EARTHblog
Drilling Deeper: A Reality Check on U.S. Government Forecasts for the Fracking Boom
By Alan Septoff
December 4, 2014
You're invited to a briefing exposing the lie of a long-term fracking boom.
The briefing will include a presentation by David Hughes, the analyst who accurately predicted the 90% downgrade of California’s Monterey Shale.
Tagged with: fracking, economics, shale bubble
Criminal Charges for Mine Waste Dumping in Alaska
By Shreema Mehta
November 24, 2014
Mine wastewater is nasty stuff – so much so that this week, a mining company was criminally charged for dumping it into water. While XS Platinum is being indicted, other mining companies around the world routinely dump toxic mine wastewater into rivers, lakes and oceans.
Tagged with: mining, alaska, tailings
The Climate Change Impacts of Fracking and the Call for EPA Action
By Aaron Mintzes
November 21, 2014
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued last week a new rule intended to clarify the oil and gas emissions data drilling companies submit to EPA’s greenhouse gas reporting program (GHGRP). The new regulation takes effect at the beginning of next year and reflects a better picture of the methane pollution from oil and gas production. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is an enormously potent greenhouse gas polluter. Scientists now estimate that methane traps 86 times more heat over a twenty-year period than the same amount of carbon dioxide. These improved new reporting requirements place more emphasis on emissions beyond the wellhead. As a result, gas industry leaks from all aspects of the production, transmission, and distribution get reported to GHGRP.
Tagged with: air pollution, climate change, clean air act, greenhouse gas emissions, methane
Fossil Fuel Divestment
By Jennifer Krill
November 20, 2014
One avenue to encourage a more rapid transition from dirty fossil fuels to a clean energy economy is through socially responsible investment, or in this case, disinvestment. If we want fossil fuels to stop dominating the global economy and our political decision makers, then we need to stop buying into them.
So it was great news back in September that the Rockefeller Brothers Fund announced they would divest from fossil fuels.
Tagged with: fossil fuels, responsible investing, rockefeller brothers fund, divestment
More Mine Waste Spills in Mexico: Where’s the Oversight?
By Shreema Mehta
November 6, 2014
A few weeks ago, yet another mine spilled toxic waste into rivers in Mexico, this time in the northern state of Sinaloa – the third reported mine waste spill since August.
Tagged with: tailings, mine waste, mexico, rivers, baja california sur
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