Global Frac News

Quebec artists draw up new front in battle against energy development by Suzanne Dansereau, Special to Financial Post, April 17, 2015 MONTREAL — Quebecers love their artists. The likes of folk singer Kevin Parent, actor Roy Dupuis or playwright Robert Lepage are probably better known in some areas of la Belle province than, say, Taylor Swift ...

Colo. Lone Pine Ruling Ups Ante On Fracking Court Battles by Keith Goldberg, April 29, 2015, Law360 The Colorado Supreme Court’s recent ruling in a fracking contamination suit that state law doesn’t allow for so-called “Lone Pine” orders that require plaintiffs to provide evidence of an injury before discovery will add time and costs to such suits and send ...

Texas High Court Ruling Lowers Bar On Anti-SLAPP Defense by Paul DeBenedetto, April 29, 2015, Law360 A recent decision in the Texas Supreme Court allowing circumstantial evidence to overcome claims that a lawsuit runs afoul of the state’s anti-SLAPP law cleared up years of conflict in the lower appeals courts, and could make it easier for parties to ...

Special Branch wanted to gather intelligence about audience at a Canterbury Christ Church University fracking debate by Alex Claridge, April 29, 2015, Kent online Kent Police have belatedly admitted they planted a Special Branch detective inside a public meeting to monitor the activities of Initially, the force would only confirm that a chief inspector ...

Ecosystem services lost to oil and gas in North America, Net primary production reduced in crop and rangelands by Brady W. Allred , W. Kolby Smith, Dirac Twidwell, Julia H. Haggerty, Steven W. Running, David E. Naugle, and Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, April 24, 2015, Science Advanced technologies in oil and gas extraction coupled with energy demand have encouraged an average ...

Landowners on the hook by Cheryl Marshman, Rockyford, April 27, 2015, Edmonton Journal Re: “What other special deals?” Letters, John Boerefyn, April 20 Appropriating land is not a commercial contract, it’s a government policy, and a very bad one at that. The real comparison would be the government coming into someone’s home, uninvited, and telling him he must rent ...

Texas Family Still Waiting for $2.9 Million Fracking Verdict, A year after a jury found the Parrs were sickened by Aruba Petroleum’s nearby wells, the appeal remains in limbo by David Hasemyer,  April 28, 2015, InsideClimate News A year after a Texas jury awarded $2.9 million to a family who claims to have been sickened by gas and ...

CBC News Facebook post Why did it take over two years for this to be made public? SPECIAL REPORT: Rapidly growing oil industry causing health concerns in southeast Sask, ‘They are just pillaging,’ says Oxbow resident by CBC News with files from Roxanna Woloshyn, April 22, 2015 It’s not just people living near wells who are concerned about the growing ...

Documentary Fractured Land premiers next week by Emma Lui, April 21, 2015, rabble.ca “Anyone who can throw a hatchet and sue you is a force to be reckoned with.” This is how author and environmental activist Bill McKibben describes Caleb Behn, a young Indigenous lawyer from northern British Columbia and subject of the upcoming fracking documentary, ...

Résolutions pour le conseil municipal by Lise Chartrand pour Ensemble pour l’avenir durable du Grand Gaspé, 20 avril 2015, 20 h 00 Attendu que des contaminations au méthane thermogénique ont été retrouvées dans notre quartier; Attendu que depuis notre dernière venue ici, du 17 décembre 2014, nous avons obtenu de la Ville, par le biais de la Loi d’accès ...

Encana seeking buyers for U.S. properties: sources by Bloomberg, April 20, 2015, Calgary Herald Encana Corp. is seeking buyers for its natural gas properties in Louisiana as it focuses on drilling for oil and other liquids in Texas and Canada, people with knowledge of the matter said. Citigroup Inc. is soliciting offers for Encana’s Haynesville Shale basin ...

Click to hear Ian Jessop interview Diana Daunheimer on Angle/Bellatrix’s many non-compliances and their April 13, 2015 attack on her lawsuit in Court of Queen’s Bench: Demanding $33,000 installments – regularly – to pay for the company’s legal fees – before trial and before a judge rules! In the interview, Diana read this concluding paragraph from Klippensteins’ Brief ...

Federal Report Attributes Nine Worker Deaths to Oilfield Vapors by Andy Szal, April 15, 2015, Chem.info news Nine oilfield workers over the last five years died on the job after inhaling deadly vapors near oil or gas wells, according to a federal investigation. Between 2010 and 2014, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health determined that acute ...

Pa: Fracking Exclusion Not Allowed in Homeowners Earthquake Endorsements by Insurance Journal, April 15, 2015 The Pennsylvania Insurance Department issued a notice telling insurance companies that earthquake endorsements to homeowners insurance policies in Pennsylvania cannot exclude coverage for earthquakes that may be caused by “human activity” such as fracking. According to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s notice issued ...

Its appeal denied, Range Resources ordered to disclose drilling chemicals in Washington County lawsuit by David Conti, April 15, 2015 Range Resources Corp. must gather information about the chemicals its contractors used at a Washington County shale gas well and disclose it to neighbors who sued over leaks from a nearby wastewater holding pond, state judges said this ...

Oilpatch bankruptcies add to backlog of orphan well reclamations by Stephen Ewart, April 18, 2015, Calgary Herald An increase in oilpatch bankruptcies is adding to the backlog of “orphan wells” to be reclaimed to government standards as Alberta’s election focuses attention on rural concerns and reveals strains on the industry-funded organization to address ...

Edmonton’s bad air is dirtier than Toronto’s, which has five times the people, Particulate readings 25 per cent higher on some winter days by Sheila Pratt, Edmonton Journal, April 14, 2015 On bad days, Edmonton had higher levels of a harmful air pollutant than Toronto, a city with five times the population and more industry, says ...

Lap-Dog Journalism. Hi-Jacking Your Head. Eating Your Soul. Part Two: The Mike Duffy Case by Robin Mathews, April 14, 2015, The Straight Goods One: It doesn’t touch the real matter of guilt or innocence. Two: It avoids the basic question about the trial. “It”… is the conventional press and media. One: The trial is about the guilt ...

Federal Cabinet Approves Legislative Package Limiting Future Fracking Operations in Germany by Dr. Frank-Rainer Töpfer and Dr. Janet Butler, April 13, 2015, globalcompliancenews.com On April 1, 2015, the German Federal Cabinet (Bundeskabinett) approved a legislative package introducing broad restrictions on the use of hydraulic fracturing technology (fracking) in Germany. The legislative bill prohibits hydraulic fracturing in ...

… 2015 Is this why Jim Prentice jumped into Alberta politics?   Snap above from Prentice’s 2015 austerity slash and burn education and health budget, but give plenty to the oil and gas industry!~ This snap below taken from the AER’s website on April 13, 2015: If the AER is a corporation, completely funded by the oil and gas industry, ...

Statement by Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry on High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing April 13, 2015 3:00 P.M. Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Today, Bill Mauro, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, issued the following statement on high-volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in Ontario: “Protecting our environment and water is a top priority for our government. There are currently no ...

Fracking criticism spreads, even in Alberta and Texas, Canadian, U.S. studies raise concerns that chemicals used in process make people sick by Michelle Leslie, April 7, 2015, CBC News “It was beautiful up until fracking started,” said Nielle Hawkwood. Nielle and Howard Hawkwood say their ranch outside Cochrane, Alta., northwest of Calgary, hasn’t been the same since 2009, when fracking began. Water started ...

Court Blocks Environmental Group’s Pleas for Radioactivity data on Marcellus Shale drilling by Matt Miller, April 10, 2015, pennlive.com An environmental group can’t have access to raw data collected during a state probe into potential exposure to radioactivity from Marcellus Shale gas and oil drilling operations, a Commonwealth Court panel ruled Friday. The ruling overturns a decision by ...

Despite fracking moratorium, ‘we’re very much for energy projects’: N.B. premier by Michelle Zilio, April 12, 2015, CTVNews Despite slapping a moratorium on fracking in New Brunswick, Premier Brian Gallant says his government is very supportive of energy projects in the province as a way to propel the economy. Gallant told CTV’s Question Period that his Liberal government is ...

For local farmers, dwindling water is a noose slowly tightening. Most take relief wherever they can get it, but not Tom Frantz. “I would rather let my trees die” than use the Chevron water, he says. In California, Farmers Rely on Oil Wastewater to Weather Drought by Zoë Schlanger, April 6, 2015, Newsweek It looks like the California ...

Study available free. Click on cover below or link title beneath cover to access PDF. Increased levels of radon in Pennsylvania homes correspond to onset of fracking, Levels of radon, a known carcinogen, rising since 2004, around the time that drilling for a new type of natural gas well began PUBLIC RELEASE: April 9, 2015 JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY BLOOMBERG ...

All Charges Against Grandmother Fracking Activist Dropped — Major Lawsuit Ahead by Blair Koch, April 7, 2015, EnviroNews It’s been six months since Idaho activist Alma Hasse was arrested during a public Payette County Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) meeting and her legal troubles stemming from the incident are now over. On April 2, 2015 the charges ...

Berea City Council opposes fracking in areas near city reservoirs by Greg Kocher, April 8, 2015, The Lexington Herald-Leader Berea City Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday expressing opposition to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in watershed areas near the reservoirs from which the city draws its drinking water. Additionally, Berea College President Kyle Roelofs issued a ...

Oregon committee considers bill banning fracking until 2025 by The Associated Press, April 8, 2015, marcellus.com SALEM, Ore. — The oil and gas industry is pushing back on a bill that would ban hydraulic fracturing in Oregon until 2025. The bill sponsor, Democratic Rep. Ken Helm, told a House committee Tuesday the proposal puts the state ahead ...

Fracking health report criticized by William Stodalka, April 7, 2015, Alaska Highway News A report commissioned by the provincial government about fracking’s impact on health is not without its critics. Last Thursday, the province released the Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) for oil and gas development. Its main conclusion was that health risks from oil and gas activities ...

France: ‘Buried shale gas report’ kicks off new row by The Local, April 7, 2015 The row over whether France should exploit its deep reserves of shale gas was unexpectedly back on the table on Tuesday after it emerged the French government had buried a controversial report that suggested alternative and safer methods [Propane/butane fracing is more ...

Fracking Study on Water Contamination Under Ethics Review, Chesapeake Energy paid undisclosed fees to the lead author, whose study was based on water samples provided by the company by Neela Banerjee, April 6, 2015, InsideClimate News Drinking-water wells in Pennsylvania close to natural gas sites do not face a greater risk of methane contamination than those farther ...

The German news clip included below is no longer available Shpërthejnë puset e naftës në Marinzë, evakuohen dhjetra banorë – Albanian Screen TV  Click to watch: Fontänen aus Gas und Schlamm schießen aus dem Boden   Veröffentlicht am April 2, 2015, Kanadische Firma bestreitet einen Zusammenhang zu Ölbohrungen ...

Frack Club Exposed: Banks Bail on Shale by Richard Averett, April 5, 2015, No Fracking Way The first rule of Frack Club was don’t talk about Frack Club. Particularly to the lenders. A few of whom might be old enough to actually remember the Sub Prime Mortgage Meltdown. What’s a fracker to do when banks stop lending ? Issue ...

Noble County quake early Saturday morning initially measured 5.1 by Ziva Branstetter, April 4, 2015, Tulsa World A strong earthquake that registered up to 5.1 at some monitoring stations shook Noble County early Saturday.The earthquake was among at least 10 quakes over magnitude 3.0 in Oklahoma since Friday afternoon, according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey. OGS ...

California unveils historic water restrictions over drought crisis by Agence France-Presse, April 2nd, 2015 LOS ANGELES, United States – California announced sweeping statewide water restrictions for the first time in history Wednesday in order to combat the region’s devastating drought, the worst since records began. … “This historic drought demands unprecedented action.” The executive order issued by Brown would ...

Lawyers Accuse Gas Giant of Deficient Records Filing in Fracking Case, Encana disclosure shows ‘disdain for an ordinary Albertan,’ claims counsel for Jessica Ernst by Andrew Nikiforuk, April 1, 2015, TheTyee.ca Lawyers representing Jessica Ernst in her landmark lawsuit challenging the regulation and practice of hydraulic fracturing in Canada have accused Encana Corporation of failing to meet its ...

Merkel’s cabinet approves plan for fracking in Germany by Europe online, April 1, 2015 Germany is to allow fracking of shale gas for testing purposes under a plan approved Wednesday by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet, but a revolt is brewing among government legislators who say environmental restrictions aren’t strong enough. … The public is largely hostile to the ...

“The one red line we must not cross” PEI ban on fracking is overdue by Zack Metcalfe, March 28, 2015, Halifax Media Coop In late February, Judy Profitt was driving through the Brackley Beach portion of the Prince Edward Island National Park, located on the north shore of this petite province, when she encountered Alan Goodwin. Goodwin had ...

Methane monitoring method reveals high levels in Pennsylvania stream by phys.org, March 31, 2015 A new stream-based monitoring system recently discovered high levels of methane in a Pennsylvania stream near the site of a reported Marcellus shale gas well leak, according to researchers at Penn State and the U.S. Geological Survey. The system could be a ...

Concerns raised regarding EnCana’s “extraordinarily deficient” disclosure of records in Rosebud fracing water contamination case by wn.com, March 31, 2015 PRESS RELEASE by Klippensteins (French translation below), March 31, 2015: Concerns raised regarding EnCana’s “extraordinarily deficient” disclosure of records in Rosebud fracing water contamination case ROSEBUD, AB, March 31, 2015 /CNW/ – Plaintiff Jessica Ernst is raising serious ...

Trican lays off 137 employees, Canada-based service company cites loss of Anadarko business by Corey Paul, March 30, 2015, oaoa.com Trican Well Service recently laid off 137 employees based in Odessa, according to a notice filed with state regulators, representing another sign the strain of low prices on workers in the oil patch. The effective layoff date for ...

List of protests tracked by government includes vigil, ‘peace demonstration.’ The Government Operations Centre compiled reports on more than 160 protests, community events since last May by Alex Boutilier, March 29, 2015, Toronto Star What do Canadian veterans, advocates for the disabled and the country’s largest union have in common? Their activities were monitored and reported ...

Methane in drinking water unrelated to fracking, study suggests by Eric Hand, March 30, 2015, news.sciencemag Fracking doesn’t appear to be allowing methane to seriously contaminate drinking water ...

Texas Committee OKs Bill To Block Local Fracking Bans by Paul DeBenedetto, March 30, 2015, Law360 A Texas House committee on Monday approved a bill that would prevent local governments from imposing regulations like the Denton fracking ban, one week after more than 100 people waited hours to testify during a hearing on the bill. In a 10-1 ...

New DEP rules for shallow oil and gas wells draw industry ire by Laura Legere, March 27, 2015, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The conventional oil and gas industry’s frustrations with proposed new environmental regulations boiled up at a Department of Environmental Protection advisory board meeting on Thursday, where representatives of the Pennsylvania’s legacy drilling industry questioned whether new ...

Doctors and academics call for ban on ‘inherently risky’ fracking, Letter to BMJ prompted by new report from health charity Medact recommending UK-wide moratorium on fracking for shale gas by Karl Mathiesen, March 30, 2015, The Guardian Fracking should be banned because of the impact it could have on public health, according to a prominent group ...

Hearing on Fracking Wastewater Well in Sioux County, NE 4:17 Min by BoldNebraska, March 25, 2015 WATCH: Nebraska farmer silences oil and gas committee with invitation to drink water tainted by fracking by Raw Story, March 28, 2015 Appearing before a Nebraska Oil & Gas Conservation committee hearing, a local farmer received nothing but silence from the pro-fracking members of the ...

“The project  database contains 692 unique ingredients reported for additives, base fluids, and proppants. Operators designated 11% of all ingredient records as confidential business information. One or more ingredients were claimed confidential in more than 70% of disclosures.” A message from TXsharon at BLue Daze EPA releases first part of frack study, an analysis of chemical disclosure by Susan ...

Maryland Senate Passes Bill To Declare Fracking An ‘Ultrahazardous Activity’ by Natasha Geiling, March 25, 2015, Think Progress The Maryland House of Delegates passed a three-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing — or fracking — in the Western part of the state, while the Maryland Senate approved a bill that would impose strict financial liabilities on fracking ...

[Refer to first: Why did Intrinsik excluded it too. In 2008, Dr Don Davies of Intrinsik pushed that super critical sour oil drilling near the school in Tomahawk ...

New Brunswick bans fracking, plans ‘prudent’ impact study by Dave Sherwood, March 26, 2015, Reuters in Financial Post Lawmakers in New Brunswick voted on Thursday to prohibit fracking in the eastern Canadian province, committing to study the controversial method of extracting oil and gas for one year before reconsidering the ban in 2016. The province’s Liberal-led government ...

Government rejects ban on hydraulic fracking in Ontario by Keith Leslie, The Canadian Press, March 25, 2015, Global News An NDP private member’s bill to ban high volume hydraulic fracking to produce natural gas from shale in Ontario was quickly shot down by the Liberal government Wednesday. NDP environment critic Peter Tabuns introduced a private member’s bill to ...

PART 1 OF 3: Awkward questions raised at investigation of RCMP actions at Rexton shale gas camp: “Why didn’t they care about the crime scene?” (Part 1 of 3) by Dallas McQuarrie, March 20, 2015, NB Media Coop A St. Louis-de-Kent man is asking some very pointed questions about what really happened on October 17, 2013, ...

Fracking Linked to Adrenal Problems by Jane Mundy, March 24, 2015, Lawyers and Settlements Valley Grove, WV: Five years ago Mollie and her husband purchased their dream home in the country. Chesapeake Energy a few years later started fracking nearby and their dream turned into a nightmare. Mollie believes her adrenal issues and other health problems are ...

[Refer also to: AER, Alberta’s new energy regulator seeks the world’s trust, as Alberta’s caprock is frac’d “to Hell” Alberta’s energy UK fracking industry calls for new regulator by ...

Fracking commission appointed to study shale gas conditions, 3-member commission due to report back to government within one year by CBC News, March 24, 2015 The New Brunswick government has appointed a commission to study hydraulic fracturing and report back to cabinet within one year on whether the government’s conditions for shale gas development can be ...

Don’t Frack with Denton: A Community’s Fight to Defend Home Rule by Cole Mellino, March 24, 2015, EcoWatch Citizens of Denton, Texas are still fighting to keep fracking banned within city limits despite the vote last November in favor of the ban. Ever since the vote, state lawmakers in cahoots with the oil and gas industry and the ...

WATER! Translation of Nikiforuk quote by Amie du Richelieu, March 21, 2015 Grossièrement traduit, je dirais: L’eau n’est pas considérée comme une richesse par l’industrie de la fracturation hydraulique, parce que l’eau appartient au peuple, à la terre. Les frackeurs ont fait la croix sur cette ressource afin d’exploiter ces autres ressources (le pétrole et le gaz) ...

Fracking Fumes Force Texas Resident to Shutter Home Business After a Decade, The Buehrings’ property on the south Texas prairie is surrounded by more than 50 wells and nine oil-and-gas facilities, all within 2.5 miles of their home by David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News March 22, 2015 It’s the height of tax season, when Texas tax preparer Lynn ...

Federal energy regulator violates Charter, court case alleges; “The NEB (National Energy Board) has lost its way,” said lawyer David Martin by David Geselbracht, March 23, 2015, Vancouver Observer A group of concerned citizens has filed a constitutional challenge with Canada’s highest court today, frustrated with the National Energy Board’s review of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, ...

LISTEN: Retired farmer not happy about fracking operation 260 meters away from his house by CBC News, March 19, 2015 Click above to access article, scroll down to click on arrow to listen A map showing the proposed fracking operation. The red rectangle is the wellpad, Smith’s house is circled. A retired sheep farmer in B.C. ‘s Peace ...

Andrew Nikiforuk – Politics of Fracking and the Reality of Leaky Wells by Paula E. Kirman, March 21, 2015 Oilsands companies might be better off not restoring wetlands, U of A ecologist says by Sheila Pratt, March 201, 2015, Edmonton Journal The effort to restore wetlands in the oilsands is so weak it might be better abandoned, an ecologist ...

Natural Gas Driller Gulfport Sues Barnesville To Use Water, Company says it has right to purchase from reservoir by Casey Junkins, March 19, 2015, The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register BARNESVILLE – Citing a potential loss of “millions of dollars,” Marcellus and Utica shale driller Gulfport Energy is suing the village of Barnesville for the right to ...

Quicksilver bankruptcy deals blow to LNG terminal by J.R. Rardon, March 19, 2015, Campbell River Mirror A proposed LNG production and shipping terminal at the former Elk Falls Mill site suffered a setback this week when Quicksilver Resources Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. court. Tuesday’s filing in a Delaware court does not include ...

Amendment To “Gut” Fracking Liability Bill Fails by Robert Lang, March 19, 2015, WBAL NewsRadio 1090 and Associated Press A bill to hold fracking companies more responsible for damages they cause remained intact after senators defeated an amendment Thursday that would have removed words describing the natural gas extraction process as “ultrahazardous and abnormally dangerous.” … The amendment failed by ...

Should oil companies be liable for earthquake-related damage? Court case in Oklahoma examines whether oil and gas firms should be held liable for earthquake-related damage by Scott Tong, March 19, 2015, Market Place The Oklahoma Supreme Court will soon rule on a case that could hold oil and gas companies liable for earthquake-related damage. Since 2009, Oklahoma has ...

Pete Seeger, Jon Butler Trio, Bonnie Raitt, Marco Benevento Team Up for Anti-Fracking Album March 19, 2015 Movement Music Records John Butler Trio, Bonnie Raitt, Michael Franti, Indigo Girls, Marco Benevento, Steve Earle, the late Pete Seeger and more contributed their voices to Buy This Fracking Album, a two-disc benefit compilation. The record, which is something of ...

Doctor loses lawsuit that challenged secrecy of fracking fluid by The (Scranton) Times-tribune, March 19, 2015, Triblive Business A federal appellate court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a physician challenging a law that precluded him from releasing information he obtained regarding chemicals contained in hydraulic fracking fluid. Dr. Alfonso Rodriguez of Dallas challenged ...

Gasfrac : Court Approves Deal For Purchase Of Operating Assets And Services by RTT News, March 28, 2015 Gasfrac Energy Services Inc. (GFS.TO) said that it has obtained the approval of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in respect of a definitive asset purchase agreement entered into between GASFRAC and a third party oil and ...

Metgasco merger deal collapses as CSG ban urged by Luis Feliu, March 18, 2015, echo.net.au Troubled north coast coal-seam-gas (CSG) miner Metgasco suffered another setback this week with the collapse of a proposed merger with oil explorer Elk Petroleum. The failure of the merger comes as the CSG issue hots up for the 28 March election, with Labor ...

2015 03 17: Button the Irish gave Ernst on her 2013 speaking tour of Ireland and the UK Shamrock, made of “Farming Not Fracking” badges on Leitrim land, sent to Ernst for St. Patrick’s Day [Refer also to: Fracking concerns Fracking concerns, Interviews in Ireland with Cillian Murphy, Business Owner, Eddie Mitchell, Leitrim Farmer, Carroll Odolan, Physician and Martin ...

VIDEO AT LINK: Couple Forced Out As Leak Threatens Potential Gas Explosion At Finleyville Home by Andy Sheehan, March 16, 2015, KDKA-TV They’re an couple enjoying their retirement years in Finleyville, Washington County, but a gas leak has driven them from their home. It’s been a month and half, but the continuing threat of a gas explosion has kept Joyce ...

And, to be perfectly frank, when you do energy law, as I do, or corporate litigation, you’re not dealing with life and death situations and people whose lives have been turned upside down, plaintiffs who are weeping. It’s just about money. 2012, Calgary managing partner for Osler Hoskin Harcourt, Maureen Killoran UPDATED: Calfrac employee killed in incident ...

Kevin Bacon, your swagger and grit is wanted in Taber by Reid Southwick, March 11, 2015, Calgary Herald Opponents fighting what they call draconian rules cracking down on public cussing and loud music in a southern Alberta town are looking for an ally to lead them through the trenches. They need a hero. And not just ...

Greenpeace appeals to Information Commissioner over redacted fracking report, Argues government is misleading public by refusing to publish findings of report on how shale gas could impact house prices by Jessica Shankleman, March 11, 2015, Business Green The UK’s transparency watchdog is set to rule on whether the public has the right to see the full ...

Protesters face jail under new Barnett Government law by Brendan Foster, March 11, 2015, WA Today “The legislation creates a new offence of physical prevention of a lawful activity, providing police with the ability to charge a person who creates a physical barrier with the intent to prevent a lawful activity from being conducted. “This offence will ...

Oil companies sued over man’s death allegedly tied to radioactive materials in drilling pipes by Kyle Barnett, March 9, 2015, Louisiana Record The family of a former worker at an oil drilling pipe cleaning yard is suing several oil companies claiming his exposure to radioactive materials resulted in his death years later from lung cancer. Bolton Domangue, ...

N.B. government considering SWN application for 6-year licence renewal by Laura Brown, March 10, 2015, Global News New Brunswick Energy Minister Donald Arseneault says he’s not worried that SWN Resources is halting operations in the province. … Arseneault told Global News Tuesday the energy company has applied for a six-year renewal on their exploration licences. But because SWN ...

Fracking documents raise ire among Yukoners, ‘The whole operation of this government is behind closed doors,’ says citizen Don Roberts by CBC News, MarCH 10, 2015 “They’re dishonest,” says Don Roberts, who heads an advocacy group that is opposed to fracking, of the Yukon government. “They’re not up front with Yukoners.” The documents include a PowerPoint presentation ...

Barton Moss fracking: High levels of contamination found at site, expert tells court by Paul Coates, March 6, 2015, Manchester Evening News An environmental expert has found ‘dangerously high’ levels of contamination in the earth just outside the fracking test drilling site at Barton Moss, a court has heard. Dr Aidan Foley discovered a high concentration of ...

First Nation calls Yukon’s draft fracking strategy ‘a betrayal.’ Trondek Hwechin First Nation opposes fracking, angry with Yukon government’s documents on hydraulic fracturing by CBC News, March 12, 2015 The Trondek Hwechin First Nation says documents indicating that the Yukon government is pursuing a draft strategy for hydraulic fracturing represent a serious breach of trust. Chief ...

Updated: Shale oil companies facing credit crunch by Dawn Kopecki, Christine Idzelis and Bradley Olson, April 1, 2015, Bloomberg Lenders are preparing to cut the credit lines to a group of junk-rated U.S. shale oil companies by as much as 30 percent in the coming days, dealing another blow as they struggle with a slump in crude ...

North East Oil and Gas Health Advisory Committee faced with funding cut by Energetic City, March 5, 2015 A provincial MLA is claiming that the government has cut funding from the North East Oil and Gas Health Advisory Committee. Delta South Independent MLA Vicki Huntington raised the issue with the Minister of Health in today’s question ...

Oil & gas execs ‘pressured’ Oklahoma geologists not to reveal fracking-quakes link by Jim Urquhart, March 05, 2015, RT Newly-obtained emails reveal that Oklahoma geologists were pressured by oil industry big-shots not to push on with their assessments of possible links between earthquakes in the state and hydraulic fracturing industry, most often referred to as fracking. More ...

Special Issue: Facing the Challenges – Research on Shale Gas Extraction Series of articles Published online March 3, 2015, Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A: Toxic/Hazardous Substances and Environmental Engineering, Volume 50, Issue 5, 2015, DOI:10.1080/10934529.2015.992649 Foreword by John F. Stolz Professor, Biological Sciences, Directora The exponential increase in the development of natural gas and oil from tight shale reserves seen ...

B.C. First Nation suit alleges development projects — including $8.8B dam — violate treaty rights by Canadian Press, National Post, March 4, 2015, Calgary Herald A British Columbia First Nation has launched a lawsuit alleging its treaty rights have been violated by decades of development — a legal challenge that could affect the province’s planned Site C ...

The Unanswered Questions about Insitu Mining and Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking) by Keepers of the Athabasca, March 20, 2015, U of A, Edmonton (details below) In situ and hydraulic fracturing are ingenuous, yet highly contested methods of oil and gas extraction. In situ drilling accounts for 80% of oil sand reserves in Northern Alberta, and hydraulic fracturing grows by ...

Insurance commissioner clarifies “man-made” earthquake policies by Adam Wilmoth, March 3, 2015, The Oklahoman in Insurance News Net Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak on Tuesday issued a bulletin to insurance companies clarifying his department’s expectations for earthquake insurance coverage. The notice focused on exclusions regarding man-made damage, pre-existing damage and claims adjusters. “We want to make sure everyone ...

State Admits That Thousands of Oil Wells Are Dumping into Protected Aquifers, State says 2,500 wells are dumping into protected aquifers, up from 532 in February by Stephen Stock, Mark Villareal and Scott Pham, March 3, 2015, NBCBayArea News The Investiative Unit In a stunning admission, the California Environmental Protection Agency wrote on Monday that state officials ...

Dr. Burns Cheadle to Address Fracking Effects at CRU Adjuster Seminar by CRU – Catastrophe Response Unit by Catastrophe Response Unit Group, March 3, 2015, Canadianunderwriter.ca Dr. Cheadle, an Associate Professor of Petroleum Geology at Western University will be a key speaker at the upcoming CRU Adjuster Seminar in Toronto next week. After a long career in the ...

Supervisors erred in 2014 oilfield accident by William Stodalka, March 3, 2015, Alaska Highway News A BC Oil and Gas Commission investigation has found that on-site supervisors had a role in a man’s injury during work to prevent a leak on a natural gas site last year. The incident, which happened last March, involved workers for Trinidad ...

Waterless fracking company in acquisition deal by Tom Knox, March 3, 3015, Columbus Business First The Canadian company that had high hopes to bring waterless fracking to eastern Ohio is selling most of its assets and technology. GasFrac Energy Services Inc., based in Calgary, announced the deal for “substantially all” assets and technology with an undisclosed ...

Queensland’s Department of Environment not ruling out underground fire as cause of gases near Chinchilla by the National Reporting Team’s Mark Willacy, March 1, 2015, ABC News Queensland’s Department of Environment says it is not ruling out an underground fire as the cause of gases detected just below the soil surface near Chinchilla, on the western Darling ...

In first crack at fracking issue, Pa. judge sides with driller by Gina Passarella, March 3, 2015, The Legal Intelligencer A federal judge took a literal definition of “adjacent” when determining whether a natural gas company’s compression sites should be lumped together when looking at potential Clean Air Act violations. In Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future v. Ultra ...

Studies target health, fracking, Research: Problems subside when people move away from wells by Randy Lee Loftis, March 3, 2015, The Dallas Morning News  Dogs serve as living recorders of toxic exposure. Cattle have trouble breeding. People report headaches, dizziness, difficulty breathing and a raft of other ills. Those are a few of the findings in a new ...

Industry Group Issues Warning For Fracking Vapors: ‘One Breath Could be Death’ by Andy Szal, February 25, 2015, Chem.Info Workers at shale oil drilling operations on the northern Great Plains could be at risk for serious injury, illness or death from inhaling tank fumes, an industry group warns. MonDaks Safety Network issued an alert over the potential ...

Victoria extends drilling, fracing ban by Rick Wilkinson, January 30, 2015, Oil and Gas Journal The new Victorian Labor government of premier Daniel Andrews has extended the coal seam gas (CSG) exploration and hydraulic fracturing ban in the state and launched another parliamentary inquiry. The previous Liberal government imposed a moratorium on approvals for new CSG exploration ...

Ottawa appoints first mining counsellor in more than a year by Kim Mackrael, March 1, 2015, The Globe and Mail The federal government is appointing a new corporate social responsibility counsellor for the so-called extractive – mining, oil and gas – sector after leaving the post vacant for more than a year. Jeffrey Davidson, a former ...

Oil and gas proposal could alter county tax streams by Amelia Naismith, February 10, 2015, Rimbey Review BLACK PRESS A proposal to cap tax rates imposed on oil and gas companies may threaten the structure of the Ponoka County tax revenue pool. At Ponoka County’s Tuesday, Jan. 27 meeting Reeve Paul McLauchlin briefly mentioned the proposal being made ...