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
Shale Gas
Scientific Study Warns Fracking Can Contaminate Aquifers
Sorry to hark on about this â 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 … Read More
New EPA Regs Address Fracking…in 2015
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 wonât go into effect until 2015. The regulations will require that new wells capture certain smog-forming compounds, as well as methane, which is a … Read More
Its Official: Fracking Causes Quakes
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 … Read More
US Oil Boom âIncreases Energy Vulnerabilityâ
As the International Energy Agency warns that world oil markets face a âbumpy rideâ 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 … Read More
The Hidden Danger of the Gas Boom
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 âthe 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 … Read More
Big Oil Threatens President Obama
 By Brendan Demelle, DeSmogBlog American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard today announced the oil and gas industryâs latest election-year scare campaign to threaten the demise of the U.S. economy unless Big Oil gets its every wish in Washington. This year the wish list includes approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, expanded offshore drilling on both … Read More
Shale Gas âWill Wreck Climate Commitmentsâ
Further to my blog earlier in the week criticising the Financial Timesâ new âletâs happily drill the land of plentyâ philosophy to oil shale and gas, of course there is downside to these new found reserves of oil. The big fat elephant in the room missed by the FT and ignored by the oil industry … Read More
Donât Look Away Now
Love it or loath it as the voice of business, you can say one thing about the Financial Times, it normally covers the energy beat with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Thatâs why is was so disappointing to read the latest misguided comment piece by the paperâs Washington columnist Edward Luce, in an article âLook … Read More
Shale Oil Jobs “Vastly Exaggerated”
The headline in yesterdayâs Financial Times said it all âSurge in shale oil output fuels US jobs bonanzaâ. According to the FT: âThe boom in shale oil and gas production has created one bright spot in the otherwise grim US labour market.â âThe rate of job growth is noteworthy,â Brian Davidson, an economist with the … Read More