David Cameron's New Definition of Fracking ‘Political Not Scientific’
Last week, DeSmog UK revealed how David Cameron’s government snuck a new definition of fracking onto the statute books. Kyla Mandel investigates where this definition actually came from. The definition of hydraulic fracturing adopted by the UK coalition government has all the hallmarks of industry influence, finds DeSmog UK. The fracking definition was slipped into the controversial […]
USGS: Fracking Wastewater Disposal Wells Are Causing Oklahoma Earthquakes
Some of the most heavily fracked parts of the US have experienced an unprecedented wave of earthquakes in recent years even though they’ve long been considered geologically stable. But the oil and gas industry is quick to reject any suggestion that fracking is to blame. The United States Geological Survey, for its part, has said […]
United Steelworkers Oil Refinery Strike Spreads
Workers at Shell and Motiva refineries in Norco, Louisiana, about 30 miles west of New Orleans, have joined the growing national United Steelworkers Union (USW) strike. In total, 15 facilities are now striking, making this the largest refinery strike since 1980. On the second night of the strike in Norco, a giant flare at the […]
Willie Soon Attacks Funders of Climate Denial for 'Lack of Courage'
Willie Soon is at the centre of a perfect climate science denial storm, writes Brendan Montague with additional reporting from Kyla Mandel. The aerospace engineer working at the the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics was caught out when telling his fossil fuel industry funders that his research papers and U.S. Senate evidence were “deliverables”. The controversy […]
As Oil Prices Collapse, North Dakota Considers Weakening Standards on Radioactive Drilling Waste
As the collapse of oil prices threatens North Dakota’s shale drilling rush, state regulators are considering a move they say could save the oil industry millions of dollars: weakening the state’s laws on disposing of radioactive waste. The move has been the subject of an intensive lobbying effort by drillers, who produce up to 75 tons […]
Kinder Morgan, NEB Draw Ire for Oil Spill Response Plans Released in Washington State, But Not B.C.
Since DeSmog Canada broke the story two weeks ago that Kinder Morgan publicly released its emergency oil spill plans for the Trans Mountain pipeline in Washington State while withholding or severely redacting the exact same plans in B.C., there’s been a firestorm of activity on the topic. The story has now been covered by the Globe […]
Obama's Veto of Keystone XL Bittersweet for Texans Forced to Allow the Pipeline on Their Land
As expected, President Obama today vetoed the Republican bill attempting to allow TransCanada to finish constructing the Keystone XL tar sands export pipeline. While the veto received praise from environmentalists, along with encouragement to reject the pipeline entirely, the veto provides little consolation to those in Texas who already have the southern route of the pipeline […]
Davey Declares War on Dirty Unabated Coal – Wants Ban By 2025
Britain must become a zero carbon nation by 2050, Ed Davey, the secretary of state for Climate Change and Energy, said today. And so the country must stop burning unabated coal. “Coal is the near-term climate change problem,” he said. “In a low carbon transition over the next couple of decades, it involves a […]
Pachauri Steps Down as Head of UN Climate Panel
This article has been cross-posted from Carbon Brief Dr Rajendra Pachauri has stepped down from his role as chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), effective today. After nearly 13 years in the job, Pachauri was due to step down later this year. However, his departure has been brought forward pending allegations of sexual harassment […]
Is Owen Paterson Funded by Monsanto?
Owen Paterson, the sacked environment secretary, claims his new right-wing think tank UK2020 is not funded by the GM industry. The UK2020 founder “urged a revolt” against the “Green Blob” of NGOs and environmentalists while promoting genetically modified organisms (GMOs) today at the annual South African agricultural biotechnology media conference, which was hosted by the GMO-funded lobby […]