Global Shale Fail: Oil Majors Leaving Fracking Fields Across Europe, Asia
With some analysts predicting the global price of oil to see another drop, many oil majors have deployed their parachutes and jumped from the hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) projects rapidly nose-diving across the world. As The Wall Street Journal recently reported, the unconvetional shale oil and gas boom is still predominantly U.S.-centric, likely to remain so for years […]
Shell, ENI Responsible for 550 Oil Spills In Nigeria Last Year
Late last year, it came to light that Shell had been warned repeatedly by its own staff that the Trans Niger Pipeline was at significant risk of failure well before a 2008 spill of 500,000 barrels of oil. It was also revealed that Shell had drastically understated the extent of the spill. These revelations were […]
US Could Slash Global Warming Emissions By Curbing Fossil Fuels Extraction On Public Lands
The U.S. Department of the Interior this week announced new fracking regulations that will serve as the only federal rules enforcing any kind of safety measures on the controversial drilling technique when they go into effect in a few months. The rules only apply to oil and gas wells on public lands, however, and most fracking […]
This is What Happened When Former BP Boss Lord Browne Called for Action on Climate Change
Our latest DeSmog UK epic history post looks at what happened when former BP boss Lord John Browne called for government regulation to reduce carbon emissions. John Browne was chief executive of British Petroleum and one of the most fêted and celebrated business leaders of his generation. The son of a British Army officer and a Hungarian […]
"Frack Pack" Bills Introduced, Aim to Rein in Environmental Damage From Fracking Industry
On Thursday, Congressional Democrats introduced a set of four bills aimed at countering the environmental harms from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and the continuing shale gas rush. Four Representatives — Reps. Diana DeGette and Jared Polis of Colorado, Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania, and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois — and one Senator, Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey, together announced […]
Peabody Coal Lawyer Laurence Tribe, Obama's Law Professor, Testifies in Congress vs. EPA Carbon Rule
Laurence Tribe, constitutional law professor at Harvard Law School and of-counsel at the firm Massey & Gail LLP, recently testified in front of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce against the proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) carbon rule. Currently working as legal counsel for coal industry giant Peabody Energy and helping the company write comments, Tribe […]
Science vs Spin: Dilbit Sinks in the Real World, But Not in Studies Funded by Oil Industry
“Once the oil started to sink, it made things a lot more difficult on our recovery.” Those were the words of Greg Powell of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during his presentation on March 10th at the National Academy of Sciences conference on the Effects of Diluted Bitumen on the Environment. Powell was one of the […]
'Frackademia' Report Reveals Ties Between Government, Universities, and Shale Industry
While the government has decided to provide tax breaks for the oil industry in the 2015 Government Budget, everyone else has been talking about divestment. Ben Lucas looks at the growing movement and new evidence published this week on the relationship between government, universities and fracking companies. What started out as a grassroots campaigning tactic to […]
Six Months Later: Glasgow University’s Fossil Fuel Divestment Is Only Just Beginning
The campaign for fossil fuel divestment doesn’t end once someone agrees to divest, Sophie Baumert, coordinator of the Glasgow University Climate Action Society, tells DeSmog UK. Glasgow University was the first academic institution in Europe to announce it would divest from the fossil fuel industry over the next 10 years. Its landmark decision was heralded […]
Florida’s Climate Change Gag Order Claims Its First Victim
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Florida’s Republican governor Rick Scott had directed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to stop using terms like “climate change” and “global warming” in any official correspondence or during meetings. According to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), that gag order has now claimed its first victim. PEER […]