Earth Island Institute

USDA Pressured to Regulate Commercial Bumble bee Industry – January 19, 2010

In the early 1990s, the USDA conducted risk assessments of the interstate transport of bumble bees for commercial greenhouse pollination, particularly tomatoes. Because of the risk of introducing non-native pests and diseases into new areas, they concluded that commercially reared bumble bees should not be shipped beyond their native range (They also prohibited the importation of bumble bees from outside the country, with the exception of Canada). At the time, it seemed a simple solution to growing concerns that the fledgling industry had taken off before adequate regulatory measures were put in place.

There was already some concern that the… more

by: Adam Federman

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What will executives from Exxon Mobil and XTO Energy be discussing with Congress? – January 13, 2010

A curious note in a January 12 MarketWatch report alludes to the fact that executives from Exxon Mobil and XTO Energy will meet with Congress next week to, “discuss their merger plans.” For those following the natural gas story, Exxon Mobil’s acquisition of XTO--a company with large holdings in the Marcellus Shale--for $31 billion in December was big news. It was the company’s most ambitious move since it acquired Mobil in 1999. Shortly thereafter, it was revealed that a clause buried in the 76-page legal agreement essentially said that Exxon could back… more

by: Adam Federman

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Swimming in Natural Gas – January 4, 2010

The Greenwashing of an Industry

There has never been a better moment for natural gas. It is the “other” fossil fuel, touted as a clean alternative to coal and oil. It may be non-renewable, proponents argue, but it is a bridge or transition fuel to a happier future. Not surprisingly, the industry has gone to great lengths to persuade local residents, members of congress, and the public at large that there’s nothing to worry about. Chesapeake Energy Corporation, one of the major players drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale, which stretches from New York to Tennessee, has successfully billed itself as an environmentally friendly operation.

So when Cabot Oil and Gas, a Houston based… more

by: Adam Federman

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The Global Gas Rush – December 14, 2009

Much has been said recently about the development of unconventional shale gas formations in North America, including the Barnett Shale in Texas, the Haynesville formation in Louisiana, and the Marcellus Shale in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. But the use of horizontal wells and a controversial drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing ha fueled an intense almost gold-rush-like mentality that is now expanding to Eastern Europe, China, and South Africa. Multinationals and some of the larger oil and gas companies, including Exxon, Dutch Royal Shell, and Chevron have signed exploratory leases in several foreign countries.

On Friday it was reported that Chevron was granted a license for natural gas exploration… more

by: Adam Federman

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Cabot Oil and Gas Faces Lawsuit in Marcellus Shale Drilling – November 23, 2009

Of all the towns that have been subjected to drilling for natural gas in Pennsylvania since the opening up of the Marcellus Shale, none have suffered more than Dimock. In just over a year several drinking water wells have been contaminated (one of which exploded on New Years Day, ripping through an 8 foot slab of concrete), numerous spills have dumped highly toxic wastewater, diesel fuel, and fracking fluid into local streams and rivers, and residents have been exposed to dangerously high levels of methane gas and heavy metals. The series of infractions on the part of Cabot Oil and Gas, a Houston based energy company that has large… more

by: Adam Federman

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