Pollution | The Price of Oil

Posts in Pollution

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…
Continue reading ‘Frac-Sand Nation’.
70,000 Ask Shell to Clean Up in Nigeria
Andy Rowell
May22
Seventeen years ago I was one of many protestors at Shell’s AGM in London at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Centre that lies in the shadow of Big Ben, near London’s Parliament. There were two issues facing the oil giant that day: in Nigeria the Ogoni playwright, Ken Saro-Wiwa, lay in a disgusting and degrading humid…
Continue reading ’70,000 Ask Shell to Clean Up in Nigeria’.
Shell in Nigeria: Its Worse than Bad
Andy Rowell
May09
And so it goes on. It might be a different day but the ongoing vortex of violence, pollution, protest and conflict continues in the Niger Delta. The oil giant, Shell is at the middle of this vortex, as it has been for decades, with the company unwilling to take adequate steps to stop the violence…
Continue reading ‘Shell in Nigeria: Its Worse than Bad’.
$fracking_water$
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…
Continue reading ‘Scientific Study Warns Fracking Can Contaminate Aquifers’.
US Pipeline Regulations “Inadequate”
Andy Rowell
May01
One thing is certain: pipelines have become a political hot potato. Over the next few months the debate about Keystone XL will surely dog the Presidential debate like a bad penny. But as the furore over Keystone has grown it is easy to forget about the state of other pipelines in the US and how…
Continue reading ‘US Pipeline Regulations “Inadequate”’.
Sick Fish, Eyeless Shrimps and Dead Dolphins
Andy Rowell
Apr23
As the second Anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon spill was marked across the Gulf region at the end of last week, we know that we are still a long way from knowing the full impact of the spill on the marine ecosystem. One thing is for sure though. The right-wing commentators who crowed that the…
Continue reading ‘Sick Fish, Eyeless Shrimps and Dead Dolphins’.
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…
Continue reading ‘New EPA Regs Address Fracking…in 2015′.
The $13 Billion Bill for Elgin Gas Spill
Andy Rowell
Apr11
Oil companies operating in the North Sea could face an estimated $13 billion (Euros 10 billion) bill in light of the Elgin gas spill which could also seriously affect their credit ratings, according to rating agency Fitch. Total’s Elgin platform in the North Sea has been leaking gas since last month with some estimates that…
Continue reading ‘The $13 Billion Bill for Elgin Gas Spill’.
Gas Leak was “Impossible” Workers Told
Andy Rowell
Apr02
First the good news. Over the weekend the French oil giant Total confirmed that the flare that had been burning on its abandoned Elgin rig in the North Sea had “extinguished itself.” The flare was causing real concern in case it ignited the escaping gas. With the flare out, Total has said it could begin…
Continue reading ‘Gas Leak was “Impossible” Workers Told’.
“No Idea How to Fix” North Sea Gas Leak
Andy Rowell
Mar27
If you read any literature from the oil and gas industry it always argues that it is one of the best regulated industries in terms of safety and preparedness. This is an industry that understands the dangerous risks of drilling, prepares for it and mitigates to make sure accidents do not happen. If an accident…
Continue reading ‘“No Idea How to Fix” North Sea Gas Leak’.