
Colorado joins in suit to knock down Longmont fracking ban
Denver Post | Mark Jaffe
July 11, 2013
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Gov. John Hickenlooper's administration has joined a lawsuit, filed by an oil and gas trade association, seeking to invalidate Longmont's voter-adopted citywide ban on a key drilling technology.
In December, the Colorado Oil and Gas Association filed a lawsuit opposing the ban on hydrofracturing, or "fracking," in Longmont.
Tagged with: fracking, colorado, ban, longmont
EPA’s Abandoned Wyoming Fracking Study One Retreat of Many
ProPublica| Abrahm Lustgarten
July 3, 2013
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When the Environmental Protection Agency abruptly retreated on its multimillion-dollar investigation into water contamination in a central Wyoming natural gas field last month, it shocked environmentalists and energy industry supporters alike.
In 2011, the agency had issued a blockbuster draft report saying that the controversial practice of fracking was to blame for the pollution of an aquifer deep below the town of Pavillion, Wy. – the first time such a claim had been based on a scientific analysis.
Tagged with: fracking, epa, wyoming, science
Obama sends mixed signals to oil, gas industry in his climate address
Oil & Gas Journal | Nick Snow
July 1, 2013
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US President Barack Obama strongly supported continued domestic natural gas development as he outlined measures to combat global climate change.
He also suggested the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline's cross-border permit would not be approved if it appears the project would significantly exacerbate climate pollution.
In a widely anticipated address at Georgetown University, Obama called on the nation to mobilize its ingenuity to meet ambitious new alternative energy use goals and reassert its position as a global business, technology, and environmental leader.
Tagged with: fracking, climate change, obama
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