Global Frac News

Experts fear fracking could damage Bath’s famous hot springs by Western Daily Press, November 03, 2012 Fracking, the controversial gas exploration technique proposed near Bath, has potential to cause significant environmental impact, leading water industry experts have warned. UK Methane Ltd has lodged an application to drill a test borehole on land at Keynsham to discover if ...

Pennsylvania Report Left Out Poisons In Drinking Water Near Fracking Site by Michael Kelley, November 3, 2012, Business Insider Law & Order Pennsylvania officials didn’t report toxic metals found in drinking water from a private well near a natural gas drilling site, according to legal documents and reported by Jon Hurdle of The New York Times ...

Mitt Romney’s Fracking Hit List by Tim Dickinsone, November 3, 2012, Rolling Stone The top 10 targets for destructive drilling if Romney is elected

Dogpound Creek, Premier Trout Stream Looses Water To Fracking! by Guy Woods, November 3, 2012, Stream Tender Dogpound Creek is a well known trout fishery in the central part of the province of Alberta. This small stream is a tributary to the Red Deer River and it is home water to a thriving population of brown trout, ...

Lawmaker challenges Pennsylvania DEP’s reporting of gas well water safety by Don Hopey, November 2, 2012, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection produces incomplete lab reports and uses them to dismiss complaints that Marcellus Shale gas development operations have contaminated residential water supplies and made people sick, according to court documents. In response, state ...

Occidental Ruling on Annulment of Ecuador Award Could Take Over a Year by Dow Jones Newswires, November 02, 2012, Fox Business Occidental Petroleum Corp. (OXY) said Friday that its $1.77 billion award from the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes could be tied up for more than a year while the tribunal considers ...

Pennsylvania Report Left Out Data on Poisons in Water Near Gas Site by Jon Hurdle, November 2, 2012, The New York Times Pennsylvania officials reported incomplete test results that omitted data on some toxic metals that were found in drinking water taken from a private well near a natural gas drilling site, according to legal documents ...

Pa. State Rep. Calls on Federal Authorities to Investigate Deceptive Marcellus Shale Water-Quality Testing Practices by EcoWatch, November 1, 2012 Of more critical concern to Pennsylvania residents, according to White, was that the deposition revealed that the DEP developed a specialized computer-code system to manipulate the test results for residents whose water was tested by the ...

White calls on state, federal authorities for investigation of DEP over deceptive Marcellus Shale water-quality testing practices, Testimony by DEP lab chief reveals possibility of intentionally undisclosed public health risks from Marcellus Shale gas drilling Press Release by State Rep. Jesse White, D-Allegheny/Beaver/Washington, November 1, 2012 State Rep. Jesse White today called for state and federal ...

Alberta to include public in safety review of its energy pipeline network by John Cotter, Canadian Press, November 1, 2012, Calgary Herald Alberta plans to broaden a safety review of its vast energy pipeline network to include input from the public. The province’s energy regulator hired a company in September to conduct a technical review of ...

UNEP Global Environment Alert Raises Concerns About Gas Fracking by UNEP, November 2012:  Hydraulic fracturing, a gas extraction technique also known as gas fracking, presents considerable environmental and health challenges, according to a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Environment Alert. According to the report, the question of whether and how to allow fracking merits careful review of ...

Shale Gas Development and Property Values: Differences across Drinking Water Sources by Lucija Muehlenbachs, Elisheba Spiller, Christopher Timmins, September 2012, NBER Working Paper No. 18390. You may purchase this paper on-line in .pdf format from SSRN.com ($5) for electronic delivery. While shale gas development can result in rapid local economic development, negative externalities associated with the ...

Silent killer: Health Canada urges testing homes for cancer-causing radon by The Canadian Press, November 1, 2012, Calgary Herald Health Canada is urging Canadians to test their homes for radon, a leading cause of lung cancer. After smoking, exposure to radon is the second leading cause of the often deadly disease. Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs ...

Why Fracking Must Be Banned by Caitlin C, based on writings by Sandra Steingraber, November 1, 2012 Breast Cancer Action Here’s how hydraulic fracturing introduces cancer risks into communities from the start and into perpetuity: •    Many naturally occurring toxic materials, including, in some cases, radioactivity, are trapped inside shale bedrock. Drilling and fracking operations can liberate and ...

Halcyon hot springs vanish after B.C. quake by Tamsyn Burgmann, The Canadian Press, November 1, 2012, Travel.ca Mother Nature has apparently turned off the taps for a series of idyllic hot springs on a remote west coast B.C. island following Saturday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks. Four naturally-sourced pools on the tiny Hot Springs Island in ...

Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said he didn’t ‘know very much’ about energy projects, emails reveal by Mike De Souza, Postmedia News, November 1, 2012, Calgary Herald OTTAWA—Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver told government officials — six months after he was on the job — that he did not “know very much” about energy projects and ...

ACFN fights ruling against constitutional challenge by Vincent McDermott, November 1, 2012, Fort McMurray Today After a government review panel for Shell’s proposed Jackpine Mine expansion ruled it could not hear constitutional arguments from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, the band council has filed documents with the Alberta Court of Appeal protesting the decision. The band, ...

China’s Purchase of U.S. Fracking Company will give it Advanced Technology by John Daly, November 1, 2012, Oilprice China’s Lanzhou Haimo Technologies Co. announced that its subsidiary Haimo Oil & Gas LLC will buy a 14.29-percent stake in Houston-based Carrizo Oil & Gas’s Niobrara shale oil and gas assets in Colorado for $27.5 million. Under the ...

Local group wants province to learn from U.S. fracking mistakes by Derek Clouthier, October 31, 2012, Cochrane Eagle Can we not learn from the mistakes of our neighbours to the south? This is the question being asked by members of the local coalition Cochrane Area Under Siege (CAUS) when it comes to what they believe are ...

Community members feel they’re ‘guinea pigs’ by Ashley Thompson, October 31, 2012 , The Hants Journal It took some persuading, but Nova Scotia Environment (NSE) has committed to testing the soil surrounding a Kennetcook-based fracking waste container that leaked. Representatives from the provincial departments of environment and energy joined the MLA of East Hants and about ...

Dunn County residents submit petition to put governor before grand jury by Amy Dalrymple, October 31, 2012, The Dickinson Press Residents of Dunn County want a grand jury to decide if campaign contributions Gov. Jack Dalrymple accepted from the oil industry may be considered bribery. More than 170 residents signed a petition submitted Wednesday that could ...

Water professionals urge caution over shale gas, Position paper is the latest in a series of industry reports warning of need for robust monitoring and regulation of shale gas projects by BusinessGreen, October 31, 2012 Proposed shale gas projects in the UK should face mandatory environmental risk assessments, according to a water industry body that has ...

No zeros, mandatory school fees don’t belong in Education Act, MLAs say by Sarah O’Donnell, October 31, 2012, Calgary Herald NDP education critic David Eggen expressed concern Wednesday that his amendment to reduce the influence of corporations on schools was defeated. Eggen told reporters the issue is real, referencing Calgary Board of Education plans to introduce ...

Faucet water found flamable in Napoleonville man’s home by Kris CusanzaReporter, October 30, 2012, Fox 44 Imagine going to grab a glass of water only to find out what’s brewing inside the cup could burst into flames. “if i can light the water in my faucet something is wrong,” said Napoleonville resident Ronald Pate. Pate lives ...

After federal changes to waterways rules, 90 per cent of protected lakes lap on Conservative shores, Almost one third contained in Ontario cottage country ridings held by Tories Clement and Devolin by Glen McGregor, October 29, 2012, Ottawa Citizen The vast majority of lakes that retain federal protection under the government’s proposed changes to waterway ...

Robert Redford joins anti-fracking campaign by ABC36 News, October 30, 2012 “This is Robert Redford. New York faces an urgent decision: Whether to begin hydraulic fracking, a process that blasts toxic chemicals into the ground to release natural gas. It would be a dangerous mistake. Fracking is a bad deal for local communities.” The Sting star adds ...

Poland has fracking tensions, too by Olga Khazan, October 30, 2012, Washington Post In the United States., fights between environmental nonprofits and state governments over hydraulic fracturing — or fracking — have spanned from Pennsylvania to California. And in Europe, Poland has become the latest fracking battlefield. Polish environmentalists say they have been monitored and visited by ...

WATCH Two First Nation women named activists of year by APTN National News, October 30, 2012 The Council of Canadians call themselves Canada’s largest citizen organization known for its social and economic activism. They took time out of their annual general meeting in Nanaimo, B.C. this weekend to honour two First Nation women for their environmental ...

Former EPA Chief Al Armendariz Said Frackers Lit a Well on Fire, So the Frackers Lawyered Up by Brantley Hargrove, October 30, 2012, Dallas Observer Range Resources, a company that fracks shale formations across America, wants controversial former EPA regional chief Al Armendariz to shut up about what happened in Parker County. The company’s lawyer sent ...

Court Extends Discovery as Trial Looms in Fracking Fluid Exposure Case by Harris Martin Publishing, October 30, 2012 WHEELING, W.Va. – A federal judge has agreed to extend discovery in a toxic tort suit brought by a worker at a West Virginia gas drilling site operated by Schlumberg Technology Corp. (NYSE: SLB) and CNX Gas Co. ...

Water quality fracking worries unfounded: council by Helen Harvey, October 31, 2012, Fairfax NZ News The risks of conductors and casing used in fracking at Kapuni passing directly underneath Hawera’s water supply have been downplayed by the South Taranaki District Council. The council has raised concerns about the process, but meetings with Shell Todd Oil Services ...

Fracking too dangerous to continue in the U.S. by Alexandra Snow, October 30, 2012, Fourth Estate Newspaper Imagine waking up and walking to the kitchen to get a glass of water. After turning on the faucet, there’s a horrible rattling and hissing, and the water that comes out is a cloudy, brownish liquid with sediment on ...

Superstorm Sandy raises worries about fracking by Isaac Wolf, October 30, 2012, Scripps Howard News Service WASHINGTON — As Sandy lashed the Eastern Seaboard this week, some environmental groups raised concerns that the superstorm’s brute force could overwhelm feeble storage pits adjacent to fracking sites. In turn, critics said, that could allow the unintended release of ...

Ewart: Cumulative effects of oilsands development prominent as Jackpine hearing opens by Stephen Ewart, October 30, 2012, Calgary Herald When the hearing before a government panel over Shell Canada’s proposed expansion of its Jackpine oilsands mine began Monday at MacDonald Island Park in Fort McMurray, the company had something of a home-field advantage. A few days ...

Frack Waste-Water Trade? Imaginary stop-orders, questionable origins, missing documents – all part of fracking in Nova Scotia by Miles Howe, October 30, 2012, Media Co-op K’jipuktuk (Halifax) – The great hydraulic fracturing fiasco in Nova Scotia’s ‘Windsor Block’ has taken on the proportions, and tragic comedy storyline, of a Scooby Doo mystery. Where there should be ...

Who Fracked Mitt Romney? Meet his top energy adviser: billionaire oil tycoon Harold Hamm by Josh Harkinson, November/December 2012 Issue, Mother Jones After passing sloughs full of coots and mallards, we arrive at the dusty pad where an Oklahoma-based oil company called Continental Resources has hit pay dirt. A gleaming new jack pump siphons up crude and ...

Ottawa blind to dangers of firing environmental scientists, “Like the proverbial three monkeys, science first had its tongue cut out. Now as target of the omnibus budget, the eyes of science are being blinded and its ears deafened. The deaf, dumb, and blind monkey is the governments’ designated spokesperson.” by Tom Muir, October 29, 2012, ...

Single Reglator or Franken-Child? by Adam Driedzig, Staff Counsel, October 2012, Environmental Law Centre News Brief Page 7, Vol. 27, No. 3

Encana Moves into New Eco-Friendly Facilities by Cori Coffin, October 29, 2012, KREX To accommodate its growth in the past decade, one oil and gas giant has a new home on the Western Slope. NewsChannel 5 was given a tour of Encana Oil and Gas’s new building. At one point during the tour, Sandy Kent with ...

Teacher on 200km ‘anti-fracking’ walk by Marese McDonagh, October 29, 2012, The Irish Times LEITRIM-BASED teacher Cecily Gilligan set out from Manorhamilton on Saturday on a 215km (134-mile) walk to Leinster House in a protest at plans to start “fracking” in her area. A member of the Love Leitrim group, which is against the controversial method ...

Newest National Research Council layoffs the “tip of the iceberg”: NDP science critic by Natalie Stechyson, Postmedia News, October 28, 2012 OTTAWA ¬ Nearly 100 of Canada’s top researchers and scientists are facing layoffs in what the NDP science and technology critic says is just the “tip of the iceberg” in what appears to be the ...

Lois Frank, grandmother, professor and Blood Tribe member, receives award for her courage fighting fracking and standing up for her rights by Council of Canadians, October 27, 2012, Nanaimo, British Columbia Source:  Ernst presentation at Mount Royal University, October 12, 2012 [Refer also to: POWERS Alberta Frack Workshop (September 10, 2011, Cochrane) Blood Tribe 8:28 min. by Will Koop, ...

DA office dismisses dumping charges by Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe, October 28, 2012, Denton Record-Chronicle The Denton County district attorney’s office dropped a felony case against a Denton man accused of illegally dumping wastewater from a gas drilling site into Hickory Creek, part of the Lewisville Lake watershed. State’s attorney Karen Anders agreed to dismiss the case against ...

N.C. neighbors aghast to learn drinking water contaminated for years by Charlotte Huffman, October 28, 2012, WNCN/News-17 WAKE FOREST, N.C. — A Wake Forest community is in an uproar after learning the state of North Carolina knew a resident’s water had been contaminated with toxic chemicals and failed to alert other residents for more than six ...

Lawyer says Alberta consult plan could make benefits agreements harder by Bob Weber, The Canadian Press, October 28, 2012, The Calgary Herald An Alberta government proposal to regulate how energy companies negotiate benefits agreements with aboriginal bands could make it harder to work such deals out, says a lawyer whose firm assists in such talks. A ...

LNG: Ore. Project’s court defeat highlights export’s image problems by Jenny Mandel, October 26, 2012, E&E News The defeat of a liquefied natural gas export project in an Oregon county court, which clears the way for local officials to deny a pipeline permit for the project, could empower other communities where natural gas projects have seemed ...

Neighbors rocked by cluster of 14 new injection, production wells planned in northeast Portage County by Bob Downing, October 21, 2012, Beacon Journal WINDHAM TWP.: In what should be the still of the night, Natalie Baker can feel her house shake. It is a strange, disconcerting and troubling sensation, Baker says of the vibrations caused by ...

Shale Gas – Open letter to Lucien Bouchard by Dominic Champagne (Membre de L’Ordre du Canada, teacher, lecturer, playright, director, scriptwriter and actor, as well as the co-founder and artistic director of the Théâtre Il Va Sans Dire and outspoken opponent to shale gas in Quebec) Translation by Amie Richelieu October 27, 2012 Ressources naturelles – Lettre à un vieux politicien by ...

Bill 2 Coverage October 24 – 27, 2012 Bill 2 – The New Alberta Oil & Gas Regulator – Quick Review by the Alberta Surface Rights Group October 27, 2012 – One section specifies an “enforced dispute resolution” which all parties would have to submit to! It does not flesh out penalties for refusing to comply. … – There is ...

County, Province to cohost meeting about oil and gas drilling by Kimberley Massey, October 22, 2012, Rockyview Weekly Rocky View County and the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) plan to hold a public open house to discuss oil and gas activities in the county next month. During an Oct. 16 meeting, Rocky View General Manager ...

Kimberly Mildenstein of Eagle Hill Alberta Spared Criminal Record by The Canadian Press, October 23, 2012, Huffingtonpost.ca [Refer also to: Fracking Canada: No Duty of Care Frack Protester Lois Frank has charges stayed Crown Stays Intimidation Charges Against Blood Tribe Woman Crown decides not to prosecute fracking protestor Lois Frank Bomb threat accused will be sentenced next month Frac threat charges laid Woman charged with ...

State’s Marcellus Shale drilling fee miscalculated by Laura Olson, October 27, 2012, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau Implementation of the state’s new Marcellus Shale gas drilling law has hit more obstacles, with officials saying they miscalculated how much some towns will receive in new fees and a state judge ordering a halt to ongoing ordinance reviews. Gov. Tom ...

Shale gas produces fractured lines in New Brunswick by Yadullah Hussain, October 26, 2012, Financial Post While some analysts have dismissed New Brunswick’s potential as an oil and gas hub, two reports last week once again brought the issue of shale gas development to the forefront. Many New Brunswickers are opposed to shale gas development; they worry ...

Citizen monitoring committee being considered for hazardous waste plant by Truro Daily, October 26, 2012 The initial request is to dispose of 4.5 million litres of the wastewater and, if that is successful, it is expected the company would apply to also dispose of the remaining 11 million litres. The problem, however, is that the wastewater ...

Gulf of St. Lawrence is no place to drill for oil by Farley Mowat, October 26, 2012, The Toronto Star A dire filth now threatens the Gulf of St. Lawrence — a semi-enclosed sea that we must not open up to oil and gas drilling. Our gulf’s relative confinement and strong Atlantic winds make it more ...

Court Bars Public Utility Commission From Reviewing Drilling Ordinances by Scott Detrow, October 26, 2012, State Impact NPR A Commonwealth Court order issued this morning bars Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission from reviewing local governments’ natural gas drilling ordinances. This summer, the court struck downlanguage in Pennsylvania’s new oil and gas law, Act 13, restricting local governments’ ...

Panel says it doesn’t have authority to rule on challenge to Jackpine Mine expansion, Constitutional challenge to Shell oilsands development raised by First Nation, Metis groups by Marty Klinkenberg, October 26, 2012, Edmonton Journal The Joint Review Panel reviewing Shell Canada’s proposed Jackpine oilsands mine expansion project on Friday ruled that it does not have jurisdiction ...

Chuck Leavell discusses ‘Doom and Gloom’, The Rolling Stones keyboardist and MNN co-founder sheds light on the band’s new single, which includes a reference to hydraulic fracturing, aka ‘fracking’ by Russell McLendon, October 26, 2012, Mother Nature Network The lyrics are cryptic, but a few lines seem to address ecological issues, starting with a reference to ...

Oil, gas industry urged to be more transparent by Don Hopey, October 25, 2012, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The rapidly expanding oil and gas industry is not required to report toxic chemical releases related to drilling and hydraulic fracturing to federal regulators like many other industries, but 17 environmental groups say it should. Those groups Wednesday petitioned the ...

Link between earthquakes and fracking suspected by Jean Stewart, October 25, 2012, Vancouver Sun Re: Deadly quake linked to water extraction, Oct. 22 If taking water from reserves deep in the earth can cause an earthquake, how can we possibly think that forcing massive amounts of water deep into the earth (fracking) will not have a similar ...

Futures market: Wall Street’s thirst for water by Frederick Kaufman, October 25, 2012, Nature What could be more catastrophic than betting on the world’s food supply? What about our water? Speculators can already bet on snow, wind and rain through weather-related futures contracts bought and sold on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The market value of weather ...

Toxic cloud forces thousands in southeast Texas to stay indoors by CNN Wire, Tina Burnside contributed, October 25, 2012 A toxic cloud that formed after 300 gallons of hydrochloric acid leaked at a southeast Texas storage facility sent nine people to hospitals and forced thousands of residents indoors, an emergency management official said Thursday. Four firefighters ...

Sinkhole salt dome outer edge collapsed, fracked by Deborah Dupre, October 25, 2012, examiner The outer edge of Napoleonvill, Salt Dome near the failed storage cavern is gone, “fracked-out”, according to the key geologist working on the Bayou Corne sinkhole disasterwho broke the news Tuesday night at a Resident Briefing meeting in Pierre Part. Dr. Gary ...

 Water contamination complaints filed due to drilling by Rachel Morgan, October 25, 2012, Shalereporter.com Over the past two years, there were 11 complaints filed in Beaver County with the state Department of Environmental Protection by residents who claimed their water was contaminated because of oil and gas activity, DEP officials said. The DEP does not keep ...

CHEMICALS: Official urges EPA review, labeling of fracking substances by Gayathri Vaidyanathan, October 24, 2012, E&E News Certain anti-microbial chemicals used in fracking fluids need to be reviewed by U.S. EPA and specifically labeled for use in hydraulic fracturing to protect workers’ safety, a pesticide-control official says. The chemicals, called biocides, are used to inhibit the ...

Worried about fracking, citizens group sues the DNR by Kate Wells, October 24, 2012, Michigan Radio Steve Losher lives in Barry county, and he’s worried. So worried, he and the rest of the citizens in the non-profit group called the Michigan Land Air Water Defense are suing the state. They’re upset about what they believe could ...

Environment protection disappears overnight from web description of federal bill by The Canadian Press, October 24, 2012, Calgary Herald The word “environment” was suddenly deleted from a federal government website that described Conservative proposals to change the law protecting Canada’s navigable waterways. The Navigable Waters Protection Act is being altered as part of the government’s latest ...

Enzo Energy Services finds niche in acid fracks, The Red Deer trucking company capitalizes on changing completion programs by Alberta Oil Staff, October 24, 2012 The Red Deer, Alberta-based trucking firm specializes in hauling hydrochloric acid (HCl) for the oil and gas industry. A surge in demand for the hazardous material in 2011 created a shortage ...

Encana posts $1.24-billion quarterly loss by The Canadian Press, October 24, 2012, Calgary Herald Encana and other producers have been grappling with a North American oversupply of natural gas…. Since it spun off its oil and refinery assets into Cenovus Energy Inc. (TSX:CVE) in 2009, Encana has been focused exclusively on developing natural gas. With prices of that ...

Ontario facking rules need review, environment group urges by John Spears, October 24, 2012, Toronto Star Ontario should close loopholes in its rules governing the handling of fluids used to extract natural gas, says an environment group. Ecojustice has written to environment commissioner Gord Miller asking him to review Ontario’s rules for fracking fluids. … Ecojustice ...

Natural gas glut, not PQ, threatens Quebec’s shale sector by Sophie Cousineau, October 23, 2012, The Globe and Mail Lucien Bouchard, president of the Quebec Oil and Gas Association, has been in a lather ever since the province’s new Natural Resource Minister, Martine Ouellet, signalled that, were it left to her, she would ban hydraulic fracking. ...

Fracking poses many issues by Ross Dabrusin, October 23, 2012, Mountain View Gazette In the case of groundwater, industry says that no groundwater or wells have been contaminated. There are numerous documented cases in Canada, the U.S., and Europe which show the opposite. … In Crestomere, , the National Farmers Union called for a moratorium…after the Campbells’ water ...

Ceramic ‘beads’ from clay could help in fracking by Lauren Donovan,  October 23, 2012, Bismarck Tribune It takes hundreds of ceramic beads to cover the face of a penny, but they’re still a billion-dollar industry in the oil patch. The ceramic beads are used to prop open the Bakken formation during and after fracking and there’s ...

Antifracking candidate makes for lively debate, Heyman contradicts NDP energy critic on expansion by Vaughn Pamer, October 23, 2012, Vancouver Sun B.C. New Democrats have nominated a leading critic of expanded natural gas production as a candidate for the next election, setting the stage for a showdown over the practice known as fracking. George Heyman, who ...

‘Frack Free Yukon’ stickers to begin adorning area bumpers by Ainslie Cruickshank, October 23, 2012, Whitehorse Star FRACK-FREE TERRITORY PROMOTED – Julie Frisch and Don Roberts, seen this morning, have had bumper stickers made up to oppose fracking. They hope to educate Yukoners to the dangers of the drilling practice. “Protect the Peel” bumper stickers have ...

Quebec seeks ways to eliminate the use of water in “hydro fracking” in shale gas formations by Robert Gibbens, October 22, 2012, The Montreal Gazette Nothing would please Quebec’s oil and gas industry more than rapid advances in technologies that could eliminate the use of water in “hydro fracking” or cracking open naturally occurring fissures in ...

Deadly quake linked to water extraction, Fault weakened by years of pumping: Study by Frank Jordans and Jorge Sainz, The Associated Press, October 22, 2012 Farmers drilling ever deeper wells over decades to water their crops likely contributed to a deadly earthquake in southern Spain last year, a new study conducted by Canadian researchers suggests. The ...

After the Boom in Natural Gas by Clifford Krauss and Eric Lipton, October 20, 2012, The New York Times The drillers punched so many holes and extracted so much gas through hydraulic fracturing that they have driven the price of natural gas to near-record lows. And because of the intricate financial deals and leasing arrangements that ...

Fracking the Law by Sharon Guynup, October 22, 2012, New Jersey Today New York State’s contentious 2010 moratorium on natural gas drilling currently remains in place, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo launching a new health study, and the state Supreme Court upholding municipalities’ rights to ban drilling within their borders. However, New York’s caution stands in stark ...

Fracking, Has the USGS Been Co-opted? by Radioactive Waste Management Associates, October 22, 2012, Fracking Special Edition 2012 When stove burners are turned on, radon, a gas that does not burn, enters a home or apartment. This potential hazard has appeared in the New York Citypress (The Villager, “A burning issue about pipeline: Will gas pack radon?”, ...

Alberta court declines to decide board’s role in duty to consult by David Both and A.W. (Sandy) Carpenter, October 22, 2012, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP On October 18, 2012, the Alberta Court of Appeal denied an application from the Cold Lake First Nation (CLFN) for leave to appeal an Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) decision. The ...

Omnibudget could have an impact on fracking chemical exemptions by Emma Lui, October 19, 2012, Rabble.ca The omnibudget “amends the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act to transfer the powers and functions of the Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission to the Minister of Health and to repeal provisions of that Act that are related to the Commission.” ...

While Scientists tell us the sky is blue, one man says not so fast. Film at 10. by Peter Sinclair, October 22, 2012, climatecrocks The Sky is Pink – a follow up and addendum to “Gasland” by director Josh Fox.  I’m grateful that he addresses the “biogenic methane” claim. Josh demonstrates here that the Gas industry ...

Are oil and gas companies fracking up Egypt’s environment? by Steven Viney, October 21, 2012, Egypt Independent It could be a nightmare for environmentalists in a country like Egypt, which faces severe water threats and lives almost solely off the Nile. Fracking bans have usually been put in place for the same reason: the country’s clean ...

Independent study finds significant fault line methane leaks near PA natural gas operations by Clean Air Council, October 19, 2012 A water and methane geyser, bubbling water, and mud volcanoes have Pennsylvania shale-field residents scared and demanding answers.  A number of dramatic methane emissions were reported to have begun in Leroy Township, Bradford County on May 19, ...

Spanish earthquake in Lorca ‘triggered by groundwater extraction’, A major earthquake in Spain that killed nine people and destroyed hundreds of homes was triggered by groundwater extraction, a scientific study has found by Fiona Govan, October 21, 2012, The Telegraph The magnitude 5.1 tremor struck the historic town of Lorca in Spain’s southeastern region of Murcia 17 ...

Ethical investors say oilsands industry must cut environmental risks by Bob Weber, October 21, 2012, The Canadian Press in Calgary Herald An international group of ethical funds with investments in Alberta’s oilsands is concerned the industry’s environmental performance could be creating financial risk. “We recognize the economic significance of the resource,” the group says in a ...

Fracking in PA Poisoning Communities as Floodgates Open for Drilling on Campuses Public Parks by Steve Horn, October 21, 2012, desmogblog Pennsylvania recently passed Act 147 – also known as the Indigenous Mineral Resources Development Act – opening up the floodgates for hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) on the campuses of its public universities. As noted in a ...

Groundwater extraction triggered deadly Spain quake, Groundwater extraction from agriculture and industry that lowered a nearby aquifer helped spark a quake in Spain last year, a study showed by Randall Hackley, October 21, 2012, Bloomberg News Groundwater extraction from agriculture and industry that lowered a nearby aquifer helped spark a quake in Spain last year that ...

Ban urged on treatment of frack waste water by Remo Zaccagna, October 21, 2012, The Chronical Herald A national citizens group is seeking a provincial ban on the treatment of fracking waste water. The call from the Council of Canadians came Friday, days after it was revealed that seven million litres of fracking waste water went ...

Silently gassing North Americans for profit by Deborah Dupre, October 20, 2012, examiner Three reports released this week showing gas development impacts on humans, two reports in Canada and one in the United States, showing results of the nation’s largest health survey to date of Marcellus Shale residents near oil and gas development, fuel the fracking ...

5 Weird and Frightening Effects of Fracking You May Not Know About We know fracking has environmental and health damages, but there are other terrifying consequences by Alyssa Figueroa, October 20, 2012, Alternet with GlobalPossibilities.org. What comes to mind when you think of fracking? Perhaps it’s images of tap water being lit on fire or stories ...

Fracking could contaminate city water:  Addabbo by Karen Frantz, October 19, 2012, Times Ledger State Sens. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) and Tony Avella (D-Bayside) blasted the controversial drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing last Thursday, voicing their opposition to allowing the practice in the state because they say it would pose a threat to the city’s ...

Methane found in drinking across U.S. brings concern to the Lubbock community, Hydraulic fracturing contaminating the drinking water is a concern to the Lubbock community by Ariel Kirkland, October 19, 2012, Avalanche Journal The city of Lubbock held its monthly Board of Health meeting Friday afternoon at the Civic Center to discuss the updates on hydraulic ...

Fracking Poisoning Families at Alarming Rate: Report by Common Dreams, October 19, 2012 Residents living near gas fracking sites suffer an increasingly high rate of health problems now linked to pollutants used in the gas extraction process, according to a new report released Thursday. The study, conducted by Earthworks’ Oil & Gas Accountability Project, pulled from ...

Wastewater worries in Windsor by Ashley Thompson, October 19, 2012, Hants Journal An American company’s search for natural gas in Nova Scotia has led to one fracking issue after another in Hants County. While the Denver-based Triangle Petroleum Corporation’s exploration activity in the rural East Hants communities of Noel and Kennetcook typically generates the most hype ...

Encana shares rise on Exxon takeover speculation, Analysts split on whether ExxonMobil wallet is still open by Dan Healing, October 18, 2012, Calgary Herald CALGARY — Speculation that ExxonMobil Corp. might still be in a buying mood after offering $3.1 billion for Celtic Exploration Ltd. on Wednesday drove shares in Calgary oil and gas companies higher ...

Fracking Liars by Jim Hightower, October 18, 2012, Highland News As they drill for quick corporate profits deep inside our Earth, ExxonMobil, Halliburton, and other titans of the natural gas hydraulic fracturing industry are harming people’s health, the environment, and local economies across the country. They’re also fracking something essential to a properly functioning democratic society: ...

Geoff Meggs and George Heyman differ on fracking in Vancouver-Fairview NDP race by Carlito Pablo, October 18, 2012, Straight.com They both say they don’t like fracking. What Geoff Meggs and George Heyman intend to do about it is another matter. … Heyman said that if he’s nominated and ultimately elected as the MLA for Vancouver-Fairview, he will try ...

New research links health problems with oil and natural gas development, Largest-ever survey of Marcellus Shale residents living near gas facilities reveals pattern of health symptoms associated with oil and gas development Press Release by earthworks, SubraCom, Calvin Tilman, October 18, 2012 The largest health survey to-date of Marcellus Shale residents living near oil and gas ...