Global Frac News

U.S. EPA has to stay the course and complete its study on hydraulic fracturing: editorial by The Plain Dealer Editorial Board, July 20, 2013, The Plain Dealer By now, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was supposed to be close to answering a crucial question posed by the U.S. Congress in 2010 during the oil and gas ...

Rockland Bans Processing or Dumping Toxins from Hydrofracking by Dina Sciortino, July 20, 2013, Nyack-Piermont Patch Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderfoef signed a law this month that bans the sale of all gas drilling waste, its processing at all wastewater treatment plants and its application on all roads, including applications for de-icing and dust control. ...

‘Generous’ tax breaks for shale gas industry outlined by BBC, July 19, 2013 The plans would make the UK the “most generous” regime for shale gas in the world, the government said. Fracking ‘could put gas and chemicals’ in drinking water by BBC News UK, July 19, 2013 Drinking water could be contaminated with methane gas and chemicals ...

Ian Jessop interviews Jessica Ernst, Environmental Consultant on hydraulic fracturing 2:30pm to 3:00pm, C-FAX 1070, July 17, 2013

Crosbie Industrial approved to treat drilling mud by Ashley Fitzpatrick, July 18, 2013, Star Telegram Crosbie Industrial Services Ltd. is planning to expand its ability to handle drilling mud in the province. The company has proposed the addition of new equipment to its Logy Bay Road site, allowing it to treat the mud — a byproduct ...

East Syracuse lab admits falsifying water, soil tests through backdating by John O’Brien, July 17, 2013, The Post Standard An East Syracuse laboratory today admitted that for three years it falsified chemical tests on water and soil that it performed for 31 clients, including more than a dozen public entities. Upstate Laboratories Inc. pleaded guilty in federal ...

Confessions of a well informed shale gas protester by Dr. Joseph Aicher, July 15, 2013, Telegraph Journal At the height of media reported violence, I went to the sacred fire protest on Route 126 to “check it out.” I’ll state my bias upfront: I was a public health researcher before I became a physician. In my mind it is clear ...

United States: Colorado Court Of Appeals Revives Fracking Case – Holds “Lone Pine” Order Not Allowed In Colorado by Paul S. Enockson, July 17, 2013, Mondaq On July 3, 2013, the Colorado Court of Appeals held that the plaintiffs in a toxic tort case cannot be required to present prima facie evidence to support their claims ...

Cabot well under probe to be shut by Paul J. Gough, July 16, 2013, Pittsburgh Business Times A Cabot Oil and Gas Corp. well in northeastern Pennsylvania is being shut down in the midst of a state Department of Environmental Protection investigation. The Scranton Times-Tribune reported the Costello 1 vertical well in Dimock Township will be ...

French president vows no fracking while he is president by Agence France-Presse, July 14, 2013 President Francois Hollande said on Sunday that France would maintain its ban on the exploration for shale gas throughout his five-year term. “As long as I am president, there were will be no exploration for shale gas,” Hollande said during a ...

Catastrophe Lac Mégantic 06/07/13 by Adrien Aubert Public Safety Minister Vic Toews resigns by Josh Wingrove, July 8, 2013, The Globe and Mail Mr. Toews resigned Monday saying he plans to leave “public life” and “pursue opportunities in the private sector.” He said his resignation – as an MP, as regional minister for Manitoba and as a cabinet minister – will take effect ...

EnCana takes over Funding of Govt Study into Fracking Water Contamination by Damien Gillis, July 8, 2013, Common Sense Canadian What promised to be a ground-breaking report into the effects of natural gas hydraulic fracturing on groundwater has devolved into a classic case of the fox in charge of the hen house. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s ...

Gasland II Premiering on HBO 9 PM July 8, 2013 In this explosive follow-up to his Oscar-nominated film Gasland, Josh Fox uses his trademark humor to take a deeper, wider look at the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, now occurring on a global level. “Fracking” film Gasland shown in Letterkenny, County Councillors declare ban on fracking January 2012

Earthquakes from onshore gas drilling threaten a disaster, warn residents of Dutch city, Residents of the Dutch city of Groningen are up in arms over onshore gas drilling that has triggered earthquakes, damaging homes and sending property prices crashing by Bruno Waterfield, July 5, 2013, The Telegraph The last tremor, registering 3.0 on the Richter scale, ...

The Case against Fracking: Forensic Chemist Weighs In by Jane Mundy, July 7, 2013, Lawyers and Settlements.com From a scientist’s point of view, the biggest problem we face with fracking is that we don’t know what is exactly being put into the ground and what is coming back out. So why doesn’t the public know? Forensic ...

Gasland Film Director Josh Fox endorses Committee to Ban Fracking in Michigan; more individuals and groups endorse by Ban Fracking in Michigan, July 8, 2013 Charlevoix, Michigan – Today the Committee to Ban Fracking in Michigan announces more endorsing organizations and individuals who support the Committee’s ballot initiative to ban horizontal fracking and frack wastes in ...

Surprise delay in major US EPA fracking study by John Yeld, July 8, 2013, iolscitech A major US study on the possible impacts of fracking on drinking water resources is under way, but has been unexpectedly delayed by two years. Because of the massive, and growing, extent of fracking operations in the US, the statutory Environmental ...

First Nation discovers large petrochemical sheen on Athabasca River; Alberta’s new energy regulator missing in action Press Release by Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, July 7, 2013 The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is demanding answers and action from the Alberta government following reports of a large possibly petrochemical spill into the Athabasca River. The large visible peteochemical ...

West Virginia Fracking Explosion Leaves At Least 5 People Injured by Edward McAllister, Reuters, July 8, 2013, Huffingtonpost.com An explosion over the weekend at a natural gas well site in West Virginia operated by Antero Resources injured at least five people, prompting state and federal investigations, local officials and Antero said on Monday. A spark triggered a ...

[Refer also to: How Alberta Will Fight Fracking Folk Hero Jessica Ernst In famous flaming water case, regulator to argue ‘no duty of care’ to landowners or groundwater. Gaz de schiste – Jessica continue son procès ]

Strudleys win appeal in frac poisoning case by John Colson, July 3, 2013, Post Independent A family who sued the Antero Resources gas drilling company in 2011, saying nearby drilling activities poisoned their domestic water well and the air around their home on Silt Mesa, has won an appeal of a 2012 ruling that tossed the ...

Sacked French minister lays blame on nuclear power, fracking groups by Tara Patel, July 6, 2013, Bloomberg France’s former environment minister Delphine Batho, who was sacked on Tuesday, has blamed the fracking and nuclear power industries for her dismissal. Ms Batho, who held the energy and the environment portfolios, was fired by President Francois Hollande after ...

EPA’s Abandoned Wyoming Fracking Study One Retreat of Many by Abrahm Lustgarten, July 3. 2013, ProPublica Over the past 15 months…the EPA has: · Closed an investigation into groundwater pollution in Dimock, Pa., saying the level of contamination was below federal safety triggers. · Abandoned its claim that a driller in Parker County, Texas, was responsible for methane gas bubbling up in ...

Fracking on the rise in Manitoba, Not as dirty as American kin, but oil well regulation lacking by Mary Agnes Welch, July 2, 2013, Winnipeg Free Press Manitobans could soon know a little more about some of the environmentally-worrisome effects of fracking in the province’s booming oilpatch. The province is working on a series of new ...

Boris Johnson Open to Fracking Beneath London to Keep Lights On by Brian Swint, July 2, 2013, Bloomberg London Mayor Boris Johnson said he’s open to fracking for gas under the U.K. capital to meet the city’s demand for energy. The headroom between energy supply and demand will drop to just 2 percent in two years, ...

Are Fracking Wastewater Wells Poisoning the Ground beneath Our Feet? Leaking injection wells may pose a risk–and the science has not kept pace with the growing glut of wastewater by Abrahm Lustgarten and ProPublica, June 21, 2013, Scientific American Florida’s injection wells, for example, had been drilled into rock that was far more porous and fractured than ...

Yukon Council of First Nations declares territory to be frack free by George Lessard, June 29, 2013, rabble.ca ”Today the Council of Yukon First Nations passed the following resolution: “Be it resolved that the Council of First Nations calls on the Yukon Govt. to prohibit fracking in the Yukon and declares our traditional territories to be ...

Thumbs down on fracking in The Netherlands Winning schaliegas vervuilt drinkwater by nrc.nl, June 25, 2013 55 prominent environment professors of Dutch universities issued a  manifest against fracking, “shale gas is of no interest for The Netherlands.” Hoogleraren: ‘Schaliegas is voor Nederland niet interessant’ by trouw.nl, June 22, 2013 Profit of gas would be 20 to 30 billion; the ecological ...

Study outlines risks of injecting waste into aquifer by Willow Belden, June 28, 2013, Wyoming Public Radio A study found that if wastewater were injected into a deep portion of the Madison Aquifer, it could potentially contaminate drinking water supplies in other areas. Encana Oil and Gas has asked for permission to dispose of brine and drilling ...

An Open Letter to the Honourable Neil Wittmann, Chief Justice by Robin Mathews, June 27, 2013, The Straight Goods Dear Chief Justice Wittmann: This Open Letter is written to you to help stimulate discussion about the allegations widely made in Canada that the present Tory cabinet in Ottawa is engaging in anti-democratic moves serving to destroy major ...

New US study inflames SA’s fracking debate, A US study that links fracking to high concentrations of methane in drinking wells has sparked debate about the technique for extracting natural gas by Sarah Wild, June 28, 2013, Mail & Guardian, Africa’s Best Read New Study: Fracking Contaminates US Water Wells by Stephen Leaphy, June 26, 2013, desmogcanada Drinking ...

Fonterra to stop taking milk from farms with oil and gas waste by Radio New Zealand, June 19, 2013 Fonterra will no longer accept milk from new farms that have converted marginal land into dairy pasture using oil and gas drilling waste. Waste made up of ground rock, drilling mud, and lubricant fluids is increasingly being ...

Harper’s Gag Orders Sweep While Canadians Sleep by Vincent Gogolek, Executive Director, BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, June 27, 2013, Huffingtonpost.ca The Harper government wants to hide all of its secrets. While reviewing the latest edition of the federal government’s little-known legislative bulletin, The Canada Gazette, Canadian Press reporter Jim Bronskill noticed a troubling detail: ...

Canadian firm plans fracking campaign that could require 4 billion gallons of Michigan water by Jeff Alexander, June 25, 2013, Bridge Magazine KALKASKA — A Canadian firm has laid out plans to drill 500 new natural gas wells in Northern Michigan, using a technique that could consume more than 4 billion gallons of groundwater — or about ...

Ohio injection well operator loses state appeal by Kevin Lorenzi, Calkins Media, June 25, 2013, Shale Reporter COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An independent review board has upheld an order revoking the permits of a northeast Ohio injection-well operator whose former executive is charged with violating the federal Clean Water Act, but the company says it’s not ...

EPA delays fracking safety study until 2016 by John Upton, June 24, 2013, The Grist We told you last week that the EPA is abandoning an investigation that linked fracking chemicals with groundwater contamination in Wyoming. Amid controversy over that move, news about EPA delaying another fracking study got overlooked by most media. In 2010, Congress ...

Official: Water complaints could be ‘act of terrorism’ by Brian Haas, The Tennessean, June 21, 2013, USA Today Residents who say children have become ill from drinking water says state is attempting to silence its critics. A Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation deputy director warned a group of Maury County residents that unfounded complaints about water quality could ...

China threatens death penalty for serious polluters by Ben Blanchard; editing by Andrew Roche, June 19, 2013, Reuters Chinese authorities have given courts the powers to hand down the death penalty in serious pollution cases, state media said, as the government tries to assuage growing public anger at environmental desecration. An increasingly affluent urban population has begun ...

Drilling set back, regulator caught out, as fracking opponents draw first blood by Geoffrey Lean, June 21, 2013 It looks very much like first blood to the protesters in the battle over fracking in the home counties. For plans to drill an exploratory well near Balcombe in West Sussex have been delayed, with the firm abruptly ...

Gros Morne fracking plan needs assessment: UN committee, The UNESCO world heritage committee is recommending that a monitoring mission be sent to Gros Morne National Park to assess fracking risks by Jonathan Hayward, June 20, 2013, The Canadian Press ST. JOHN’S, N.L.—The UNESCO world heritage committee is recommending that a monitoring mission be sent to Gros ...

Water Contamination from Fracking: Jessica Ernst Releases Groundbreaking Report by Damien Gillis, June 20, 2013, The Common Sense Canadian Contamination of North America’s Groundwater from Fracking (Hydraulic Fracturing) Revealed in a New Case History Catalogue Press Release by BC Tap Water Alliance, June 16, 2013, Posted by Ban Michigan Fracking June 18, 2013 Ban Michigan Fracking thanks Jessica Ernst for bringing ...

Alberta Energy Regulator to Ensure Efficient, Comprehensive Energy Regulation by Middle East North Africa Financial Network, June 17, 2013 (Menafn – Marketwired via COMTEX) –The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) officially launched today after the Government of Alberta proclaimed the Responsible Energy Development Act, ushering in a new era in energy regulation. The AER brings a new ...

Environmental Law and Regulation in Alberta, Complying with the New Regulatory Framework by Canadian Institute, June 5-6, 2013 Opening Remarks from the Co-Chairs: Peter Miller, Senior Counsel Imperial Oil and John Olynyk, Partner Lawson Lundell LLP (Calgary); Keynote Address: Balancing Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability, Minister of Environment & Sustainable Resource Development Alberta New Alberta Energy Regulator: Assessing the Impact on Industry Brad Gilmour, Partner Bennett Jones LLP and Cindy Chiasson, Executive Director, Environmental ...

WATCH: Battered Encana taps former BP exec as new CEO by Carrie Tait, The Globe and Mail, June 11, 2013, Business News Network “I am excited to take the helm of one of North America’s leading energy producers,” Suttles said in a statement. … The new CEO signed up for a tough job. Encana has posted ...

Conflict of interest over shale gas by John Flint, June 9, 2013, The Sunday Times, couriermail.com.au THE Conservation Council of WA claims the government department responsible for regulating gas fracking in WA is compromised – because it is also promoting the industry. The state’s peak environment group has called on the Minister for Mining and Petroleum ...

Colorado case featured in report on oil and gas deals with landowners by Cathy Proctor, June 7, 2013, Energy Inc., Denver Business Journal (Energy Inc. is sponsored by EnCana) The state concluded that the well was contaminated and fined Encana $99,400 in March 2006 for failing to prevent the contamination. Encana paid the state’s fine, even ...

Consultation finds strong backing for shale gas rules by ENDS Europe, June 7, 2013 A major consultation on shale gas has found overwhelming support for some sort of EU guidelines or legal framework governing extraction of the controversial fuel. Doing nothing at EU level was the least favoured option among over 22,000 responses from individual citizens, ...

German experts: Fracking is unnecessary and risky by Michael Kaczmarek, June 7, 2013, Euractive.com Experts at the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) called for their analysis to be used as an input for the European fracking debate. Extracting shale gas through fracking is not essential for the German Energiewende, the energy transition policy stemming ...

Film premiere outlines ‘devastating’ effects of fracking on rural communities by Meadhbh Monahan, June 6, 2013, Impartial Reporter The division of rural communities is one of the worst effects of fracking, a Fermanagh audience heard on Tuesday night. In a new film called ‘Fracking in Fermanagh what could it mean?’, Canadian environmental scientist Jessica Ernst, who ...

Some Pavillion residents rue being caught in fracking controversy by Dan Cepeda, June 7, 2013, Star-Tribune Jeff Locker wants answers, not trouble. “I’m standing up for what I think is right, and I think that’s very important,” said Locker, an active member of the Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens, a small group of residents who want answers ...

Radioactive water from Lancashire fracking site by lep.co.uk, June 7, 2013 It has been revealed that water used in fracking in Lancashire became contaminated with radioactive material. John Arnott from the Department of Energy and Climate Change made the admission about the gas extraction method, to Preston Council’s Environmental Scrutiny Panel. … Mr Arnott said: “Flow ...

French Fracking Ban Should Be Eased to Assess Shale Reserves by Tara Patel, June 6, 2013, Bloomberg France’s ban on hydraulic fracturing should be eased to estimate the size of its shale oil and gas reserves, according to a parliamentary report. Dozens of exploration wells could be drilled in regions where seismic data has indicated promising ...

The Bow Opens: sights and sounds by the Calgary Herald, June 4, 2013 The tenants – Encana and Cenovus – are all moved in. Plensa’s “Wonderland” sculpture graces the entrance. So on Tuesday, it was finally time to officially open “The Bow” – Western Canada’s tallest office building. Here is what it looked and sounded like. Screen ...

Germany puts fracking on back burner by The Local, Germany’s News in English, June 5, 2013 Conservative deputies decided at a meeting that no draft legislation on the process, which is the subject of fierce debate in Germany, would be presented before September 22nd general elections, participants said. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking, where water, sand and chemicals ...

Zweifel am Fracking  5:55 Min. by Westpol, June 2, 2013 Zweifel am Fracking 02. Juni 2013, Westpol Während in Deutschland der politische Streit um die Gasförderung mittels Fracking tobt, machte sich Ministerpräsidentin Kraft bei ihrem Besuch in Kanada ein Bild, wo nach jahrelanger Euphorie die Zweifel an der Sicherheit der Technologie wachsen. Auf den ersten Blick ...

Fracking: Not essential for the “Energiewende” , May 31, 2013 The German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU), in its statement published today “Fracking for shale gas production – A contribution to its appraisal in the context of energy and ...

Protecting Yukon water has become critical by Jacquelin Vigneux, May 29, 2013, The Whitehorse Star Click on image to get PDF Tr’ondeck Hwech’in and Mount Lorne Oppose Fracking by Jacquelin Ronson, May 24, 2013, Yukon News The Tr’ondek Hwech’in have banned fracking on their traditional territory. … The resolution to declare Tr’ondek Hwech’in frack-free passed unanimously at a recent council meeting. ...

WATCH: US region bans oil and gas drilling 2:34 Min. by aljazeera, May 27, 2013 Mora County, New Mexico, outlaws fracking and blocks exploration companies in US first.  John Olivas, Mora County Commission Chairman:   I would say about 95% of the people in our community don’t want oil and gas, they want to protect the water….  Origin of the ...

Chilean president politely reminds Canadian business to follow the law by Bruce Cheadle, Canadian Press, May 30, 2013, Edmonton Journal The president of Chile is politely reminding Canadian business that his country is a democracy governed by laws that will be enforced, a week after a massive Canadian gold mining project was suspended and fined for ...

We’re Being Watched, How corporations and law enforcement are spying on environmentalists by Adam Federman, May 28, 2013, The Investigative Fund The blurring of public and private spying is what Dutch scholar Bob Hoogenboom calls “grey intelligence.” In a 2006 paper of the same name, Hoogenboom noted that in addition to well-known spy agencies like MI6 ...

Open house tries to allay fracking fears by Nick Kuhl, May 29, 2013, Lethbridge Herald Those residents interested in finding out more information had the option of attending a hydraulic fracturing open house at the Coast Hotel Tuesday afternoon, hosted by the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC), which represents all of Canada’s pressure pumper companies. ...

Scientists warn that Earth faces severe water shortages within a generation by Agence France-Presse, May 24, 2013, Raw Story The majority of people on Earth will face severe water shortages within a generation or two if pollution and waste continues unabated, scientists warned at a conference in Bonn Friday. “This handicap will be self-inflicted and is, ...

DEP’s Fracking Record-Keeping Blocks Transparency by Susan Phillips, May 24, 2013, NPR State Impact Here’s a key question amid Pennsylvania’s natural gas drilling boom: How is drilling affecting residential water wells? Researchers say data on that core question is spotty. But one Pennsylvania agency could hold the key to answering questions from both residents and scientists. ...

British Village Residents Protest Plan for Shale Gas Drilling by Stanley Reed, May 24, 2013, The New York Times BALCOMBE, England — Despite the stakes, there was almost a festival spirit in this wealthy little village nestled in the hills of West Sussex. Children buzzed around an open-sided tent by the street and families spread blankets ...

When a cease & desist letter backfires by Stewart McKelvey and Marc Belliveau, May 12, 2013, Lexology Often when a work of art or a logo is appropriated by a rogue for an ulterior purpose, the owner of the intellectual property wants to exercise their legal rights as quickly as possible, almost reflexively, to curtail the ...

Science panel to scrutinize shale gas drilling, Workshop in D.C. to concentrate on pollution issues by Dan Hopey, May 23, 2013, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette A National Academy of Sciences committee will review a host of risks and public concerns associated with shale gas drilling operations nationwide — what’s known and much that isn’t — during a two-day ...

Rheinische Post: mineral water company sees fracking as “life threatening” Google translation of Rheinische Post: Mineralwasserfirmen sehen Fracking als “existenzbedrohend” by PR Newswire, May 24, 2013 Dispute brews up over German shale search by Chris Bryant and James Wilson in Frankfurt, May 23, 2013, Financial Times Germany’s brewers have warned Berlin that permitting unconventional gas exploration in Europe’s biggest economy could put the purity ...

Nova Scotia: AIS calls fracking wastewater decision ‘political’ by Harry Sullivan, May 23, 2013, Nova Scotia Daily Business Buzz Atlantic Industrial Systems is exploring its options now that a final decision has been made to not allow its fracking wastewater into Colchester County‘s sewer system. “Well, that’s what were in the process of trying to figure ...

DEP as murky as frack water by Scranton Times-Tribune, May 23, 2013 From the day the first drill bit broke the surface of Pennsylvania in search of natural gas from the deep Marcellus Shale formation, the industry’s impact on water quality clearly has been the primary environmental concern. Yet the state Department of Environmental Protection has ...

Texas Natural Gas and Oil Drilling Contractor Pleads Guilty to Negligent Violation of Clean Water Act in Oklahoma. Houston-Based Company Will Pay $200,000 in Fines, Community Service and Training Requirements by Latin America Herald Tribune, May 22, 2013 Integrated Production Services, LLC, (IPS), a Houston-based natural gas and oil drilling contractor, pleaded guilty today to a ...

Notes by Marc Durand, D. Eng. in applied geology about the shale gas moratorium bill tabled in Quebec Legislature on May 15 2013 Translated by Amie du Richelieu, May 21, 2013 1- Fracking for shale oil is ten times less effective than for shale gas: only 1 to 3% (is extracted). In the case for gas, it’s 20%, ...

ERCB Releases Hydraulic Fracturing Directive Press Release by Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board, May 21, 2013 16:21 ET The Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) has today issued Directive 083: Hydraulic Fracturing – Subsurface Integrity (Directive 083) following a two-month stakeholder consultation period. The release of ERCB Directive 083 represents a notable enhancement to existing regulatory oversight and monitoring as resources development continues and technology ...

Shale gas is no bonanza for EU, warns Potočnik by ENDSEUROPE, 14 May 2013 Exploiting Europe’s shale gas reserves will help ease gas prices but it will not make the region self-sufficient, EU environment commissioner Janez Potočnik told the fifth European Economic Congress in Poland on Tuesday. “Even in the most optimistic case, European shale gas ...

Open records case produced untracked drilling documents by Laura Legere, May 19, 2013, Times-Tribune Scattered records kept by the state Department of Environmental Protection offer one answer to a key question in a new age of fossil fuel extraction in Pennsylvania: How many water supplies have been damaged by drilling? The Sunday Times requested the letters ...

Tight gas still uses fracking methods by Dan Caffrey, May 20, 2013, Gippsland Times REFERRING to the Lakes Oil story (Gippsland Times 15/5), Robert Annells of Lakes Oil tried to deflect the conversation away from his activities, saying they were nothing to do with coal seam gas. Tight gas is still an unconventional gas and the ...

Groningen gas fields – the Dutch earthquake zone by Anna Holligan, May 18, 2013, BBC News, The Netherlands As earthquakes become more intense and more frequent in the north of the Netherlands, there is mounting pressure on the government to reduce the amount of gas being extracted there. It is a curse for thousands of inhabitants ...

Analysis: At Margins of Shale Oil Boom, a Tempered Euphoria by Kristen Hays, editing by Marguerita Choy, May 20, 2013,  The New York Times For the past three years, the boom in the U.S. shale oil industry has outstripped all expectations. Production surged far faster than any forecasts; drillers raced to secure space in new pipelines ...

Obama Admin. Approves ALEC Model Bill for Fracking Chemical Fluid Disclosure on Public Lands by Steve Horn, May 20, 2013, Desmogblog On May 16, the Obama Interier Department announced its long-awaited rules governing hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) on federal lands. As part of its 171-page document of rules, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), part of the U.S. Dept. of Interior ...

Villagers unite to battle plans for ‘disgusting’ fracking probe by Richard Creasy, May 19, 2013, Express.co.uk VILLAGERS have vowed to fight plans which could ruin their picturesque stockbroker-belt community. They are horrified that fracking operations are due to start next month to see if ground thousands of feet below their homes could produce shale gas. Giant ...

Fervor grows for Tuscaloosa Marine Shale by Ted Carter, May 17, 2013, Mississippi Business Journal Mississippi’s leaders expect a parade of oil drillers to converge on the southwest corner of the state and are happy to cover the cost of striking up the marching music. When a potential to fill seven billion barrels awaits, let’s get ...

Expert visits Holyrood to highlight risks of ‘fracking’ by the Scotsman, May 18, 2013 An internationally acclaimed toxins experts is visiting Scotland next week to highlight the risks of unconventional gas extraction techniques such as “fracking”. Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith, a senior advisor to the Australian National Toxics Network, will speak at an event at the Scottish Parliament ...

“We Can Light Our Water on Fire,” Says Fracking Victim by Jane Mundy, May 19, 2013, lawyersandsettlements.com Carroll County, OH: Joe and Dawn live in a part of Ohio that has seen a boom in the gas, oil and shale industry. And with it has come a fracking problem, to the point where they can light ...

Industry uncertain as court upholds right to ban fracking by recordonline, May 19, 2103 Since that appellate court was the second state court to uphold the bans, there’s no guarantee that the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, will even hear a final appeal. Plus, the 4-0 ruling essentially upholds bans in 55 New York ...

Gaz de schiste – Gaspésie et Anticosti mis de côté Translations by Les Ami(e) du Richelieu of 2 press releases from a citizens’ group against fracking forgotten by the Quebec government’s bill for a 5 year moratorium on shale gas fracking. In Quebec, it seems we are not all created equal. May 16, 2013. Shale gas moratorium: Gaspésie ...

Lake Peigneur controversy seeks resolution by Michelle Millhollon, May 19, 2013, The Advocate Every morning, Louis Derise brews a cup of coffee and steps outside to savor the beauty of a lake no longer littered with the pilings from abandoned wellheads and platforms. “That’s my favorite part of my day. I get me a cup of ...

Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL) Calls for Fracking Analysis by VOCM Local News Now, May 19 2013 Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador is calling for a hold on slick-water hydraulic fracturing in the province, especially in and around Gros Morne National Park, until a comprehensive analysis of the long-term impacts of hydraulic fracturing is complete. HNL Chair ...

Yukon’s Mount Lorne Hamlet council rejects hydraulic fracturing by George Lessard, May 19, 2013 My friend Jacqueline Vigneux of Mount Lorne, 40 Km out of Whitehorse, between Whitehorse and Carcross. writes… “Here we are rushing to uncover the government’s plan to frack the Yukon…. Last year Government was ready to offer two lots to Oil and Gas (few ...

Colreavy launches bill to ban fracking by Leitrim Observer, May 16, 2013 Deputy Michael Colreavy, Sinn Féin spokesperson on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, has this week launched a bill that will include a ban on the practice of fracking. The Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2013 includes a ban on fracking along with ...

Efforts to test Marcellus in upstate NY produces leaky well Carrizo crews on site to fix casing problem in Owego by Tom Wilber, May 15, 2013, Shale Gas Review A Houston company’s pioneering venture into the Marcellus Shale in upstate New York has produced a leaky gas well that the company is trying to fix before ...

Fracking the Suburbs: An Explosive Combination? by Peter Pearsal, Yes Magazine New Report, May 17, 2013, Nation of Change “I think this is a bold move for these companies, to drill in suburbs, but they feel empowered to do it,” says Elisa Young, founder of the anti-coal activist group MeigsCAN in Meigs County, Ohio. “The landmen ...

Producers frustrated with Manitoba oil industry  by Robert Arnason, May 17, 2013, Western Producer KOLA, Man. — Driving west of Virden, Man., on Highway 257, it’s impossible not to notice the incredible level of activity in Manitoba’s oil patch. 
… Carlyle Jorgensen has witnessed the boom in Manitoba’s oil patch over the last decade from his ...

Solving the Case of California’s Extra Methane, A new paper details the culprits behind excess emissions of the potent greenhouse gas in the Los Angeles basin by Stephanie Paige Ogburn and ClimateWire, May 15, 2013, Scientific American In Southern California, scientists knew the missing methane had to be coming from somewhere. Was it dairies? Landfills? Natural ...

Fracking may jeopardize Gros Morne UNESCO status, ‘Very clearly this is an issue of concern to us,’ UNESCO unit chief says by CBC News, May 17, 2013 Gros Morne National Park’s status as a world heritage site may be in jeopardy due to plans for controversial oil exploration on Newfoundland’s west coast, CBC News has learned. ...

County’s fracking decision lauded by citizens by The Truro Daily News, May 17, 2013 When Catherine Duchesneau heard the news, it brought her to tears. “I have just found out they are not allowing the fracking water to go through the system at this point and I am crying with happiness,” she said, in an e-mail ...

Frio County judge: Stop pumping toxic fracking waste into our ground by Joe Conger, May 16, 2013, KENS 5 PEARSALL, Texas — Geologists say every foot of earth drilled creates about 20 gallons of liquid waste. It has to be disposed of somewhere, but Frio County officials say stop dumping it here. “To me, this waste ...

Impact of Shale Gas Development on Regional Water Quality by R. D. Vidic, S. L. Brantley, J. M. Vandenbossche, D. Yoxtheimer, J. D. Abad, May 17, 2013, Science, Vol. 340 no. 6134 DOI: 10.1126/science.1235009 These technologies are not free from environmental risks, however, especially those related to regional water quality, such as gas migration, contaminant transport ...

Fearful of ‘fracking,’ Kent County township adopts moratorium on oil and gas drilling by Jim Harger, May 16, 2013, MLive ROCKFORD, MI – Cannon Township Clerk Bonnie Blackledge said her township’s board is concerned enough about “fracking” to adopt the moratorium on oil and gas wells even though their attorney has told them a moratorium probably ...

Britain: More than 300 licenses granted since fracking ban was lifted, Britain said this week it has issued more than 300 licenses for onshore oil and gas exploration since a ban on shale gas hydraulic fracturing was lifted by UPI, May 17, 2013 Britain said this week it has issued more than 300 licenses for onshore ...

All Around The Country, Regulators Are Getting Bullied Over Fracking by Rob Wile, May 16, 2013, Business Insider More than four years after America’s hydraulic fracturing boom kicked off, conflicts of interest between officials charged with regulating the controversial practice and the oil and gas industry remain widespread. Meanwhile, in-depth studies of fracking’s effects on human ...

Evolution of a Rebel by Peter Gorman, May 15, 2013, fwweekly.com  Don’t mess with Texas — TXSharon, that is, to use her online moniker. That’s the lesson the shale gas drilling companies have been learning since they got horse-riding, pickup-driving, fifth-generation Texan single mom Sharon Wilson riled up about the way they do business. She’s mad ...