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Judge Rules Landowner May Sue Gov’t in Landmark Fracking Case | The Tyee
Judge Rules Landowner May Sue Gov’t in Landmark Fracking Case | The Tyee.
A landmark lawsuit that challenges the lax regulation of hydraulic fracturing in Canada has just scored a major victory.
In a lengthy decision, Alberta Chief Justice Neil Wittmann dismissed all key arguments made by the government of Alberta against the lawsuit of Jessica Ernst, including the fear that it may unleash a flood of lawsuits against a government that is heavily dependent on hydrocarbon revenue.
The Alberta government argued that Ernst’s $33-million lawsuit had no merit; that the government owed no duty of care to landowners with contaminated water; and that the government had statutory immunity.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Heinberg sees pain ahead for frackers
Heinberg sees pain ahead for frackers.
Note: Segment begins at 20:57. Erin sits down with Richard Heinberg – senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute – to discuss oil.
Richard tells us how he interprets the potential deal between China and Russia for Western Siberian gas and gives us his take on Saudi price cuts. He believes that the Saudi price cuts could help put the US fracking industry over the edge, making much of the oil from their wells unprofitable.
Recorded 11 November 2014 for RT: Boom and Bust.
…click on the above link to view the interview…
EU Fracking Boom Becoming Less Likely
EU Fracking Boom Becoming Less Likely.
Pro-fracking campaign in the global media is fading fast. A year or two ago the extraction method suitable for the Arizona desert was presented as a key component of the EU’s energy security policy byhigh-ranking officials in the European Commission. Many large corporations that announced an influx of investment into Eastern European fracking projects between 2010 and 2013 are now gradually reducing the scope of their planned work. Their decision was prompted by environmental and political problems that receive insufficient coverage in the industry media. It’s becoming clear that fracking technology can’t be brought to the EU “as is” from the United States.
Recently published data by Rice University, Texas indicates that simple recycling of the tainted waste water is not safe, OilPrice.com writes. A year or two ago supporters of hydraulic fracturing used to preach about “green innovations in the shale revolution” with the passion of small-town televangelists, but now, after the publication of new data, they have switched tactics and simply remain silent about environmental problems. Yet concerned citizens of New York City are more aware. “Making fracking safe is simply not possible, not with the current technology, or with the inadequate regulations being proposed,” Louis Allstadt, former executive vice president of Mobil Oil, said during a news conference in Albany called by the anti-fracking group Elected Officials to Protect New York.
What did the U.S. State Department do with a not-so-green technology that is too dangerous to use at home? Export it to the closest allies in Europe, of course. Nor should one forget that in the United States itself, the “shale bubble” would have been impossible without the direct support of U.S. Dept. of Energy programs, as well as the backing of Hillary Clinton’s State Dept., which pushed the issue on an international, political level.
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The Driving Force Behind the US Oil Boom
The Driving Force Behind the US Oil Boom.
The shale revolution’s sweet spot is oilfield services, the lower-risk backbone of the American oil and gas boom that pays off regardless of a play’s economics.
Behind the stardom of the explorers and producers who have put themselves on the revolutionary shale map and absorb most of the risk—are the service providers who make up a highly lucrative market segment.
The US land-based rig count rose 3% over the last quarter, reaching a two-year high of 1,870 active rigs. A major factor in this growth has been an uptick in horizontal drilling in the Permian Basin, Texas’ revived giant, where the rig count was up 21% year-on-year.
And while oil prices slumped in October, drilling activity continues to rise according to Baker Hughes, the third-largest oil services company. Baker Hughes’ rig count is up 3.8% in the fourth quarter of this year, compared to the third quarter.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
When the Shale Runs Dry: A Look at the Future of Fracking | DeSmogBlog
When the Shale Runs Dry: A Look at the Future of Fracking | DeSmogBlog.
If you want to see the future of the shale industry — what today’s drilling rush will leave behind — come to Bradford, Pennsylvania.
A small city, it was home to one of America’s first energy booms, producing over three quarters of the world’s oil in 1877. A wooden oil rig towering over a local museum commemorates those heady days, marking the first “billion dollar oil field” in the world.
But times have changed dramatically in Bradford. Most of the oil has been pumped out, leaving residents atop an aging oil field that requires complicated upkeep and mounting costs. Since its height in the 1940’s, Bradford’s population has steadily declined, leaving the city now home to only 8,600 people, down from over 17,000.
The story of Bradford these days is a story of thousands of oil and gas wells: abandoned, uncapped, and often leaking.
To drive through McKean County, home to Bradford and much of the Allegheny National Forest, is to witness an array of creative ways people have found to hide the remnants of this bygone boom. Rusted metal pipes — the old steel casings from long abandoned wells — jut from lawns and roadsides. Mailboxes are strapped to some of the taller pipes. In autumn, abandoned wells are tucked behind Halloween props and hay bales in front yards.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The Peak Oil Crisis: A Reality Check Post Carbon Institute
The Peak Oil Crisis: A Reality Check Post Carbon Institute.
For the last four or five years, we have been bombarded with a stream of stories about the “shale revolution.” Horizontal drilling and fracking, mostly in the U.S., were said to have released oceans of new oil and a virtually endless supply of natural gas. These developments have brought, or will soon bring, great benefits to the American people. Our oil imports are down as are gasoline prices. Factories utilizing the flood of natural gas will soon create many new jobs as manufacturing returns to the US. We will soon have so much oil and natural gas that we can export much energy to our friends and teach our enemies a lesson.
Now it is perfectly true that there has been a major increase in US oil and natural gas production in recent years. Oil production is up by some 4 million b/d and natural gas production is up by 5 trillion cubic feet/year since the boom began. What the stories about all this abundance fail to address, outside of vague generalizations, is just how long this upward surge is going to last and what happens then.
To fill in the gap between oil companies, their consultants, their financiers, and friendly media hype, we have only the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) to guide us on the many critical decisions ahead. Now the EIA does not have a very good track record when it comes to projecting the future. Until last winter two-thirds of America’s shale oil reserves were supposed to be buried under California which would become fabulously wealthy when we brought it to the surface. Then all of a sudden, and likely under pressure from outside observers, California’s shale oil was not there. The whole notion of oceans of oil under California was nothing but oil company hype, aided by a consultant, and a stamp of approval from the EIA.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Frack Waste Investigation Launched by Pennsylvania Congressman » EcoWatch
Frack Waste Investigation Launched by Pennsylvania Congressman » EcoWatch.
In light of an increasing number of studies showing that fracking produces toxic emissions that have serious human health impacts throughout the entire process, Pennsylvania CongressmanMatt Cartwright, a first-term Democrat, has opened an investigation into how toxic wastes from fracking are regulated.
“Preliminary reports indicate there are big gaps in protections and oversight that the federal government might have to fill,” Cartwright told Inside Climate News.
Fracking is big business in Pennsylvania. As a result of its exponential growth in the last decade, the state is now the third largest producer of natural gas in the U.S. after Texas and Louisiana. But among the many questions surrounding such operations is how the wastewater—the mix of water, chemicals and sand used to blast open the shale—is disposed of. The waste has become something of a hot potato, with many states banning its disposal within their borders. Pennsylvania was among the states which tightened up its regulations so much of its waste is trucked to Ohio.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The Politics of Fracking: Polarization in New York State » EcoWatch
The Politics of Fracking: Polarization in New York State » EcoWatch.
In September, The Earth Institute hosted Tanya Heikkila and Chris Weible of the University of Colorado Denver for a seminar on The Political Landscape of Shale Gas Development and Hydraulic Fracturing in New York. The seminar was attended by students, faculty and staff from across Columbia, and members of the local community. Professors Heikkila and Weible presented the results of their study, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, looking at fracking perceptions in three study sites: New York, Texas and Colorado. The following is an overview of the results.
Hydraulic fracturing, better known as “fracking,” is the process of injecting high-pressure water, sand and other chemicals into shale rock formations in order to extract oil and gas. Fracking has been around for some time, but only in the past several years has the issue come into the public eye. It’s a highly contentious political issue because of the high volume of water it uses, the types of chemicals used and the unknown health and environmental impacts. In fact in New York, there was a pause on gas drilling permits that utilize fracking. This has become known as the “de facto moratorium,” and has put the state in somewhat of an area of uncertainty. There have been a number of debates at the local level around fracking, the moratorium, and what should be done next.
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Oil Companies Spending Big To Defeat Community-Led Anti-Fracking Initiatives At The Ballot Box | DeSmogBlog
Election day is fast approaching and, in a pattern becoming all too familiar, oil companies are spending big to defeat citizen-led initiatives to halt fracking in California.
By last August, oil industry front groupCalifornians for Energy Independence, which is leading the charge against anti-fracking measures in the sate, had raised around $3 million. Now, just one week before the election, that number has more than doubled to just under $7.7 million, per the California Secretary of State’s campaign finance database.
Chevron is the leading donor to Californians for Energy Independence, having made two donations totaling about $2.6 million. Occidental Petroleum and Aera Energy have kicked in some $2 million apiece, and Exxon has given $300,000. Every single dollar received by CEI has come from an oil company.
Once the polls close, we’ll know how well that money was spent. One thing is clear, however: Big Oil has not succeeded in buying the hearts and minds of many Californians, who overwhelmingly reject the plans to frack the Golden State, polls have shown.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The Revolution That Wasn’t: Why the Fracking Phenomenon Will Leave Us High and Dry Post Carbon Institute
A new, landmark report shows that hopes of a long-term golden era in American oil & gas production are unfounded.
America’s energy landscape has undergone a dramatic shift over the last decade—literally and figuratively—as a result of the widespread use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”). Whole areas of the country have been transformed in a matter of months, while the fossil fuel industry has reversed the decades-long decline in crude oil production and increased natural gas production to record highs. Thanks to shale gas and tight oil (“shale oil”), by 2013 annual crude oil production was 24% higher and natural gas was20% higher compared to just ten years earlier.
While this achievement is impressive, it pales in comparison to the sea change that has been triggered in “conventional wisdom” about our energy future. In a few short years we have gone from President Bush warning that the U.S. was addicted to oil and dangerously reliant on Middle East imports to fears of a production glut, as a recent New York Times article stated:
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Fracking Ban Ballot Initiatives Intensify » EcoWatch
Fracking Ban Ballot Initiatives Intensify » EcoWatch.
County ballot issues to ban fracking could have a large impact outside those counties. And the campaign money being spent on both sides—but primarily by big energy companies—shows how much is at stake.
The highest profile and most contentious ban is the one on the ballot in Denton, Texas, north of Dallas, located in the heart of the Barnett shale region. Citizen groups, concerned about their families’ health and safety and frustrated by the city’s failure to enact any restrictions on fracking, gathered enough signatures to force city council to vote on the ban in July. After the council voted against it, the issue went to the November ballot. The battle has positioned the industry-backed group Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy against the community group Denton Drilling Awareness Group/Frack Free Denton. The Denton Chamber of Commerce and the Denton County Republican Party have come out against the ban.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
STREETTALK LIVE – The Daily X-Change – Houston, We Have A “Fracking” Problem
STREETTALK LIVE – The Daily X-Change – Houston, We Have A “Fracking” Problem.
Last week, I touched on the issue of oil prices and demand stating:
“First, the development of the “shale oil” production over the last five years has caused oil inventories to surge at a time when demand for petroleum products is on the decline as shown below.”
“The obvious ramification of this is a “supply glut” which leads to a collapse in oil prices. The collapse in prices leads to production “shut ins,” loss of revenue, employee reductions, and many other negative economic consequences for a city dependent on the production of oil.
Secondly, I have also discussed that the “fracking miracle” may not be all that it is believed to be due to fast production decline rates and massive amounts of leverage. Just recently Yves Smith posted an article discussing this very issue stating:”
…click on the link above to read the rest of the article…
New Evidence Links Earthquakes to Fracking » EcoWatch
New Evidence Links Earthquakes to Fracking » EcoWatch.
The evidence linking fracking to earthquakes continues to pile up.
A study by seven researchers from California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio and the UK, The Environmental Costs and Benefits of Fracking, said “Unconventional oil and natural gas extraction enabled by horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing [fracking] is driving an economic boom with consequences described from ‘revolutionary’ to ‘disastrous.’ The reality lies somewhere in between.”
Map credit: U.S. Geological Survey
The studies findings were many, including that fracking “generates income and, done well, can reduce air pollution and even water use compared with other fossil fuels.” But it also found it can reduce investment in renewables and when done carelessly, can release toxic chemicals into the environment. It also agreed: fracking causes earthquakes.
…click on the link above to read the rest of the article…
Fracking Moves To China, Part II — Sea Change Radio Sea Change Radio
Fracking Moves To China, Part II — Sea Change Radio Sea Change Radio.
Last week on Sea Change Radio, we learned about the new shale gas boom in China. This week, in the second part of my discussion with Jaeah Lee and James West of Mother Jones, we examine the larger questions that surround this shift in Chinese energy policy. Can natural gas be a bridge fuel as the industrial giant weans itself off coal? Will there be enough water to extract China’s significant shale deposits? Will shale gas exploration further divide urban and rural China, or could it help to close the country’s income gap?
West and Lee provide some answers to these complex questions, and also discuss the implications of Chinese investments into the U.S. natural gas sector. Will this big business alliance be good for consumers on either side of the Pacific? Find out on this week’s Sea Change Radio.
…click on above to listen to the podcast…
