Permanent Protest Set Up at US Oil Sands Project in Utah
The first tar sands strip mining project in the U.S. is gearing up to start operation in Utah, but not without resistance from a group that announced on May 29 that it is setting up a permanent protest vigil at the site. The Canadian company US Oil Sands Inc. (USOS) leased over 32,000 acres in the Bookcliffs range in eastern […]
Life Saving Regulations Stalled In Bureaucratic Abyss
There is an unspoken rule in American politics: when you have bad news to deliver, do it on a Friday afternoon. This helps to ensure that fewer people will see it, fewer will have time to analyze it, and the media will forget all about it over the weekend. If you really want the issue […]
Groups Say CO Governor Hickenlooper Evading Public Input on Fracking Policy
Eleven grassroots citizens groups are demanding that Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper allow them access to meetings he is holding about a proposed special legislative session to address fracking. Gov. Hickenlooper and the drilling industry have been trying to strike a “grand bargain”-style, watered-down bill to circumvent a slew of powerful anti-fracking initiatives currently working their way towards […]
Richard Tol's Attack On 97 Percent Climate Change Consensus Study Has 'Critical Errors'
One of the most consistent of all the attacks from climate science sceptics and deniers is the one which tries to convince the public that expert scientists are divided on the causes of climate change. Those attacks have come from ideologically motivated think tanks and the fossil fuel industry, often working together. Only last week, the […]
Californians Aim to Halt Fracking Even If the State Senate Won't
A second vote on California’s fracking moratorium bill—SB 1132—fell short in the State Senate today, just twenty-four hours after it was first defeated by a margin of 18-16, three votes shy of the majority it needed to pass. We’re still awaiting the official word on how today’s vote shook out exactly. But many Californians are […]
ND Treasurer: Red Carpet Rollout for Gen. Petraeus Fracking Field Trip "Not Unusual"
North Dakota Treasurer Kelly Schmidt has responded to DeSmogBlog’s investigation of the Bakken Shale basin fracking field trip her office facilitated for former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus, who now works at the Manhattan-based private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR). Schmidt expanded on the initial comments she provided to DeSmogBlog in response to our findings obtained […]
Shale Rush Hits Argentina as Oil Majors Spend Billions on Fracking in Andes Region
While many countries, including France, Germany and South Africa, have banned or delayed their embrace of fracking, one country is taking a full-steam-ahead approach to the unconventional drilling technology: Argentina. The country is welcoming foreign shale companies with open arms in the hope that oil and gas drilling will help combat one of the world’s highest […]
Interactive Map and Report on Oil-By-Rail, "Booming Bomb Train Industry"
A new report and website released today by Oil Change International provides a comprehensive overview of the current oil-by-rail industry in North America and it isn’t a pretty picture. The report and interactive map of the “booming bomb train industry” capture the alarming scope of this very recent development. As the report points out, 70 times as much […]
Exclusive: Leaked EPA Draft Fracking Wastewater Guidance Suggests Closer Scrutiny for Treatment Plants
One of the most intractable problems related to fracking is that each well drilled creates millions of gallons of radioactive and toxic wastewater. For the past several years, the Environmental Protection Agency has faced enormous public pressure to ensure this dangerous waste stops ending up dumped in rivers or causing contamination in other ways. But the drilling […]
Mounting Global Warming Evidence Underscores the Need to Act
This is a guest post by David Suzuki. Because we enjoy relatively pure air, clean water and healthy food systems, Canadians sometimes take the environment for granted. Many scarcely blink if oil from a pipeline spills into a river, a forest is cleared for tar sands operations or agricultural land is fracked for gas. If […]