Global Frac News

Drillers face first class-action suit for triggered temblors by Mike Soraghan, July 5, 2012, E&E News The quakes prompted state officials last summer to ban drilling waste disposal wells in a 1,150-square-mile area. Four wells ceased operations. … There is no federal law against causing earthquakes, but the suit alleges that the quakes were caused by ...

NC Lawmaker Loses Award After Fracking Vote by Charlotte CBS Local News, July 5, 2012 The House narrowly voted late Monday to override the veto when first-term Rep. Susi Hamilton, D-New Hanover, and five other House Democrats sided with Republicans to cancel Perdue’s veto. The North Carolina League of Conservation Voters says it will take the ...

Hydrocarbon poisoning blamed for N.D. oil worker death by Jessica Holdman, July 5, 2012, Bismarck Tribune The January death of a 21-year-old Montana man at a Marathon Oil well site was not of natural causes. Dustin Bergsing died of hydrocarbon poisoning due to inhalation of petroleum vapors, according to the death certificate from the North Dakota ...

EARTHQUAKES: Drillers face first class-action suit for triggered temblors (Subscription required) by Mike Soraghan, July 5, 2012, E&E Publishing “Defendants, experienced in these operations, were well aware of the connection between injection wells and seismic activity, and acted in disregard of these facts,” says the suit, filed by the Little Rock class-action firm Emerson Poynter LLP on ...

Proposal for fracking close to Calgary stirs opposition by CBC News, July 4, 2012 A company that wants to frack for oil close to Calgary city limits is facing opposition from nearby residents who fear the project will poison their tap water. Bernum Petroleum has applied to use the controversial method — which involves blasting a mixture of water ...

Edmonton man wins dispute for water info by Alex McCuaig, July 4, 2012, Medicine Hat News An Alberta privacy commissioner’s ruling opening up access to a mountain of ground water data could end up being a watershed moment for scientists researching the quality of the province’s resource. In a excerpt of the privacy commissioner’s decision on ...

Trust in Canadian Energy Sector Declines by Ian Noble, July 3, 2012, BC Business Online It’s time for the energy sector to listen, establish operational and societal goals and report them regularly and honestly. Simply seeking a social licence to operate is no longer enough. In the aftermath of the economic meltdown, bank and auto bailouts ...

Gasland Director Josh Fox on His New Film, Gas Industry Lies and Government Collusion by Christine Shearer, July 2, 2012, Truthout I knew I had to come forward with new information we have from gas industry secret memos and gas industry publications from a while back, as well as internal documents leaked out of gas industry ...

Justice Dept. probes Chesapeake over possible collusion by Diane Bartz and Brian Grow (Additional reporting by Joshua Schneyer; Editing by Martin Howell and Lisa Von Ahn), July 2, 2012, Reuters The U.S. Justice Department is probing Chesapeake Energy Corp and Encana Corp for possible collusion after a Reuters report showed that top executives of the two ...

Fracking vs Faucets: Balancing Energy Needs and Water Sustainability at Urban Frontiers by Matthew Fry, David J. Hoeinghaus, Alexandra G.Ponette-González, Ruthanne Thompson, andThomas W. La Point, July 2, 2012, in Environ. Sci. Technol., 2012, 46 (14), pp 7444–7445. American Chemical Society, DOI: 10.1021/es302472y Conflicts arising as a result of competing demands for energy and water are of increasing ...

Critics say more oversight needed by Sheila Pratt, Edmonton Journal, June 30, 2012 Oil and gas inspectors are getting better at catching companies breaking the rules, which explains the increased number of “high-risk” violations reported in its latest annual report, Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board says. Though inspectors for the agency that regulates the oil and ...

Fracking in Southland exposed by Tova O’Brian, June 27, 2012, 3 News 3 News can reveal previously unreleased details of one the few sites in New Zealand to use the controversial method of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. In the warmer months, Orauea stream in Southland is a great trout fishing spot. In the 1990s it was also ...

Calgarians near urban oilwell say “not in my backyard” by Nathan Vanderklippe, June 27, 2012, The Globe and Mail Even in Alberta, whose underground is filled with energy, that makes it “a pretty big site,” said Ned Beattie, the general manager for Kaiser Exploration Ltd., the privately owned U.S. company looking to bring that oil to ...

Study: Airborne methane plume found near Bradford County gas migration site by Laura Legere, June 27, 2012, The Times Tribune The 3½-hour survey conducted for the environmental organization by Gas Safety Inc. in Leroy Twp. on June 8 found average ground-level methane concentrations in a roughly 2-square-mile area at nearly twice normal background levels for the ...

Raging Grannies bare all for peace – well, almost all, Popular peace group launches Old, Bold and Beautiful calendar launch in Pointe Claire by Cheryl Cornacchia, June 27, 2012, The Gazette “Shale Gas? No Fracking Way,” “Put condoms on your missiles” … read some of the placards being held by the scantily-clad troop in the photos ...

State wants jail sentence for Shipman’s illegal wastewater dumping by Torsten Ove, June 27, 2012, The state wants a Greene County judge to reconsider the probation sentence he imposed on a businessman for illegally dumping millions of gallons of wastewater across six counties, saying the penalty was far too lenient for such a large-scale environmental crime. Greene County Common ...

They who “feed the world” took her water: PotashCorp launches PR blitz, Beth Norrad leaves Penobsquis by Tracy Glynn, June 27, 2012, nbmediacoop The house had been without water for three years but Norrad was reassured multiple times by a government official that the water would be flowing again through the taps of the house in ...

Exxon chief: environmentalists guilty of manufacturing drilling fear by Jonathan Fahey, June 27, 2012, The Associated Press Tillerson blamed a public that is “illiterate” in science and math, a “lazy” press, and advocacy groups that “manufacture fear” for energy misconceptions in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations. …  Drilling for oil and gas will ...

Pa. Supreme Court bars gas industry from intervening in Nockamixon lawsuit by Amanda Cregan, June 26, 2012 Representatives for several gas and oil companies operating in Pennsylvania have been denied a request to intervene in Nockamixon’s challenge to the state’s natural gas drilling law. On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied the gas companies’ appeal. Industry ...

Encana embroiled in gas land stink by Claudia Cattaneo, June 26, 2012, Financial Post in The Leader Post

Encana’s troubles widen with collusion allegations by Carrie Tait and Nathan Vanderklippe, June 26, 2012, The Globe and Mail Encana Corp. has frustrated investors on three fronts: its natural gas strategy, its weakening balance sheet, and its recent decision to add millions to its capital spending budget despite shaky commodity prices. But now, with the company’s ...

CAPP pushes fracking standards, Amid rising opposition, concerns about hydraulic fracturing’s effect on water, land by Dina O”Meara, June 26, 2012, Calgary Herald “The challenge we have in all of this is any industrial activity has a certain amount of risk associated with it,” said Dave Collyer, president of CAPP. “So the job that we’ve all ...

A land owner caught between energy giants by Joshua Scneyer and Brian Grown, June 26, 2012, Reuters in The Globe and Mail A Michigan land owner who alleges he was jilted by two of North America’s largest energy companies says e-mails made public Monday by Reuters prove that the two companies colluded to kill deals that ...

U.S. fracking rule critics ‘simply wrong,’ says U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Interior secretary says shale must be tapped safely by Balazs Koranyi, June 26, 2012, Reuters Defending the Obama administration’s drive for federal regulation of fracking, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said on Monday that the United States must toughen up its ...

Land and water ‘worth way more than oil’ by Ryan Van Horne, June 26, 2012, Cape Breton Post MacDonald realizes that economic development is important for the community, but says resource extraction is not the kind Lake Ainslie needs. “It generally leaves communities worse off,” MacDonald said. “We don’t want to be that community.” MacDonald, whose family ...

‘We’re all concerned about our health’ by Erin Pottie, June 26, 2012, Cape Breton Post Bill and Charlotte Woodhouse have a binder full of reasons why Nova Scotia shouldn’t allow an oil and gas exploration near its largest natural freshwater lake. The couple lives about four kilometres from a Lake Ainslie property that has been staked ...

Methane-Emitting Fault Lines Create New Fracking Scare in Pennsylvania by Clean Air Council, June 26, 2012 A water and methane geyser, bubbling water and mud volcanoes have Pennsylvania shale-field residents scared and demanding answers. A number of dramatic methane emissions were reported to have begun in Leroy Township, Bradford County on May 19, 2012. Initial reports ...

Cape Breton group heads to court to fight drilling decision by Keith Doucette, June 26, 2012, The Canadian Press A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge will hear an appeal on Wednesday of a decision by the province’s environment minister to grant an exploratory drilling permit for oil and gas near a Cape Breton lake. Members of the ...

Chesapeake: From Bad to Worse to Potentially Criminal by Brian Stoffel, June 25, 2012, The Motley Fool Imagine this: In May of 2010, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources held land auctions that drew particular interest from natural gas companies hoping to frack the state’s Collingwood shale. The auction of 118,000 acres brought in a whopping ...

Tories crafting policy for urban oil well drilling by James Wood, June 25, 2012, Calgary Herald The government wants to address areas such as setbacks, transportation of product and “what kind of development is appropriate within proximity to human residences,” he said. … The government wants the policy in place within the year. How the rules ...

Encana probes collusion accusation by Shawn McCarthy and Nathan Vanderklippe, June 25, 2012, The Globe and Mail with files from Reuters Encana Corp. has launched an internal investigation after the State of Michigan said it is examining allegations that the company worked with rival Chesapeake Energy Corp. to avoid competing in state land auctions for shale ...

Report alleges Chesapeake Encana combined to supress land prices by Brian Grow, Joshua Schneyer and Janet Roberts, June 25, 2012, Reuters That exchange – and a dozen other e-mails reviewed by Reuters – could provide evidence that the two companies violated federal and state laws by seeking to keep land prices down, antitrust lawyers said. … In response ...

Encana investigating claims of collusion with rival, Calgary energy company accused of land sale scheme with Chesapeake Energy by Dina O’Meara, June 25, 2012, Calgary Herald with files from Reuters, Canadian Press Encana Corp. could face increased opposition from land owners following reports the Calgary energy company plotted with Chesapeake Energy to keep land prices at ...

Chesapeake, Encana rival plotted to suppress land prices: report by Brian Grow, Joshua Schneyer and Janet Roberts, June 25, 2012, Reuters in Calgary Herald ‘BID ROTATION’ Attempts at price-fixing by rival corporations are typically difficult to prove in court. That’s because competitors rarely commit collusive agreements to writing. Top Chesapeake and Encana executives, however, spelled out ...

Michigan probing allegations of Encana-Chesapeake anti-competitive practices by Shawn McCarthy, Nathan Vanderklippe, June 25, 2012, The Globe and Mail The State of Michigan is investigating allegations that Calgary-based Encana Corp. worked with a U.S. competitor, Chesapeake Energy Corp., to avoid competing in state land auctions for shale gas. The state’s Department of Natural Resources said it is working ...

Special Report: Chesapeake and rival plotted to suppress land prices Reporting by Brian Grow and Joshua Schneyer in Gaylord, Michigan, and by Janet Roberts in New York; editing by Blake Morrison and Michael Williams, June 25, 2012, Reuters In one email, dated June 16, 2010, McClendon told a Chesapeake deputy that it was time “to smoke ...

Encana embroiled in new morass as chairman launches probe into collusion accusations by Claudia Cattaneo, June 25, 2012, Financial Post The bad news keeps piling up for Encana Corp., the beleaguered Canadian energy icon that seems to be embroiled in a collusion plot to deflate land prices with one of its top rivals in the United ...

Margaree Environmental Association holding press conference by Ryan Van Horne, June 25, 2012, Cape Breton Post The Margaree Environmental Association will ask a Nova Scotia Supreme Court justice to overturn Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau’s Dec. 20, 2011, decision that denied the association’s appeal and cleared the way for Petroworth to drill an exploratory well before July ...

Alberta government creating urban drilling policy by Jeremy Nolais, June 24, 2012, Metro Calgary In the midst of cries from two northwest Calgary communities over proximity to a planned oil drilling project, an MLA announced Sunday the province is working to establish a blanket policy for such endeavours. The Rocky Ridge Royal Community Association hosted a ...

Canadian Forces Base Suffield Juggling Oil Industry, Environment And Military Mission by Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press, June 24, 2012, Huffingtonpost.ca In Afghanistan, Lt.-Col. Doug Claggett’s mission was to protect the population from insurgents. Now as commander of one the country’s biggest training bases he’s still a guardian, but for a whole set of endangered species ...

Royal Oak residents rally against oil well near homes, POLICY REVIEW PLANNED FOR ENERGY DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN URBAN CENTRES by M. Potkins, June 24, 2012, Calgary Herald Despite the drizzling rain, more than 100 Rocky Ridge and Royal Oak residents gathered to voice their concerns about Kaiser Exploration’s well near a Walmart off Country Hills. A cheer went ...

Army finding itself on the front line of environmental defence in Alberta by Murray Brewster, June 24, 2012, Canadian Press The army is finding itself increasingly on the front line of environmental defence. The issue has been percolating through the military, especially in light of a decision last year by the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board ...

New policy coming on urban drilling, says province, MLA makes announcement as 200 Rocky Ridge, Royal Oak residents rallied Sunday by CBC News, June 24, 2012 A drawing sits taped on to a car parked at Royal Oak Shopping Centre. If approved, the well site would be 130 metres from the centre. (Kyle Bakx/CBC) The province ...

All political roads lead to the energy minister by Graham Thomson, June 24, 2012, Calgary Herald One priority is ensuring the province has an up-to-date electricity grid; another is finding a balance between environment and development, something that he says requires “a combination of science and judgment.” He is also overseeing the regulatory enhancement project, wherein regulations ...

Residents to rally against northwest oil well by Damien Wood, June 23, 2012, Calgary Sun “The entire City of Calgary sits on a huge methane bed, which means that sooner or later somebody will want to extract that,” he said. “The issue and dealing with the issue really falls in the hands of the province — ...

Jessica Ernst at National Farmers Union Region 7 Convention Forestburg Alberta June 23, 2012

$1.6M settlement in Pa. gas drilling lawsuit by Kevin Begos, June 22, 2012, AP News, BloombergBusinessweek But Jared McMicken of Wyalusing said the agreement reached Thursday provides little comfort since his drinking water was ruined by nearby drilling, and his family must move. “We’ve lost our house, and we’re not going to get out of it ...

Fracking: Considerations for risk management and financing by Richard Soulsby, Jason Kurtz, Bhavini Kamarshi, June 21, 2012, Insight Expert Thinking from Milliman The recent MTBE contamination in California, while not fracking-related, offers an example of the difficulties in cleaning up ground water contamination and the potential liabilities when public water supplies are compromised. A common additive ...

Are Fracking Wastewater Wells Poisoning the Ground beneath Our Feet? Leaking injection wells may pose a risk–and the science has not kept pace with the growing glut of wastewater by Abrahm Lustgarten and Propublica, June 21, 2012, Scientific American But until recently, scientists and environmental officials have assumed that deep layers of rock beneath the earth would safely ...

Polluted Water Fuels a Battle for Answers by Abrahm Lustgarten, June 21, 2012, ProPublica “Our cries, they just fall on deaf ears,” Hudson said. Shortly after moving to DeBerry, Hudson sent water from his well and four of his neighbors’ to be tested for pollutants. The results showed high levels of chlorides, chemicals found in drilling ...

An Unseen Leak, Then Boom by Abrahm Lustgarten, June 21, 2012, ProPublica On Jan. 17, 2001, Hutchinson, Kan., awoke to an apocalypse. Gas that had silently collected inside a downtown appliance store ignited, reducing two buildings to tinder carcasses and shattering windows for blocks. Three miles away, a geyser of gas shot out of the earth, ...

Frack Protester Lois Frank has charges stayed by Katie May, June 21, 2012, Lethbridge Herald Lois Frank stood stubborn behind a rope barrier, head high, as a swell of oil tankers pulled up behind her, unable to get through the access road to the Murphy Oil well site on the Blood Reserve. Her fellow protesters dwindled as ...

Chesapeake to Pay $1.6 Million for Contaminating Water Wells in Bradford County by Susan Phillips, June 21, 2012, State Impact Pennsylvania Chesapeake Energy has agreed to pay $1.6 million in damages to three families in Wyalusing, Bradford County. The case may be the first Marcellus contamination lawsuit to get resolved without a nondisclosure agreement, meaning the ...

Crown Stays Intimidation Charges Against Blood Tribe Woman by Country 95 News, June 20, 2012 CARDSTON: Intimidation charges against Lois Frank were stayed by the Crown in Cardston court Wednesday morning. Frank was scheduled to go to trial on the matter. She was charged September 9th, 2011 after she blocked a road used by an oil ...

In Erie, oil and gas companies to pay twice as much for water by John Aguilar, June 20, 2012, Daily Camera Drilling for natural gas requires a lot of water, and for operators in Erie wanting to use the town’s municipal supply, it’s now going to cost twice as much. The town last week doubled its ...

Who pays when your well is sucked dry and your home is contaminated? by Tracy Glynn, June 20, 2012 Wilf Pearson was a jovial but straight-shooting retired truck driver who painted Christmas murals on downtown business windows in the small city of Port Colborne, ON, on Lake Erie. He didn’t live, though, to see the day ...

Environmental Regulators Getting More Vigilant by James Mahony, June 20, 2012, Daily Oil Bulletin An Edmonton lawyer who defends companies charged with environmental “crimes” summed up his advice yesterday for anyone considering playing on the edge of laws affecting the environment. “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later,” Stuart Chambers told a ...

Crown decides not to prosecute fracking protestor Lois Frank Press Release by KLEW, June 20, 2012 At her seventh appearance at Cardston Provincial Court on today, counsel for the prosecution informed the Court that the Crown directs a stay of proceedings. Frank had been arrested and charged with “intimidation” under Section 423 (1) (G) of the ...

A Denver Court Keeps the Burden Where it Belongs – On the Plaintiffs by Laurie K. Miller, Jackson Kelly PLLC, Chemical Industry Update, June 19, 2021 A critical element of every case for injuries is causation. In cases alleging injury from exposure to toxic substances or chemicals, the element of causation is complex and difficult to ...

Fracking: A risk to health, and healthy returns by David Shearman, June 18, 2012, reneweconomy There is now growing evidence of international investor concern over some health impacts of fracking in shale gas mining. An alliance of 200 institutions – which control more than $20 trillion of assets worldwide – is expressing concern over fugitive emission ...

USGS Punts On Fracking-related Earthquakes by DM Crumbliss, June 18, 2012, Red Orbit The US Geological Survey (USGS) folded to pressure from the fossil fuel industry and pro-fracking Congress members last week by releasing a “more study needed” report on fracking and earthquakes. The stakes are simply high enough that the agency is unwilling to strongly ...

The Big Secret? Fracking Fluids by Walter Tsou, MD, MPH, June 18, 2012, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Environmental Health Policy Institute In 2008, Cathy Behr, a Colorado emergency room nurse at Durango Mercy Regional Medical Center was working the day shift when a gas driller worker, Clinton Marshall, arrived complaining of nausea and headaches.  Marshall had ...

Encana pipeline break leaks frack water in Silt by KKSO, June 17, 2012, nbc11news.com No word yet on the cause of the breach. Due to the size of the spill, the incident was reported to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and the Colorado Health Department. It’s unknown if the agencies will take further action ...

Revealed: NY Governor Plans to Experiment with Fracking in Economically Struggling Areas by Alyssa Figueroa, June 16, 2012, AlterNet The plan is part of a demonstration project in which the DEC would issue permits for a limited number of wells in certain areas and then monitor the fracking to see if the process could be done ...

Jury awards $4.1M to injured Rifle rig worker, Tesco, subcontractor for Encana, expected to appeal by John Colson, June 15, 2012, Post Independent A federal jury on Wednesday awarded $4.1 million to Louisiana resident Von Phathong, a former worker on a Rifle-area Encana gas drilling rig, for injuries the man suffered in 2005. The award, handed ...

Confessions of a fracking defector by Julienne du Toit, June 15, 2012, Daily Maverick JdT: Aren’t these just observations, then? There’s no fieldwork. Why is this being seen as so new? GvT: Actually, we’ve been stupid. The facts were before us all the time. Someone should have picked it up before, but I’m proud that I ...

Probation Given for Dumping Shale-Drilling Waste by Kris Maher, June 15, 2012, Wall Street Journal A Pennsylvania man who pleaded guilty to illegally dumping millions of gallons of wastewater from shale-gas drilling over several years was sentenced to seven years of probation in a closely watched criminal prosecution. Greene County Judge Farley Toothman said Robert Allan ...

U.S. study raises warnings about oil and gas production by Carrie Tait, June 14, 2012, The Globe and Mail Companies discharging water produced from certain types of natural gas wells may be harming – and even killing – aquatic wildlife in the United States, leaving scientists warning the same may hold true for other types of ...

Editorial: Political correctness in Alberta by Edmonton Journal, June 14, 2012 In Alberta, our political culture sometimes signals that there is only one right way for people to think about important issues, and for outsiders to talk about our province. Deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk seemed to be channelling this instinct Monday when he warned Quebecer Thomas ...

Restaurant Industry Moves Against Gas Drilling by Glenn Collins, June 14, 2012, Associated Press More than 90 kitchen celebrities and food-business leaders have publicly given their support to Chefs for the Marcellus, an anti-fracturing advocacy group named after the natural-gas-rich Marcellus Shale rock formation that runs under several states. … “We’re trying to raise a voice ...

Is natural gas truly a clean source of energy? Industry is booming, but ‘fracking’ and leaks soil its image by Steve Law, June 14, 2012, Pamplin Media Group The biggest methane leaks tend to come from the wells where gas is extracted….

Investor groups ask industry to cut methane emissions from unconventional plays by Paula Dittrick, June 14, 2012, Oil and Gas Journal Three institutional investor groups issued a June 14 joint statement calling upon the oil and natural gas industry to reduce methane emissions from unconventional oil and gas development and production activities, citing concerns about hydraulic ...

Was Andrew Cuomo’s NY Fracking “Sacrifice Zone” Plan Hatched by NRDC? by Steve Horn, June 14, 2012, desmogblog The New York Times reported yesterday, via an unidentified insider at the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), that Cuomo intends to “limit drilling to the deepest areas of the Marcellus Shale rock formation, at ...

Cuomo Plan Would Limit Gas Drilling to a Few Counties in New York by Danny Hakim June 14, 2912, New York Times The plan, described by a senior official at the State Department of Environmental Conservation and others with knowledge of the administration’s strategy, would limit drilling to the deepest areas of the Marcellus Shale rock formation, at ...

The Gas Is Always Greener When It Leaks Less by the Editors, June 13, 2012, Bloomberg The trouble is, we don’t know how much natural gas leaks — as it is extracted, processed, transported and used — and some evidence suggests the amount may be more than we have assumed. As the U.S. gears up to ...

Encana touts envt’l responsibility while Pavillion debate rages by Mark Wilcox and Business Report Staff, June 13, 2012, Wyoming Business Report The report says the company has established a program to assess additives used in hydraulic fracturing operations for potential effects on human health and the environment. … This report comes even as the Pavillion fracking ...

Few takers yet on cistern offer near Pavillion by Martin Reed, June 13, 2012, Daily Ranger About two weeks after state officials explained to roughly 50 people an offer to install taxpayer-funded cisterns at households with poor water quality several miles east of Pavillion, the response has been a trickle. … The plan resulting from a ...

Mediation unable to resolve Encana, Thompson dispute, Flood-damage lawsuit appears headed for trial by John Colson, June 13, 2012, Post Independent A court-appointed mediator has been unable to resolve a dispute between Porcupine Creek landowner Thomas Thompson and Encana Oil and Gas (USA), a drilling company operating on Thompson’s land. … Thompson ordered the company off ...

Grassroots coalition blasts Cuomo plan to sacrifice rural communities to drillers Press Release June 13, 2012 “How dare anyone consider the Southern Tier a sacrifice zone?” “If children of other parts of the state are worthy of protection, why is it OK to poison our children?” … Sectioning off parts of the state to use as sacrifice ...

Angle Energy moves to quell fracking fears by Johnnie Bachusky, June 12, 2012, Mountain View Gazette With a goal to counter increasing media attention on the potential dangers of horizontal fracking, Calgary-based Angle Energy Inc. resumed its own aggressive public relations campaign last week with an open house and dinner for dozens of county residents and ...

Ex-PC MLA denounces fracking as ‘dangerous experiment’ by CBC News, June 12, 2012 Tony Huntjens, who retired from politics instead of running in the 2010 election, said he was “flabbergasted” by his former colleagues’ decision to move forward with shale gas exploration and, in particular, hydraulic fracturing. … The former cabinet minister pointed to health problems ...

Frackonomics: Debunking the Financial Myths of Fracking by Robin Madel, June 12, 2012, Huffington Post Appleton says fracking in New York should be opposed for several reasons: There is no way we can avoid the environmental consequences. Appleton argues that even if strong regulations were enacted, based on his experience, between a lack of adequate staffing ...

Petroleum lobby ‘pulling a con job’ on fracking, Mulcair warns by The Canadian Press, June 11, 2012 During his visit, Mr. Mulcair said the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers is deceiving the public when it says there are regulations to ensure that shale gas fracking is safe. “I met with the leadership of the Canadian Association of ...

Tom Mulcair blasts fracking plans in New Brunswick by CBC News, June 11, 2012 “It’s a beautiful pristine source of drinking water. That would be put in danger with fracking. Look at the American experience. Look at what’s happened in states like Pennsylvania. People have to be made to understand that this is a false choice,”…. ...

Fracking chemicals could poison water: expert by SAPA, June 11, 2012, Reuters Some chemicals used for shale gas fracking could contaminate or poison water far from the original drilling site, an expert warned on Monday. “Before any chemical company is granted a licence to frack it must prove that the chemicals used in fracking cocktails are ...

Oil industry agrees with Mulcair on fracking by Bill Kaufmann, June 11, 2012, Calgary Sun Outspoken energy sector critic, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair and his target industry actually agree on one thing, says the body representing producers. That’s the need to publicly reveal the cocktail of sometimes carcinogenic chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, ...

WATCH: Season 14 – The Fracking Diaries by CTV, June 10, 2012 CTV’s First Story delves into B.C.’s growing natural gas and fracking industry. Fracking is a gas extraction process that has been put on moratorium in other provinces and countries, but has been happening in B.C. for years now. With a fracking boom soon to ...

Let’s close the information gap about fracking by Michael Hiltzik, June 10, 2012, LA Times Residents near fracking sites have reported that chemicals have rendered their water unusable and that gas has migrated into their mains…. “No one seems to know where the wells were and there’s no testing and no one knows what chemicals are ...

An extraordinarily brave woman coming to Convention National Farmers Union Region 7 (Alberta) Newsletter, Spring 2012 Related to Jessica’s case, the NFU passed a resolution at the 2011 convention calling for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing. In the NFU news release of February 2012, the call for a moratorium was made, as well as the conditions that ...

North Dakota Turns Blind Eye to Dumping of Fracking Waste in Waterways and Farmland, Releases of drilling and fracking waste, which is often laced with carcinogenic chemicals, have wiped out aquatic life in streams and wetlands by Nicholas Kusnetz, June 8, 2012, ProPublica Oil drilling has sparked a frenzied prosperity in Jeff Keller’s formerly quiet corner ...

Corbett sold out state to gas industry by Karen Dixon, June 08, 2012, Pocono Record It was only after I contacted the Army Corps of Engineers and filed a lawsuit that the DEP took notice and responded. Violations were issued for violations of the Clean Waters Act, failing to use best land management practice and more. ...

Wyoming official’s remarks prove baseline testing is needed by Richard Garrett, June 8, 2012, WyoFile It’s not common to read stories that describe a breach of the public trust by Wyoming’s public servants. This week, however, was different — with news from Vancouver that Tom Doll, the supervisor of the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, in a ...

The Alberta Securities Commission withdraws charges in fracking case by Calgary Herald, June 8, 2012 The Alberta Securities Commission has withdrawn allegations made last August against an Alberta man and two companies he created to own and distribute an oil and gas well fracturing compound. In a two-sentence posting on its website, the ASC states it will ...

Fracking fears have gone Hollywood by Stephen Ewart, June 8, 2012, Calgary Herald You know you’ve got an issue when Matt Damon is making a big-budget Hollywood movie on the perils of fracking. Of course, you should have known the industry had an issue when the haphazard operating practices of some companies poisoned the water supply ...

Migration of Gas from Oil/Gas Fields by J. O. Robertson, G. V. Chilingar, L. F. Khilyuk & B. Endres, Available Online June 7, 2012, Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 34:15, 1436-1447, DOI:10.1080/15567030903077899 Oilfields have demonstrated a long history of gas migration problems. Experience has shown that the migration of gas to the surface ...

Texas Judge Steps Aside in Gas Case He Used in Campaign by Mark Drajem, June 07, 2012, Bloomberg News A Texas judge agreed to step aside in a gas-drilling case involving Range Resources Corp. (RRC) (RRC) after a landowner suing the company complained the judge showed bias in the matter in his campaign materials. Judge Trey ...

Top Wyo Official says Pavillion fracking investigation motivated by greed by Dustin Bleizeffer, June 7, 2012, wyofile.com Pavillion area resident John Fenton said Doll’s earlier comments in Vancouver “show a complete lack of integrity on his part.” Fenton said that while Doll and other state officials seem focused on protecting the oil and gas industry, there ...

Big tank business booming with fracking craze by Dan Healing, June 7, 2012, Calgary Herald They’re big, they’re round (generally), they look like above-ground swimming pools, and they’re everywhere. On the heels of the growth of Calgary-based Poseidon Concepts Corp. from zero to $1.1 billion in market capitalization over the past year or so, it seems ...

Wyoming official pins Pavillion pollution complaints on greed by Mike Soraghan, June 6, 2012, EnergyWire Vancouver – Wyoming’s top oil and gas official yesterday said the people in Pavillion, Wyo., who have complained that drilling polluted their water are motivated by money. “I really believe greed is driving a lot of this,” state Oil and Gas ...

Ottawa launches Alberta counter-terrorism unit by Carrie Tait, June 6, 2012, Globe and Mail After labelling certain environmental and first nations groups as extremists and radicals, Canada’s federal government, along with the country’s top law enforcement and spy agencies, have set up a counter-terrorism unit in Alberta in order to protect the province’s natural resources and ...