Money to Burn

Oil and Gas Interests Are Spending Big to Keep Their Allies in Office

When Barack Obama visited Ohio in mid-March during one of his many swings through the crucial battleground state, John Kasich, the state’s Republican governor, made a point of pulling the president aside to put in a good word about a topic of growing importance in Ohio: natural gas fracking. “I was telling him that what we’re doing in Ohio is, we’re setting standards so that we can have a safe environment and…
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by: Sharon Kelly – Autumn 2012

North Sea Gas Well Still Leaking

Total’s Elgin Project Reveals the Dangers of Pursuing ‘Extreme Energy’

Photo by Flickr user crawfish headTotal's Elgin drilling platform (not pictured here) is one of over 570 oil and gas rigs in the North Sea. The North Sea was the scene of the world's worst offshore rig disaster, the Piper Alpha explosion,…
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by: Sharon Kelly – April 2, 2012

Oil and Gas Drilling Linked to Smog

Findings Could Further Complicate Push for More Drilling

Last month, yet another federal agency weighed in and highlighted new and striking concerns about the impact of oil and gas drilling — this time on air quality. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the federal agency that focuses on the…
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by: Sharon Kelly – March 8, 2012

Top Obama Officials Assigned to Take On Meat Monopolies Quit in Frustration

Congress' Continued Backing of Big Ag Stymies Govt Efforts to Support Small Farmers and Ranchers

It went largely unnoticed, but last month Dudley Butler, the Obama administration official whose mission was to combat agricultural monopolies (specifically in the meat industry), quit in frustration. Photo by Dey AlexanderIn agriculture, monopolies mean small farmers get squeezed. The foods we…
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by: Sharon Kelly – February 24, 2012

New Report Indicates Lax Oversight of Drilling on Federal Lands

Little or No Fines for Over 2,000 Safety and Drilling Violations by Oil & Gas Outfits In Past Decade

Just two weeks after President Obama called for increased drilling during his State of the Union speech, an important but largely unnoticed report was released from Congress that reveals the federal government has done little to crack down on drilling violations already…
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by: Sharon Kelly – February 10, 2012