Category Archives: Gas Fracking

Interior Proposes New Rules for Fracking on U.S. Land – NYTimes.com

Interior Proposes New Rules for Fracking on U.S. Land – NYTimes.com. Key fact: public comment open for 30 days. This is an opportunity for some public philosophy. I believe even our scholarly philosophical work can be made relevant to this … Continue reading

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Communities of Integration Workshop – Field Philosophy

I’m very pleased to be attending the upcoming workshop at Arizona State on “Communities of Integration” at the invitation of Erik Fisher of STIR fame. You can get a sneak peak at the developing website, including our contribution on Field … Continue reading

Posted in Future of the University, Gas Fracking, institutionalizing interdisciplinarity, Interdisciplinarity, Metrics, Public Philosophizing, Science and technology ramifications, STEM Policy, Transdisciplinarity | Tagged | 1 Comment

Academics don’t let themselves be free – Opinion – Al Jazeera English

@alicebell has something to say to us academics: Fellow academics, if you really want to stand up for your special forms of freedoms you need to recognise the role you already play in the systems that curtail them and reflect … Continue reading

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Knowing and acting: The precautionary and proactionary principles in relation to policy making, J. Britt Holbrook and Adam Briggle « Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective

The Social Epistemology Review and Reply collective is now hosting preprints: Knowing and acting: The precautionary and proactionary principles in relation to policy making, J. Britt Holbrook and Adam Briggle « Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective. Yes! Adam and … Continue reading

Posted in CSID Publications, Gas Fracking, Innovation, Open Access, STEM Policy, TechnoScience & Technoscientism, Transdisciplinarity | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Physicist tipped for US energy post : Nature News & Comment

As the administration of US President Barack Obama prepares for a renewed push towards cleaner energy and reduced greenhouse-gas emissions, the White House appears to have chosen another physicist to head the effort. The leading candidate to replace departing energy … Continue reading

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Denton Drilling: Oh, Yes We Can!

The City of Denton is about to release a document explaining all the reasons why we can’t have a stronger ordinance to protect our health, safety, and welfare. The technicalities are complex, but the message is simple: No we can’t. … Continue reading

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Denton Drilling: The End of Closed-Door Paternalism

“Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they can not communicate; they can not communicate because they are separated.” -Martin Luther … Continue reading

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Science Progress publicizes study of beliefs about hydraulic fracturing for natural gas

http://scienceprogress.org/2012/12/technology-and-society-fracking-ideology/ As a follow up to the Science Progress article I co-authored with Dr. Adam Briggle earlier this July, we have written another short piece that again explains the subject of our study, Technology and Society: Fracking Ideology, and requests reader participation. … Continue reading

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Fracking Secrets by Thousands Keep U.S. Clueless on Wells – Bloomberg

“Texas state government has been a wholly owned subsidiary of national oil and gas interests for a century,” he says. “Do not look at it for guidance on anything related to protecting public health and safety.” Strong words — and … Continue reading

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America’s secret fracking war – Salon.com

There’s a war going on that you know nothing about between a coalition of great powers and a small insurgent movement.  It’s a secret war being waged in the shadows while you go about your everyday life. In the end, … Continue reading

Posted in Broader Impacts, Climate Change, Economics & STEM Research, Environmental policy, Gas Fracking, Globalization, Public Philosophizing, Science and technology ramifications, Sustainability, Risk Management, & Long-Term Security, TechnoScience & Technoscientism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

*Fracking survey* — Make sure your beliefs about hydraulic fracturing for natural gas are counted!

Technology and Society: Fracking Ideology A survey of beliefs about hydraulic fracturing for natural gas Dear energy consumers, Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” for natural gas plays an important role in the debate about our energy future. As an energy consumer, … Continue reading

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Denton Drilling: Draft ordinance needs overhaul

Last night, about forty dedicated citizens gathered to review the draft gas drilling ordinance and generate ideas for how to improve it. There was one clear take home message: The draft ordinance is inadequate. It gets an F. We need … Continue reading

Posted in Environmental policy, Gas Fracking, Philosophy & Politics, Public Philosophizing, Science and technology ramifications, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is fracking behind contamination in Wyoming groundwater? : Nature News & Comment

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sparked a firestorm in December last year when it released a draft report1 suggesting that the use of hydraulic fracturing — or ‘fracking’ — to extract natural gas had contaminated groundwater near Pavillion, Wyoming. Industry … Continue reading

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The Religiosity of the Fracking Debate

CSID Faculty Fellow Adam Briggle publishes at Science Progress: The debate over hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and the shale gas revolution it has spawned has a religious aura to it. Both sides have an unshakeable conviction that fracking is either … Continue reading

Posted in Environmental policy, Gas Fracking, Globalization, Philosophy & Politics, Public Philosophizing, Science and technology ramifications, Sustainability, Risk Management, & Long-Term Security, TechnoScience & Technoscientism | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Struggle for Water in Colorado With Rise in Fracking – NYTimes.com

Struggle for Water in Colorado With Rise in Fracking – NYTimes.com. An indication of our thirst for fossil fuels ….

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“Fracked Ideologies” published at Science Progress

The use of high-volume hydraulic fracturing for natural gas drilling has ignited a fiery political debate. Advocates tout natural gas as a clean-burning, cheap, and abundant fuel that can boost economic growth and energy security. Detractors question these benefits and … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Basic News, Broader Impacts, Degrowth Economics, Economics & STEM Research, Environmental policy, Gas Fracking, Philosophy & Politics, Public Philosophizing, Science and technology ramifications, Sustainability, Risk Management, & Long-Term Security, TechnoScience & Technoscientism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New Study Predicts Frack Fluids Can Migrate to Aquifers Within Years

“Simply put, [the rock layers] are not impermeable,” said the study’s author, Tom Myers, an independent hydrogeologist whose clients include the federal government and environmental groups. “The Marcellus shale is being fracked into a very high permeability,” he said. “Fluids could move … Continue reading

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George P. Mitchell, fracking, and scientific innovation. – Slate Magazine

CSID Fellow Adam Briggle argues that it’s time to frack the innovation system. We need to frack the innovation system—create fissures to let in more people and more perspectives. Researchers must obtain the informed consent of individuals participating in trials … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, CSID Publications, Environmental policy, Gas Fracking, Sustainability, Risk Management, & Long-Term Security, Transformative Research | 1 Comment

Speaker to address fracking impact | Denton Local News – News for Denton, Texas – The Denton Record-Chronicle – Denton Record-Chronicle

Speaker to address fracking impact | Denton Local News – News for Denton, Texas – The Denton Record-Chronicle – Denton Record-Chronicle.

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Tighten fracking regulations, scientists urge US officials

Tighten fracking regulations, scientists urge US officials | Environment | The Guardian.

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Vermont Legislature considers banning hydrofracking

Nobody has applied to Vermont for permission to drill for oil or gas using hydraulic fracturing. No one is sure it would even be worthwhile to do so. Still, the Legislature and Gov. Peter Shumlin are considering banning the practice, … Continue reading

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Cornell Study Links Fracking Wastewater with Mortality in Farm Animals

A recently completed study by two Cornell University researchers indicates the process of hydraulic fracturing deep shale to release natural gas may be linked to shortened lifespan and reduced or mutated reproduction in cattle—and maybe humans… In one case, an accidental … Continue reading

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The Natural Gas Bridge to Nowhere

Natural gas is often touted as a “bridge fuel” to get us from coal to renewable sources like wind and sun. I have long been suspicious of this metaphor…we should remember that coal used to be described as a bridge … Continue reading

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‘Fracking’ (and its risks) Goes Global

Ian Urbina at the New York Times has written another excellent piece on the character of the economic momentum behind and environmental risks of hydraulic fracturing: this time in a global context. He focuses on South Africa, but Poland, Peru, … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Climate Change, Degrowth Economics, Environmental policy, Gas Fracking, Occupy Wall Street, Open Access, Science and technology ramifications, Sustainability, Risk Management, & Long-Term Security, TechnoScience & Technoscientism | 3 Comments

The Uneasy Technocratic Alliance

John Siegmund set the tone for the City of Denton’s appointed Gas Well Task Force. He articulated a classic engineering technocratic position that goes as follows. The problem with fracking is capitalism. The short-term profit motive of capitalists leads to … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Environmental policy, Gas Fracking, Philosophy & Politics, Public Philosophizing, Science and technology ramifications, Sustainability, Risk Management, & Long-Term Security, TechnoScience & Technoscientism | 2 Comments