California’s Draft Fracking Regulations Lets Oil and Gas Companies off the Hook – December 20, 2012

Public notification of fracking operations required 60 days after cessation of fracking

When the State of California announced with great fanfare back in May that it was going to develop regulations for fracking, many of us assumed that meant some sort of system by which the oil and gas companies would be held accountable to state agencies and the public.

Photo by Dave NixenSalinas Valley, California. Last week the federal government auctioned off mineral rights for
17,000 acres of public land in central California to oil and gas companies.

Unfortunately, that was wishful thinking; the state's draft fracking regulations take the public health of Californians and put it in the hands of Chevron, Occidental… more

by: Jennifer Krill

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Risking Our Environment and Health to Burn a Few More Years of Natural Gas – January 23, 2012

US Energy Dept Cuts Marcellus Shale Gas Reserve Estimates by 66%

The big number to remember in natural gas in the US is that we consumed 24 trillion cubic feet of it in 2010. That’s a lot of hydrocarbons. Today, entire sectors are making decisions about future energy choices based on how much natural gas we have left to burn. And with the new Annual Energy Outlook, it appears we have been making those choices on false assumptions.

Photo by Gerry DincherNatural gas well in Mainesburg, Pennsylvania. US Energy Dept's new estimate says the Marcellus Shale has
only 141 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas reserves.

The report, released yesterday, issues new estimates of recoverable… more

by: Jennifer Krill

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EPA Analysis of Toxic Releases Highlights Need for Stronger Federal Oversight on Industries – January 6, 2012

Legal Loopholes Still Allow Mining and Oil & Gas Industries to Hide Hazardous Chemical Releases

Yesterday (Jan 5) the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its complete analysis of the most recent Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data. The data gives citizens information about toxic releases into air, water and land by mining companies and industrial facilities in and around their communities

Photo by Flickr user Tumbleweed Kennecott Copper Mine in Utah has the fourth largest toxic release in the US, according to the EPA's analysis of
the 2010 Toxics Release Inventory.

The EPA analysis – of data released in October 2011 – indicates, as usual, that the metal mining industry is the nation’s largest toxic polluter, responsible for 41 percent… more

by: Jennifer Krill

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Firms suspend activities after Arkansas earthquakes linked to fracking – March 8, 2011

Are Arkansas' earthquakes manmade? While scientists work to determine the cause of over 700 earthquakes in a phenomenon that has come to be known as the Guy Earthquake Swarm, alarms are sounding that the quakes are caused by waste disposal for hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for natural gas.

Fracking is the process of injecting fluids into oil or gas wells at high pressure in order to fracture the formations and enable the oil or gas to flow more freely and be pumped to the surface. Some of the fracking fluid stays underground, and some of it returns to the surface as waste. Since 2009, natural gas drillers have been… more

by: Jennifer Krill

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