The oil & gas industry has once again bought favor from Congress. The Fracturing Regulations are Effective in State Hands (FRESH) Act will remove the federal governmentâs authority to regulate the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Introduced in the Senate in March 2012 by Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and in the House by Representative … Read More
Month: May 2012
Subsidised âGreen Gasâ No Better than Coal
Sometimes all you have to do is join the dots. Letâs take three different headlines from yesterday, which are all from the Guardian newspaper in the UK. Headline number one: â’Golden age of gas’ threatens renewable energy, IEA warnsâ The article went on to state: âA âgolden age of gasâ spurred by a tripling of … Read More
Tar sands âcould produce $3 trillionâ
Only yesterday I was talking about hype and how the oil industry often plays the long game. The Canadian Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, who has become a real cheer-leader for the tar sands industry, argues that it could generate over than $3 trillion in revenue in 25 years. That is a huge fat … Read More
Shellâs $4 Billion Arctic Lobby Campaign
In July, barring any last minute legal challenges, oil giant Shell looks set to cross the rubicon and start drilling offshore in the Arctic. Many environmentalists and indigenous communities have long fought and feared this day. Many of the veterans of the Exxon Valdez have long argued that the lessons of that disaster have still … Read More
New Study: Oil Subsidies Waste Money, Donât Encourage Production
Thanks to The Checks and Balances Project for this cross post and Headwaters Economics for the study. When you fill up your tank for vacation this summer, keep in mind that the dial at the pump is spinning faster than you think. In addition to what you pay at the pump, your tax dollars are … Read More
BP refinery rollover shows tar sands refineries need to clean up
Itâs taken four years and millions of dollars in lawyers for BP to finally agree to do what it should have done in the first place at its Whiting, Indiana refinery. The refinery has been constructing new equipment to enable it to switch to 100% tar sands heavy oil processing, a $3.6 billion investment. But … Read More
TransCanada clings to Keystone myths
Yesterday we co-published a report with NRDC and Forest Ethics that busted the myth that the Keystone XL pipeline would lower gasoline prices for U.S. and Canadian consumers. It is actually more likely to raise prices by diverting oil from refineries in the Midwest, which are focused on serving the domestic market, to refineries on … Read More
Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform Gaining Momentum Internationally
23 May 2012 Ahead of upcoming meetings in June of the G20 in Mexico and the United Nations Rio + 20 Summit, the pace of activity around worldwide efforts to phase out subsidy reform is quickening. Last weekend, the G8 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to phase out fossil fuel subsidies in their statement coming out … Read More
Frac-Sand Nation
It is not so long ago that âfrackingâ moved from a term used by the oil industry to enter the mainstream collective consciousness, as the technique spread like a cancer across America. Fracking is the process by which oil companies pump a mixture of sand, water and chemicals under high pressure to release gas. It … Read More
Keystone XL Gas Price Myth Busted
This report finds that Keystone XL would reduce gasoline supplies in America by diverting Canadian tar sands crude from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast, blowing apart the tar sands industry’s claims that building the Keystone XL pipeline would lower gasoline prices in America.