Global Frac News

Province seizes control of community’s water supply by Michael Wright, January 24, 2014, Calgary Herald The province has taken over the water supply system of a community outside Airdrie after its operator failed to meet basic standards. Residents of the Sharp Hills subdivision just south of the town had reported ongoing problems with the supply and ...

Swann to discuss dangers or urban drilling Monday by Caroline Zentner, January 25, 2014, Lethbridge Herald Dr. David Swann, Liberal MLA for Calgary-Mountain View, will be in Lethbridge Monday evening to talk about the dangers of urban drilling at a public event. The proposed drilling of three exploratory wells in west Lethbridge is being opposed by the ...

Speakers express concerns about fracking by Eric McCarthy, January 22, 2014, The Journal Pioneer A drilling company in western Canada got lucky, Don’t Frack PEI committee member, Andrew Lush told listeners at an information meeting on fracking Tuesday night at Westisle Composite High School. … Don’t Frack PEI is worried that companies will apply to frack ...

Upstate fracking is danger to city water supplies: mayor by Geoff Earle, January 24, 2014, NY Post Mayor de Blasio is jumping forcefully into the debate over fracking on upstate lands — calling it a danger to the city’s water supply. Asked Thursday for his view of the drilling practice, also known as hydraulic fracturing, de ...

George Murphy to speak at fracking town hall in Stephenville by TCTC Media, January 24, 2014, nlnewsnow George Murphy, the NDP MHA for St. John’s East, will be a guest speaker at People’s Frackdown 2 in Stephenville on Saturday. Murphy is the NDP’s environment and conservation critic and has been active in the political fight that ...

Experts at Baytex hearings differ widely on the effects of emissions by Sheila Pratt, January 23, 2014, Edmonton Journal Two independent experts provided widely different views Thursday whether emissions from bitumen tanks are causing health problems for area residents near Baytex’s operations here. … Donald Davies, a Calgary-based expert, said levels of the toxic chemicals in emissions from ...

Lethbridge’s Urban Drilling Problem Just Got Worse Press Release by No Drilling Lethbridge, January 24, 2014 No Drilling Lethbridge to present more info about Goldenkey’s plans by Lethbridge Herald, January 24, 2014 No Drilling Lethbridge said it is now known Goldenkey Oil Inc. has licensed the mineral rights for 23 square kilometres (8.9 square miles) within Lethbridge city limits, underneath about 4000 ...

EU civil society voice opposition to European Commission green light for fracking Press Release, January 20, 2014 In an open letter addressed to EU institutions, some 300 diverse groups  from across Europe criticise the Commission’s proposals to issue non-binding guidance for the industry, which pave the way for ...

CAPP Continues to lie – Now to Yukoners Press Release by BC Tap Water Alliance, January 23, 2014 The Yukon Chamber of Commerce hosted a luncheon talk on January 15, 2014 in Whitehorse, part of a recent series of talks on energy meant to open a “conversation” about oil and gas fracking to the Yukon business sector. Aaron Miller, one of ...

Sudbury mining centre gets $15M for deep mines research by CBC News, January 23, 2014 The head of the Centre of Excellence in Mining and Innovation in Sudbury says deep underground mining research could change how oil and gas companies approach fracking in the future. On Wednesday, the federal government announced CEMI will receive $15 million ...

FRONT PAGE: Baytex commits at inquiry to capturing tank-top emissions by Sheila Pratt, January 22, 2014, Edmonton Journal In a surprise move , Baytex Energy committed to installing equipment to capture tank-top emissions on its Reno oilsands operations — a step residents have been requesting for ...

Troubling “Directive 83” Could Create Precedent for Drilling in Manitoba by Dennis LeNeveu, January 11, 2014, v.24. no. 1, Eco Journal Correction: First sentence, third paragraph should read: To date more than 166,000 vertical wells, including CBM and commingled CBM, have been fractured in Alberta with well density varying between four to 12 per section. References  Alberta Energy Regulator, Alberta’s ...

Is AER looking out for Albertans’ interests? by Alvin W. Shier, January 22, 2014, Lethbridge Herald In her recent report to the electorate the MLA for Lethbridge East invited those concerned with the Goldenkey drill operation (proposed to operate within Lethbridge’s western border) to check the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) website to find for themselves what ...

Fracking Fluids Market Worth $20.4 Billion by 2018 by MarketsandMarkets, January 22, 2014, PRNewswire in The Sacramento Bee The report “Fracking Chemicals and Fluid Market by Fluid & Well Type, and Chemicals (Acid, Surfactant, Biocide, Gelling Agent, Cross Linker, Breaker, Scale & Corrosion Inhibitor, Clay & Iron Control, Friction Reducer) – Global Trends & Forecasts to ...

Fracking presentations included misleading statements by Sebastian Jones, January 21, 2014, The Whitehorse Star Yukon Select Frac Committee sets its schedule for hearings witnesses by Ainslie Cruickshank, January 21, 2014, Whitehorse Star

Peel watershed in the Yukon open for business by Jacqueline Ronson, January 22, 2014, Yukon News The Yukon government has released its final plan for the Peel watershed under threat of legal action from First Nations. As of today, 71 per cent of the watershed is open to new staking. The area has been under a ...

Texas fracking regulators to quake-damaged community: suffer while we study by TXSHARON, January 21, 2014, Blue Daze They’re ‘All Shook Up’ and They Want the Fracking Wells to Stop, Residents of north Texas communities demand regulatory body put end to injection wells they say are behind spate of earthquakes by Andrea Germanos, January 22, 2014, Common Dreams “Is somebody going ...

Alberta’s Tar Sands Pollution Refugees, ‘Gassed’ by oil sands operations, families say they’ve been forced to evacuate by Andrew Nikiforuk, March 2, 2013, TheTyee.ca “I blame the ERCB (Alberta’s energy regulator). They are not doing proper monitoring and are withholding data. They are responsible for this going on for years. They have lied to us more than the ...

The future of fracking calls for a provincial referendum by Jim Guy, PhD, professor emeritus of political science and international law at Cape Breton University, January 21, 2014, Cape Breton Post ‘The practice has already generated huge controversy elsewhere’ Hydraulic fracturing — commonly called fracking — may well become the political issue that polarizes Nova Scotians this ...

Shell claims Mora County, NM, fracking ban violates its constitutional rights by Staci Matlock, January 21, 2014, The New Mexican The Goliath bearing down on Mora County just got bigger. A Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary has joined a fight to kill Mora County’s ban on oil and gas development by filing a lawsuit Jan. 10 in federal ...

Colorado Community Rights Network Files Constitutional Amendment Press Release by The Colorado Community Rights Network, January 20, 2014 The Colorado Community Rights Network (COCRN) has submitted to the state for review and comment the language for a Community Rights Constitutional Amendment to be placed on the 2014 ballot. The significance of the proposed state constitutional amendment ...

West Virginia Spill Included Second Chemical, Officials Report by Huffington Post, January 21, 2014 The West Virginia chemical spill that left 300,000 residents without tap water for a week contained a second, previously unreported chemical, federal and state officials announced Tuesday. The 7,500 gallons of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol released into the Elk River on Jan. 9 also ...

Calgary researchers testing their own homes in search of radon, Results will be used to spur larger look at cancer-causing gas by Jamie Komarnicki, January 21, 2014, Calgary Herald Photograph by: Peter Lawrence, Radiation Safety Institute of Canada A team of Calgary cancer researchers is set to find out if colourless, odourless, radioactive radon has seeped inside ...

Alberta doctors avoid linking health issues to Tar Sands: report by Bob Weber, January 21, 2014, The Canadian Press in Common Sense Canadian Doctors “afraid to diagnose health conditions linked to the oil and gas industry” by Andy Rowell, January 21, 2014, priceofoil.org Later today hearings are scheduled to begin on emissions and vapours emanating for the tar sands, ...

LISTEN: What happens when oil drilling is too close to home 27:30 Min. by Anna Maria Tremonti, January 21, 2014, The Current, CBC.ca “If there can be drilling the heart of Los Angeles there can presumably be drilling in some urban areas in Calgary,” Alberta Energy Minister Ken Hughes said. (CBC) People in Lethbridge are wary of ...

Frack Attack on Lethbridge Alberta Canada by Dr. Anthony Hall, January 19, 2014, Veterans Today, Military & Foreign Affairs Journal Goldenkey’s proposal to frack municipal land in West Lethbridge offers yet another example of just how aggressive and emboldened the fossil fuel industry in Alberta has become now that it has seized near monopoly control of Premier Alison ...

Energy giants eye Italy as south embarks on new oil boom by Erick Reguly, January 20, 2014, The Globe and Mail Shale gas development is moving slowly in Europe and is going in reverse in some countries, like Poland, whose gas developers are hitting the road. But a European energy rush of another sort – oil ...

The GreenHunter facility in New Matamoras Ohio, which also sits immediately adjacent to the Ohio River, stores almost 3 million gallons of frack waste in three tanks built in the 1960s, now painted blue. No permits were required for the facility because it’s “temporary storage” . GreenHunter Water Announces Commencement of Operations at Ohio River Barge Transloading ...

Scientist’s report casts doubt on Clark’s LNG figures by Mark Hume, January 21, 2014, The Globe and Mail A former scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada has cast doubt on the B.C. government’s promise of an economic boom from increased liquefied natural gas production. Premier Christy Clark has made gas development a cornerstone of her ...

Drought Emergency Declared in California as Residents Urge Halt to Fracking by EcoWatch, January 17, 2014 The state of California formally declared a drought emergency today due to a lack of winter rainfall and water reserves at only 20 percent of normal levels. This is the third year of dry conditions across California, which poses a ...

400 attend anti-fracking rally at Balcombe by The Argus, January 20, 2014 More than 400 protesters have attended an anti-fracking rally in Balcombe attended by a key campaigner from France, according to organisers. The gathering, attended by French MEP Jose Bove, was held at the scene of last yeaar’s bitter protests when energy firm Cuadrilla carried ...

REVIEW: Young mesmerizes with once-in-a lifetime show, Performed Sunday at the Jack Singer Concert Hall by Mike Bell, January 20, 2014, Calgary Herald Neil Young performs Sunday night at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. It was somewhat fortuitous timing. Earlier Sunday morning, one of the Canadian stations carried locally was playing The Simpsons Movie, a film ...

Access Denied, How the government of Alberta obstructs requests for public information by Paul Haavardsrud, January 5, 2014, Alberta Views Don Scott is late. He’s supposed to be at a Holiday Inn off Deerfoot Trail, but he might be caught in traffic. Maybe the late spring weather got him. It’s a rainy day and Calgary drivers ...

New testing finds contamination in North Texas water spreading; scientists point to driller by Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press, January 17, 2014, The Republic Texas’ oil and gas regulator has opened a new investigation into allegations that methane is contaminating North Texas water after residents complained that independent sampling by university researchers revealed high levels of the ...

Alberta energy regulator and N.W.T in talks over technical support by Bob Weber, January 15, 2014, The Canadian Alberta’s energy regulator could be heading north to help the Northwest Territories manage its oilpatch. The territorial government has confirmed it is in talks with the Alberta agency over providing technical services to help it evaluate energy ...

Groundwater testing remains a concern by Caroline Zentner, January 18, 2014, Lethbridge Herald The extent to which groundwater in Alberta has been affected by oil and gas development may never be known even though the province has recently made efforts to establish some baseline measurements. Liberal MLA David Swann said the baseline groundwater testing program he pushed for in ...

Court date set in Baytex fumes case by Sheila Pratt, January 15, 2014, Edmonton Journal A group of Peace River-area families hoping to temporarily shut down an oilsands operation until fumes are dealt with will head to court in March. On Wednesday, a judge in Peace River allowed the unprecedented case to go ahead and set March 19 as ...

Lawsuit accuses Imperial Oil of contaminating family’s farm by Marty Klinkenberg, January 17, 2014 An Edmonton man is suing Imperial Oil for allegedly contaminating his family’s farm of nearly 100 years. In a lawsuit filed this week with the Court of Queen’s Bench, Rick Bilozer seeks unspecified damages from the company for setting fire to his field, ...

Groningen not happy with the promise Minister Henk Kamp (VVD) made them that the government will cut back on gas drilling by Audrey Graanoogst, January 18, 2014, NLTimes.nl The five, who were protesting at the town hall in Loppersum where Kamp was giving a press conference, were invited in to talk to Kamp. John Lanting, leader of “Schokkend ...

Neil Young to Harper: Fear Our Emotion! by Ian Gill, January 18, 2014, TheTyee.ca The colonial-industrial complex is alive and well and, just like they did in residential schools, our governments have tried to beat us or ban us from speaking, in whatever actual tongue, of a Canada that is compassionate, considerate and has a confidence ...

Russia concerned by Ukrainian fracking by Dalje.com, January 17, 2014 The Russian Natural Resources Ministry said Friday it was concerned hydraulic fracturing in neighboring Ukraine could pollute regional water supplies. The ministry issued a statement Friday saying it was concerned about the prospects for shale natural gas development in neighboring Ukraine. … Deputy Environment Minister Rinat Gizatulin ...

Fracking waste water leak in Kennetcook investigated, There are an estimated 27 million litres of fracking waste water in Nova Scotia by CBC News, January 17, 2014 Provincial environment officials are looking into a leak of fracking waste water at holding ponds in Kennetcook, N.S. The water has been there for years in two large holding ...

N.M. county sued again over its fracking ban by Mike Lee, January 17, 2014, E&E News A New Mexico county that’s already defending its ban on oil drilling has been sued again, this time by an international oil company. SWEPI LP, a U.S. subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, filed a federal lawsuit against Mora County ...

Leitrim bans fracking by Dervilla Keegan, January 17, 2014, Sligo Today Anti-fracking campaigners accross the north west are claiming a major victory on foot of Leitrim County Council’s decision to ban fracking in the county, updating its 2015-2021 development plan with a commitment to refuse permission to any plans using the controversial drilling technology. The controversy ...

Hart County Oil Well Operators Sentenced by WBKO, January 16, 2014 BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Charles L. Stinson, 75, of Horse Cave, and Ralph Dowell, 75, of Edmonton, operators of Logsdon Valley Oil Co. Inc., were sentenced to two years probation. Stinson and Logsdon Valley Oil Co. Inc., were ordered to pay fines for the continued ...

Sheila Karkagie receives death threat, ‘If you don’t keep your mouth shut somebody is gonna kill you,’ someone said on the phone by CBC News, January 16, 2014 A woman in Tulita, N.W.T. says she received a death threat because she’s speaking out about the business community benefiting from fracking. Sheila Karkagie posted on the “Hydraulic fracking ...

Cleared fracking protester speaks of ‘vindication’ by West Sussex County Times, January 16, 2014 One of ten protesters cleared of obstructing a highway during an anti-fracking protest at Balcombe in July has spoken of his ‘relief’ at the court’s decision this week. Paul Deacon, 50, told the County Times that while the entire process had been ...

Athabasca Chipewyan file lawsuit against Shell’s Jackpine oilsands expansion by Bob Weber, January 16, 2014, The Canadian Press in Edmonton Journal A northern Alberta aboriginal band has filed documents asking the Federal Court to overturn the approval of Shell’s mammoth Jackpine oilsands mine expansion. It’s another in a growing list of legal actions from First Nations ...

FDA issues warning about flammable wart removers by CTVNews.ca, January 16, 2014 Some cryogenic wart removers are flammable, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a warning released Thursday. The FDA says it has received 14 reports since 2009 of over-the-counter wart remover products catching fire during use at home, harming consumers or setting items ...

What did she say? by Occupy the Hollers, August 13, 2013 Frac trucks lined up on the road in front of Ronalie and Shawn Campbell residence near Ponoka, Alberta, May 27, 2013.

Fracking and house prices, Buyer beware by C.R., January 15, 2014, The Economist WHEN potential purchasers look around a house for sale, it’s the property’s visible features that typically draw most attention. The number of bedrooms, amount of floor space, and what the local area is like all tend to have the greatest influence on how ...

‘Call to action’ draws crowd by Nick Kuhl, January 14, 2014, Lethbridge Herald Visiting each and every one of the westside’s about 13,500 homes, in order to provide updated information of Goldenkey Oil’s proposed fracking operation, is the latest goal for organizers of opposition group No Drilling Lethbridge. During a one-hour “Call to Action” meeting at ...

Ratepayers will foot the bill for ‘bribes’ by Fermanagh Herald, January 15, 2014 Half of UK ‘does not want fracking nearby’ by Bill Lehane, January 15, 2014, UpStream Almost half of UK residents would not want hydraulic fracturing conducted near their home, a survey commissioned by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has found. Source: The Guardian Fracking map shows extent ...

Fracking cannot be safely regulated: crusader by Dan Davidson, Jan 15, 2014, Whitehorse Star

Eni joins shale gas exodus from Poland by Jan Cienski, January 15, 2014, Financial Times A person familiar with the industry said Eni was retreating from its three Polish exploration concessions because the geology was much more unfavourable than had been earlier thought. The decision was confirmed by Poland’s environment ministry. … The US Energy Information ...

Judge stops US-record frack wells in Michigan by Ellis Boal, December 23, 2013, Updated January 14, 2014 A state court judge ordered an injunction in October against Encana Corporation, stopping eight big horizontal frack wells in Kalkaska County, Michigan. The injunction was later extended to five more wells. An administrative hearing is to follow, conducted by the ...

Stunning Fact: NY Creates 4 Times As Many Jobs As PA Without 1 Shale Well by John Hanger, January 13, 2014 You have heard it from some quarters–the story that New York’s economy is a mess, in part because of its refusal to drill shale gas wells.  These critics of job creation in New York often ...

Research cutbacks by government alarm scientists, Federal government has dismissed more than 2,000 scientists in past 5 years by Julia Sisler, January 10, 2014, CBC News Scientists across the country are expressing growing alarm that federal cutbacks to research programs monitoring areas that range from climate change and ocean habitats to public health will deprive Canadians ...

Surface agreements registry has no teeth, landowners advocate claims by Paul Everest, January 7, 2014, Mountain View Gazette The province’s new Private Surface Agreements Registry does not have any teeth for aiding in the enforcement of contracts between landowners and energy companies, the Alberta Surface Rights Group’s (ASRG) president said last month. On Dec. 3, the ...

Terror charges faced by Oklahoma fossil fuel protesters ‘outrageous,’ Lawyer representing two activists says their banner protest at Devon Energy does not justify terrorism hoax charges by Suzanne Goldenberg, January 10, 2014, The Guardian The terror charges facing two environmental protesters who unfurled a banner and dropped glitter at an oil and gas company’s office in ...

Lethbridge fights proposed sour drilling and fracing project in city limits by Amanda Stephenson, January 13, 2014, Calgary Herald A provincial government review of the policies surrounding urban energy development remains ongoing, even as furious Lethbridge residents sign “No Drilling” petitions and their city council takes a unanimous stand against a proposed well project. The southern ...

Wetland contamination can be predicted in oil boom states, study finds by Neela Banerjee, January 8, 2014, Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON – Federal scientists have developed a system that could help prevent some contamination of wetlands and groundwater from oil development in the booming Williston Basin in Montana and North Dakota, according to a new study. ...

Duke University Fracking Tests Reveal Dangers Driller’s Data Missed by Mark Drajem, January 10, 2014, Bloomberg When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared that a group of Texas homes near a gas-drilling operation didn’t have dangerous levels of methane in their water, it relied on tests conducted by the driller itself. Now, independent tests from Duke University ...

2013 Saw Environmental Protests, Regulatory Conflicts of Interest and Lingering Mysteries, It was a year when people were fed up with pipelines from Canada, fracking, coal trains and other environmental messes by Marla Cone and Environmental Health News, January 2, 2014, Scientific American In 2013, we posted nearly 58,000 news articles, opinion pieces and editorials. A ...

Gaspé, Quebec passes water law to stop oil drilling near its wells and homes by Brent Patterson, December 13, 2013, Council of Canadians A battle has been waging between Petrolia (an oil company partially owned by the Quebec government and one of the richest families in France) and the Town of Gaspé, Quebec (which has passed ...

Scientists ID amount of chemical they consider safe by Ken Ward Jr., January 11, 2014, West Virginia Gazette Faced with limited information and no regulatory guidelines on a chemical that’s put drinking water off limits for 300,000 West Virginians, government scientists have come up with a level of Crude MCHM they believe is safe. Federal and ...

Disney withdraws from pro-fracking elementary school tour by Laura Barron-Lopez, January 10, 2014, The Hill The Ohio and Gas Energy Education Program — which is supported by oil and gas companies — funded the project. Radio Disney planned to take the tour to other states if the Ohio tour proved successful. However, after being dragged into ...

Well bore fault blamed for underground leak by Sheila Pratt with files from Brent Wittmeier, January 10, 2014, Edmonton Journal Canadian Natural Resources was alerted to an underground leak in one of its wells by seismic equipment on the Primrose site near Cold Lake, says the Alberta Energy Regulator. A fault in the cement casing in ...

Twelve Canadians – Jessica Ernst Fracked Water, Mano a Mano With Big Oil by David Kattenburg, January 9, 2014, Green Planet Monitor This past holiday season, a massive ice storm turned what should have been a joyous occasion into a horrid nightmare for tens of thousands of Torontonians. Family reunions were trashed, fridge-fulls of food spoiled, basements filled with ...

Ex-MP Chuck Strahl shouldn’t mix spy committee and pipeline lobbying by Adrian Wyld, January 10, 2014, The Canadian Press Chuck Strahl, the former Reform and Conservative MP, says he just has to make a living. Trouble is, he’s doing two things that don’t sit well with each other — overseeing Canada’s spy agency and lobbying for ...

Tulita woman alleges conflict of interest in fracking decision by CBC News, January 10, 2014 A woman in Tulita says some members of her local land board are in a conflict of interest. In 2012, the board of the Tulita Land/Financial Corporation recommended a hydraulic fracturing operation near the community go ahead. The corporation holds trust ...

CNRL spills another 7000 gallons of Crude Bitumen at Cold lake by Derrick, January 9, 2014, West Coast Native News The well casing failure occurred January 3 during the steaming operations on Primrose Pad 30, A subsurface bitumen release into the formation spilling approximately 7000 gallons of Crude Bitumen, Operations have since been suspended and repair ...

A frac tour checklist for the committee’s consideration by Peter Becker, January 8, 2014, Whitehorse Star

Speaker to address hydraulic fracturing, The co-ordinator of the British Columbia Tap Water Alliance will be in the territory next week to share his concerns about hydraulic fracturing with Yukoners by Ainslie Cruickshank, January 8, 2014, Whitehorse Star The co-ordinator of the British Columbia Tap Water Alliance will be in the territory next week to share ...

Texas Supreme Court Hears Arguments In Fracking Water Trespass Case by Ryan Poppe, January 8, 2014, Texas Public Radio The Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week on whether an injection well company trespassed onto an East Texas rice farmers land when they deposited fracking waste water into a nearby property. FPL Ltd., a ...

Encana begins using Rimbey‘s wastewater to frac by Treena Mielke, December 3, 3014, Rimbey Review A one-year pilot project in which Encana purchases wastewater from the Town of Rimbey is due to expire at the end of the month, however, chances are it will be extended. Under the terms of the agreement, Encana has agreed to purchase ...

WATCH: Pittsburgh’s stand against fracking by Shihab Rattansi, January 7, 2014,   Aljazeera And despite Pittsburgh’s ban on fracking, a study by the Pittsburgh Water and Sewage Authority found evidence that fracking surrounding the city is affecting the Allegheny River that supplies the city with its drinking water. … Will the city sue? 

‘Red flags’ with urban drilling? Caroline Zentner, January 7, 2014, Lethbridge Herald The Lethbridge NDP are raising concerns following the receipt of more than 100 pages of documents obtained through a Freedom of Information request for correspondence between the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and Goldenkey Oil. Goldenkey Oil is proposing to drill three exploratory oil wells ...

Opposition to Fracking is Groundless by Marco Navarro-Genie, President of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies, his comment provided by Troy Media, January 7, 2014, in Whitehorse Star Since then, more than 175,000 wells have been fracked in British Columbia and Alberta “without a case of harm to drinking water,” according to regulating agencies in both provinces. ...

Fracking moratorium urged by California lawmakers by Jeremy B. White, January 6, 2014, The Sacramento Bee Reviving an issue that dominated the environmental agenda in 2013, California lawmakers are calling on Gov. Jerry Brown to impose a moratorium on the controversial drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing. … The new guidelines will set up a permitting ...

Leaking well, Maralex Resources draw Colorado state’s notice by Dennis Webb, January 6, 2014, The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction A state inspector last March determined Maralex Resources was in violation of a requirement for mechanical integrity testing for an oil and gas well where a leak was discovered Dec. 14 southwest of De Beque. In addition, ...

Federal task force chairman says trade secret claims hurt industry by Mike Soraghan, January 7, 2014, E&E News The chairman of the panel that led the Obama administration’s inquiry into the safety of hydraulic fracturing said yesterday the oil and gas industry is hurting itself by withholding information about the chemicals used in the process. “The ...

Natural Gas Loses to Solar on Costs, A First by Lewis Milford, January 7, 2014, Huffingtonpost.ca For those who already think natural gas will win out over renewable power, a judge has said, not so fast. In what may be the first time a U.S. solar power project has been declared cost-competitive against natural gas in ...

USGS to make separate risk map for man-made quakes by Mike Soraghan, December 23, 2013, E&E News Federal officials are wrestling with how to account for the hazard created by man-made earthquakes, many of which are triggered by oil and gas activities. In the past, the U.S. Geological Survey has generally excluded shaking related to industrial ...

As ‘frack hits’ grew in Alberta, regulators stepped in by Gayathri Vaidyanathan, January 7, 2014, E&E News The hiss of gas escaping was the first indication something was wrong in an oil field near the town of Drayton Valley, an hour as the crow flies from Edmonton, Alberta. A landowner whose cows graze there in springtime ...

Spy agency admits it spies on Canadians ‘incidentally’ by Ian Macleod, Ottawa Citizen, January 6, 2014, in Calgary Herald Canada’s foreign intelligence agency admits it “incidentally” spies on Canadians, but wants to reassure the public it protects the privacy of that information. “In the course of targeting foreign entities outside Canada in an interconnected and highly ...

Public forum planned on city oil drilling by Dave Mabell, January 7, 2014, Lethbridge Herald Lethbridge residents want to know why oil wells may be drilled in the city’s fast-growing westside. So city council will hold a public forum, inviting provincial officials and representatives of an oil company to speak, along with concerned citizens. Goldenkey Oil ...

Water delivery needs to improve on Blood Reserve by Raecine Chaboyer, Blood Tribe member, January 7, 2014, Lethbridge Herald In Canada, clean water is a basic necessity of life. For many families on the Blood Reserve, it is a daily struggle to have clean water in their home. Blood Tribe Public Works does not deliver water on ...

Fracking Investigation Finds Evidence of Water Contamination by Fran Berkman, January 6, 2014, Mashable.com In its description of fracking, energy industry advocacy group Western Energy Alliance states that “fracking has been performed in more than 1.2 million wells since 1949 with an exemplary safety record and no documented cases of contamination of drinking water.” The AP ...

Is Bakken oil safe enough for the Greater Toronto Area? by Jessica McDiarmid, December 14, 2013, Toronto Star The Lac-Mégantic disaster raises concerns about fracked crude from North Dakota and Saskatchewan. … A train carrying 72 cars of crude oil had barreled into the sleepy Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic and derailed. And the oil did what ...

Chuck Strahl, CSIS Watchdog Chair, federal Former Reform-Conservative MP, Registers As Northern Gateway Lobbyist by The Huffington Post Canada, January 6, 2014 The head of the watchdog committee overseeing Canada’s spy agency has registered as a lobbyist for Northern Gateway pipeline builder Enbridge. Chuck Strahl, who served as a federal Reform and Conservative Party MP from ...

Proposed drilling in Lethbridge carries too many risks by Dr. Tyson B. Brust, PGY4 Neurology Resident, University of Calgary, January 6, 2014, Lethbridge Herald I am writing express my deep concern about urban drilling by Goldenkey within the city of Lethbridge. Although I am currently completing my neurology residency training at the University of Calgary, I ...

When it comes to the public health implications of gas drilling, Pa. has its head in the shale by Bernard D. Goldstein, January 5, 2014, The Patriot News PA The movie “Jaws” includes a confrontation that is familiar to public health officials. The town’s mayor demands absolute proof of there’s a killer shark before he’s willing ...

Opposing fracking in city needs support of our MLAs by Michael Cormican, January 5, 2014, Lethbridge Herald To our Lethbridge MLAs: Though I know you both voiced your views as against fracking at the demonstration in Galt Gardens in the fall, I want to advise you of my opposition to the practice of fracking, too, not only ...

U.S. EPA unlikely to step up fracking enforcement efforts for now -analysts by Valerie Volcovici, Reuters, January 5, 2014, Chicago Tribune Federal regulators are unlikely to step up enforcement of potential water contamination cases linked to natural gas drilling – despite new concerns about water safety – given a lack of political will and limited resources to ...

Proximity to fracking more than doubles odds of low birth weight babies by TXSHARON, January 5, 2014, Blue Daze Whitenhouse writes that more study is needed. And what that means is that some families will participate in this grand fracking experiment without informed consent. Their babies will be guinea pigs in this experiment with public health. Whitenhouse concludes ...

Investment fraud is booming along with oil and gas drilling, SEC says by James Osborne, January 4, 2013, Dallas News Business But with the oil and gas boom on and news reports  of big discoveries in Texas and North Dakota proliferating, securities fraud cases are increasing, the Securities and Exchange Commission warns. What eight years ago ...

Liens by frac companies can be serious problems for landowners with mortgages by Rachel Morgan, January 5, 2014, Timesonline.com Last October, Garry Miller tried to refinance his home. The only problem? There was a $500 million lien, or line of credit, showing up on his property deed. “I went to remortgage my house to get a lower ...

Judge Rules Exxon Must Face Criminal Charges Over 50,000 Gallon Fracking Waste Spill by Emily Atkin, January 3, 2014, Think Progress Exxon Mobil Corp. subsidiary XTO Energy will have to face criminal charges for allegedly dumping tens of thousands of gallons of hydraulic fracturing waste at a Marcellus Shale drilling site in 2010, according to a Pennsylvania judge’s ...

Fracking warnings in Midlothian by Midlothian Advertiser, January 4, 2014 Local politicians have spoken out after a report published recently by the Department for Energy and Climate Change earmarked central Scotland, including Midlothian, as a potential location for shale gas fracturing (fracking). … Councillor Ian Baxter (Green) warned off the downfalls of the controversial energy source: “Communities throughout Midlothian should ...