Global Frac News

USGS Fracking Study Confirms Methane Contamination of Drinking Water in Pavillion, Wyoming by Carol Linnitt, October 1, 2012, Desmogblog For those concerned about the future of shale gas development in the U.S., water contamination present in a monitoring well in Wyoming is about to become the lynchpin in the debate over unconventional gas production and the ...

EPA retesting finds fracking-related groundwater contamination at Wyoming site by Evan Weese, October 1, 2012, Business First A new round of government sampling shows groundwater contamination from fracking at a Wyoming gas field, although some say the study is inconclusive, Associated Press reports. The U.S. EPA says results from the testing of a Wyoming gas field ...

Water samples suggest Dimock’s methane problem hasn’t dried up by Laura Legere, October 1, 2012, Citizen’s Voice

Casualties of Chesapeake’s “land grab” across America by Brian Grow, Joshua Schneyer and Anna Driver, October 1, 2012, Reuters (Reuters) – Ranjana Bhandari and her husband knew the natural gas beneath their ranch-style home in Arlington, Texas, could be worth a lot – especially when they got offer after offer from Chesapeake Energy Corp. Chesapeake wanted to drill ...

Project SWIFT will create water quality database in Southern Tier by Ryan Delaney, October 1, 2012, WRVO Two Syracuse University geology professors – along with a graduate assistant or two – are hurrying to collect water samples from drinking wells in the Southern Tier before – and if – the natural gas extraction method known as ...

Cuomo Resets New York Fracking Review, “Consigning Fracking To Oblivion” by Brenden DeMelle, October 1, 2012, Desmogblog New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today that his administration is pushing the controversial decision on whether to allow fracking in the state back to square one. This encouraging move by Gov. Cuomo is sure to upset the oil ...

Shift by Cuomo on Gas Drilling Prompts Both Anger and Praise by Nathaniel Brooks, September 30, 2012, The New York Times ALBANY — A few months after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was poised to approve hydraulic fracturing in several struggling New York counties, his administration is reversing course and starting the regulatory process over, garnering praise ...

Are leaking wells letting methane get into Dimock’s water? by Laura Legere, September 30, 2012, The Times-Tribune More than two years after the state halted a natural gas driller’s operations in a corner of Dimock Twp., the right answer to a last question is all that stands between drill bits and earth. Are leaking wells still ...

Cabot beats EPA to punch on well’s water by Laura Legere, September 30, 2012, The Times-Tribune Of the 62 water wells the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sampled in Dimock Twp. early this year, one spurred the agency to take immediate action. Test results from the well, which contained nine times the safe drinking water limit for ...

Technical Memorandum on Assessment of Groundwater Sampling Results Completed by the U.S. Geological Survey by Tom Myers, Ph.D., September 30, 2012 The organic chemistry at MW01 has not changed substantially since the EPA sampled the well; some constituents have increased and some have decreased, as would be expected with organic contaminants discharging from a series of ...

Editorial: Just how much is this benefit? by The Times Union, September 29, 2012 THE ISSUE: The state hasn’t kept up with dangerous old oil and gas wells. THE STAKES: So how will it keep up with a new gas rush? The revelation that the state Department of Environmental Conservation isn’t keeping up with inspections of old gas and oil ...

CO2 in Stream, Dead Ducks Prompt Wyo. DEQ Citation by Casper Star-Tribune, September 29, 2012, kurl8 Wyoming environmental regulators say carbon dioxide bubbling up from the ground may have killed six ducks and polluted a stream. The leak happened in an area where CO2 is injected underground to help revive an old oil field and boost oil production. The ...

Tsunami of Industrial Development Threatens B.C.’s Sacred Headwaters by Wade Davis, September 29, 2012, Huffingtonpost.ca In Tahltan territory alone there are 41 major projects, some with considerable promise, some of great concern. On Todagin Mountain, a wildlife sanctuary in the sky, revered by the Tahltan as the home of the largest population of Stone sheep in ...

No fracking for ten years says EU Commissioner for Energy by The Leitrim Observer, September 29, 2012 EU Commissioner for Energy Gúnther Oettinger has informed Drumshanbo Senator Paschal Mooney that no decisions should be taken on hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” for ten years. … In a series of questions submitted by Senator Mooney to the Commissioner about ...

L’opposition des médecins au gaz de schiste prend de l’ampleur le vendredi 28 septembre 2012, Radio Canada Édition Alberta Les corps médicaux de différents hôpitaux au Nouveau-Brunswick demandent au gouvernement provincial d’imposer un moratoire sur la prospection et l’exploitation du gaz de schiste. Les médecins de l’hôpital de Sackville ont lancé cet appel il y a quelques ...

Flaring of gas waste on rise, Low prices blamed as Alberta companies flare or vent more gas by Dan Healing, September 28, 2012, Calgary Herald Low natural gas prices and a boom in oil drilling in 2011 led to an additional five billion cubic feet of solution gas being burned or vented in Alberta, a report ...

Fracking not good for Essex County by Lenore Langs, September 28, 2012, The Windsor Star There is talk by oil and gas companies of increasing the use of “fracking” to obtain natural gas from wells in Essex County and as far up the waterway as Sarnia. This would be very bad for our area. … There ...

Busted, Part Deux! Fracking Chemicals Found in Wyoming Water Supply by Tina Casey, September 28, 2012, cleantechnica With the release of a new study on water contamination in Pavillion, Wyoming the U.S. Geological Survey has just put its two cents into the debate over whether or not the natural gas drilling method called fracking puts water ...

Testing by USGS Demonstrates Contaminants Are Still Present in EPA Deep Monitoring Well Water Near Pavillion, Wyoming Press Release by Subra Company, Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens and Powder River Basin Resource Council, September 28, 2012 In  April and May 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) sampled the water in a deep monitoring well that EPA installed ...

Quebec, shale gas and Pandora’s Box by David Campbell, September 28, 2012, Special to The Globe and Mail British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan are all pushing ahead with shale gas development using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Newfoundland and Labrador, the only other have-province in Canada, has also green-lighted exploration for shale gas. … No jurisdiction should ...

Conflicting reports fuel fracking debate tied to Wyoming town by Laura Zuckerman, September 28, 2012, WKZO News SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) – Government testing of a drinking water aquifer near a tiny Wyoming town has shown concentrations of gases like ethane and propane and diesel compounds, but a natural gas company said it did not cause the ...

Answers wanted by Sharon McLeay, September 28, 2012, Strathmore Times Farmers have a connection with their land. The soil texture in their hand, the feel of the ground under their feet, the sight of the new shoots rising and the smell of the crop ripening is how the land communicates to them. To farmers the land ...

Fracking Wastewater the new NORM in Nova Scotia? Colchester County Council Considers Application to Treat Frack-Wastewater by MILES HOWE, September 28, 2012, Halifax Media Coop Truro, Nova Scotia – Guided by its own regulatory process, Colchester County Council yesterday determined that it would indeed allow its municipal engineer to consider Atlantic Industrial Services’ (AIS) application to ...

USGS Aquifer Tests Near Pavillion, Wyoming Reveal Petroleum-Based Pollutants In Samples by Laura Zuckerman, Reuters, September 28, 2012, Huffingtonpost Government testing of a drinking water aquifer near a tiny Wyoming town has shown concentrations of gases like ethane and propane and diesel compounds, but a natural gas company said it did not cause the contamination. A ...

FrackNation Creator Phelim McAleer Fibs About Parker County’s Flaming Hose Case by Brantley Hargrove, September 28, 2012, Dallas Observer Fracking is finally getting the Hollywood treatment. Promised Land, an anti-fracking film conceptualized by The Office’s John Krasinski, co-written by Dave Eggers, starring Matt Damon and Hal Holbrook, and directed by Gus Van Sant (Milk, Good Will Hunting), ...

The shale industry is reaching out to Quebec hoping “to resume a meaningful dialogue with the government” Internet translation of article by Louis-Gilles Francoeur, September 28, 2012, Environment News, LeDevoir The shale gas industry is reaching out to Quebec in an attempt to “re-establish a meaningful dialogue with the government,” said yesterday Duty spokesman of ...

DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN? Have regulations made industry safer? Or could disaster strike again? by Burton Speakman, September 28, 2012, Vindy.com A house in Geauga County exploded Dec. 15, 2007, in Bainbridge Township near the site of a vertically fracked well. The two residents in the home at the time of the explosion were not injured, ...

Harper to recuse himself from matters dealing with Talisman Energy by Glen McGregor, September 28, 2012, Ottawa Citizen OTTAWA — A family connection could force Prime Minister Stephen Harper to step aside from politically-charged decisions involving a looming foreign takeover of an Alberta energy company. The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Friday that Harper has consulted with ...

Can Fracking Usher in an Era of Energy Independence? by Post Carbon Institute, September 28, 2012, ecowatch Post Carbon Institute‘s Fossil Fuels Fellow David Hughes is currently researching and writing Drill, Baby, Drill: Can Unconventional Fossil Fuels Usher in an Era of Energy Independence? Slated for a January 2013 release, the report findings refute fossil fuel ...

New evidence confirms that fracking endangers groundwater by Sue Sturgis, September 28, 2012, The Institute for Southern Studies, Facing South The U.S. Geological Survey released two reports this week confirming that fracking for natural gas has led to groundwater contamination — a fact that has been contested by the industry. The USGS results are consistent with ...

Fracking Conference to Focus on Law and Science in Light of Pending New York Ruling by HB Litigation Conferences LLC, September 27, 2012, Herald online On Sept. 20, Gov. Cuomo’s administration announced that it was postponing its decision until it completed a review of the potential public health effects of the process.

Pollutants linked to ‘fracking’ found in Wyoming groundwater by Zack Colman, September 27, 2012, The Hill Chemicals linked to hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” have been found again in the groundwater of a town in Wyoming that has become a flashpoint in the debate over the drilling practice. … Alisha Johnson, a spokeswoman with the EPA, told ...

Province set to start water consultations by Karen Kleiss, September 27, 2012, Edmonton Journal Public debate over fracking, water markets and dying Alberta lakes will heat up in coming months as the provincial government prepares to embark on a provincewide water consultation. … Environment Minister Diana McQueen responded to Benford’s concerns Thursday by revealing the province ...

WATCH: Fracking concerns, Cochrane residents met again to discuss concerns about fracking in their neighbourhood 1:48 minutes by CBC News Calgary Late Night, September 27, 2012 Local ranchers say they are noticing tremors in the ground, cancer in their animals and odd health side effects. Area resident Nielle Hawkwood says it’s heartbreaking. “We’ve ranched here for 32 years, ...

Talisman pledges $1.25 M to Mount Royal University by Amanda Stephenson, September 27, 2012, Calgary Herald The Calgary company has pledged $1 million to help fund Mount Royal’s new Chair of Sustainability and the Environment. The position, which will be held first by Michael Quinn — currently an associate professor in the Faculty of Environmental Design ...

New data, but not much new in Wyo. fracking study by Mead Gruver, Associated Press, September 27, 2012, Seattlepi The Pavillion field has shallow gas and geology much different from other gas fields. Fracking occurred unusually close to home water wells, and the EPA has said that any findings in the area shouldn’t be applied to ...

US report leaves debate open on contested Wyoming fracking study by Ayesha Rascoe, September 27, 2012, Reuters * USGS report offers no interpretation of data * Results generally consistent with previous findings – EPA * Wells improperly constructed – Encana WASHINGTON, Sept 26 (Reuters) – The U.S. government on Wednesday released the latest water quality results from a Wyoming ...

EPA, driller differ on new Pavillion water test results by Mike Soraghan, September 27, 2012, E&E News U.S. EPA says a second round of test results released yesterday by the U.S. Geological Survey supports its preliminary finding that hydraulic fracturing contaminated groundwater in Pavillion, Wyo. But the major driller in the Pavillion area says USGS’s decision to ...

Diesel in Water Near Fracking Confirms EPA Tests Wyoming Disputes by Mark Drajem, September 27, 2012, Bloomberg A retest of water in Pavillion, Wyoming, found evidence of many of the same gases and compounds the Environmental Protection Agency used to link contamination there to hydraulic fracturing, the first finding of that kind. A U.S. Geological Survey ...

Regulatory Non-Enforcement by Design: Earthworks Shows How the Game is Played by Steve Horn, September 27, 2012, Desmogblog Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project published a scathing 124-page report this week, “Breaking All the Rules: the Crisis in Oil & Gas Regulatory Enforcement.” The content of the report is exactly as it sounds. That is, state-level ...

Fracking Aquifers by James Northrup, September 27, 2012, blog.ShaleShockMedia Obviously, under the right conditions – it could happen – and it has happened, as the EPA tests just confirmed. The way it happened in Wyoming is fairly straightforward – the shale gas is close enough to the aquifer that when a frack goes out of zone, ...

Quebec government hints at long-term fracking ban, The new Parti Quebecois government hasn’t wasted any time hinting about a long-term ban on the shale gas industry by The Canadian Press, September 27, 2012 Quebec’s new natural-resources minister, Martine Ouellet, says she doesn’t believe the controversial method of extracting natural gas from shale, known as “fracking,” can ...

AG: Federal suit for fracking study still possible by Jessica Bakeman, September 27, 2012, State Politics Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Thursday the door is still open for another federal lawsuit seeking an environmental impact study of natural gas drilling. Schneiderman’s lawsuit against several federal agencies that was meant to force a study on the impacts ...

Groundwater-Quality and Quality-Control Data for Two Monitoring Wells near Pavillion, Wyoming, April and May 2012 by Peter R. Wright, Peter B. McMahon, David K. Mueller, and Melanie L. Clark, 2012, U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Department of the Interior, In cooperation with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Data Series 718 Well MW01 was completed to a depth of 785 ...

New test results due from fracking zone in Wyoming by Mead Gruver, The Canadian Press/Associated Press, September 26, 2012, The Brandon Sun CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The U.S. Geological Survey plans to release results Wednesday from a new round of groundwater tests in a Wyoming gas field where another federal agency linked hydraulic fracturing to contaminants found ...

New test results due from fracking zone in Wyoming by Mead Gruver, The Associated Press, September 26, 2012, McLeans The U.S. Geological Survey plans to release results Wednesday from a new round of groundwater tests in a Wyoming gas field where another federal agency linked hydraulic fracturing to contaminants found in two water wells and local ...

NY records show history of oil, gas well problems by Mary Esch on September 26, 2012, The New York Times State regulators claim a strong record of oil and gas drilling oversight, but their own reports reveal thousands of unplugged abandoned wells and other industrial problems that could pose a threat to groundwater, wetlands, air quality ...

Depending on high court’s ruling, every well permit could be subject to judicial review by Ellen M. Gilmer, September 26, 2012, E&E News West Virginia officials and an energy company are pushing the state’s highest court to refrain from giving landowners more opportunity to contest well permits. A lower court last year tackled the question of how ...

Colorado floats possible rules for groundwater monitoring, new well setbacks by Scott Streater, September 26, 2012, E&E News Colorado regulators have released an outline of possible new oil and natural gas regulations mandating groundwater testing and adding safeguards that would make it more difficult to place wells near residential neighborhoods, schools and hospitals. Matt Lepore, director ...

Two-thirds of frack disclosures omit ‘secrets’ by Mike Soraghan, September 26, 2012, E&E News Two out of every three times oil and gas companies have publicly disclosed the chemicals in their hydraulic fracturing fluid, they’ve left something out. At least one chemical was kept secret in 65 percent of fracking disclosures by companies that said they needed ...

State oil and gas rules weak with spotty enforcement by Ellen M. Gilmer, September 26, 201, E&E News A report issued by Earthworks yesterday says more than half of oil and gas wells go uninspected and that fines for violations amount to pocket change for the industry. The study breaks down enforcement patterns in six states — ...

Laws alone won’t do it by Recordnet.com, September 26, 2012 Sadly, it almost always takes a tragedy before things change. … The third measure is aimed at preventing utilities from cutting spending on operations and maintenance to award its executives bonuses. No law, no matter how well drawn or well meaning can protect the public against ...

Encana gives big financial boost to Calgary police youth program by Nadia Moharib, September 26, 2012, Calgary Sun YouthLink gets $1 million boost Encana Corp. on Wednesday announced the hefty gift for the Calgary Police Foundation to go towards creating a bigger and better YouthLink Calgary Police Interpretive Cente — going from its current downtown digs to ...

Supreme Court set to hear landmark gas drilling case by Mannix Porterfield, September 25, 2012, The Register Herald A landmark ruling is in the offing that could alter how gas drilling permits are issued in West Virginia, and the extent of rights that surface owners may exercise when their properties give way to such operations. Before ...

Fracking lessons from Beverly Hills High by John Kemp, Reuters, September 25, 2012, Financial Post Right at the heart of one of the most affluent and exclusive communities in the country, oil producer Venoco extracted almost 114,000 barrels of crude and 103 million cubic feet of natural gas, as well as 807,000 barrels of waste water, ...

Let’s make sure ‘frackademia’ has no place in Ireland, We tend to assume that science equals ‘truth’ – but when fracking is the issue this isn’t always the case by Sian Cowman, September 25, 2012, The Journal.ie In a debate in the Oireachtas, Deputy Patrick Nulty asked Minister Pat Rabbitte for “his views on whether the ...

Encana presses EPA to hand over test results by Tennille Tracy, September 25, 2012, The Wall Street Journal WASHINGTON–Encana Corp. (ECA.T, ECA), the natural-gas company at the center of one of the fiercest debates over the risks of hydraulic fracturing, is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to hand over test results from wells near the company’s ...

Encana Presses EPA to Hand Over Test Results From Pavillion, Wyo. by Dow Jones Newswires, September 25, 2012, Fox business Encana Corp. (ECA.T, ECA), the natural-gas company at the center of one of the fiercest debates over the risks of hydraulic fracturing, is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to hand over test results from wells near ...

High hopes for Red Deer County “tight” oil wells by Drew A. Penner, September 25, 2012, Mountainview Gazette Drilling Superintendent Scot Brodie, at EOG Resources, stressed the Cygnet venture is still in its early phases. “It is an interesting project,” he said. The Duvernay shale has been tapped as the “sexiest” resource frontier in Canada by ...

Fracking will leave ‘giant toilet bowl’ by Melanie Gosling, September 25, 2012, Independent Online Cape Town – South Africans are not prepared to let foreign companies strip the country’s resources, take the profits overseas and leave the country “like a giant toilet bowl”. Jonathan Deal, chairman of the anti-fracking lobby Treasure Karoo Action Group, made the ...

Questerre says won’t be affected by stricter Quebec fracking ban by Sakthi Prasad, editing by Miral Fahmy, September 24, 2012, Reuters (Reuters) – Any further restrictions on developing Quebec’s shale gas resources are unlikely to affect the business plans of Canada’s Questerre Energy, the company’s chief executive said in a statement issued on Monday. Questerre Chief ...

The North This Week September 23, 2012, CBC News A conversation on fracking between A New Day host Sandi Coleman and Jessica Ernst

Gaz de schiste – la mission de Jessica, “J’ai laissé tombé tout le reste de ma vie pour ceci.” Jessica Ernst est convaincue qu’il n’y a rien de bon dans la fracturation hydraulique Traduction libre d’un reportage de Chuck Tobin, September 23, 2012

Gaz de schiste – L’ennemie de la fracturation nous prévient, Traduction libre d’un article écrit avant la présentation de Jessica Ernst au Yukon le 22 septembre 2012 Jessica Ernst ne peut pas nous dire ce qu’elle espère accomplir en étant conférencière sur les dangers de la fracturation hydraulique durant la présentation de samedi soir à l’église ...

Criminal investigation at Chevron refinery, Pollutants allegedly routed around monitoring devices by Jaxon Van Derbeken, September 22, 2012, San Francisco Chronicle The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s criminal enforcement unit opened an investigation in early 2012, more than two years after the local inspectors made their discovery, according to air-quality officials and others familiar with the probe. The ...

Oil & Gas Fracking Cochrane, Calgary & The Lochend, Horrors from Fracking The Lochend Residents Meeting Wednesday, Sept.26th 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm Cochrane Ranche House Room: Hall of Vision Contact: email hidden; JavaScript is required

‘I have given up the rest of my life for this’, Jessica Ernst is convinced there’s nothing good about hydraulic fracturing by Chuck Tobin, September 21, 2012, Whitehorse Daily Star At one point, says the lawsuit, excess methane gas caused by hydraulic fracturing was whistling out of her taps, creating “a serious risk of explosion.” Her ...

Report details frackings economic toll on local communities by Sue Sturgis, September 21, 2012, Southern Studies The environmental and health risks of fracking for natural gas — including contaminated water and polluted air — have been well-documented. But the controversial drilling practice that involves injecting water and chemicals into underground rock to release trapped natural gas also ...

Alberta companies critical of Quebec minister’s stance on fracking by Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press, September 21, 2012, Global News Calgary-based energy companies that own land in Quebec are hoping the new Parti Quebecois government will reconsider its position on hydraulic fracturing, in spite of statements made by that province’s new natural resources minister Thursday. … ...

As controversy swirls, Chesapeake Energy picks new lawyer, Webb by Ernest Scheyder with Editing by Bernadette Baum, September 21, 2012, Reuters Chesapeake Energy Corp has hired James Webb as its new, full-time legal counsel as it tries to recover from damaging reports about controversial land deals in Michigan and personal loans taken out by its chief ...

‘A beautiful day’ for environmentalists, Shale gas, Gentilly both get the chop by Michelle Lalonde, September 20, 2012, The Montreal Gazette “It’s a beautiful day,” said André Bélisle, president of the Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique (AQLPA), which has been fighting the shale gas, nuclear and asbestos industries for years. “A lot of ...

Fracking banned by Quebec government, The new Parti Quebecois government hasn’t wasted any time hinting about a long-term ban on the shale gas industry by Canadian Press, September 20, 2012, Vancouver Sun QUEBEC — The new Parti Quebecois government hasn’t wasted any time hinting about a long-term ban on the shale gas industry. Quebec’s new natural-resources ...

PQ government takes on three controversial industries in first day in office by Andy Blatchford, September 20, 2012,  The Calgary Herald MONTREAL – Within 24 hours of taking office, the new Parti Quebecois government slammed the door on two controversial industries and dropped a hint about shutting down a third. The government moved to shore up ...

Quebec Minister’s fracking comments worry Calgary companies by Amanda Stephenson, with files from the Canadian Press, September 20, 2012, Calgary Herald Calgary-based energy companies that own land in Quebec are hoping the new Parti Quebecois government will reconsider its position on hydraulic fracturing, in spite of statements made by that province’s new natural resources minister Thursday. ...

Leak Detection Sensors Miss Most Pipeline Spills by SustainableBusiness.com News, September 20, 2012 Fossil fuels companies often tout the ability of advanced sensor technologies to provide alerts about leaks along oil and natural gas pipelines, but those systems detected only 5% of the spills that occurred between 2002 and July 2012, reports InsideClimateNews. Put another way, ...

Fracking cancer risk by Tony Carnie, September 20, 2012, iol News South Africa KwaZulu-Natal – SA’s top water research body has warned the government to think carefully about the serious risk of water pollution from cancer-causing chemicals and radioactive compounds from future underground “fracking” operations across huge swathes of the country. A new report by the ...

Water problem in shale is drawing a flood of capital by Zain Shauk, September 20, 2012 in Fracking, Natural Gas, Water The need for huge volumes of water is a growing challenge for oil and gas companies working in shale formations, despite dramatic improvements in drilling speeds that have lowered other costs, energy executives said Wednesday. ...

Fracking causes serious health and environmental problems – report by New Europe Online, Energy, September 20, 2012 According to FoEE, “increased evidence shows fracking is an unambiguously high-risk activity that threatens human health and the wider environment. The high risk of water contamination, and air pollution with hazardous chemicals, are both recognised in a recent European ...

Waste injection wells: The Earth’s invisible dump, With more than 30 trillion gallons of toxic waste having been injected into the inner earth, what happens if our belief that what goes down can’t come up is wrong? by Jefferson Dodge and Joel Dyer, September 20, 2012, Boulder Weekly April 10, 1967, was no ordinary day in ...

Safety Rules for Fracking Disposal Wells Often Ignored, The growing number of wells used to dispose of wastewater from fracking are subject to lax oversight by Abrahm Lustgarten and ProPublica, September 20, 2012, Scientific American On a cold, overcast afternoon in January 2003, two tanker trucks backed up to an injection well site in a pasture ...

Quebec to seek ban on shale gas fracking: Minister  by Sophie Cousineau and Bertand Marotte, September 20, 2012, The Globe and Mail Quebec’s new Natural Resources Minister, Martine Ouellet, has made up her mind. Even though she is ordering a new independent inquiry into shale gas ...

The Trillion-Gallon Loophole: Lax Rules for Drillers that Inject Pollutants Into the Earth by Abrahm Lustgarten, September 20, 2012, Propublica

Foe of fracking offers grim warning by Meagan Gillmore, September 19, 2012, Yukon News Jessica Ernst can’t say what she hopes will happen after her presentation on the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Saturday night. “Fracking killed hope,” she said. “I don’t have any hope any more – in anything. ...

Taranaki gas field contaminates soil by Tova O’Brien, September 19, 2012, 3 News 3 News can reveal hundreds, potentially thousands of cubic metres of soil have been contaminated by toxic chemicals at a gas field in Taranaki. Six well sites at the Kapuni gas field south of New Plymouth used unlined pits in the earth to ...

Anti-fracking meeting held at Weedon Hall by Dereke Clouthier, September 19, 2012, Cochrane Eagle A residents’ forum was held at Weedon Pioneer Hall on Sept. 15 by a local group who are concerned over the increase of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the Cochrane, Calgary and Lochend areas. Dan Thomas, a resident north of Cochrane who has ...

Development ruins resident’s summer by Patti Moris, September 19, 2012, Cochrane Eagle Dear Rocky View County Reeve Rolly Ashdown: We feel quite frankly, under siege by a council that largely, with notable exceptions like our own very responsible and responsive councillor, Kim Magnuson, seems to recklessly disregard the loudly expressed views of the taxpayer. A council that seems ...

Voluntary Fracking Reporting? Bloomberg: Chemicals Not Reported, Half of All Wells “Obscured” by Don Lieber, September 19, 2012, Planetsave In a little-noticed Aug 2012 report, Bloomberg News reported that gas and oil energy companies failed to comply with their own voluntary plan to disclose chemicals in their operations — and, further, failed to report on the ...

Cuomo Administration Failure to Disclose Drilling Documents Prompts EWG Lawsuit Press Release by EWG, September 19, 2012 NEW YORK – The Environmental Working Group Monday sued the administration of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for documents that would show how the state has drafted its plan to permit high volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling for shale ...

“Fracking” will be scrutinised says Stoner by Elyse Denman, September 19, 2012, ABC News A state-wide ban on hydraulic fracturing in NSW has been lifted under the state government’s new Strategic Regional Land Use Policy. … In its Strategic Regional Land Use Policy, the O’Farrell government has replaced a five-year moratorium on fracking with an industry ...

Clarify shale gas rules, say petroleum producers by CBC News, September 19, 2012 The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers is calling on the New Brunswick government to clarify its regulations for the shale gas industry. The comments come just days after two shale gas companies in New Brunswick announced they were shutting down. Terry Smith, a ...

Encana Events Centre to keep name for five more years by Energeticcity, September 19, 2012 The Encana Events Centre in Dawson Creek will keeps its name for at least another five years, now that the energy company has renewed its naming rights. The operator of the Encana Events Centre, Global Spectrum Facility Management, announced today that ...

America’s Fracking Gold Rush Portends the Greatest Environmental Disaster of a Generation by Denise Grollmus, September 20, 2012, Miami New Times But it wasn’t long before Mayer received another surprise — this one less pleasant. One morning he turned on his kitchen sink. Instead of water, the tap hissed with gas. Mayer grabbed his lighter and ...

In Fracking Court Fight, Towns Get Legal Help From 20 Groups by eNews Park Forest, Inc., September 18, 2012 Pro-Fracking, Anti-Community State Law Under Fire Harrisburg, PA–(ENEWSPF)–September 18, 2012.  Pennsylvania towns are getting some legal help from 20 groups today in a court case challenging a pro-fracking, anti-community state law.  Portions of the Act 13 were overturned ...

Suit seeks drill data, Greens seek records on government contact with energy industry on fracking by James M. Odato, September 18, 2012, Times Union The Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group on Monday sued Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Department of Environmental Conservation, claiming they failed to honor the Freedom of Information Law by denying the ...

Bomb threat accused will be sentenced next month by Dan Singleton, September 18, 2012, Mountain View Gazette A Mountain View County woman who threatened to blow up a well site and shoot at workers last spring will be sentenced next month. Kimberly Mildenstein, 40, has pleaded guilty to a charge of uttering a threat. Her sentencing ...

Jessica Ernst presents at Yukon College, with Q and A, September 24, 2012  60 Min. by ZET Group, January 26, 2013 Part 1 only of 3: Hydraulic Fracturing Presentation by Jessica Ernst at Yukon College, Whitehorse 20:05 Min. video by eco researcher, January 2, 2012 Jessica Ernst at Whitehorse, Yukon, September 22, 2012, Global Frac Down

Hunt launched after Halliburton loses radioactive rod in Texas desert, Fears rod containing americium-241/beryllium could fall into hands of terrorists after employees of US oilfield services company lost it in transit between oil wells by Rupert Neate, September 17, 2012, The Guardian Halliburton has lost a seven-inch radioactive rod somewhere in the Texasdesert. The National Guard ...

Methane from gas drilling: Manning family told, “Don’t use your kitchen stove” by Iris Marie Bloom, September 17, 2012, protecting our waters Ordinary worries pale in comparison to the possibility that turning on your kitchen stove could cause a flash fire. Yet another family has joined the ranks of hundreds of families severely impacted by unconventional ...

Part two: Modern fracking in Michigan is not your father’s frack by Lee Smith, September 16, 2012, The Midland Daily News In my first article, I reviewed the modern fracking activity taking place in Michigan. … This article continues with a description of a specific well drilled in late 2011 in Kalkaska County, the Encana State Excelsior 1-25 HD1 ...

Encana donation supports Sweetwater County center by The Star-Tribune, September 16, 2012 Encana Oil and Gas (USA) Inc. recently awarded the Sweetwater County Child Developmental Center a grant for $2,400 to support therapy services for the children. The contribution will assist the center in purchasing the necessary supplies, equipment, testing materials and technology for therapy services, a news ...