Russia’s Forest Defenders – August 24, 2010

Campaign to save Moscow's Khimki forest heats up

This story first appeared at Waging Nonviolence.

As Russia’s forests go up in flames, a group of activists and environmentalists is struggling to protect one of Moscow’s few remaining green belts and stands of old growth oaks. This time the threat isn’t wildfires but rather a 10-lane super highway that would link Moscow and St. Petersburg. The campaign to prevent the road from passing through the 2,500-acre Khimki forest, a long protected reserve just outside of Moscow, began in 2007. Since then journalists and editors investigating the story have been attacked (one nearly beaten to death), environmental activists have been arrested, and European investors—including the European Bank for Reconstruction and… more

by: Adam Federman

(1) Comments

The Upper Delaware’s Last Stand – June 2, 2010

Threat of Gas Drilling Earns River Most Endangered Status

Just outside of the town of Hancock, New York, on a narrow dirt road that follows the east branch of the Delaware River, you can find a harmless looking wooden stake that demarcates the future site of a natural gas well. It sits on top of a fairly steep hillside just above one of the rivers many tributaries. It is surrounded by forest, wetlands, unnamed streams, and spring fed ponds. Residents consider the spring water some of the best in the world.

Now imagine a well pad the size of a football field, perhaps even larger (some take up five acres), in place of that wooden stake; access… more

by: Adam Federman

(1) Comments

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

(0) Comments

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

(1) Comments

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

(6) Comments

← Recent   Older →

View Posts by Date View Posts by Author