Report: Arctic Oil Spill Readiness Virtually Nonexistent
Sea ice in the Arctic Circle is currently melting at a pace far greater than scientists had originally projected. While this is bad news for the planet — sea ice helps reflect the sun’s rays and keeps the arctic cooler — it has created new paths for the oil industry to exploit the resources hidden deep […]
Ohio Geologists Link Earthquakes to Fracking, State Introduces Seismic Monitoring
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced earlier this month that it will start requiring oil and gas companies to install networks of sensitive seismic monitors on their wells to detect small earthquakes that could be caused by hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” The special requirement will kick in if companies request permits to drill horizontal wells within […]
Only With Political Will Can We Avoid The Worst Of Climate Change
This is a guest post by David Suzuki. It’s fitting that the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report was released during Earth Month. After all, the third chapter of its Fifth Assessment focuses on ways to keep our planet healthy and livable by warding off extreme climatic shifts and weather events caused by escalating atmospheric carbon. […]
Critics Concerned Pipelines, Tankers Reason for Downgrading "Threatened" Status of Humpback Whales
This week the federal government was legally obligated to establish protected habitat for threatened North Pacific humpback whales. Instead the Harper government suddenly moved to take the humpback off the “threatened species” list. That would eliminate the legal requirement under Canada’s Species At Risk Act for protecting habitat along the British Columbia coast. The government based […]
Barnett Shale Fracking Victims Win First Round in Court Battle with Gas Industry
Legal tremors are reverberating in the Barnett Shale region in Texas after yesterday’s $2.925 million dollar verdict in favor of the plaintiffs Bob and Lisa Parr, who sued Aruba Petroleum for damages to their health and the devaluation of their home in a fracking nuisance case. Earthworks energy program director Bruce Baizel stated in a […]
Vice President Joe Biden Promotes U.S. as Fracking Missionary Force On Ukraine Trip
During his two-day visit this week to Kiev, Ukraine, Vice President Joe Biden unfurled President Barack Obama’s “U.S. Crisis Support Package for Ukraine.” A key part of the package involves promoting the deployment of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in Ukraine. Dean Neu, professor of accounting at York University in Toronto, describes this phenomenon in his book “Doing Missionary Work.” And in […]
Breaking: $3 Million Jury Verdict in Texas Fracking Nuisance Case
A jury in Dallas, TX today awarded $2.925 million to plaintiffs Bob and Lisa Parr, who sued Barnett shale fracking company Aruba Petroleum Inc. for intentionally causing a nuisance on the Parr’s property which impacted their health and ruined their drinking water. The jury returned its 5-1 verdict confirming that Aruba Petroleum “intentionally created a private […]
Earth Day Greenwash: API Front Group Iowa Energy Forum Sponsors Pro-Keystone XL Event
The political carnival that is the prelude to the Iowa caucuses has started over a year and a half early. At the center of it this time around: a game of political hot potato over the northern leg of TransCanada‘s Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. American Petroleum Institute (API) deployed one of its paid consultants — former Obama Administration […]
Very Little Cheap Natural Gas in New York Marcellus Shale, New Report Concludes
For years, the shale industry has touted the economic benefits it can provide. An overflowing supply of domestic natural gas will help keep heating and electric bills low for American consumers, they argue, while drilling jobs and astounding royalty windfalls for landowners will reinvigorate local economies. These tantalizing promises have caught the attention of politicians […]
In Celebration of Earth Day: Photos Capture the Beauty of Southeastern Louisiana's Wetlands
Louisiana’s wetlands are threatened by coastal erosion, climate change and the oil and gas industry. The Green Army, a group representing environmental and social justice organizations led by retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore is trying to stop bills they believe stand in the way of preserving Louisiana’s disappearing coast, including bills that would kill the lawsuit […]