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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Trading the Watershed to Trash the Catskills – November 1, 2009

Deep Concern Over Gas Drilling in Upstate Counties

Aerial photographs of land surrounding the millennium pipeline north of Sullivan County, NY show sweeping tracts of largely unspoiled forest. They are ecologically important for several species including neo-tropical migrant birds that travel from South America to breeding habitats in the northern latitudes, bald eagles, and the endangered timber rattlesnake. Some of the best soils in the state are also nearby and dairy farms have dotted the landscape since the mid 1800s, perhaps even longer. To the north and east of Sullivan County, the Catskill Park, established in the late 19^th century, contains large parcels of undisturbed forest. “It is an incredibly pristine landscape,” Wes Gillingham, Program Director of Catskill… more

by: Adam Federman

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The Return of the Short-Haired Bumblebee – September 15, 2009

If we could only create a parallel universe. One in which all species have a counterpart on an island far away and free from habitat destruction, intensive industrial agriculture, and unchecked development. At least for one species, the short-haired bumblebee, that is the case. The bee disappeared from the UK about ten years ago due to habitat loss and the destruction of floral resources and herb rich grasslands. An estimated 98 percent of England’s wild flower meadows have been lost in the past 60 years and the populations of several bumblebee species have declined sharply (at least two have disappeared). But an attempt to return the short-haired bee to… more

by: Adam Federman

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