The leader of Canadaâs opposition party, the NDP, Tom Mulcair has accused one of Canadaâs leading oil and gas lobby organisations of âpulling a con jobâ whilst trying to promote fracking. Out political campaigning over the weekend, Mulcair slammed the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) for âdeceiving the public when it says there are … Read More
Fracking
Fracking âFRESHâ Act Stinks of Dirty Money
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
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
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
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
IEA’s âgolden rules for the golden age of gas”
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 âbest … 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
North Dakota’s oil boom from space
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 … Read More