Are US Regulators Trying to Cover Up Influence Of Lobbyists On New Oil-By-Rail Regulations?

It’s no secret that the oil and rail industries lobbied the Obama Administration heavily during the creation of new oil-by-rail regulations released this past May, with lobbyists reportedly not even taking a break the day after a major oil train accident. But just how much influence did lobbyists actually have in the drafting of the […]

The US Installed More Than Twice As Much Solar and Wind As Fossil Fuel Electricity So Far In 2015

Throughout the entire first half of 2015, solar and wind energy accounted for 2,518 megawatts of new electricity generating capacity brought online in the US — some 65 percent of all new capacity added so far this year. Coal accounted for a mere 3 MW during that time period, while natural gas accounted for 1,173 […]

Whitewater, Colorado Residents Continue to Suffer Stench of Frackwater Ponds

Residents of Whitewater, Colorado, continue to suffer with noxious odors from the nearby Deer Creek frackwater disposal facility, despite ongoing efforts by owner Alanco Energy Services over many months to stop the stink emanating from their wastewater ponds.     Alanco has tried dredging the ponds, adding bleach-based chemicals and cutting back on the number of trucks […]

Exclusive: Hillary Clinton State Department Emails, Mexico Energy Reform and the Revolving Door

Emails released on July 31 by the U.S. State Department reveal more about the origins of energy reform efforts in Mexico. The State Department released them as part of the once-a-month rolling release schedule for emails generated by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, now a Democratic presidential candidate. Originally stored on a private server, with […]

What Do The Labour Leadership Candidates Think About Fracking?

The Labour Party’s stance on fracking has never been black and white, which makes the next party leader’s view on the topic fairly important.  In February, the Labour Party abstained from a vote on an amendment for a moratorium on fracking, recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee’s report on Fracking. The amendment was not approved and […]

Keystone XL Permit Hearing Concludes After Nine Contentious Days in South Dakota

TransCanada’s days of having its pipeline permit requests rubber-stamped are long over. A nine-day hearing to reconsider its Keystone XL permit through South Dakota proved that.  Yet many left the hearing in Pierre, South Dakota, wondering if the proceedings were merely a formality. Only two of the three South Dakota Public Utility Commissioners (PUC) tasked to decide on […]

The Mystery Man Behind Monckton’s Conversion to Climate Denial

This DeSmog UK epic history post reveals the identity of the man behind Lord Monckton’s eccentric climate denial. Lord Monckton hoisted himself into centre stage of the denier circus in November 2006 with a double-page feature in the then respectable Sunday Telegraph, in which he claimed climate science was “a Sci-Fi panic”. The eccentric Scottish peer […]

Big Oil Can Survive Low Prices, The Climate Can’t

This is a guest post by Lukas Ross from Friends of the Earth. Last week seemed like a bad time to be Big Oil. As the world’s biggest energy companies announced their quarterly results, billions in profits still managed to disappoint shareholders. ExxonMobil and Chevron both missed their targets, Shell prepared for steep spending cuts, and BP […]

How Shell Lobbied to Stop EU Renewable Energy Targets

This has been cross-posted from Energydesk. A group of the EU’s largest energy companies – including oil and gas giants Shell and Norway’s Statoil – formed an alliance to lobby against a new EU renewable target according to documents seen by Energydesk. The lobbying group may surprise few, but comes after it was revealed that […]

Key Greenhouse Gas Study May Have "Systematically Understated" Methane Leaks, New Research Shows

A widely cited study on the amount of methane leaking from oil and gas sites, including fracked wells, shows signs of a major flaw, a newly published peer-reviewed paper concludes. “The University of Texas reported on a campaign to measure methane emissions from United States natural gas production sites as part of an improved national inventory,” […]