Fracking | The Price of Oil

Posts in Fracking

Frac-Sand Nation
Andy Rowell
May23
It is not so long ago that “fracking” 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…
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$fracking_water$
Scientific Study Warns Fracking Can Contaminate Aquifers
Andy Rowell
May02
Sorry to hark on about this – but proponents of fracking keep on saying it is a precise science that is safe, which will not contaminate water supplies. But we know that is not true. We also know the technique is still essentially in its infancy and the science and detailed surveys into the controversial…
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New EPA Regs Address Fracking…in 2015
Karen Showalter
Apr20
Some good news: The Environmental Protection Agency issued important rules to address air pollution from natural gas drilling, primarily fracking. Less good news: Bending to pressure from Big Oil, the measures won’t go into effect until 2015. The regulations will require that new wells capture certain smog-forming compounds, as well as methane, which is a…
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Its Official: Fracking Causes Quakes
Andy Rowell
Apr17
An independent report commissioned by the British government has confirmed that the controversial drill technique known as fracking did cause two small earthquakes, near Lancaster in North West England last year. The company concerned, Cuadrilla, halted fracking after two minor quakes were recorded in April and May, with magnitudes of 2.3 and 1.5 respectively. The…
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$fracking3$
IEA’s “golden rules for the golden age of gas”
Andy Rowell
Mar20
The respected chief economist of the IEA, Fatih Birol, has warned that the world will become increasingly reliant on shale gas and oil from Iraq in the coming decades. In part to help stave off the growing public backlash against shale gas, the IEA is preparing, along with a number of governments, a set of “best…
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$fracking$
US Oil Boom “Increases Energy Vulnerability”
Andy Rowell
Mar14
As the International Energy Agency warns that world oil markets face a “bumpy ride” in the months ahead, Barack Obama has being trying to defend his energy policies. His defence comes at a time when rising gas and energy production prices look increasingly likely to be become a key election issue in November, with his…
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North Dakota’s oil boom from space
Lorne Stockman
Mar09
It has been mentioned often that the mining of tar sands in Alberta, Canada can be seen from space. Recent composite images from the Air Force’s Meteorological Satellite, brought to our attention by the great work at Skytruth.org, show another new form of North American oil production and its extensive reach and impact. The red area in the image is…
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The Hidden Danger of the Gas Boom
Andy Rowell
Feb08
The hype surrounding the US gas industry continues to grow as America moves ever closer to its cherished dream of energy independence. Yesterday, Bloomberg reported that “the U.S. is the closest it has been in almost 20 years to achieving energy self-sufficiency, a goal the nation has been pursuing since the 1973 Arab oil embargo…
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EU: Fracking Laws Are Adequate, For Now
Andy Rowell
Jan31
In a decision that will both dismay and worry environmental campaigners and communities facing fracking across Europe, the European commission has concluded that existing laws are adequate to cover the controversial drilling technique. A new report undertaken for the Commission by the Belgian law firm Philippe & Partners, argues that there is no need for…
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End “the Century of Subsidy”? Maybe next year…
Andy Rowell
Jan25
Slowly but surely the battle lines are being drawn for the upcoming Presidential election. President Obama built his State of the Union address on one of fairness. In doing so Obama reminded Americans that there is a clear choice when it comes to the next election. There is also a choice with energy. Before we…
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