Breaking: Fracking Permit Issued in Louisiana's St. Tammany Parish
The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a drilling permit for Helis Oil and Gas today, bringing the company one step closer to realizing its ambition to frack in St. Tammany Parish. Public outcry against fracking in St. Tammany Parish, an area known for its pristine water and picturesque wetlands 40 miles east of New […]
New EPA Coal Ash Regulations Are Not Enough To Stop The Next Coal Ash Spill
The Environmental Protection Agency released long-awaited coal ash regulations today, the first rules ever to be imposed on the storage and disposal of the toxic waste left over after burning coal for electricity—the second largest industrial waste stream in the U.S. But according to Earthjustice and the 10 environmental and public interest groups it represented […]
Top Five UK Fracking Moments of 2014
DeSmog UK has compiled a list of the top 5 fracking moments of 2014 for our #FrackingFriday series – complete with controversial government reforms, industry blunders and the defining moments of a debate that has exacerbated the relationship between public and energy, government and industry, people and planet. Fracking Beneath Your Floor In the heat of a […]
Not Just Public Lands: Defense Bill Also Incentivizes Fracked Gas Vehicles
DeSmogBlog recently revealed how Big Oil’s lobbyists snuck expedited permitting for hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) on public lands into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2015, which passed in the U.S. House and Senate and now awaits President Barack Obama’s signature. A follow-up probe reveals that the public lands giveaway was not the only sweetheart deal the […]
What Americans Don’t Know About Climate Change Could Be Really Bad For Their Health
When it comes to the health impacts of global warming, Americans are woefully uninformed. In fact, according to a survey conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, only about one in four can even name a health problem associated with global warming that […]
Fracking Bans in Quebec and New York Should Give B.C. Premier Christy Clark Pause
Two big blows to the natural gas industry have come in less than 24 hours, with both the province of Quebec and New York state effectively banning shale gas extraction over concerns with the process of hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a. “fracking”). Fracking allows for the cheap extraction of natural gas from shale deposits that were previously inaccessible, […]
New York Governor Cuomo to Ban Fracking in State, Citing Health Threats
Several news outlets and the Twittersphere are abuzz with the news that New York State is set to ban fracking in 2015. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration announced the forthcoming ban — making permanent the existing moratorium — during a year-end cabinet meeting. The primary reason cited by the Cuomo administration is health concerns […]
David Cameron: 'People Are Fed Up With Wind Farms But Fracking Should Get Going’
People are “fed up with so many wind farms being built”, Prime Minister David Cameron told the House of Commons Liaison Committee yesterday, saying “enough is enough”. The prime minister called for an end to onshore wind subsidies, saying that Britain does not need any more subsidised turbines. The renewable energy source is now capable of providing […]
Friedrich von Hayek's free-market legacy
When free-marketeer, Friedrich von Hayek, died in 1992 he left a legacy of neoliberal think tanks that would work against climate change. The DeSmog UK epic history series takes a look back at his life. Friedrich von Hayek died in Freiburg, Germany, aged 92, on 23 March, 1992 – a few months after the Soviet Union […]
Newspapers Complicit In Selling Phony “War On Coal”
U.S. newspapers are helping conservatives push their misleading “war on coal” narrative, according to a new report. There are a number of reasons why the