Global Frac News

U.S. Says New York State Can’t Sue Over Fracking Regulations by Tiffany Kary, July 24, 2012, Bloomberg New York sued federal agencies in May 2011 to force a fuller assessment of the environmental impact that gas development could have its water supply. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Levy argued today in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, ...

Shale gas group imposes restrictions on meeting, Coun. Leah Levac says rules would not allow for a ‘genuine conversation’ by CBC News, July 24, 2012 A Fredericton city councillor is questioning why the provincial government’s shale gas study group is imposing strict rules before meeting with a citizens’ group. The provincial government asked Dr. Louis LaPierre, ...

Judge to Rule on Whether New York Can Sue Over Fracking Regulations by Susan Phillips, July 24, 2012, State Impact NPR New York state Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman sued the DRBC in May, 2011, saying the agency needs to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. Several months later, a coalition of environmental groups filed ...

Texas Professor On the Defensive Over Fracking Money by Terrence Henry, July 24, 2012, State Impact NPR Dr. Charles “Chip” Groat, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, has come under scrutiny for failing to disclose financial ties to the drilling industry. … The professor would not agree to an interview, but in an ...

Industry money and questionable ethics contaminate UT Austin fracking study by David Wogan, July 24, 2012, Scientific American Remember that study out of The University of Texas last February that concluded there wasn’t a direct link between fracking and groundwater contamination? It caught flack for seeming to being too easy on the fracking industry by suggesting ...

What’s Up With Drilling and Earthquakes? by Kate Sheppard, July 24, 2012, Mother Jones There has been increasing concern about the potential role of fracking in earthquakes. The worries prompted the the US Geological Survey to look into it, and scientists found that the increase in earthquakes is likely man-made, but probably caused more by wastewater ...

U.S. calls New York anti-drilling lawsuit premature by Jessica Dye, July 24, 2012, Reuters During oral arguments Tuesday on the government’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Levy argued that New York could not object to the lack of environmental review until the Delaware River Basin Commission had issued a final version of the regulations. “Right now, ...

French Government ‘Totally Opposed’ To Fracking, Batho Says by Tara Patel, July 24, 2012, Bloomberg The French government is “totally opposed” to hydraulic fracturing, a drilling process to produce natural gas and oil from shale, French Environment and Energy Minister Delphine Batho said. “As it stands now this technique is risky for the environment and health ...

EARTHQUAKES First of Two Parts: Victims think drilling triggered shaking, and that’s OK by Mike Soraghan, July 24, 2012, E&E reporter Part Two “So long as there’s not a court action, I don’t think anybody’s going to do anything. Everything’s going to be swept under the rug.”

Sand rush: Wisconsin frac sand mining sites more than doubled in past year by Kate Prengaman, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, July 24, 2012, Winona Daily News Sand grains are harmless — think sand on a beach — but silica dust particles created by frac sand processing are basically tiny glass shards. Exposure to silica dust ...

Explainer: Could State Laws Make Doctors Withhold Information from Patients Sickened by Fracking? by Nicholas Kusnetz, July 23, 2012, OnEarth “Doctors are in a bind because if they were to tell their patient, they could be accused of violating the confidentiality law. It’s that simple,” said Jerry Silberman, a senior staff representative at the Pennsylvania Association ...

Fracking Company Paid Texas Professor Behind Water Contamination Study by Terrence Henry, July 23, 2012, State Impact NPR Dr. Charles “Chip” Groat, who led a study on fracking and groundwater contamination, didn’t disclose over a million dollars in compensation and stock from a drilling company. … Groat, a former Director of the U.S. Geological Survey and ...

Bloomberg: Public Universities Sell Out to Frackers by Buck Quigley, July 23, 2012, Bloomberg The State University of New York at Buffalo is not alone when it comes to spitting out phony research supportive of high-volume horizontal fracking, Bloomberg.com reports today. This time, our local economic engine (formerly known as a legitimate public institution of higher ...

No official safe limits on airborne silica dust by Kate Prengaman, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, July 23, 2012, Winona Daily News Sand grains are harmless — think sand on a beach — but silica dust particles created by frac sand processing are basically tiny glass shards. Exposure to silica dust can cause silicosis, a potentially ...

Frackers Fund University Research That Proves Their Case by Jim Efstathiou Jr., July 22, 2012, Bloomberg Calgary-based Encana Corp. (ECA) which operates gas wells in Wyoming’s Jonah field, has given $7 million dollars to the university over the past six years to better train students for the oil and gas sector, according to Encana spokesman Doug ...

Faces of Fracking: Meet the Headleys by Iris Marie Bloom, July 22, 2012, protectingourwaters We have a spring two hundred feet from our house which is now so rich with gas it can be set on fire. … “It’s already too late for us.” That is what Linda Headley said to me, the last time I ...

Emerald Lake resident’s well brought up more than water by Howard Frank, July 22, 2012, Pocono Record When Joanne Barron, of Tobyhanna Township, pulled her non-working, well pump out of the ground, it was dripping with oil. After a visit from the Department of Environmental Protection, she was told her water was contaminated with petroleum. That ...

State’s ‘fracking’ plans call for public to pay attention by Brian Paddock, July 22, 2012, The Tennessean  The Tennessee Oil and Gas Board has proposed regulations which, for the first time, recognized “fracking” for natural gas. … One target is the relatively shallow “Chattanooga” shale that underlies much of our state. Another is the “Conasauga shale,” which is ...

Impacts of hydraulic fracturing are alarming by Heidi Strohmyer, July 22, 2012, Billings Gazette I am student at Montana State University, and I recently wrote an in-depth research paper for my environmental history class on hydraulic fracturing. What I found in my research on the impacts of hydraulic fracturing is truly alarming. Toxic chemicals are used ...

Signatures turned in to put anti-fracking measure on Longmont ballot by Longmont Times-Call, July 22, 2012, Denver Post Supporters of an anti-fracking charter amendment turned in their petitions to the Longmont city clerk Friday, submitting more than 8,200 signatures. If at least 5,704 of those names are ruled valid, the measure would go to the Nov. 6 ballot. Longmont ...

B.C. First Nations Councillors more determined than ever to stop Northern Gateway Pipeline project after northern Alberta visit by Gemma Karstens-Smith, July 22, 2012, Edmonton Journal in Global TV Edmonton A visit to northern Alberta last week left councillors from three B.C. First Nations feeling physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. “My eyes are burning and my head’s ...

Drilling activists draw a hard line by Edd Pritchard, July 21, 2012, CantonRep.com Lincoln moved his family to Stark County from Massachusetts. He loves Ohio, the outdoors and hunting. He dislikes being labeled an environmentalist because of his worries about possible contamination from drilling and efforts to protect the home he and his wife built for ...

Why do most Saskatchewan people oppose fracking? by Jim Harding for publication in R-Town News, July 21, 2012, Stopthehogs Industry has steadfastly resisted public health pressure to release information on the toxic chemicals used in their fracking. Calling this a “trade secret”, they appear indifferent to the implications for environmental health. This is a classic example ...

Chesapeake pays $75,000 fine for problems that led to Oklahoma well blowout, The January blowout near Sweetwater in western Oklahoma happened after a drilling rig hit an unexpected, shallow pocket of gas. A later investigation found casing in a nearby Chesapeake well had failed and caused the gas to migrate by Paul Monies, July 21, ...

Fracking Insurance: Winners and Losers by Dave Colavito, July 20, 2012, Huffingtonpost The additional hazards associated with gas well exploration and the use of hydro-fracking techniques used in gas well, production and the resultant increase in infrastructure such as well pads, pipelines and roads to service the wells have increased the potential for the frequency and ...

Well leaking hydrogen sulfide in Wayne County by The Associated Press, July 20, 2012 JACKSON, Miss. — Emergency officials say a natural gas well is leaking hydrogen sulfide in Wayne County and officials have evacuated everyone within a mile radius and shut down the airspace in the area. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency says in a ...

No causation, no case: how Lone Pine orders can increase judicial economy and dispose of meritless claims in hydraulic fracturing litigation by Earl L. Hagström, July 20, 2012, Sedgwick LLP In light of sprawling, complex and costly toxic tort claims, courts are turning to case management mechanisms to expedite the resolution of these claims. Federal Rule ...

David Letterman On Fracking: ‘We’re Screwed’ by Huffingtonpost, July 20, 2012 Scolding the “greedy oil and gas companies of this country,” Letterman said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re screwed.” Letterman drew attention to his concerns about water contamination as a result of fracking, saying, “The Delaware Water Gap has been ruined. The Hudson Valley has been ruined. ...

Alberta pipeline spill site still a mess despite assurances: Greenpeace by The Canadian Press, July 20, 2012, The Tyee The pictures appear to show large globs of oil fouling vegetation and an oily sheen on the water. Samples of oil and water smelled sharply of oil and burned rubber. Pipeline owner Plains Midstream Canada says on ...

Power Engineering Building Acquires Official Name, Cenovus donates $3 Million to the Southern Institute of Technology (SAIT) by saitenergy, July 20, 2012 The last of the three buildings making up the Trades and Technology Complex now has an official name — the Cenovus Energy Centre. … Cenovus Energy Inc. announced its $3 million contribution to the Trades ...

David Letterman Goes On An Epic Rant Against Fracking And The ‘Greedy Oil And Gas Companies’ by Rob Wile, July 20, 2012, Business Insider Late Show host David Letterman went on an epic anti-fracking rant Wednesday evening, calling out “greedy oil and gas companies” for “injecting highly toxic and carcinogenic chemicals” into the ground.

BHP hit with another fracking fracas in US courts by Leonie Wood, July 20, 2012, The Sydney Morning Herald BHP and other energy companies in eastern Arkansas have been peppered with class actions in the past year as residents claim the injection of liquids into underground shale formations, a process known as fracking, has caused tremors ...

What the frack!?! Oil and gas marauders are destroying our land, water, and communities all over America Edited by Jim Hightower and Phillip Frazer, July 2012, High Tower LOWDOWN Whether you’re religious or not, seeing flames coming out of your kitchen faucet would be enough to make you fall to your knees, fearing that a cosmic ...

Billionaire Father Of Fracking Says Government Must Step Up Regulation by Christopher Helman, July 19, 2012, Forbes It was Mitchell who in the 1990s, as the wildcatting boss of Mitchell Energy & Development, pioneered the oil and gas drilling techniques now known as “fracking.” So it was surprising to hear Mitchell say yesterday that he is ...

Quebec delegation gets ‘crash course’ on shale gas by Dina O’Meara, July 19, 2012, Calgary Herald A bid to familiarize rural Quebecers with oil and gas activity and gain the support of greenfield stakeholders made some inroads this week following an industry-sponsored trip to southern Alberta. A dozen residents from the shale-rich Quebec Lowlands, including farmers, ...

The hidden health risks of fracking, Nurses demand disclosure of chemicals used in natural gas drilling by Katie Huffling, July 19, 2012, Baltimore Sun Imagine you are a nurse working in an emergency room, and a worker on a gas fracking well comes in covered in chemicals used in the drilling process. You call the gas company ...

Gas well still leaking 48 hours after explosion by Nick Ortego, July 19, 2012, WDAM More than two days after the incident, Saturday emergency management teams remained on the scene of a gas well head that was blown off Thursday evening in Wayne County. There is still no estimate on when the well may be capped ...

Death of evidence by Nature, July 19, 2012, doi:10.1038/487271b, Published online July 18, 2012 The sight last week of 2,000 scientists marching on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill highlighted a level of unease in the Canadian scientific community that is unprecedented in living memory. The lab-coated crowd of PhD students, postdocs, senior scientists and their supporters staged a mock ...

Illegal waste dumping needs to stop by Bismarck Tribune, July 19, 2012 Illegally dumping sewage along roads and on fields, as two companies did in western North Dakota earlier this year, rightly offended many people. The idea that waste poured into ditches eventually could reach Painted Woods Creek made clear the potential hazard. The discovery of ...

Link Between Low Birth Weight and Fracking, Says New Research by Kristen Meriwether, July 19, 2012, Epoch Times “A mother’s exposure to fracking before birth increases the overall prevalence of low birth weight by 25 percent,” said Elaine L. Hill, Cornell University doctoral candidate and author of the working paper, “Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Infant ...

Fracking tour fails to sway Quebec farmers by Jameson Berkow,  July 18, 2012, Financial Post “For now I think we have to take our time and reinforce lots of regulations that we don’t even have,” Daniel Gauthier, a 61-year-old farmer from Saint-Marcel, a village about two hours from Quebec City, said in an interview at a ...

North Texas rocked by 11 earthquakes in 40 days by Dan X. McGraw, July 17, 2012, in Earthquake, Natural Gas, FuelFix It’s been a shaky time in North Texas over the past month and half. According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake database, North Texas has seen 11 earthquakes since the beginning of June, ...

Anti-fracking activists found guilty of trespass, Lancashire judge rules three activists who had occupied a gas rig are guilty of aggravated trespass by Bibi van der Zee, July 17, 2012, The Guardian “If it wasn’t for people putting pressure on like this, the issue would get no attention at all,” said Pepperell. “Big corporations are allowed ...

To Use Discretion or Follow Procedure and Guidelines? The Margaree Environmental Association appears for the second (and last) day in court to appeal the environment minister’s decision to allow oil drilling near Lake Ainslie by Natascia L., July 17, 2012, Halifax Media Co-op Crown attorney Aleta Cromwell was the first to take the stand as she continued ...

Nova Scotia judge reserves ruling on appeal of government decision to drill oil by Aly Thomson, The Canadian Press, July 17, 2012, Canadian Business

Environmental group hoping judge will halt drilling permit by Ryan Van Horne, July 17, 2012, Special to the Cape Breton Post The environmental association appealed Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau’s rejection of their argument that the project is within 100 metres of a watercourse – which would make it illegal. The case swings on the definition applied ...

Sentencing date set in threat case by Dan Singleton, July 17, 2012, Mountainview Gazette A 39-year-old Eagle Valley woman charged after threats were made to an energy company operating in the Sundre area will be sentenced in September, court officials said Friday. The accused pleaded guilty in Didsbury provincial court on June 18 to a charge ...

Oil drilling safer than water well, insists Petroworth president by Ryan Van Horne, July 17, 2012, Special to the Cape Breton Post HALIFAX — Petroworth president Neal Mednick says he cannot understand why people are opposed to his company drilling near Lake Ainslie. “It will cause less damage than a water well,” he said in an ...

Nova Scotia judge reserves ruling on appeal of government decision to drill oil by Aly Thomson, The Canadian Press, July 17, 2012, Winnipeg Free Press Neal Livingston, the group’s co-chairman, said the association is hoping the judge will overthrow the decision that allows Toronto-based Petroworth Resources to drill a conventional oil and gas well near the freshwater ...

Lake Ainslie drilling permit fought in court by Bruce Erskine, July 17, 2012, Chronicle Herald Nova Scotians might find oil wells in their living rooms if the government had its way, says Neal Livingston of the Margaree Environmental Association. “I think our case is quite strong,” he said in an interview after a Nova Scotia Supreme Court hearing ...

Why Quebeckers are sight-seeing in Alberta’s (gas) fields by Carrie Tait, July 17, 2012, The Globe and Mail Chantal Beauregard Favreau, the mayor of Béthanie, Que., takes notes in a brown book as she stands beside a lush yellow canola field near Rosemary, a village in southern Alberta. The field is irrigated and she, along with ...

Federal judge in Oklahoma City combines Chesapeake lawsuits, Thirteen lawsuits against the board of Chesapeake Energy Corp. have been combined into one case by a federal judge in Oklahoma City by Jay F. Marks, July 17, 2012 U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange agreed to consolidate the cases last week at the request of several plaintiffs who ...

Natgas drillers’ water use cut due to Pennsylvania drought by Jeanine Prezioso, July 17, 2012, Reuters NEW YORK, July 16 (Reuters) – Drought conditions in Pennsylvania have led to the highest number of suspensions of water withdrawals since permitting began in June 2008 in areas where natural gas producers need water to extract the fuel, a ...

Doctors and Scientists Present Governor with Hydro-Fracking Science Digest, Compilation has Latest Studies Needed for Science-Based Decision Press Release by Grassroots Environmental Education, July 16, 2012 “Without rigorous independent scientific studies, the gas drilling boom sweeping the world will remain an uncontrolled health experiment on an enormous scale,” said Dr. Michelle Bamberger and Dr. Robert Oswald, ...

Energy-in-Depth Funding Sources by Frackorporation: Connecting the Dots of Natural Gas Frackers, July 2012

Gas drilling a boom for drug traffickers, too, New roads help them bypass border stops by Dane Schiller, July 16, 2012, Houston Chronicle Hefty roads running through once-remote ranchlands now enable loaded-down tractor-trailers and pickups to avoid Border Patrol highway checkpoints that have long been the last line of defense for stopping all traffic headed farther ...

1 dead in Bolivar well explosion by TimesReporter.com staff, July 16, 2012 The explosion occurred about two miles south of Bolivar in the vicinity of Bolivar Group Home, 10071 State Route 212. That is also near Kingwood Drive NE and Huffman Square NE in Wilkshire Hills subdivision. Firefighters responding to the blaze told The Times-Reporter that ...

Gas Well Explosion Claims One Life by Dan Jovic, July 16, 2012, Fox 8 News BOLIVAR TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Officials in the Village of Bolivar tell Fox 8 News that a gas well explosion claimed the life of one individual on Monday morning. … Officials at the scene tell Fox 8 News that two men were ...

National Energy Board reveals penalties for environmental violations, but goal is ‘not to punish’ by Jason Fekete, July 16, 2012, Calgary Herald OTTAWA — The National Energy Board has released broad outlines of new financial penalties of up to $100,000 for companies that breach their regulatory requirements, with the goal being voluntary compliance and “not to ...

‘The Death of Evidence’ in Canada: Scientists’ Own Words, Data distorted for ‘propaganda’ and other complaints against the Harper government by Katie Gibbs, Adam Houben, Jeff Hutchings, Arne Mooers, Vance L. Trudeau and Diane Orihel, July 16, 2012, TheTyee.ca “The federal government has weakened national fisheries and environmental legislation, trivialized the relevance of scientific advice, and ...

Nationwide Insurance continues avoiding shale gas fracking risks by Robert Magyar, July 16, 2012, examiner 5th largest insurance provider will not underwrite fracking risks This past Friday, Nationwide Insurance issued a release stating, “Nationwide’s personal and commercial lines insurance policies were not designed to provide coverage for any fracking-related risks.” The release further stated, “From an underwriting ...

Secaucus bans ‘fracking’, Local officials also call for statewide and national ban by Adriana Rambay Fernández, July 15, 2012, Hudson Reporter The mayor and Town Council banned fracking and fracking waste water in Secaucus at the June 26 council meeting in a resolution that states that the drilling process causes environmental hazards. … The resolution also ...

Drilling has many hazards, Dr. Wilma Subra said gas waste is exempt from federal hazardous waste laws by Steven Fondo, July 15, 2012, Times Leader Correspondent Subra explained that waste products produced in the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, process are exempt from federal hazardous waste laws and regulations, even though up to 60 percent of all fracking ...

Fugitive Methane Caught in the Act of Raising GHG by James Conca, July 15, 2012, Forbes Fugitive losses include loss of methane from the well-head during flow-back return of the fluids, during drill-out following fracturing and during well-venting, plus losses from equipment leaks, losses during transport, storage, and distribution, processing losses and losses during liquid unloading. ...

WATCH: March 24, 1985 Ross Dress for Less Explodes by Citizens Coalition for a Safe Community, May 30, 2012 Methane Gas Explosion from leaking abandoned oil field, Fairfax District Los Angeles, CA

First Insurance Company Refuses to Cover Damages Caused by Fracking by Matt Bewig, July 15, 2012, AllGov.com The insurance industry–hardly a hotbed of Green activism–has no ideological interest in fracking either way; Nationwide’s opinion that the risks of fracking are real is likely trustworthy because on this issue the company, unlike the energy industry, has no ...

Oil and gas has highest bribery rate by Guy Chazan, July 15, 2012, Financial Times (requires subscription) The oil and gas industry was subject to the most prosecutions for bribery and graft in the UK of any sector over the past four years, according to a new survey. The study by Ernst & Young found that of 26 completed ...

Neighbor says Truthland star should have talked to her by Matt Hughes, July 14, 2012, Times Leader “You could shine a flashlight into our well and it looked like it was at a rolling boil, all the methane that was coming out of it,” she said. Initial tests by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection found ...

Visiting chemist: Gas drilling leaves ‘toxic soup’ by Joseph Stender, July 14, 2012, Williamsport Sun-Gazette Subra, a chemist who won a MacArthur Genius grant in 1999, explained that gas drilling produces waste called “flowback,” which is leftover water chemicals used when drilling. The hydraulic fracturing process contains anywhere from 60 to 160 tons of chemicals, Subra ...

Artists Against Fracking Launches by Frack Action, July 14, 2012 A new initiative, Artists Against Fracking, launched on July 13, 2012. Sean Lennon and Yoko Ono went on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (technically 7/14/12) to launch the initiative, which is an amazing effort of major musicians and actors who have come together to oppose fracking, ...

Vale Council will have to pay thousands in costs after fracking inquiry by Sharon Harris, July 14, 2012, NewsBy Sharon Harris Bridgend firm Coastal Oil and Gas successfully appealed against the Vale Council planning committee’s 2011 decision to stop exploratory drilling for Shale gas on the industrial estate. The Wales Planning Inspectorate (WPI) said the authority ...

Nationwide Statement Regarding Concerns About Hydraulic Fracturing by Targetted News Service, July 14, 2012 Insurance works when a carrier can accurately price the coverage to match the risks. When information and claims experience are not available to fully understand the scope of a given risk, carriers aren’t able to price protection that would be fair to ...

Insurer: No shale gas coverage, Nationwide says policies exclude hydrofracking by Brian Nearing, Friday, July 13, 2012, Times Union ALBANY — One of the nation’s largest insurance companies has decided it is too risky to provide coverage on land, property or equipment involved in natural gas hydrofracking. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. released a statement Thursday that ...

Worker indicted on felony charge by Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe, July 13, 2012, Denton Record Chronicle An Eagleridge Operating worker has been indicted on a felony charge of illegally dumping contaminated water off a gas well site and into a Hickory Creek tributary. Jonathan Garza was indicted by a Denton County grand jury June 7 on one felony ...

Not The Day of the Verdict by Fracking on Trial, July 13, 2012 The trial of 3 people accused of disrupting “lawful activity” at a fracking site in Lancashire entered its last day today. The defence case, which finished on Thursday, presented evidence from a number of expert witnesses and local residents on the threat posed by ...

Chesapeake Reserve Doubted by Matt Wirz, July 13, 2012, Wall Street Journal The report, by ITG Investment Research, comes as controversy continues to swirl around Oklahoma City based Chesapeake, the nation’s second largest producer of natural gas after Exxon Mobil Corp. … ITG’s analysis was done with well-by-well data the firm obtained on Chesapeake’s fields from ...

Possible Damage From “Fracking” Not Covered By Standard Homeowner’s Policy by Matthew Sturdevant, The Hartford Courant, July 13, 2012 In case you were wondering, insurance policies for homes and commercial properties probably don’t cover any damage that might be caused by “fracking” – a relatively new approach to drilling for natural gas through hydraulic fracturing. The ...

Firms accused of dumping sewage in North Dakota oil patch ditches, fields by Nick Smith, July 13, 2012, Bismarck Tribune State environmental health chief Dave Glatt said the first company is Mon-Dak Water and Septic Services out of Stanley. The other is Fairview, Mont.-based Hurley Oilfield Services. “We had some citizen complaints regarding the illegal disposal ...

Don’t Frack my Mother by Sean Lennon, Yoko Ono and Jimmy Fallon, July 13, 2012, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Jimmy Fallon interview with Sean Lennon and Yoko Ono

Ottawa’s stand on fracking criticized, Oversight left to province, industry by Trish Audette, July 13, 2012, Edmonton Journal

Group to present fluid migration information by Log Cabin Democrat, July 13, 2012 “Rhetoric by the natural gas industry aims to mislead the public into believing that the highly toxic fluid that is injected during drilling, fracking, and waste disposal will remain locked underground in impermeable rock layers never to migrate to drinking water sources,” said ...

Stephen Harper is blind to science by Christopher Hume, July 13, 2012, The Toronto Star Not only was the protest unprecedented, even extraordinary, it struck at the dark heart of the New Canada, a nation more interested in hiding the truth than understanding it, exploiting resources than conserving them. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision to search-and-destroy ...

Fracking Water Killed Trees, Study Finds by Mireya Navarro, July 12, 2011, The New York Times A study that argues for more research into the safe disposal of chemical-laced wastewater resulting from natural gas drilling found that a patch of national forest in West Virginia suffered quick and serious loss of vegetation after it was sprayed ...

Ottawa leaves fracking oversight to province, industry by Trish Audette, July 12, 2012, Edmonton Journal But in the letter, other correspondence and briefing notes, and in an email response to questions, Oliver and his department made clear the federal government has no interest in inserting itself in the regulation of the practice, which injects water, sand ...

The Fight Over Fracking in Colorado’s North Fork Valley by Peter Heller, July 12, 2012, Bloomberg Businessweek Despite assurances from industry leaders that it can regulate itself, there have been controversial messes—not just flaming faucets propaganda, but well-documented cases of air and groundwater contamination—and mounting concerns about threats to public health. A 2011 study of natural ...

Displaced families at center of fracking protests by Tara Zrinski, July 12, 2012, Times on Line As a result of the protest, Aqua America, which had purchased the mobile home park along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania’s Lycoming County, allowed six families to remain an additional month while they made arrangements to move. ”We felt for the people, so ...

WATCH: Episode 1- New Brunswick Government Shale Gas Session, Dr. Angela LeGresley 7:09 Min. by CCNBActionTV, July 12, 2012 “I made it known that I was a physician…I made my health concerns known and stood up despite being very intimidated surrounded by oil and gas industry people and politicians.” … “If they have an abundance of peer-reviewed ...

Nationwide Insurance: Fracking Damage Won’t Be Covered by Mary Esch, July 12, 2012, Huffington Post ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. has become the first major insurance company to say it won’t cover damage related to a gas drilling process that blasts chemical-laden water deep into the ground. … The memo reads: “After months ...

US insurer won’t cover gas drill fracking exposure by Mary Esch, July 12, 2012, Associated Press “Nationwide is sort of a broader ban on all the ancillary services related to it (fracking).”

EU shale gas depends on better fracking process by Nina Chestney, July 12, 2012, Reuters No EU market lift-off without reducing size, number of fracks Success for shale gas extraction in Europe will hinge on developing more efficient techniques and a more targeted approach to fracking, Andrew Gould, chairman of UK gas producer BG Group PLC, said ...

Do-nothing NY State Senate stalling on fracking decisions by Ronald Fraser, July 12, 2012, Recordonline Fearing well documented risks to human health and the environment, more than 100 local municipalities in New York have banned or placed moratoriums on horizontal hydrofracking drilling for natural gas. How does this compare with the three branches of state government? ...

US insurance company nixes coverage for damage related to hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas by Associated Press, July 12, 2012 ALBANY, N.Y. — Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. has become the first major insurance company to say it won’t cover damage related to a gas drilling process that blasts chemical-laden water deep into the ground. The ...

Ohio Governor Signs Executive Order Prohibiting Oil and Gas Drilling in Lake Erie by EcoWatch, June 11 2012 Ohioans are hoping the order will set a strong precedent as more of the state’s vital habitats and water supplies are threatened by the possibility of fracking. “Today, Governor Kasich stepped forward to protect Lake Erie from the ...

The oil industry’s self-inflicted wounds by The Globe and Mail, by July 11 2012 A scathing ruling Tuesday by a U.S. regulator pummels Enbridge Inc.’s response to the massive spill of oil into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River in 2010, describing it as being so poor that, “you can’t help but think of the Keystone Kops.” … “For more ...

Chevron Workers Plead To Be Evacuated Before Deadly Blast by Oleg Vukmanovic, July 11, 2012, Reuters Chevron Corp. left workers pleading to be evacuated from a gas exploration platform off Nigeria which kept drilling as smoke poured from a borehole until an explosion that killed two people as the rig became engulfed in flames, according to ...

N.Y. officials accuse Cuomo admin of industry ‘collusion’ by Colin Sullivan, July 11, 2012, E&E News A handful of state lawmakers went public yesterday with charges that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) administration conspired with industry to develop regulations that would permit hydraulic fracturing with a minimum of oversight. During a news conference here on the steps ...

Fracking – Is this the beginning of the end? by Julienne du Toit, July 11, 2012, karoospace.co.za They are horror stories. The water coming out of their taps becomes flammable, contaminated with methane and oil, undrinkable. … Shell at least had the good grace not to even pretend there will be jobs or any benefit whatsoever ...

Chesapeake, Encana antitrust case deepens by Emily Wilkinson, July 11, 2012, Houston Business Journal Documents reviewed by Reuters indicate that top executives at Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) and Encana Corp. shared sensitive information that gave Chesapeake the upper hand in deals with Michigan land owners. Reuters reported earlier this month that the U.S. Department of ...

California, All ‘Fracked Up’? by R.L. Miller, July 11, 2012, dailykos Fracking is happening in California, but it’s a secret. How much of a secret? The state literally doesn’t know: Its actual words were: “The Division is unable to identify where and how often hydraulic fracturing occurs within the state.” It also said that “the Division ...

Rye Group Says Fracking Will Affect Westchester by Anna Helhoski, July 11, 2012, The Daily Voice “They are having a tough time finding a wastewater treatment plant that can deal with this. There is not a single one. There’s no way that the volume of wastewater is going to be handled in this state,” said Patricia Wood, ...