FRACKING NEWS: Oct. 5, 2010
Canadian report: Hydraulic fracturing and water pollution: Investor risks from North America’s shale gas boom
REPORT:
http://www.share.ca/files/Hydraulic_Fracturing__
Investor_Brief.pdf
By Paula Barrios, Research Analyst
SHARE: Shareholder Association for Research & Education
Abstract: North America’s vast shale gas resources are projected to become a major resource for the coming decades, as the U.S. and other countries seek to move toward cleaner energy sources and to become less dependent on foreign oil and natural gas imports. Shale gas extraction presents significant risks, however, and concern is growing that the methods that make it viable are polluting drinking water sources with toxics. As companies prepare to intensify shale gas extraction in Canada and the U.S., investors need to look into the risks that the extraction process presents, and the steps they can take to mitigate those risks.
MORE: http://www.share.ca/files/Hydraulic_Fra ... _Brief.pdf
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Shale gas a tough sell in environment-proud Quebec
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec/
shale-gas-a-tough-sell-in-environment-proud-quebec/article1740503/
Les Perreaux
SAINTE-HYACINTHE, QUE.— From Monday's Globe and Mail
Published Sunday, Oct. 03, 2010 9:53PM EDT
Last updated Monday, Oct. 04, 2010 12:14AM EDT
The natural gas trapped in rock thousands of metres beneath the tranquil rich farmland of the St. Lawrence Valley can be tough to crack for natural gas prospectors, but tapping support from the skeptical citizens above is proving even trickier.
To free the gas, drillers fracture a dense layer of gas-bearing shale with a high-pressure blast of chemicals and water in a process known as fracking. Up on the surface, that ominously named technique isn’t helping as gas men and their government allies try to sell a natural gas industry to a province better known for its hydro-electric power and disdain for Alberta’s oil sands.
Four years ago, shale gas wasn’t even in the Quebec government’s carefully crafted 10-year energy plan. After dozens of pages dedicated to hydro electricity, a small section spoke of the need “to diversify Quebec’s natural gas sources.” Now those plans are being redrafted on the fly. Gas prospectors have ramped up exploration drilling, but the province has not kept pace – lacking even the laws to regulate and tax the industry. It has convened a quick environmental review, which opens on Monday, and promised new legislation for spring 2011.
Premier Jean Charest’s government has left it to André Caillé, an energy executive once hailed as a hero in the province, to sell the new energy industry with his credibility and charm.
It hasn’t exactly gone as planned.
Some 400 years ago, French settlers cleared this land and today their descendants produce much of Canada’s fruit, vegetables and dairy, including North America’s finest cheese. The flat farmland and rolling green countryside is peppered with picturesque villages that support those farmers, and the acreages and pied-à-terre of city dwellers drawn by peace and quiet.
It’s not traditionally a centre of noisy activism. But one evening this week, when Mr. Caillé made his pitch in a packed and steaming conference room on the outskirts of Sainte-Hyacinthe, the descendents of those settlers greeted him with hoots and hollers of derision.
When Mr. Caillé asked for calm, young and elderly alike called him a liar and a thief. The French words for shale gas (gaz de schiste) were quickly transformed into shouts of “We don’t want your gaz de shit!”
Two minutes later, Mr. Caillé was gone, ushered out by police worried about his safety. He’d lost the room in much the same way the government may be losing the province.
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec/
shale-gas-a-tough-sell-in-environment-proud-quebec/article1740503/
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St. Lawrence drilling plan draws opposition
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/
st-lawrence-drilling-plan-sparks-ire/article1733617/
Shawn McCarthy and Rhéal Séguin Ottawa, Quebec— From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Published Wednesday, Sep. 29, 2010 7:23PM EDT Last updated Monday, Oct. 04, 2010 8:33AM EDT
A junior oil company is at the centre of a growing political and environmental battle over Canada’s latest energy prospect – the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Halifax-based Corridor Resources (CDH-T5.28-0.03-0.56%) is sailing into turbulent political waters as it prepares to launch an oil-and-gas exploration program in the Gulf, over the objections of fishermen and environmentalists, and concerns raised by the Government of Quebec.
If the company finds commercial deposits of oil and gas in the largely unexplored offshore area, it would spark a rush of exploration activity in the ecologically sensitive waters, raising concerns about the impact on fish stocks, whales and other marine life that teem in the warm, relatively shallow waters.
The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board is expected to rule this week in favour of Corridor’s application for a low-intensity seismic program to survey marine life and the sea floor in the “Old Harry” field – a critical step before it can seek a drilling licence from the offshore regulatory board.
The push to open the Gulf of St. Lawrence to drilling comes in the wake of BP PLC’s massive oil spill at a well in the Gulf of Mexico, which spewed 60,000 barrels of oil a day and shut down the fishery for three months, with untold long-term damage. The BP spill has raised concerns about energy development in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Quebec has declared a two-year moratorium on exploration activity in its Gulf of St. Lawrence jurisdiction – despite estimates that the amount of oil and gas in the field would supply the province for 25 years – and it has urged Newfoundland to proceed with caution and regard to environmental concerns.
Corridor has conducted two seismic programs of the Old Harry area, and is encouraged by the results. The company has a producing gas well in New Brunswick and exploration properties, both onshore and offshore, throughout Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
- - - -SNIP - - -
“The reaction isn’t completely surprising,” said Christian Vanasse, a comedian who is now a prominent opponent of shale gas. “The white francophones who live in this valley are living with what the natives up north have been putting up with for years. As long as Hydro-Québec was flooding vast distant lands, we didn’t give a shit and thought we were green.
“There must be Indians who are laughing their asses off at us right now.”
With a report from Rhéal Séguin in Quebec City
More related to this story (Links are on website)
Guidelines issued for Arctic offshore drilling review
Drillers to face tougher obstacles
Experts question BP's take on Gulf oil spill
Relief wells urged in offshore drilling
Few firms disclose environmental practices
Canada to monitor Arctic drill sites
Spill halted, Enbridge’s reputation sullied
If there’s an oil spill, who’s at risk? Canadian taxpayers
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Environmental hearings into energy 'game changer' begin in Quebec
http://thetyee.ca/CanadianPress/2010/10 ... -Hearings/
Andy Blatchford, Today, Canadian Press October 3, 2010
MONTREAL - Environmental hearings begin in Quebec on Monday into the risks of tapping a 5,000-square-kilometre energy source one federal document calls an energy "game changer."
The public hearings could be raucous given that tempers have already flared over Quebec's push to exploit natural gas reservoirs buried under the St. Lawrence River lowlands.
The proposed endeavour to unlock gas from the shale has ignited boisterous protests in recent weeks and made international headlines, including an article in The Economist magazine.
Quebecers concerned about potential environmental impacts have crammed public information sessions to grill industry leaders.
But government and industry players say the reservoirs are too lucrative to pass up. In just a few years, companies have leased the entire region.
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/CanadianPress/2010/10 ... -Hearings/
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MUST WATCH: EnCana Buries Hydraulic Fracturing Pit Sludge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZijSwab ... re=related
DivideWatch | May 17, 2009
Twenty-three days after EnCana completed hydraulic fracturing operations on the F11E, the liner is removed, some of the sludge is pumped out and the remainder - perhaps 70 barrels or more - is dozed in.
The pad overlies a spring that often surfaces here. It is fed by a shallow groundwater aquifer that supplies water to West Divide Creek and a family's private water well located maybe 200 yards away. An irrigation ditch is located approximately 30 feet from the East end of the pit.
- - - -SNIP - - -
For over a year, at www.journeyoftheforsaken.com, I've been documenting EnCana's aggressive and irresponsible development of 60 natural gas wells around our home and the infamous area of the 2004 West Divide Creek natural gas blowout.
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Fracked: Barnett Shale drilling chemicals found in blood and organs
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/9/26/905373/
-Fracked:-Barnett-Shale-drilling-chemicals-found-in-blood-and-organs
by TXsharon Sun Sep 26, 2010 at 08:39:09 AM PDT
Bob and Lisa were told by their doctor to move out of their home within 48 hours because it was too dangerous for them to stay after they were diagnosed with drilling chemicals in their blood and organs.
Flight for survival
http://www.wcmessenger.com/news/content/
EklVEZEyuVBmtmajzo.php
Toxic emissions force family to leave home By Brandon Evans
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Council delivers message to Ontario Energy Board on
Fracking
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=314
This coming Thursday and Friday the Council of Canadians will be participating in an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) Stakeholder Conference in Toronto. The conference provides a forum to discuss recent developments in North American natural gas supply markets and the implications for the Ontario natural gas sector.
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Property devalued 75%! Where's your "Drill, Baby, drill" now?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/9/19/903261/
-Property-devalued-75!-Wheres-your-Drill,-Baby,-drill-now
by TXsharon Sun Sep 19, 2010 at 11:01:30 AM PDT
Natural gas drilling causes 75% property value loss
Drilling can dig into land value
Saturday, September 18, 2010, By Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe
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Some fresh water disappears down a hole in ‘fracking’
http://whyy.org/cms/news/health-science/2010/09/29/
some-fresh-water-disappears-down-a-hole-in-%E2%80%98fracking%E2%80%99/46978
by: Patrick Cobbs pcobbs@whyy.org Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
The natural gas drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, injects fresh water deep into a hole in the earth.
At least 80 percent of that water never comes back; no one is keeping close track of just how much fresh water is lost nationally due to fracking.
Some of the water that does return to the surface is brackish or contaminated. Often, that wastewater is reused in fracking. Sometimes, it gets reinjected into the earth, to be sequestered.
Thanks to the 2005 energy law, the federal Environmental Protection Agency does not regulate fracking in production wells.
"In this case what you’re doing is you’re taking renewable water and you’re sort of making it effectively non-renewable." - Meena Palaniappan, Director of the International Water and Communities Initiative for the Pacific Institute.
The only way EPA gets involved in fracking is when water contaminated in the process gets reinjected into the earth for disposal. EPA has long regulated the use of injection wells to bury underground wastewater from industrial processes.
Doug Duncan of the U.S. Geological Survey says that, as energy companies crank up major drilling across the multistate Marcellus Shale deposit, including Pennsylvania, it may be time to take a comprehensive look at how much fresh water is lost in the fracking process. Duncan: I don’t know that that has been evaluated. It’s undoubtedly a very large quantity. It’s definitely a fair question.
MORE:
http://whyy.org/cms/news/health-science/2010/09/29/
some-fresh-water-disappears-down-a-hole-in-%E2%80%98fracking%E2%80%99/46978
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Marcellus Shale fight takes new turn with pipeline mandate
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/
104134903.html?cmpid=15585797
01 Oct 2010
More than the drinking water has become poisonous in Susquehanna County. In a sharp rebuke of one of the state's biggest Marcellus Shale gas drillers, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on Thursday ordered an $11.8 million pipeline built to deliver water to 18 rural residences in Dimock Township whose household wells are contaminated by natural gas. In response, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., the Texas driller whose wells the state blames for the pollution, denounced the decision as "unfounded, irrational, and capricious" and accused DEP Secretary John Hanger of "obvious political pandering
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MUST LISTEN: Pavillion Water Problems
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wpr/
news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1704989
WYOMING (wpr) - For years now, people living amid the natural gas fields east of town have complained about foul smelling and discolored water. They've also claimed to experience unexplained health problems, from respiratory difficulties to neurological issues. Late last month, federal officials said that residents shouldn't drink or cook with water from 41 area wells.
Wyoming Public Radio's Molly Messick has this story about what's next for Pavillion.
© Copyright 2010, wpr
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Gas drilling technique sparks fears in Michigan
http://www.detnews.com/article/20101004/BIZ/10040329/
Gas-drilling-technique-sparks-fears-in-Michigan
Jim Lynch / The Detroit News Last Updated: October 04. 2010 1:00AM
[ NOTE: Click on Interactive Tabs:
The Process; Safeguarding Groundwater; Potential Problems ]
Michigan could be on the verge of a new and, possibly, risky era in underground exploration as companies jockey to cash in on the state's natural gas resources.
At the end of this month, oil and gas rights for 452,000 acres of state land across the northwestern Lower Peninsula will be auctioned off. A similar auction held in May generated $178.4 million for Michigan's Natural Resources Trust Fund, which state law designates as the recipient of all proceeds.
The surge of interest in Michigan's natural gas supplies is the result of a new twist on an old drilling technique -- one that has made natural gas production more cost-effective but has raised fears among environmental groups here and around the country.
Hydraulic fracturing has been used to harvest natural gas for decades in Michigan with few reported problems. By pumping a water/chemical mix vertically into shale formations beneath the surface at high pressure, the rock structures are fractured, allowing natural gas to flow and be pumped back to the surface.
Now, firms have found that by drilling much deeper vertically, and then drilling several thousand additional feet horizontally and using more water, they can unleash natural gas that previously wasn't harvestable.
Recent hydraulic fracturing in several states using this new approach has been linked to environmental problems, and concerns in Michigan include:
• The migration of gases and fracturing fluids into water supplies and sensitive areas.
• The millions of gallons of water needed for the process could deplete ecosystems.
• The handling and storage of wastewater from the process, known as "fracking fluid."
Industry officials and many government regulators say those problems can be tied to human error or failure to adhere to best practices -- not the hydraulic fracturing process itself.
Some conservationists ask: What's the difference? If state and federal regulations are unable to compel compliance that prevents harm to the environment, they say, then the process really is a problem.
"This drilling is not only deeper, it also uses substantially more fresh water ... and chemicals," the Michigan Environmental Council warns on its website. "There are many unknowns with respect to the environmental and long-term impacts."
MORE:
http://www.detnews.com/article/20101004/BIZ/10040329/
Gas-drilling-technique-sparks-fears-in-Michigan
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Pa. Environmental Agency Butts Heads With Gas Drilling Company Over Town’s Water Woes
http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/
pa.-environmental-agency-and-gas-drilling-company-butt-heads-over-dimocks-
by Marian Wang ProPublica, Oct. 1, 11:06 a.m
Dimock resident Julie Sautner, seen in her basement with water from her filtration system, flushed her toilet one day to find a rush of earth-brown water. Tests showed her drinking water was high in aluminum, iron and methane. (Abrahm Lustgarten/ProPublica)
Residents of Dimock, Pa., whose water woes [1] have [2] been [3] widely [4] chronicled [5] as a prime example of the hidden costs of natural gas drilling, will get a safe and permanent water supply to replace their methane-contaminated wells, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced Thursday.
For about two years, Cabot Oil & Gas, a natural gas drilling company, has supplied drinking water [6] to some Dimock residents after several private drinking wells were found to be contaminated with methane, the main component of natural gas. A few wells have exploded. The Pennsylvania DEP has said that Cabot is responsible for the problems and announced intentions to bill the company for the cost of an $11.8 million plan to construct a new public water line [7] to serve these residents.
"We have had people here in Pennsylvania without safe drinking water for nearly two years," said John Hanger, head of Pennsylvania's DEP. "That is totally unacceptable. It is reprehensible. We have given Cabot every opportunity to resolve this matter."
MORE:
http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/
pa.-environmental-agency-and-gas-drilling-company-butt-heads-over-dimocks-
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MORE FRACKING NEWS:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=31
FRACKING NEWS
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FRACKING NEWS
by Oscar » Tue Oct 05, 2010 12:23 pm
Last edited by Oscar on Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:33 pm, edited 4 times in total.
- Oscar
- Site Admin
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FRACKING NEWS - October 13, 2010
by Oscar » Wed Oct 13, 2010 12:41 pm
FRACKING NEWS - October 13, 2010
1. Fracture Lines: Will Canada's Water be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?
2. 'Our Water, Our Lives' rally - Tell the McGuinty Government to protect our water!
3. 24/7 LESS PEACE IN THE PEACE (6.239 MB, pdf file)
4. Council of Canadians to OEB: watch out for fracking
5. Montreal chapter holds event on fracking
6. Shale gas firms face fierce Quebec battle
7. Oilsands Quest Provides Results and Webcast of Annual General Meeting
8. Analysis: Shale Gas Drilling Techniques Revolutionize Oil Shale Drilling [ See website for graphics ]
9. Gas drilling has blighted my life
10. Regulators voice concerns at Marcellus shale conference
11. Scientists share gas industry concerns
12. Fracking fluid leak may reach 30 miles
13. Philly academy study finds gas drilling threatens streams
14. Early study shows dense drilling impacts watersheds
15. Fracking Congress: Gas Industry Battles Against New Federal Rules
16. Congressmen Who Oppose Federal Regs on Fracking
17. Go Slowly: Pennsylvania's experience calls for cautious approach to hydrofracking in New York
18. Follow Wyoming on Fracking Regs
=================
1. Fracture Lines: Will Canada's Water be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?
THURSDAY Oct. 14, 2010
Toronto University Conference on Hydraulic Fracturing in Canada
LIVE WEB CAST - 9AM Toronto time
http://hosting.epresence.tv/MUNK/1/live/161.aspx
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2. 'Our Water, Our Lives' rally - Tell the McGuinty Government to protect our water!
Start: Oct 14 2010 - 12:00pm
End: Oct 14 2010 - 1:00pm
Location(s) Queen's Park Toronto, ON Canada
See map: Google Maps
"Our Water, Our Lives" - Tell the McGuinty Government to protect our water!
Maude Barlow, Council of Canadians | Debbe Crandall, STORM | Josh Garfinkel, Earthroots Fred Hahn, CUPE | Stephen Ogden, Site 41 activist | Jane Zednick, SOCM | and more
We are feeling the effects of the global water crisis in Ontario. Loopholes and a lack of regulatory willpower have left even the Oak Ridges Moraine hurting from water shortages. People are mobilizing to protect their water from the developers and Big Industry that have unlimited access to the government and unlimited funds to get what they want.
IT'S ABOUT TO GET WORSE!
Under the guise of "modernization," the McGuinty government is dismantling the very tools that allow communities to protect their water. The government is handing a rubber approval stamp to the industries they are supposed to be regulating and we will have:
NO WARNING NO RECOURSE NO RIGHT OF APPEAL NO PROTECTION
BRING YOUR WATER!
Bring a litre of the water that you and your family drink and present it at Queen's Park along with your fellow citizens. Let's send a clear message to those that would harm, take or fail to protect "OUR WATER, OUR LIVES"
For more information:
dcrandall@stormcoalition.org
ww.stormcoalition.org
905 841-9200 ext 121
joshg@earthroots.org
www.earthroots.org
(416) 599-0152 ext 15
mark@canadians.org
www.canadians.org
(416) 979-5554
=================
3. 24/7 LESS PEACE IN THE PEACE (6.239 MB, pdf file)
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-Talisman-Oct13-2010.pdf
RECENT PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY OF TALISMAN ENERGY
INC.’s FRACKING OPERATIONS NORTH OF HUDSON’S HOPE,
BRITISH COLUMBIA
September 30 - October 3, 2010
Photos and Text by Will Koop, B.C. Tap Water Alliance
October 13, 2010
Website:
www.bctwa.org/FrackingBC.html
Email: info@bctwa.org
In this 44-page document, readers should consider three key questions:
1. Can the planet afford to burn British Columbia’s (BC’s) shale gas?
2. Should the citizens of BC allow the shale gas industry to enclose/destroy and privatize the Commons’ lands and waters?
3. If we decide that we can afford to burn BC’s shale gas, what is the public’s “fair share” of industry’s revenues?
MORE:
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-Talisman-Oct13-2010.pdf
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4. Council of Canadians to OEB: watch out for fracking
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=320
October 7, 2010
Today I joined Council of Canadians Board Member Steven Shrybman and Lisa Sumi, Science and Research Director with EARTHWORKs at an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) consultation.
The consultation assists board-staff consideration of options for better regulating the provincial natural gas sector. To begin this process, the OEB commissioned a report from ICF International to review the North American market.
When Steven received and shared a copy of this report with me and Mark Calzavara, Ontario-Quebec Regional Organizer, we immediately noted the role that shale is predicted to play in meeting Ontario and North American gas needs:
“The development of shale gas resources is a “game changer” for the North American natural gas market. Even though it is relatively new, shale gas has already become a significant component of total production, accounting for 13 percent of the North American gas supply in 2009. By 2020, shale gas is projected to grow…and account for over 30 percent of the total supply.” (ICF 2010 Natural Gas Market Review, p. 7).
This is disturbing.
After all, the shale gas boom in the U.S. is generating serious public concern. We’ve been monitoring this growing concern. There are dramatic examples such as residents living near fracked wells literally being able to light the water from their tap on fire as a result of methane contamination, that are being increasingly exposed in documentaries such as Gasland, and grassroots, community opposition.
It is the serious environmental and social concerns with shale gas development and fracking that informed our decision to participate in the OEB consultation. Lisa, an expert on fracking based in the U.S., wrote a report on our behalf for the OEB to expose the risks of fracking and encourage the Board to question reliance on shale gas for future supply needs.
This is just one way in which we are beginning to challenge shale gas development.
Today, Lisa gave a presentation to a packed room of OEB board, staff and other stakeholders including oil and gas industry. Her presentation gave an excellent overview of key concerns with fracking and regulatory initiatives underway in the U.S., focusing primarily on Marcellus shale.
We hope that our report influences the OEB’s perspective on shale gas development.
We also firmly believe that Canadians need to pay attention to the experiences of the shale gas boom in the U.S. which is spreading to Canada. There are significant reserves in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec as well as further potential in Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Here are some highlights.
A little bit of background information on fracking:
Fracking is a technique used to stimulate the production of oil and natural gas. Alongside the development of horizontally drilled wells, it has ushered in a boom of shale gas development in the U.S. that is increasingly spreading to Canada. Wells are sunk five to eight thousand feet deep into the ground using a steel pipe, known as casing. Companies perforate the casing in the shale, injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the well at high pressures, typically ten to fifteen thousand pounds per square inch. This fluid goes into the shale formation and eventually causes the formation to crack under the pressure. The release of this pressure allows fluids flow back up the well, and the sand is left behind to prop open the fractures.
There is a host of impacts related to fracking.
Water requirements:
There is a difference between conventional natural gas and fracking for shale when it comes to water requirements. A typical shale gas well in the Marcellus region might require one to ten million gallons water which is five to one hundred times more then a conventional well would use. It has been reported that shale wells in BC’s Horn River Basin may require as much as 26 million gallons of water to frack a single horizontal well.
Huge water withdrawals are a concern for people regionally. There are concerns about the impacts on aquatic systems, surface water depletion, and disruption of natural flow regime, some impacts have already been felt. This past summer in Pennsylvania, water levels were so low in some of the tributaries of the Susquehanna River, that regulators were forced to shut down some of the natural gas industry’s water withdrawals.
The potential trucking in of massive amounts of water also raises localized air quality and traffic concerns – the transportation of a million gallons of water to fracture a well is estimated to require 200 truck trips.
This heavy use of water required during the exploratory and fracking stage is particularly disturbing given that close to half of a fracked well’s production is achieved in the first few years of a typical ten to fifteen year life cycle per fracked well. This means that more wells need to be drilled to keep up production. The Marcellus shale is predicted by the ICF report to include the drilling of 1200 wells, per year.
Chemical exposures:
A four billion gallon frack job requires 80 tons or 200,000 gallons of chemicals to move through communities, requires storage and presents potential spill consequences.
There is currently a lot of debate over whether fracking can create pathways for methane or chemicals to migrate to ground water. Recent cases in Pennsylvania have seen methane transportation into homes leading to explosions and methane and chemicals such as benzene contaminating nearby drinking water. Fracking fluid can also find pathways to the surface through old wells. In Pennsylvania, Cabot oil and gas has been required to provide a fresh water supply to more than a dozen homes where water has been contaminated.
There are two types of fluid wastes that need to be managed by operators, fracking fluids that flow back into the well, and produced water generated after the initial surge of wastewater. The management of this water poses significant challenges to the industry. Recent chemical analyses of flowback from Marcellus wells in Pennsylvania revealed high concentrations (i.e., at levels exceeding water quality standards) of volatile organic compounds like benzene, semi-volatile compounds such as naphthalene and radioactive substances such as radium.
This poses environmental and health risks.
Air emissions from waste impoundments – waste water is typically stored in open pits – have raised serious concerns with local air quality. For example, there are stories coming from Colorado, Texas and Pennsylvania of people living near waste impoundments experiencing a host of illnesses. Research by Dr. Theo Colborn has found that eighty percent of fracking chemicals in her database are associated with skin, eye and respiratory harm, 75 percent with harm to the gastrointestinal system, and 50 percent with brain and nervous system effects.
In response to these very serious environmental and health concerns, there is a range of regulatory changes underway in the U.S. both on a state and federal level that threaten to make shale gas a “game changer” of a different sort.
For example, there are currently no wells being drilled in the New York portion of the Marcellus shale reservoir. There is a moratorium in place while the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation reviews impacts, particularly the potential to contaminate New York City water supply. In Pennsylvania a severance tax is before the senate which threatens to spur a decline in the growth of gas production. Regulations regarding water discharge standards, air quality standards and an obligation to reveal what chemicals are being used by the industry (currently considered propriety in most areas) also threaten to raise costs for industry and impact predicted growth.
In conclusion, Lisa argued that there are many regulatory uncertainties around shale gas and the OEB needs to consider these uncertainties in planning its policies and regulations in the coming years. A lively question and answer session followed with a number of interesting and challenging questions being posed to the authors of the ICF report, based on Lisa’s evidence.
OEB staff thanked the Council and Lisa for the helpful study. Certainly, had we not intervened, it is unlikely these important arguments would have been shared. We will be following up with a written submission to the Board in the coming weeks.
= = = =
Council of Canadians submits Report on Fracking to the
Ontario Energy Board
http://www.canadians.org/energy/index.html
Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a method of extracting unconventional natural gas from ‘tight’ impermeable rock formations, found under our soil. Fracking poses serious environmental and social risks. The Council of Canadians is bringing this message to the Ontario Energy Board (OEB).
In a report prepared for the OEB the boom in unconventional natural gas resources, particularly shale gas, is being predicted as a significant source for the North American market – over 30 per cent of total supply by 2020. Lisa Sumi, Science and Research Advisor for EARTHWORKS and expert on the impacts of fracking and natural gas drilling, has prepared a report on behalf of the Council of Canadians for the OEB Stakeholder Conference, October 7th-8th. The report argues that the extraction of natural gas from shales has not only been a game changer with respect to the North American natural gas supply outlook, it’s raised public awareness with respect to serious environmental concerns which is spurring regulations that may ultimately slow the growth of shale gas development and predicted supply in Ontario.
BLOG: Council delivers message to Ontario Energy Board on Fracking, Andrea Harden-Donahue, Energy and Climate Justice Campaigner for the Council of Canadians, October 1, 2010
Read the report here.
To read Council of Canadians blogs about fracking,
go to website.
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Alberta firm eyes Ontario's untapped shale gas
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/
782552--alberta-firm-eyes-ontario-s-untapped-shale-gas
By Tyler Hamilton Energy and Technology Columnist
Published On Sat Mar 20 2010 Toronto Star
[ SEE: MAP on website ]
A junior oil and gas company from Alberta has been quietly scooping up land rights in southwestern Ontario, part of an audacious plan to bring Alberta-style exploration to the birthplace of Canada's petroleum industry.
Consider it a rebirth. Calgary-based Mooncor Oil & Gas Corp. wants to develop a resource in Ontario that has been largely overlooked by its rivals: shale gas.
As the rest of the industry rushes to develop shale-gas projects in the prolific Marcellus shale deposits of the U.S. northeast and the Utica shales of Quebec, Mooncor is gaining a solid foothold in Ontario.
It has already locked up nearly 23,000 acres (9.30776 hecatres) of land in Lambton and Kent counties and is preparing to spin off a separate company called DRGN Resources that will focus its efforts on both conventional and unconventional gas drilling.
"We're going to come in with more sophisticated rotary tool systems and advanced logging tools to help us better quantify the resource," said Mooncor chief executive Darrell Brown, who is aiming to consolidate the province's poorly financed "ma and pa" operators that, in his view, have left good value in the ground.
It may sound like a risky strategy, but the potential payoff is real. Tony Hamblin, a petroleum geologist with Natural Resources Canada, said Ontario represents a ripe opportunity that has been largely overlooked.
MORE:
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/
782552--alberta-firm-eyes-ontario-s-untapped-shale-gas
==================
5. Montreal chapter holds event on fracking
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4921
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
The Concordian reports that, “Several weeks ago, Sharron Cimon gave little thought to the shale gas industry. …Last week she made the trip from (her home in) Saint-Herménégilde (in the Eastern Townships) to Concordia, where the Council of Canadians held a meeting on shale gas extraction in Quebec.”
Cimon lives in an area that has been identified as the latest site for natural gas exploration.
“Featured (at the chapter event) was speaker Kim Cornelissen, vice-president of the Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique. A former politician, Cornelissen took up issue with the gas industry when it landed in her village of Saint-Marc sur Richelieu on the south shore. Like most critics, Cornelissen is worried about the industry practice of hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking.’ She says this technique for creating gas wells threatens polluting underground water pockets. High volumes of water and sand are blasted into the earth along with chemical additives, the identity of which Cornelissen says are closely guarded as trade secrets.”
As noted in the Montreal Gazette event listings, the Council of Canadians-Montreal chapter meeting took place on Wednesday October 6 at 7 p.m. at 1450 Guy St., Room 206.
The Concordian article is at
http://www.theconcordian.com/news/
shale-gas-concerns-bring-citizens-to-concordia-1.1675614.
More on fracking in Quebec can be read at
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4622.
This evening the Montreal chapter will co-sponsor a screening of Water on the Table at 7 pm at Concordia University, Room H-110, 1455 de Maisonneuve West. Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow will be in attendance at the screening.
=================
6. Shale gas firms face fierce Quebec battle
http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Shale+firms+face+fierce+Quebec+battle/3653066/story.html
Residents fear for environment in 'gold rush'
By Clement Sabourin, Agence France-Presse October 11, 2010 8:24 AM
Natural gas was only discovered beneath the shores of Canada's scenic Saint Lawrence seaway two years ago, but already locals fear a "gold rush" by energy companies thirsting to drill.
At a recent town hall meeting to unveil their natural gas development plans, industry representatives were heckled by an angry mob concerned mostly for the environment. "Your objective . . . is money," the crowd cried.
"Companies are doing like people did during the gold rush in the 1850s in California. They arrive and say 'We're home,'" said Gerard Montpetit.
He is one of the 600 residents of St-Hyacinthe and surrounding communities, 50 kilometres east of Montreal, who attended the meeting meant to assuage fears.
For weeks, the elderly pensioner has travelled across the province to participate in debates on whether to allow the industry to drill wells in Canada's "beautiful province" in search of a wealth of natural gas.
At the St-Hyacinthe meeting, he was among the majority opposed to natural gas exploration in the province, railing against a campaign of "disinformation" at Quebecers.
The latest poll showed only 20 per cent of Quebecers support developing the resource.
Some are calling for the industry to be nationalized, while others want it stopped. Several denounced the secrecy surrounding the issue. And all point to the environmental risks, citing an example in Pennsylvania, where locals accused the natural gas industry of polluting groundwater.
Barely two years ago, shale natural gas was discovered in the clay 2,000 metres beneath the shores of the Saint Lawrence seaway between Montreal and Quebec City.
This summer, many in the valley began to notice strange reddish flames in the sky, coupled with loud detonations: exploration had begun pinpointing possible well locations.
More than 150 prospecting licences have been issued, including in the city of Montreal. Some 20 exploration wells have so far been drilled within 100 metres of a school, behind a farm, even in a corn field.
According to the industry, the deposits will assure Quebec's energy independence for the next century, with six billion cubic metres of natural gas extracted annually.
"Over 10 years, this will represent $2 billion of investment annually and 7,500 jobs," said Andre Caille, president of the Quebec Oil and Gas Association.
Until now, Quebec has never produced any hydrocarbons.
"We have a beautiful province, let's not mess it up," Marc Beaule told the town hall meeting.
MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Shale+firms+face+fierce+Quebec+battle/3653066/story.html
===================
7. Oilsands Quest Provides Results and Webcast of Annual General Meeting
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/
oilsands-quest-provides-results-and-webcast-of-annual-general-meeting-104594304.html
CUSIP# 678046 10 3 Amex: BQI
CALGARY, Oct 8 /CNW/ - Oilsands Quest Inc. (NYSE Amex: BQI) ("Oilsands Quest" or the "Company") held its annual general meeting Thursday October 7, 2010 in Calgary.
The following directors were re-elected to the Board of Directors for a three year term until the Company's 2013 annual meeting: Brian MacNeill, Paul Ching and Ronald Phillips. The Board of Directors also includes Ronald Blakely, Christopher Hopkins, John Read, Gordon Tallman, Senator Pamela Wallin, and T. Murray Wilson. The shareholders also approved KPMG as auditors of the Company.
Mr. Brian MacNeill, Acting Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Ronald Blakely, Chairman of the Board, provided an update on operations and the status of the review of strategic alternatives now underway at Oilsands Quest, including the Company's current liquidity situation and efforts to secure near-term liquidity.
An audio recording of the proceedings of the meeting with the slide presentation and question and answer session is available on the Company's website at
www.oilsandsquest.com.
About Oilsands Quest
Oilsands Quest Inc. (www.oilsandsquest.com) is exploring and developing oil sands permits and licences, located in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and developing Saskatchewan's first global-scale oil sands discovery. It is leading the establishment of the province of Saskatchewan's emerging oil sands industry.
For further information:
Garth Wong
Chief Financial Officer
Email: ir@oilsandsquest.com
Investor Line: 1-877-718-8941
= = = = =
MORE INFO: Oilsands Quest and the Pasquia Hills, SK
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=948
MORE INFO: FRACKING:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/
viewforum.php?f=31&sid=58c160aa6864b4a259e72a18e7c7dcb7
===================
8. Analysis: Shale Gas Drilling Techniques Revolutionize Oil Shale Drilling [ See website for graphics ]
http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=99693
Rigzone Staff Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Evergreen, Colo.-based BENTEK Energy reports that horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, which has revolutionized U.S. shale gas production and other unconventional plays, is also transforming the domestic crude oil industry. As a result, U.S. oil production is on the rise for the first time in 23 years.
In its new report, The Rush to Unconventional Oil, BENTEK notes that technologies are being used to unlock oil from shales in a number of plays such as the Bakken and Niobrara shales in the Rockies region, the Bone Springs/Wolfberry, Granite Wash and Eagle Ford plays in and around Texas and the liquids-rich shales in the southwestern Marcellus.
The most explosive growth is occurring in the Bakken shale in North Dakota, where production has grown 79 percent in the past year, or 114,000 b/d, compared to the five-year average of 144,000 b/d, boosting North Dakota past Louisiana as the nation's fourth largest oil producing state. As a result, the project for Rockies oil production based on the current rig count indicates 19 percent growth next year to 717,000 b/d. The U.S. Geological Survey now estimates that the Bakken formation contains 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil, a 25-fold increase from the 151 million barrels of oil the agency estimated in 1995.
MORE:
http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=99693
===================
9. Gas drilling has blighted my life
http://www.hcn.org/hcn/wotr/gas-drillin ... ed-my-life
We need energy -- but not at the cost of clean water
Essay - October 12, 2010 by Louis Meeks
My wife, Donna, and I have lived for 32 years on our ranch in Pavillion, Wyo., a lush agricultural area surrounded by the Wind River and Owl Creek mountains. In this dry region, we’re lucky to have an irrigation district that delivers clean water from the Wind River to the several hundred farmers and ranchers in the area.
We’ve worked hard to develop this place, raise our two kids and tend to our cattle and horses. I’m a Vietnam vet and Donna works in our local school district. At this stage in life, I thought I’d have time to enjoy our 4-year-old granddaughter as she learns how to ride a horse like her granddad does.
Instead, I’m watching everything we’ve worked for poisoned by the oil and gas industry. I’m even reluctant to have my grandchild visit because of the chemical contamination in our water, soil and air.
MORE:
http://www.hcn.org/hcn/wotr/gas-drillin ... ed-my-life
=================
10. Regulators voice concerns at Marcellus shale conference
http://www.pennenergy.com/index/petrole ... 811511728/
articles/oil-gas-journal/general-interest-2/2010/10/regulators-voice_concerns.html
Nick Snow OGJ Washington Editor
STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Oct. 11 -- Producers and government officials should anticipate potential problems with shale gas development and be prepared to respond to them, participants on two panels said Oct. 11 at the 2010 Marcellus Summit in State College, Pa. This involves issues beyond hydraulic fracturing, they emphasized.
“While I've seen that many operators are stepping up to the plate with voluntary control programs, we still have worker deaths and natural gas migration problems,” said Scott R. Perry, director of the Bureau of Oil and Gas Management within Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection.
“Wells on their way to the Marcellus shale have encountered gas at shallower levels with drilling string and cement that couldn't contain it. We just can't let gas migrate without doing something about it.”
MORE: http://www.pennenergy.com/index/petroleum/display/
7811511728/articles/oil-gas-journal/general-interest-2/2010/10/regulators-voice_concerns.html
=================
11. Scientists share gas industry concerns
http://www.sungazette.com/page/content. ... id/554796/
Scientists-share-gas-industry-concerns.html?nav=5011
October 9, 2010 - By DAVID THOMPSON - dthompson@sungazette.com
If the Marcellus gas industry did everything it should to make sure natural gas development is "done right," that still would not be good enough for Dr. Anthony Ingraffia.
Ingraffia, a Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering and Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow at Cornell University and Dr. Michel C. Boufadel, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Temple University, discussed shale gas development before a large crowd Friday at Lycoming College.
Their presentations were co-sponsored by the college's Clean Water Institute and local gas industry watchdog group the Responsible Drilling Alliance, Ingraffia presented a hypothetical letter he wrote but said he wished the gas industry had sent to the citizens of Pennsylvania three years ago.
In that letter, the "industry" made a series of promises regarding how it would responsibly develop natural gas in the state.
Those promises included funding emergency responder training, funding treatment facilities needed to treat industry wastwater, being transparent well in advance about plans for wells, pipelines and compressor stations, reforesting woodlands, paying a severance tax, adhering to state regulations and not polluting fresh water supplies.
It also included a promise to put 1 percent of gas revenue into an emergency fund to pay for remediation measures should calamities occur.
Even if the industry did all the things listed in his hypothetical letter, Ingraffia said he would say "no thanks" to it.
Ingraffia discussed the composition of water that returns to the well head after the
hydrofracturing process. That water is very salty and contains metals and other materials, some of which are very toxic, he said.
MORE:
http://www.sungazette.com/page/content. ... id/554796/
Scientists-share-gas-industry-concerns.html?nav=5011
======================
12. Fracking fluid leak may reach 30 miles
http://www.sungazette.com/page/content. ... 54795.html
October 9, 2010 - By PHILIP A. HOLMES - pholmes@sungazette.com
HUGHESVILLE - Route 220 from Main Street to Lime Bluff Road was closed for much of Friday after borough police stopped a low-boy trailer that was leaking an undetermined amount of noncorrosive frack fluid, according to Police Chief Jason Gill.
The spill may extend as far east as 30 miles or more into Columbia County along Route 118, Gill said.
Unbeknowst to the driver, the fluid was leaking from one of about a dozen 100-gallon containers on a trailer that was en route to Williamsport from Dimock, Gill said.
The 911 center was alerted to the leak as the trucker was making his way into the borough, and Gill caught up with it shortly after it turned off Main Street on to Route 220 South. The officer stopped the truck at Broad Street about noon.
The containers on the trailer were secured by straps, and one of the straps broke, Gill said. "When it did, a hook on the strap punctured one of the containers," he said, calling the incident "a freak accident."
The trailer is owned by Frac Tech Services of Williamsport, Gill said.
"They have been very professional, and they were very quick to respond with a team to help with the clean-up effort," Gill said of the company.
The state Department of Transportation and Minuteman Towing and Repairs Inc. also had several personnel assisting with recovering the liquid.
"It's not hazardous at all until it mixes with water, then it becomes as slippery as ice," Gill explained, adding that the clean-up crews want to get the substance off the road as soon as possible.
MORE:
http://www.sungazette.com/page/content. ... 54795.html
===============
13. Philly academy study finds gas drilling threatens streams
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/
20101012_Philly_academy_study_finds_gas_drilling_threatens_streams.html
By Sandy Bauers Inquirer Staff Writer
A preliminary study by Academy of Natural Sciences researchers suggests that even without spills or other accidents, drilling for natural gas in Pennsylvania's rich Marcellus Shale formation could degrade nearby streams.
The researchers compared watersheds where there was no or little drilling to watersheds where there was a high density of drilling, and found significant changes.
Water conductivity, an indicator of contamination by salts that are a component of drilling wastewater, was almost twice as high in streams with high-density drilling.
Populations of salamanders and aquatic insects, animals sensitive to pollution, were 25 percent lower in streams with the most drilling activity.
An industry spokesman declined to comment on the findings.
The researchers at the academy, the nation's oldest natural-science research center and a leader in stream biology, emphasized that their study was not looking at drilling accidents or other irregularities, but whether - and if so, at what point - drilling posed a potential for harm.
David Velinsky, vice president of the academy's Patrick Center for Environmental Research, said of the early findings: "This suggests there is indeed a threshold at which drilling - regardless of how it is practiced - will have a significant impact on an ecosystem."
A certain number of well pads in a given area "might be OK," he said. "Conversely, it may not be OK."
MORE:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/
20101012_Philly_academy_study_finds_gas_drilling_threatens_streams.html
==================
14. Early study shows dense drilling impacts watersheds
http://thedailyreview.com/news/
early-study-shows-dense-drilling-impacts-watersheds-1.1048076
BY LAURA LEGERE (TIMES-SHAMROCK WRITER) Published: October 13, 2010
A preliminary study of Susquehanna County watersheds has found that high-density Marcellus Shale gas drilling might degrade streams regardless of how carefully that drilling is done.
The tentative findings were released by researchers with the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia on Tuesday to demonstrate the need for studies of the long-term and cumulative impacts of deep-gas drilling on watersheds - an area largely devoid of research despite the rapid expansion of Marcellus Shale gas extraction in the state.
The preliminary study conducted this summer by Academy researchers and a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania looked at small watersheds in and around Dimock Twp., an epicenter of shale drilling in the region.
Scientists compared water quality and the presence of environmentally sensitive insects and salamanders in nine similar watersheds, three of which had no drilling, three some drilling and three a high density of drilling.
The watersheds with high-density drilling - defined as four to eight wells per square kilometer - had significant impacts on all measures compared to those with little or no drilling, the researchers found.
Water conductivity - a measure of the dissolved salts and metals in the stream and a potential indicator of the presence of gas drilling wastewater - was almost twice as high in the streams in high-density areas than those in areas with little or no drilling.
In the high-density sites, the number of both sensitive insects and salamanders were reduced by 25 percent.
The findings were first reported Tuesday by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
"The data suggest, on one hand, that you could have a certain level of drilling and be OK," said Dr. David Velinsky, vice president of the Academy's Patrick Center for Environmental Research. "But if you get to a watershed where you have tons of these well pads and the associated infrastructure, you'll see some change in the ecosystem health."
A spokesman for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group, said the organization does not comment "on preliminary, non-peer reviewed, unreleased 'studies' that we have not even had the opportunity to examine."
MORE:
http://thedailyreview.com/news/
early-study-shows-dense-drilling-impacts-watersheds-1.1048076
=====================
15. Fracking Congress: Gas Industry Battles Against New Federal Rules
http://www.capitolnewsconnection.org/news/
fracking-congress-gas-industry-battles-against-new-federal-rules
Manuel Quinones from Washington, DC CNC News | October 12, 2010
WASHINGTON -- "Fracking" has emerged as a major issue within the contentious Congressional maneuvering and debate over energy and climate legislation. And as the practice of “fracking” has expanded throughout the continent’s oil and gas industry, so have citizen complaints.
Residents around the country claim the fracking process may have led to drinking water contamination. And environmental groups are calling for stronger regulation at the national level. Meanwhile, Congress is deadlocked on a path forward.
Heavy Congressional lobbying
Like other parts of the fossil fuel production business, fracking-based gas recovery supports a growing number of jobs in states like Pennsylvania that are otherwise battling high levels of unemployment. Gas development also results in healthy profits for the many energy companies that invest heavily in Congressional lobbying activities.
In one recent move that served the industry's interest, sixteen members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote their chairman to oppose the passage of legislation that would promulgate new federal regulations on fracking. All sixteen have accepted significanty amounts of money from gas and oil interests during this electoral cycle (See contributions chart).
Fracking -- the nickname for hydraulic fracturing – involves pumping millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals deep into rock formations to break them apart and allow more gas to escape.
'Enormous' benefits
“It’s the only way that you can get the gas out of there and the benefits of the gas are enormous,” said Daniel Whitten with America’s Natural Gas Alliance, an industry group.
MORE:
http://www.capitolnewsconnection.org/news/
fracking-congress-gas-industry-battles-against-new-federal-rules
==================
16. Congressmen Who Oppose Federal Regs on Fracking
http://www.capitolnewsconnection.org/news/
congressmen-who-oppose-federal-regs-fracking
Manuel Quinones from Washington, DC CNC News | October 12, 2010
A number of U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee members are resisting new rules on the controversial gas-drilling practice called "fracking." The following lawmakers wrote committee leaders in support of state regulation -- rather than an overall federal regulation -- of hydraulic fracturing.
MORE:
http://www.capitolnewsconnection.org/news/
congressmen-who-oppose-federal-regs-fracking
=================
17. Go Slowly: Pennsylvania's experience calls for cautious approach to hydrofracking in New York
http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2010/10/post_91.html
Published: Monday, October 11, 2010, 5:00 AM
Developments in Dimock, Pa. — Ground Zero of the hydrofracking debate — make a strong case for New York to proceed cautiously on allowing the controversial drilling technique here.
Pennsylvania’s top environmental regulator recently announced plans to sue Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation unless it agrees to pay $11.8 million to extend a public water line to at least 18 residents whose water wells have been contaminated with methane gas.
Cabot argues “overwhelming scientific and historical proof that proves we were not the source of this methane migration.” Company officials further claim that it was “under duress” that they signed consent orders that accepted responsibility for the contamination.
The dispute is escalating beyond words. There are reports of Dimock residents greeting Cabot welltesters with guns; one resident recently was charged with disorderly conduct in such an incident.
Cabot, meanwhile, has hired armed guards to accompany employees onto residential properties.
The dispute in Dimock gets to the heart of the debate over the safety of the drilling process that involves injecting millions of gallons of chemical-laced water at high pressure to crack shale rock and release natural gas.
Opponents fiercely advocate for protecting the state’s precious watersheds. Environmental groups also point to studies that show chemicals used in hydrofracking can cause cancer and drilling sites on farms have resulted in stillbirths, low fertility and no milk production in livestock.
The drilling companies counter that these are hysteria-driven exaggerations, and say no causal link has been found between their drilling and purported negative incidents. They say the process is safe.
MORE:
http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2010/10/post_91.html
=================
18. Follow Wyoming on Fracking Regs
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/
follow_wyoming_on_fracking_regs_20101007/
Sunday 10 October 2010 by: David Sirota, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed
Frank Sinatra once said that if he could make it in New York, he could make it anywhere.
Thanks to new drilling rules, environmentalists can now say the same about Wyoming.
To review: Wyoming is as politically red and pro-fossil-fuel a place as exists in America.
Nicknamed the "Cowboy State" for its hostility to authority, the square swath of rangeland most recently made headlines when its tax department temporarily suspended levies at gun shows for fear of inciting an armed insurrection. The derrick-scarred home of oilman Dick Cheney, the state emits more carbon emissions per-capita than any other, and is as close as our country gets to an industry-owned energy colony.
So, to put it mildly, Wyoming is not known for its activist government or its embrace of green policies.
But that changed last month when Wyoming officials enacted first-in-the-nation regulations forcing energy companies to disclose the compounds they use in a drilling technique called "fracking."
From an ecological standpoint, fracking is inherently risky. Looking to pulverize gastrapping subterranean rock, drillers inject poisonous solvents into the ground -- and often right near groundwater supplies. That raises the prospect of toxins leaking into drinking water -- a frightening possibility that prompted Wyoming's regulatory move.
Indeed, state officials acted after learning that various local water sources were contaminated by carcinogens linked to fracking.
More:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/
follow_wyoming_on_fracking_regs_20101007/
1. Fracture Lines: Will Canada's Water be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?
2. 'Our Water, Our Lives' rally - Tell the McGuinty Government to protect our water!
3. 24/7 LESS PEACE IN THE PEACE (6.239 MB, pdf file)
4. Council of Canadians to OEB: watch out for fracking
5. Montreal chapter holds event on fracking
6. Shale gas firms face fierce Quebec battle
7. Oilsands Quest Provides Results and Webcast of Annual General Meeting
8. Analysis: Shale Gas Drilling Techniques Revolutionize Oil Shale Drilling [ See website for graphics ]
9. Gas drilling has blighted my life
10. Regulators voice concerns at Marcellus shale conference
11. Scientists share gas industry concerns
12. Fracking fluid leak may reach 30 miles
13. Philly academy study finds gas drilling threatens streams
14. Early study shows dense drilling impacts watersheds
15. Fracking Congress: Gas Industry Battles Against New Federal Rules
16. Congressmen Who Oppose Federal Regs on Fracking
17. Go Slowly: Pennsylvania's experience calls for cautious approach to hydrofracking in New York
18. Follow Wyoming on Fracking Regs
=================
1. Fracture Lines: Will Canada's Water be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?
THURSDAY Oct. 14, 2010
Toronto University Conference on Hydraulic Fracturing in Canada
LIVE WEB CAST - 9AM Toronto time
http://hosting.epresence.tv/MUNK/1/live/161.aspx
=============
2. 'Our Water, Our Lives' rally - Tell the McGuinty Government to protect our water!
Start: Oct 14 2010 - 12:00pm
End: Oct 14 2010 - 1:00pm
Location(s) Queen's Park Toronto, ON Canada
See map: Google Maps
"Our Water, Our Lives" - Tell the McGuinty Government to protect our water!
Maude Barlow, Council of Canadians | Debbe Crandall, STORM | Josh Garfinkel, Earthroots Fred Hahn, CUPE | Stephen Ogden, Site 41 activist | Jane Zednick, SOCM | and more
We are feeling the effects of the global water crisis in Ontario. Loopholes and a lack of regulatory willpower have left even the Oak Ridges Moraine hurting from water shortages. People are mobilizing to protect their water from the developers and Big Industry that have unlimited access to the government and unlimited funds to get what they want.
IT'S ABOUT TO GET WORSE!
Under the guise of "modernization," the McGuinty government is dismantling the very tools that allow communities to protect their water. The government is handing a rubber approval stamp to the industries they are supposed to be regulating and we will have:
NO WARNING NO RECOURSE NO RIGHT OF APPEAL NO PROTECTION
BRING YOUR WATER!
Bring a litre of the water that you and your family drink and present it at Queen's Park along with your fellow citizens. Let's send a clear message to those that would harm, take or fail to protect "OUR WATER, OUR LIVES"
For more information:
dcrandall@stormcoalition.org
ww.stormcoalition.org
905 841-9200 ext 121
joshg@earthroots.org
www.earthroots.org
(416) 599-0152 ext 15
mark@canadians.org
www.canadians.org
(416) 979-5554
=================
3. 24/7 LESS PEACE IN THE PEACE (6.239 MB, pdf file)
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-Talisman-Oct13-2010.pdf
RECENT PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY OF TALISMAN ENERGY
INC.’s FRACKING OPERATIONS NORTH OF HUDSON’S HOPE,
BRITISH COLUMBIA
September 30 - October 3, 2010
Photos and Text by Will Koop, B.C. Tap Water Alliance
October 13, 2010
Website:
www.bctwa.org/FrackingBC.html
Email: info@bctwa.org
In this 44-page document, readers should consider three key questions:
1. Can the planet afford to burn British Columbia’s (BC’s) shale gas?
2. Should the citizens of BC allow the shale gas industry to enclose/destroy and privatize the Commons’ lands and waters?
3. If we decide that we can afford to burn BC’s shale gas, what is the public’s “fair share” of industry’s revenues?
MORE:
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-Talisman-Oct13-2010.pdf
==================
4. Council of Canadians to OEB: watch out for fracking
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=320
October 7, 2010
Today I joined Council of Canadians Board Member Steven Shrybman and Lisa Sumi, Science and Research Director with EARTHWORKs at an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) consultation.
The consultation assists board-staff consideration of options for better regulating the provincial natural gas sector. To begin this process, the OEB commissioned a report from ICF International to review the North American market.
When Steven received and shared a copy of this report with me and Mark Calzavara, Ontario-Quebec Regional Organizer, we immediately noted the role that shale is predicted to play in meeting Ontario and North American gas needs:
“The development of shale gas resources is a “game changer” for the North American natural gas market. Even though it is relatively new, shale gas has already become a significant component of total production, accounting for 13 percent of the North American gas supply in 2009. By 2020, shale gas is projected to grow…and account for over 30 percent of the total supply.” (ICF 2010 Natural Gas Market Review, p. 7).
This is disturbing.
After all, the shale gas boom in the U.S. is generating serious public concern. We’ve been monitoring this growing concern. There are dramatic examples such as residents living near fracked wells literally being able to light the water from their tap on fire as a result of methane contamination, that are being increasingly exposed in documentaries such as Gasland, and grassroots, community opposition.
It is the serious environmental and social concerns with shale gas development and fracking that informed our decision to participate in the OEB consultation. Lisa, an expert on fracking based in the U.S., wrote a report on our behalf for the OEB to expose the risks of fracking and encourage the Board to question reliance on shale gas for future supply needs.
This is just one way in which we are beginning to challenge shale gas development.
Today, Lisa gave a presentation to a packed room of OEB board, staff and other stakeholders including oil and gas industry. Her presentation gave an excellent overview of key concerns with fracking and regulatory initiatives underway in the U.S., focusing primarily on Marcellus shale.
We hope that our report influences the OEB’s perspective on shale gas development.
We also firmly believe that Canadians need to pay attention to the experiences of the shale gas boom in the U.S. which is spreading to Canada. There are significant reserves in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec as well as further potential in Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Here are some highlights.
A little bit of background information on fracking:
Fracking is a technique used to stimulate the production of oil and natural gas. Alongside the development of horizontally drilled wells, it has ushered in a boom of shale gas development in the U.S. that is increasingly spreading to Canada. Wells are sunk five to eight thousand feet deep into the ground using a steel pipe, known as casing. Companies perforate the casing in the shale, injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the well at high pressures, typically ten to fifteen thousand pounds per square inch. This fluid goes into the shale formation and eventually causes the formation to crack under the pressure. The release of this pressure allows fluids flow back up the well, and the sand is left behind to prop open the fractures.
There is a host of impacts related to fracking.
Water requirements:
There is a difference between conventional natural gas and fracking for shale when it comes to water requirements. A typical shale gas well in the Marcellus region might require one to ten million gallons water which is five to one hundred times more then a conventional well would use. It has been reported that shale wells in BC’s Horn River Basin may require as much as 26 million gallons of water to frack a single horizontal well.
Huge water withdrawals are a concern for people regionally. There are concerns about the impacts on aquatic systems, surface water depletion, and disruption of natural flow regime, some impacts have already been felt. This past summer in Pennsylvania, water levels were so low in some of the tributaries of the Susquehanna River, that regulators were forced to shut down some of the natural gas industry’s water withdrawals.
The potential trucking in of massive amounts of water also raises localized air quality and traffic concerns – the transportation of a million gallons of water to fracture a well is estimated to require 200 truck trips.
This heavy use of water required during the exploratory and fracking stage is particularly disturbing given that close to half of a fracked well’s production is achieved in the first few years of a typical ten to fifteen year life cycle per fracked well. This means that more wells need to be drilled to keep up production. The Marcellus shale is predicted by the ICF report to include the drilling of 1200 wells, per year.
Chemical exposures:
A four billion gallon frack job requires 80 tons or 200,000 gallons of chemicals to move through communities, requires storage and presents potential spill consequences.
There is currently a lot of debate over whether fracking can create pathways for methane or chemicals to migrate to ground water. Recent cases in Pennsylvania have seen methane transportation into homes leading to explosions and methane and chemicals such as benzene contaminating nearby drinking water. Fracking fluid can also find pathways to the surface through old wells. In Pennsylvania, Cabot oil and gas has been required to provide a fresh water supply to more than a dozen homes where water has been contaminated.
There are two types of fluid wastes that need to be managed by operators, fracking fluids that flow back into the well, and produced water generated after the initial surge of wastewater. The management of this water poses significant challenges to the industry. Recent chemical analyses of flowback from Marcellus wells in Pennsylvania revealed high concentrations (i.e., at levels exceeding water quality standards) of volatile organic compounds like benzene, semi-volatile compounds such as naphthalene and radioactive substances such as radium.
This poses environmental and health risks.
Air emissions from waste impoundments – waste water is typically stored in open pits – have raised serious concerns with local air quality. For example, there are stories coming from Colorado, Texas and Pennsylvania of people living near waste impoundments experiencing a host of illnesses. Research by Dr. Theo Colborn has found that eighty percent of fracking chemicals in her database are associated with skin, eye and respiratory harm, 75 percent with harm to the gastrointestinal system, and 50 percent with brain and nervous system effects.
In response to these very serious environmental and health concerns, there is a range of regulatory changes underway in the U.S. both on a state and federal level that threaten to make shale gas a “game changer” of a different sort.
For example, there are currently no wells being drilled in the New York portion of the Marcellus shale reservoir. There is a moratorium in place while the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation reviews impacts, particularly the potential to contaminate New York City water supply. In Pennsylvania a severance tax is before the senate which threatens to spur a decline in the growth of gas production. Regulations regarding water discharge standards, air quality standards and an obligation to reveal what chemicals are being used by the industry (currently considered propriety in most areas) also threaten to raise costs for industry and impact predicted growth.
In conclusion, Lisa argued that there are many regulatory uncertainties around shale gas and the OEB needs to consider these uncertainties in planning its policies and regulations in the coming years. A lively question and answer session followed with a number of interesting and challenging questions being posed to the authors of the ICF report, based on Lisa’s evidence.
OEB staff thanked the Council and Lisa for the helpful study. Certainly, had we not intervened, it is unlikely these important arguments would have been shared. We will be following up with a written submission to the Board in the coming weeks.
= = = =
Council of Canadians submits Report on Fracking to the
Ontario Energy Board
http://www.canadians.org/energy/index.html
Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a method of extracting unconventional natural gas from ‘tight’ impermeable rock formations, found under our soil. Fracking poses serious environmental and social risks. The Council of Canadians is bringing this message to the Ontario Energy Board (OEB).
In a report prepared for the OEB the boom in unconventional natural gas resources, particularly shale gas, is being predicted as a significant source for the North American market – over 30 per cent of total supply by 2020. Lisa Sumi, Science and Research Advisor for EARTHWORKS and expert on the impacts of fracking and natural gas drilling, has prepared a report on behalf of the Council of Canadians for the OEB Stakeholder Conference, October 7th-8th. The report argues that the extraction of natural gas from shales has not only been a game changer with respect to the North American natural gas supply outlook, it’s raised public awareness with respect to serious environmental concerns which is spurring regulations that may ultimately slow the growth of shale gas development and predicted supply in Ontario.
BLOG: Council delivers message to Ontario Energy Board on Fracking, Andrea Harden-Donahue, Energy and Climate Justice Campaigner for the Council of Canadians, October 1, 2010
Read the report here.
To read Council of Canadians blogs about fracking,
go to website.
= = = = =
Alberta firm eyes Ontario's untapped shale gas
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/
782552--alberta-firm-eyes-ontario-s-untapped-shale-gas
By Tyler Hamilton Energy and Technology Columnist
Published On Sat Mar 20 2010 Toronto Star
[ SEE: MAP on website ]
A junior oil and gas company from Alberta has been quietly scooping up land rights in southwestern Ontario, part of an audacious plan to bring Alberta-style exploration to the birthplace of Canada's petroleum industry.
Consider it a rebirth. Calgary-based Mooncor Oil & Gas Corp. wants to develop a resource in Ontario that has been largely overlooked by its rivals: shale gas.
As the rest of the industry rushes to develop shale-gas projects in the prolific Marcellus shale deposits of the U.S. northeast and the Utica shales of Quebec, Mooncor is gaining a solid foothold in Ontario.
It has already locked up nearly 23,000 acres (9.30776 hecatres) of land in Lambton and Kent counties and is preparing to spin off a separate company called DRGN Resources that will focus its efforts on both conventional and unconventional gas drilling.
"We're going to come in with more sophisticated rotary tool systems and advanced logging tools to help us better quantify the resource," said Mooncor chief executive Darrell Brown, who is aiming to consolidate the province's poorly financed "ma and pa" operators that, in his view, have left good value in the ground.
It may sound like a risky strategy, but the potential payoff is real. Tony Hamblin, a petroleum geologist with Natural Resources Canada, said Ontario represents a ripe opportunity that has been largely overlooked.
MORE:
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/
782552--alberta-firm-eyes-ontario-s-untapped-shale-gas
==================
5. Montreal chapter holds event on fracking
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4921
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
The Concordian reports that, “Several weeks ago, Sharron Cimon gave little thought to the shale gas industry. …Last week she made the trip from (her home in) Saint-Herménégilde (in the Eastern Townships) to Concordia, where the Council of Canadians held a meeting on shale gas extraction in Quebec.”
Cimon lives in an area that has been identified as the latest site for natural gas exploration.
“Featured (at the chapter event) was speaker Kim Cornelissen, vice-president of the Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique. A former politician, Cornelissen took up issue with the gas industry when it landed in her village of Saint-Marc sur Richelieu on the south shore. Like most critics, Cornelissen is worried about the industry practice of hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking.’ She says this technique for creating gas wells threatens polluting underground water pockets. High volumes of water and sand are blasted into the earth along with chemical additives, the identity of which Cornelissen says are closely guarded as trade secrets.”
As noted in the Montreal Gazette event listings, the Council of Canadians-Montreal chapter meeting took place on Wednesday October 6 at 7 p.m. at 1450 Guy St., Room 206.
The Concordian article is at
http://www.theconcordian.com/news/
shale-gas-concerns-bring-citizens-to-concordia-1.1675614.
More on fracking in Quebec can be read at
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4622.
This evening the Montreal chapter will co-sponsor a screening of Water on the Table at 7 pm at Concordia University, Room H-110, 1455 de Maisonneuve West. Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow will be in attendance at the screening.
=================
6. Shale gas firms face fierce Quebec battle
http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Shale+firms+face+fierce+Quebec+battle/3653066/story.html
Residents fear for environment in 'gold rush'
By Clement Sabourin, Agence France-Presse October 11, 2010 8:24 AM
Natural gas was only discovered beneath the shores of Canada's scenic Saint Lawrence seaway two years ago, but already locals fear a "gold rush" by energy companies thirsting to drill.
At a recent town hall meeting to unveil their natural gas development plans, industry representatives were heckled by an angry mob concerned mostly for the environment. "Your objective . . . is money," the crowd cried.
"Companies are doing like people did during the gold rush in the 1850s in California. They arrive and say 'We're home,'" said Gerard Montpetit.
He is one of the 600 residents of St-Hyacinthe and surrounding communities, 50 kilometres east of Montreal, who attended the meeting meant to assuage fears.
For weeks, the elderly pensioner has travelled across the province to participate in debates on whether to allow the industry to drill wells in Canada's "beautiful province" in search of a wealth of natural gas.
At the St-Hyacinthe meeting, he was among the majority opposed to natural gas exploration in the province, railing against a campaign of "disinformation" at Quebecers.
The latest poll showed only 20 per cent of Quebecers support developing the resource.
Some are calling for the industry to be nationalized, while others want it stopped. Several denounced the secrecy surrounding the issue. And all point to the environmental risks, citing an example in Pennsylvania, where locals accused the natural gas industry of polluting groundwater.
Barely two years ago, shale natural gas was discovered in the clay 2,000 metres beneath the shores of the Saint Lawrence seaway between Montreal and Quebec City.
This summer, many in the valley began to notice strange reddish flames in the sky, coupled with loud detonations: exploration had begun pinpointing possible well locations.
More than 150 prospecting licences have been issued, including in the city of Montreal. Some 20 exploration wells have so far been drilled within 100 metres of a school, behind a farm, even in a corn field.
According to the industry, the deposits will assure Quebec's energy independence for the next century, with six billion cubic metres of natural gas extracted annually.
"Over 10 years, this will represent $2 billion of investment annually and 7,500 jobs," said Andre Caille, president of the Quebec Oil and Gas Association.
Until now, Quebec has never produced any hydrocarbons.
"We have a beautiful province, let's not mess it up," Marc Beaule told the town hall meeting.
MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Shale+firms+face+fierce+Quebec+battle/3653066/story.html
===================
7. Oilsands Quest Provides Results and Webcast of Annual General Meeting
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/
oilsands-quest-provides-results-and-webcast-of-annual-general-meeting-104594304.html
CUSIP# 678046 10 3 Amex: BQI
CALGARY, Oct 8 /CNW/ - Oilsands Quest Inc. (NYSE Amex: BQI) ("Oilsands Quest" or the "Company") held its annual general meeting Thursday October 7, 2010 in Calgary.
The following directors were re-elected to the Board of Directors for a three year term until the Company's 2013 annual meeting: Brian MacNeill, Paul Ching and Ronald Phillips. The Board of Directors also includes Ronald Blakely, Christopher Hopkins, John Read, Gordon Tallman, Senator Pamela Wallin, and T. Murray Wilson. The shareholders also approved KPMG as auditors of the Company.
Mr. Brian MacNeill, Acting Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Ronald Blakely, Chairman of the Board, provided an update on operations and the status of the review of strategic alternatives now underway at Oilsands Quest, including the Company's current liquidity situation and efforts to secure near-term liquidity.
An audio recording of the proceedings of the meeting with the slide presentation and question and answer session is available on the Company's website at
www.oilsandsquest.com.
About Oilsands Quest
Oilsands Quest Inc. (www.oilsandsquest.com) is exploring and developing oil sands permits and licences, located in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and developing Saskatchewan's first global-scale oil sands discovery. It is leading the establishment of the province of Saskatchewan's emerging oil sands industry.
For further information:
Garth Wong
Chief Financial Officer
Email: ir@oilsandsquest.com
Investor Line: 1-877-718-8941
= = = = =
MORE INFO: Oilsands Quest and the Pasquia Hills, SK
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=948
MORE INFO: FRACKING:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/
viewforum.php?f=31&sid=58c160aa6864b4a259e72a18e7c7dcb7
===================
8. Analysis: Shale Gas Drilling Techniques Revolutionize Oil Shale Drilling [ See website for graphics ]
http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=99693
Rigzone Staff Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Evergreen, Colo.-based BENTEK Energy reports that horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, which has revolutionized U.S. shale gas production and other unconventional plays, is also transforming the domestic crude oil industry. As a result, U.S. oil production is on the rise for the first time in 23 years.
In its new report, The Rush to Unconventional Oil, BENTEK notes that technologies are being used to unlock oil from shales in a number of plays such as the Bakken and Niobrara shales in the Rockies region, the Bone Springs/Wolfberry, Granite Wash and Eagle Ford plays in and around Texas and the liquids-rich shales in the southwestern Marcellus.
The most explosive growth is occurring in the Bakken shale in North Dakota, where production has grown 79 percent in the past year, or 114,000 b/d, compared to the five-year average of 144,000 b/d, boosting North Dakota past Louisiana as the nation's fourth largest oil producing state. As a result, the project for Rockies oil production based on the current rig count indicates 19 percent growth next year to 717,000 b/d. The U.S. Geological Survey now estimates that the Bakken formation contains 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil, a 25-fold increase from the 151 million barrels of oil the agency estimated in 1995.
MORE:
http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=99693
===================
9. Gas drilling has blighted my life
http://www.hcn.org/hcn/wotr/gas-drillin ... ed-my-life
We need energy -- but not at the cost of clean water
Essay - October 12, 2010 by Louis Meeks
My wife, Donna, and I have lived for 32 years on our ranch in Pavillion, Wyo., a lush agricultural area surrounded by the Wind River and Owl Creek mountains. In this dry region, we’re lucky to have an irrigation district that delivers clean water from the Wind River to the several hundred farmers and ranchers in the area.
We’ve worked hard to develop this place, raise our two kids and tend to our cattle and horses. I’m a Vietnam vet and Donna works in our local school district. At this stage in life, I thought I’d have time to enjoy our 4-year-old granddaughter as she learns how to ride a horse like her granddad does.
Instead, I’m watching everything we’ve worked for poisoned by the oil and gas industry. I’m even reluctant to have my grandchild visit because of the chemical contamination in our water, soil and air.
MORE:
http://www.hcn.org/hcn/wotr/gas-drillin ... ed-my-life
=================
10. Regulators voice concerns at Marcellus shale conference
http://www.pennenergy.com/index/petrole ... 811511728/
articles/oil-gas-journal/general-interest-2/2010/10/regulators-voice_concerns.html
Nick Snow OGJ Washington Editor
STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Oct. 11 -- Producers and government officials should anticipate potential problems with shale gas development and be prepared to respond to them, participants on two panels said Oct. 11 at the 2010 Marcellus Summit in State College, Pa. This involves issues beyond hydraulic fracturing, they emphasized.
“While I've seen that many operators are stepping up to the plate with voluntary control programs, we still have worker deaths and natural gas migration problems,” said Scott R. Perry, director of the Bureau of Oil and Gas Management within Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection.
“Wells on their way to the Marcellus shale have encountered gas at shallower levels with drilling string and cement that couldn't contain it. We just can't let gas migrate without doing something about it.”
MORE: http://www.pennenergy.com/index/petroleum/display/
7811511728/articles/oil-gas-journal/general-interest-2/2010/10/regulators-voice_concerns.html
=================
11. Scientists share gas industry concerns
http://www.sungazette.com/page/content. ... id/554796/
Scientists-share-gas-industry-concerns.html?nav=5011
October 9, 2010 - By DAVID THOMPSON - dthompson@sungazette.com
If the Marcellus gas industry did everything it should to make sure natural gas development is "done right," that still would not be good enough for Dr. Anthony Ingraffia.
Ingraffia, a Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering and Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow at Cornell University and Dr. Michel C. Boufadel, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Temple University, discussed shale gas development before a large crowd Friday at Lycoming College.
Their presentations were co-sponsored by the college's Clean Water Institute and local gas industry watchdog group the Responsible Drilling Alliance, Ingraffia presented a hypothetical letter he wrote but said he wished the gas industry had sent to the citizens of Pennsylvania three years ago.
In that letter, the "industry" made a series of promises regarding how it would responsibly develop natural gas in the state.
Those promises included funding emergency responder training, funding treatment facilities needed to treat industry wastwater, being transparent well in advance about plans for wells, pipelines and compressor stations, reforesting woodlands, paying a severance tax, adhering to state regulations and not polluting fresh water supplies.
It also included a promise to put 1 percent of gas revenue into an emergency fund to pay for remediation measures should calamities occur.
Even if the industry did all the things listed in his hypothetical letter, Ingraffia said he would say "no thanks" to it.
Ingraffia discussed the composition of water that returns to the well head after the
hydrofracturing process. That water is very salty and contains metals and other materials, some of which are very toxic, he said.
MORE:
http://www.sungazette.com/page/content. ... id/554796/
Scientists-share-gas-industry-concerns.html?nav=5011
======================
12. Fracking fluid leak may reach 30 miles
http://www.sungazette.com/page/content. ... 54795.html
October 9, 2010 - By PHILIP A. HOLMES - pholmes@sungazette.com
HUGHESVILLE - Route 220 from Main Street to Lime Bluff Road was closed for much of Friday after borough police stopped a low-boy trailer that was leaking an undetermined amount of noncorrosive frack fluid, according to Police Chief Jason Gill.
The spill may extend as far east as 30 miles or more into Columbia County along Route 118, Gill said.
Unbeknowst to the driver, the fluid was leaking from one of about a dozen 100-gallon containers on a trailer that was en route to Williamsport from Dimock, Gill said.
The 911 center was alerted to the leak as the trucker was making his way into the borough, and Gill caught up with it shortly after it turned off Main Street on to Route 220 South. The officer stopped the truck at Broad Street about noon.
The containers on the trailer were secured by straps, and one of the straps broke, Gill said. "When it did, a hook on the strap punctured one of the containers," he said, calling the incident "a freak accident."
The trailer is owned by Frac Tech Services of Williamsport, Gill said.
"They have been very professional, and they were very quick to respond with a team to help with the clean-up effort," Gill said of the company.
The state Department of Transportation and Minuteman Towing and Repairs Inc. also had several personnel assisting with recovering the liquid.
"It's not hazardous at all until it mixes with water, then it becomes as slippery as ice," Gill explained, adding that the clean-up crews want to get the substance off the road as soon as possible.
MORE:
http://www.sungazette.com/page/content. ... 54795.html
===============
13. Philly academy study finds gas drilling threatens streams
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/
20101012_Philly_academy_study_finds_gas_drilling_threatens_streams.html
By Sandy Bauers Inquirer Staff Writer
A preliminary study by Academy of Natural Sciences researchers suggests that even without spills or other accidents, drilling for natural gas in Pennsylvania's rich Marcellus Shale formation could degrade nearby streams.
The researchers compared watersheds where there was no or little drilling to watersheds where there was a high density of drilling, and found significant changes.
Water conductivity, an indicator of contamination by salts that are a component of drilling wastewater, was almost twice as high in streams with high-density drilling.
Populations of salamanders and aquatic insects, animals sensitive to pollution, were 25 percent lower in streams with the most drilling activity.
An industry spokesman declined to comment on the findings.
The researchers at the academy, the nation's oldest natural-science research center and a leader in stream biology, emphasized that their study was not looking at drilling accidents or other irregularities, but whether - and if so, at what point - drilling posed a potential for harm.
David Velinsky, vice president of the academy's Patrick Center for Environmental Research, said of the early findings: "This suggests there is indeed a threshold at which drilling - regardless of how it is practiced - will have a significant impact on an ecosystem."
A certain number of well pads in a given area "might be OK," he said. "Conversely, it may not be OK."
MORE:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/
20101012_Philly_academy_study_finds_gas_drilling_threatens_streams.html
==================
14. Early study shows dense drilling impacts watersheds
http://thedailyreview.com/news/
early-study-shows-dense-drilling-impacts-watersheds-1.1048076
BY LAURA LEGERE (TIMES-SHAMROCK WRITER) Published: October 13, 2010
A preliminary study of Susquehanna County watersheds has found that high-density Marcellus Shale gas drilling might degrade streams regardless of how carefully that drilling is done.
The tentative findings were released by researchers with the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia on Tuesday to demonstrate the need for studies of the long-term and cumulative impacts of deep-gas drilling on watersheds - an area largely devoid of research despite the rapid expansion of Marcellus Shale gas extraction in the state.
The preliminary study conducted this summer by Academy researchers and a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania looked at small watersheds in and around Dimock Twp., an epicenter of shale drilling in the region.
Scientists compared water quality and the presence of environmentally sensitive insects and salamanders in nine similar watersheds, three of which had no drilling, three some drilling and three a high density of drilling.
The watersheds with high-density drilling - defined as four to eight wells per square kilometer - had significant impacts on all measures compared to those with little or no drilling, the researchers found.
Water conductivity - a measure of the dissolved salts and metals in the stream and a potential indicator of the presence of gas drilling wastewater - was almost twice as high in the streams in high-density areas than those in areas with little or no drilling.
In the high-density sites, the number of both sensitive insects and salamanders were reduced by 25 percent.
The findings were first reported Tuesday by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
"The data suggest, on one hand, that you could have a certain level of drilling and be OK," said Dr. David Velinsky, vice president of the Academy's Patrick Center for Environmental Research. "But if you get to a watershed where you have tons of these well pads and the associated infrastructure, you'll see some change in the ecosystem health."
A spokesman for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group, said the organization does not comment "on preliminary, non-peer reviewed, unreleased 'studies' that we have not even had the opportunity to examine."
MORE:
http://thedailyreview.com/news/
early-study-shows-dense-drilling-impacts-watersheds-1.1048076
=====================
15. Fracking Congress: Gas Industry Battles Against New Federal Rules
http://www.capitolnewsconnection.org/news/
fracking-congress-gas-industry-battles-against-new-federal-rules
Manuel Quinones from Washington, DC CNC News | October 12, 2010
WASHINGTON -- "Fracking" has emerged as a major issue within the contentious Congressional maneuvering and debate over energy and climate legislation. And as the practice of “fracking” has expanded throughout the continent’s oil and gas industry, so have citizen complaints.
Residents around the country claim the fracking process may have led to drinking water contamination. And environmental groups are calling for stronger regulation at the national level. Meanwhile, Congress is deadlocked on a path forward.
Heavy Congressional lobbying
Like other parts of the fossil fuel production business, fracking-based gas recovery supports a growing number of jobs in states like Pennsylvania that are otherwise battling high levels of unemployment. Gas development also results in healthy profits for the many energy companies that invest heavily in Congressional lobbying activities.
In one recent move that served the industry's interest, sixteen members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote their chairman to oppose the passage of legislation that would promulgate new federal regulations on fracking. All sixteen have accepted significanty amounts of money from gas and oil interests during this electoral cycle (See contributions chart).
Fracking -- the nickname for hydraulic fracturing – involves pumping millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals deep into rock formations to break them apart and allow more gas to escape.
'Enormous' benefits
“It’s the only way that you can get the gas out of there and the benefits of the gas are enormous,” said Daniel Whitten with America’s Natural Gas Alliance, an industry group.
MORE:
http://www.capitolnewsconnection.org/news/
fracking-congress-gas-industry-battles-against-new-federal-rules
==================
16. Congressmen Who Oppose Federal Regs on Fracking
http://www.capitolnewsconnection.org/news/
congressmen-who-oppose-federal-regs-fracking
Manuel Quinones from Washington, DC CNC News | October 12, 2010
A number of U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee members are resisting new rules on the controversial gas-drilling practice called "fracking." The following lawmakers wrote committee leaders in support of state regulation -- rather than an overall federal regulation -- of hydraulic fracturing.
MORE:
http://www.capitolnewsconnection.org/news/
congressmen-who-oppose-federal-regs-fracking
=================
17. Go Slowly: Pennsylvania's experience calls for cautious approach to hydrofracking in New York
http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2010/10/post_91.html
Published: Monday, October 11, 2010, 5:00 AM
Developments in Dimock, Pa. — Ground Zero of the hydrofracking debate — make a strong case for New York to proceed cautiously on allowing the controversial drilling technique here.
Pennsylvania’s top environmental regulator recently announced plans to sue Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation unless it agrees to pay $11.8 million to extend a public water line to at least 18 residents whose water wells have been contaminated with methane gas.
Cabot argues “overwhelming scientific and historical proof that proves we were not the source of this methane migration.” Company officials further claim that it was “under duress” that they signed consent orders that accepted responsibility for the contamination.
The dispute is escalating beyond words. There are reports of Dimock residents greeting Cabot welltesters with guns; one resident recently was charged with disorderly conduct in such an incident.
Cabot, meanwhile, has hired armed guards to accompany employees onto residential properties.
The dispute in Dimock gets to the heart of the debate over the safety of the drilling process that involves injecting millions of gallons of chemical-laced water at high pressure to crack shale rock and release natural gas.
Opponents fiercely advocate for protecting the state’s precious watersheds. Environmental groups also point to studies that show chemicals used in hydrofracking can cause cancer and drilling sites on farms have resulted in stillbirths, low fertility and no milk production in livestock.
The drilling companies counter that these are hysteria-driven exaggerations, and say no causal link has been found between their drilling and purported negative incidents. They say the process is safe.
MORE:
http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2010/10/post_91.html
=================
18. Follow Wyoming on Fracking Regs
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/
follow_wyoming_on_fracking_regs_20101007/
Sunday 10 October 2010 by: David Sirota, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed
Frank Sinatra once said that if he could make it in New York, he could make it anywhere.
Thanks to new drilling rules, environmentalists can now say the same about Wyoming.
To review: Wyoming is as politically red and pro-fossil-fuel a place as exists in America.
Nicknamed the "Cowboy State" for its hostility to authority, the square swath of rangeland most recently made headlines when its tax department temporarily suspended levies at gun shows for fear of inciting an armed insurrection. The derrick-scarred home of oilman Dick Cheney, the state emits more carbon emissions per-capita than any other, and is as close as our country gets to an industry-owned energy colony.
So, to put it mildly, Wyoming is not known for its activist government or its embrace of green policies.
But that changed last month when Wyoming officials enacted first-in-the-nation regulations forcing energy companies to disclose the compounds they use in a drilling technique called "fracking."
From an ecological standpoint, fracking is inherently risky. Looking to pulverize gastrapping subterranean rock, drillers inject poisonous solvents into the ground -- and often right near groundwater supplies. That raises the prospect of toxins leaking into drinking water -- a frightening possibility that prompted Wyoming's regulatory move.
Indeed, state officials acted after learning that various local water sources were contaminated by carcinogens linked to fracking.
More:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/
follow_wyoming_on_fracking_regs_20101007/
Last edited by Oscar on Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:31 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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FRACKING NEWS - Oct. 16, 2010
by Oscar » Sat Oct 16, 2010 4:14 pm
FRACKING NEWS - Oct. 16, 2010
1. Why Did Manitoba Ban Nuclear Wastes…Over Two Decades Ago?
2. A Fracking Disaster in the Making: Report
3. STUDY: Fracture Lines: In the Rush to Develop Shale Gas Will Canada's Water Be Protected? (3 articles)
4. Lake Twp. gets Salansky well update
5. Quebec shale gas project grinds to halt
6. Legal Help for Victims of Hydraulic Fracturing
7. WATCH: TRAILER: Film: This Land is Our Land
- The Fight to Reclaim the Commons
===========
1. EVENT: Flowback Water Management Treatment, Re Use and Residuals Management
http://www.cpans.org/calendar-details.php?EventID=139
Name:
Flowback Water Management Treatment, Re Use and Residuals Management
Location: Calgary downtown Ramada Hotel, 708 - 8 Ave. SW
Date: 2010-10-20
Time: 11:30 To: 1:00
Abstract: Fracturing of oil and gas sources can utilize large quantities of fresh water and additives that ease wear-and-tear on equipment and prevent friction losses. The presenter will share the results of technology assessments and field trials related to optimizing the efficiency of water reuse and effective disposal of by-products.
Presenter: Bill Berzins, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., President,
Fossil Water Corporation
Profile
· Almost 30 years of experience in Engineering and Operations Management with an emphasis on sustainable water infrastructure.
· Held a leadership role in many elements of Alberta’s Water for Life Strategy.
· At Fossil Water, he leads a team that is providing services for licensing, designing, building, operating and financing of water treatment systems for water supply and re-use.
Details:
· When: Wednesday, October 20, 2010, from 11:30 to 13:00.
· Where: Calgary downtown Ramada Hotel, 708 - 8 Ave. SW, second floor.
· Tickets: $20 for students (first 10 e-mail registered students are free), $35 for A&WMA members, and $45 for others.
You may pay in person at the CPANS registration desk from 11:30 to 12:00 at the Ramada on the day of the luncheon.
We accept cash, cheques, Master Card and VISA. Sorry, we do not accept debit cards.
Paypal is not available for this luncheon
Webcasts are typically available to join the Luncheon remotely and a $15 fee per person is applicable.
You may register by e-mailing your contact information with your full name, affiliation and phone number no later than Monday, October 18. Also, please advise if you are an A&WMA member. Please note that we reserve the right to invoice you if you registered, but did not cancel your registration prior to this date.
Contact for Registration: Reana Rose, Assistant to CPANS Calgary Luncheon Director,
Ph#: 403-232-6771 x6271
Email: reana.rose@rwdi.com
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding speakers, topics, or other related issues, please contact David Chadder, CPANS Calgary Luncheon Director, at david.chadder@rwdi.com.
====================
2. A Fracking Disaster in the Making: Report
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/10/15/FrackingDisaster/
Blasting shale rock with toxic fluid can release riches in natural gas, but threatens critical water supplies.
By Andrew Nikiforuk, Today, TheTyee.ca
The earth-shattering exploitation of deep deposits of shale rock for natural gas production has broken global records in northeast British Columbia and now threatens critical water supplies across the country, warns a new Munk School of Global Affairs report by award-winning B.C. journalist Ben Parfitt.
Earlier this year at Two Island Lake north of Fort Nelson, two corporations, Encana and Apache, blasted an estimated 5.6 million barrels worth of water along with 111 million tonnes of sand and unknown chemicals to fracture apart dense formations of shale over a 100 day period, or what Parfitt calls "the world's largest natural gas extraction effort of its kind."
During the massive operation in the Horn River Basin, one of the world's largest shale gas deposits, the two companies completed 274 consecutive "stimulations," or mini earthquakes, to break open the pores of gas-bearing rock along horizontal reaches stretching an average of 1.6 kilometres underground.
"Hydraulic fracturing," a brute force technology used in 90 per cent of all unconventional oil and gas well drilling, has allowed companies to exploit vast shale deposits across the continent over the last decade.
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/10/15/FrackingDisaster/
==================
3. STUDY: Fracture Lines: In the Rush to Develop Shale
Gas Will Canada's Water Be Protected? (3 articles)
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/136551
Download STUDY (62 pages):
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00942/
Fractured_Lines_942842a.pdf
Canada NewsWire TORONTO, Oct. 14
New report and expert conference look at need to regulate industry "fracking" plans
TORONTO, Oct. 14 /CNW/ - A dramatic revolution in the production of unconventional shale gas might temporarily improve North America's energy security, but it may also threaten critical Canadian water supplies from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, says a new research paper released today by the University of Toronto's Munk School today.
Shale gas, extracted by hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" -- the injection of hundreds of tonnes of sand, water and chemicals at high pressure into deep rock formations -- now represents 20 per cent of all gas produced in the United States, says award winning journalist Ben Parfitt.
The so called "shale gale" that has increased drilling has also sparked massive land grabs, depressed natural gas prices and created unprecedented exploration activity in Quebec, Ontario, the Maritimes and Western Canada.
While US federal and state regulators have launched several investigations into the industry's impact on water quality and quantity, "neither the National Energy Board nor Environment Canada have yet raised any substantive questions about 'the shale gale' or its impact on water resources," says Parfitt.
In addition to exploring the diverse water impacts of both hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, the report, "Fracture Lines: Will Canada's Water Be Protected In the Rush To Develop Shale Gas," highlights a number of surprising findings:
The world's largest fracking operations took place in British Columbia this year, yet the province does not regulate or license groundwater withdrawals.
MORE:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/136551
= = = = = =
Shale gas boom threatens water - Study calls for scrutiny of new technology
http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Shale+boom+threatens+water/3675783/story.html
By Shaun Polczer, Calgary Herald October 15, 2010
A new report released by the University of Toronto on Thursday suggests the rush to develop shale gas could threaten Canada's water supplies without tough new environmental protection laws.
According to the study prepared for the Munk School of Global Affairs at the U of T, provincial and federal regulations regarding hydraulic fracturing have not kept up with the pace of shale gas development in places such as northeastern British Columbia and Quebec, where it says drilling poses a threat to groundwater supplies.
The report notes that shale development in the U.S. has sparked a wave of public concern over new technologies that are credited with unlocking a 100-year supply of natural gas from rocks that were previously considered impossible or uneconomic to produce.
"Canada has also witnessed its own 'shale gale' as the boom noisily expanded from its dramatic epicentre in northern British Columbia into rich shale formations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick," the report states.
"Unlike the United States where the U.S. Congress and state regulators are fully engaged in public policy debates, neither the National Energy Board nor Environment Canada have yet raised any substantive questions about 'the shale gale' or its impact on water resources."
But shale gas developers say they use less water than other established industries such as forestry and mining and that drilling is safe.
Calgary-based Questerre Energy, which is exploring shale gas in the St. Lawrence Lowlands, on Thursday released a "fact sheet" aimed to dispel what it claims are "misconceptions" about water use in the drilling process. Nonetheless, shale gas development is emerging as a controversial issue in Quebec and the province last month allowed shale exploration to continue while it conducts a review of the industry.
"The shale gas industry is actually a light industrial user of water," said Questerre CEO Michael Binnion. "In full development, the industry is estimated to use less water a year than car washes in the province and about one-half of one per cent of the water used by the pulp and paper industry in Quebec."
MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Shale+boom ... ens+water/
3675783/story.html
= = = =
NEWS: Rapid shale gas development threatens Canada’s water
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4950
October 14, 2010
The Globe and Mail reports today that, “Canada’s fledgling shale gas industry faces a growing clamour for tighter regulations and greater protection of local water sources amid fears that aggressive drilling techniques carry a heavy environmental cost.”
A report commissioned by the water program at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs says, “To date, Canada has not developed adequate regulations or public policy to address the scale or cumulative impact of hydraulic fracking on water resources. …(Without a more robust regulatory approach) rapid shale gas development could potentially threaten important water resources, if not fracture the country’s water security,”
Ben Parfitt, the report’s author, “said the federal government is virtually absent from the discussion, while provinces issue oil companies with individual water-use permits despite having little understanding of the cumulative impacts of increasing drilling activity, no public reporting on the chemicals or amount of industrial water withdrawals and no systematic mapping of the country’s aquifers. … The pace of the shale gas revolution demands greater scrutiny before more fracture lines appear across the country.”
“While the industry claims there is no evidence that hydraulic fracturing has contaminated aquifers, the researcher cited a number of cases in the United States where ground water was tainted during nearby drilling activity. And there is no requirement in Canada for companies to disclose what chemicals they use in fracturing – as there is in several states. As well, there has been no assessment in (provinces across Canada) of how the industry will be able to dispose of massive amounts of waste water that is produced during the drilling, a key concern regarding possible surface water contamination.”
“In Canada, companies like Talisman, Encana Corp., and U.S-based Apache Corp. are planning massive investment in northeastern B.C. and western Alberta, notably in the prolific Horn River and Montney plays. Companies are also eager to develop Quebec’s Utica shale zone and in New Brunswick. As well, the industry is applying the drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques to other oil and unconventional gas fields in Alberta and Saskatchewan…”
In early September, the Canadian Press reported that, “The Conservative government has been warned that drilling for shale gas could boost carbon-dioxide emissions, encroach on wildlife habitat and sap freshwater resources. …The risks are outlined in briefing notes prepared last spring for Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis.
(The briefing notes) warn the process of releasing natural gas from shale — called hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ — could draw heavily on freshwater resources and significantly increase Canada’s overall carbon-dioxide emissions. The documents also say projects in areas without infrastructure may require the construction of roads, drill pads and pipelines, which could create ‘extensive habitat fragmentation’ for wildlife.”
The full Globe and Mail article is at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/canada-not-ready-for-shale-gas-boom/article1756636/?cmpid=rss1.
Parfitt’s report can be read at
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00942/
Fractured_Lines_942842a.pdf.
A recent blog on our intervention at the Ontario Energy Board can be read at
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=320,
another on its impact on water can be read at
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/mvk/201 ... -our-water.
More of our blogs on fracking can be read at
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?s=fracking.
= = = = = =
MUNK STUDY: Fractured Lines: Will Canada’s Water be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?
Download this file (.pdf) (62 pages)
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00942/
Fractured_Lines_942842a.pdf
=====================
4. Lake Twp. gets Salansky well update
http://www.timesleader.com/news/Meeting ... -2010.html
LAKE TWP. – Supervisors heard an update Wednesday night on the progress of the Salansky natural gas well in the township.
A month into the Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling process, residents questioned the progress made. Libby Davis asked for an update and asked why EnCana Oil and Gas U.S.A. has not yet held a public meeting.
Supervisor Amy Salansky said that currently EnCana has drilled about 7,000 feet vertically and has started to drill horizontally. As the permit states, the proposed horizontal distance will be around 6,000 feet, but Salansky said she was unsure if EnCana would drill that far.
Emergency Management Coordinator Barney Dobinick said he has been in contact with EnCana community relations adviser Wendy Wiedenbeck recently, and no plans have been made to have a public meeting on the status of the well.
Township Solicitor Mark McNealis asked Dobinick if he had “gotten the feeling” from Wiedenbeck that EnCana may be holding off on scheduling a meeting until it has something to report.
Dobinick said it is likely EnCana is waiting to see the progress after the drilling is finished.
Salansky told residents EnCana does have a newsletter that is posted on its website,
www.encana.com/operations/activities/,
describing the progress made up until August.
MORE:
http://www.timesleader.com/news/Meeting ... -2010.html
====================
5. Quebec shale gas project grinds to halt
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/quebec-shale-gas-project-grinds-to-halt/article1757870/
SHAWN McCARTHY — GLOBAL ENERGY REPORTER,
TORONTO— From Friday's Globe and Mail Published Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 7:08PM EDT
Last updated Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 7:15PM EDT
Quebec’s much-touted “shale gale” has been put on hold after the leading developers postponed a planned drilling program, citing high costs and public criticism of shale gas development.
Questerre Energy Corp. (QEC-T1.94-0.01-0.51%) and its partner Talisman Energy Inc. (TLM-T18.18-0.23-1.25%) had planned to complete two new test wells this year to further assess commercial development of the shale gas resource on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. But they have pushed back that schedule by at least six months.
The move comes as the Quebec government and the industry face an uproar at public hearings over fears that an anticipated increase in drilling could threaten local water supplies. Oil companies are encountering a backlash throughout North America over unconventional drilling techniques in which chemically laced water is shot into shale rocks to open fissures and collect the natural gas, a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”.
At public hearings, some Quebec residents have demanded a moratorium on drilling, but Questerre chief executive officer Michael Binnion said the industry has essentially ground to a halt as natural gas prices remain depressed and companies cut exploration budgets in high-cost regions.
“How can we have a moratorium? There is no industry [in Quebec],” Mr. Binnion said in an interview Thursday.
The Calgary-based oil executive was in Toronto for the launch a new study published by the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs, which argues that Canadian regulators are ill-prepared for the shale gas boom.
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/quebec-shale-gas-project-grinds-to-halt/article1757870/
= = = = = =
MUNK STUDY: Fractured Lines: Will Canada’s Water be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?
Download this file (.pdf)
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00942/
Fractured_Lines_942842a.pdf
= = = = =
More related to this story
Canada not ready for shale gas boom
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/canada-not-ready-for-shale-gas-boom/article1756636/
Plunging natural gas prices chill sector
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/canada-not-ready-for-shale-gas-boom/article1756636/
The next key energy source? A flaming snowball
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/
the-next-key-energy-source-a-flaming-snowball/article1752431/
How fracking works
Download this media file
PDF Document
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/how-fracking-works/article1755918/?from=1757870
Oil sands should be left in the ground: NASA scientist
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/
oil-sands-should-be-left-in-the-ground-nasa-scientist/article1743844/
We have run out of oil we can afford to burn
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-o ... ommentary/
jeff-rubins-smaller-world/we-have-run-out-of-oil-we-can-afford-to-burn/article1743497/
======================
6. Legal Help for Victims of Hydraulic Fracturing
- - - - -
Water Contamination from Hydraulic Fracturing Lawyers Attorney Lawsuit
http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/
hydraulic_fracturing_fracking?gclid=CNWWlZKC1qQCFSMd5wod0RYhJw
Do you live in an area where gas drilling via hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is going on, such as Pennsylvania's Marcellus shale, or the Barnett shale in Texas? Has your well water become contaminated due to methane gas migration or fracking fluid spills? If so, you are one of the latest victims of this poorly regulated industry.
Colorado, Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Texas are just some of the states were hydraulic fracturing has been linked to contaminated water and illnesses. Our firm is already representing families who have been damaged by fracking.
If you have been victimized by the hydraulic fracturing industry, we can help. (Emphasis Added)
Our hydraulic fracturing lawyers are offering free lawsuit consultations to anyone whose health and property has been damaged by fracking. We urge you to contact us today to protect your legal rights.
What is Hydraulic Fracturing?
Fracking is currently used in 90 percent of the nation’s natural gas and oil wells. The practice makes drilling possible in areas that 10 to 20 years ago would not have been profitable. Fracking involves injecting water, sand, and a cocktail of chemicals at high pressure into rock formations thousands of feet below the surface. This opens existing fractures in the rock and allows gas to rise through the wells.
Many of the chemicals used in shale gas drilling, such as benzene, are hazardous. Long-term exposure to such chemicals can have serious health consequences. Because the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 exempted hydraulic fracturing from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act, shale gas drillers don’t have to disclose what chemicals they use.
Despite their attempts to keep the make-up of fracking fluids secret, we do know something about what they contain. A recent study conducted by Theo Colburn, PhD, the director of the Endocrine Disruption Exchange in Paonia, Colorado, has so far identified 65 chemicals that are probable components of the injection fluids used by shale gas drillers. These chemicals included benzene, glycol-ethers, toluene, 2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethanol, and nonylphenols. All of these chemicals have been linked to health disorders when human exposure is too high.
Communities Damaged by Fracking
People living in the vicinity of shale gas drilling have reported foul smells in their tap water. In some instances gas well pipes have broken, resulting in leakage of contaminants into the surrounding ground.
One small town in Pennsylvania called Dimock, for example, has been devastated by fracking. Cabot Oil & Gas drilled dozens of wells in Dimock. Sadly, problems with the cement casing on 20 of those caused contamination of local water wells, driving down property values and causing sickness. In some cases, levels of methane in some Dimock water wells are so high that homeowners are able to set water aflame as it comes out of their taps. In April 2010, state environmental regulators fined Cabot $240,000, and ordered it to permanently shut three wells and install water-treatment systems in 14 homes within 30 days or face a $30,000 a month fine. Cabot's more than two-dozen pending drilling applications were also put on hold.
The violations seen in Dimock are not uncommon in Pennsylvania. A 2010 report issued by the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association found that the state has identified 1,435 violations by 43 Marcellus Shale drilling companies since January 2008. Of those, 952 were identified as having or likely to have an impact on the environment.
Texas’ Barnett shale region is another area where fracking is booming. In August 2010, an air sampling in the Texas town of DISH by Wolf Eagle Environmental “confirmed the presence in high concentrations of carcinogenic and neurotoxin compounds in ambient air near and/or on residential properties.” In June 2010, tests by the Texas Railroad Commission showed arsenic, barium, chromium, lead and selenium in a residential water well in DISH. The tainted water turned up at a home in DISH shortly after a nearby gas well was drilled.
Results of air testing by the commission released the same month detected benzene concentration, 37 parts per billion, at a Devon Energy complex on Jim Baker Road between the towns of Justin and DISH. The highest benzene reading overall, 95 ppb, was detected at a Stallion Oilfield Services commercial disposal well in Parker County. All six facilities that state inspectors revisited are within about 1,000 feet from people’s homes.
Earlier this decade, the Canadian drilling company EnCana began ramping up gas development in the Pavillion/Muddy Ridge field of Wyoming. In the summer of 2010, the majority of Pavillion residents who participated in a health survey reported respiratory problems, headaches, nausea, itchy skin, dizziness and other ailments. According to the Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project, many residents also reported that their well water was tainted by fracking. Various ailments residents reported are associated with contaminants the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified in Pavillion well water, Earthworks said.
Such reports don't even begin to tell the whole story of the damage fracking has done to communities and the environment across the country. Our firm is trying to get the word out, and our hydraulic fracturing lawyers are working with our clients to hold drillers and others involved in this industry accountable for the devastation fracking has caused.
Legal Help for Victims of Hydraulic Fracturing
Hydraulic fracturing is destroying the environment and threatening the health of thousands of people. If you and your family have become fracking victims, you have valuable legal rights. Please fill out our online form, or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636) today to schedule a free consultation with one of our hydraulic fracturing lawyers.
= = = = =
More Hydraulic Fracturing | Fracking News
http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/topic/
hydraulic_fracturing_fracking
====================
7. WATCH: TRAILER: Film: This Land is Our Land - The Fight to Reclaim the Commons
For more than three decades, transnational corporations have been busy buying up what used to be known as the commons -- everything from our forests and our oceans to our broadcast airwaves and our most important intellectual and cultural works. In This Land is Our Land, bestselling author David Bollier, a leading figure in the global movement to reclaim the commons, bucks the rising tide of anti-government extremism and free market ideology to show how commercial interests are undermining our collective interests. Placing the commons squarely within the American tradition of community engagement and the free exchange of ideas and information, Bollier shows how a bold new international movement steeped in democratic principles is trying to reclaim our common wealth by modeling practical alternatives to the restrictive monopoly powers of corporate elites.
This film was previously titled Silent Theft.
View trailer:
http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/
commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=146
Watch full length preview:
http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/
commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=146&template=PDGCommTemplates/HTN/Item_Preview.html
1. Why Did Manitoba Ban Nuclear Wastes…Over Two Decades Ago?
2. A Fracking Disaster in the Making: Report
3. STUDY: Fracture Lines: In the Rush to Develop Shale Gas Will Canada's Water Be Protected? (3 articles)
4. Lake Twp. gets Salansky well update
5. Quebec shale gas project grinds to halt
6. Legal Help for Victims of Hydraulic Fracturing
7. WATCH: TRAILER: Film: This Land is Our Land
- The Fight to Reclaim the Commons
===========
1. EVENT: Flowback Water Management Treatment, Re Use and Residuals Management
http://www.cpans.org/calendar-details.php?EventID=139
Name:
Flowback Water Management Treatment, Re Use and Residuals Management
Location: Calgary downtown Ramada Hotel, 708 - 8 Ave. SW
Date: 2010-10-20
Time: 11:30 To: 1:00
Abstract: Fracturing of oil and gas sources can utilize large quantities of fresh water and additives that ease wear-and-tear on equipment and prevent friction losses. The presenter will share the results of technology assessments and field trials related to optimizing the efficiency of water reuse and effective disposal of by-products.
Presenter: Bill Berzins, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., President,
Fossil Water Corporation
Profile
· Almost 30 years of experience in Engineering and Operations Management with an emphasis on sustainable water infrastructure.
· Held a leadership role in many elements of Alberta’s Water for Life Strategy.
· At Fossil Water, he leads a team that is providing services for licensing, designing, building, operating and financing of water treatment systems for water supply and re-use.
Details:
· When: Wednesday, October 20, 2010, from 11:30 to 13:00.
· Where: Calgary downtown Ramada Hotel, 708 - 8 Ave. SW, second floor.
· Tickets: $20 for students (first 10 e-mail registered students are free), $35 for A&WMA members, and $45 for others.
You may pay in person at the CPANS registration desk from 11:30 to 12:00 at the Ramada on the day of the luncheon.
We accept cash, cheques, Master Card and VISA. Sorry, we do not accept debit cards.
Paypal is not available for this luncheon
Webcasts are typically available to join the Luncheon remotely and a $15 fee per person is applicable.
You may register by e-mailing your contact information with your full name, affiliation and phone number no later than Monday, October 18. Also, please advise if you are an A&WMA member. Please note that we reserve the right to invoice you if you registered, but did not cancel your registration prior to this date.
Contact for Registration: Reana Rose, Assistant to CPANS Calgary Luncheon Director,
Ph#: 403-232-6771 x6271
Email: reana.rose@rwdi.com
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding speakers, topics, or other related issues, please contact David Chadder, CPANS Calgary Luncheon Director, at david.chadder@rwdi.com.
====================
2. A Fracking Disaster in the Making: Report
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/10/15/FrackingDisaster/
Blasting shale rock with toxic fluid can release riches in natural gas, but threatens critical water supplies.
By Andrew Nikiforuk, Today, TheTyee.ca
The earth-shattering exploitation of deep deposits of shale rock for natural gas production has broken global records in northeast British Columbia and now threatens critical water supplies across the country, warns a new Munk School of Global Affairs report by award-winning B.C. journalist Ben Parfitt.
Earlier this year at Two Island Lake north of Fort Nelson, two corporations, Encana and Apache, blasted an estimated 5.6 million barrels worth of water along with 111 million tonnes of sand and unknown chemicals to fracture apart dense formations of shale over a 100 day period, or what Parfitt calls "the world's largest natural gas extraction effort of its kind."
During the massive operation in the Horn River Basin, one of the world's largest shale gas deposits, the two companies completed 274 consecutive "stimulations," or mini earthquakes, to break open the pores of gas-bearing rock along horizontal reaches stretching an average of 1.6 kilometres underground.
"Hydraulic fracturing," a brute force technology used in 90 per cent of all unconventional oil and gas well drilling, has allowed companies to exploit vast shale deposits across the continent over the last decade.
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/10/15/FrackingDisaster/
==================
3. STUDY: Fracture Lines: In the Rush to Develop Shale
Gas Will Canada's Water Be Protected? (3 articles)
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/136551
Download STUDY (62 pages):
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00942/
Fractured_Lines_942842a.pdf
Canada NewsWire TORONTO, Oct. 14
New report and expert conference look at need to regulate industry "fracking" plans
TORONTO, Oct. 14 /CNW/ - A dramatic revolution in the production of unconventional shale gas might temporarily improve North America's energy security, but it may also threaten critical Canadian water supplies from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, says a new research paper released today by the University of Toronto's Munk School today.
Shale gas, extracted by hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" -- the injection of hundreds of tonnes of sand, water and chemicals at high pressure into deep rock formations -- now represents 20 per cent of all gas produced in the United States, says award winning journalist Ben Parfitt.
The so called "shale gale" that has increased drilling has also sparked massive land grabs, depressed natural gas prices and created unprecedented exploration activity in Quebec, Ontario, the Maritimes and Western Canada.
While US federal and state regulators have launched several investigations into the industry's impact on water quality and quantity, "neither the National Energy Board nor Environment Canada have yet raised any substantive questions about 'the shale gale' or its impact on water resources," says Parfitt.
In addition to exploring the diverse water impacts of both hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, the report, "Fracture Lines: Will Canada's Water Be Protected In the Rush To Develop Shale Gas," highlights a number of surprising findings:
The world's largest fracking operations took place in British Columbia this year, yet the province does not regulate or license groundwater withdrawals.
MORE:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/136551
= = = = = =
Shale gas boom threatens water - Study calls for scrutiny of new technology
http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Shale+boom+threatens+water/3675783/story.html
By Shaun Polczer, Calgary Herald October 15, 2010
A new report released by the University of Toronto on Thursday suggests the rush to develop shale gas could threaten Canada's water supplies without tough new environmental protection laws.
According to the study prepared for the Munk School of Global Affairs at the U of T, provincial and federal regulations regarding hydraulic fracturing have not kept up with the pace of shale gas development in places such as northeastern British Columbia and Quebec, where it says drilling poses a threat to groundwater supplies.
The report notes that shale development in the U.S. has sparked a wave of public concern over new technologies that are credited with unlocking a 100-year supply of natural gas from rocks that were previously considered impossible or uneconomic to produce.
"Canada has also witnessed its own 'shale gale' as the boom noisily expanded from its dramatic epicentre in northern British Columbia into rich shale formations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick," the report states.
"Unlike the United States where the U.S. Congress and state regulators are fully engaged in public policy debates, neither the National Energy Board nor Environment Canada have yet raised any substantive questions about 'the shale gale' or its impact on water resources."
But shale gas developers say they use less water than other established industries such as forestry and mining and that drilling is safe.
Calgary-based Questerre Energy, which is exploring shale gas in the St. Lawrence Lowlands, on Thursday released a "fact sheet" aimed to dispel what it claims are "misconceptions" about water use in the drilling process. Nonetheless, shale gas development is emerging as a controversial issue in Quebec and the province last month allowed shale exploration to continue while it conducts a review of the industry.
"The shale gas industry is actually a light industrial user of water," said Questerre CEO Michael Binnion. "In full development, the industry is estimated to use less water a year than car washes in the province and about one-half of one per cent of the water used by the pulp and paper industry in Quebec."
MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Shale+boom ... ens+water/
3675783/story.html
= = = =
NEWS: Rapid shale gas development threatens Canada’s water
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4950
October 14, 2010
The Globe and Mail reports today that, “Canada’s fledgling shale gas industry faces a growing clamour for tighter regulations and greater protection of local water sources amid fears that aggressive drilling techniques carry a heavy environmental cost.”
A report commissioned by the water program at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs says, “To date, Canada has not developed adequate regulations or public policy to address the scale or cumulative impact of hydraulic fracking on water resources. …(Without a more robust regulatory approach) rapid shale gas development could potentially threaten important water resources, if not fracture the country’s water security,”
Ben Parfitt, the report’s author, “said the federal government is virtually absent from the discussion, while provinces issue oil companies with individual water-use permits despite having little understanding of the cumulative impacts of increasing drilling activity, no public reporting on the chemicals or amount of industrial water withdrawals and no systematic mapping of the country’s aquifers. … The pace of the shale gas revolution demands greater scrutiny before more fracture lines appear across the country.”
“While the industry claims there is no evidence that hydraulic fracturing has contaminated aquifers, the researcher cited a number of cases in the United States where ground water was tainted during nearby drilling activity. And there is no requirement in Canada for companies to disclose what chemicals they use in fracturing – as there is in several states. As well, there has been no assessment in (provinces across Canada) of how the industry will be able to dispose of massive amounts of waste water that is produced during the drilling, a key concern regarding possible surface water contamination.”
“In Canada, companies like Talisman, Encana Corp., and U.S-based Apache Corp. are planning massive investment in northeastern B.C. and western Alberta, notably in the prolific Horn River and Montney plays. Companies are also eager to develop Quebec’s Utica shale zone and in New Brunswick. As well, the industry is applying the drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques to other oil and unconventional gas fields in Alberta and Saskatchewan…”
In early September, the Canadian Press reported that, “The Conservative government has been warned that drilling for shale gas could boost carbon-dioxide emissions, encroach on wildlife habitat and sap freshwater resources. …The risks are outlined in briefing notes prepared last spring for Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis.
(The briefing notes) warn the process of releasing natural gas from shale — called hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ — could draw heavily on freshwater resources and significantly increase Canada’s overall carbon-dioxide emissions. The documents also say projects in areas without infrastructure may require the construction of roads, drill pads and pipelines, which could create ‘extensive habitat fragmentation’ for wildlife.”
The full Globe and Mail article is at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/canada-not-ready-for-shale-gas-boom/article1756636/?cmpid=rss1.
Parfitt’s report can be read at
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00942/
Fractured_Lines_942842a.pdf.
A recent blog on our intervention at the Ontario Energy Board can be read at
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=320,
another on its impact on water can be read at
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/mvk/201 ... -our-water.
More of our blogs on fracking can be read at
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?s=fracking.
= = = = = =
MUNK STUDY: Fractured Lines: Will Canada’s Water be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?
Download this file (.pdf) (62 pages)
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00942/
Fractured_Lines_942842a.pdf
=====================
4. Lake Twp. gets Salansky well update
http://www.timesleader.com/news/Meeting ... -2010.html
LAKE TWP. – Supervisors heard an update Wednesday night on the progress of the Salansky natural gas well in the township.
A month into the Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling process, residents questioned the progress made. Libby Davis asked for an update and asked why EnCana Oil and Gas U.S.A. has not yet held a public meeting.
Supervisor Amy Salansky said that currently EnCana has drilled about 7,000 feet vertically and has started to drill horizontally. As the permit states, the proposed horizontal distance will be around 6,000 feet, but Salansky said she was unsure if EnCana would drill that far.
Emergency Management Coordinator Barney Dobinick said he has been in contact with EnCana community relations adviser Wendy Wiedenbeck recently, and no plans have been made to have a public meeting on the status of the well.
Township Solicitor Mark McNealis asked Dobinick if he had “gotten the feeling” from Wiedenbeck that EnCana may be holding off on scheduling a meeting until it has something to report.
Dobinick said it is likely EnCana is waiting to see the progress after the drilling is finished.
Salansky told residents EnCana does have a newsletter that is posted on its website,
www.encana.com/operations/activities/,
describing the progress made up until August.
MORE:
http://www.timesleader.com/news/Meeting ... -2010.html
====================
5. Quebec shale gas project grinds to halt
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/quebec-shale-gas-project-grinds-to-halt/article1757870/
SHAWN McCARTHY — GLOBAL ENERGY REPORTER,
TORONTO— From Friday's Globe and Mail Published Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 7:08PM EDT
Last updated Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 7:15PM EDT
Quebec’s much-touted “shale gale” has been put on hold after the leading developers postponed a planned drilling program, citing high costs and public criticism of shale gas development.
Questerre Energy Corp. (QEC-T1.94-0.01-0.51%) and its partner Talisman Energy Inc. (TLM-T18.18-0.23-1.25%) had planned to complete two new test wells this year to further assess commercial development of the shale gas resource on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. But they have pushed back that schedule by at least six months.
The move comes as the Quebec government and the industry face an uproar at public hearings over fears that an anticipated increase in drilling could threaten local water supplies. Oil companies are encountering a backlash throughout North America over unconventional drilling techniques in which chemically laced water is shot into shale rocks to open fissures and collect the natural gas, a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”.
At public hearings, some Quebec residents have demanded a moratorium on drilling, but Questerre chief executive officer Michael Binnion said the industry has essentially ground to a halt as natural gas prices remain depressed and companies cut exploration budgets in high-cost regions.
“How can we have a moratorium? There is no industry [in Quebec],” Mr. Binnion said in an interview Thursday.
The Calgary-based oil executive was in Toronto for the launch a new study published by the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs, which argues that Canadian regulators are ill-prepared for the shale gas boom.
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/quebec-shale-gas-project-grinds-to-halt/article1757870/
= = = = = =
MUNK STUDY: Fractured Lines: Will Canada’s Water be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?
Download this file (.pdf)
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00942/
Fractured_Lines_942842a.pdf
= = = = =
More related to this story
Canada not ready for shale gas boom
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/canada-not-ready-for-shale-gas-boom/article1756636/
Plunging natural gas prices chill sector
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/canada-not-ready-for-shale-gas-boom/article1756636/
The next key energy source? A flaming snowball
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/
the-next-key-energy-source-a-flaming-snowball/article1752431/
How fracking works
Download this media file
PDF Document
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/how-fracking-works/article1755918/?from=1757870
Oil sands should be left in the ground: NASA scientist
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/
oil-sands-should-be-left-in-the-ground-nasa-scientist/article1743844/
We have run out of oil we can afford to burn
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-o ... ommentary/
jeff-rubins-smaller-world/we-have-run-out-of-oil-we-can-afford-to-burn/article1743497/
======================
6. Legal Help for Victims of Hydraulic Fracturing
- - - - -
Water Contamination from Hydraulic Fracturing Lawyers Attorney Lawsuit
http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/
hydraulic_fracturing_fracking?gclid=CNWWlZKC1qQCFSMd5wod0RYhJw
Do you live in an area where gas drilling via hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is going on, such as Pennsylvania's Marcellus shale, or the Barnett shale in Texas? Has your well water become contaminated due to methane gas migration or fracking fluid spills? If so, you are one of the latest victims of this poorly regulated industry.
Colorado, Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Texas are just some of the states were hydraulic fracturing has been linked to contaminated water and illnesses. Our firm is already representing families who have been damaged by fracking.
If you have been victimized by the hydraulic fracturing industry, we can help. (Emphasis Added)
Our hydraulic fracturing lawyers are offering free lawsuit consultations to anyone whose health and property has been damaged by fracking. We urge you to contact us today to protect your legal rights.
What is Hydraulic Fracturing?
Fracking is currently used in 90 percent of the nation’s natural gas and oil wells. The practice makes drilling possible in areas that 10 to 20 years ago would not have been profitable. Fracking involves injecting water, sand, and a cocktail of chemicals at high pressure into rock formations thousands of feet below the surface. This opens existing fractures in the rock and allows gas to rise through the wells.
Many of the chemicals used in shale gas drilling, such as benzene, are hazardous. Long-term exposure to such chemicals can have serious health consequences. Because the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 exempted hydraulic fracturing from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act, shale gas drillers don’t have to disclose what chemicals they use.
Despite their attempts to keep the make-up of fracking fluids secret, we do know something about what they contain. A recent study conducted by Theo Colburn, PhD, the director of the Endocrine Disruption Exchange in Paonia, Colorado, has so far identified 65 chemicals that are probable components of the injection fluids used by shale gas drillers. These chemicals included benzene, glycol-ethers, toluene, 2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethanol, and nonylphenols. All of these chemicals have been linked to health disorders when human exposure is too high.
Communities Damaged by Fracking
People living in the vicinity of shale gas drilling have reported foul smells in their tap water. In some instances gas well pipes have broken, resulting in leakage of contaminants into the surrounding ground.
One small town in Pennsylvania called Dimock, for example, has been devastated by fracking. Cabot Oil & Gas drilled dozens of wells in Dimock. Sadly, problems with the cement casing on 20 of those caused contamination of local water wells, driving down property values and causing sickness. In some cases, levels of methane in some Dimock water wells are so high that homeowners are able to set water aflame as it comes out of their taps. In April 2010, state environmental regulators fined Cabot $240,000, and ordered it to permanently shut three wells and install water-treatment systems in 14 homes within 30 days or face a $30,000 a month fine. Cabot's more than two-dozen pending drilling applications were also put on hold.
The violations seen in Dimock are not uncommon in Pennsylvania. A 2010 report issued by the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association found that the state has identified 1,435 violations by 43 Marcellus Shale drilling companies since January 2008. Of those, 952 were identified as having or likely to have an impact on the environment.
Texas’ Barnett shale region is another area where fracking is booming. In August 2010, an air sampling in the Texas town of DISH by Wolf Eagle Environmental “confirmed the presence in high concentrations of carcinogenic and neurotoxin compounds in ambient air near and/or on residential properties.” In June 2010, tests by the Texas Railroad Commission showed arsenic, barium, chromium, lead and selenium in a residential water well in DISH. The tainted water turned up at a home in DISH shortly after a nearby gas well was drilled.
Results of air testing by the commission released the same month detected benzene concentration, 37 parts per billion, at a Devon Energy complex on Jim Baker Road between the towns of Justin and DISH. The highest benzene reading overall, 95 ppb, was detected at a Stallion Oilfield Services commercial disposal well in Parker County. All six facilities that state inspectors revisited are within about 1,000 feet from people’s homes.
Earlier this decade, the Canadian drilling company EnCana began ramping up gas development in the Pavillion/Muddy Ridge field of Wyoming. In the summer of 2010, the majority of Pavillion residents who participated in a health survey reported respiratory problems, headaches, nausea, itchy skin, dizziness and other ailments. According to the Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project, many residents also reported that their well water was tainted by fracking. Various ailments residents reported are associated with contaminants the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified in Pavillion well water, Earthworks said.
Such reports don't even begin to tell the whole story of the damage fracking has done to communities and the environment across the country. Our firm is trying to get the word out, and our hydraulic fracturing lawyers are working with our clients to hold drillers and others involved in this industry accountable for the devastation fracking has caused.
Legal Help for Victims of Hydraulic Fracturing
Hydraulic fracturing is destroying the environment and threatening the health of thousands of people. If you and your family have become fracking victims, you have valuable legal rights. Please fill out our online form, or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636) today to schedule a free consultation with one of our hydraulic fracturing lawyers.
= = = = =
More Hydraulic Fracturing | Fracking News
http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/topic/
hydraulic_fracturing_fracking
====================
7. WATCH: TRAILER: Film: This Land is Our Land - The Fight to Reclaim the Commons
For more than three decades, transnational corporations have been busy buying up what used to be known as the commons -- everything from our forests and our oceans to our broadcast airwaves and our most important intellectual and cultural works. In This Land is Our Land, bestselling author David Bollier, a leading figure in the global movement to reclaim the commons, bucks the rising tide of anti-government extremism and free market ideology to show how commercial interests are undermining our collective interests. Placing the commons squarely within the American tradition of community engagement and the free exchange of ideas and information, Bollier shows how a bold new international movement steeped in democratic principles is trying to reclaim our common wealth by modeling practical alternatives to the restrictive monopoly powers of corporate elites.
This film was previously titled Silent Theft.
View trailer:
http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/
commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=146
Watch full length preview:
http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/
commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=146&template=PDGCommTemplates/HTN/Item_Preview.html
Last edited by Oscar on Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:28 pm, edited 4 times in total.
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9144
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
FRACKING NEWS: October 18, 2010
by Oscar » Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:01 pm
FRACKING NEWS: October 18, 2010
1. BARLOW: SPEECH: ‘We are facing the greatest threat to humanity, only fundamental change can save us’, says Barlow
2. WATCH: MUNK CONFERENCE TITLE: FRACTURE LINES - WILL CANADA'S WATER BE PROTECTED IN THE RUSH TO DEVELOP SHALE GAS?
3. Shale gas rules a work in progress: Prentice
4. B.C. on the cusp of new natural gas boom, driven by shale deposits: Officials
5. NEWS: Fracking raises concerns in provinces
6. NEWS: Prentice says federal fracking regulations are still being drawn up
7. NEWS: 76% of Quebecers support fracking moratorium
8. Gearing up for Cancun Climate Talks: reports from Tiajin negotiations mixed
9. Announcing the Revenue Watch Index: Landmark Ranking of Government Openness in Oil, Gas and Mining Management
====================
1. BARLOW: SPEECH: ‘We are facing the greatest threat to
humanity, only fundamental change can save us’, says Barlow
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4988
On October 7, Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow gave a plenary address to the Environmental Grantmakers Association annual retreat in Pacific Grove, California.
==================
2. WATCH: MUNK CONFERENCE TITLE: FRACTURE LINES - WILL CANADA'S WATER BE PROTECTED IN THE RUSH TO DEVELOP SHALE GAS?
http://www.bctwa.org/Frk-YouTube-MunkCenter.html
LIST OF VIDEO SEGMENTS POSTED ON YOU TUBE TAPED AT THE
PUBLIC FORUM ON ISSUES RELATED TO FRACKING IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
(taped and edited by Will Koop)
( Updated: October 17, 2010 - More video segments to come )
AN EVENT HOSTED BY THE MUNK SHOOL OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
OCTOBER 14, 2010
CONFERENCE TITLE: FRACTURE LINES - WILL CANADA'S
WATER BE PROTECTED IN THE RUSH TO DEVELOP SHALE GAS?
(the first public forum on fracking held in Canada !!!)
For more information about the conference, the following link to the Munk School Program on Water Issues website -
( http://www.powi.ca/ )
YOU TUBE SEGMENTS(copy and paste links to web browser)
1. Abrahm Lustgarten (Six Parts). Afternoon Session featuring Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica Reporter.
Presentation Title: Shale Gas Development and Water Protection - Lessons Learned and the Way Forward
( ProPublica website: http://www.propublica.org/ )
Part 1 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJoafFM0Dqs
(9 minutes, 17 seconds)
Part 2 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUYjd0N15IY
(9 minutes, 20 seconds)
Part 3 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzzOgBd3pqc
(9 minutes, 26 seconds)
Part 4 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHwK90Gddes
(9 minutes, 19 seconds)
Part 5 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qRQbiJdSnU
(7 minutes, 30 seconds)
Part 6 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpR5IQ_dPJ0
(6 minutes, 34 seconds)
- - - -
2. Legal Liability Issues: Investors, Industry and Governments (Five Parts). Afternoon Session Panel. Panel members: Stephen Dvorkin, Partner, Dickstein Shapiro LLP, New York, NY; Wally Braul, Partner, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, Calgary, Alberta; Jon Jensen, Executive Director, Park Foundation, Ithica, New York.
Part 1 - Stephen Dvorkin
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVeoDc_tJrQ
(9 minutes, 50 seconds)
Part 2 - Stephen Dvorkin
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsCXMw0Os80
(3 minutes, 11 seconds)
Part 3 - Jon Jensen
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoKgZVrP-Mc
(9 minutes, three seconds)
Part 4 - Jon Jensen / questions
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcer-RHILQs　
(7 minutes, 44 seconds)
Part 5 - Questions to Panel
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcX_kjv97SM
=======================
3. Shale gas rules a work in progress: Prentice
http://www.metronews.ca/ArticlePrint/
663764?language=en
Andy Blatchford, The Canadian Press 15 October 2010 04:02
MONTREAL - Jim Prentice says environmental regulations are a work in progress for Canada's booming shale-gas industry — even though drills have already been piercing the ground in several parts of the country for years.
The federal environment minister was asked Friday whether Canadian regulators are prepared to protect water resources from ecological risks posed by the burgeoning sector.
"(Environmental issues) have been addressed to some degree in Alberta and in British Columbia and I think we can learn from their process," Prentice told a news conference in Montreal.
"But shale gas has potential in most of the Canadian provinces and so I think that it's important that each province ensure that they have the appropriate regulations in place."
When pressed whether those necessary rules are already governing shale-gas production in Western Canada, he responded: "They are being developed at this time."
Prentice's remarks came a day after a University of Toronto report raised concerns Canada has not developed adequate regulations to address the potential impact of shale-gas extraction on the country's water supply.
"In Canada, government has notably embraced the benefits of shale production while studiously avoiding any serious discussion of its considerable environmental costs," Ben Parfitt wrote in his report for the university's Munk School of Global Affairs.
"The silence from the National Energy Board, Environment Canada and provincial energy regulators is troubling."
MORE:
http://www.metronews.ca/ArticlePrint/663764?language=en
======================
4. B.C. on the cusp of new natural gas boom, driven by shale deposits: Officials
http://www.vancouversun.com/
cusp+natural+boom+driven+shale+deposits+Officials/3680300/story.html
By Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun October 15, 2010
Industry must capitalize on resource enough to power North America for 'decades'
VANCOUVER - Premier Gordon Campbell believes B.C. is on the cusp of a new energy boom driven by the recent discoveries of major shale gas deposits in the province’s northeast.
That is, if B.C. is quick to tap it.
"There’s an enormous window of opportunity open before us, and it’s closing," Campbell said to the industry as it gathered this week in Fort St. John for a major conference.
The opportunity, he said, is to exploit those huge pools of shale gas as fuel to satisfy North America’s appetite for cleaner forms of energy than coal or oil, and to feed an export market in Asia with exports of liquefied natural gas.
But how quickly the industry drills into the resource will depend more on the performance of a market that already has ample supplies of the fuel and has been dogged by lagging demand during the recession.
And the development of "unconventional gas," as the deposits of natural gas trapped in shale and sandstone are called, comes with environmental challenges due to the use of water in techniques used to extract the fuel.
To grasp the opportunities that he sees, Campbell is encouraging not just the industry, but communities and first nations to cooperate on creating efficient environmental reviews.
"If we don’t get smarter in how we move forward with the industry, we’re going to lose it," Campbell said.
Prices dictate expansion
Canada’s major oil and gas companies have staked huge bets on those recently discovered shale gas plays in the Horn River Basin near Fort Nelson and the Montney formation that surround Fort St. John, spending $4.5 billion over the past three years just to secure exploration-drilling rights in the region.
Bill Bennett, B.C.’s minister of energy and mines said those unconventional discoveries have expanded B.C.’s gas reserves beyond 91 trillion cubic feet, with the three biggest pools — the Horn River, the Montney and Cordova embayment — accounting for 1,500 trillion to 2,000 trillion cubic feet alone.
It is enough, he added, to fuel North America "for decades.
MORE:
http://www.vancouversun.com/
cusp+natural+boom+driven+shale+deposits+Officials/3680300/story.html
========================
5. NEWS: Fracking raises concerns in provinces
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4993
The threat of fracking has raised concerns about its impact on water in almost every province across Canada. As described by Environmental Leader news, "the hydraulic fracturing process involves taking water from the ground, pumping fracturing fluids and sands into the wells under pressure, then separating and managing the leftover water after withdrawing the (unconventional shale) gas."
=====================
6. NEWS: Prentice says federal fracking regulations are still being drawn up
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4986
The Canadian Press reports that, "Jim Prentice says environmental regulations are still a work in progress for Canada’s booming shale gas industry, even though drills have already pierced the ground. …Mr. Prentice says environmental policies are still being drawn up, even though shale gas production is already underway in Western Canada."
=====================
7. NEWS: 76% of Quebecers support fracking moratorium
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4984
The Montreal Gazette reports that, "Despite a poll showing that more than three-quarters of Quebecers want the province to stop shale gas exploration until environmental impact studies are completed, exploration will continue, provincial Environment Minister Pierre Arcand says."
==========================
8. Gearing up for Cancun Climate Talks: reports from Tiajin negotiations mixed
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=326
UN preparatory climate talks in Tiajin, China for the next major round of climate negotiations in Cancun
(November 29 to December 10), recently came to end.
======================
9. Announcing the Revenue Watch Index: Landmark Ranking of
Government Openness in Oil, Gas and Mining Management
http://www.revenuewatch.org/index.php
October 6
Launched on October 6 in Washington, D.C., the Revenue Watch Index is a pioneering measurement of government disclosure in the management of oil, gas and minerals, ranking transparency practices in 41 countries among the world's top producers of petroleum, gold, copper and diamonds.
Created in partnership with Transparency International, the index is an assessment and comparison of information published by governments about revenues, contract terms and other key data. It is an important tool for elected officials, policy makers, civil society and media seeking increased public disclosure about natural resource management, and greater government accountability.
Learn more, view an interactive country map and
download report data at:
http://www.revenuewatch.org/rwindex
For recent media coverage of the Revenue Watch Index, see:
http://www.revenuewatch.org/news/media-feed
1. BARLOW: SPEECH: ‘We are facing the greatest threat to humanity, only fundamental change can save us’, says Barlow
2. WATCH: MUNK CONFERENCE TITLE: FRACTURE LINES - WILL CANADA'S WATER BE PROTECTED IN THE RUSH TO DEVELOP SHALE GAS?
3. Shale gas rules a work in progress: Prentice
4. B.C. on the cusp of new natural gas boom, driven by shale deposits: Officials
5. NEWS: Fracking raises concerns in provinces
6. NEWS: Prentice says federal fracking regulations are still being drawn up
7. NEWS: 76% of Quebecers support fracking moratorium
8. Gearing up for Cancun Climate Talks: reports from Tiajin negotiations mixed
9. Announcing the Revenue Watch Index: Landmark Ranking of Government Openness in Oil, Gas and Mining Management
====================
1. BARLOW: SPEECH: ‘We are facing the greatest threat to
humanity, only fundamental change can save us’, says Barlow
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4988
On October 7, Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow gave a plenary address to the Environmental Grantmakers Association annual retreat in Pacific Grove, California.
==================
2. WATCH: MUNK CONFERENCE TITLE: FRACTURE LINES - WILL CANADA'S WATER BE PROTECTED IN THE RUSH TO DEVELOP SHALE GAS?
http://www.bctwa.org/Frk-YouTube-MunkCenter.html
LIST OF VIDEO SEGMENTS POSTED ON YOU TUBE TAPED AT THE
PUBLIC FORUM ON ISSUES RELATED TO FRACKING IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
(taped and edited by Will Koop)
( Updated: October 17, 2010 - More video segments to come )
AN EVENT HOSTED BY THE MUNK SHOOL OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
OCTOBER 14, 2010
CONFERENCE TITLE: FRACTURE LINES - WILL CANADA'S
WATER BE PROTECTED IN THE RUSH TO DEVELOP SHALE GAS?
(the first public forum on fracking held in Canada !!!)
For more information about the conference, the following link to the Munk School Program on Water Issues website -
( http://www.powi.ca/ )
YOU TUBE SEGMENTS(copy and paste links to web browser)
1. Abrahm Lustgarten (Six Parts). Afternoon Session featuring Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica Reporter.
Presentation Title: Shale Gas Development and Water Protection - Lessons Learned and the Way Forward
( ProPublica website: http://www.propublica.org/ )
Part 1 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJoafFM0Dqs
(9 minutes, 17 seconds)
Part 2 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUYjd0N15IY
(9 minutes, 20 seconds)
Part 3 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzzOgBd3pqc
(9 minutes, 26 seconds)
Part 4 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHwK90Gddes
(9 minutes, 19 seconds)
Part 5 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qRQbiJdSnU
(7 minutes, 30 seconds)
Part 6 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpR5IQ_dPJ0
(6 minutes, 34 seconds)
- - - -
2. Legal Liability Issues: Investors, Industry and Governments (Five Parts). Afternoon Session Panel. Panel members: Stephen Dvorkin, Partner, Dickstein Shapiro LLP, New York, NY; Wally Braul, Partner, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, Calgary, Alberta; Jon Jensen, Executive Director, Park Foundation, Ithica, New York.
Part 1 - Stephen Dvorkin
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVeoDc_tJrQ
(9 minutes, 50 seconds)
Part 2 - Stephen Dvorkin
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsCXMw0Os80
(3 minutes, 11 seconds)
Part 3 - Jon Jensen
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoKgZVrP-Mc
(9 minutes, three seconds)
Part 4 - Jon Jensen / questions
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcer-RHILQs　
(7 minutes, 44 seconds)
Part 5 - Questions to Panel
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcX_kjv97SM
=======================
3. Shale gas rules a work in progress: Prentice
http://www.metronews.ca/ArticlePrint/
663764?language=en
Andy Blatchford, The Canadian Press 15 October 2010 04:02
MONTREAL - Jim Prentice says environmental regulations are a work in progress for Canada's booming shale-gas industry — even though drills have already been piercing the ground in several parts of the country for years.
The federal environment minister was asked Friday whether Canadian regulators are prepared to protect water resources from ecological risks posed by the burgeoning sector.
"(Environmental issues) have been addressed to some degree in Alberta and in British Columbia and I think we can learn from their process," Prentice told a news conference in Montreal.
"But shale gas has potential in most of the Canadian provinces and so I think that it's important that each province ensure that they have the appropriate regulations in place."
When pressed whether those necessary rules are already governing shale-gas production in Western Canada, he responded: "They are being developed at this time."
Prentice's remarks came a day after a University of Toronto report raised concerns Canada has not developed adequate regulations to address the potential impact of shale-gas extraction on the country's water supply.
"In Canada, government has notably embraced the benefits of shale production while studiously avoiding any serious discussion of its considerable environmental costs," Ben Parfitt wrote in his report for the university's Munk School of Global Affairs.
"The silence from the National Energy Board, Environment Canada and provincial energy regulators is troubling."
MORE:
http://www.metronews.ca/ArticlePrint/663764?language=en
======================
4. B.C. on the cusp of new natural gas boom, driven by shale deposits: Officials
http://www.vancouversun.com/
cusp+natural+boom+driven+shale+deposits+Officials/3680300/story.html
By Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun October 15, 2010
Industry must capitalize on resource enough to power North America for 'decades'
VANCOUVER - Premier Gordon Campbell believes B.C. is on the cusp of a new energy boom driven by the recent discoveries of major shale gas deposits in the province’s northeast.
That is, if B.C. is quick to tap it.
"There’s an enormous window of opportunity open before us, and it’s closing," Campbell said to the industry as it gathered this week in Fort St. John for a major conference.
The opportunity, he said, is to exploit those huge pools of shale gas as fuel to satisfy North America’s appetite for cleaner forms of energy than coal or oil, and to feed an export market in Asia with exports of liquefied natural gas.
But how quickly the industry drills into the resource will depend more on the performance of a market that already has ample supplies of the fuel and has been dogged by lagging demand during the recession.
And the development of "unconventional gas," as the deposits of natural gas trapped in shale and sandstone are called, comes with environmental challenges due to the use of water in techniques used to extract the fuel.
To grasp the opportunities that he sees, Campbell is encouraging not just the industry, but communities and first nations to cooperate on creating efficient environmental reviews.
"If we don’t get smarter in how we move forward with the industry, we’re going to lose it," Campbell said.
Prices dictate expansion
Canada’s major oil and gas companies have staked huge bets on those recently discovered shale gas plays in the Horn River Basin near Fort Nelson and the Montney formation that surround Fort St. John, spending $4.5 billion over the past three years just to secure exploration-drilling rights in the region.
Bill Bennett, B.C.’s minister of energy and mines said those unconventional discoveries have expanded B.C.’s gas reserves beyond 91 trillion cubic feet, with the three biggest pools — the Horn River, the Montney and Cordova embayment — accounting for 1,500 trillion to 2,000 trillion cubic feet alone.
It is enough, he added, to fuel North America "for decades.
MORE:
http://www.vancouversun.com/
cusp+natural+boom+driven+shale+deposits+Officials/3680300/story.html
========================
5. NEWS: Fracking raises concerns in provinces
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4993
The threat of fracking has raised concerns about its impact on water in almost every province across Canada. As described by Environmental Leader news, "the hydraulic fracturing process involves taking water from the ground, pumping fracturing fluids and sands into the wells under pressure, then separating and managing the leftover water after withdrawing the (unconventional shale) gas."
=====================
6. NEWS: Prentice says federal fracking regulations are still being drawn up
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4986
The Canadian Press reports that, "Jim Prentice says environmental regulations are still a work in progress for Canada’s booming shale gas industry, even though drills have already pierced the ground. …Mr. Prentice says environmental policies are still being drawn up, even though shale gas production is already underway in Western Canada."
=====================
7. NEWS: 76% of Quebecers support fracking moratorium
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4984
The Montreal Gazette reports that, "Despite a poll showing that more than three-quarters of Quebecers want the province to stop shale gas exploration until environmental impact studies are completed, exploration will continue, provincial Environment Minister Pierre Arcand says."
==========================
8. Gearing up for Cancun Climate Talks: reports from Tiajin negotiations mixed
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=326
UN preparatory climate talks in Tiajin, China for the next major round of climate negotiations in Cancun
(November 29 to December 10), recently came to end.
======================
9. Announcing the Revenue Watch Index: Landmark Ranking of
Government Openness in Oil, Gas and Mining Management
http://www.revenuewatch.org/index.php
October 6
Launched on October 6 in Washington, D.C., the Revenue Watch Index is a pioneering measurement of government disclosure in the management of oil, gas and minerals, ranking transparency practices in 41 countries among the world's top producers of petroleum, gold, copper and diamonds.
Created in partnership with Transparency International, the index is an assessment and comparison of information published by governments about revenues, contract terms and other key data. It is an important tool for elected officials, policy makers, civil society and media seeking increased public disclosure about natural resource management, and greater government accountability.
Learn more, view an interactive country map and
download report data at:
http://www.revenuewatch.org/rwindex
For recent media coverage of the Revenue Watch Index, see:
http://www.revenuewatch.org/news/media-feed
Last edited by Oscar on Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:25 pm, edited 3 times in total.
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9144
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FRACKING NEWS – October 30, 2010
by Oscar » Sat Oct 30, 2010 4:56 pm
FRACKING NEWS – October 30, 2010
1. EVENT: Ethical Oil vs Dirty Oil – Calgary – Nov. 7
2. WATCH: My Very First Frack - Or, No Love at First Frack
3. Moncton should reconsider bulk water sales
4. Lake Ainslie residents raise concerns over fracking at public meeting
5. BARLOW: WATER CHAMPION
6. WATCH: Burning Water
7. FRACKING CANADA'S WATER!!!
8. Environmental charges laid for release of methanol and biodiesel
9. WATCH: Former oil industry executive speaks about hydrofracking
10. WATCH: James Northrup-Hydrofracking, Faults & Aquifer Pollution
11. Gas Drilling and Fracking
12. WATCH: Shale Gas . . . . (from Questerre Energy Corporation)
13. Hydraulic fracturing - 'fracking' - mobilizes uranium in marcellus shale
14. 'Fracking' Mobilizes Uranium in Marcellus Shale, UB Research Finds
15. The Fracking Lawsuits Begin
16. Leaked Memo Depicts Bare-Bones Regulatory Environment for NY Gas Drilling
17. Licking Township Bans Corporate “Frack Water” Dumping
18. GasLand – Australia
19. Conoco cuts US natural gas production as the boom becomes a bust
20. Shale gas—Abundance or mirage? Why the Marcellus Shale will disappoint expectations
21. Halliburton to release list of ‘fracking’ chemicals
22. How Dangerous Is Fracking?
23. All is not well; drilling raises issues
24. Can shale gas be produced safely?
25. Government Whistleblower Weston Wilson Featured Speaker at Powder River Basin Resource Council’s Annual Meeting
26. EnCana Corp. (ECA) Reached the 52-Week Low of $27.55
==========
1. EVENT: Ethical Oil vs Dirty Oil – Calgary – Nov. 7
Pages at the Plaza presents a discussion between Ezra Levant, author of "Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands" and Andrew Nikiforuk, author of "Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent" Come out for the debate between these two authors, as they present very different views on the role of the Canadian oil sands in meeting North America’s need for cheap energy.
Moderated by CBC Radio’s Jim Brown. Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 11:00AM in the Plaza Theatre, 1133 Kensington Road NW, Calgary.
Doors open at 10:30AM
http://www.pages.ab.ca/readings.html
About Ezra Levant:
In Ethical Oil, Levant turns his combative wit to a new hot-button topic: the ethical cost of our addiction to oil. Even though most North Americans know the financial and environmental price we pay for a gas and oil, Levant argues that it is time we factor in the growing ethical costs, too. With his trademark candor, Levant asks hard-hitting questions: · With the availability of oil from northern Alberta, is it ethically responsible to import oil from Sudan, Russia, and Mexico? · How should we weigh carbon emissions against flagrant human rights violations in Saudi Arabia? · And, assuming that our current society cannot survive without oil, can the development of energy be made more environmentally sustainable? Ethical Oil exposes the hypocrisy of the West's dealings with reprehensible regimes. We buy oil from these dubious dictators to sustain our extravagant lifestyles, but Levant offers solutions to this double standard. Readers from across the political spectrum will want to read this timely and provocative new book, which is sure to spark debate.
About Andrew Nikiforuk:
Andrew Nikiforuk's Tar Sands is a critical exposé of the world's largest energy project – the Alberta oil sands – that has made Canada one of our planet’s worst environmental offenders. Canada has one third of the world’s oil, but it comes from one of the world’s dirtiest sources: the bitumen in the oil sands of Alberta. Frenzied development in the Fort McMurray area has created the world’s largest energy project. But the here, rather than gushing from the deserts of Saudi Arabia, the sticky, oil-laden bitumen is extracted from the earth in huge open-pit mines. In Tar Sands, journalist Andrew Nikiforuk examines the disastrous environmental, social, and political costs of the tar sands. He also explains that none of us are immune, as this dirty energy source supplies gasoline for 50 percent of Canadian vehicles and 16 percent of U.S. demand. Readers will learn that the Alberta oil sands: burn more carbon than conventional oil; destroy forests and displace woodland caribou; poison the water supply and communities downstream; drain the Athabasca River, part of Canada’s largest watershed; and contribute to climate change. The book does provide hope, however. Tar Sands ends with an exploration of possible solutions to the problem, and argues forcefully for change.
Event Details: Sunday, November 7, 2010 11:00AM, the Plaza Theatre, 1133 Kensington Road NW. Calgary
Doors open at 10:30AM $5.00 buys general admission OR $15.00 buys admission and lunch (vegetarian available) OR $30.00 buys admission and book OR $40.00 buys admission and lunch and book. Box lunches must be ordered by November 5 to place order with Red Tree Catering. Books will also be available for purchase from Pages Books on Kensington. We accept Calgary Dollars (25%).
Call (403) 283-6655 for tickets and more information
Sponsored by McClelland and Stewart, Greystone Books, The Calgary Herald, The Calgary Public Library, Red Tree Catering, and The Plaza Theatre
===================
2. WATCH: My Very First Frack - Or, No Love at First Frack
by WillKoop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejYhAdmHIVs
(Talisman's operations, north of Hudson's Hope, British Columbia, Canada)
=====================
3. Moncton should reconsider bulk water sales
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/
2010/10/25/nb-moncton-water-fracking-council-canadians-211.html#ixzz13c3x3PwI
Council of Canadians calls for full public consultation on water sales to mining company
Last Updated: Monday, October 25, 2010 | 5:56 PM AT CBC News
The Council of Canadians is calling on Moncton city councillors to revisit its policy that is allowing bulk water sales to an oil drilling company that is using a controversial mining technique.
Brent Patterson, a spokesperson for the citizens organization, said Moncton council should have fully debated the issue and asked for public input before allowing six to eight tanker truck loads of water to be sold every day from the Turtle Creek Reservoir.
The water is being used by Apache Canada in a controversial process called hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, at its mine near Sussex.
The fracking process forces chemically treated water two kilometres into the ground in an effort to break shale and release natural gas. The water that comes back is polluted and has to be trucked away.
Patterson said there is concern across the country about hydraulic fracturing.
"Our position certainly would be that selling drinking water at any price to be destroyed by — in a fracking process — is just bad public policy," Patterson said.
"We really do feel that the debate should not be about whether Apache should be charged more for the water but rather the debate should be about the damage that is done to water through the fracking process."
Patterson is calling for a full debate and public consultation on this issue.
Patterson said this is the first time he's heard of a city selling drinking water for fracking.
MORE:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/ ... 010/10/25/
nb-moncton-water-fracking-council-canadians-211.html#ixzz13c3x3PwI
====================
4. Lake Ainslie residents raise concerns over fracking at
public meeting
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4956
October 15, 2010
The Cape Breton Post reports that, “Local residents at a public meeting about Petroworth Resources Inc.’s proposed oil well in the Lake Ainslie area have raised concerns about spills and any possible use of a controversial method of oil and gas extraction called fracking.”
“Anne Levesque, a spokesperson for the Inverness chapter of the Council of Canadians, said residents at the Wednesday evening open house asked questions about the potential for an oil spill into the lake and into wells that provide drinking water. …Local residents also questioned government officials about why their opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns come at such a late stage of the process, according to Levesque. ‘They wanted to be involved right from the beginning, not at the end,’ she said in an interview Thursday.”
MORE: http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4956
================
5. BARLOW: WATER CHAMPION
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/
Water+champion/3718288/story.html
Activist Maude Barlow, a thorn in the side of corporate Canada, leads a battle to save a dwindling resource
By Sheila Pratt, edmontonjournal.com October 24, 2010
With tears welling up in her eyes, the Australian farmer looked over her parched fields where she grew rice for a prosperous export market. Rice production, a water‐intensive business, was encouraged by the national government that handed out water licences in the 1990s.
Trouble was, the water ran out after six long years of drought. By 2008, Australia’s rice crop had dropped by 98 per cent, all rice mills were mothballed and farmers were left scrambling to find a way out.
"Why didn’t they have a plan to start cutting back on water use sooner?’" said the devastated farmer. Canadian activist Maude Barlow listened carefully as she put a comforting arm around the woman.
That was about two years ago when Barlow was on a book tour to Australia — just as parts of that dry country "hit the water wall," as she puts it.
Her latest book, Blue Convenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water, describes water shortage, the impact of climate change on water and the influence of big corporations in global water politics.
There’s a glimpse of Canada’s future down under, she says, unless governments here do some planning to conserve water on this continent.
Barlow has been sounding the alarm about a looming world water shortage since the mid‐1990s, when she began to cast water as the next oil — an increasingly scarce commodity that could lead to global conflict unless governments started planning ahead.
MORE:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/
Water+champion/3718288/story.html
=======================
6. WATCH: Burning Water
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/passionateeyeshowcase/
2010/burningwater/
Monday October 18 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC News Network
Related Video (Links are on website)
Burning Water - Watch the promo. 1:02 min
Burning Water - Watch the full program online 45:02 min
On Christmas Eve 2005, Fiona Lauridsen and her three children got chemical-like burns after taking showers in their home. Tests showed higher than normal levels of methane gas in their water coming straight from the aquifer, along with the presence of man-made chemicals. Where could this have come from? The Lauridsens think it may have been caused by the natural gas drilling that had begun in the region. Encana, Canada's biggest gas company, had just started drilling the underground coal seams on the Lauridsen farm to extract natural gas. The extraction process to release Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is called Hydraulic Fracturing, or "fracking", a process by which the ground is drilled into, pumped with water sand and chemicals in order to fracture the coal or rock; and then releasing methane gas.
Initially, the Lauridsens welcomed the added income that came to them from the energy company. But when their water went bad, they turned to Alberta Environment which began an investigation. During that time, water was trucked to each house with water problems. The Alberta Research Council (ARC) looked at the data and released a report in January 2008 which stated that the gas in the water was naturally occurring. The presence of chemicals in the water was left unexplained. The Alberta government then blamed the water problems on bad well maintenance on the part of the farmer. Water deliveries stopped three months after the report was released.
Burning water from the hose
The end of water deliveries put Fiona and her family in a dire situation, some of her neighbours left the region, but the Lauridsens were not ready to leave everything they had worked so hard for. They wanted answers and this didn’t make the community happy. Rosebud is a theatre town and the theatre lives off tourism and funding from EnCana. It’s a popular enterprise and their latest hit is a production of “Fiddler on the Roof”. Fiona works part-time in the theatre, but her complaints about bad water cause some friction. The Lauridsens have 900 acres in the valley, but if they don’t have water they’ll have to move. Fiona and husband Peter want to stay, and so she embarks on a journey across Alberta and into B.C. to meet farmers, scientists and politicians in her efforts to extract answers and, at least, an apology for their contaminated water. The film also looks at similar situations in the USA where natural gas exploration causing water contamination led in to charges and convictions of the energy companies involved.
Burning Water was produced by Frederic Bohbot and directed by Cameron Esler & Tadzio Richards for Bunbury Films in association with CBC News Network.
====================
7. FRACKING CANADA'S WATER!!!
The Munk School of Global Affairs Hosts First Public Forum in Canada on Fracking Issues
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-MunkForumOct14-2010.html
On October 14, 2010, the Munk School's Program on Water Issues, at the University of Toronto, hosted the first public forum in Canada (live webcasted) on issues related to Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking) by the natural gas industry, including panel guests from the United States. The timely conference theme title and paper, Fracture Lines - Will Canada's Water be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?, written and summarily presented by Ben Parfitt at the conference, was a main catalyst for discussion by panel members following Parfitt's presentation at the start of the conference.
Conference presenters and panel members were provided with an advanced copy of Parfitt's report:
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-Parfitt-FractureLines.pdf
On this website, are numerous YouTube video links to the conference proceedings, taped and edited by Will Koop:
http://www.bctwa.org/Frk-YouTube-MunkCenter.html
Below, is the conference program and a copy of the Biographies and Abstracts of conference presenters and panel members. (Note: a number of Canadian regulators declined to participate in the public forum, specific comments which can be found on the YouTube page link section, Statutory Authority and Regulatory Preparedness, near the beginning of Part One:
http://www.bctwa.org/Frk-YouTube-MunkCenter.html
In addition, lawyer Stephen Dvorkin submitted a paper for conference attendees, Hydraulic Fracturing Liabilities Suggest Insurance Coverage:
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-Dvorkin-Liability.pdf
MORE MUNK SCHOOL HYDRAULIC FRACTURING YOUTUBES
http://www.bctwa.org/Frk-YouTube-MunkCenter.html
4. Statutory Authority and Regulatory Preparedness
(Late Morning Session) Part 1 - Val Washington (Deputy Commissioner for Remediation and Materials, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s6my-pto08
(9 minutes, 32 seconds) Part 2 - Val Washington ((continued)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYo1cehjSCA (8 minutes, 38 seconds)
(6 minutes, 51 seconds) Part 3 - David Neslin, Director, Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Department of Natural Resources, Colorado
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yk3GuHdx9M
(9 minutes, 21 seconds) Part 4 - David Neslin (continued). Questions from the public to Panel members.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36_UE4r7gkc
(9 minutes, 37 seconds) Part 5 - Questions to Panel members (continued)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeEwDcOteO4
==================
8. Environmental charges laid for release of methanol and biodiesel
http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/
20101028/CGY_western_biodiesel_101028/20101028/?hub=CalgaryHome
October 28, 2010
Okotoks... Alberta Environment has laid charges against a biodiesel production company based near High River and a former manager for the alleged release of a hazardous substance into the environment, improper disposal of wastewater and biodiesel, failure to report the releases and for providing false or misleading information. Western Biodiesel Inc. and its former operations manager, Jason Freeman, are facing joint charges under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act and the Waste Control Regulation. The charges relate to separate incidents in October 2008 where wastewater containing methanol and biodiesel were released and allowed to flow onto an adjacent property near the facility.
The first court appearance is set for November 29 at Okotoks Provincial Court.
Alberta Environment focuses on education, prevention and enforcement to ensure all Albertans continue to enjoy a clean and healthy environment. When individuals, companies, or municipalities fail to comply with our legislation, Alberta Environment has a range of options depending on the offence to ensure compliance with our environmental regulations. -30-
Media inquiries may be directed to: Carrie Sancartier Communications Alberta Environment 780-427-6267
Carrie.Sancartier@gov.ab.ca
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000.
================
9. WATCH: Former oil industry executive speaks about hydrofracking
http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story/
Former-oil-industry-executive-speaks-about/qs_iDKSnb0SeqoyXX20wAQ.cspx
Published: 10/26 9:36 pm Updated: 10/26 11:28 pm
Skaneateles (WSYR-TV) - Skaneateles welcomed a former executive from the oil industry Tuesday evening. James Northrup spoke out about how the controversial natural gas drilling technique known as hydrofracking is a threat to water supplies.
Northrup says that the technique is akin to exploding a bomb underneath the ground and is an all around bad idea. Based on that premise, Northrup has two possible reasons why regulators are considering allowing hydrofracking. "The optimistic explanation is they're just inept, the regulators. Maybe the less optimistic explanation would be that they're crooked. From my perspective, I would vote for both," said Northrup.
Northrup, who now lives in Cooperstown, says hydrofracking can work. The terrain in New York is very different than the terrain where this technology was developed, however, and that's what needs to be considered.
Copyright 2010 Newport Television LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
======================
10. WATCH: James Northrup-Hydrofracking, Faults & Aquifer Pollution
http://shaleshock.org/2010/08/
james-northrup-hydrofracking-faults-aquifer-pollution/
By Clover on August 31st, 2010 - 27 minutes
James Northrup – Hydrofracking, Faults & Aquifer Pollution from Sustainable Otsego on Vimeo.
James (Chip) Northrup, former gas/oil industry planning manager discusses some of the major problems of using high-volume slick-water horizontal hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) gas drilling method in NY.
=================
11. Gas Drilling and Fracking
http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/
hydraulic_fracturing_fracking?gclid=CNDn_p-3-6QCFQRqKgodKSJciA
Gas Drilling By Fracking May Contaminate Ground Water.
www.yourlawyer.com
=======================
12. WATCH: Shale Gas . . . . (from Questerre Energy Corporation)
http://www.questerre.com/
shale-gas-backgrounder-english?gclid=CPak4rK3-6QCFQFoKgod7lLYgw
Learn the facts about frac'ing shale in Quebec
www.questerre.com
==================
13. Hydraulic fracturing - 'fracking' - mobilizes uranium in marcellus shale
http://www.sciencecodex.com/
fracking_mobilizes_uranium_in_marcellus_shale
Posted On: October 26, 2010 - 12:30am
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Scientific and political disputes over drilling Marcellus shale for natural gas have focused primarily on the environmental effects of pumping millions of gallons of water and chemicals deep underground to blast through rocks to release the natural gas.
But University at Buffalo researchers have now found that that process -- called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"-- also causes uranium that is naturally trapped inside Marcellus shale to be released, raising additional environmental concerns.
The research will be presented at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Denver on Nov. 2.
Marcellus shale is a massive rock formation that stretches from New York through Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, and which is often described as the nation's largest source of natural gas.
"Marcellus shale naturally traps metals such as uranium and at levels higher than usually found naturally, but lower than manmade contamination levels," says Tracy Bank, PhD, assistant professor of geology in UB's College of Arts and Sciences and lead researcher. "My question was, if they start drilling and pumping millions of gallons of water into these underground rocks, will that force the uranium into the soluble phase and mobilize it? Will uranium then show up in groundwater?"
To find out, Bank and her colleagues at UB scanned the surfaces of Marcellus shale samples from Western New York and Pennsylvania. Using sensitive chemical instruments, they created a chemical map of the surfaces to determine the precise location in the shale of the hydrocarbons, the organic compounds containing natural gas.
"We found that the uranium and the hydrocarbons are in the same physical space," says Bank. "We found that they are not just physically -- but also chemically -- bound.
MORE:
http://www.sciencecodex.com/
fracking_mobilizes_uranium_in_marcellus_shale
=================
14. 'Fracking' Mobilizes Uranium in Marcellus Shale, UB Research Finds
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/11885
News Release October 25, 2010 Contact Ellen Goldbaum goldbaum@buffalo.edu
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Scientific and political disputes over drilling Marcellus shale for natural gas have focused primarily on the environmental effects of pumping millions of gallons of water and chemicals deep underground to blast through rocks to release the natural gas.
But University at Buffalo researchers have now found that that process -- called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"-- also causes uranium that is naturally trapped inside Marcellus shale to be released, raising additional environmental concerns.
The research will be presented at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Denver on Nov. 2.
MORE:
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/11885
===================
15. The Fracking Lawsuits Begin
http://bayridgejournal.blogspot.com/2010/10/
hydrofracking-lawsuits-begin.html
Otober 23, 2010
Thirteen families in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the heart of the natural gas-rich Marcellus Shale, have filed one of the nation's first lawsuits linking hydraulic fracturing or "hydrofracking" for natural gas to tainted groundwater.
The lawsuit alleges that a faulty gas well drilled by Houston-based Southwestern Energy Co. contaminated local groundwater in northeastern Pennsylvania with hydrofracking fluids, exposing residents to dangerous chemicals and sickening a child.
The well’s cement casing was allegedly defective, resulting in spills of industrial waste, diesel fuel and other hazardous substances, which leaked into the aquifer and contaminated wells within several thousand feet of the drilling site.
Fracking is the controversial natural gas drilling process that extracts natural gas from dense shale deposits like New York State's Marcellus by blasting millions of gallons of pressurized water, mixed with toxic chemicals and sand, thousands of feet underground, cracking the rock and releasing the gas.
Thousands of natural gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania and West Virginia as a result of hydrofracking. And that is just the beginning of the boom: by one estimate, the Marcellus contains upwards of 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
Northeastern Pennsylvania is ground zero for natural gas speculators, who are betting that the Marcellus shale gas reservoir will be the next big thing for the U.S. natural gas industry.
They have benefited from the fact that hydrofracking is currently exempt from federal regulation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as a result of the so-called "Halliburton Loophole" in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
MORE:
http://bayridgejournal.blogspot.com/2010/10/
hydrofracking-lawsuits-begin.html
====================
16. Leaked Memo Depicts Bare-Bones Regulatory Environment for NY Gas Drilling
http://www.propublica.org/article/
leaked-memo-depicts-bare-bones-regulatory-environment-for-ny-gas-drilling
by Marie C. Baca ProPublica, Oct. 26, 2010, 10:11 a.m.
The leaked memo [1] that led to the dismissal of New York's top environmental official last week depicts a severely understaffed agency that has struggled to adequately perform its duties over the past two years and is ill-equipped to supervise natural gas drilling.
"All of the meat has been snipped free of the bones, and some of the bones have disappeared," wrote Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis in the memo. "Many of our programs are hanging by a thread."
The Albany Times Union reported on the internal memo last Tuesday. Grannis was dismissed by Gov. David Paterson two days later. In the aftermath, environmental groups are rallying behind Grannis, and gas drilling companies are calling for a better-financed DEC that can more effectively regulate drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
The memo, which responded to a request from the governor's budget division that the DEC cut 209 people from its staff by the end of the year, described an agency that is "in the weakest position it has been since it was created 40 years ago."
"The public would be shocked to learn how thin we are in many areas," Grannis wrote. "The risks to human health ... have already increased with respect to enforcement activities related to pollution sources. ... We are now responding to and cleaning up fewer petroleum spills."
MORE:
http://www.propublica.org/article/
leaked-memo-depicts-bare-bones-regulatory-environment-for-ny-gas-drilling
==================
17. Licking Township Bans Corporate “Frack Water” Dumping
“Individuals have rights; corporations don’t.”–
Mik Robertson, Chair, Licking Township Board of Supervisors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 18, 2010
CONTACT: Ben Price, (717) 254-3233 benprice@celdf.org
The Board of Supervisors for Licking Township, Clarion County, PA, voted unanimously on Wednesday to adopt an ordinance banning corporations from dumping “fracking” wastewater in the township.
The Licking Township Community Water Rights and Self-Government Ordinance is the first community rights ordinance adopted in Pennsylvania to confront the threat of Marcellus Shale drilling by asserting the inalienable right to local self-government.
At the heart of the ordinance is this statement of law: “It shall be unlawful for any corporation, or any director, officer, owner, or manager of a corporation to use a corporation, to deposit waste water, “produced” water, “frack” water, brine or other materials, chemicals or by-products of natural gas extraction, into the land, air or waters within Licking Township.”
The ordinance contains a local “Bill of Rights” that asserts legal protections for the right to water; the rights of natural communities and a healthy environment; the right to local self-government, and the right of the people to enforce and protect these rights through their municipal government. The ordinance reiterates Licking Township’s 2003 Corporate Personhood Elimination and Democracy Protection Ordinance by subordinating corporations engaged in gas drilling to the people of the municipality.
Energy corporations are setting up shop in communities across Pennsylvania, with plans to drill for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation. The gas extraction technique known as “fracking” has been cited as a threat to surface and groundwater, and has been blamed for fatal explosions, the contamination of drinking water, local streams, the air and soil. Collateral damage includes lost property value, ingestion of toxins by livestock, drying up of mortgage loans for prospective home buyers, and threatened loss of organic certification for farmers in affected communities.
The Ordinance was drafted by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) at the invitation of the Board of Supervisors, who reviewed and finalized the text.
Ben Price, Projects Director for CELDF, said he applauds the Township for taking a stand on behalf of community rights. “Some will say that the municipality doesn’t have the authority to ban this noxious practice associated with gas drilling. The only way that’s true is if the State has the authority to strip the residents of the Township of their rights, and it doesn’t.”
The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, has been working with people in Pennsylvania since 1995 to assert their fundamental rights to democratic local self-governance, and to enact laws which end destructive and rights-denying corporate action aided and abetted by state and federal governments. ~ 30 ~
The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
Pennsylvania Community Rights Network
P.O. Box 2016 Chambersburg, Pennsylvania 17201
www.celdf.org
==================
18. GasLand – Australia
http://www.gasland.com.au/2010/10/
josh-fox-to-tour-australia-in-november/
a film by Josh Fox. premiere season commences Nov 18 in metropolitan cinemas nationally.
Josh Fox to tour Australia in November!
http://www.gasland.com.au/2010/10/
josh-fox-to-tour-australia-in-november/
Palace Films is pleased to announce that award-winning writer/director JOSH FOX will be visiting Australia to support the national release of his controversial documentary GASLAND.
The tour will include metropolitan and regional locations beginning in Brisbane on Monday November 8, 2010 and Mr. Fox will participate in Q&A screenings at selected locations ahead of the film’s national release on November 18. Details of public appearances will be announced soon.
After premiering at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Special Jury Prize for Documentary and was voted the best competition film of any section by indieWIRE’s Sundance Critics Poll, GASLAND has gone on to screen at major film festivals around the world including Toronto Hot Docs, Sydney and Los Angeles Film Festivals.
Part vérité travelogue, part ecological expose, part showdown, GASLAND is a first-person story of discovery and empowerment that began in September 2006 when theatre director Fox received a letter from a natural gas company, offering him $100 000 for permission to explore his upstate New York property. His curiosity led him to discover that in the race for ‘cleaner’, greener & more efficient energy sources, the largest natural gas drilling boom in history has resulted in an environmental disaster of shocking proportions, and the PR-spun US government has not only turned a blind eye, it has regulated itself out of the picture.
The controversial Halliburton-led process of gas extraction that features in the film – hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) – has recently made national news in Australia as the burgeoning practice continues to spread in regions across the Eastern and Western seaboard, with recorded incidents of water contamination.
Mr. Fox has toured extensively with the film since its premiere, acting as a spokesman on the issue – including appearances on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and PBS Frontline – and has spoken at US State and Federal Congress hearings on the matter. On October 16, Mr. Fox was awarded the 2010 Lennon Ono Grant for Peace – a biannual prize created to honour Lennon’s dedication to peace and human rights.
Further Information: For all media enquiries including interview opportunities please contact
info@gasland.com.au
===================
19. Conoco cuts US natural gas production as the boom becomes a bust
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/10/27/
conoco-like-independents-cuts-us-natural-gas-production-as-the-boom-becomes-a-bust/
October 27, 2010 9:04pm by Sheila McNulty
Conoco Phillips, the US’ third biggest oil and gas company, said today it scaled back north America natural gas production late in the third quarter by about 180m cubic feet equivalent per day. It did so because of low natural gas prices, under constant pressure from the shale gas production boom.
Jim Mulva, Conoco’s chief executive, said the company easily could have boosted its production for the quarter, which would have meant a rise in overall production - something analysts always hone in on when evaluating Big Oil’s results. But it didn’t make sense given where US gas prices were - even if Conoco could break even by producing the gas.
Mr Mulva said the gas prices of today for US natural gas (around $3-$4 per million British thermal units (mBtu), down from the record $13.69 per mBtu reached in 2008) are "unsustainable". And the company believes it better to wait to produce its gas until it can get more for its money. Makes sense.
But the good news for Conoco is that its shale assets are not all gas. It is in the liquids-rich parts of the Eagle Ford, Bakken and North Barnett shales, where investors have been increasingly moving to extract natural gas liquids and oil from the tight rock. Conoco plans to spend $1bn more drilling and completing wells in the Eagle Ford alone next year, underlining its high expectations for the area. That will be part of a $13bn capital spending budget.
Mr Mulva told analysts he was reserving a couple of billion dollars in case the right assets became available, whether in the Gulf of Mexico, or elsewhere. But he sounded most excited about his shale plays, saying, "We’re really getting more and more encouraged all the time."
MORE:
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/10/27/
conoco-like-independents-cuts-us-natural-gas-production-as-the-boom-becomes-a-bust/
==================
20. Shale gas—Abundance or mirage? Why the Marcellus Shale will disappoint expectations
http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2010-10-28/
shale-gas%E2%80%94abundance-or-mirage-why-marcellus-shale-will-disappoint-expectations
by Arthur E. Berman Published Oct 28 2010 by The Oil Drum, Archived Oct 28 2010
Shale gas plays in the United States are commercial failures and shareholders in public exploration and production (E&P) companies are the losers. This conclusion falls out of a detailed evaluation of shale-dominated company financial statements and individual well decline curve analyses. Operators have maintained the illusion of success through production and reserve growth subsidized by debt with a corresponding destruction of shareholder equity. Many believe that the high initial rates and cumulative production of shale plays prove their success. What they miss is that production decline rates are so high that, without continuous drilling, overall production would plummet. There is no doubt that the shale gas resource is very large. The concern is that much of it is non-commercial even at price levels that are considerably higher than they are today.
Recent revisions to SEC rules have allowed producers to book undeveloped reserves that questionably justify development costs based on their own projections in public filings. New reserves are being booked at the same time that billions of dollars in existing shale gas development costs are being written down because the projects are not commercial. Concerns about the logic of ongoing gas-directed drilling while prices collapse have been partly diffused by a shift to liquids-rich plays like the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas. These new ventures, however, produce significant volumes of gas which is partly why gas prices continue to fall.
MORE:
http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2010-10-28/
shale-gas%E2%80%94abundance-or-mirage-why-marcellus-shale-will-disappoint-expectations
==================
21. Halliburton to release list of ‘fracking’ chemicals
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2010/10/25/
halliburton-to-release-chemicals.html
Houston Business Journal - by Casey Wooten
Date: Monday, October 25, 2010, 7:14pm CDT
Amid the ongoing controversy over the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing in natural gas production, Halliburton Co. is planning to disclose what chemicals it uses in the process on a new website set to go live Nov. 15, according to an industry publication.
Upstreamonline.com reported that Richard Logan, U.S. technology manager at Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) said the Houston-based oil services company would release a list of chemicals used in the process. He made his comments at the World Trade Group’s E&P Technology Summit in Houston Oct. 22.
Logan also said the company was in the process of developing new hydraulic fracturing fluids that were more environmentally friendly.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has come under public scrutiny recently over accusations the process — which involves pumping fluid into the ground to help extract natural gas — harms local groundwater.
MORE:
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2010/10/25/
halliburton-to-release-chemicals.html
=================
22. How Dangerous Is Fracking?
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20 ... WPOINTS02/
10260355/How-Dangerous-Is-Fracking
Donald Allen •Reader Submitted • October 26, 2010, 5:10 pm
When National Geographic Magazine has an article on something, it is a pretty sure sign that the something has reached a significant degree of national importance in terms of environmental and/or human ecology importance.
Hydraulic Fracturing or Hydro-Fracking or Fracking, as it is most commonly referred to, has made that level of national environmental and ecological importance. The article about Fracking in National Geographic presents the personal tragic story of a family in Pennsylvania and places it against the background of the national debate about the dangers of Fracking or the lack thereof.
The article covers many aspects of the whole Fracking process and gives voice to both the Pro-Fracking and Anti-Fracking sides. It is full of descriptions, accounts, definitions, opinions and statistics regarding Fracking. Much of the information is all too familiar to those on the frontline of the battle between those wanting to move Fracking into high gear versus those wanting to stop Fracking in its tracks and ban it altogether before it begins in the Marcellus Shale Play of New York State.
Both sides have set-piece arguments. The Pro-Frack side talks of; their right to profit; the boom Fracking will bring; the lack of proof of any dangerous circumstances cause by Fracking which can be inferred from there being no guilty verdicts which blame Fracking companies for culpability regarding contamination of drinking water. The Anti-Fracking side says; profit which causes harm to one's neighbors and community is neither legal or moral; very little real boom has been demonstrated in Fracked areas excepting liquor sales and motel occupancy; there have been many instances of drinking water contamination from several sources that are part of the Fracking process virtually everywhere that Fracking has occurred; they didn't end in court verdicts because the offending petrochemical companies bought off the plaintiffs, settling out of court and requiring non-disclosure orders be signed.
MORE:
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20 ... WPOINTS02/
10260355/How-Dangerous-Is-Fracking
================
23. All is not well; drilling raises issues
http://www.thecourierexpress.com/courie ... resslocal/
892686-349/all-is-not-welldrilling-raises-issues.html
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Marcellus Shale industry has many positive aspects but some well workers are presenting problems for local police.
Lawrence Township police Chief Jeff Fink said he began noticing an increase in calls about six months ago.
Not all of the increase in public drunkenness and disorderly conduct incidents is attributable to the gas workers, but enough of them are to show a definite problem.
"The biggest problem is they like to go out and get drunk," Fink said. "It seems like every time we get called to a bar fight, gas well people are involved."
Fink said there have been incidents where workers have outnumbered the officers responding to the calls and the workers have gotten aggressive.
Fink said another concern is incidents of workers stalking women. The township had one case where two men were stalking a woman working at a local business. The men were detained and the woman agreed not to press charges if they agreed to leave her alone. Another recent incident involved workers who were staying at a motel were having large quantities of drugs shipped in the mail from Michigan.
"Right now, it's a nuisance," Fink said of the problems with the workers. "But it could become a bigger problem as more and more wells go in." He said there could be as many as 80 more wells being erected in the township over the next year.
"More wells mean more people coming into the area," Fink said. He said the department is down to 10 officers.
Clearfield Borough Assistant Chief Vince McGinnis said the borough has not been having as many problems with the workers as the township.
"We've had a few public drunkenness calls but it's hard for us to determine who's from the gas wells and who's local," McGinnis said. He said the borough has been backing up the township on some of the calls but it has been a while since borough police have responded to a call involving gas well workers.
"A lot of the workers go from state to state and are not around for any extended period of time," McGinnis said. The incidents vary from month to month. Borough police sometimes see an increase in disorderly conducts incidents, but nothing extreme.
Fink said the department responded to 259 disorderly conduct incidents last year. In the first nine months of this year, there were 263 disorderly conduct incidents.
Incidents of assault have increased from 207 in 2009 to 227 so far this year. Fink said the department responded to 1,032 incidents in September alone.
MORE: http://www.thecourierexpress.com/courie ... resslocal/
892686-349/all-is-not-welldrilling-raises-issues.html
==================
24. Can shale gas be produced safely?
http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/08/news/ec ... n_nat_gas/
Road signs in rural Pennsylvania illustrate the pros and cons of natural gas development. By Steve Hargreaves, Senior writer
October 28, 2010: 4:13 PM ET
TOWANDA, Pa. (CNNMoney.com) -- In northeast Pennsylvania, the epicenter of one of the biggest energy developments in a generation, there's a battle underway to win hearts and minds.
Throughout the countryside, billboards tout the benefits of natural gas drilling: It's clean. It's domestic. It provides jobs.
The campaign is being waged by the gas companies, who know that not everyone here is happy with the boom in shale gas. People hate the traffic, and they are afraid for their water.
But the campaign is clearly working.
"We might take a little bit of the hurt for it, but it's a good thing for the nation," said Brianna Morales, owner of the BriMarie Inn in Sayre, Pa. "It's a good sense of security."
Others are more blunt, saying natural gas can lessen America's dependence on foreign oil.
"It appeals to me to give the whoevers a taste of their own medicine," said Joe Snell, who owns a hardware store in town. "They're been giving it to us for 30 years."
MORE:
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20 ... WPOINTS02/
10260355/How-Dangerous-Is-Fracking
=================
25. Government Whistleblower Weston Wilson Featured Speaker at Powder River Basin Resource Council’s Annual Meeting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 18, 2010 Contact 307-672-5809
(SHERIDAN, WY)
On Saturday, November 6 at the Elk’s Lodge, Powder River Basin Resource Council will hold its 38th Annual Meeting, which is open to the public.
The evening’s activities will start off with a silent auction and social gathering. Many great items will be up for auction, including clothing donated by Patagonia, local art, items from local businesses, a guided fishing trip, and lots more. All proceeds will benefit the Resource Council. There is no admission fee to attend the silent auction, which runs from 4-7 p.m.
After the auction, the keynote dinner speaker will be renowned retired EPA Environmental Engineer and government whistleblower Weston Wilson. Wilson will be speaking about "The risks of the oil and gas industry and the vital role citizens play in protecting our health and environment." During his thirty-year tenure at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Wilson reviewed environmental documents and helped to develop programs to mitigate impacts of industrial development.
He received the EPA bronze medal four times, an EPA international assistance award and the BLM’s Four C’s award for his review of various mining and oil and gas projects. When an EPA study concluding that hydraulic fracturing "poses little or no threat" to drinking water supplies was published in 2004,Wilson was one of several EPA scientists who challenged the study’s methodology and questioned the impartiality of the expert panel that reviewed its findings. Since his retirement from EPA, Wilson has been responding to requests for assistance and speaking to communities that are impacted by oil and gas operations.
"We’re very excited to have Wes Wilson come and talk to Wyoming citizens," said Resource Council Chair Bob LeResche. "Too often, people get discouraged and feel that their voice isn’t heard by government. Wes has a different message – one of hope and how citizens can make a difference in their communities," LeResche added.
Admission to the keynote speech is $25 for members or $35 for non-members and includes a dinner catered by Cassie Catering. The non-member price includes a one year membership to the Resource Council.
Powder River Basin Resource Council is a landowner and citizen based membership group dedicated to the good stewardship of Wyoming’s resources and the involvement of citizens in local, state and federal government.
For further information on these events, contact the Powder River Basin Resource Council office at 307.672.5809 or visit
www.powderriverbasin.org.
Weston Wilson’s whistleblower letter on the 2004 hydraulic fracturing study is available at
http://www.earthworksaction.org/publica ... ?pubID=372.
================
26. EnCana Corp. (ECA) Reached the 52-Week Low of $27.55
http://www.gurufocus.com/news.php?id=110377
Last week’s top five stocks that reached their 52-week lows were Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.Petrobras, Bank of America Corp, Gerdau S.A, EnCana Corp. According to GuruFocus updates, these Guru stocks have reached their 52-week lows. More......
=====================
27. . Vote Halliburton and Goldman Sachs!
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Robert-Reich-s-Blog/
2010/1029/Vote-Halliburton-and-Goldman-Sachs
On Election Day, Americans will decide how to reward corporations that have been plundering America, like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, and Halliburton.
By Robert Reich, Guest blogger / October 29, 2010
Next Tuesday Americans will be deciding whether to hand over even more of our government to corporations that have been plundering America – such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Citibank, Wellpoint insurance, Massey Energy, and Halliburton, the giant oil services company.
Not every large corporation is irresponsible, of course, but plunderers that get away with it gain a competitive advantage over the more responsible, and thereby lead a race to the bottom.
Case in point: The staff of the presidential commission investigating the BP oil spill has just revealed that Halliburton executives knew the cement it was using to seal BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil well was likely to be unstable but didn’t tell BP or act on the information.
In a letter to the commission’s seven members, the staff found that the failure of the cement was a key factor in the blowout that caused millions of barrels of crude oil to escape into the Gulf of Mexico. (Not the sole factor, of course; most of the blame for the disaster, says the staff, still rests with BP and Transocean, the company BP hired to drill the well.)
Halliburton has not sat out this election. Last May, as Congress began investigating its role in the disaster, its political action committee made 14 contributions — 13 to Republicans and one to a Democrat. Many were involved in the investigation; others had responsibility for overseeing oil drilling in the Gulf. It was the biggest donation month for Halliburton’s PAC since September 2008.
Halliburton, in case you’ve forgotten, is not exactly a model citizen. It has evaded U.S. taxes and export bans through foreign subsidiaries; admitted to bribing foreign officials (a subsidiary paid $2.4 million to a Nigerian government official in exchange for favorable tax treatment); conceded in an internal memo (leaked to the Wall Street Journal) its cost controls for government contracts in Iraq were “antiquated” and its procurement “disorganized; was found by Pentagon auditors to have overcharged estimated at $27.4 million for meals served to American troops at five military bases in Iraq and Kuwait (in one camp billing for an average 42,000 meals a day but serving only 14,000).
The list of Halliburton’s crimes goes on and on. And yet, somehow, Halliburton goes on piling up profits. How? Because of its deep connections to Washington.
MORE:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Robert-Reich-s-Blog/
2010/1029/Vote-Halliburton-and-Goldman-Sachs
1. EVENT: Ethical Oil vs Dirty Oil – Calgary – Nov. 7
2. WATCH: My Very First Frack - Or, No Love at First Frack
3. Moncton should reconsider bulk water sales
4. Lake Ainslie residents raise concerns over fracking at public meeting
5. BARLOW: WATER CHAMPION
6. WATCH: Burning Water
7. FRACKING CANADA'S WATER!!!
8. Environmental charges laid for release of methanol and biodiesel
9. WATCH: Former oil industry executive speaks about hydrofracking
10. WATCH: James Northrup-Hydrofracking, Faults & Aquifer Pollution
11. Gas Drilling and Fracking
12. WATCH: Shale Gas . . . . (from Questerre Energy Corporation)
13. Hydraulic fracturing - 'fracking' - mobilizes uranium in marcellus shale
14. 'Fracking' Mobilizes Uranium in Marcellus Shale, UB Research Finds
15. The Fracking Lawsuits Begin
16. Leaked Memo Depicts Bare-Bones Regulatory Environment for NY Gas Drilling
17. Licking Township Bans Corporate “Frack Water” Dumping
18. GasLand – Australia
19. Conoco cuts US natural gas production as the boom becomes a bust
20. Shale gas—Abundance or mirage? Why the Marcellus Shale will disappoint expectations
21. Halliburton to release list of ‘fracking’ chemicals
22. How Dangerous Is Fracking?
23. All is not well; drilling raises issues
24. Can shale gas be produced safely?
25. Government Whistleblower Weston Wilson Featured Speaker at Powder River Basin Resource Council’s Annual Meeting
26. EnCana Corp. (ECA) Reached the 52-Week Low of $27.55
==========
1. EVENT: Ethical Oil vs Dirty Oil – Calgary – Nov. 7
Pages at the Plaza presents a discussion between Ezra Levant, author of "Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands" and Andrew Nikiforuk, author of "Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent" Come out for the debate between these two authors, as they present very different views on the role of the Canadian oil sands in meeting North America’s need for cheap energy.
Moderated by CBC Radio’s Jim Brown. Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 11:00AM in the Plaza Theatre, 1133 Kensington Road NW, Calgary.
Doors open at 10:30AM
http://www.pages.ab.ca/readings.html
About Ezra Levant:
In Ethical Oil, Levant turns his combative wit to a new hot-button topic: the ethical cost of our addiction to oil. Even though most North Americans know the financial and environmental price we pay for a gas and oil, Levant argues that it is time we factor in the growing ethical costs, too. With his trademark candor, Levant asks hard-hitting questions: · With the availability of oil from northern Alberta, is it ethically responsible to import oil from Sudan, Russia, and Mexico? · How should we weigh carbon emissions against flagrant human rights violations in Saudi Arabia? · And, assuming that our current society cannot survive without oil, can the development of energy be made more environmentally sustainable? Ethical Oil exposes the hypocrisy of the West's dealings with reprehensible regimes. We buy oil from these dubious dictators to sustain our extravagant lifestyles, but Levant offers solutions to this double standard. Readers from across the political spectrum will want to read this timely and provocative new book, which is sure to spark debate.
About Andrew Nikiforuk:
Andrew Nikiforuk's Tar Sands is a critical exposé of the world's largest energy project – the Alberta oil sands – that has made Canada one of our planet’s worst environmental offenders. Canada has one third of the world’s oil, but it comes from one of the world’s dirtiest sources: the bitumen in the oil sands of Alberta. Frenzied development in the Fort McMurray area has created the world’s largest energy project. But the here, rather than gushing from the deserts of Saudi Arabia, the sticky, oil-laden bitumen is extracted from the earth in huge open-pit mines. In Tar Sands, journalist Andrew Nikiforuk examines the disastrous environmental, social, and political costs of the tar sands. He also explains that none of us are immune, as this dirty energy source supplies gasoline for 50 percent of Canadian vehicles and 16 percent of U.S. demand. Readers will learn that the Alberta oil sands: burn more carbon than conventional oil; destroy forests and displace woodland caribou; poison the water supply and communities downstream; drain the Athabasca River, part of Canada’s largest watershed; and contribute to climate change. The book does provide hope, however. Tar Sands ends with an exploration of possible solutions to the problem, and argues forcefully for change.
Event Details: Sunday, November 7, 2010 11:00AM, the Plaza Theatre, 1133 Kensington Road NW. Calgary
Doors open at 10:30AM $5.00 buys general admission OR $15.00 buys admission and lunch (vegetarian available) OR $30.00 buys admission and book OR $40.00 buys admission and lunch and book. Box lunches must be ordered by November 5 to place order with Red Tree Catering. Books will also be available for purchase from Pages Books on Kensington. We accept Calgary Dollars (25%).
Call (403) 283-6655 for tickets and more information
Sponsored by McClelland and Stewart, Greystone Books, The Calgary Herald, The Calgary Public Library, Red Tree Catering, and The Plaza Theatre
===================
2. WATCH: My Very First Frack - Or, No Love at First Frack
by WillKoop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejYhAdmHIVs
(Talisman's operations, north of Hudson's Hope, British Columbia, Canada)
=====================
3. Moncton should reconsider bulk water sales
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/
2010/10/25/nb-moncton-water-fracking-council-canadians-211.html#ixzz13c3x3PwI
Council of Canadians calls for full public consultation on water sales to mining company
Last Updated: Monday, October 25, 2010 | 5:56 PM AT CBC News
The Council of Canadians is calling on Moncton city councillors to revisit its policy that is allowing bulk water sales to an oil drilling company that is using a controversial mining technique.
Brent Patterson, a spokesperson for the citizens organization, said Moncton council should have fully debated the issue and asked for public input before allowing six to eight tanker truck loads of water to be sold every day from the Turtle Creek Reservoir.
The water is being used by Apache Canada in a controversial process called hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, at its mine near Sussex.
The fracking process forces chemically treated water two kilometres into the ground in an effort to break shale and release natural gas. The water that comes back is polluted and has to be trucked away.
Patterson said there is concern across the country about hydraulic fracturing.
"Our position certainly would be that selling drinking water at any price to be destroyed by — in a fracking process — is just bad public policy," Patterson said.
"We really do feel that the debate should not be about whether Apache should be charged more for the water but rather the debate should be about the damage that is done to water through the fracking process."
Patterson is calling for a full debate and public consultation on this issue.
Patterson said this is the first time he's heard of a city selling drinking water for fracking.
MORE:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/ ... 010/10/25/
nb-moncton-water-fracking-council-canadians-211.html#ixzz13c3x3PwI
====================
4. Lake Ainslie residents raise concerns over fracking at
public meeting
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4956
October 15, 2010
The Cape Breton Post reports that, “Local residents at a public meeting about Petroworth Resources Inc.’s proposed oil well in the Lake Ainslie area have raised concerns about spills and any possible use of a controversial method of oil and gas extraction called fracking.”
“Anne Levesque, a spokesperson for the Inverness chapter of the Council of Canadians, said residents at the Wednesday evening open house asked questions about the potential for an oil spill into the lake and into wells that provide drinking water. …Local residents also questioned government officials about why their opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns come at such a late stage of the process, according to Levesque. ‘They wanted to be involved right from the beginning, not at the end,’ she said in an interview Thursday.”
MORE: http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4956
================
5. BARLOW: WATER CHAMPION
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/
Water+champion/3718288/story.html
Activist Maude Barlow, a thorn in the side of corporate Canada, leads a battle to save a dwindling resource
By Sheila Pratt, edmontonjournal.com October 24, 2010
With tears welling up in her eyes, the Australian farmer looked over her parched fields where she grew rice for a prosperous export market. Rice production, a water‐intensive business, was encouraged by the national government that handed out water licences in the 1990s.
Trouble was, the water ran out after six long years of drought. By 2008, Australia’s rice crop had dropped by 98 per cent, all rice mills were mothballed and farmers were left scrambling to find a way out.
"Why didn’t they have a plan to start cutting back on water use sooner?’" said the devastated farmer. Canadian activist Maude Barlow listened carefully as she put a comforting arm around the woman.
That was about two years ago when Barlow was on a book tour to Australia — just as parts of that dry country "hit the water wall," as she puts it.
Her latest book, Blue Convenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water, describes water shortage, the impact of climate change on water and the influence of big corporations in global water politics.
There’s a glimpse of Canada’s future down under, she says, unless governments here do some planning to conserve water on this continent.
Barlow has been sounding the alarm about a looming world water shortage since the mid‐1990s, when she began to cast water as the next oil — an increasingly scarce commodity that could lead to global conflict unless governments started planning ahead.
MORE:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/
Water+champion/3718288/story.html
=======================
6. WATCH: Burning Water
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/passionateeyeshowcase/
2010/burningwater/
Monday October 18 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC News Network
Related Video (Links are on website)
Burning Water - Watch the promo. 1:02 min
Burning Water - Watch the full program online 45:02 min
On Christmas Eve 2005, Fiona Lauridsen and her three children got chemical-like burns after taking showers in their home. Tests showed higher than normal levels of methane gas in their water coming straight from the aquifer, along with the presence of man-made chemicals. Where could this have come from? The Lauridsens think it may have been caused by the natural gas drilling that had begun in the region. Encana, Canada's biggest gas company, had just started drilling the underground coal seams on the Lauridsen farm to extract natural gas. The extraction process to release Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is called Hydraulic Fracturing, or "fracking", a process by which the ground is drilled into, pumped with water sand and chemicals in order to fracture the coal or rock; and then releasing methane gas.
Initially, the Lauridsens welcomed the added income that came to them from the energy company. But when their water went bad, they turned to Alberta Environment which began an investigation. During that time, water was trucked to each house with water problems. The Alberta Research Council (ARC) looked at the data and released a report in January 2008 which stated that the gas in the water was naturally occurring. The presence of chemicals in the water was left unexplained. The Alberta government then blamed the water problems on bad well maintenance on the part of the farmer. Water deliveries stopped three months after the report was released.
Burning water from the hose
The end of water deliveries put Fiona and her family in a dire situation, some of her neighbours left the region, but the Lauridsens were not ready to leave everything they had worked so hard for. They wanted answers and this didn’t make the community happy. Rosebud is a theatre town and the theatre lives off tourism and funding from EnCana. It’s a popular enterprise and their latest hit is a production of “Fiddler on the Roof”. Fiona works part-time in the theatre, but her complaints about bad water cause some friction. The Lauridsens have 900 acres in the valley, but if they don’t have water they’ll have to move. Fiona and husband Peter want to stay, and so she embarks on a journey across Alberta and into B.C. to meet farmers, scientists and politicians in her efforts to extract answers and, at least, an apology for their contaminated water. The film also looks at similar situations in the USA where natural gas exploration causing water contamination led in to charges and convictions of the energy companies involved.
Burning Water was produced by Frederic Bohbot and directed by Cameron Esler & Tadzio Richards for Bunbury Films in association with CBC News Network.
====================
7. FRACKING CANADA'S WATER!!!
The Munk School of Global Affairs Hosts First Public Forum in Canada on Fracking Issues
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-MunkForumOct14-2010.html
On October 14, 2010, the Munk School's Program on Water Issues, at the University of Toronto, hosted the first public forum in Canada (live webcasted) on issues related to Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking) by the natural gas industry, including panel guests from the United States. The timely conference theme title and paper, Fracture Lines - Will Canada's Water be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?, written and summarily presented by Ben Parfitt at the conference, was a main catalyst for discussion by panel members following Parfitt's presentation at the start of the conference.
Conference presenters and panel members were provided with an advanced copy of Parfitt's report:
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-Parfitt-FractureLines.pdf
On this website, are numerous YouTube video links to the conference proceedings, taped and edited by Will Koop:
http://www.bctwa.org/Frk-YouTube-MunkCenter.html
Below, is the conference program and a copy of the Biographies and Abstracts of conference presenters and panel members. (Note: a number of Canadian regulators declined to participate in the public forum, specific comments which can be found on the YouTube page link section, Statutory Authority and Regulatory Preparedness, near the beginning of Part One:
http://www.bctwa.org/Frk-YouTube-MunkCenter.html
In addition, lawyer Stephen Dvorkin submitted a paper for conference attendees, Hydraulic Fracturing Liabilities Suggest Insurance Coverage:
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-Dvorkin-Liability.pdf
MORE MUNK SCHOOL HYDRAULIC FRACTURING YOUTUBES
http://www.bctwa.org/Frk-YouTube-MunkCenter.html
4. Statutory Authority and Regulatory Preparedness
(Late Morning Session) Part 1 - Val Washington (Deputy Commissioner for Remediation and Materials, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s6my-pto08
(9 minutes, 32 seconds) Part 2 - Val Washington ((continued)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYo1cehjSCA (8 minutes, 38 seconds)
(6 minutes, 51 seconds) Part 3 - David Neslin, Director, Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Department of Natural Resources, Colorado
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yk3GuHdx9M
(9 minutes, 21 seconds) Part 4 - David Neslin (continued). Questions from the public to Panel members.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36_UE4r7gkc
(9 minutes, 37 seconds) Part 5 - Questions to Panel members (continued)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeEwDcOteO4
==================
8. Environmental charges laid for release of methanol and biodiesel
http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/
20101028/CGY_western_biodiesel_101028/20101028/?hub=CalgaryHome
October 28, 2010
Okotoks... Alberta Environment has laid charges against a biodiesel production company based near High River and a former manager for the alleged release of a hazardous substance into the environment, improper disposal of wastewater and biodiesel, failure to report the releases and for providing false or misleading information. Western Biodiesel Inc. and its former operations manager, Jason Freeman, are facing joint charges under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act and the Waste Control Regulation. The charges relate to separate incidents in October 2008 where wastewater containing methanol and biodiesel were released and allowed to flow onto an adjacent property near the facility.
The first court appearance is set for November 29 at Okotoks Provincial Court.
Alberta Environment focuses on education, prevention and enforcement to ensure all Albertans continue to enjoy a clean and healthy environment. When individuals, companies, or municipalities fail to comply with our legislation, Alberta Environment has a range of options depending on the offence to ensure compliance with our environmental regulations. -30-
Media inquiries may be directed to: Carrie Sancartier Communications Alberta Environment 780-427-6267
Carrie.Sancartier@gov.ab.ca
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000.
================
9. WATCH: Former oil industry executive speaks about hydrofracking
http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story/
Former-oil-industry-executive-speaks-about/qs_iDKSnb0SeqoyXX20wAQ.cspx
Published: 10/26 9:36 pm Updated: 10/26 11:28 pm
Skaneateles (WSYR-TV) - Skaneateles welcomed a former executive from the oil industry Tuesday evening. James Northrup spoke out about how the controversial natural gas drilling technique known as hydrofracking is a threat to water supplies.
Northrup says that the technique is akin to exploding a bomb underneath the ground and is an all around bad idea. Based on that premise, Northrup has two possible reasons why regulators are considering allowing hydrofracking. "The optimistic explanation is they're just inept, the regulators. Maybe the less optimistic explanation would be that they're crooked. From my perspective, I would vote for both," said Northrup.
Northrup, who now lives in Cooperstown, says hydrofracking can work. The terrain in New York is very different than the terrain where this technology was developed, however, and that's what needs to be considered.
Copyright 2010 Newport Television LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
======================
10. WATCH: James Northrup-Hydrofracking, Faults & Aquifer Pollution
http://shaleshock.org/2010/08/
james-northrup-hydrofracking-faults-aquifer-pollution/
By Clover on August 31st, 2010 - 27 minutes
James Northrup – Hydrofracking, Faults & Aquifer Pollution from Sustainable Otsego on Vimeo.
James (Chip) Northrup, former gas/oil industry planning manager discusses some of the major problems of using high-volume slick-water horizontal hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) gas drilling method in NY.
=================
11. Gas Drilling and Fracking
http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/
hydraulic_fracturing_fracking?gclid=CNDn_p-3-6QCFQRqKgodKSJciA
Gas Drilling By Fracking May Contaminate Ground Water.
www.yourlawyer.com
=======================
12. WATCH: Shale Gas . . . . (from Questerre Energy Corporation)
http://www.questerre.com/
shale-gas-backgrounder-english?gclid=CPak4rK3-6QCFQFoKgod7lLYgw
Learn the facts about frac'ing shale in Quebec
www.questerre.com
==================
13. Hydraulic fracturing - 'fracking' - mobilizes uranium in marcellus shale
http://www.sciencecodex.com/
fracking_mobilizes_uranium_in_marcellus_shale
Posted On: October 26, 2010 - 12:30am
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Scientific and political disputes over drilling Marcellus shale for natural gas have focused primarily on the environmental effects of pumping millions of gallons of water and chemicals deep underground to blast through rocks to release the natural gas.
But University at Buffalo researchers have now found that that process -- called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"-- also causes uranium that is naturally trapped inside Marcellus shale to be released, raising additional environmental concerns.
The research will be presented at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Denver on Nov. 2.
Marcellus shale is a massive rock formation that stretches from New York through Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, and which is often described as the nation's largest source of natural gas.
"Marcellus shale naturally traps metals such as uranium and at levels higher than usually found naturally, but lower than manmade contamination levels," says Tracy Bank, PhD, assistant professor of geology in UB's College of Arts and Sciences and lead researcher. "My question was, if they start drilling and pumping millions of gallons of water into these underground rocks, will that force the uranium into the soluble phase and mobilize it? Will uranium then show up in groundwater?"
To find out, Bank and her colleagues at UB scanned the surfaces of Marcellus shale samples from Western New York and Pennsylvania. Using sensitive chemical instruments, they created a chemical map of the surfaces to determine the precise location in the shale of the hydrocarbons, the organic compounds containing natural gas.
"We found that the uranium and the hydrocarbons are in the same physical space," says Bank. "We found that they are not just physically -- but also chemically -- bound.
MORE:
http://www.sciencecodex.com/
fracking_mobilizes_uranium_in_marcellus_shale
=================
14. 'Fracking' Mobilizes Uranium in Marcellus Shale, UB Research Finds
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/11885
News Release October 25, 2010 Contact Ellen Goldbaum goldbaum@buffalo.edu
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Scientific and political disputes over drilling Marcellus shale for natural gas have focused primarily on the environmental effects of pumping millions of gallons of water and chemicals deep underground to blast through rocks to release the natural gas.
But University at Buffalo researchers have now found that that process -- called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"-- also causes uranium that is naturally trapped inside Marcellus shale to be released, raising additional environmental concerns.
The research will be presented at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Denver on Nov. 2.
MORE:
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/11885
===================
15. The Fracking Lawsuits Begin
http://bayridgejournal.blogspot.com/2010/10/
hydrofracking-lawsuits-begin.html
Otober 23, 2010
Thirteen families in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the heart of the natural gas-rich Marcellus Shale, have filed one of the nation's first lawsuits linking hydraulic fracturing or "hydrofracking" for natural gas to tainted groundwater.
The lawsuit alleges that a faulty gas well drilled by Houston-based Southwestern Energy Co. contaminated local groundwater in northeastern Pennsylvania with hydrofracking fluids, exposing residents to dangerous chemicals and sickening a child.
The well’s cement casing was allegedly defective, resulting in spills of industrial waste, diesel fuel and other hazardous substances, which leaked into the aquifer and contaminated wells within several thousand feet of the drilling site.
Fracking is the controversial natural gas drilling process that extracts natural gas from dense shale deposits like New York State's Marcellus by blasting millions of gallons of pressurized water, mixed with toxic chemicals and sand, thousands of feet underground, cracking the rock and releasing the gas.
Thousands of natural gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania and West Virginia as a result of hydrofracking. And that is just the beginning of the boom: by one estimate, the Marcellus contains upwards of 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
Northeastern Pennsylvania is ground zero for natural gas speculators, who are betting that the Marcellus shale gas reservoir will be the next big thing for the U.S. natural gas industry.
They have benefited from the fact that hydrofracking is currently exempt from federal regulation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as a result of the so-called "Halliburton Loophole" in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
MORE:
http://bayridgejournal.blogspot.com/2010/10/
hydrofracking-lawsuits-begin.html
====================
16. Leaked Memo Depicts Bare-Bones Regulatory Environment for NY Gas Drilling
http://www.propublica.org/article/
leaked-memo-depicts-bare-bones-regulatory-environment-for-ny-gas-drilling
by Marie C. Baca ProPublica, Oct. 26, 2010, 10:11 a.m.
The leaked memo [1] that led to the dismissal of New York's top environmental official last week depicts a severely understaffed agency that has struggled to adequately perform its duties over the past two years and is ill-equipped to supervise natural gas drilling.
"All of the meat has been snipped free of the bones, and some of the bones have disappeared," wrote Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis in the memo. "Many of our programs are hanging by a thread."
The Albany Times Union reported on the internal memo last Tuesday. Grannis was dismissed by Gov. David Paterson two days later. In the aftermath, environmental groups are rallying behind Grannis, and gas drilling companies are calling for a better-financed DEC that can more effectively regulate drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
The memo, which responded to a request from the governor's budget division that the DEC cut 209 people from its staff by the end of the year, described an agency that is "in the weakest position it has been since it was created 40 years ago."
"The public would be shocked to learn how thin we are in many areas," Grannis wrote. "The risks to human health ... have already increased with respect to enforcement activities related to pollution sources. ... We are now responding to and cleaning up fewer petroleum spills."
MORE:
http://www.propublica.org/article/
leaked-memo-depicts-bare-bones-regulatory-environment-for-ny-gas-drilling
==================
17. Licking Township Bans Corporate “Frack Water” Dumping
“Individuals have rights; corporations don’t.”–
Mik Robertson, Chair, Licking Township Board of Supervisors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 18, 2010
CONTACT: Ben Price, (717) 254-3233 benprice@celdf.org
The Board of Supervisors for Licking Township, Clarion County, PA, voted unanimously on Wednesday to adopt an ordinance banning corporations from dumping “fracking” wastewater in the township.
The Licking Township Community Water Rights and Self-Government Ordinance is the first community rights ordinance adopted in Pennsylvania to confront the threat of Marcellus Shale drilling by asserting the inalienable right to local self-government.
At the heart of the ordinance is this statement of law: “It shall be unlawful for any corporation, or any director, officer, owner, or manager of a corporation to use a corporation, to deposit waste water, “produced” water, “frack” water, brine or other materials, chemicals or by-products of natural gas extraction, into the land, air or waters within Licking Township.”
The ordinance contains a local “Bill of Rights” that asserts legal protections for the right to water; the rights of natural communities and a healthy environment; the right to local self-government, and the right of the people to enforce and protect these rights through their municipal government. The ordinance reiterates Licking Township’s 2003 Corporate Personhood Elimination and Democracy Protection Ordinance by subordinating corporations engaged in gas drilling to the people of the municipality.
Energy corporations are setting up shop in communities across Pennsylvania, with plans to drill for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation. The gas extraction technique known as “fracking” has been cited as a threat to surface and groundwater, and has been blamed for fatal explosions, the contamination of drinking water, local streams, the air and soil. Collateral damage includes lost property value, ingestion of toxins by livestock, drying up of mortgage loans for prospective home buyers, and threatened loss of organic certification for farmers in affected communities.
The Ordinance was drafted by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) at the invitation of the Board of Supervisors, who reviewed and finalized the text.
Ben Price, Projects Director for CELDF, said he applauds the Township for taking a stand on behalf of community rights. “Some will say that the municipality doesn’t have the authority to ban this noxious practice associated with gas drilling. The only way that’s true is if the State has the authority to strip the residents of the Township of their rights, and it doesn’t.”
The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, has been working with people in Pennsylvania since 1995 to assert their fundamental rights to democratic local self-governance, and to enact laws which end destructive and rights-denying corporate action aided and abetted by state and federal governments. ~ 30 ~
The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
Pennsylvania Community Rights Network
P.O. Box 2016 Chambersburg, Pennsylvania 17201
www.celdf.org
==================
18. GasLand – Australia
http://www.gasland.com.au/2010/10/
josh-fox-to-tour-australia-in-november/
a film by Josh Fox. premiere season commences Nov 18 in metropolitan cinemas nationally.
Josh Fox to tour Australia in November!
http://www.gasland.com.au/2010/10/
josh-fox-to-tour-australia-in-november/
Palace Films is pleased to announce that award-winning writer/director JOSH FOX will be visiting Australia to support the national release of his controversial documentary GASLAND.
The tour will include metropolitan and regional locations beginning in Brisbane on Monday November 8, 2010 and Mr. Fox will participate in Q&A screenings at selected locations ahead of the film’s national release on November 18. Details of public appearances will be announced soon.
After premiering at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Special Jury Prize for Documentary and was voted the best competition film of any section by indieWIRE’s Sundance Critics Poll, GASLAND has gone on to screen at major film festivals around the world including Toronto Hot Docs, Sydney and Los Angeles Film Festivals.
Part vérité travelogue, part ecological expose, part showdown, GASLAND is a first-person story of discovery and empowerment that began in September 2006 when theatre director Fox received a letter from a natural gas company, offering him $100 000 for permission to explore his upstate New York property. His curiosity led him to discover that in the race for ‘cleaner’, greener & more efficient energy sources, the largest natural gas drilling boom in history has resulted in an environmental disaster of shocking proportions, and the PR-spun US government has not only turned a blind eye, it has regulated itself out of the picture.
The controversial Halliburton-led process of gas extraction that features in the film – hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) – has recently made national news in Australia as the burgeoning practice continues to spread in regions across the Eastern and Western seaboard, with recorded incidents of water contamination.
Mr. Fox has toured extensively with the film since its premiere, acting as a spokesman on the issue – including appearances on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and PBS Frontline – and has spoken at US State and Federal Congress hearings on the matter. On October 16, Mr. Fox was awarded the 2010 Lennon Ono Grant for Peace – a biannual prize created to honour Lennon’s dedication to peace and human rights.
Further Information: For all media enquiries including interview opportunities please contact
info@gasland.com.au
===================
19. Conoco cuts US natural gas production as the boom becomes a bust
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/10/27/
conoco-like-independents-cuts-us-natural-gas-production-as-the-boom-becomes-a-bust/
October 27, 2010 9:04pm by Sheila McNulty
Conoco Phillips, the US’ third biggest oil and gas company, said today it scaled back north America natural gas production late in the third quarter by about 180m cubic feet equivalent per day. It did so because of low natural gas prices, under constant pressure from the shale gas production boom.
Jim Mulva, Conoco’s chief executive, said the company easily could have boosted its production for the quarter, which would have meant a rise in overall production - something analysts always hone in on when evaluating Big Oil’s results. But it didn’t make sense given where US gas prices were - even if Conoco could break even by producing the gas.
Mr Mulva said the gas prices of today for US natural gas (around $3-$4 per million British thermal units (mBtu), down from the record $13.69 per mBtu reached in 2008) are "unsustainable". And the company believes it better to wait to produce its gas until it can get more for its money. Makes sense.
But the good news for Conoco is that its shale assets are not all gas. It is in the liquids-rich parts of the Eagle Ford, Bakken and North Barnett shales, where investors have been increasingly moving to extract natural gas liquids and oil from the tight rock. Conoco plans to spend $1bn more drilling and completing wells in the Eagle Ford alone next year, underlining its high expectations for the area. That will be part of a $13bn capital spending budget.
Mr Mulva told analysts he was reserving a couple of billion dollars in case the right assets became available, whether in the Gulf of Mexico, or elsewhere. But he sounded most excited about his shale plays, saying, "We’re really getting more and more encouraged all the time."
MORE:
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/10/27/
conoco-like-independents-cuts-us-natural-gas-production-as-the-boom-becomes-a-bust/
==================
20. Shale gas—Abundance or mirage? Why the Marcellus Shale will disappoint expectations
http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2010-10-28/
shale-gas%E2%80%94abundance-or-mirage-why-marcellus-shale-will-disappoint-expectations
by Arthur E. Berman Published Oct 28 2010 by The Oil Drum, Archived Oct 28 2010
Shale gas plays in the United States are commercial failures and shareholders in public exploration and production (E&P) companies are the losers. This conclusion falls out of a detailed evaluation of shale-dominated company financial statements and individual well decline curve analyses. Operators have maintained the illusion of success through production and reserve growth subsidized by debt with a corresponding destruction of shareholder equity. Many believe that the high initial rates and cumulative production of shale plays prove their success. What they miss is that production decline rates are so high that, without continuous drilling, overall production would plummet. There is no doubt that the shale gas resource is very large. The concern is that much of it is non-commercial even at price levels that are considerably higher than they are today.
Recent revisions to SEC rules have allowed producers to book undeveloped reserves that questionably justify development costs based on their own projections in public filings. New reserves are being booked at the same time that billions of dollars in existing shale gas development costs are being written down because the projects are not commercial. Concerns about the logic of ongoing gas-directed drilling while prices collapse have been partly diffused by a shift to liquids-rich plays like the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas. These new ventures, however, produce significant volumes of gas which is partly why gas prices continue to fall.
MORE:
http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2010-10-28/
shale-gas%E2%80%94abundance-or-mirage-why-marcellus-shale-will-disappoint-expectations
==================
21. Halliburton to release list of ‘fracking’ chemicals
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2010/10/25/
halliburton-to-release-chemicals.html
Houston Business Journal - by Casey Wooten
Date: Monday, October 25, 2010, 7:14pm CDT
Amid the ongoing controversy over the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing in natural gas production, Halliburton Co. is planning to disclose what chemicals it uses in the process on a new website set to go live Nov. 15, according to an industry publication.
Upstreamonline.com reported that Richard Logan, U.S. technology manager at Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) said the Houston-based oil services company would release a list of chemicals used in the process. He made his comments at the World Trade Group’s E&P Technology Summit in Houston Oct. 22.
Logan also said the company was in the process of developing new hydraulic fracturing fluids that were more environmentally friendly.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has come under public scrutiny recently over accusations the process — which involves pumping fluid into the ground to help extract natural gas — harms local groundwater.
MORE:
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2010/10/25/
halliburton-to-release-chemicals.html
=================
22. How Dangerous Is Fracking?
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20 ... WPOINTS02/
10260355/How-Dangerous-Is-Fracking
Donald Allen •Reader Submitted • October 26, 2010, 5:10 pm
When National Geographic Magazine has an article on something, it is a pretty sure sign that the something has reached a significant degree of national importance in terms of environmental and/or human ecology importance.
Hydraulic Fracturing or Hydro-Fracking or Fracking, as it is most commonly referred to, has made that level of national environmental and ecological importance. The article about Fracking in National Geographic presents the personal tragic story of a family in Pennsylvania and places it against the background of the national debate about the dangers of Fracking or the lack thereof.
The article covers many aspects of the whole Fracking process and gives voice to both the Pro-Fracking and Anti-Fracking sides. It is full of descriptions, accounts, definitions, opinions and statistics regarding Fracking. Much of the information is all too familiar to those on the frontline of the battle between those wanting to move Fracking into high gear versus those wanting to stop Fracking in its tracks and ban it altogether before it begins in the Marcellus Shale Play of New York State.
Both sides have set-piece arguments. The Pro-Frack side talks of; their right to profit; the boom Fracking will bring; the lack of proof of any dangerous circumstances cause by Fracking which can be inferred from there being no guilty verdicts which blame Fracking companies for culpability regarding contamination of drinking water. The Anti-Fracking side says; profit which causes harm to one's neighbors and community is neither legal or moral; very little real boom has been demonstrated in Fracked areas excepting liquor sales and motel occupancy; there have been many instances of drinking water contamination from several sources that are part of the Fracking process virtually everywhere that Fracking has occurred; they didn't end in court verdicts because the offending petrochemical companies bought off the plaintiffs, settling out of court and requiring non-disclosure orders be signed.
MORE:
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20 ... WPOINTS02/
10260355/How-Dangerous-Is-Fracking
================
23. All is not well; drilling raises issues
http://www.thecourierexpress.com/courie ... resslocal/
892686-349/all-is-not-welldrilling-raises-issues.html
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Marcellus Shale industry has many positive aspects but some well workers are presenting problems for local police.
Lawrence Township police Chief Jeff Fink said he began noticing an increase in calls about six months ago.
Not all of the increase in public drunkenness and disorderly conduct incidents is attributable to the gas workers, but enough of them are to show a definite problem.
"The biggest problem is they like to go out and get drunk," Fink said. "It seems like every time we get called to a bar fight, gas well people are involved."
Fink said there have been incidents where workers have outnumbered the officers responding to the calls and the workers have gotten aggressive.
Fink said another concern is incidents of workers stalking women. The township had one case where two men were stalking a woman working at a local business. The men were detained and the woman agreed not to press charges if they agreed to leave her alone. Another recent incident involved workers who were staying at a motel were having large quantities of drugs shipped in the mail from Michigan.
"Right now, it's a nuisance," Fink said of the problems with the workers. "But it could become a bigger problem as more and more wells go in." He said there could be as many as 80 more wells being erected in the township over the next year.
"More wells mean more people coming into the area," Fink said. He said the department is down to 10 officers.
Clearfield Borough Assistant Chief Vince McGinnis said the borough has not been having as many problems with the workers as the township.
"We've had a few public drunkenness calls but it's hard for us to determine who's from the gas wells and who's local," McGinnis said. He said the borough has been backing up the township on some of the calls but it has been a while since borough police have responded to a call involving gas well workers.
"A lot of the workers go from state to state and are not around for any extended period of time," McGinnis said. The incidents vary from month to month. Borough police sometimes see an increase in disorderly conducts incidents, but nothing extreme.
Fink said the department responded to 259 disorderly conduct incidents last year. In the first nine months of this year, there were 263 disorderly conduct incidents.
Incidents of assault have increased from 207 in 2009 to 227 so far this year. Fink said the department responded to 1,032 incidents in September alone.
MORE: http://www.thecourierexpress.com/courie ... resslocal/
892686-349/all-is-not-welldrilling-raises-issues.html
==================
24. Can shale gas be produced safely?
http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/08/news/ec ... n_nat_gas/
Road signs in rural Pennsylvania illustrate the pros and cons of natural gas development. By Steve Hargreaves, Senior writer
October 28, 2010: 4:13 PM ET
TOWANDA, Pa. (CNNMoney.com) -- In northeast Pennsylvania, the epicenter of one of the biggest energy developments in a generation, there's a battle underway to win hearts and minds.
Throughout the countryside, billboards tout the benefits of natural gas drilling: It's clean. It's domestic. It provides jobs.
The campaign is being waged by the gas companies, who know that not everyone here is happy with the boom in shale gas. People hate the traffic, and they are afraid for their water.
But the campaign is clearly working.
"We might take a little bit of the hurt for it, but it's a good thing for the nation," said Brianna Morales, owner of the BriMarie Inn in Sayre, Pa. "It's a good sense of security."
Others are more blunt, saying natural gas can lessen America's dependence on foreign oil.
"It appeals to me to give the whoevers a taste of their own medicine," said Joe Snell, who owns a hardware store in town. "They're been giving it to us for 30 years."
MORE:
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20 ... WPOINTS02/
10260355/How-Dangerous-Is-Fracking
=================
25. Government Whistleblower Weston Wilson Featured Speaker at Powder River Basin Resource Council’s Annual Meeting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 18, 2010 Contact 307-672-5809
(SHERIDAN, WY)
On Saturday, November 6 at the Elk’s Lodge, Powder River Basin Resource Council will hold its 38th Annual Meeting, which is open to the public.
The evening’s activities will start off with a silent auction and social gathering. Many great items will be up for auction, including clothing donated by Patagonia, local art, items from local businesses, a guided fishing trip, and lots more. All proceeds will benefit the Resource Council. There is no admission fee to attend the silent auction, which runs from 4-7 p.m.
After the auction, the keynote dinner speaker will be renowned retired EPA Environmental Engineer and government whistleblower Weston Wilson. Wilson will be speaking about "The risks of the oil and gas industry and the vital role citizens play in protecting our health and environment." During his thirty-year tenure at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Wilson reviewed environmental documents and helped to develop programs to mitigate impacts of industrial development.
He received the EPA bronze medal four times, an EPA international assistance award and the BLM’s Four C’s award for his review of various mining and oil and gas projects. When an EPA study concluding that hydraulic fracturing "poses little or no threat" to drinking water supplies was published in 2004,Wilson was one of several EPA scientists who challenged the study’s methodology and questioned the impartiality of the expert panel that reviewed its findings. Since his retirement from EPA, Wilson has been responding to requests for assistance and speaking to communities that are impacted by oil and gas operations.
"We’re very excited to have Wes Wilson come and talk to Wyoming citizens," said Resource Council Chair Bob LeResche. "Too often, people get discouraged and feel that their voice isn’t heard by government. Wes has a different message – one of hope and how citizens can make a difference in their communities," LeResche added.
Admission to the keynote speech is $25 for members or $35 for non-members and includes a dinner catered by Cassie Catering. The non-member price includes a one year membership to the Resource Council.
Powder River Basin Resource Council is a landowner and citizen based membership group dedicated to the good stewardship of Wyoming’s resources and the involvement of citizens in local, state and federal government.
For further information on these events, contact the Powder River Basin Resource Council office at 307.672.5809 or visit
www.powderriverbasin.org.
Weston Wilson’s whistleblower letter on the 2004 hydraulic fracturing study is available at
http://www.earthworksaction.org/publica ... ?pubID=372.
================
26. EnCana Corp. (ECA) Reached the 52-Week Low of $27.55
http://www.gurufocus.com/news.php?id=110377
Last week’s top five stocks that reached their 52-week lows were Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.Petrobras, Bank of America Corp, Gerdau S.A, EnCana Corp. According to GuruFocus updates, these Guru stocks have reached their 52-week lows. More......
=====================
27. . Vote Halliburton and Goldman Sachs!
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Robert-Reich-s-Blog/
2010/1029/Vote-Halliburton-and-Goldman-Sachs
On Election Day, Americans will decide how to reward corporations that have been plundering America, like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, and Halliburton.
By Robert Reich, Guest blogger / October 29, 2010
Next Tuesday Americans will be deciding whether to hand over even more of our government to corporations that have been plundering America – such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Citibank, Wellpoint insurance, Massey Energy, and Halliburton, the giant oil services company.
Not every large corporation is irresponsible, of course, but plunderers that get away with it gain a competitive advantage over the more responsible, and thereby lead a race to the bottom.
Case in point: The staff of the presidential commission investigating the BP oil spill has just revealed that Halliburton executives knew the cement it was using to seal BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil well was likely to be unstable but didn’t tell BP or act on the information.
In a letter to the commission’s seven members, the staff found that the failure of the cement was a key factor in the blowout that caused millions of barrels of crude oil to escape into the Gulf of Mexico. (Not the sole factor, of course; most of the blame for the disaster, says the staff, still rests with BP and Transocean, the company BP hired to drill the well.)
Halliburton has not sat out this election. Last May, as Congress began investigating its role in the disaster, its political action committee made 14 contributions — 13 to Republicans and one to a Democrat. Many were involved in the investigation; others had responsibility for overseeing oil drilling in the Gulf. It was the biggest donation month for Halliburton’s PAC since September 2008.
Halliburton, in case you’ve forgotten, is not exactly a model citizen. It has evaded U.S. taxes and export bans through foreign subsidiaries; admitted to bribing foreign officials (a subsidiary paid $2.4 million to a Nigerian government official in exchange for favorable tax treatment); conceded in an internal memo (leaked to the Wall Street Journal) its cost controls for government contracts in Iraq were “antiquated” and its procurement “disorganized; was found by Pentagon auditors to have overcharged estimated at $27.4 million for meals served to American troops at five military bases in Iraq and Kuwait (in one camp billing for an average 42,000 meals a day but serving only 14,000).
The list of Halliburton’s crimes goes on and on. And yet, somehow, Halliburton goes on piling up profits. How? Because of its deep connections to Washington.
MORE:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Robert-Reich-s-Blog/
2010/1029/Vote-Halliburton-and-Goldman-Sachs
Last edited by Oscar on Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
- Oscar
- Site Admin
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FRACKING NEWS – November 8, 2010
by Oscar » Mon Nov 08, 2010 11:07 am
FRACKING NEWS – November 8, 2010
1. International Tar Sands Resistance Summit
2. The Book of Hesitations & Faults with Fracking
3. Moncton to debate the selling of its water for fracking
4. ENCANA - Being a Good Neighbour & Letter
5. Oilpatch subsidies said to total $2.8 billion
6. WATCH: Burning Water
7. NELSON: Frack Attack
8. List reveals toxic chemicals used in coal seam mining
9. Two Companies Seek Trade Secret Status for Fracking Fluids in Wyoming
10. HANLEY: Unconventional fossil fuels waylay sustainable energy options
11. World's oil thirst leads to more risk
12. A High-Risk Energy Boom Sweeps Across North America
13. Our Water is Not for Sale - Say NO to water markets
14. Oilsands Quest announces receipt of commitments and re-pricing of previously announced offering
15. WATCH: "Frack that Oil"
16. Alberta’s Dirty Oil Image Cleaned by U.S. Midterms
17. Council of Canadians Update: November 5, 2010
18. Canada the biggest loser under NAFTA Chapter 11: report
==================
1. International Tar Sands Resistance Summit
November 19-22, Missoula, Montana
REGISTER:
http://tarsandsresistance.wordpress.com/register/
Strategizing Globally to Win Locally: Building an international, grassroots movement to shut down the Tar Sands
The Indigenous Environmental Network and Northern Rockies Rising Tide are pleased to announce the “International Tar Sands Resistance Summit,” which will take place November 19-22 at the Lubrecht Experimental Forest conference center, 30 miles east of Missoula, Montana, USA.
The summit is designed to be a place where individuals representing tar sands-impacted communities can come together to strategize, learn skills and network in order to grow and strengthen the international effort to effectively resist the most destructive industrial project on the planet, the Alberta tar sands. The four-day convergence will focus primarily on connecting individuals and communities affected by the Alberta Tar Sands, the XL Energy Pipeline, and the proposed mega-load shipments. This event is free and open to the public, but due to limited space we will have to cap the number of attendees.
Feel free to register online, but please be sure to read the information provided on the form:
http://tarsandsresistance.wordpress.com/register/
=====================
2. The Book of Hesitations & Faults with Fracking
From: jessica ernst
To: Harper.S@parl.gc.ca ; Fed. Envir. Min. Prentice ; Honourable Ed Stelmach Premier ; ted.morton@assembly.ab.ca ; Rob Renner ; Hon Guy Boutilier ; rklein@blgcanada.com
Cc: Sorenson, Kevin - M.P. ; Strathmore Brooks ; Duncan, Linda - M.P. ; SK Premier Wall ; paul@paulhinman.ca ; Bob Davis ; church@rosebud.ca ; Davies.L@parl.gc.ca ; diospaul@mcsnet.ca
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 2:08 AM
Subject: The Book of Hesitations & Faults with Fracking
Jessica Ernst box 753 Rosebud, AB, T0J 2T0 1-403-677-2074
Dear Messieurs Klein, Boutilier, Harper, Prentice, Renner, Morton and Stelmach,
If your staff bother to present you with my email, please read the pieces below, watch the clips at the links and think. Do Billion dollar profit-making, environment destroying, aquifer poisoning, regulation-violating, migratory bird killing energy corporations need more deregulation, freebies and billions in subsidies?
Who pays for the Billions in liabilities the mean-spirited companies leave behind? You?
Do you and your children bathe in and drink water that EnCana industrially fractured and the regulator found Chromium 6 in?
These are not rhetorical questions; I request appropriate respectful complete and honest responses, please.
jessica ernst, oil patch consultant, landowner, voter and taxpayer
- - - - -
Climate change denial from the Book of Hesitations
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aalexander/
climate_change_denial_from_the.html
Posted October 22, 2010
In the Bible-studying Protestant circles I travel in when I am not fighting court battles for NRDC, we occasionally engage in lame Bible-geek humor about the Book of 2 Hesitations. For those of you whose background does not include vacation Bible school, that’s not actually in the Bible. But we pretend it is whenever we need to fabricate a Bible verse to sanction minor acts of moral turpitude, like taking 11 items in the express checkout line at the supermarket. Or to sanctify snippets of biblical truthiness that are assumed to be in Scripture but are really not, such as, God helps those who help themselves.
Lately, it appears that Hesitations is enjoying a surge of popularity in Tea Party circles. At least, that’s the only way to explain the response of an Indiana Tea Party leader quoted in the New York Times yesterday to a speech concerning the threat of climate change. Noting that he based his views regarding the matter on Rush Limbaugh and the Bible, he declared, “It’s a flat-out lie . . . . I read my Bible. He made this earth for us to utilize.”
MORE:
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aalexander/
climate_change_denial_from_the.html
- - - - -
Bill 24...Stealing Your Rights!
http://albertasurfacerights.com/upload/files/
Bill%2024%20%20%20CCS%20ammendments%20to%20Mines%20and%20Minerals.pdf
This Bill 24 will basically undermine the landowners right to decide what kind of garbage gets put into the land underneath his feet! This is a money grab by the government!
http://albertasurfacerights.com/articles/?id=536
- - - - - -
FAULTS WITH FRACKING:
James Northrup - Hydrofracking, Faults & Aquifer Pollution
James (Chip) Northrup, former gas/oil industry planning manager discusses some of the major problems of using high-volume slick-water horizontal hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking):
http://www.vimeo.com/14295502
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2Ozcl7l ... re=related
http://www.vimeo.com/14472351
- - - - -
Radioactive Waste from Horizontal Hydrofracking
By James L. “Chip” Northrup
http://www.otsego2000.org/ (more documents available here)
http://63.134.196.109/documents/
10sep21_RadioactiveWastefromHorizontalHydrofracking.pdf
- - - - -
"YOUR OUT OF YOUR FRACKING MIND"
(Gasland de retour sur Y T) !!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moi54kyXG-k
- - - - - -
POTENTIAL LEAKS FROM HYDRO-FRACKING OF SHALE
By James L. “Chip” Northrup September 8, 2010
http://63.134.196.109/documents/Northru ... -12-10.pdf
- - - - -
GAS DRILLING IN DRINKING WATER WATERSHEDS
http://63.134.196.109/documents/
10sep21_McIntyre-DrinkingWaterinWatersheds.pdf
- - - - - -
Catholic bishop questions morality of Canada's tar sands
http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/
thesearch/archive/2009/01/27/catholic-bishop-questions-morality-of-canada-s-tar-sands.aspx
By Douglas Todd 27 Jan 2009 The Search
It's often news when a Catholic bishop takes on a political issue -- instead of one about sexual morality. This week it's a northern Canadian Catholic bishop who is worried about the ethical ramifications of Alberta's vast oil sands development.
The B.C. government is among those implicated in the criticism Bishop Luc Bouchard has aimed at the massive oil sands developments in his diocese, which includes Fort McMurray.
Bishop Bouchard said: "The integrity of creation in the Athabasca oil sands is clearly being sacrificed for economic gain."
The moral controversy is outlined in the bishop's pastoral letter to his region's 55,000 Catholics. The bishop wrote that the exploitation of the huge resource is environmentally unsound, challenging the "moral legitimacy of oil sands production".
More than a million barrels of oil a day are produced from Alberta's oil sands, where reserves of 173 billion barrels are second only to Saudi Arabia's.
The Catholic bishop condemned the projects' greenhouse gas emissions and their consumption of large quantities of natural gas to extract the tar-like bitumen from the sand.
MORE:
http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/
thesearch/archive/2009/01/27/catholic-bishop-questions-morality-of-canada-s-tar-sands.aspx
- - - - -
Freebiegate: Alberta's Tories experience an Archie Bunker moment
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/djclimenhaga/2010/11/
freebiegate-albertas-tories-experience-archie-bunker-moment
November 6, 2010 By David J. Climenhaga
- - - -
MUST WATCH:
The Komie Commotion - The Big Gallop to BC's Shale Gas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH8y2pSUvnU
Join Will Koop of BC tap water alliance
http://www.bctwa.org/FrackingBC.html
to see a few canadian gas shale impacts. He takes you up Ecana's Komie Road to the site of Encana's billion dollar cabin gas plant in far NE BC.
You will experience frac traffic in the boreal forest. insanity. industry must be really worried about not having enough natural gas for the tarsands.
Billions in subsidies we give this industry. subsidies for unconventionals recently increased. the subsidies do not improve jobs; the subsidies do increase exports. imagine living w these impacts in your community (chasing the oil and gas shales is spreading across the continent). imagine adding water and chemical hauling to the impacts in this clip. imagine the energy and water waste and stupidity. think.
========================
3. Moncton to debate the selling of its water for fracking
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5229
Friday, November 5th, 2010
The City of Moncton has been selling its drinking water to Apache Canada, a US-owned mining company, for its hydraulic fracturing testing in the Frederick Brook formation in the Elgin area in southern New Brunswick.
The CBC reported on October 25 that, “The Council of Canadians is calling on Moncton city councillors to revisit its policy that is allowing bulk water sales to an oil drilling company that is using a controversial mining technique. Brent Patterson, a spokesperson for the citizens organization, said Moncton council should have fully debated the issue and asked for public input before allowing six to eight tanker truck loads of water to be sold every day from the Turtle Creek Reservoir.”
The Times & Transcript reports this week that, “Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc wasn’t aware that the city was selling water in bulk from its reservoir to users outside the municipal water system. (And) some council members only recently learned (that) some water sold by the city is to be used for a controversial natural gas exploration process in the Elgin area (by Apache Canada). Coun. Paul Pellerin learned of this and raised the issue through the city’s sustainable environment committee…”
“The (sustainable environment) committee has tasked city staff with looking into the issue and reporting back to the committee, which is expected to make a recommendation to council. The environment committee is scheduled to meet (today). Pellerin says if committee members come up with a recommendation regarding the sale of water, it will be taken to council as soon as possible (in the coming weeks). …Pellerin says he is concerned that the water is being used for a controversial exploration process and that the city could be selling its water too cheaply.”
MORE:
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5229
The Times & Transcript news report is at
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/r ... le/1289158.
The CBC news report is at
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/ ... 010/10/25/
nb-moncton-water-fracking-council-canadians-211.html.
A campaign blog on Moncton selling its drinking water for fracking is at
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5077.
==================
4. ENCANA - Being a Good Neighbour & Letter
http://www.encana.com/operations/canada ... hane/pdfs/
clearwater-newsletter-2010-aug-sept.pdf
EnCana won a commission award last year for the company's Courtesy Matters community outreach program.
Below is an Alberta farmer's experience with Encana's courtesy matters program:
RE: Company defends its environmental record:
Good gawd! I have to resist the urge to scream every time I hear about that nifty company logo. I say ‘hear about’ because we sure haven’t seen much of that EnCana courtesy extended to us for a long long time. I could tell story after story about how EnCana personnel countlessly and routinely violate their own “Courtesy Matter Outreach Program”. What a friggen farce. Pardon my honesty. Couple of days ago I got to see this widely advertised “Courtesy Matters” program in action and up close.
We happened to be home the other morning when we see a white truck go through the yard and down to the well site. When he started to head back I went and stood on the path taking snapshots as he drove up the mucky road. When I was sure he was going to stop I stepped aside and took more pictures of his very wet and muddy truck. He stopped, rolled down window and I asked “May I may have your business card please?”
His annoyance over this inconvenient request was obvious. He grumpily got out of his truck, yanked open the back door and began rummaging around through all sorts of stuff. I busied myself by collecting a few more photos.
Finally he finds a card, slams the back door closed, says “Here.” and hops back into his truck, and puts the truck in gear.
I looked over the card then asked “Don’t you think the road was a tad damp?”
“I didn’t realize it had thawed.”
“When did you realize the road had thawed?”
“Not till I got out on the lease.”
I looked north up the road and then to south to the lease and asked “It took you over a mile and a half to realize the road had thawed?”
“Well most of it is gravelled and I couldn’t tell.”
I stared at him. Then I asked what was his company’s (name on truck) policy is on the prevention of the spread of clubroot disease?
He is wide eyed and tells me that he has never heard of it. So I asked if he knew what EnCana’s policy was on the prevention of the spread of clubroot disease. Deer in the headlights!
OK I says, then asked “Would you please write down what you just told me.”
“Told you about what?!”
“Your explanation just now that you didn’t think the road had thawed until you got on lease and that you have no idea what your company or EnCana’s policy is on the prevention of the spread of clubroot disease, please.”
Even more crankily he rummaged all over the cab for a piece of paper and finally found a pen in the middle console. I went around to passenger side of truck and took more pictures of mud hanging off the truck while he did that.
When he handed/shoved? the paper back at me, he also tossed his pen back into the console. I looked it over then said “Thank you. Would you please sign and date this?” and offered it back to him.
Because he had just thrown his pen back into the console he had to rummage around to find it again, then he signed and dated it and handed? it back to me, once again throwing his pen into what must be a messy console. I noticed as he then reached for his cigarette in the ashtray that his hand was trembling.
I again looked at the paper, handed it politely back to him and asked “Would you mind printing your name beside the signature please?”
He was absolutely pissed, grabbed the paper out of my hand, threw open the console lid, and printed his name. When he thrust the paper back at me I asked him “What happened to EnCana’s “Courtesy Matters” program? I don’t think you are acting very courteous.”
“Well, I’m frustrated too!!!” Then he lowered his voice, mumbling something about his job, and apologized about the muddy road thing several times. I nodded my head in agreement until he couldn’t find any more to say.
I had stood there the whole time with my best poker face on. I said ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and spoke in a calm, collected manner. It was if I was scolding my little grandson. I finally thanked him for his time, and waved my hand to signal I’d wait while he drove away... which he did very slowly.
I almost felt bad for him, but then I thought... he saw the ‘No Access when WET’ sign at the end of the road, he knew full well the road was wet, he choose to continue down the road anyway, he knew he lied to me about it, and he knew I knew.
Ha! It just occurred to me, the entire time he had the truck in drive and his foot on the brake.
- - - - - - - -
Company defends its environmental record: EnCana's hydraulic fracturing has never impacted a water well, spokeswoman says.
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/
articleid/4103037
Sunday, May 09, 2010 12:53 PM
(Source: The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.))By Steve Mocarsky, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
May 9--Wendy Wiedenbeck acknowledges that Luzerne County residents might be troubled by the fact that EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. paid $1.5 million in fines over the past four years.
But Wiedenbeck, the community and public relations adviser for the natural gas company that will begin drilling in the Back Mountain and Red Rock areas this summer, said the company is "committed to responsible development" and today is "a leader in environmental stewardship."
According to data Wiedenbeck provided at the request of The Times Leader, EnCana was assessed $542,000 on nine fines in 2006; $663,000 on 19 fines in 2007; $306,000 on 19 fines in 2008; and $3,000 on 10 fines in 2009. The data for 2009 is subject to change, she said.
Some Back Mountain residents and elected officials have expressed concern that drilling activities could contaminate water private water wells or the Huntsville and Ceasetown reservoirs.
Wiedenbeck said EnCana has never had an instance in which the company's hydraulic fracturing process affected a water well.
"In fact, there has never been an instance where the fracking process impacted water wells. We have, however, experienced operational failures, which resulted in regulatory violations and fines. These range from issues with lost circulation during cementing, which resulted in permanent changes to cementing protocols in 2004, to deficiencies with location signage," she said.
MORE:
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/
articleid/4103037
- - - -
Steve Mocarsky, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7311.
=====================
5. Oilpatch subsidies said to total $2.8 billion
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/headline_news/
article.jsp?content=b5010702
Tue Nov 2, 2:54 PM By The Canadian Press
OTTAWA - An independent analysis says Canadian governments are subsidizing the oil patch to the tune of about $2.8 billion a year, despite a G20 agreement to pare back such support.
The Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development has been adding up the fossil-fuel subsidies of major countries around the world.
In its in-depth study of Canadian supports for oil production, the institute concludes the federal government was responsible for handing over production subsidies worth $1.4 billion in 2008 — about half the total value of government relief.
The Alberta government's production subsidies were worth $1.1 billion, while Saskatchewan helped with $327 million, and Newfoundland and Labrador gave $83 million worth of relief.
The report says the fiscal cost of the subsidies is expected to double by 2020, causing a two per cent increase in Canada's greenhouse-gas emissions.
At the same time, Canada has committed at the G20 to getting rid of fossil-fuel subsidies, since they distort markets and cause wasteful consumption of energy. It's one of the few commitments the G20 has made to tackle climate change.
The topic will surface again next week when Prime Minister Stephen Harper attends the G20 summit in Seoul.
Last spring, the Finance Department recommended that Harper take a strong stand, as host of the Toronto G20 summit, and unilaterally eliminate federal fossil-fuel subsidies.
Officials argued that the government would save money, be true to its principles of not interfering in the free market, and also show a dedication to fighting climate change.
MORE:
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/headline_news/
article.jsp?content=b5010702
=================
6. WATCH: Burning Water
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/passionateeyeshowcase/
2010/burningwater/
Monday October 18 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC News Network
On Christmas Eve 2005, Fiona Lauridsen and her three children got chemical-like burns after taking showers in their home. Tests showed higher than normal levels of methane gas in their water coming straight from the aquifer, along with the presence of man-made chemicals. Where could this have come from? The Lauridsens think it may have been caused by the natural gas drilling that had begun in the region. Encana, Canada's biggest gas company, had just started drilling the underground coal seams on the Lauridsen farm to extract natural gas. The extraction process to release Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is called Hydraulic Fracturing, or "fracking", a process by which the ground is drilled into, pumped with water sand and chemicals in order to fracture the coal or rock; and then releasing methane gas.
Initially, the Lauridsens welcomed the added income that came to them from the energy company. But when their water went bad, they turned to Alberta Environment which began an investigation. During that time, water was trucked to each house with water problems. The Alberta Research Council (ARC) looked at the data and released a report in January 2008 which stated that the gas in the water was naturally occurring. The presence of chemicals in the water was left unexplained. The Alberta government then blamed the water problems on bad well maintenance on the part of the farmer. Water deliveries stopped three months after the report was released.
Burning water from the hoseThe end of water deliveries put Fiona and her family in a dire situation, some of her neighbours left the region, but the Lauridsens were not ready to leave everything they had worked so hard for. They wanted answers and this didn’t make the community happy. Rosebud is a theatre town and the theatre lives off tourism and funding from EnCana. It’s a popular enterprise and their latest hit is a production of “Fiddler on the Roof”. Fiona works part-time in the theatre, but her complaints about bad water cause some friction. The Lauridsens have 900 acres in the valley, but if they don’t have water they’ll have to move. Fiona and husband Peter want to stay, and so she embarks on a journey across Alberta and into B.C. to meet farmers, scientists and politicians in her efforts to extract answers and, at least, an apology for their contaminated water. The film also looks at similar situations in the USA where natural gas exploration causing water contamination led in to charges and convictions of the energy companies involved.
Burning Water was produced by Frederic Bohbot and directed by Cameron Esler & Tadzio Richards for Bunbury Films in association with CBC News Network.
=====================
7. NELSON: Frack Attack
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/
frack-attack
New, dirty gas drilling method threatens drinking water by Joyce Nelson
National Office | The Monitor Issue(s): Energy policy, Environment and sustainability
December 1, 2009
A technology used by the oil and gas industry to obtain natural gas is raising major concerns across the United States and is equally suspect for areas being drilled in Western Canada. Called hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking” in the trade), it allows drilling companies to access “unconventional” natural gas deposits trapped in shale, coal-bed, and tight-sand formations – potentially at the expense of underground water supplies.
On August 27, 2009, Reuters reported that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had found toxic chemical contaminants in drinking water wells near gas-drilling operations in Pavillion, Wyoming, where EnCana has 248 natural gas wells. Calgary-based EnCana is Canada’s second biggest energy company (after Suncor) and is now a major player in B.C., with hundreds of new natural gas wells in the province.
Eleven of 39 water-wells tested in Wyoming by the EPA earlier this year showed chemicals that can cause cancer, kidney failure, anaemia, and fertility problems. Among the contaminants in three of the wells was 2-butoxyehanol (2-BE), a highly toxic solvent often used in fracking.
The ongoing EPA investigation is significant because it is the first time the U.S. federal agency has investigated and documented such well-water contamination close to natural gas drilling sites, although, according to research by the U.S. journal ProPublica, in the last few years there have been more than a thousand similar cases documented by courts and local governments across the U.S.
Currently, companion legislation (S.1215/H.R. 2766) is before both houses of Congress to require regulation of hydraulic fracturing under the federal U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act. On Sept. 10, 160 national, regional, state, and local organizations jointly issued a letter to Congressional representatives, urging them to co-sponsor the “Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act,” introduced on June 9. Their letter stated: “Our organizations represent communities across the country that are concerned about drinking water contamination linked to hydraulic fracturing operations.”
Canada has no national water standards and collects little information about groundwater.
MORE:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/
frack-attack
===================
8. List reveals toxic chemicals used in coal seam mining
http://www.smh.com.au/business/
list-reveals-toxic-chemicals-used-in-coal-seam-mining-20101018-16qt5.html
Joel Tozer and Ben Cubby October 19, 2010
AUSTRALIAN mining companies are using highly toxic chemicals to extract coal seam gas during the controversial process known as ''fracking'', documents obtained by the Herald show.
A government list of 36 chemicals used in coal seam gas extraction in Australia includes hydrochloric and acetic acid, and napthalene- an ingredient once used in napalm as well as more mundane items such as mothballs - and many other hydrocarbons.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure underground in order to fracture rock formations and release coal seam gas.
The proposed use of fracking near watercourses, including a plan to deploy fracking next to Warragamba Dam, has fed concerns that drinking water could be contaminated if gas extraction goes ahead.
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, which represents coal seam gas extraction applicants, said the process has been used for many years and is completely safe.
But the Queensland government introduced legislation last week to ban some chemicals that can be used during fracking, including BTEX, a mixture that contains highly toxic benzene.
Last month in the US, the Environmental Protection Agency asked nine companies that use fracking to disclose the ingredients of the chemicals they use, some of which are regarded as trade secrets.
MORE:
http://www.smh.com.au/business/
list-reveals-toxic-chemicals-used-in-coal-seam-mining-20101018-16qt5.html
===================
9. Two Companies Seek Trade Secret Status for Fracking Fluids in Wyoming
http://www.propublica.org/article/
two-companies-seek-trade-secret-status-for-fracking-fluids-in-wyoming
by Marie C. Baca ProPublica, Nov. 2, 2010, 11:03 a.m.
Personal message This post has been corrected (11/3/2010 [1]).
Two chemical manufacturers are seeking an exemption from new rules in Wyoming that require public disclosure of the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing [2], a controversial natural gas drilling process suspected of polluting groundwater.
ChemEOR, based in Covina, Calif., and CESI Chemical Inc., based in Marlow, Okla., have asked the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to grant their fracturing fluids trade secret status, according to state oil and gas supervisor Tom Doll. The designation would still require the companies to share their formulas with the state but would exempt them from making the information available to the public.
"Disclosure is the rule," Doll said. "Anything else is a rare exception, and one we will look at very, very closely."
Doll said most companies that have approached him over the past month have said they are willing to give their chemical information to both the agency and the public.
The new rules [3], which went into effect Sept. 15, require drilling companies to tell regulators which chemicals they plan to use in each well before the well is approved. Companies must also disclose the concentrations of the chemicals they used once the operation is complete. The list of chemicals and concentrations is available to the public on the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission website [4].
If a company claims that certain information is a trade secret, the commission or state courts would review the request and, if approved, the relevant information would be withheld from the public.
Chemical and drilling companies have long argued that their products are safe and that sharing their proprietary information, as the Wyoming law now requires, would harm the industry.
"We’re not doing this because it's a personal interest," said Patrick Shuler, vice president of technology and development at ChemEOR. "We're trying to keep our people gainfully employed, and that means maintaining our trade secrets and our competitive advantage."
CESI Chemical did not respond to requests for comment.
Environmentalists and researchers say that if the Wyoming law is implemented as promised, it could create the most comprehensive data yet for studying the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and water contamination.
"If disclosure hurts the industry, then that's a problem with the industry," said Deb Thomas, an organizer with the Powder River Basin Resource Council [5], a Wyoming environmental group. "We shouldn't be protecting these companies at the expense of the public."
While the new law makes it difficult for companies to keep the chemicals they use secret, there is a loophole that allows them to delay the disclosure. Under Wyoming law, companies can keep information about their "first, exploratory" well -- also known as a "wildcat well" -- confidential for six months. The new law maintains this provision.
MORE:
http://www.propublica.org/article/
two-companies-seek-trade-secret-status-for-fracking-fluids-in-wyoming
=====================
10. HANLEY: Unconventional fossil fuels waylay sustainable energy options
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/
Unconventional+fossil+fuels+waylay+sustainable+energy+options/3726144/story.html
BY PAUL HANLEY, THE STARPHOENIXOCTOBER 26, 2010
The silver lining for those worried about the global storm of negative environmental impacts from fossil fuel production and use has been the idea that oil and gas reserves are running low. As reserves run out, the thinking goes, we will turn to safer, renewable sources of energy and all will be right with the world.
While it is true cheap, conventional oil and gas is becoming scarce, the energy industry is not going green. It's turning to unconventional sources that may have even worse environmental impacts. And Saskatchewan may well be in the think of this new fossil-fuel energy boom.
To get the lowdown read Keith Schneider's article A High-Risk Energy Boom Sweeps Across North America, available at Yale University's environmental web site (e360.yale.edu). Schneider reports that investment is flooding into the deep shale areas in Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Western U.S., particularly North Dakota's Bakken Shale.
North Dakota, it seems, has suddenly become the fourth-largest oil producing state in the U.S. and consequently has the country's lowest unemployment rate, at under four per cent.
According to Schneider, company reports and state economic development offices estimate the oil industry is spending nearly $100 billion annually in the U.S. to perpetuate the fossil-fuel era. More billions are also being thrown at the carbon-rich oilsands in Alberta (and potentially Saskatchewan).
The Bakken Shale, partially located under southeastern Saskatchewan, is thought to contain four billion barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas.
Oil industry geologists say there is much more than that in the Bakken, and in a second oil-rich shale reserve, the Three Forks, that lies below it.
I guess that would be a good thing if the ecosphere were a limitless resource and sinkhole for pollution.
Government studies show that exploiting unconventional fossil-fuel reserves generates more C02 emissions than drilling for conventional oil and gas and uses three to five times more water.
Competition for water could lead to big problems in dry areas like North Dakota and Saskatchewan. Schneider says that extracting unconventional fossil fuel reserves like the Bakken formation uses a lot of water because getting to the oil and natural gas requires rupturing the deep shale to create open spaces and crevices through which the oil and gas can flow.
The pulverizing process, called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," involves sinking drill bits deep into the shale and then turning them to move horizontally. An armada of tank trucks hauls several million gallons of water to each well site, where pumps shoot it down the well at such super-high pressure that the rock splits.
MORE:
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/
Unconventional+fossil+fuels+waylay+sustainable+energy+options/3726144/story.html
==================
11. World's oil thirst leads to more risk
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/business/
article_f12f0f24-e954-11df-a7f9-001cc4c002e0.html
Associated Press | Posted: Sunday, November 7, 2010 2:15 am
MIAMI — The world’s thirst for crude is leading oil exploration companies into ever deeper waters and ventures fraught with environmental and political peril.
The days when the industry could merely drill on land and wait for the oil — and the profits — to flow are coming to an end. Because of that, companies feel compelled to sink wells at the bottom of deep oceans, inject chemicals into the ground to force oil to the surface, deal with unsavory regimes, or operate in some of the world’s most environmentally sensitive and inaccessible spots, far from ports and decent roads.
All those factors could make it difficult to move in equipment and clean up a spill.
From the Arctic to Cuba to the coast of Nigeria, avoiding catastrophes like BP’s Gulf of Mexico spill is likely to become increasingly difficult and require cooperation among countries that aren’t used to working together.
An Associated Press review of oil ventures around the world found plans to punch through layers of salt more than three miles beneath the ocean floor off the coast of Brazil, drill seven exploratory wells off Cuba and extract oil from crude-soaked sands on the Canadian prairie. Drilling is proceeding in countries with extremely weak regulations and a lack of skilled operators, and in geological settings much like the northern Gulf of Mexico, with high pressure and weak rock formations ripe for blowouts.
Companies are seeking the new frontiers amid warnings from some analysts that worldwide oil production will peak and then decline as onshore wells dry up. It’s not that oil itself is scarce — global reserves are estimated at 1.2 trillion barrels — but getting to it requires large investments in treacherous places.
“It’s just getting harder to find this stuff. You’re having to go to the end of the Earth or the bottoms of very deep oceans now,” said Randy Udall, director of the nonprofit Community Office for Resource Efficiency in Aspen, Colo.
BP CEO Bob Dudley argued last week that deep-water drilling is necessary despite the dangers because the world could be consuming 40 percent more energy by 2030.
BP and other major oil companies say they are preparing for the risks and trying to find common solutions. Also, the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, a trade group, is talking with other industry organizations in the U.S., Australia, Brazil and Britain about preventing and responding to disasters, said executive director Michael Engell-Jensen.
But so far, little has been done globally to come up with a universally accepted set of standards and response procedures. Diplomatic tensions could prevent effective cooperation among countries, and some projects already under way — such as a deep-water containment system that U.S. oil companies are building in the Gulf — are meant only for a particular area.
In the meantime, the industry is pursuing some audacious projects.
Exploration companies have discovered huge oil fields in the South Atlantic off Brazil, with deposits believed to exceed 8 billion barrels. Reaching them will require drilling not only in waters nearly two miles deep, but through salt layers up to three miles below the ocean floor. The BP well that blew out was in water a mile deep.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the Arctic region holds up to one-quarter of the world’s undiscovered conventional oil and natural gas, including 90 billion barrels of crude — most of it offshore. Companies in the U.S., Russia, Norway, Denmark and Canada are stepping up preparations to drill there.
Environmental groups have sued to prevent it. Cold and ice would hamper cleanup of a spill, they say, by making it hard to get people and equipment to the scene. And the region lacks the sunlight and abundance of microbes that are helping break down the oil in the Gulf. A major spill could injure or kill whales, polar bears, seals, walruses and many types of fish.
Shell Oil, which plans to drill exploratory wells off Alaska, will have a response fleet constantly on hand with helicopters, boom, skimmers and other equipment for dealing with spills. “In the unlikely event of a discharge, they would be deployed and recovering oil within an hour,” spokesman Curtis Smith said.
In the western U.S., companies are targeting what the Energy Department says are billions of barrels of recoverable oil trapped within deposits of shale rock, which is composed of layers of claylike, fine-grain sediments. Mining and processing shale oil are a big source of greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentalists also worry about the huge volumes of water and chemicals pumped deep underground at high pressures to break loose the shale.
Similar issues have arisen in the Canadian province of Alberta, where companies are extracting sticky black bitumen oil from mixtures of sand and clay known as tar sands — a process that consumes vast quantities of water in an arid climate.
MORE:
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/business/
article_f12f0f24-e954-11df-a7f9-001cc4c002e0.html
=====================
12. A High-Risk Energy Boom Sweeps Across North America
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/
a_high-risk_energy_boom_sweeps_across_north_america/2324/
30 Sep 2010: Analysis
Energy companies are rushing to develop unconventional sources of oil and gas trapped in carbon-rich shales and sands throughout the western United States and Canada. So far, government officials have shown little concern for the environmental consequences of this new fossil-fuel development boom.
by keith schneider
The most direct path to America’s newest big oil and gas fields is U.S. Highway 12, two lanes of blacktop that unfold from Grays Harbor in Washington State and head east across the top of the country to Detroit.
The 2,500-mile route has quickly become an essential supply line for the energy industry. With astonishing speed, U.S. oil companies, Canadian pipeline builders, and investors from all over the globe are spending huge sums in an economically promising and ecologically risky race to open the next era of hydrocarbon development. As domestic U.S. pools of conventional oil and gas dwindle, energy companies are increasingly turning to "unconventional" fossil fuel reserves contained in the carbon rich-sands and deep shales of Canada, the Great Plains, and the Rocky Mountain West.
- - - SNIP - - -
Despite opposition, the oil and gas industry is undeterred. The Bakken Shale that lies 10,000 feet beneath a 200,000 square mile expanse of North Dakota, Montana, and Saskatchewan is said by the U.S. Geological Survey to contain more than 4 billion barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas. Oil industry geologists say there is much more than that in the Bakken, and in a second oil-rich shale reserve, the Three Forks, that lies below it.
Spurred by the Bakken riches, energy companies are now spending tens of millions of dollars to lease mineral rights in Wyoming and Colorado and are drilling exploratory wells in the Niobrara Shale, which sprawls beneath both states.
"It just almost boggles the mind," Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, told a veterans group in Minot on Sept. 2. "It is not like the traditional oil and gas play."
A 2006 study by the Department of Energy that looked at rising energy demand and diminishing freshwater supplies found that the collision between the two was occurring most violently in the fastest-growing parts of the country that also happened to have the scarcest water resources — California, the Southwest, the Rocky Mountain states, and the Upper Great Plains.
It takes 2.5 to 6.5 gallons of water to extract and refine one gallon of tar sands oil, which is four times more water than it takes to produce oil from conventional reserves, according to a 2009 study by Argonne National Laboratory.
Moreover, producing tar sands oil, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, generates as much as three times as many greenhouse gases per barrel as conventional oil production.
Extracting unconventional fossil fuel reserves like the Bakken formation uses a lot of water because getting to the oil and natural gas requires rupturing the deep shale to create open spaces and crevices through which the oil and gas can flow. The pulverizing process, called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," involves sinking drill bits two miles deep and then turning them to move horizontally through the shale. An armada of tank trucks hauls several million gallons of water to each well site, where pumps shoot it down the well at such super high pressure — 8,000 pounds per square inch — that the rock splits.
The practice is risky. Earlier this month, an oil well undergoing fracking near Kildeer, N.D. ruptured. The blowout leaked 100,000 gallons of fracturing fluid and crude oil before being plugged two days later.
Fracking has caused contamination of surface and groundwater in other states and harmed drinking water in some communities, according to a number of reports from local environmental organizations.
A Controversial Drilling Practice Hits Roadblock in New York
Hydro fracturing is a profitable method of natural gas extraction that uses large quantities of water and chemicals to free gas from underground rock formations. But New York City’s concerns about the practice have slowed a juggernaut that has been sweeping across parts of the northeastern U.S., Bruce Stutz reports.
READ MORE
Earlier this year, a supervisor with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department formally opposed a farmer’s plan to sell a third of the water in eight-foot-deep Trenton Lake to a Texas energy developer. "Trenton Lake just doesn’t have the depth and capacity without seriously impacting the lake," said the supervisor, Fred Ryckman. "The oil industry can find water elsewhere."
Almost 150 oil and gas drilling rigs are operating in North Dakota this month, nearly tying a state record, and more than all but two other states, Texas and Pennsylvania. The oil and gas rush has been an economic boon to North Dakota, with more than 7,000 laborers migrating into the state; North Dakota’s unemployment rate has dropped to 3.6 percent, the nation’s lowest. The energy boom has also filled state coffers. When North Dakota’s budget cycle ended in June, state Budget Director Pam Sharp proudly reported an $800 million surplus.
Clearly, most North Dakota officials are not worrying — yet — about the environmental consequences.
Correction, Oct. 1, 2010: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the amount of water it takes to produce oil from tar sands. The correct figure, as cited by the Argonne National Laboratory, is that it takes 2.5 to 6.5 gallons of water to extract and refine one gallon of tar sands oil.
POSTED ON 30 Sep 2010 IN
Biodiversity Business & Innovation Energy Oceans Policy & Politics Asia Middle East North America North America
======================
13. Our Water is Not for Sale - Say NO to water markets
www.ourwaterisnotforsale.com
780-577-1445
Dear supporters of Our Water Is Not For Sale,
Three important updates for you:
1) Last week's event was an overwhelming success.
2) Video from that event, The Fight For Water: Challenging Water Markets in Alberta, is available online.
3) Maude Barlow speaking on CBC Radio One's alberta@noon is also available online.
http://ourwaterisnotforsale.com/content/
maude-barlow-cbc-radios-albertanoon-0
**Please watch/listen to these pieces and share with your friends, families and contacts to promote awareness and action on this important issue!**
1) Last week in Edmonton, approximately 450 people packed the room, leaving standing room only, to listen to internationally acclaimed speakers address the threat of water markets in Alberta. The speakers delivered a strong message. They spoke on the need to organize and get active in addressing our water crisis and fighting against water markets that would promote private and corporate control over our water rather than protecting our water for our communities and for the ecosystems on which our survival depends.
Their message clearly resonated with the audience. Attendees donated generously and have been enthusiastically stepping forward to get involved.
Our network is growing larger and stronger, with both organizations and individuals eagerly getting informed and active!
2) Video of that event is now available through our website. Click here!
http://www.ourwaterisnotforsale.com/content/
video-fight-water-challenging-water-markets-alberta
Thanks to Vue Weekly, media sponsor for the event, for editing and posting the videos.
Please watch the video if you were not there for the event!
Please share the video with friends, family and contacts!
It provides a powerful warning and call to action: from Maude Barlow, an internationally renowned water advocate; from Ian Douglas, an Australian who has seen the devastation of water markets in his own country; and from Sootaanah Goodstriker, Ambassador of Environmental Affairs for the Sovereign Blackfoot Nation.
3) Maude Barlow was on CBC Radio One's alberta@noon.
Click here to access that piece!
http://ourwaterisnotforsale.com/content/
maude-barlow-cbc-radios-albertanoon-0
Maude Barlow spoke very effectively to the threat of water markets in Alberta and the need for action.
Please listen and share this piece as well!
==========================
14. Oilsands Quest announces receipt of commitments and re-pricing of previously announced offering
http://ca.news.finance.yahoo.com/s/28102010/
31/link-f-prnewswire-oilsands-quest-announces-receipt-commitments-re-pricing-previously.html
CUSIP# 678046 10 3
NYSE Amex: BQI
CALGARY, Oct. 28 /CNW/ - Oilsands Quest Inc. (NYSE Amex: BQI) ("Oilsands Quest" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received commitments from certain existing institutional shareholders to purchase US$12.2 million of common shares and flow-through common shares pursuant to the Company's previously announced best efforts financing. Under the revised pricing negotiated with the investors, the Company has now agreed to issue 20,780,900 Common Shares at US$0.45 per share and 5,760,000 Flow Through Common Shares at US$0.50 per share.
The Company may increase the size of the Offering to up to US$15 million and marketing is continuing to issue up to an additional US$2.8 million of Common Shares at a price of US$0.45 per share. The Company will be amending the prospectus supplement filed in the United States and Canada to reflect the re-pricing of the Offering.
A copy of the amended prospectus may be obtained from TD Securities (USA) LLC in the United States and TD Securities Inc. in Canada at the following addresses:
In the United States: TD Securities (USA) LLC
ATTN: Paula Kourian 31 W. 52nd Street New York, NY 10019
In Canada: TD Securities Inc.
Email: sdcconfirms@td.com
222 Bay Street, 7th FloorToronto, Ontario M5K 1A2
This news release does not and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy any of the securities, nor shall there be any sale of the securities, in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any state.
About Oilsands Quest
Oilsands Quest Inc. is exploring and developing oil sands permits and licences, located in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and developing Saskatchewan's first global-scale oil sands discovery. It is leading the establishment of the province of Saskatchewan's emerging oil sands industry.
Forward-looking Information
This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law including statements regarding the completion of the Offering. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10K for the year ended April 30, 2010, as amended, and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10Q available on
www.sedar.com and www.edgar.com.
The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
For further information:
Garth Wong
Chief Financial Officer
Email: ir@oilsandsquest.com
Investor Line: 1-877-718-8941
===================
15. WATCH: "Frack that Oil"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gfoeX6wM4g
Great song reminiscent of the protests against the Alberta Tar Sands, now dubbed "The Most Destructive Project on Earth.":
http://forums.canadiancontent.net/canadian-culture/
75124-canada-s-toxic-tar-sands.html
=================
16. Alberta’s Dirty Oil Image Cleaned by U.S. Midterms
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/04
Published on Thursday, November 4, 2010 by The Canadian Press
by Mike Blanchfield
OTTAWA—The historic Republican gains in the U.S. midterm elections appear set to clean up Alberta’s American image as a producer of dirty oil.
There is zero chance of new climate change legislation in the United States in the next two years following a vote Tuesday that saw the Democrats lose control in the House of Representatives and suffer significant setbacks in the Senate.
That gives the Harper government some significant breathing space after co-ordinating its environmental efforts with the Obama administration before tabling its own detailed climate change plan.
The biggest winners in Canada after Tuesday night’s U.S. midterms are Alberta’s oil producers — branded by many Democrats as purveyors of “dirty oil.”
Canada watchers on both sides of the U.S. political divide agreed Wednesday that the Tea Party-driven protest vote across the United States would reap political dividends for the oilsands.
“I think the playing field for Canadian energy will be a little more level now. There will always be the environmental attacks,” said Republican David Wilkins, the Bush administration’s last ambassador to Ottawa.
“But I think whether you are talking about oilsands, whether you are talking about pipelines, I think the rhetoric will be a little bit less.”
Democrat Gordon Giffin, who was Bill Clinton’s last Canadian envoy in the late 1990s, said the new Congressional make-up will help to “moderate” debate in the U.S. on energy and environmental issues.
“I think the probabilities of there being any significant changes in U.S. policy, be it legislative or regulatory that would uniquely disadvantage the oilsands — I think the probabilities of that occurring have gone down,” Giffin said.
“In that respect, it’s probably good for the Canada-U.S. dynamic.”
MORE:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/04
===================
17. Council of Canadians Update: November 5, 2010
MEDIA RELEASE:
First Nations representatives undo greenwashing tactics of
Alberta and Federal governments during European Union tour of tar sands
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... -10-2.html
MEDIA RELEASE:
New legal opinion warns of EU trade impacts on tar sands
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... ov-10.html
REPORT: New Council of Canadians health care report
by Robert Chernomas
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5235
The Council of Canadians has produced a new report titled, Profit Is Not the Cure 2010: Is the Canadian economy sustainable without medicare?.
NEWS: Canada has paid $157 million in NAFTA
Chapter 11 claims
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5225
The Vancouver Sun reports that, “The federal government has paid at least $157 million in damages to foreign investors who have claimed (under NAFTA’s Chapter 11 that) they were discriminated against by such actions as expropriation of land or bans on their products, a new study (by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) says.”
ACTION ALERT: Bill C-49 - Anti-smuggling or anti-refugee?
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5222
The Council of Canadians is concerned that the Harper government’s new immigration and refugee legislation — Bill C-49, Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act — will unfairly punish those fleeing persecution abroad, including children. We stand with the Canadian Council for Refugees and Amnesty International Canada in calling on Members of Parliament to defeat this bill.
EU Members of Parliament: Tar sands aren’t so rosy,
and neither is CETA
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=329
This morning I joined a breakfast meeting between First Nations Representatives from tar sands impacted region, Members of European Parliament and author of a new legal opinion on how CETA may impact the development and regulation of tar sands production.
==================
18. Canada the biggest loser under NAFTA Chapter 11: report
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1164
November 4, 2010
A report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives shows that Canada has attracted 43 per cent of the 66 investor-state disputes under NAFTA’s Chapter 11. In the past five years alone, 15 new cases have been brought against Canada, which is more than half the total number of Canadian cases since NAFTA came into force 15 years ago. The report lists in detail the 66 cases, including the complaining investor, issue, NAFTA articles cited, amount claimed and status. It then makes recommendations based on these findings.
The upward trend in challenges against Canadian government policies over the past five years “reflects a growing awareness among foreign investors and corporate trade lawyers of NAFTA investment rights, and an increasing willingness to invoke them to contest public policy measures,” writes Scott Sinclair, senior researcher with the CCPA, and author of today’s report. In Canada, settlements with corporations challenging provincial and federal public policy have cost the country $157 million, not counting legal costs.
Incredibly, $130 million of that figure went to one company - AbitibiBowater, which settled with the federal government recently in a highly controversial case.
“Ottawa’s decision to settle with the investor raises serious constitutional issues,” writes Sinclair. “Although the exact terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, the large sum of money involved undoubtedly means that AbitibiBowater was compensated, to some degree, for the loss of water and timber rights on public lands. Such rights, however, are not considered compensable under Canadian law.”
Investment arbitration is increasingly controversial and contested globally. The process is so undemocratic and flawed that Chapter 11 should be removed from NAFTA outright, claims the CCPA report, which concludes:
The NAFTA investment regime was originally characterized as an exceptional remedy to be used only under extreme circumstances. It was supposedly aimed at situations where the domestic courts, specifically in the Mexican regime of that era, could not be trusted to redress valid investor concerns. Fifteen years of experience has clearly shown that the sweeping powers and protections afforded to investors by NAFTA have repeatedly been invoked in order to frustrate the legitimate exercise of governmental authority. In too many cases, those efforts have succeeded. It is now time for renewed public pressure on North American governments to address the serious threat to the rule of law and democratic governance posed by NAFTA’s Chapter 11.
To read the report, click here.
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/ ... s/uploads/
publications/National%20Office/2010/11/NAFTA%20Chapter%2011%20Investor%20State%20Disputes.pdf
1. International Tar Sands Resistance Summit
2. The Book of Hesitations & Faults with Fracking
3. Moncton to debate the selling of its water for fracking
4. ENCANA - Being a Good Neighbour & Letter
5. Oilpatch subsidies said to total $2.8 billion
6. WATCH: Burning Water
7. NELSON: Frack Attack
8. List reveals toxic chemicals used in coal seam mining
9. Two Companies Seek Trade Secret Status for Fracking Fluids in Wyoming
10. HANLEY: Unconventional fossil fuels waylay sustainable energy options
11. World's oil thirst leads to more risk
12. A High-Risk Energy Boom Sweeps Across North America
13. Our Water is Not for Sale - Say NO to water markets
14. Oilsands Quest announces receipt of commitments and re-pricing of previously announced offering
15. WATCH: "Frack that Oil"
16. Alberta’s Dirty Oil Image Cleaned by U.S. Midterms
17. Council of Canadians Update: November 5, 2010
18. Canada the biggest loser under NAFTA Chapter 11: report
==================
1. International Tar Sands Resistance Summit
November 19-22, Missoula, Montana
REGISTER:
http://tarsandsresistance.wordpress.com/register/
Strategizing Globally to Win Locally: Building an international, grassroots movement to shut down the Tar Sands
The Indigenous Environmental Network and Northern Rockies Rising Tide are pleased to announce the “International Tar Sands Resistance Summit,” which will take place November 19-22 at the Lubrecht Experimental Forest conference center, 30 miles east of Missoula, Montana, USA.
The summit is designed to be a place where individuals representing tar sands-impacted communities can come together to strategize, learn skills and network in order to grow and strengthen the international effort to effectively resist the most destructive industrial project on the planet, the Alberta tar sands. The four-day convergence will focus primarily on connecting individuals and communities affected by the Alberta Tar Sands, the XL Energy Pipeline, and the proposed mega-load shipments. This event is free and open to the public, but due to limited space we will have to cap the number of attendees.
Feel free to register online, but please be sure to read the information provided on the form:
http://tarsandsresistance.wordpress.com/register/
=====================
2. The Book of Hesitations & Faults with Fracking
From: jessica ernst
To: Harper.S@parl.gc.ca ; Fed. Envir. Min. Prentice ; Honourable Ed Stelmach Premier ; ted.morton@assembly.ab.ca ; Rob Renner ; Hon Guy Boutilier ; rklein@blgcanada.com
Cc: Sorenson, Kevin - M.P. ; Strathmore Brooks ; Duncan, Linda - M.P. ; SK Premier Wall ; paul@paulhinman.ca ; Bob Davis ; church@rosebud.ca ; Davies.L@parl.gc.ca ; diospaul@mcsnet.ca
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 2:08 AM
Subject: The Book of Hesitations & Faults with Fracking
Jessica Ernst box 753 Rosebud, AB, T0J 2T0 1-403-677-2074
Dear Messieurs Klein, Boutilier, Harper, Prentice, Renner, Morton and Stelmach,
If your staff bother to present you with my email, please read the pieces below, watch the clips at the links and think. Do Billion dollar profit-making, environment destroying, aquifer poisoning, regulation-violating, migratory bird killing energy corporations need more deregulation, freebies and billions in subsidies?
Who pays for the Billions in liabilities the mean-spirited companies leave behind? You?
Do you and your children bathe in and drink water that EnCana industrially fractured and the regulator found Chromium 6 in?
These are not rhetorical questions; I request appropriate respectful complete and honest responses, please.
jessica ernst, oil patch consultant, landowner, voter and taxpayer
- - - - -
Climate change denial from the Book of Hesitations
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aalexander/
climate_change_denial_from_the.html
Posted October 22, 2010
In the Bible-studying Protestant circles I travel in when I am not fighting court battles for NRDC, we occasionally engage in lame Bible-geek humor about the Book of 2 Hesitations. For those of you whose background does not include vacation Bible school, that’s not actually in the Bible. But we pretend it is whenever we need to fabricate a Bible verse to sanction minor acts of moral turpitude, like taking 11 items in the express checkout line at the supermarket. Or to sanctify snippets of biblical truthiness that are assumed to be in Scripture but are really not, such as, God helps those who help themselves.
Lately, it appears that Hesitations is enjoying a surge of popularity in Tea Party circles. At least, that’s the only way to explain the response of an Indiana Tea Party leader quoted in the New York Times yesterday to a speech concerning the threat of climate change. Noting that he based his views regarding the matter on Rush Limbaugh and the Bible, he declared, “It’s a flat-out lie . . . . I read my Bible. He made this earth for us to utilize.”
MORE:
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aalexander/
climate_change_denial_from_the.html
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Bill 24...Stealing Your Rights!
http://albertasurfacerights.com/upload/files/
Bill%2024%20%20%20CCS%20ammendments%20to%20Mines%20and%20Minerals.pdf
This Bill 24 will basically undermine the landowners right to decide what kind of garbage gets put into the land underneath his feet! This is a money grab by the government!
http://albertasurfacerights.com/articles/?id=536
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FAULTS WITH FRACKING:
James Northrup - Hydrofracking, Faults & Aquifer Pollution
James (Chip) Northrup, former gas/oil industry planning manager discusses some of the major problems of using high-volume slick-water horizontal hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking):
http://www.vimeo.com/14295502
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2Ozcl7l ... re=related
http://www.vimeo.com/14472351
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Radioactive Waste from Horizontal Hydrofracking
By James L. “Chip” Northrup
http://www.otsego2000.org/ (more documents available here)
http://63.134.196.109/documents/
10sep21_RadioactiveWastefromHorizontalHydrofracking.pdf
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"YOUR OUT OF YOUR FRACKING MIND"
(Gasland de retour sur Y T) !!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moi54kyXG-k
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POTENTIAL LEAKS FROM HYDRO-FRACKING OF SHALE
By James L. “Chip” Northrup September 8, 2010
http://63.134.196.109/documents/Northru ... -12-10.pdf
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GAS DRILLING IN DRINKING WATER WATERSHEDS
http://63.134.196.109/documents/
10sep21_McIntyre-DrinkingWaterinWatersheds.pdf
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Catholic bishop questions morality of Canada's tar sands
http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/
thesearch/archive/2009/01/27/catholic-bishop-questions-morality-of-canada-s-tar-sands.aspx
By Douglas Todd 27 Jan 2009 The Search
It's often news when a Catholic bishop takes on a political issue -- instead of one about sexual morality. This week it's a northern Canadian Catholic bishop who is worried about the ethical ramifications of Alberta's vast oil sands development.
The B.C. government is among those implicated in the criticism Bishop Luc Bouchard has aimed at the massive oil sands developments in his diocese, which includes Fort McMurray.
Bishop Bouchard said: "The integrity of creation in the Athabasca oil sands is clearly being sacrificed for economic gain."
The moral controversy is outlined in the bishop's pastoral letter to his region's 55,000 Catholics. The bishop wrote that the exploitation of the huge resource is environmentally unsound, challenging the "moral legitimacy of oil sands production".
More than a million barrels of oil a day are produced from Alberta's oil sands, where reserves of 173 billion barrels are second only to Saudi Arabia's.
The Catholic bishop condemned the projects' greenhouse gas emissions and their consumption of large quantities of natural gas to extract the tar-like bitumen from the sand.
MORE:
http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/
thesearch/archive/2009/01/27/catholic-bishop-questions-morality-of-canada-s-tar-sands.aspx
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Freebiegate: Alberta's Tories experience an Archie Bunker moment
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/djclimenhaga/2010/11/
freebiegate-albertas-tories-experience-archie-bunker-moment
November 6, 2010 By David J. Climenhaga
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MUST WATCH:
The Komie Commotion - The Big Gallop to BC's Shale Gas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH8y2pSUvnU
Join Will Koop of BC tap water alliance
http://www.bctwa.org/FrackingBC.html
to see a few canadian gas shale impacts. He takes you up Ecana's Komie Road to the site of Encana's billion dollar cabin gas plant in far NE BC.
You will experience frac traffic in the boreal forest. insanity. industry must be really worried about not having enough natural gas for the tarsands.
Billions in subsidies we give this industry. subsidies for unconventionals recently increased. the subsidies do not improve jobs; the subsidies do increase exports. imagine living w these impacts in your community (chasing the oil and gas shales is spreading across the continent). imagine adding water and chemical hauling to the impacts in this clip. imagine the energy and water waste and stupidity. think.
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3. Moncton to debate the selling of its water for fracking
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5229
Friday, November 5th, 2010
The City of Moncton has been selling its drinking water to Apache Canada, a US-owned mining company, for its hydraulic fracturing testing in the Frederick Brook formation in the Elgin area in southern New Brunswick.
The CBC reported on October 25 that, “The Council of Canadians is calling on Moncton city councillors to revisit its policy that is allowing bulk water sales to an oil drilling company that is using a controversial mining technique. Brent Patterson, a spokesperson for the citizens organization, said Moncton council should have fully debated the issue and asked for public input before allowing six to eight tanker truck loads of water to be sold every day from the Turtle Creek Reservoir.”
The Times & Transcript reports this week that, “Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc wasn’t aware that the city was selling water in bulk from its reservoir to users outside the municipal water system. (And) some council members only recently learned (that) some water sold by the city is to be used for a controversial natural gas exploration process in the Elgin area (by Apache Canada). Coun. Paul Pellerin learned of this and raised the issue through the city’s sustainable environment committee…”
“The (sustainable environment) committee has tasked city staff with looking into the issue and reporting back to the committee, which is expected to make a recommendation to council. The environment committee is scheduled to meet (today). Pellerin says if committee members come up with a recommendation regarding the sale of water, it will be taken to council as soon as possible (in the coming weeks). …Pellerin says he is concerned that the water is being used for a controversial exploration process and that the city could be selling its water too cheaply.”
MORE:
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5229
The Times & Transcript news report is at
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/r ... le/1289158.
The CBC news report is at
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/ ... 010/10/25/
nb-moncton-water-fracking-council-canadians-211.html.
A campaign blog on Moncton selling its drinking water for fracking is at
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5077.
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4. ENCANA - Being a Good Neighbour & Letter
http://www.encana.com/operations/canada ... hane/pdfs/
clearwater-newsletter-2010-aug-sept.pdf
EnCana won a commission award last year for the company's Courtesy Matters community outreach program.
Below is an Alberta farmer's experience with Encana's courtesy matters program:
RE: Company defends its environmental record:
Good gawd! I have to resist the urge to scream every time I hear about that nifty company logo. I say ‘hear about’ because we sure haven’t seen much of that EnCana courtesy extended to us for a long long time. I could tell story after story about how EnCana personnel countlessly and routinely violate their own “Courtesy Matter Outreach Program”. What a friggen farce. Pardon my honesty. Couple of days ago I got to see this widely advertised “Courtesy Matters” program in action and up close.
We happened to be home the other morning when we see a white truck go through the yard and down to the well site. When he started to head back I went and stood on the path taking snapshots as he drove up the mucky road. When I was sure he was going to stop I stepped aside and took more pictures of his very wet and muddy truck. He stopped, rolled down window and I asked “May I may have your business card please?”
His annoyance over this inconvenient request was obvious. He grumpily got out of his truck, yanked open the back door and began rummaging around through all sorts of stuff. I busied myself by collecting a few more photos.
Finally he finds a card, slams the back door closed, says “Here.” and hops back into his truck, and puts the truck in gear.
I looked over the card then asked “Don’t you think the road was a tad damp?”
“I didn’t realize it had thawed.”
“When did you realize the road had thawed?”
“Not till I got out on the lease.”
I looked north up the road and then to south to the lease and asked “It took you over a mile and a half to realize the road had thawed?”
“Well most of it is gravelled and I couldn’t tell.”
I stared at him. Then I asked what was his company’s (name on truck) policy is on the prevention of the spread of clubroot disease?
He is wide eyed and tells me that he has never heard of it. So I asked if he knew what EnCana’s policy was on the prevention of the spread of clubroot disease. Deer in the headlights!
OK I says, then asked “Would you please write down what you just told me.”
“Told you about what?!”
“Your explanation just now that you didn’t think the road had thawed until you got on lease and that you have no idea what your company or EnCana’s policy is on the prevention of the spread of clubroot disease, please.”
Even more crankily he rummaged all over the cab for a piece of paper and finally found a pen in the middle console. I went around to passenger side of truck and took more pictures of mud hanging off the truck while he did that.
When he handed/shoved? the paper back at me, he also tossed his pen back into the console. I looked it over then said “Thank you. Would you please sign and date this?” and offered it back to him.
Because he had just thrown his pen back into the console he had to rummage around to find it again, then he signed and dated it and handed? it back to me, once again throwing his pen into what must be a messy console. I noticed as he then reached for his cigarette in the ashtray that his hand was trembling.
I again looked at the paper, handed it politely back to him and asked “Would you mind printing your name beside the signature please?”
He was absolutely pissed, grabbed the paper out of my hand, threw open the console lid, and printed his name. When he thrust the paper back at me I asked him “What happened to EnCana’s “Courtesy Matters” program? I don’t think you are acting very courteous.”
“Well, I’m frustrated too!!!” Then he lowered his voice, mumbling something about his job, and apologized about the muddy road thing several times. I nodded my head in agreement until he couldn’t find any more to say.
I had stood there the whole time with my best poker face on. I said ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and spoke in a calm, collected manner. It was if I was scolding my little grandson. I finally thanked him for his time, and waved my hand to signal I’d wait while he drove away... which he did very slowly.
I almost felt bad for him, but then I thought... he saw the ‘No Access when WET’ sign at the end of the road, he knew full well the road was wet, he choose to continue down the road anyway, he knew he lied to me about it, and he knew I knew.
Ha! It just occurred to me, the entire time he had the truck in drive and his foot on the brake.
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Company defends its environmental record: EnCana's hydraulic fracturing has never impacted a water well, spokeswoman says.
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/
articleid/4103037
Sunday, May 09, 2010 12:53 PM
(Source: The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.))By Steve Mocarsky, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
May 9--Wendy Wiedenbeck acknowledges that Luzerne County residents might be troubled by the fact that EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. paid $1.5 million in fines over the past four years.
But Wiedenbeck, the community and public relations adviser for the natural gas company that will begin drilling in the Back Mountain and Red Rock areas this summer, said the company is "committed to responsible development" and today is "a leader in environmental stewardship."
According to data Wiedenbeck provided at the request of The Times Leader, EnCana was assessed $542,000 on nine fines in 2006; $663,000 on 19 fines in 2007; $306,000 on 19 fines in 2008; and $3,000 on 10 fines in 2009. The data for 2009 is subject to change, she said.
Some Back Mountain residents and elected officials have expressed concern that drilling activities could contaminate water private water wells or the Huntsville and Ceasetown reservoirs.
Wiedenbeck said EnCana has never had an instance in which the company's hydraulic fracturing process affected a water well.
"In fact, there has never been an instance where the fracking process impacted water wells. We have, however, experienced operational failures, which resulted in regulatory violations and fines. These range from issues with lost circulation during cementing, which resulted in permanent changes to cementing protocols in 2004, to deficiencies with location signage," she said.
MORE:
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/
articleid/4103037
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Steve Mocarsky, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7311.
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5. Oilpatch subsidies said to total $2.8 billion
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/headline_news/
article.jsp?content=b5010702
Tue Nov 2, 2:54 PM By The Canadian Press
OTTAWA - An independent analysis says Canadian governments are subsidizing the oil patch to the tune of about $2.8 billion a year, despite a G20 agreement to pare back such support.
The Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development has been adding up the fossil-fuel subsidies of major countries around the world.
In its in-depth study of Canadian supports for oil production, the institute concludes the federal government was responsible for handing over production subsidies worth $1.4 billion in 2008 — about half the total value of government relief.
The Alberta government's production subsidies were worth $1.1 billion, while Saskatchewan helped with $327 million, and Newfoundland and Labrador gave $83 million worth of relief.
The report says the fiscal cost of the subsidies is expected to double by 2020, causing a two per cent increase in Canada's greenhouse-gas emissions.
At the same time, Canada has committed at the G20 to getting rid of fossil-fuel subsidies, since they distort markets and cause wasteful consumption of energy. It's one of the few commitments the G20 has made to tackle climate change.
The topic will surface again next week when Prime Minister Stephen Harper attends the G20 summit in Seoul.
Last spring, the Finance Department recommended that Harper take a strong stand, as host of the Toronto G20 summit, and unilaterally eliminate federal fossil-fuel subsidies.
Officials argued that the government would save money, be true to its principles of not interfering in the free market, and also show a dedication to fighting climate change.
MORE:
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/headline_news/
article.jsp?content=b5010702
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6. WATCH: Burning Water
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/passionateeyeshowcase/
2010/burningwater/
Monday October 18 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC News Network
On Christmas Eve 2005, Fiona Lauridsen and her three children got chemical-like burns after taking showers in their home. Tests showed higher than normal levels of methane gas in their water coming straight from the aquifer, along with the presence of man-made chemicals. Where could this have come from? The Lauridsens think it may have been caused by the natural gas drilling that had begun in the region. Encana, Canada's biggest gas company, had just started drilling the underground coal seams on the Lauridsen farm to extract natural gas. The extraction process to release Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is called Hydraulic Fracturing, or "fracking", a process by which the ground is drilled into, pumped with water sand and chemicals in order to fracture the coal or rock; and then releasing methane gas.
Initially, the Lauridsens welcomed the added income that came to them from the energy company. But when their water went bad, they turned to Alberta Environment which began an investigation. During that time, water was trucked to each house with water problems. The Alberta Research Council (ARC) looked at the data and released a report in January 2008 which stated that the gas in the water was naturally occurring. The presence of chemicals in the water was left unexplained. The Alberta government then blamed the water problems on bad well maintenance on the part of the farmer. Water deliveries stopped three months after the report was released.
Burning water from the hoseThe end of water deliveries put Fiona and her family in a dire situation, some of her neighbours left the region, but the Lauridsens were not ready to leave everything they had worked so hard for. They wanted answers and this didn’t make the community happy. Rosebud is a theatre town and the theatre lives off tourism and funding from EnCana. It’s a popular enterprise and their latest hit is a production of “Fiddler on the Roof”. Fiona works part-time in the theatre, but her complaints about bad water cause some friction. The Lauridsens have 900 acres in the valley, but if they don’t have water they’ll have to move. Fiona and husband Peter want to stay, and so she embarks on a journey across Alberta and into B.C. to meet farmers, scientists and politicians in her efforts to extract answers and, at least, an apology for their contaminated water. The film also looks at similar situations in the USA where natural gas exploration causing water contamination led in to charges and convictions of the energy companies involved.
Burning Water was produced by Frederic Bohbot and directed by Cameron Esler & Tadzio Richards for Bunbury Films in association with CBC News Network.
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7. NELSON: Frack Attack
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/
frack-attack
New, dirty gas drilling method threatens drinking water by Joyce Nelson
National Office | The Monitor Issue(s): Energy policy, Environment and sustainability
December 1, 2009
A technology used by the oil and gas industry to obtain natural gas is raising major concerns across the United States and is equally suspect for areas being drilled in Western Canada. Called hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking” in the trade), it allows drilling companies to access “unconventional” natural gas deposits trapped in shale, coal-bed, and tight-sand formations – potentially at the expense of underground water supplies.
On August 27, 2009, Reuters reported that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had found toxic chemical contaminants in drinking water wells near gas-drilling operations in Pavillion, Wyoming, where EnCana has 248 natural gas wells. Calgary-based EnCana is Canada’s second biggest energy company (after Suncor) and is now a major player in B.C., with hundreds of new natural gas wells in the province.
Eleven of 39 water-wells tested in Wyoming by the EPA earlier this year showed chemicals that can cause cancer, kidney failure, anaemia, and fertility problems. Among the contaminants in three of the wells was 2-butoxyehanol (2-BE), a highly toxic solvent often used in fracking.
The ongoing EPA investigation is significant because it is the first time the U.S. federal agency has investigated and documented such well-water contamination close to natural gas drilling sites, although, according to research by the U.S. journal ProPublica, in the last few years there have been more than a thousand similar cases documented by courts and local governments across the U.S.
Currently, companion legislation (S.1215/H.R. 2766) is before both houses of Congress to require regulation of hydraulic fracturing under the federal U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act. On Sept. 10, 160 national, regional, state, and local organizations jointly issued a letter to Congressional representatives, urging them to co-sponsor the “Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act,” introduced on June 9. Their letter stated: “Our organizations represent communities across the country that are concerned about drinking water contamination linked to hydraulic fracturing operations.”
Canada has no national water standards and collects little information about groundwater.
MORE:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/
frack-attack
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8. List reveals toxic chemicals used in coal seam mining
http://www.smh.com.au/business/
list-reveals-toxic-chemicals-used-in-coal-seam-mining-20101018-16qt5.html
Joel Tozer and Ben Cubby October 19, 2010
AUSTRALIAN mining companies are using highly toxic chemicals to extract coal seam gas during the controversial process known as ''fracking'', documents obtained by the Herald show.
A government list of 36 chemicals used in coal seam gas extraction in Australia includes hydrochloric and acetic acid, and napthalene- an ingredient once used in napalm as well as more mundane items such as mothballs - and many other hydrocarbons.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure underground in order to fracture rock formations and release coal seam gas.
The proposed use of fracking near watercourses, including a plan to deploy fracking next to Warragamba Dam, has fed concerns that drinking water could be contaminated if gas extraction goes ahead.
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, which represents coal seam gas extraction applicants, said the process has been used for many years and is completely safe.
But the Queensland government introduced legislation last week to ban some chemicals that can be used during fracking, including BTEX, a mixture that contains highly toxic benzene.
Last month in the US, the Environmental Protection Agency asked nine companies that use fracking to disclose the ingredients of the chemicals they use, some of which are regarded as trade secrets.
MORE:
http://www.smh.com.au/business/
list-reveals-toxic-chemicals-used-in-coal-seam-mining-20101018-16qt5.html
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9. Two Companies Seek Trade Secret Status for Fracking Fluids in Wyoming
http://www.propublica.org/article/
two-companies-seek-trade-secret-status-for-fracking-fluids-in-wyoming
by Marie C. Baca ProPublica, Nov. 2, 2010, 11:03 a.m.
Personal message This post has been corrected (11/3/2010 [1]).
Two chemical manufacturers are seeking an exemption from new rules in Wyoming that require public disclosure of the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing [2], a controversial natural gas drilling process suspected of polluting groundwater.
ChemEOR, based in Covina, Calif., and CESI Chemical Inc., based in Marlow, Okla., have asked the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to grant their fracturing fluids trade secret status, according to state oil and gas supervisor Tom Doll. The designation would still require the companies to share their formulas with the state but would exempt them from making the information available to the public.
"Disclosure is the rule," Doll said. "Anything else is a rare exception, and one we will look at very, very closely."
Doll said most companies that have approached him over the past month have said they are willing to give their chemical information to both the agency and the public.
The new rules [3], which went into effect Sept. 15, require drilling companies to tell regulators which chemicals they plan to use in each well before the well is approved. Companies must also disclose the concentrations of the chemicals they used once the operation is complete. The list of chemicals and concentrations is available to the public on the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission website [4].
If a company claims that certain information is a trade secret, the commission or state courts would review the request and, if approved, the relevant information would be withheld from the public.
Chemical and drilling companies have long argued that their products are safe and that sharing their proprietary information, as the Wyoming law now requires, would harm the industry.
"We’re not doing this because it's a personal interest," said Patrick Shuler, vice president of technology and development at ChemEOR. "We're trying to keep our people gainfully employed, and that means maintaining our trade secrets and our competitive advantage."
CESI Chemical did not respond to requests for comment.
Environmentalists and researchers say that if the Wyoming law is implemented as promised, it could create the most comprehensive data yet for studying the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and water contamination.
"If disclosure hurts the industry, then that's a problem with the industry," said Deb Thomas, an organizer with the Powder River Basin Resource Council [5], a Wyoming environmental group. "We shouldn't be protecting these companies at the expense of the public."
While the new law makes it difficult for companies to keep the chemicals they use secret, there is a loophole that allows them to delay the disclosure. Under Wyoming law, companies can keep information about their "first, exploratory" well -- also known as a "wildcat well" -- confidential for six months. The new law maintains this provision.
MORE:
http://www.propublica.org/article/
two-companies-seek-trade-secret-status-for-fracking-fluids-in-wyoming
=====================
10. HANLEY: Unconventional fossil fuels waylay sustainable energy options
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/
Unconventional+fossil+fuels+waylay+sustainable+energy+options/3726144/story.html
BY PAUL HANLEY, THE STARPHOENIXOCTOBER 26, 2010
The silver lining for those worried about the global storm of negative environmental impacts from fossil fuel production and use has been the idea that oil and gas reserves are running low. As reserves run out, the thinking goes, we will turn to safer, renewable sources of energy and all will be right with the world.
While it is true cheap, conventional oil and gas is becoming scarce, the energy industry is not going green. It's turning to unconventional sources that may have even worse environmental impacts. And Saskatchewan may well be in the think of this new fossil-fuel energy boom.
To get the lowdown read Keith Schneider's article A High-Risk Energy Boom Sweeps Across North America, available at Yale University's environmental web site (e360.yale.edu). Schneider reports that investment is flooding into the deep shale areas in Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Western U.S., particularly North Dakota's Bakken Shale.
North Dakota, it seems, has suddenly become the fourth-largest oil producing state in the U.S. and consequently has the country's lowest unemployment rate, at under four per cent.
According to Schneider, company reports and state economic development offices estimate the oil industry is spending nearly $100 billion annually in the U.S. to perpetuate the fossil-fuel era. More billions are also being thrown at the carbon-rich oilsands in Alberta (and potentially Saskatchewan).
The Bakken Shale, partially located under southeastern Saskatchewan, is thought to contain four billion barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas.
Oil industry geologists say there is much more than that in the Bakken, and in a second oil-rich shale reserve, the Three Forks, that lies below it.
I guess that would be a good thing if the ecosphere were a limitless resource and sinkhole for pollution.
Government studies show that exploiting unconventional fossil-fuel reserves generates more C02 emissions than drilling for conventional oil and gas and uses three to five times more water.
Competition for water could lead to big problems in dry areas like North Dakota and Saskatchewan. Schneider says that extracting unconventional fossil fuel reserves like the Bakken formation uses a lot of water because getting to the oil and natural gas requires rupturing the deep shale to create open spaces and crevices through which the oil and gas can flow.
The pulverizing process, called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," involves sinking drill bits deep into the shale and then turning them to move horizontally. An armada of tank trucks hauls several million gallons of water to each well site, where pumps shoot it down the well at such super-high pressure that the rock splits.
MORE:
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/
Unconventional+fossil+fuels+waylay+sustainable+energy+options/3726144/story.html
==================
11. World's oil thirst leads to more risk
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/business/
article_f12f0f24-e954-11df-a7f9-001cc4c002e0.html
Associated Press | Posted: Sunday, November 7, 2010 2:15 am
MIAMI — The world’s thirst for crude is leading oil exploration companies into ever deeper waters and ventures fraught with environmental and political peril.
The days when the industry could merely drill on land and wait for the oil — and the profits — to flow are coming to an end. Because of that, companies feel compelled to sink wells at the bottom of deep oceans, inject chemicals into the ground to force oil to the surface, deal with unsavory regimes, or operate in some of the world’s most environmentally sensitive and inaccessible spots, far from ports and decent roads.
All those factors could make it difficult to move in equipment and clean up a spill.
From the Arctic to Cuba to the coast of Nigeria, avoiding catastrophes like BP’s Gulf of Mexico spill is likely to become increasingly difficult and require cooperation among countries that aren’t used to working together.
An Associated Press review of oil ventures around the world found plans to punch through layers of salt more than three miles beneath the ocean floor off the coast of Brazil, drill seven exploratory wells off Cuba and extract oil from crude-soaked sands on the Canadian prairie. Drilling is proceeding in countries with extremely weak regulations and a lack of skilled operators, and in geological settings much like the northern Gulf of Mexico, with high pressure and weak rock formations ripe for blowouts.
Companies are seeking the new frontiers amid warnings from some analysts that worldwide oil production will peak and then decline as onshore wells dry up. It’s not that oil itself is scarce — global reserves are estimated at 1.2 trillion barrels — but getting to it requires large investments in treacherous places.
“It’s just getting harder to find this stuff. You’re having to go to the end of the Earth or the bottoms of very deep oceans now,” said Randy Udall, director of the nonprofit Community Office for Resource Efficiency in Aspen, Colo.
BP CEO Bob Dudley argued last week that deep-water drilling is necessary despite the dangers because the world could be consuming 40 percent more energy by 2030.
BP and other major oil companies say they are preparing for the risks and trying to find common solutions. Also, the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, a trade group, is talking with other industry organizations in the U.S., Australia, Brazil and Britain about preventing and responding to disasters, said executive director Michael Engell-Jensen.
But so far, little has been done globally to come up with a universally accepted set of standards and response procedures. Diplomatic tensions could prevent effective cooperation among countries, and some projects already under way — such as a deep-water containment system that U.S. oil companies are building in the Gulf — are meant only for a particular area.
In the meantime, the industry is pursuing some audacious projects.
Exploration companies have discovered huge oil fields in the South Atlantic off Brazil, with deposits believed to exceed 8 billion barrels. Reaching them will require drilling not only in waters nearly two miles deep, but through salt layers up to three miles below the ocean floor. The BP well that blew out was in water a mile deep.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the Arctic region holds up to one-quarter of the world’s undiscovered conventional oil and natural gas, including 90 billion barrels of crude — most of it offshore. Companies in the U.S., Russia, Norway, Denmark and Canada are stepping up preparations to drill there.
Environmental groups have sued to prevent it. Cold and ice would hamper cleanup of a spill, they say, by making it hard to get people and equipment to the scene. And the region lacks the sunlight and abundance of microbes that are helping break down the oil in the Gulf. A major spill could injure or kill whales, polar bears, seals, walruses and many types of fish.
Shell Oil, which plans to drill exploratory wells off Alaska, will have a response fleet constantly on hand with helicopters, boom, skimmers and other equipment for dealing with spills. “In the unlikely event of a discharge, they would be deployed and recovering oil within an hour,” spokesman Curtis Smith said.
In the western U.S., companies are targeting what the Energy Department says are billions of barrels of recoverable oil trapped within deposits of shale rock, which is composed of layers of claylike, fine-grain sediments. Mining and processing shale oil are a big source of greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentalists also worry about the huge volumes of water and chemicals pumped deep underground at high pressures to break loose the shale.
Similar issues have arisen in the Canadian province of Alberta, where companies are extracting sticky black bitumen oil from mixtures of sand and clay known as tar sands — a process that consumes vast quantities of water in an arid climate.
MORE:
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/business/
article_f12f0f24-e954-11df-a7f9-001cc4c002e0.html
=====================
12. A High-Risk Energy Boom Sweeps Across North America
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/
a_high-risk_energy_boom_sweeps_across_north_america/2324/
30 Sep 2010: Analysis
Energy companies are rushing to develop unconventional sources of oil and gas trapped in carbon-rich shales and sands throughout the western United States and Canada. So far, government officials have shown little concern for the environmental consequences of this new fossil-fuel development boom.
by keith schneider
The most direct path to America’s newest big oil and gas fields is U.S. Highway 12, two lanes of blacktop that unfold from Grays Harbor in Washington State and head east across the top of the country to Detroit.
The 2,500-mile route has quickly become an essential supply line for the energy industry. With astonishing speed, U.S. oil companies, Canadian pipeline builders, and investors from all over the globe are spending huge sums in an economically promising and ecologically risky race to open the next era of hydrocarbon development. As domestic U.S. pools of conventional oil and gas dwindle, energy companies are increasingly turning to "unconventional" fossil fuel reserves contained in the carbon rich-sands and deep shales of Canada, the Great Plains, and the Rocky Mountain West.
- - - SNIP - - -
Despite opposition, the oil and gas industry is undeterred. The Bakken Shale that lies 10,000 feet beneath a 200,000 square mile expanse of North Dakota, Montana, and Saskatchewan is said by the U.S. Geological Survey to contain more than 4 billion barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas. Oil industry geologists say there is much more than that in the Bakken, and in a second oil-rich shale reserve, the Three Forks, that lies below it.
Spurred by the Bakken riches, energy companies are now spending tens of millions of dollars to lease mineral rights in Wyoming and Colorado and are drilling exploratory wells in the Niobrara Shale, which sprawls beneath both states.
"It just almost boggles the mind," Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, told a veterans group in Minot on Sept. 2. "It is not like the traditional oil and gas play."
A 2006 study by the Department of Energy that looked at rising energy demand and diminishing freshwater supplies found that the collision between the two was occurring most violently in the fastest-growing parts of the country that also happened to have the scarcest water resources — California, the Southwest, the Rocky Mountain states, and the Upper Great Plains.
It takes 2.5 to 6.5 gallons of water to extract and refine one gallon of tar sands oil, which is four times more water than it takes to produce oil from conventional reserves, according to a 2009 study by Argonne National Laboratory.
Moreover, producing tar sands oil, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, generates as much as three times as many greenhouse gases per barrel as conventional oil production.
Extracting unconventional fossil fuel reserves like the Bakken formation uses a lot of water because getting to the oil and natural gas requires rupturing the deep shale to create open spaces and crevices through which the oil and gas can flow. The pulverizing process, called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," involves sinking drill bits two miles deep and then turning them to move horizontally through the shale. An armada of tank trucks hauls several million gallons of water to each well site, where pumps shoot it down the well at such super high pressure — 8,000 pounds per square inch — that the rock splits.
The practice is risky. Earlier this month, an oil well undergoing fracking near Kildeer, N.D. ruptured. The blowout leaked 100,000 gallons of fracturing fluid and crude oil before being plugged two days later.
Fracking has caused contamination of surface and groundwater in other states and harmed drinking water in some communities, according to a number of reports from local environmental organizations.
A Controversial Drilling Practice Hits Roadblock in New York
Hydro fracturing is a profitable method of natural gas extraction that uses large quantities of water and chemicals to free gas from underground rock formations. But New York City’s concerns about the practice have slowed a juggernaut that has been sweeping across parts of the northeastern U.S., Bruce Stutz reports.
READ MORE
Earlier this year, a supervisor with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department formally opposed a farmer’s plan to sell a third of the water in eight-foot-deep Trenton Lake to a Texas energy developer. "Trenton Lake just doesn’t have the depth and capacity without seriously impacting the lake," said the supervisor, Fred Ryckman. "The oil industry can find water elsewhere."
Almost 150 oil and gas drilling rigs are operating in North Dakota this month, nearly tying a state record, and more than all but two other states, Texas and Pennsylvania. The oil and gas rush has been an economic boon to North Dakota, with more than 7,000 laborers migrating into the state; North Dakota’s unemployment rate has dropped to 3.6 percent, the nation’s lowest. The energy boom has also filled state coffers. When North Dakota’s budget cycle ended in June, state Budget Director Pam Sharp proudly reported an $800 million surplus.
Clearly, most North Dakota officials are not worrying — yet — about the environmental consequences.
Correction, Oct. 1, 2010: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the amount of water it takes to produce oil from tar sands. The correct figure, as cited by the Argonne National Laboratory, is that it takes 2.5 to 6.5 gallons of water to extract and refine one gallon of tar sands oil.
POSTED ON 30 Sep 2010 IN
Biodiversity Business & Innovation Energy Oceans Policy & Politics Asia Middle East North America North America
======================
13. Our Water is Not for Sale - Say NO to water markets
www.ourwaterisnotforsale.com
780-577-1445
Dear supporters of Our Water Is Not For Sale,
Three important updates for you:
1) Last week's event was an overwhelming success.
2) Video from that event, The Fight For Water: Challenging Water Markets in Alberta, is available online.
3) Maude Barlow speaking on CBC Radio One's alberta@noon is also available online.
http://ourwaterisnotforsale.com/content/
maude-barlow-cbc-radios-albertanoon-0
**Please watch/listen to these pieces and share with your friends, families and contacts to promote awareness and action on this important issue!**
1) Last week in Edmonton, approximately 450 people packed the room, leaving standing room only, to listen to internationally acclaimed speakers address the threat of water markets in Alberta. The speakers delivered a strong message. They spoke on the need to organize and get active in addressing our water crisis and fighting against water markets that would promote private and corporate control over our water rather than protecting our water for our communities and for the ecosystems on which our survival depends.
Their message clearly resonated with the audience. Attendees donated generously and have been enthusiastically stepping forward to get involved.
Our network is growing larger and stronger, with both organizations and individuals eagerly getting informed and active!
2) Video of that event is now available through our website. Click here!
http://www.ourwaterisnotforsale.com/content/
video-fight-water-challenging-water-markets-alberta
Thanks to Vue Weekly, media sponsor for the event, for editing and posting the videos.
Please watch the video if you were not there for the event!
Please share the video with friends, family and contacts!
It provides a powerful warning and call to action: from Maude Barlow, an internationally renowned water advocate; from Ian Douglas, an Australian who has seen the devastation of water markets in his own country; and from Sootaanah Goodstriker, Ambassador of Environmental Affairs for the Sovereign Blackfoot Nation.
3) Maude Barlow was on CBC Radio One's alberta@noon.
Click here to access that piece!
http://ourwaterisnotforsale.com/content/
maude-barlow-cbc-radios-albertanoon-0
Maude Barlow spoke very effectively to the threat of water markets in Alberta and the need for action.
Please listen and share this piece as well!
==========================
14. Oilsands Quest announces receipt of commitments and re-pricing of previously announced offering
http://ca.news.finance.yahoo.com/s/28102010/
31/link-f-prnewswire-oilsands-quest-announces-receipt-commitments-re-pricing-previously.html
CUSIP# 678046 10 3
NYSE Amex: BQI
CALGARY, Oct. 28 /CNW/ - Oilsands Quest Inc. (NYSE Amex: BQI) ("Oilsands Quest" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received commitments from certain existing institutional shareholders to purchase US$12.2 million of common shares and flow-through common shares pursuant to the Company's previously announced best efforts financing. Under the revised pricing negotiated with the investors, the Company has now agreed to issue 20,780,900 Common Shares at US$0.45 per share and 5,760,000 Flow Through Common Shares at US$0.50 per share.
The Company may increase the size of the Offering to up to US$15 million and marketing is continuing to issue up to an additional US$2.8 million of Common Shares at a price of US$0.45 per share. The Company will be amending the prospectus supplement filed in the United States and Canada to reflect the re-pricing of the Offering.
A copy of the amended prospectus may be obtained from TD Securities (USA) LLC in the United States and TD Securities Inc. in Canada at the following addresses:
In the United States: TD Securities (USA) LLC
ATTN: Paula Kourian 31 W. 52nd Street New York, NY 10019
In Canada: TD Securities Inc.
Email: sdcconfirms@td.com
222 Bay Street, 7th FloorToronto, Ontario M5K 1A2
This news release does not and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy any of the securities, nor shall there be any sale of the securities, in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any state.
About Oilsands Quest
Oilsands Quest Inc. is exploring and developing oil sands permits and licences, located in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and developing Saskatchewan's first global-scale oil sands discovery. It is leading the establishment of the province of Saskatchewan's emerging oil sands industry.
Forward-looking Information
This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law including statements regarding the completion of the Offering. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10K for the year ended April 30, 2010, as amended, and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10Q available on
www.sedar.com and www.edgar.com.
The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
For further information:
Garth Wong
Chief Financial Officer
Email: ir@oilsandsquest.com
Investor Line: 1-877-718-8941
===================
15. WATCH: "Frack that Oil"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gfoeX6wM4g
Great song reminiscent of the protests against the Alberta Tar Sands, now dubbed "The Most Destructive Project on Earth.":
http://forums.canadiancontent.net/canadian-culture/
75124-canada-s-toxic-tar-sands.html
=================
16. Alberta’s Dirty Oil Image Cleaned by U.S. Midterms
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/04
Published on Thursday, November 4, 2010 by The Canadian Press
by Mike Blanchfield
OTTAWA—The historic Republican gains in the U.S. midterm elections appear set to clean up Alberta’s American image as a producer of dirty oil.
There is zero chance of new climate change legislation in the United States in the next two years following a vote Tuesday that saw the Democrats lose control in the House of Representatives and suffer significant setbacks in the Senate.
That gives the Harper government some significant breathing space after co-ordinating its environmental efforts with the Obama administration before tabling its own detailed climate change plan.
The biggest winners in Canada after Tuesday night’s U.S. midterms are Alberta’s oil producers — branded by many Democrats as purveyors of “dirty oil.”
Canada watchers on both sides of the U.S. political divide agreed Wednesday that the Tea Party-driven protest vote across the United States would reap political dividends for the oilsands.
“I think the playing field for Canadian energy will be a little more level now. There will always be the environmental attacks,” said Republican David Wilkins, the Bush administration’s last ambassador to Ottawa.
“But I think whether you are talking about oilsands, whether you are talking about pipelines, I think the rhetoric will be a little bit less.”
Democrat Gordon Giffin, who was Bill Clinton’s last Canadian envoy in the late 1990s, said the new Congressional make-up will help to “moderate” debate in the U.S. on energy and environmental issues.
“I think the probabilities of there being any significant changes in U.S. policy, be it legislative or regulatory that would uniquely disadvantage the oilsands — I think the probabilities of that occurring have gone down,” Giffin said.
“In that respect, it’s probably good for the Canada-U.S. dynamic.”
MORE:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/04
===================
17. Council of Canadians Update: November 5, 2010
MEDIA RELEASE:
First Nations representatives undo greenwashing tactics of
Alberta and Federal governments during European Union tour of tar sands
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... -10-2.html
MEDIA RELEASE:
New legal opinion warns of EU trade impacts on tar sands
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... ov-10.html
REPORT: New Council of Canadians health care report
by Robert Chernomas
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5235
The Council of Canadians has produced a new report titled, Profit Is Not the Cure 2010: Is the Canadian economy sustainable without medicare?.
NEWS: Canada has paid $157 million in NAFTA
Chapter 11 claims
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5225
The Vancouver Sun reports that, “The federal government has paid at least $157 million in damages to foreign investors who have claimed (under NAFTA’s Chapter 11 that) they were discriminated against by such actions as expropriation of land or bans on their products, a new study (by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) says.”
ACTION ALERT: Bill C-49 - Anti-smuggling or anti-refugee?
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5222
The Council of Canadians is concerned that the Harper government’s new immigration and refugee legislation — Bill C-49, Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act — will unfairly punish those fleeing persecution abroad, including children. We stand with the Canadian Council for Refugees and Amnesty International Canada in calling on Members of Parliament to defeat this bill.
EU Members of Parliament: Tar sands aren’t so rosy,
and neither is CETA
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=329
This morning I joined a breakfast meeting between First Nations Representatives from tar sands impacted region, Members of European Parliament and author of a new legal opinion on how CETA may impact the development and regulation of tar sands production.
==================
18. Canada the biggest loser under NAFTA Chapter 11: report
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1164
November 4, 2010
A report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives shows that Canada has attracted 43 per cent of the 66 investor-state disputes under NAFTA’s Chapter 11. In the past five years alone, 15 new cases have been brought against Canada, which is more than half the total number of Canadian cases since NAFTA came into force 15 years ago. The report lists in detail the 66 cases, including the complaining investor, issue, NAFTA articles cited, amount claimed and status. It then makes recommendations based on these findings.
The upward trend in challenges against Canadian government policies over the past five years “reflects a growing awareness among foreign investors and corporate trade lawyers of NAFTA investment rights, and an increasing willingness to invoke them to contest public policy measures,” writes Scott Sinclair, senior researcher with the CCPA, and author of today’s report. In Canada, settlements with corporations challenging provincial and federal public policy have cost the country $157 million, not counting legal costs.
Incredibly, $130 million of that figure went to one company - AbitibiBowater, which settled with the federal government recently in a highly controversial case.
“Ottawa’s decision to settle with the investor raises serious constitutional issues,” writes Sinclair. “Although the exact terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, the large sum of money involved undoubtedly means that AbitibiBowater was compensated, to some degree, for the loss of water and timber rights on public lands. Such rights, however, are not considered compensable under Canadian law.”
Investment arbitration is increasingly controversial and contested globally. The process is so undemocratic and flawed that Chapter 11 should be removed from NAFTA outright, claims the CCPA report, which concludes:
The NAFTA investment regime was originally characterized as an exceptional remedy to be used only under extreme circumstances. It was supposedly aimed at situations where the domestic courts, specifically in the Mexican regime of that era, could not be trusted to redress valid investor concerns. Fifteen years of experience has clearly shown that the sweeping powers and protections afforded to investors by NAFTA have repeatedly been invoked in order to frustrate the legitimate exercise of governmental authority. In too many cases, those efforts have succeeded. It is now time for renewed public pressure on North American governments to address the serious threat to the rule of law and democratic governance posed by NAFTA’s Chapter 11.
To read the report, click here.
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/ ... s/uploads/
publications/National%20Office/2010/11/NAFTA%20Chapter%2011%20Investor%20State%20Disputes.pdf
Last edited by Oscar on Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:23 pm, edited 3 times in total.
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9144
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
FRACKING NEWS: November 12, 2010
by Oscar » Fri Nov 12, 2010 10:41 pm
FRACKING NEWS: November 12, 2010
1. Petition to Ban Hydraulic Fracturation in Nova Scotia
2. Feds lack know-how to deal with dirty rivers and lakes, reports say
3. EnCana's Cabin Not So Homey
4. WATCH: Life Along the Livingstone
5. (AB) Invitation for Second Round of Feedback on Draft Documents Regarding Oil and Gas Development In or Within 100 Metres of Water Bodies
6. (AB) New rules boost rural prospects
7. GASLAND The Movie – DVD Available soon!
8. G20 Leaders Not Removing Fossil Fuel Subsidies As Pledged.
9. The Fight for Water: Challenging Water Markets in Alberta
10. (AB) ACTION ALERT: Make the call for our Wetlands!
11. Council of Canadians - Updates - November 8, 10, & 12, 2010
12. Oil spill still poisoning wildlife years later, native band charges
13. Chief welcomes endorsement of UN native document
14. The Word Obama Forgot to Say
15. Eight of Nine U.S. Companies Agree to Work with EPA Regarding Chemicals Used in Natural Gas Extraction
16. Victory! Gas Fracking to be Banned in Pittsburgh
17. Chevron: Atlas Energy Being Acquired For $3.2 Billion Giving Oil Company Prime Access To East Coast Natural Gas Boom
18. First U.S. LNG Cargo For Europe!!
19. Attorney General-elect Schneiderman staunchly opposes hydraulic fracturing
20. Leading experts pool their most recent understanding of the harm of industrial wind turbines on human health
================
1. Petition to Ban Hydraulic Fracturation in Nova Scotia
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/banf ... ovascotia/
The Petition
• Whereas Petroworth Resources Inc. has indicated that it intends to drill for oil along a seismic line between Lake Ainslie and Mull River in the ‘Ainslie Block’ that extends from St. Rose to Port Hood and east to Whycocomagh in Inverness County, and
• Whereas this exploration may lead to the discovery of shale gas (i.e. natural gas obtained from underground shale formations) as well as oil, and
• Whereas Petroworth Resources Inc has used the technology known as hydraulic fracturing (hereafter referred to as fracking) in the extraction of shale gas in New Brunswick and has not ruled out its utilization in the Ainslie Block, and
• Whereas fracking involves injecting, under very high pressure, millions of litres of water, sand and proprietary chemicals into a large number of underground rock formations, and
• Whereas some of these chemicals can lead to serious health problems, ranging from eye and respiratory disorders to cancer, and
• Whereas fracking in other parts of North America has already resulted in the contamination of underground sources of drinking water and other environmental concerns,
• Whereas other rural communities across North America have reacted to these threats to drinking water and human health by demanding an outright ban on the use of fracking,
• We the undersigned, in the interests of all residents of Nova Scotia, demand a province- wide ban on the use of fracking as described above.
TO SIGN PETITION:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/banf ... ovascotia/
==================
2. Feds lack know-how to deal with dirty rivers and lakes, reports say
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/
feds-lack-know-how-to-deal-with-dirty-rivers-and-lakes-reports-say/article1792012/
Steve Rennie Ottawa— The Canadian Press
Published Tuesday, Nov. 09, 2010 2:42PM EST
Canada's lakes and rivers are awash in harmful contaminants, but new documents warn the federal government's murky understanding of the problem is putting the country at risk.
Senior bureaucrats reached that conclusion in a pair of internal reports on contaminants and excess nutrients in freshwater.
The officials warned that Ottawa needs to know much more about the contaminants before it can tell how dangerous they are, what happens when they mix together, or where to focus clean-up efforts.
“There are significant gaps in the understanding of contaminants in groundwater in several areas which hinder the advancement of effective risk assessment and management activities,” one of the reports says.
The reports were produced by working groups of high-ranking civil servants from several departments that the government formed two years ago to study water issues.
The Canadian Press obtained two of the “draft discussion documents” under the Access to Information Act. The reports, dated December 2008, were only released last month.
One report looked at contaminants in freshwater. The other was on excess nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, that cause toxic algae blooms.
Giant floating fields of algae have taken over swaths of the Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg and many other lakes across the country in recent years. The algae sucks oxygen from the water and produces toxins that are harmful to fish, humans and other living things.
Run-off carrying agricultural fertilizers, wastewater from sewers and industrial pollution are identified as the main sources of nutrients in Canadian freshwater.
The report warns the problem will only get worse.
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/
feds-lack-know-how-to-deal-with-dirty-rivers-and-lakes-reports-say/article1792012/
=================
3. EnCana's Cabin Not So Homey: Cumulative Environmental Effects an Unfolding and Emerging Crisis in Northeastern British Columbia's Shale Gas Plays - An Introductory Journey into BC's Dirty Domino Zone.
Website:
www.bctwa.org/FrackingBC.html
November 9, 2010.
New Report by Will Koop:
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-EnCanasCabin-Nov9-2010.pdf
=================
4. WATCH: Life Along the Livingstone
Subject: Proposed mine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZWXNPMwCQo
Our website the film refers to is under construction, but we have more info on our facebook site.
The address is
http://www.facebook.com/pages/
Livingstone-Landowners-Group-LLG/145718242139398
- - - -
Public meeting over mining proposal at Livingstone Range
http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Public+meeting+over+mining+proposal+Livingstone+Range/
3630330/story.html
By Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald October 6, 2010
A plan for mining at the foot of the Livingstone mountain range -- which has long raised the ire of local landowners -- will be front and centre today at a government-ordered public meeting.
"I love the landscape on which we live and the thought of having it comprised just hurts," said David McIntyre, who has been one of the most vocal opponents to the plan.
Facing a major public outcry in 2004, Micrex Development Corp. withdrew its application to mine magnetite, a heavy magnetic iron ore used for coal upgrading and steel production, from the base of a mountain 11 kilometres north of Highway 3 and west of the Cowboy Trail, near the Crowsnest Pass.
- - - -SNIP - - - -
The company said it's committed to making sure the project impacts the land as little as possible. The access road and quarry site will take up approximately 10 hectares, although the project could expand in later years. Micrex said it will hire locals to monitor wildlife patterns and restrict operations to a few warm months each year to minimize the impact on animals.
Outgoing Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Mayor John Irwin believes the mine may provide some much-needed jobs for residents of the pass.
"There's pluses and minuses," said Irwin, who is now running to be a councillor. "There is a good economic argument to be made for it."
As it stands, the project does not require an approval from Alberta Environment.
Neil Kathol, president of the Livingstone Landowners Group, has some hope the Alberta government is now listening to their concerns. Sustainable Resource Development Minister Mel Knight directed the company to hold today's public hearing in Cowley, and to provide more information to landowners, as his department examines the company's applications for a mineral surface lease and an access road licence.
kcryderman@calgaryherald.com
==================
5. (AB) Invitation for Second Round of Feedback on Draft Documents Regarding Oil and Gas Development In or Within 100 Metres of Water Bodies
http://www.ercb.ca/docs/documents/bulle ... 010-35.pdf
November 8, 2010
The Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) has issued Bulletin 2010-35 in collaboration with Alberta Environment (AENV), Sustainable Resource Development (SRD), and the Special Areas Board (SAB).
This is the second round of consultation on draft documents pertaining to oil and gas development in or within 100 metres of water bodies. Feedback received on items that have previously been addressed by the committee may receive limited consideration unless new information is put forth.
Feedback is invited until November 30, 2010
Draft Documents for consultation and link to Survey
Directive 056: Appendix 14 - Oil and Gas Development in or Within 100 m of Water Bodies
Draft Appendix 1 of MOU Identifying and Delineating Water Bodies
Survey for second round of consultation
==================
6. (AB) New rules boost rural prospects
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/blogs/
rules+boost+rural+prospects/3798775/story.html
Edmonton Journal November 9, 2010
The would-be Jed Clampetts of Alberta are rejoicing this fall after the Alberta government introduced legislation last month to recognize their right to collect royalties on coal bed methane gas. For most of a decade, landowners who hold free title to their mineral rights -- so called freeholders -- have been engaged in a protracted legal conflict with Encana over who owned the rights to methane gas which is found in coal seams.
Encana, which inherited land from the Canadian Pacific Railroad, claimed the resource belonged to them on split-title properties because the gas is found in the coal they owned. When CPR sold excess railroad land to settlers, the railroad retained the rights to the coal on that land because it used coal to run trains.
Alberta's Energy Resources Conservation Board ruled against Encana in 2007, but the natural gas company filed 11 lawsuits against a number of companies that were granted permits to drill on the disputed land.
It seems a no-brainer. Coal is coal and gas is gas. But the stakes were huge. A sizable portion of Alberta's estimated 500 trillion cubic feet of coal bed methane is on split-title private property. About 50,000 freeholders own minerals rights on six million acres of land in Alberta -- nearly 20 per cent of the province.
The British Columbia government passed legislation years ago to clarify the issue, but the ownership question in Alberta has been a roadblock to the drilling for coal bed methane on privately-owned, former CPR lands. Exploration companies have been drilling primarily on land where the Crown owns the resource because the Alberta government deemed that on Crown leases, it owned a clear coal bed methane title.
MORE:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/blogs/
rules+boost+rural+prospects/3798775/story.html
===================
7. GASLAND The Movie – DVD available soon!
About the film
http://gaslandthemovie.com/about-the-film/
WATCH: Trailer:
http://video.aol.ca/video-detail/gasland-trailer/
535521842/?icid=VIDLRVMOV09
"The largest domestic natural gas drilling boom in history has swept across the United States. The Halliburton-developed drilling technology of "fracking" or hydraulic fracturing has unlocked a "Saudia Arabia of natural gas" just beneath us. But is fracking safe? When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination. A recently drilled nearby Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their drinking water on fire. This is just one of the many absurd and astonishing revelations of a new country called GASLAND. Part verite travelogue, part expose, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, part showdown."
GASLAND will be broadcast on HBO through 2012. To host a public screening in your community please click here. The DVD will be on sale in December 2010.
GASLAND DVD PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE NOW
We’re thrilled to announce that the Gasland DVD, which will be released on December 14th by New Video, is available for pre-sale NOW on Amazon!
Click here to order your Gasland DVD and have it delivered to your door in December (just in time for the holidays!):
http://www.amazon.com/Gasland-Josh-Fox/dp/B0042EJD8A
GRASSROOTS SCREENINGS STILL ROLLING!
Thanks to all of you out there who continue to speak up for your communities and commit yourselves to educating others about drilling. From our 200+ community screenings and theater openings around the USA, it is so clear that to us that the movement is hundreds of thousands strong and continues to grow. In Williamsport PA, 1600 people showed up for GASLAND in one night! In NYC, United For Action and NY H2O mobilized the 2000+ audience who showed up to the film to support a continued NY moratorium. In Texas, GASLAND screenings launched campaigns for stopping drilling in Dallas and was shown at the state Capitol in Austin, In Lake Como, TX, a community used their collective voices to protest gas drilling, leading Chesapeake Energy to withdraw its proposal to drill in that neighborhood. Too many stories to recount-- all over the country, your voices are being heard!! Please keep up the incredibly important efforts you are making.
Let's continue to work on protecting our water and air!
Our very best,
Josh, Trish & Ellen
===================
8. G20 Leaders Not Removing Fossil Fuel Subsidies As Pledged.
http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2010/11/08/
g20-leaders-not-removing-fossil-fuel-subsidies-as-pledged/
November 08th, 2010
Back in the summer of 2009, G20 (The Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors) leaders from around the world pledged to “rationalize and phase out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption.” But 14 months later, not a single fossil fuel subsidy has been cut in any nation that agreed to the pledge.
Over at The Price of Oil,
http://priceofoil.org/
wp-content/uploads/2010/11/OCI.ET_.G20FF.FINAL_.pdf
a study prepared by Oil Change International and Earth Track, entitled “G20 Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Phase Out” shows that these countries are just renaming and/or defining fossil fuels in different manners so that the subsidies can remain in place. I know that the fuel subsidies are not going anywhere anytime soon in the U.S., as the oil industry pretty much owns the political process right now (except in CA last Tuesday!), but to see 19 other nations doing the same is very disheartening.
If you want to read the full report, you can download a PDF of it right
here:
http://priceofoil.org/
wp-content/uploads/2010/11/OCI.ET_.G20FF.FINAL_.pdf
The country by country list starts on Page 5 of the PDF, and outlines what each one has been doing for the last 14 months – a whole lot of nothing.
===================
9. The Fight for Water: Challenging Water Markets in Alberta
http://www.ourwaterisnotforsale.com/content/
fight-water-challenging-water-markets-alberta
On October 26, 450 people packed the room, leaving standing room only, to listen to internationally acclaimed speakers address the threat of water markets in Alberta. The speakers delivered a strong message. They spoke on the need to organize and get active in addressing our water crisis and fighting against water markets that would promote private and corporate control over our water rather than protecting our water for our communities and for the ecosystems on which our survival depends.
Their message clearly resonated with the audience. Attendees donated generously and have been enthusiastically stepping forward to get involved.
Click here for video of this event
http://www.ourwaterisnotforsale.com/content/
video-fight-water-challenging-water-markets-alberta
Speakers
Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and Senior Advisor on Water to the 63rd President of the UN General Assembly
Ian Douglas, the National Coordinator of Fair Water Use Australia (via live videoconferencing from Australia)
Sootaanaah (Duane) Goodstriker, Ambassador of Environmental Affairs for the Sovereign Blackfoot Nation and former Environmental Advisor to Alberta Chiefs of Treaty 6 & Treaty 7
The Alberta government is considering plans to create a province-wide deregulated water market to allocate water in the province. This event addressed what a water market would mean for Alberta, reported on the failure of such systems internationally and got many people informed and involved in the fight to stop the sell-off of our water.
LISTEN: Maude Barlow Interview on CBC Radio One:
http://ourwaterisnotforsale.com/content/
maude-barlow-cbc-radios-albertanoon-0
=====================
10. (AB) ACTION ALERT: Make the call for our Wetlands!
From: sheila muxlow <sheila@sierraclub.ca>
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:27:43 –0800
Please take a moment within the next few days to make a call to Premier Stelmach, the Environment Minister Rob Renner and your MLA to let them know how irresponsible it is that they are allowing oil and gas and tar sands mining to undermine our provincial wetlands policy.
http://p.sierraclub.ca/en/action-alert/
action-alert-save-our-wetlands-save-our-water
Wetlands provide water security for the province. They filter and purify water; recharge groundwater for land owners’ wells and livestock dugouts; provide flood protection, are integral for healthy ecosystems: hotbeds of biological diversity; crucial to migrating songbirds, geese and ducks, and for sensitive species like amphibians and woodland caribou.
Over 60% of Alberta wetlands in settled areas have already been lost.
The time has never been more important to fight for the health and integrity of our ecosystems! Please take action and pass it along!
Ed Stelmach - (780) 427-2251
Rob Renner - (780) 427-2391
Find you MLA -
http://streetkey.elections.ab.ca/
New wetlands policy fails
Government endangers a valuable ecological resource in rush to ditch 'no net loss' approach
By Joe Obad, FreelanceNovember 10, 2010
When governments ask for public and stakeholder input, rarely do they receive feedback as clear as the Alberta government did for its new wetlands policy.
In direct feedback both from Albertans and from stakeholders from all sectors at the Alberta Water Council, the government heard overwhelming support for a "no net loss" approach to wetlands.
Unfortunately, the government recently decided on a new direction that may exacerbate the loss of wetlands across the province.
It's important to remember what is at stake in the rush to ditch a policy that has assured Albertans of our remaining wetlands. Wetlands provide a variety of valuable ecological services: filtering water, buffering against floods and drought, recharging groundwater, storing carbon and providing habitat for wildlife. The existing 1993 interim wetland policy has a "no net loss" policy for private lands.
By the government's own admission, we have lost 64 per cent of the slough/marsh wetlands in this region already. The proposed policy would weaken this protection by removing "no net loss," which requires replacement of destroyed wetlands. The government seems unwilling to extend to Crown land a policy that works effectively on private lands. Instead, the solution appears to be to weaken wetland policy across Alberta.
Overwhelming support for "no net loss" is not an exaggeration. In workbooks submitted by Albertans in 2007 to guide the wetland policy, support for the concept was striking. From the 590 stakeholders, 145 of whom were from industry, 90 per cent of respondents agreed that "the policy goal should be to maintain or increase wetland area. However, there were concerns expressed regarding the feasibility and desirability of increasing wetland area."
The Alberta Water Council, the province's advisory body on water policy, subsequently recommended a provincewide "no net loss" policy, supported by 23 of 25 members.
Unfortunately, the Alberta Chamber of Resources and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the two holdouts at the water council table, have been working to derail "no net loss." On Oct. 29, Environment Minister Rob Renner announced a policy intent that does not include "no net loss." Asked if there was any economic cost placed on the implementation of "no net loss" by the objecting industries, Alberta Environment officials said no cost estimates were offered or asked for.
"No net loss" is not a perfect concept, but it allows for a flexible application of conservation on wetlands as development proceeds. Fundamentally, under "no net loss," if a development destroys wetlands, new wetlands of an equal or greater area must be created to replace these in another location.
The government says the new direction is based on function, not conserved area. Now, if you're asking how much wetland will be conserved under the proposed policy, the government cannot say, and that's a problem. The whole reason for a new wetlands policy is to conserve and, one hopes, increase our wetlands. The proposed policy tips its hat to key pillars of avoidance and mitigation, but there is no backstop stating a clear limit on acceptable wetlands loss.
The policy proposes to grade wetlands from irreplaceable to expendable, opening the door to countless battles over each affected wetland and where it sits on the scale.
Given the development dreams of organizations like the Alberta Chamber of Resources and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, we may lose a whole lot more with this policy direction.
Renner has asked for input and good faith to help define the policy's implementation. This is asking a lot, considering the same foot-draggers at the water council table will be working to render the policy toothless, while the government has shown little backbone in resisting their efforts. Albertans should be asking for better.
"No net loss" is the better option. It provides certainty around the maintenance of a critical resource, while giving clarity to project proponents. A stronger wetland policy is long overdue. The loss of wetlands in southern and central Alberta will only be compounded without a stronger policy as we urbanize and develop the oilsands. In the oilsands region, wetlands overlie much of the resource. Without a clear "no net loss" policy, Albertans could be on the hook for the impacts created by oilsands extraction.
As Alberta struggles with its oilsands reputation, we need action to show ourselves and the world that we are serious about environmental protection.
Albertans value results over bureaucracy, but the government's proposed direction leans heavily on process without clear outcomes for us or our international critics. Fortunately, a strong "no net loss" policy remains an option we can be proud of that assures wetlands protection. The government should follow through on the strong support for this option by ensuring it is the central pillar of a new wetlands policy for all Albertans, not industry holdouts.
Joe Obad is associate director of Water Matters, a Canmore-based group focused on Alberta water policy research and education.
Sincerely,
Sheila Muxlow, Director
Sierra Club Prairie | Des Prairies du Sierra Club
2nd Floor | 2e étage, 10008 82nd Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T6E 1Z3
Office Phone | Téléphone au Bureau: +1-780-439-1160
Office Fax | Fax au Bureau : +1-780-485-9640
Sierra Club Canada is a member-based organization that empowers people to protect, restore and enjoy a healthy and safe planet.
Join us today!
www.prairie.sierraclub.ca
==================
11. Council of Canadians - Updates - November 8, 10, & 12, 2010
Five countries to meet on the rights of Mother Earth, Nov. 10-12
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5264
The Toronto Bolivia Solidarity Committee reports that, “The environment ministers of Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela will meet in La Paz, Bolivia, this week to establish a joint Ministerial Committee on the Defence of Nature. This joint governmental meeting aims to apply the proposals of the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth that was held in Cochabamba, Bolivia last April.”
UPDATE: Council supports Galloway visit to Halifax, Nov. 18
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5262
On March 20, 2009, the Guardian newspaper reported that, “(Canadian) border security officials (have) declared (British Member of Parliament George) Galloway, 54, ‘inadmissible’ because of his views on Afghanistan and the presence of Canadian troops there and would be turned away if he attempted to enter the country.” That same day, on the basis of the right to free speech, the Council of Canadians called on the Harper government to allow Mr. Galloway into Canada,
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=237.
NEWS: Privatization concerns enter the 2014
Canada Health Accord renegotiations
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5259
The Harper government has begun its preparations for the 2014 federal-provincial renegotiation of the Canada Health Accord.
NEWS: Kristen Stewart may star in film based on
‘Blue Covenant’
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5257
The News International recently reported that, “American actress Kristen Stewart (Bella from Twilight) is reportedly (to) be romancing none other than heartthrob Hrithik Roshan in the upcoming Shekhar Kapur film Paani. …The Shekhar Kapur film tells the story (in a water scarce future 30 years from now) about a poor boy, portrayed by Hrithik Roshan, who lives in the slum areas of Mumbai. A rebel at heart, the boy comes across a rich girl, played by Kristen Stewart, and the two fall in love.”
VOTE: Would for-profit medicine improve our
health care system?
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5255
The Globe and Mail is asking in an on-line poll, “Would allowing more for-profit medicine improve Canada’s health care system?” At this hour (7:20 am ET) the votes are 44 percent (138 votes) yes, and 56 percent (175 votes) no.
NEWS: Harper, Ignatieff may keep 600 soldiers in Afghanistan
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5253
The Canadian Press reports that, “The Harper government is considering a proposal that would keep (up to 600) Canadian troops in Afghanistan until 2014 in a non-combat, training role… The move would extend Canada’s military presence in Afghanistan three years past the July 2011 withdrawal deadline set by Parliament, but would remove troops from the front lines of fighting.”
UPDATE: Council to screen ‘Inuit Knowledge’ film on
Parliament Hill, Nov. 24
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5249
The Council of Canadians and partners will be screening the new film ‘Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change’ on Parliament Hill on Wednesday November 24, the eve of the next round of climate negotiations which begin just five days later in Cancun. We are also planning to show the film in Cancun during these talks.
UPDATE: Council of Canadians meets with MEPs on
CETA and the tar sands
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5247
The Council of Canadians, alongside Indigenous representatives, met with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on the issue of the tar sands this past Friday morning. Council of Canadians climate justice campaigner Andrea Harden-Donahue, Board member Steven Shrybman, and media officer Dylan Penner were present at the meeting.
UPDATE: Council joins call to end toxic tar sands tailings
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5241
A Greenpeace Canada media release on Thursday states, “As European Members of Parliament continue their tour of the tar sands, 75 groups from across Canada, the U.S. and Europe have signed on to a call-out demanding that toxic tailings lakes be phased out immediately.”
- - - - - -
Council of Canadians Update - November 10, 2010
UPDATE: G20 legal defence fundraiser in Toronto, Nov. 11
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5284
If you live in the Toronto area, please note:
An Evening of Song, Speech, Art and Dance with Naomi Klein, Hawksley Workman, LAL and DJ Aruna & Billy! Hosted by Comedienne Martha Chaves.
NEWS: Barlow speaks in Idaho
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5276
The Idaho Mountain Express reports that Council of Canadians chairperson and Blue Planet Project founder Maude Barlow spoke on “the global implications of a growing water crisis” at the Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood in Ketchum, Idaho on Thursday November 4.
NEWS: Chapter petition seeks fracking ban in Nova Scotia
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5274
The Canadian Press reports that, “A petition calling for a ban in Nova Scotia on a controversial method of oil and gas extraction has been tabled in the legislature. …The petition with about 1,200 names calls for a provincial ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking — a process that involves using large quantities of water mixed with sand and chemicals to free gas from shale.”
NEWS: Will John Baird represent Canada at the
Cancun climate talks?
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5278
The Vancouver Sun has reported that with the resignation of Jim Prentice as environment minister that, “(John) Baird (may) be representing Canada at the next international climate change summit, which begins on Nov. 29 in Cancun, Mexico…” While “(Prime Minister Stephen) Harper’s office would not say whether Baird would still be the minister leading Canada’s delegation at the summit,” Baird’s confrontational-style of politics is raising concerns about this possibility.
- - - - -
Council of Canadians Update - November 12, 2010
UPDATE: Blue Mountain Center meeting continues
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5300
This morning we were welcomed to Mohawk territory on the shore of Eagle Lake by David Arquette of the Haudenosaunee Environmental Taskforce, on this our second day of working to build a movement to defend the Great Lakes as a commons, public trust, and protected bio-region.
NEWS: The mining industry’s lobbying blitz to kill C-300
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5297
The Globe and Mail reports that, “A lobbying blitz on Parliament Hill may have sealed the defeat of (C-300) that lost (by just six votes) in the House of Commons.”
NEWS: Canada-India CEPA talks announced
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5295
The Toronto Star reports that, “Canada is officially opening free-trade negotiations with India, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.”
UPDATE: The Council of Canadians, the Great Lakes,
and the commons
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5290
It’s late evening now at the Blue Mountain Center in upper New York state where the Council of Canadians has travelled today to meet with others to discuss strategies and frameworks to protect the Great Lakes.
UPDATE: Council criticizes G20 summit in Seoul
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5288
CBC.ca reports today that, “Prime Minister Stephen Harper has arrived in South Korea to meet with other G20 leaders on what to do next to strengthen the global economy. …Harper has warned his G20 counterparts ahead of the summit not to let the struggling recovery distract them from cutting budget deficits and trade imbalances. In a letter to the G20 leaders last week, Harper reminded them of promises made during the June summit in Toronto to cut deficits and debt and subsequent agreements on guidelines for their current accounts.”
NEWS: ‘People Power’ screening in Whistler, Nov. 16
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5286
The Whistler Question reports that, “A group of B.C. residents concerned about energy and the environment is inviting Sea to Sky residents to an event (on Tuesday November 16) that will include the screening of a new film (’People Power: Building Social Movements to Protect Public Power in Canada’) dealing with the protection of public power assets.”
Business lobby again invited to brief trade committee on
CETA
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1169
On Monday, the parliamentary trade committee will for the second time hear from witnesses on the Canada-EU free trade negotiations. Also for the second time, the Canada-Europe Roundtable for Business will speak right after Canada’s lead negotiator, Steve Verheul. The two-for-two record isn’t proof of undue influence on trade policy by a business lobby but it doesn’t look good either. My question for the trade committee is, What do you expect CERT to say about the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) that they didn’t say at the first CETA hearing before the summer break? I suspect they’re invited to fight off any whiff of skepticism about the deal from opposition MPs, which would be highly inappropriate but not surprising from a Conservative government that has been caught making up statistics to sell CETA to the public.
For more on the cozy relationship between CERT and the federal government, see our new fact sheet: CETA and Corporate Lobbying:
Corporations hold power over negotiations:
http://www.canadians.org/trade/documents/CETA/
CETA-corporations-1010.pdf
Atlantic Organizer in St. John’s
http://www.canadians.org/activistblog/?p=261
Arriving in St. John’s on November 2nd, the main purpose of my visit was to attend the Sandy Pond Alliance Annual General Meeting. But Ken Kavanagh, St. John’s chapter chair, managed to squeeze a lot of work into my 24-hr visit, including the AGM, supper with Chapter members, breakfast with a local politician, and a visit to Long Harbour (Sandy Pond)!
=====================
12. Oil spill still poisoning wildlife years later, native band charges
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... -columbia/
oil-spill-still-poisoning-wildlife-years-later-native-band-charges/article1795967/
MARK HUME, Globe and Mail, Nov. 11, 2010
Eight years ago, a pipeline ruptured in a remote section of northeastern British Columbia, spilling a thick, viscous mixture of more than 1,000 barrels of oil and saltwater into a boggy area near Doig River.
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. moved quickly on the West Peejay spill and later won praise for following “all the proper procedures.” But long after officials signed off on the cleanup, hunters from the small Doig River band began returning with troubling reports that moose, caribou and other wildlife were being drawn to the location, and to other abandoned oil and gas sites in the region, to lick salty, polluted soil.
Then stories started to spread through northern villages of hunters finding moose that had “green meat” – swollen, black intestines and possible tumors.
Now the B.C. government and industry are taking a hard second look at the area, amid growing demands from natives to fence off or clean up sites that may have become dangerous salt licks for animals.
The issue is the focus of a documentary report by senior producer Kelvin Redvers, to be aired Sunday at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, on CTV British Columbia’s First Story.
It will be posted on the web at
www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/firststory/.
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/
british-columbia/oil-spill-still-poisoning-wildlife-years-later-native-band-charges/article1795967/
====================
13. Chief welcomes endorsement of UN native document
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20101112/
canada-endorses-un-native-declaration-101112/
The Canadian Press
Date: Friday Nov. 12, 2010 4:09 PM ET
OTTAWA — Canada formally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on Friday three years after being just one of four countries to vote against the pact.
The move, announced at UN headquarters in New York, was welcomed as a positive development by the Assembly of First Nations.
"It's something that the welcome," said Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
The endorsement of the declaration -- non-binding statement of principles for dealing with native groups -- fulfills a pledge made in the speech from the throne last March.
A government news release said of the declaration: "It sets out a number of principles that should guide harmonious and co-operative relationships between indigenous peoples and states, such as equality, partnership, good faith and mutual respect. Canada strongly supports these principles."
Indian Affairs Minister John Duncan said the endorsement of the document is part of an effort by the government to strengthen its relationship with aboriginal peoples.
MORE:
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20101112/
canada-endorses-un-native-declaration-101112/
==================
14. The Word Obama Forgot to Say
http://sierraclub.typepad.com/michaelbrune/2010/11/
the-word-obama-forgot-to-say.html
11/12/2010
A couple months ago, I was out in Dimock, PA, meeting with community members who've been affected by reckless natural gas drilling in and around their town. I was also there to tape an interview with Leslie Stahl, for an episode of 60 Minutes that will air this Sunday.
Dimock has become an unfortunate poster child of dangerous gas extraction and after spending some time there, it's easy to understand why. Many residents have expressed alarm at how their drinking water has turned brown and made them sick soon after gas drilling started. The water is now too poisonous for most residents near drilling operations to use for drinking or bathing; it will be at least a couple years until a pipeline is built to transfer water from a safe location. Moreover, highly flammable, greenhouse gas-intensive methane that is believed to have been released from gas drilling or hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") caused one Dimock resident's well to spontaneously combust one day. Methane released from a gas drilling site has been observed bubbling up in the Susquehanna River, miles away. And while sitting in the front yard of another Dimock resident, I could hear methane gurgling constantly out of a special vent recently installed in their own well.
Concerns about natural gas extraction have been on the rise not just in Dimock, but in places across the country, from West Virginia to Texas to Wyoming. And yet even given these important issues, natural gas still has a relatively lighter footprint than coal or oil. Gas is not a clean fuel, but it can be cleaner.
So it was with great interest that I heard Obama talking about natural gas last week. In a press conference the day after the election, someone asked if there were issues he might be willing to collaborate on with the new Congress. "We've got, I think, broad agreement that we've got terrific natural gas resources in this country," the president replied. "Are we doing everything we can to develop those?"
Uh oh. Look, I can only imagine the pressures that the president is under on a daily basis. And I can sympathize with the unique challenges the president faces of needing to speak accurately and precisely on a wide variety of topics with the media ready to pounce on any minor nuance or particular slipup. But what did concern me about the president's statement was a single word that I didn't hear. I hope his question about natural gas resources omitted that word unintentionally: "Are we doing everything we can to develop those responsibly?"
Clearly, we are not. Not when fracking is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act, parts of the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, as well as our country's hazardous waste and cleanup laws.
It's important to acknowledge that just because natural gas is cleaner than other fossil fuels -- especially coal -- does not mean we should give the industry a free pass. The exploration, production, transportation, and burning of natural gas is an inherently dirty business that disrupts local communities and pollutes the environment. There are thousands of documented cases of air and water pollution violations and human health and safety hazards. If natural gas is to be part of the mix that displaces dirtier energy sources like coal and oil, these have to be addressed.
===================
15. Eight of Nine U.S. Companies Agree to Work with EPA Regarding Chemicals Used in Natural Gas Extraction – 3 articles
EPA conducting congressionally mandated study to examine the impact of the hydraulic fracturing process on drinking water quality; Halliburton subpoenaed after failing to meet EPA’s voluntary requests for information
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/
a96496444c546959852577d6005e63d6?OpenDocument
Release date: 11/09/2010
Contact Information: Jalil Isa (Media Inquiries only),
isa.jalil@epa.gov, 202-564-3226, 202-564-4355
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that eight out of the nine hydraulic fracturing companies that received voluntary information requests in September have agreed to submit timely and complete information to help the agency conduct its study on hydraulic fracturing. However, the ninth company, Halliburton, has failed to provide EPA the information necessary to move forward with this important study. As a result, and as part of the agency’s effort to move forward as quickly as possible, today EPA issued a subpoena to the company requiring submission of the requested information that has yet to be provided.
EPA’s congressionally mandated hydraulic fracturing study will look at the potential adverse impact of the practice on drinking water and public health. The agency is under a tight deadline to provide initial results by the end of 2012 and the thoroughness of the study depends on timely access to detailed information about the methods used for fracturing. EPA announced in March that it would conduct this study and solicit input from the public through a series of public meetings in major oil and gas production regions. The agency has completed the public meetings and thousands of Americans from across the country shared their views on the study and expressed full support for this effort.
MORE:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/
a96496444c546959852577d6005e63d6?OpenDocument
More information on the subpoena and mandatory request for information on Halliburton’s hydraulic fracturing operations:
http://www.epa.gov/hydraulicfracturing
- - - - - -
EPA: Halliburton Issued Subpoena For Refusing To Disclose Hydraulic Fracturing, 'Fracking,' Chemical Ingredients
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/
epa-halliburton-subpoenae_n_781045.html
MATTHEW DALY | 11/ 9/10 05:41 PM |
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency subpoenaed energy giant Halliburton Tuesday, seeking a description of the chemical components used in a drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing.
The EPA said it issued the subpoena after Texas-based Halliburton refused to voluntarily disclose the chemicals used in the controversial drilling practice, also known as "fracking." Halliburton was the only one of nine major energy companies that refused the EPA's request.
The agency said the information is important to its study of fracking, in which crews inject millions of gallons of water, mixed with sand and chemicals underground to force open channels in sand and rock formations so oil and natural gas will flow.
The EPA is studying whether the practice affects drinking water and the public health.
A Halliburton spokeswoman said the company was disappointed by the EPA's action. "Halliburton welcomes any federal court's examination of our good-faith efforts with the EPA to date," said spokeswoman Teresa Wong.
The subpoena is the latest bad news for Halliburton, which has been under fire for its role in the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Investigators for a presidential panel say the company pumped faulty cement into the well that later blew out, killing 11 people and spewing more than 200 million gallons of crude oil.
MORE:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/
epa-halliburton-subpoenae_n_781045.html
= = = = =
Halliburton Fails to Give Gas-Drilling Data, EPA Says
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-09/
halliburton-fails-to-give-gas-drilling-data-epa-says.html
November 09, 2010, 4:10 PM EST By Kim Chipman
Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Halliburton Co., the second-largest oilfield-services company, was subpoenaed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after failing to provide requested information on hydraulic fracturing.
Halliburton was the only one of nine companies that didn’t respond to the inquiry about hydraulic fracturing, a drilling technique that shoots water, sand and chemicals into shale rock under high pressure to extract natural gas, the EPA said in an e-mailed statement today. The environmental regulator is gathering data for a congressionally mandated report on the effects of fracturing on drinking water.
“Halliburton has failed to provide EPA the information necessary to move forward with this important study,” the agency said in the statement. “Today EPA issued a subpoena to the company requiring submission of the requested information that has yet to be provided.”
MORE:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-09/
halliburton-fails-to-give-gas-drilling-data-epa-says.html
===================
16. Victory! Gas Fracking to be Banned in Pittsburgh
http://climatevoices.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/
victory-gas-fracking-banned-in-pittsburgh/
November 10, 2010...5:29 pm
CITY COUNCIL APPROVES BAN ON DRILLING IN CITY
November 9, 2010, (Pittsburgh) In an 8-0 vote, Pittsburgh City Council gave preliminary approval today to a bill that would ban natural gas drilling in the city. The legislation was crafted in response to the ever increasing efforts of gas drilling companies to lease land for Marcellus Shale drilling.
Councilman Ricky Burgess did not vote but his aide has indicated that he intends to vote for approval when final voting takes place on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at Council’s Legislative Meeting.
“I am gratified by the unanimous support of my colleagues for this critical piece of legislation,” said Councilman Doug Shields. “I hope that other municipalities across the Commonwealth will follow our example.”
Contact: Doug Shields, 412-255-8965 or 412-719-6877
= = = = = =
Pittsburgh council gives preliminary approval to gas drilling ban; legal challenge likely
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/
article.jsp?content=D9JDC2Q81
From The Associated Press, November 10, 2010 - 10:59 AM
PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh City Council has given preliminary approval to a ban on natural gas drilling within the limits of the western Pennsylvania city.
Council president Darlene Harris said the panel has concerns about the effects of drilling and industry chemicals on the health of residents. The measure was approved 8-0 Tuesday with a final vote expected next week.
Councilman Doug Shields, who introduced the measure, said officials could not let the industry "run unabated throughout our cities, towns and natural environment."
Attorneys representing gas companies have said they would probably challenge such a ban in court. Drilling is regulated by state and federal environmental protection agencies.
An industry group, the Canonsburg-based Marcellus Shale Coalition, says the measure would deny private property owners their "fundamental rights" and does not take into account the economic benefits of drilling to the region.
===================
17. Chevron: Atlas Energy Being Acquired For $3.2 Billion Giving Oil Company Prime Access To East Coast Natural Gas Boom
CHRIS KAHN | 11/ 9/10 09:01 AM |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/
chevron-atlas-energy-acqu_n_780997.html
NEW YORK — Chevron will buy natural gas producer Atlas Energy Inc., marking the major oil company's first foray into the rich gas fields in the eastern part of the U.S.
Chevron will pay with both cash and stock, the companies said Tuesday. Including debt of about $1.1 billion, the deal is worth $4.3 billion.
Shares of Atlas jumped $11.73, or 37 percent, to $43.45 while Chevron shares lost 69 cents, or less than 1 percent, to $84.11 in premarket trading.
Chevron Corp., based in San Ramon, Calif., is the latest major oil company to make a big acquisition in the natural gas sector, following Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell. Atlas is a big player in the Marcellus shale of Western Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
Many energy companies have rushed to tap America's large reservoirs of natural gas hidden in shale rock formations, using new drilling technologies that have brought down the cost of production. Chevron hadn't made any significant moves to explore in the shale deposits, until now.
With natural gas prices continuing to languish, analysts say Chevron is striking at a time when it can get a good price for those assets. Natural gas futures settled at $4.088 per 1,000 cubic feet on the NYMEX Monday, down about 11.4 percent since July 1.
"When the market is weak, that's when it's time to act," Argus Research analyst Phil Weiss said.
MORE:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/
chevron-atlas-energy-acqu_n_780997.html
=================
18. First U.S. LNG Cargo For Europe!!
From: lagran
To: Prime Minister/Premier ministre ; iggy ; Layton, Jack - M.P.
Cc: premier@gov.nl.ca ; min.dfaitmaeci@international.gc.ca ; Minister, EMPR EMPR:EX ; goodale ; flaherty ; dnd_mdn@forces.gc.ca ; bill boyd ; Jerry Bellikka ; Alberta Activism ; jmorales@neb-one.gc.ca ; acameron@neb-one.gc.ca
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 2:43 PM
It is already happening!!!! Where are all those who think NAFTA has been a great deal for Canada? By supplying the U.S with cheap natural gas the United States call domestic, Canada is allowing the United States to export their contract LNG to pricier markets for profit! We are indeed that stupid. As a major gas exporter our vast reserves remain "Land-locked" and committed solely to the low priced NAFTA market that allows the U.S to profit on their LNG contracts.
I am so sorry "Pipeline-Prentice" is no longer the Head-Mule contact with the foreign CARTEL of Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, and Conoco Phillips. I would like him to again explain why Canada should help fund the Mackenzie Pipeline, that would allow the Americans to export more and more LNG for value added profit. Does Canada need a National Energy Program? What is Canada doing about the contracted LNG for the St.John facility that was so unwisely built to import LNG into an exporting country? Could Canada not take more advantage than the U.S.of redirecting LNG to Europe and also reconfigure the St John facility to export East coast gas production?
In the West the pipelines to ports remain only a dormant dream, even though Frank McKenna advised well over 1 year ago that such a pipeline would increase NAFTA prices. Harper's government is becoming famous for becoming involved in NO heavy lifting, leaving Canadians exposed solely to foreign oil CARTELS, even with international trade issues. It was just easier to allow raw bitumen exports than to confront the issue by making laws that would prevent such!! Harper should be encouraged to focus less on Netanyahu and Israel's well-being, roll-up his sleeves and do something for CANADA!! Again I must ask---is Harper really Canadian?
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, AB
- - - - - -
United States wades into Russia's gas domain
http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/business/
story.html?id=9c19b095-4b95-4941-8c26-b77d3cdddd18
Americans plan LNG shipments across Atlantic to Europe
By Daniel Fineren And Edward McAllister, Reuters November 10, 2010
The United States may play a role this winter in loosening Russia's grip on the European market for natural gas by shipping liquefied natural gas across the Atlantic.
Awash with domestic shale gas and with little need to import extra fuel, the United States has started re-exporting LNG cargoes, which firms had previously imported under contract, to countries where gas prices are much higher.
Such shipments could contribute to a growing pool of cheaper LNG going to Russia's biggest export market this winter. In the longer term, U.S. plans to build plants to liquefy shale gas could create another rival to Russian pipelines.
The first re-export cargo from the United States to Britain -- a key access point for LNG into northern Europe via an Interconnector pipeline to Belgium -- is set to sail over the weekend.
"It is a landmark shipment," said Zach Allen at NATS LNG analysts in Raleigh North Carolina.
"LNG has, through the Interconnector, played a major role in reducing intake of Russian gas into western Europe."
U.S. shale gas has already forced many LNG producers that had hoped to supply the North American market to find alternative buyers, with many cargoes ending up in Europe and driving spot gas prices below the price of oil-indexed Russian gas.
MORE:
http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/business/
story.html?id=9c19b095-4b95-4941-8c26-b77d3cdddd18
====================
19. Attorney General-elect Schneiderman staunchly opposes hydraulic fracturing
http://www.stargazette.com/article/20101107/NEWS01/
11070359/1113/Attorney-General-elect-Schneiderman-staunchly-opposes-hydraulic-fracturing
By Jon Campbell •jcampbell1@gannett.com • November 7, 2010, 6:00 p
BINGHAMTON -- When it comes to natural gas, Nov. 2's election brought a mixed bag of incumbents and newcomers with various takes on how New York should proceed with its moratorium on drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
The state's Attorney General-elect, however, took one of the strongest stances against hydraulic fracturing of any candidate statewide.
Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat who handily defeated Republican gas-drilling supporter Dan Donovan on Tuesday, has said he will sue to stop the controversial drilling process of hydraulic fracturing -- until it is proven safe -- and aggressively go after drillers who break the rules.
"As Attorney General, I will build on the strong Cuomo environmental record and ensure that the office's environmental bureau remains active and engaged to investigate and protect our water supply," Schneiderman said in a statement. "Neither the state nor the federal government has determined that hydrofracking is a safe practice, and I will sue to make sure that no drilling takes place until those determinations have been made."
Several anti-fracking groups praised the stance and supported the former Manhattan senator during his campaign.
MORE: http://www.stargazette.com/article/2010 ... 0359/1113/
Attorney-General-elect-Schneiderman-staunchly-opposes-hydraulic-fracturing
=====================
20. Leading experts pool their most recent understanding of the harm of industrial wind turbines on human health
http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/
unity-of-knowledge/
by Rick Conroy Wellington Times Nomber 5, 2010
Piece by piece, presentation by presentation, the foundation upon which industrial wind industry and much of Ontario’s Green Energy Act sits was taken apart and dismantled this past weekend.
The industrial wind turbine business was always on shaky ground. It has been promoted by governments eager to be seen to be doing something about the western world’s reliance on fossil fuels—oil, gas and coal. In many respects wind energy policy has been a public relations exercise fuelled by governments’ willingness to spill billions of taxpayer dollars into developer’s pockets. They do so with a mix of wishful thinking and willful blindness in the expectation that technology leaps will fill in the significant operational gaps before most folks realize intermittent generating sources don’t work on a large scale.
None of these folks anticipated, however, that industrial wind turbines would actually make people sick. After the first international symposium in Picton on the weekend, there can be little doubt remaining.
Several analogies were made about how the fight against the harmful effects of smoking tobacco began with just a few voices in the medical and scientific community. It would take decades, however, before governments would listen and begin to take action. The esteemed participants of the Picton gathering fervently hope it doesn’t take as long for governments and the broader public to understand the harm caused by industrial wind turbines.
Dr. Bob McMurtry, a physician and former deputy minister of health in Ontario, gathered doctors, scientists and researchers from around the world to Picton in reveal their findings and share the latest information on the impact of industrial wind turbines in what he termed a “consilience” or unity of knowledge.
MORE:
http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/
unity-of-knowledge/
1. Petition to Ban Hydraulic Fracturation in Nova Scotia
2. Feds lack know-how to deal with dirty rivers and lakes, reports say
3. EnCana's Cabin Not So Homey
4. WATCH: Life Along the Livingstone
5. (AB) Invitation for Second Round of Feedback on Draft Documents Regarding Oil and Gas Development In or Within 100 Metres of Water Bodies
6. (AB) New rules boost rural prospects
7. GASLAND The Movie – DVD Available soon!
8. G20 Leaders Not Removing Fossil Fuel Subsidies As Pledged.
9. The Fight for Water: Challenging Water Markets in Alberta
10. (AB) ACTION ALERT: Make the call for our Wetlands!
11. Council of Canadians - Updates - November 8, 10, & 12, 2010
12. Oil spill still poisoning wildlife years later, native band charges
13. Chief welcomes endorsement of UN native document
14. The Word Obama Forgot to Say
15. Eight of Nine U.S. Companies Agree to Work with EPA Regarding Chemicals Used in Natural Gas Extraction
16. Victory! Gas Fracking to be Banned in Pittsburgh
17. Chevron: Atlas Energy Being Acquired For $3.2 Billion Giving Oil Company Prime Access To East Coast Natural Gas Boom
18. First U.S. LNG Cargo For Europe!!
19. Attorney General-elect Schneiderman staunchly opposes hydraulic fracturing
20. Leading experts pool their most recent understanding of the harm of industrial wind turbines on human health
================
1. Petition to Ban Hydraulic Fracturation in Nova Scotia
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/banf ... ovascotia/
The Petition
• Whereas Petroworth Resources Inc. has indicated that it intends to drill for oil along a seismic line between Lake Ainslie and Mull River in the ‘Ainslie Block’ that extends from St. Rose to Port Hood and east to Whycocomagh in Inverness County, and
• Whereas this exploration may lead to the discovery of shale gas (i.e. natural gas obtained from underground shale formations) as well as oil, and
• Whereas Petroworth Resources Inc has used the technology known as hydraulic fracturing (hereafter referred to as fracking) in the extraction of shale gas in New Brunswick and has not ruled out its utilization in the Ainslie Block, and
• Whereas fracking involves injecting, under very high pressure, millions of litres of water, sand and proprietary chemicals into a large number of underground rock formations, and
• Whereas some of these chemicals can lead to serious health problems, ranging from eye and respiratory disorders to cancer, and
• Whereas fracking in other parts of North America has already resulted in the contamination of underground sources of drinking water and other environmental concerns,
• Whereas other rural communities across North America have reacted to these threats to drinking water and human health by demanding an outright ban on the use of fracking,
• We the undersigned, in the interests of all residents of Nova Scotia, demand a province- wide ban on the use of fracking as described above.
TO SIGN PETITION:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/banf ... ovascotia/
==================
2. Feds lack know-how to deal with dirty rivers and lakes, reports say
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/
feds-lack-know-how-to-deal-with-dirty-rivers-and-lakes-reports-say/article1792012/
Steve Rennie Ottawa— The Canadian Press
Published Tuesday, Nov. 09, 2010 2:42PM EST
Canada's lakes and rivers are awash in harmful contaminants, but new documents warn the federal government's murky understanding of the problem is putting the country at risk.
Senior bureaucrats reached that conclusion in a pair of internal reports on contaminants and excess nutrients in freshwater.
The officials warned that Ottawa needs to know much more about the contaminants before it can tell how dangerous they are, what happens when they mix together, or where to focus clean-up efforts.
“There are significant gaps in the understanding of contaminants in groundwater in several areas which hinder the advancement of effective risk assessment and management activities,” one of the reports says.
The reports were produced by working groups of high-ranking civil servants from several departments that the government formed two years ago to study water issues.
The Canadian Press obtained two of the “draft discussion documents” under the Access to Information Act. The reports, dated December 2008, were only released last month.
One report looked at contaminants in freshwater. The other was on excess nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, that cause toxic algae blooms.
Giant floating fields of algae have taken over swaths of the Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg and many other lakes across the country in recent years. The algae sucks oxygen from the water and produces toxins that are harmful to fish, humans and other living things.
Run-off carrying agricultural fertilizers, wastewater from sewers and industrial pollution are identified as the main sources of nutrients in Canadian freshwater.
The report warns the problem will only get worse.
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/
feds-lack-know-how-to-deal-with-dirty-rivers-and-lakes-reports-say/article1792012/
=================
3. EnCana's Cabin Not So Homey: Cumulative Environmental Effects an Unfolding and Emerging Crisis in Northeastern British Columbia's Shale Gas Plays - An Introductory Journey into BC's Dirty Domino Zone.
Website:
www.bctwa.org/FrackingBC.html
November 9, 2010.
New Report by Will Koop:
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-EnCanasCabin-Nov9-2010.pdf
=================
4. WATCH: Life Along the Livingstone
Subject: Proposed mine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZWXNPMwCQo
Our website the film refers to is under construction, but we have more info on our facebook site.
The address is
http://www.facebook.com/pages/
Livingstone-Landowners-Group-LLG/145718242139398
- - - -
Public meeting over mining proposal at Livingstone Range
http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Public+meeting+over+mining+proposal+Livingstone+Range/
3630330/story.html
By Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald October 6, 2010
A plan for mining at the foot of the Livingstone mountain range -- which has long raised the ire of local landowners -- will be front and centre today at a government-ordered public meeting.
"I love the landscape on which we live and the thought of having it comprised just hurts," said David McIntyre, who has been one of the most vocal opponents to the plan.
Facing a major public outcry in 2004, Micrex Development Corp. withdrew its application to mine magnetite, a heavy magnetic iron ore used for coal upgrading and steel production, from the base of a mountain 11 kilometres north of Highway 3 and west of the Cowboy Trail, near the Crowsnest Pass.
- - - -SNIP - - - -
The company said it's committed to making sure the project impacts the land as little as possible. The access road and quarry site will take up approximately 10 hectares, although the project could expand in later years. Micrex said it will hire locals to monitor wildlife patterns and restrict operations to a few warm months each year to minimize the impact on animals.
Outgoing Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Mayor John Irwin believes the mine may provide some much-needed jobs for residents of the pass.
"There's pluses and minuses," said Irwin, who is now running to be a councillor. "There is a good economic argument to be made for it."
As it stands, the project does not require an approval from Alberta Environment.
Neil Kathol, president of the Livingstone Landowners Group, has some hope the Alberta government is now listening to their concerns. Sustainable Resource Development Minister Mel Knight directed the company to hold today's public hearing in Cowley, and to provide more information to landowners, as his department examines the company's applications for a mineral surface lease and an access road licence.
kcryderman@calgaryherald.com
==================
5. (AB) Invitation for Second Round of Feedback on Draft Documents Regarding Oil and Gas Development In or Within 100 Metres of Water Bodies
http://www.ercb.ca/docs/documents/bulle ... 010-35.pdf
November 8, 2010
The Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) has issued Bulletin 2010-35 in collaboration with Alberta Environment (AENV), Sustainable Resource Development (SRD), and the Special Areas Board (SAB).
This is the second round of consultation on draft documents pertaining to oil and gas development in or within 100 metres of water bodies. Feedback received on items that have previously been addressed by the committee may receive limited consideration unless new information is put forth.
Feedback is invited until November 30, 2010
Draft Documents for consultation and link to Survey
Directive 056: Appendix 14 - Oil and Gas Development in or Within 100 m of Water Bodies
Draft Appendix 1 of MOU Identifying and Delineating Water Bodies
Survey for second round of consultation
==================
6. (AB) New rules boost rural prospects
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/blogs/
rules+boost+rural+prospects/3798775/story.html
Edmonton Journal November 9, 2010
The would-be Jed Clampetts of Alberta are rejoicing this fall after the Alberta government introduced legislation last month to recognize their right to collect royalties on coal bed methane gas. For most of a decade, landowners who hold free title to their mineral rights -- so called freeholders -- have been engaged in a protracted legal conflict with Encana over who owned the rights to methane gas which is found in coal seams.
Encana, which inherited land from the Canadian Pacific Railroad, claimed the resource belonged to them on split-title properties because the gas is found in the coal they owned. When CPR sold excess railroad land to settlers, the railroad retained the rights to the coal on that land because it used coal to run trains.
Alberta's Energy Resources Conservation Board ruled against Encana in 2007, but the natural gas company filed 11 lawsuits against a number of companies that were granted permits to drill on the disputed land.
It seems a no-brainer. Coal is coal and gas is gas. But the stakes were huge. A sizable portion of Alberta's estimated 500 trillion cubic feet of coal bed methane is on split-title private property. About 50,000 freeholders own minerals rights on six million acres of land in Alberta -- nearly 20 per cent of the province.
The British Columbia government passed legislation years ago to clarify the issue, but the ownership question in Alberta has been a roadblock to the drilling for coal bed methane on privately-owned, former CPR lands. Exploration companies have been drilling primarily on land where the Crown owns the resource because the Alberta government deemed that on Crown leases, it owned a clear coal bed methane title.
MORE:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/blogs/
rules+boost+rural+prospects/3798775/story.html
===================
7. GASLAND The Movie – DVD available soon!
About the film
http://gaslandthemovie.com/about-the-film/
WATCH: Trailer:
http://video.aol.ca/video-detail/gasland-trailer/
535521842/?icid=VIDLRVMOV09
"The largest domestic natural gas drilling boom in history has swept across the United States. The Halliburton-developed drilling technology of "fracking" or hydraulic fracturing has unlocked a "Saudia Arabia of natural gas" just beneath us. But is fracking safe? When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination. A recently drilled nearby Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their drinking water on fire. This is just one of the many absurd and astonishing revelations of a new country called GASLAND. Part verite travelogue, part expose, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, part showdown."
GASLAND will be broadcast on HBO through 2012. To host a public screening in your community please click here. The DVD will be on sale in December 2010.
GASLAND DVD PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE NOW
We’re thrilled to announce that the Gasland DVD, which will be released on December 14th by New Video, is available for pre-sale NOW on Amazon!
Click here to order your Gasland DVD and have it delivered to your door in December (just in time for the holidays!):
http://www.amazon.com/Gasland-Josh-Fox/dp/B0042EJD8A
GRASSROOTS SCREENINGS STILL ROLLING!
Thanks to all of you out there who continue to speak up for your communities and commit yourselves to educating others about drilling. From our 200+ community screenings and theater openings around the USA, it is so clear that to us that the movement is hundreds of thousands strong and continues to grow. In Williamsport PA, 1600 people showed up for GASLAND in one night! In NYC, United For Action and NY H2O mobilized the 2000+ audience who showed up to the film to support a continued NY moratorium. In Texas, GASLAND screenings launched campaigns for stopping drilling in Dallas and was shown at the state Capitol in Austin, In Lake Como, TX, a community used their collective voices to protest gas drilling, leading Chesapeake Energy to withdraw its proposal to drill in that neighborhood. Too many stories to recount-- all over the country, your voices are being heard!! Please keep up the incredibly important efforts you are making.
Let's continue to work on protecting our water and air!
Our very best,
Josh, Trish & Ellen
===================
8. G20 Leaders Not Removing Fossil Fuel Subsidies As Pledged.
http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2010/11/08/
g20-leaders-not-removing-fossil-fuel-subsidies-as-pledged/
November 08th, 2010
Back in the summer of 2009, G20 (The Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors) leaders from around the world pledged to “rationalize and phase out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption.” But 14 months later, not a single fossil fuel subsidy has been cut in any nation that agreed to the pledge.
Over at The Price of Oil,
http://priceofoil.org/
wp-content/uploads/2010/11/OCI.ET_.G20FF.FINAL_.pdf
a study prepared by Oil Change International and Earth Track, entitled “G20 Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Phase Out” shows that these countries are just renaming and/or defining fossil fuels in different manners so that the subsidies can remain in place. I know that the fuel subsidies are not going anywhere anytime soon in the U.S., as the oil industry pretty much owns the political process right now (except in CA last Tuesday!), but to see 19 other nations doing the same is very disheartening.
If you want to read the full report, you can download a PDF of it right
here:
http://priceofoil.org/
wp-content/uploads/2010/11/OCI.ET_.G20FF.FINAL_.pdf
The country by country list starts on Page 5 of the PDF, and outlines what each one has been doing for the last 14 months – a whole lot of nothing.
===================
9. The Fight for Water: Challenging Water Markets in Alberta
http://www.ourwaterisnotforsale.com/content/
fight-water-challenging-water-markets-alberta
On October 26, 450 people packed the room, leaving standing room only, to listen to internationally acclaimed speakers address the threat of water markets in Alberta. The speakers delivered a strong message. They spoke on the need to organize and get active in addressing our water crisis and fighting against water markets that would promote private and corporate control over our water rather than protecting our water for our communities and for the ecosystems on which our survival depends.
Their message clearly resonated with the audience. Attendees donated generously and have been enthusiastically stepping forward to get involved.
Click here for video of this event
http://www.ourwaterisnotforsale.com/content/
video-fight-water-challenging-water-markets-alberta
Speakers
Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and Senior Advisor on Water to the 63rd President of the UN General Assembly
Ian Douglas, the National Coordinator of Fair Water Use Australia (via live videoconferencing from Australia)
Sootaanaah (Duane) Goodstriker, Ambassador of Environmental Affairs for the Sovereign Blackfoot Nation and former Environmental Advisor to Alberta Chiefs of Treaty 6 & Treaty 7
The Alberta government is considering plans to create a province-wide deregulated water market to allocate water in the province. This event addressed what a water market would mean for Alberta, reported on the failure of such systems internationally and got many people informed and involved in the fight to stop the sell-off of our water.
LISTEN: Maude Barlow Interview on CBC Radio One:
http://ourwaterisnotforsale.com/content/
maude-barlow-cbc-radios-albertanoon-0
=====================
10. (AB) ACTION ALERT: Make the call for our Wetlands!
From: sheila muxlow <sheila@sierraclub.ca>
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:27:43 –0800
Please take a moment within the next few days to make a call to Premier Stelmach, the Environment Minister Rob Renner and your MLA to let them know how irresponsible it is that they are allowing oil and gas and tar sands mining to undermine our provincial wetlands policy.
http://p.sierraclub.ca/en/action-alert/
action-alert-save-our-wetlands-save-our-water
Wetlands provide water security for the province. They filter and purify water; recharge groundwater for land owners’ wells and livestock dugouts; provide flood protection, are integral for healthy ecosystems: hotbeds of biological diversity; crucial to migrating songbirds, geese and ducks, and for sensitive species like amphibians and woodland caribou.
Over 60% of Alberta wetlands in settled areas have already been lost.
The time has never been more important to fight for the health and integrity of our ecosystems! Please take action and pass it along!
Ed Stelmach - (780) 427-2251
Rob Renner - (780) 427-2391
Find you MLA -
http://streetkey.elections.ab.ca/
New wetlands policy fails
Government endangers a valuable ecological resource in rush to ditch 'no net loss' approach
By Joe Obad, FreelanceNovember 10, 2010
When governments ask for public and stakeholder input, rarely do they receive feedback as clear as the Alberta government did for its new wetlands policy.
In direct feedback both from Albertans and from stakeholders from all sectors at the Alberta Water Council, the government heard overwhelming support for a "no net loss" approach to wetlands.
Unfortunately, the government recently decided on a new direction that may exacerbate the loss of wetlands across the province.
It's important to remember what is at stake in the rush to ditch a policy that has assured Albertans of our remaining wetlands. Wetlands provide a variety of valuable ecological services: filtering water, buffering against floods and drought, recharging groundwater, storing carbon and providing habitat for wildlife. The existing 1993 interim wetland policy has a "no net loss" policy for private lands.
By the government's own admission, we have lost 64 per cent of the slough/marsh wetlands in this region already. The proposed policy would weaken this protection by removing "no net loss," which requires replacement of destroyed wetlands. The government seems unwilling to extend to Crown land a policy that works effectively on private lands. Instead, the solution appears to be to weaken wetland policy across Alberta.
Overwhelming support for "no net loss" is not an exaggeration. In workbooks submitted by Albertans in 2007 to guide the wetland policy, support for the concept was striking. From the 590 stakeholders, 145 of whom were from industry, 90 per cent of respondents agreed that "the policy goal should be to maintain or increase wetland area. However, there were concerns expressed regarding the feasibility and desirability of increasing wetland area."
The Alberta Water Council, the province's advisory body on water policy, subsequently recommended a provincewide "no net loss" policy, supported by 23 of 25 members.
Unfortunately, the Alberta Chamber of Resources and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the two holdouts at the water council table, have been working to derail "no net loss." On Oct. 29, Environment Minister Rob Renner announced a policy intent that does not include "no net loss." Asked if there was any economic cost placed on the implementation of "no net loss" by the objecting industries, Alberta Environment officials said no cost estimates were offered or asked for.
"No net loss" is not a perfect concept, but it allows for a flexible application of conservation on wetlands as development proceeds. Fundamentally, under "no net loss," if a development destroys wetlands, new wetlands of an equal or greater area must be created to replace these in another location.
The government says the new direction is based on function, not conserved area. Now, if you're asking how much wetland will be conserved under the proposed policy, the government cannot say, and that's a problem. The whole reason for a new wetlands policy is to conserve and, one hopes, increase our wetlands. The proposed policy tips its hat to key pillars of avoidance and mitigation, but there is no backstop stating a clear limit on acceptable wetlands loss.
The policy proposes to grade wetlands from irreplaceable to expendable, opening the door to countless battles over each affected wetland and where it sits on the scale.
Given the development dreams of organizations like the Alberta Chamber of Resources and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, we may lose a whole lot more with this policy direction.
Renner has asked for input and good faith to help define the policy's implementation. This is asking a lot, considering the same foot-draggers at the water council table will be working to render the policy toothless, while the government has shown little backbone in resisting their efforts. Albertans should be asking for better.
"No net loss" is the better option. It provides certainty around the maintenance of a critical resource, while giving clarity to project proponents. A stronger wetland policy is long overdue. The loss of wetlands in southern and central Alberta will only be compounded without a stronger policy as we urbanize and develop the oilsands. In the oilsands region, wetlands overlie much of the resource. Without a clear "no net loss" policy, Albertans could be on the hook for the impacts created by oilsands extraction.
As Alberta struggles with its oilsands reputation, we need action to show ourselves and the world that we are serious about environmental protection.
Albertans value results over bureaucracy, but the government's proposed direction leans heavily on process without clear outcomes for us or our international critics. Fortunately, a strong "no net loss" policy remains an option we can be proud of that assures wetlands protection. The government should follow through on the strong support for this option by ensuring it is the central pillar of a new wetlands policy for all Albertans, not industry holdouts.
Joe Obad is associate director of Water Matters, a Canmore-based group focused on Alberta water policy research and education.
Sincerely,
Sheila Muxlow, Director
Sierra Club Prairie | Des Prairies du Sierra Club
2nd Floor | 2e étage, 10008 82nd Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T6E 1Z3
Office Phone | Téléphone au Bureau: +1-780-439-1160
Office Fax | Fax au Bureau : +1-780-485-9640
Sierra Club Canada is a member-based organization that empowers people to protect, restore and enjoy a healthy and safe planet.
Join us today!
www.prairie.sierraclub.ca
==================
11. Council of Canadians - Updates - November 8, 10, & 12, 2010
Five countries to meet on the rights of Mother Earth, Nov. 10-12
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5264
The Toronto Bolivia Solidarity Committee reports that, “The environment ministers of Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela will meet in La Paz, Bolivia, this week to establish a joint Ministerial Committee on the Defence of Nature. This joint governmental meeting aims to apply the proposals of the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth that was held in Cochabamba, Bolivia last April.”
UPDATE: Council supports Galloway visit to Halifax, Nov. 18
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5262
On March 20, 2009, the Guardian newspaper reported that, “(Canadian) border security officials (have) declared (British Member of Parliament George) Galloway, 54, ‘inadmissible’ because of his views on Afghanistan and the presence of Canadian troops there and would be turned away if he attempted to enter the country.” That same day, on the basis of the right to free speech, the Council of Canadians called on the Harper government to allow Mr. Galloway into Canada,
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=237.
NEWS: Privatization concerns enter the 2014
Canada Health Accord renegotiations
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5259
The Harper government has begun its preparations for the 2014 federal-provincial renegotiation of the Canada Health Accord.
NEWS: Kristen Stewart may star in film based on
‘Blue Covenant’
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5257
The News International recently reported that, “American actress Kristen Stewart (Bella from Twilight) is reportedly (to) be romancing none other than heartthrob Hrithik Roshan in the upcoming Shekhar Kapur film Paani. …The Shekhar Kapur film tells the story (in a water scarce future 30 years from now) about a poor boy, portrayed by Hrithik Roshan, who lives in the slum areas of Mumbai. A rebel at heart, the boy comes across a rich girl, played by Kristen Stewart, and the two fall in love.”
VOTE: Would for-profit medicine improve our
health care system?
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5255
The Globe and Mail is asking in an on-line poll, “Would allowing more for-profit medicine improve Canada’s health care system?” At this hour (7:20 am ET) the votes are 44 percent (138 votes) yes, and 56 percent (175 votes) no.
NEWS: Harper, Ignatieff may keep 600 soldiers in Afghanistan
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5253
The Canadian Press reports that, “The Harper government is considering a proposal that would keep (up to 600) Canadian troops in Afghanistan until 2014 in a non-combat, training role… The move would extend Canada’s military presence in Afghanistan three years past the July 2011 withdrawal deadline set by Parliament, but would remove troops from the front lines of fighting.”
UPDATE: Council to screen ‘Inuit Knowledge’ film on
Parliament Hill, Nov. 24
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5249
The Council of Canadians and partners will be screening the new film ‘Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change’ on Parliament Hill on Wednesday November 24, the eve of the next round of climate negotiations which begin just five days later in Cancun. We are also planning to show the film in Cancun during these talks.
UPDATE: Council of Canadians meets with MEPs on
CETA and the tar sands
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5247
The Council of Canadians, alongside Indigenous representatives, met with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on the issue of the tar sands this past Friday morning. Council of Canadians climate justice campaigner Andrea Harden-Donahue, Board member Steven Shrybman, and media officer Dylan Penner were present at the meeting.
UPDATE: Council joins call to end toxic tar sands tailings
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5241
A Greenpeace Canada media release on Thursday states, “As European Members of Parliament continue their tour of the tar sands, 75 groups from across Canada, the U.S. and Europe have signed on to a call-out demanding that toxic tailings lakes be phased out immediately.”
- - - - - -
Council of Canadians Update - November 10, 2010
UPDATE: G20 legal defence fundraiser in Toronto, Nov. 11
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5284
If you live in the Toronto area, please note:
An Evening of Song, Speech, Art and Dance with Naomi Klein, Hawksley Workman, LAL and DJ Aruna & Billy! Hosted by Comedienne Martha Chaves.
NEWS: Barlow speaks in Idaho
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5276
The Idaho Mountain Express reports that Council of Canadians chairperson and Blue Planet Project founder Maude Barlow spoke on “the global implications of a growing water crisis” at the Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood in Ketchum, Idaho on Thursday November 4.
NEWS: Chapter petition seeks fracking ban in Nova Scotia
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5274
The Canadian Press reports that, “A petition calling for a ban in Nova Scotia on a controversial method of oil and gas extraction has been tabled in the legislature. …The petition with about 1,200 names calls for a provincial ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking — a process that involves using large quantities of water mixed with sand and chemicals to free gas from shale.”
NEWS: Will John Baird represent Canada at the
Cancun climate talks?
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5278
The Vancouver Sun has reported that with the resignation of Jim Prentice as environment minister that, “(John) Baird (may) be representing Canada at the next international climate change summit, which begins on Nov. 29 in Cancun, Mexico…” While “(Prime Minister Stephen) Harper’s office would not say whether Baird would still be the minister leading Canada’s delegation at the summit,” Baird’s confrontational-style of politics is raising concerns about this possibility.
- - - - -
Council of Canadians Update - November 12, 2010
UPDATE: Blue Mountain Center meeting continues
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5300
This morning we were welcomed to Mohawk territory on the shore of Eagle Lake by David Arquette of the Haudenosaunee Environmental Taskforce, on this our second day of working to build a movement to defend the Great Lakes as a commons, public trust, and protected bio-region.
NEWS: The mining industry’s lobbying blitz to kill C-300
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5297
The Globe and Mail reports that, “A lobbying blitz on Parliament Hill may have sealed the defeat of (C-300) that lost (by just six votes) in the House of Commons.”
NEWS: Canada-India CEPA talks announced
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5295
The Toronto Star reports that, “Canada is officially opening free-trade negotiations with India, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.”
UPDATE: The Council of Canadians, the Great Lakes,
and the commons
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5290
It’s late evening now at the Blue Mountain Center in upper New York state where the Council of Canadians has travelled today to meet with others to discuss strategies and frameworks to protect the Great Lakes.
UPDATE: Council criticizes G20 summit in Seoul
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5288
CBC.ca reports today that, “Prime Minister Stephen Harper has arrived in South Korea to meet with other G20 leaders on what to do next to strengthen the global economy. …Harper has warned his G20 counterparts ahead of the summit not to let the struggling recovery distract them from cutting budget deficits and trade imbalances. In a letter to the G20 leaders last week, Harper reminded them of promises made during the June summit in Toronto to cut deficits and debt and subsequent agreements on guidelines for their current accounts.”
NEWS: ‘People Power’ screening in Whistler, Nov. 16
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5286
The Whistler Question reports that, “A group of B.C. residents concerned about energy and the environment is inviting Sea to Sky residents to an event (on Tuesday November 16) that will include the screening of a new film (’People Power: Building Social Movements to Protect Public Power in Canada’) dealing with the protection of public power assets.”
Business lobby again invited to brief trade committee on
CETA
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1169
On Monday, the parliamentary trade committee will for the second time hear from witnesses on the Canada-EU free trade negotiations. Also for the second time, the Canada-Europe Roundtable for Business will speak right after Canada’s lead negotiator, Steve Verheul. The two-for-two record isn’t proof of undue influence on trade policy by a business lobby but it doesn’t look good either. My question for the trade committee is, What do you expect CERT to say about the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) that they didn’t say at the first CETA hearing before the summer break? I suspect they’re invited to fight off any whiff of skepticism about the deal from opposition MPs, which would be highly inappropriate but not surprising from a Conservative government that has been caught making up statistics to sell CETA to the public.
For more on the cozy relationship between CERT and the federal government, see our new fact sheet: CETA and Corporate Lobbying:
Corporations hold power over negotiations:
http://www.canadians.org/trade/documents/CETA/
CETA-corporations-1010.pdf
Atlantic Organizer in St. John’s
http://www.canadians.org/activistblog/?p=261
Arriving in St. John’s on November 2nd, the main purpose of my visit was to attend the Sandy Pond Alliance Annual General Meeting. But Ken Kavanagh, St. John’s chapter chair, managed to squeeze a lot of work into my 24-hr visit, including the AGM, supper with Chapter members, breakfast with a local politician, and a visit to Long Harbour (Sandy Pond)!
=====================
12. Oil spill still poisoning wildlife years later, native band charges
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... -columbia/
oil-spill-still-poisoning-wildlife-years-later-native-band-charges/article1795967/
MARK HUME, Globe and Mail, Nov. 11, 2010
Eight years ago, a pipeline ruptured in a remote section of northeastern British Columbia, spilling a thick, viscous mixture of more than 1,000 barrels of oil and saltwater into a boggy area near Doig River.
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. moved quickly on the West Peejay spill and later won praise for following “all the proper procedures.” But long after officials signed off on the cleanup, hunters from the small Doig River band began returning with troubling reports that moose, caribou and other wildlife were being drawn to the location, and to other abandoned oil and gas sites in the region, to lick salty, polluted soil.
Then stories started to spread through northern villages of hunters finding moose that had “green meat” – swollen, black intestines and possible tumors.
Now the B.C. government and industry are taking a hard second look at the area, amid growing demands from natives to fence off or clean up sites that may have become dangerous salt licks for animals.
The issue is the focus of a documentary report by senior producer Kelvin Redvers, to be aired Sunday at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, on CTV British Columbia’s First Story.
It will be posted on the web at
www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/firststory/.
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/
british-columbia/oil-spill-still-poisoning-wildlife-years-later-native-band-charges/article1795967/
====================
13. Chief welcomes endorsement of UN native document
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20101112/
canada-endorses-un-native-declaration-101112/
The Canadian Press
Date: Friday Nov. 12, 2010 4:09 PM ET
OTTAWA — Canada formally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on Friday three years after being just one of four countries to vote against the pact.
The move, announced at UN headquarters in New York, was welcomed as a positive development by the Assembly of First Nations.
"It's something that the welcome," said Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
The endorsement of the declaration -- non-binding statement of principles for dealing with native groups -- fulfills a pledge made in the speech from the throne last March.
A government news release said of the declaration: "It sets out a number of principles that should guide harmonious and co-operative relationships between indigenous peoples and states, such as equality, partnership, good faith and mutual respect. Canada strongly supports these principles."
Indian Affairs Minister John Duncan said the endorsement of the document is part of an effort by the government to strengthen its relationship with aboriginal peoples.
MORE:
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20101112/
canada-endorses-un-native-declaration-101112/
==================
14. The Word Obama Forgot to Say
http://sierraclub.typepad.com/michaelbrune/2010/11/
the-word-obama-forgot-to-say.html
11/12/2010
A couple months ago, I was out in Dimock, PA, meeting with community members who've been affected by reckless natural gas drilling in and around their town. I was also there to tape an interview with Leslie Stahl, for an episode of 60 Minutes that will air this Sunday.
Dimock has become an unfortunate poster child of dangerous gas extraction and after spending some time there, it's easy to understand why. Many residents have expressed alarm at how their drinking water has turned brown and made them sick soon after gas drilling started. The water is now too poisonous for most residents near drilling operations to use for drinking or bathing; it will be at least a couple years until a pipeline is built to transfer water from a safe location. Moreover, highly flammable, greenhouse gas-intensive methane that is believed to have been released from gas drilling or hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") caused one Dimock resident's well to spontaneously combust one day. Methane released from a gas drilling site has been observed bubbling up in the Susquehanna River, miles away. And while sitting in the front yard of another Dimock resident, I could hear methane gurgling constantly out of a special vent recently installed in their own well.
Concerns about natural gas extraction have been on the rise not just in Dimock, but in places across the country, from West Virginia to Texas to Wyoming. And yet even given these important issues, natural gas still has a relatively lighter footprint than coal or oil. Gas is not a clean fuel, but it can be cleaner.
So it was with great interest that I heard Obama talking about natural gas last week. In a press conference the day after the election, someone asked if there were issues he might be willing to collaborate on with the new Congress. "We've got, I think, broad agreement that we've got terrific natural gas resources in this country," the president replied. "Are we doing everything we can to develop those?"
Uh oh. Look, I can only imagine the pressures that the president is under on a daily basis. And I can sympathize with the unique challenges the president faces of needing to speak accurately and precisely on a wide variety of topics with the media ready to pounce on any minor nuance or particular slipup. But what did concern me about the president's statement was a single word that I didn't hear. I hope his question about natural gas resources omitted that word unintentionally: "Are we doing everything we can to develop those responsibly?"
Clearly, we are not. Not when fracking is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act, parts of the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, as well as our country's hazardous waste and cleanup laws.
It's important to acknowledge that just because natural gas is cleaner than other fossil fuels -- especially coal -- does not mean we should give the industry a free pass. The exploration, production, transportation, and burning of natural gas is an inherently dirty business that disrupts local communities and pollutes the environment. There are thousands of documented cases of air and water pollution violations and human health and safety hazards. If natural gas is to be part of the mix that displaces dirtier energy sources like coal and oil, these have to be addressed.
===================
15. Eight of Nine U.S. Companies Agree to Work with EPA Regarding Chemicals Used in Natural Gas Extraction – 3 articles
EPA conducting congressionally mandated study to examine the impact of the hydraulic fracturing process on drinking water quality; Halliburton subpoenaed after failing to meet EPA’s voluntary requests for information
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/
a96496444c546959852577d6005e63d6?OpenDocument
Release date: 11/09/2010
Contact Information: Jalil Isa (Media Inquiries only),
isa.jalil@epa.gov, 202-564-3226, 202-564-4355
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that eight out of the nine hydraulic fracturing companies that received voluntary information requests in September have agreed to submit timely and complete information to help the agency conduct its study on hydraulic fracturing. However, the ninth company, Halliburton, has failed to provide EPA the information necessary to move forward with this important study. As a result, and as part of the agency’s effort to move forward as quickly as possible, today EPA issued a subpoena to the company requiring submission of the requested information that has yet to be provided.
EPA’s congressionally mandated hydraulic fracturing study will look at the potential adverse impact of the practice on drinking water and public health. The agency is under a tight deadline to provide initial results by the end of 2012 and the thoroughness of the study depends on timely access to detailed information about the methods used for fracturing. EPA announced in March that it would conduct this study and solicit input from the public through a series of public meetings in major oil and gas production regions. The agency has completed the public meetings and thousands of Americans from across the country shared their views on the study and expressed full support for this effort.
MORE:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/
a96496444c546959852577d6005e63d6?OpenDocument
More information on the subpoena and mandatory request for information on Halliburton’s hydraulic fracturing operations:
http://www.epa.gov/hydraulicfracturing
- - - - - -
EPA: Halliburton Issued Subpoena For Refusing To Disclose Hydraulic Fracturing, 'Fracking,' Chemical Ingredients
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/
epa-halliburton-subpoenae_n_781045.html
MATTHEW DALY | 11/ 9/10 05:41 PM |
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency subpoenaed energy giant Halliburton Tuesday, seeking a description of the chemical components used in a drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing.
The EPA said it issued the subpoena after Texas-based Halliburton refused to voluntarily disclose the chemicals used in the controversial drilling practice, also known as "fracking." Halliburton was the only one of nine major energy companies that refused the EPA's request.
The agency said the information is important to its study of fracking, in which crews inject millions of gallons of water, mixed with sand and chemicals underground to force open channels in sand and rock formations so oil and natural gas will flow.
The EPA is studying whether the practice affects drinking water and the public health.
A Halliburton spokeswoman said the company was disappointed by the EPA's action. "Halliburton welcomes any federal court's examination of our good-faith efforts with the EPA to date," said spokeswoman Teresa Wong.
The subpoena is the latest bad news for Halliburton, which has been under fire for its role in the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Investigators for a presidential panel say the company pumped faulty cement into the well that later blew out, killing 11 people and spewing more than 200 million gallons of crude oil.
MORE:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/
epa-halliburton-subpoenae_n_781045.html
= = = = =
Halliburton Fails to Give Gas-Drilling Data, EPA Says
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-09/
halliburton-fails-to-give-gas-drilling-data-epa-says.html
November 09, 2010, 4:10 PM EST By Kim Chipman
Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Halliburton Co., the second-largest oilfield-services company, was subpoenaed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after failing to provide requested information on hydraulic fracturing.
Halliburton was the only one of nine companies that didn’t respond to the inquiry about hydraulic fracturing, a drilling technique that shoots water, sand and chemicals into shale rock under high pressure to extract natural gas, the EPA said in an e-mailed statement today. The environmental regulator is gathering data for a congressionally mandated report on the effects of fracturing on drinking water.
“Halliburton has failed to provide EPA the information necessary to move forward with this important study,” the agency said in the statement. “Today EPA issued a subpoena to the company requiring submission of the requested information that has yet to be provided.”
MORE:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-09/
halliburton-fails-to-give-gas-drilling-data-epa-says.html
===================
16. Victory! Gas Fracking to be Banned in Pittsburgh
http://climatevoices.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/
victory-gas-fracking-banned-in-pittsburgh/
November 10, 2010...5:29 pm
CITY COUNCIL APPROVES BAN ON DRILLING IN CITY
November 9, 2010, (Pittsburgh) In an 8-0 vote, Pittsburgh City Council gave preliminary approval today to a bill that would ban natural gas drilling in the city. The legislation was crafted in response to the ever increasing efforts of gas drilling companies to lease land for Marcellus Shale drilling.
Councilman Ricky Burgess did not vote but his aide has indicated that he intends to vote for approval when final voting takes place on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at Council’s Legislative Meeting.
“I am gratified by the unanimous support of my colleagues for this critical piece of legislation,” said Councilman Doug Shields. “I hope that other municipalities across the Commonwealth will follow our example.”
Contact: Doug Shields, 412-255-8965 or 412-719-6877
= = = = = =
Pittsburgh council gives preliminary approval to gas drilling ban; legal challenge likely
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/
article.jsp?content=D9JDC2Q81
From The Associated Press, November 10, 2010 - 10:59 AM
PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh City Council has given preliminary approval to a ban on natural gas drilling within the limits of the western Pennsylvania city.
Council president Darlene Harris said the panel has concerns about the effects of drilling and industry chemicals on the health of residents. The measure was approved 8-0 Tuesday with a final vote expected next week.
Councilman Doug Shields, who introduced the measure, said officials could not let the industry "run unabated throughout our cities, towns and natural environment."
Attorneys representing gas companies have said they would probably challenge such a ban in court. Drilling is regulated by state and federal environmental protection agencies.
An industry group, the Canonsburg-based Marcellus Shale Coalition, says the measure would deny private property owners their "fundamental rights" and does not take into account the economic benefits of drilling to the region.
===================
17. Chevron: Atlas Energy Being Acquired For $3.2 Billion Giving Oil Company Prime Access To East Coast Natural Gas Boom
CHRIS KAHN | 11/ 9/10 09:01 AM |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/
chevron-atlas-energy-acqu_n_780997.html
NEW YORK — Chevron will buy natural gas producer Atlas Energy Inc., marking the major oil company's first foray into the rich gas fields in the eastern part of the U.S.
Chevron will pay with both cash and stock, the companies said Tuesday. Including debt of about $1.1 billion, the deal is worth $4.3 billion.
Shares of Atlas jumped $11.73, or 37 percent, to $43.45 while Chevron shares lost 69 cents, or less than 1 percent, to $84.11 in premarket trading.
Chevron Corp., based in San Ramon, Calif., is the latest major oil company to make a big acquisition in the natural gas sector, following Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell. Atlas is a big player in the Marcellus shale of Western Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
Many energy companies have rushed to tap America's large reservoirs of natural gas hidden in shale rock formations, using new drilling technologies that have brought down the cost of production. Chevron hadn't made any significant moves to explore in the shale deposits, until now.
With natural gas prices continuing to languish, analysts say Chevron is striking at a time when it can get a good price for those assets. Natural gas futures settled at $4.088 per 1,000 cubic feet on the NYMEX Monday, down about 11.4 percent since July 1.
"When the market is weak, that's when it's time to act," Argus Research analyst Phil Weiss said.
MORE:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/
chevron-atlas-energy-acqu_n_780997.html
=================
18. First U.S. LNG Cargo For Europe!!
From: lagran
To: Prime Minister/Premier ministre ; iggy ; Layton, Jack - M.P.
Cc: premier@gov.nl.ca ; min.dfaitmaeci@international.gc.ca ; Minister, EMPR EMPR:EX ; goodale ; flaherty ; dnd_mdn@forces.gc.ca ; bill boyd ; Jerry Bellikka ; Alberta Activism ; jmorales@neb-one.gc.ca ; acameron@neb-one.gc.ca
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 2:43 PM
It is already happening!!!! Where are all those who think NAFTA has been a great deal for Canada? By supplying the U.S with cheap natural gas the United States call domestic, Canada is allowing the United States to export their contract LNG to pricier markets for profit! We are indeed that stupid. As a major gas exporter our vast reserves remain "Land-locked" and committed solely to the low priced NAFTA market that allows the U.S to profit on their LNG contracts.
I am so sorry "Pipeline-Prentice" is no longer the Head-Mule contact with the foreign CARTEL of Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, and Conoco Phillips. I would like him to again explain why Canada should help fund the Mackenzie Pipeline, that would allow the Americans to export more and more LNG for value added profit. Does Canada need a National Energy Program? What is Canada doing about the contracted LNG for the St.John facility that was so unwisely built to import LNG into an exporting country? Could Canada not take more advantage than the U.S.of redirecting LNG to Europe and also reconfigure the St John facility to export East coast gas production?
In the West the pipelines to ports remain only a dormant dream, even though Frank McKenna advised well over 1 year ago that such a pipeline would increase NAFTA prices. Harper's government is becoming famous for becoming involved in NO heavy lifting, leaving Canadians exposed solely to foreign oil CARTELS, even with international trade issues. It was just easier to allow raw bitumen exports than to confront the issue by making laws that would prevent such!! Harper should be encouraged to focus less on Netanyahu and Israel's well-being, roll-up his sleeves and do something for CANADA!! Again I must ask---is Harper really Canadian?
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, AB
- - - - - -
United States wades into Russia's gas domain
http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/business/
story.html?id=9c19b095-4b95-4941-8c26-b77d3cdddd18
Americans plan LNG shipments across Atlantic to Europe
By Daniel Fineren And Edward McAllister, Reuters November 10, 2010
The United States may play a role this winter in loosening Russia's grip on the European market for natural gas by shipping liquefied natural gas across the Atlantic.
Awash with domestic shale gas and with little need to import extra fuel, the United States has started re-exporting LNG cargoes, which firms had previously imported under contract, to countries where gas prices are much higher.
Such shipments could contribute to a growing pool of cheaper LNG going to Russia's biggest export market this winter. In the longer term, U.S. plans to build plants to liquefy shale gas could create another rival to Russian pipelines.
The first re-export cargo from the United States to Britain -- a key access point for LNG into northern Europe via an Interconnector pipeline to Belgium -- is set to sail over the weekend.
"It is a landmark shipment," said Zach Allen at NATS LNG analysts in Raleigh North Carolina.
"LNG has, through the Interconnector, played a major role in reducing intake of Russian gas into western Europe."
U.S. shale gas has already forced many LNG producers that had hoped to supply the North American market to find alternative buyers, with many cargoes ending up in Europe and driving spot gas prices below the price of oil-indexed Russian gas.
MORE:
http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/business/
story.html?id=9c19b095-4b95-4941-8c26-b77d3cdddd18
====================
19. Attorney General-elect Schneiderman staunchly opposes hydraulic fracturing
http://www.stargazette.com/article/20101107/NEWS01/
11070359/1113/Attorney-General-elect-Schneiderman-staunchly-opposes-hydraulic-fracturing
By Jon Campbell •jcampbell1@gannett.com • November 7, 2010, 6:00 p
BINGHAMTON -- When it comes to natural gas, Nov. 2's election brought a mixed bag of incumbents and newcomers with various takes on how New York should proceed with its moratorium on drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
The state's Attorney General-elect, however, took one of the strongest stances against hydraulic fracturing of any candidate statewide.
Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat who handily defeated Republican gas-drilling supporter Dan Donovan on Tuesday, has said he will sue to stop the controversial drilling process of hydraulic fracturing -- until it is proven safe -- and aggressively go after drillers who break the rules.
"As Attorney General, I will build on the strong Cuomo environmental record and ensure that the office's environmental bureau remains active and engaged to investigate and protect our water supply," Schneiderman said in a statement. "Neither the state nor the federal government has determined that hydrofracking is a safe practice, and I will sue to make sure that no drilling takes place until those determinations have been made."
Several anti-fracking groups praised the stance and supported the former Manhattan senator during his campaign.
MORE: http://www.stargazette.com/article/2010 ... 0359/1113/
Attorney-General-elect-Schneiderman-staunchly-opposes-hydraulic-fracturing
=====================
20. Leading experts pool their most recent understanding of the harm of industrial wind turbines on human health
http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/
unity-of-knowledge/
by Rick Conroy Wellington Times Nomber 5, 2010
Piece by piece, presentation by presentation, the foundation upon which industrial wind industry and much of Ontario’s Green Energy Act sits was taken apart and dismantled this past weekend.
The industrial wind turbine business was always on shaky ground. It has been promoted by governments eager to be seen to be doing something about the western world’s reliance on fossil fuels—oil, gas and coal. In many respects wind energy policy has been a public relations exercise fuelled by governments’ willingness to spill billions of taxpayer dollars into developer’s pockets. They do so with a mix of wishful thinking and willful blindness in the expectation that technology leaps will fill in the significant operational gaps before most folks realize intermittent generating sources don’t work on a large scale.
None of these folks anticipated, however, that industrial wind turbines would actually make people sick. After the first international symposium in Picton on the weekend, there can be little doubt remaining.
Several analogies were made about how the fight against the harmful effects of smoking tobacco began with just a few voices in the medical and scientific community. It would take decades, however, before governments would listen and begin to take action. The esteemed participants of the Picton gathering fervently hope it doesn’t take as long for governments and the broader public to understand the harm caused by industrial wind turbines.
Dr. Bob McMurtry, a physician and former deputy minister of health in Ontario, gathered doctors, scientists and researchers from around the world to Picton in reveal their findings and share the latest information on the impact of industrial wind turbines in what he termed a “consilience” or unity of knowledge.
MORE:
http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/
unity-of-knowledge/
Last edited by Oscar on Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:21 pm, edited 3 times in total.
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9144
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FRACKING NEWS: November 15, 2010
by Oscar » Mon Nov 15, 2010 12:27 pm
FRACKING NEWS: November 15, 2010
1. Industry blamed for bird's demise - Sage grouse on path to extinction in Alberta
2. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Alta tarsands pond sludge oozes into bush
3. WATCH: Got Thirst? Will Alberta Water Law leave you high and dry?
4. Alberta Lutherans: Called to be Stewards of Alberta's Water
5. Canada 'quits' pipeline bomber hunt
6. Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas Footprint of Natural Gas from Shale Formations Obtained by High-Volume, Slick-Water Hydraulic Fracturing
7. WATCH: Shale Gas Drilling: Pros & Cons (Shale-ionares)
8. How many water supplies have been impacted by gas drilling? Pa. doesn't keep count
9. End $300 billion subsidies for fossil fuels, says energy watchdog
10. 'Peak Oil' and the German Government - Military Study Warns of a Potentially Drastic Oil Crisis
11. EU energy chief wants 1 trillion euro network revamp
=====================
1. Industry blamed for bird’s demise – Sage grouse on path to extinction in Alberta
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
Industry+blamed+bird+demise/3796921/story.html
By Hanneke Brooymans, edmontonjournal.com
November 9, 2010 6:32 AM
EDMONTON — Unrestrained gas development in southern Alberta could drive the sage grouse to extinction in this province within two years, says a University of Alberta scientist.
Mark Boyce has studied sage grouse since 1977, first in Wyoming and for the last decade in Alberta. He might be lacking a study subject soon, though. It’s estimated only 90 birds remain in the province.
“They’re going very fast,” Boyce said Monday in an interview from Queensland, Australia, where he is on sabbatical. “Last year, we had twice as many birds as we have this year and the year before that we had almost twice as many as that.”
Boyce has pinpointed the culprit.
“This will be the first case where the oil and gas industry has caused the extirpation of a species from Alberta.” Extirpation means a species is wiped out in a local area.
Sage grouse are famous largely because of the behaviour of the males of the species. In the spring, they gather and stage a sort of Canadian Idol competition. They literally inflate their chests and strut, making a distinctive popping sound that attracts hens. The winner mates with up to 75 per cent of the watching females, according to the field guide Birds of Alberta.
But in a paper published in the Journal of Wildlife Management last week, Boyce and his co-authors Jennifer Carpenter and Cameron Aldridge say sage grouse avoid energy development.
The birds won’t come within 1.9 kilometres of an oil or gas well, Boyce said. Given the widespread nature of the industry in the area, that doesn’t leave the bird with much habitat.
“There’s a huge gas play going on down there,” Boyce said. “The effect of a gas well extends out for 1.9 kilometres from the well site itself, and that’s not to mention the effects of the roads and power lines that go in. That area is just being riddled and fragmented into little tiny pieces by gas development. We’ve known this is a serious problem for five years. But the province has failed or refused to do anything about it.”
Boyce said if the rapid decline continues, Alberta could have no sage grouse by 2012. And if the decline is as great as in the last two years, they could be gone next year.
Sage grouse in Alberta and Saskatchewan are at the northernmost extent of their range, so the species wouldn’t be extinct. However, if the two provinces both lose the species, it would be considered extinct in Canada.
MORE:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
Industry+blamed+bird+demise/3796921/story.html
=====================
2. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Alta tarsands pond sludge oozes into bush
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2010 11:24 AM
Please see Article below – This is awful! We can not allow for more of these toxic lakes to be created for the purposes of mining tar sands!
This should not be a political issue, it is a life and death issue, everyone is affected by this toxic waste and what it does to our water and our environment – we need to put a stop to it now!
If you want to help facilitate a legislated end to these toxic lakes please take a moment to sign on as an individual or organization for to the text below. I am hoping that you can help support this call for justice by doing 3 things:
Get your NRO or other groups you may be associated with to sign-on to the call-out below by sending me your group/business/association name, contact info, city, country.
Circulating this message to others and sign-on individually at
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/40239.html
Tell your elected officials that you have signed on to this statement! (For more info and an Action Alert on the proposal for a new tar sands mine with a new tailings lake please see:
http://tinyurl.com/28o5q2a
We are looking to use this sign-on to increase the pressure on the Canadian Provincial and Federal government to eliminate tar sands tailing lakes following the latest duck death incident, on-going health issues reported by downstream primarily Indigenous communities, and the continued poisoning of precious Northern water systems. We are looking for as broad sign-on as possible (i.e. landowner, environment, First Nation, student, arts/culture, business, poverty, women’s etc.). If you are able to sign your NRO/group on and send this to your network I would be truly grateful.
Sheila Muxlow
Director
Sierra Club Prairie
- - - - -
The following is a plea for sanity in Northern Alberta:
We, the undersigned, represent diverse interests and priorities. We come from different walks of life {environmental, social, conservation, labour, health, First Nation, Metis, forestry, land use, arts, environmental justice, humanitarian, water, business, and farmers}; but we are united in our concern about the impact that tar sands tailing lakes are having on bird, animal, aquatic and human populations.
We are calling, with one voice, for the Alberta and the Federal government to address the growing and at times deadly impacts tar sands tailing lakes have by immediately denying all proposals that would require the creation of new tailings ponds and by legislating the complete phase out of existing tailings ponds because of the on-going and potential danger they pose to bird, animal, plant, aquatic and human populations.
Sincerely,
- - - - - -
NEWS: Alta. Oilsands pond sludge oozes into bush
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/11/14/
edmonton-tailings-pond-cnrl.html
Last Updated: Monday, November 15, 2010 | 5:32 AM MT CBC News
The tailings pond at CNRL’s Horizon oilsands project near Fort McKay, Alta. The uncontained western edge of the pond can be seen at the bottom of the picture. (CBC)
A northern Alberta tailings pond appears to have toxic sludge flowing into the muskeg from an uncontained western edge, a situation uncovered by a CBC News investigation.
The pond, located in a remote area about 70 kilometres northwest of Fort McMurray, contains toxic waste from the Horizon oilsands project operated by Calgary-based Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL). It has been in operation for about a year.
Mike Orr, a band councillor from the Fort McKay First Nation, is worried about what might happen to the band’s traditional food sources if animals drink water from the pond. (CBC)The pond has containing berms on all but its western side. According to documents obtained by CBC News, the company is relying on topography and clay beneath the surface to contain the tailings on that section of the pond.
CNRL is legally permitted to have this setup. The plan was approved six years ago by Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB).
But members of the Fort McKay First Nation are worried animals they traditionally hunt and trap may be drinking the water flowing from the tailings pond because there isn’t a barrier to keep them away.
“I feel like I want to cry,” said band councillor Mike Orr. “I grew up on the land. That’s the way I was brought up — to live off the land.”
MORE:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/11/14/
edmonton-tailings-pond-cnrl.html
===================
3. WATCH: Got Thirst? Will Alberta Water Law leave you high and dry?
http://sites.google.com/site/gotthirstalberta
================
4. Alberta Lutherans: Called to be Stewards of Alberta’s Water
Synod Of Alberta and the Territories Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Alberta Lutherans: Called to be Stewards of Alberta’s Water
A growing population, drought, low river water flows and toxic contamination mean that Alberta is facing a water crisis. The provincial government is currently reviewing our water allocation system and seems likely to implement a system based not on human needs (food production, drinking, cooking, cleaning), but on profit, and an antiquated “first come, first served” basis. Now is the time to give input to the government review.
Who has the right to water in Alberta, and what changes are needed so that families, ecosystems and future generations are ensured access to clean water?
At the Synod Convention, June 2010, a workshop on this issue was presented. Sheila Muxlow (Sierra Club) brought extensive knowledge on the current situation. Sierra Club is asking for our help with a postcard campaign to the provincial government.
Workshop/Campaign Backgrounder
Got Thirst? Will New Alberta Water Law Leave You High and Dry?Alberta is in a Water Crisis!
Water is becoming a scarce resource in Alberta. In addition to record low water flows in all seven of our river basins, Alberta has many water woes that need to be dealt with. Our water worries span the many concerns of toxic contamination and drought, to overallocation and population growth, to boiled water advisories and even tap water that you can light on fire. The questions then arise: Who has right to use water in Alberta? & How will our environment be protected in the process?
First in Time, First in Right (FITFIR) is not an equitable way to allocate water
Our present system of water allocation functions from a first come, first serve principle that does not prioritize water needs for our families, ecosystems, or future generations.
This means license holders who claimed water first have priority access to water, despite what they are using it for or if their use will run a river dry. Under the FITFIR system, our rivers and lakes along with many municipalities and farmers have junior licenses and thus in a time of scarcity are the ones forced to take on the burden of having to go without water, while senior license holders can continue business as usual.
Top-Down Democracy
In the fall of 2008, Minister Rob Renner (with AENV) announced the province would do a review of water rights and the allocation system. Since then there has been no public outreach or consultation on what the changes should look like. Instead the government commissioned 3 committees to provide recommendations. The recommendations do not challenge the FITFIR system, and rather focus solely on market based solutions, with some going further to call for a deregulation of protections and public oversight we already have. The government is using these recommendations to draft their revisions to
the province’s Water Act. Only when the major direction and decisions have been determined will the public be allowed to comment. Additionally treaty responsibilities that demand First Nations provide free, prior and informed consent before changes to water allocation and use be developed, are also not being met by the government of Alberta.
Violation of Treaty Responsibilities
The Supreme Court of Canada has confirmed that both the Federal and Provincial Crown have a constitutional duty to consult with and accommodate First Nations when the Crown’s actions potentially impact confirmed and claimed Treaty and Aboriginal rights. The management and allocation of water resources off-reserve by the government of Alberta has the potential to profoundly impact First Nation’s on-reserve water resources, the right to use and benefit from reserve lands, Treaty water rights and other Treaty and Aboriginal rights. First Nation people are recognized stewards of their traditional territories, particularly with respect to all essential elements including air and water, and
thus must be at the forefront of policy development with respect to these natural resources.
Water Market’s and Deregulation are not the answer!
Water markets create a profit incentive for water license holders to trade water to other uses, by making water licenses private property that can be bought, sold or traded.
Thus instead of regulating and protecting our water the government will be relegating the decisions on who gets water under an ability to pay principle. More concerning, water markets contradict the need for water conservation, as water that is presently not being used is given a price tag and an incentive is created to allocate unused water to a use that can draw a profit. Advocates say water markets will allocate water to “higher value uses” but they define higher value uses as those that increase the GDP. (An FYI- water kept in rivers or provided for basic human needs can not compare in GDP growth with the development of a new coal bed methane well or other such development.) Where are the the protections for our families, our ecosystems, and our future generations?
We in Alberta need to make changes to our water laws to ensure that we have strong protections that ensure water access for our basic human needs, our lakes and rivers and for our children and grandchildren.
We all need water to survive now and in the future and our lakes and rivers provide us with the natural infrastructure to replenish many elements on this planet- plus give us the natural space to engage in clean, green recreational activities. None of the official recommendations ask for these prioritization s and protections above the needs of industrial and commercial uses. We can’t stay silent on this in Alberta. We need to make it known now so changes to water law do not leave us high and dry!
In Summary, the Major Concerns with the proposed changes are three-fold:
1) Develop a provincial water allocation system that focuses on the public interest by giving first priority to ecosystem health and basic human needs, rather than a market based system that allocates access to water based on the ability to pay.
2) Incorporate water conservation as a top priority of government and to dedicate adequate funding and staff to this purpose.
3) Conduct broad and meaningful consultations with the public, impacted groups and First Nations on the full range of options before making changes to the Water Act.
Make Your Voice Heard!
Despite the fact that the government has not asked for public input, we have the right to make our voices heard. Water is a resource that we all need for a healthy life and we as the public need to be involved with changes to legislation around water policy. Send a postcard, call, write your MLA and MP and let them know your opinion! Then tell others and keep putting the pressure on!
Postcard available on website:
www.gotthirstalberta.ca
================
5. Canada ‘quits’ pipeline bomber hunt
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/11/
20101111101152807284.html
In Depth by Al Jazeera
Police relent in hunt for saboteur who attacked the US’ top oil supplier, as some locals embrace conspiracy theories.
Chris Arsenault Last Modified: 12 Nov 2010 17:34 GMT
From his farm house in northern Canada, Tim Ewert has watched hundreds of elite security forces hunt the bomber responsible for attacking six gas installations in the past two years.
Then, he says, he watched most of Canada’s famed mounted police pack up and head home without catching their man.
Canada is the largest foreign supplier of oil to the US, so the repercussions from attacks have been felt in the boardrooms of Houston and the halls of power in Washington and Ottawa, far away from the rolling hills of northeastern British Columbia province.
The sabotage campaign led EnCana, North America’s largest extractor of natural gas and the exclusive target of the attacks, to offer a $1mn reward for information leading to the saboteur’s conviction. It is reportedly tied for the largest award ever offered in Canadian history. The stakes are high.
The first attack hit a gas pipeline in October 2008, days after local media and corporate officials received threatening, hand-written letters demanding that EnCana “close down operations [and stop] endangering our families with crazy expansion of deadly gas wells in our homelands”.
No one has been charged over the bombings, which police say constitute “domestic terrorism”.
MORE:
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/11/
20101111101152807284.html
===================
6. Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas Footprint of Natural Gas from Shale Formations Obtained by High-Volume, Slick-Water Hydraulic Fracturing
http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/howarth/
GHG%20emissions%20from%20Marcellus%20--%20November%202010.pdf
Robert W. Howarth
David R. Atkinson Professor of Ecology & Environmental Biology, Cornell University
(November15, 2010)
Natural gas is widely advertised and promoted as a clean burning fuel that produces less greenhouse gas emissions than coal when burned. While it is true that less carbon dioxide is emitted from burning natural gas than from burning coal per unit of energy generated, the combustion emissions are only part of story and the comparison is quite misleading. With funding from the Park Foundation, my colleagues Renee Santoro, Tony Ingraffea, and I have assessed the likely footprint from natural gas in comparison to coal.
We have now submitted a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. A summary figure from the submission is shown here. (See Graph – URL below.) Please note this should be treated tentatively, as changes or refinements in response to reviewer comments are likely. We nonetheless post the update now due to the tremendous interest in the topic, and its importance in deciding the wisdom of viewing natural gas as a transitional fuel over the coming decades, with a lower greenhouse gas footprint than coal.
The figure illustrates a comparison using a 20-year horizon for the relative importance of methane and carbon dioxide.
- - - -
GRAPH: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology is at:
http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/howarth/
GHG%20emissions%20from%20Marcellus%20--%20November%202010.pdf
Comparison of greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas, diesel oil, and coal, including both direct emissions of CO2 during combustion (blue bars), indirect emissions of CO2 necessary to develop and use the energy source (red bars), and fugitive emissions of methane, converted to equivalent value of CO2 for global warming potential assuming a 20-year time horizon (purple bars). For natural gas, the solid bar represents the low end estimate, and the stippled bar represents the high end. Units are grams carbon per million joules of energy.
- - - - -
We urge caution in viewing natural gas as good fuel choice for the future. Using the best available science, we conclude that natural gas is no better than coal and may in fact be worse than coal in terms of its greenhouse gas footprint when evaluated over the time course of the next several decades. Note that both the National Academy of Sciences and the Council of Scientific Society Presidents have urged great caution before proceeding with the development of diffuse natural gas from
shale formations using unconventional technology.
See: National Research Council (2009). Hidden Costs of Energy: Unpriced Consequences of Energy Production and Use. National Academy of Sciences Press; and Letter to President Obama and senior administration officials, May 4, 2009, from the Council of Scientific Society Presidents.
=====================
7. WATCH: Shale Gas Drilling: Pros & Cons (Shale-ionares)
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/
?id=7054210n&tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea.4
November 14, 2010 12:34 PM
While some complain that extracting natural gas from shale rock formations is tainting their water supply, others who have allowed drilling on their property are getting wealthy. Lesley Stahl reports.
Story below: How many water supplies have been impacted by gas drilling? Pa. doesn't keep count
=================
8. How many water supplies have been impacted by gas drilling? Pa. doesn't keep count
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/
how-many-water-supplies-have-been-impacted-by-gas-drilling-pa-doesn-t-keep-count-1.1063683
By Laura Legere (Staff Writer) Published: November 14, 2010
Marcellus Shale Complete coverage of natural gas drilling in Northeast Pennsylvania including recently updated searchable database of natural gas drilling leases for Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming Counties
Strengthened oil and gas regulations to be considered by a state review board this week will help answer an increasingly urgent question in the era of Marcellus Shale exploration: how many water supplies have been impacted by drilling activities?Right now, no one is keeping a complete count.
The Oil and Gas Act does not require drillers to notify state regulators when landowners alert them that drinking water has been harmed by the companies' operations.
Under current law, the Department of Environmental Protection must look into cases of potential drinking water pollution only when it is asked to investigate a problem by a landowner.
The department also does not track how often gas drillers voluntarily replace drinking water supplies, either temporarily or permanently.
"Often, homeowners and drillers work out agreements without needing the department's assistance," DEP spokesman Tom Rathbun said. "We get involved when we are notified of a problem, but we are not made aware of every case."
A revised Oil and Gas Act will change that. When the new regulations go into effect, likely in January if they pass all reviews, drillers will have to notify the department within 24 hours of receiving a complaint.
MORE:
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/
how-many-water-supplies-have-been-impacted-by-gas-drilling-pa-doesn-t-keep-count-1.1063683
=====================
9. End $300 billion subsidies for fossil fuels, says energy watchdog
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/677854/
end_300_billion_subsidies_for_fossil_fuels_says_energy_watchdog.html
Tom Levitt 9th November, 2010
Subsidies for oil, coal and gas sectors were six times higher than those for renewable energy in 2009, the latest International Energy Agency (IEA) assessment has revealed
Ending government subsidies for fossil-fuels is the best way of cutting demand and stopping rising carbon emissions from the energy sector, says the Paris-based IEA, which urged the money to be switched to supporting the renewable sector.
Total subsidies paid to support fossil fuels amounted to more than $312 billion in 2009 in comparison to $57 billion in support for renewables. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, India and China accounted for more than half of all the coal, gas and oil subsidies.
The IEA, whose assessments most governments base their energy policies on, estimate that cutting fossil fuel subsidies would reduce the world's energy-related carbon dioxide emissions by 5.8 per cent.
'Getting the prices right, by eliminating fossil-fuel subsidies, is the single most effective measure to cut energy demand in countries where they persist, while bringing other immediate economic benefits,' said IEA executive director Nobuo Tanaka, who added that the renewable sector could play a 'central role in reducing carbon-dioxide emissions, but only if strong and sustained support is made available.'
Greenpeace welcomed the call and said the fossil fuel subsidies were leading to 'unfair competition with clean and climate friendly renewable energies.'
MORE:
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/677854/
end_300_billion_subsidies_for_fossil_fuels_says_energy_watchdog.html
====================
10. 'Peak Oil' and the German Government - Military Study Warns of a Potentially Drastic Oil Crisis
http://www.spiegel.de/international/ger ... 38,00.html
By Stefan Schultz 09/01/2010
A study by a German military think tank has analyzed how "peak oil" might change the global economy. The internal draft document -- leaked on the Internet -- shows for the first time how carefully the German government has considered a potential energy crisis.
The term "peak oil" is used by energy experts to refer to a point in time when global oil reserves pass their zenith and production gradually begins to decline. This would result in a permanent supply crisis -- and fear of it can trigger turbulence in commodity markets and on stock exchanges.
- - - - -
German Military Study Warns of Potential Energy Crisis
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6912
Posted by Robert Rapier on September 2, 2010 - 10:30am
This week a study on peak oil by a German military think tank was leaked on the Internet. The document shows that the German government is closely studying the issue of peak oil, and is aware of the potential for serious consequences as oil production declines. The study is reminiscent of the Hirsch Report, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy, that warned of the risks posed by peak oil.
The document warns of the potential for regional shortages, market failures, and a shift in political power toward those capable of exporting oil. This report describes potential outcomes that require planning and preparation. The scenarios outlined in the paper are exactly the kinds of drivers that lead me to advocate for greater regional energy self-sufficiency. The report clearly lays out just how vulnerable Europe will be because of its continuing dependence upon Russia for both oil and gas, and notes that Russia will be in a very strong political bargaining position as a result.
MORE:
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6912
================
11. EU energy chief wants 1 trillion euro network revamp
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE6A90WT20101110
Wed, Nov 3 2010 BRUSSELS | Wed Nov 10, 2010 5:04am EST
Nov 10 (Reuters) - Europe's energy chief unveiled a strategy on Wednesday for investing 1 trillion euros ($1,391 billion) over the next decade in a shared EU energy network to bolster solidarity and curb rising dependence on fossil fuel imports.
European Union Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said the narrow interests of national capitals had prevailed for too long. He asked European leaders to back his plan for unity at the first EU energy summit on Feb. 4.
= = = = =
Global oil availability has peaked -EU energy chief
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBRU01112520101110
BRUSSELS | Wed Nov 10, 2010
Nov 10 (Reuters) - The availability of oil worldwide has already peaked, the European Union's energy chief Guenther Oettinger said on Wednesday.
"My fear is that the global consumption of oil is going to increase, but European oil consumption has already reached its peak. The amount of oil available globally, I think, has already peaked," Oettinger told a news briefing in Brussels.
He was presenting a new EU energy strategy for investing 1 trillion euros over the next decade in a common EU energy network, to curb the bloc's dependence on fossil fuel imports. (Reporting by Charlie Dunmore, editing by Rex Merrifield)
1. Industry blamed for bird's demise - Sage grouse on path to extinction in Alberta
2. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Alta tarsands pond sludge oozes into bush
3. WATCH: Got Thirst? Will Alberta Water Law leave you high and dry?
4. Alberta Lutherans: Called to be Stewards of Alberta's Water
5. Canada 'quits' pipeline bomber hunt
6. Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas Footprint of Natural Gas from Shale Formations Obtained by High-Volume, Slick-Water Hydraulic Fracturing
7. WATCH: Shale Gas Drilling: Pros & Cons (Shale-ionares)
8. How many water supplies have been impacted by gas drilling? Pa. doesn't keep count
9. End $300 billion subsidies for fossil fuels, says energy watchdog
10. 'Peak Oil' and the German Government - Military Study Warns of a Potentially Drastic Oil Crisis
11. EU energy chief wants 1 trillion euro network revamp
=====================
1. Industry blamed for bird’s demise – Sage grouse on path to extinction in Alberta
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
Industry+blamed+bird+demise/3796921/story.html
By Hanneke Brooymans, edmontonjournal.com
November 9, 2010 6:32 AM
EDMONTON — Unrestrained gas development in southern Alberta could drive the sage grouse to extinction in this province within two years, says a University of Alberta scientist.
Mark Boyce has studied sage grouse since 1977, first in Wyoming and for the last decade in Alberta. He might be lacking a study subject soon, though. It’s estimated only 90 birds remain in the province.
“They’re going very fast,” Boyce said Monday in an interview from Queensland, Australia, where he is on sabbatical. “Last year, we had twice as many birds as we have this year and the year before that we had almost twice as many as that.”
Boyce has pinpointed the culprit.
“This will be the first case where the oil and gas industry has caused the extirpation of a species from Alberta.” Extirpation means a species is wiped out in a local area.
Sage grouse are famous largely because of the behaviour of the males of the species. In the spring, they gather and stage a sort of Canadian Idol competition. They literally inflate their chests and strut, making a distinctive popping sound that attracts hens. The winner mates with up to 75 per cent of the watching females, according to the field guide Birds of Alberta.
But in a paper published in the Journal of Wildlife Management last week, Boyce and his co-authors Jennifer Carpenter and Cameron Aldridge say sage grouse avoid energy development.
The birds won’t come within 1.9 kilometres of an oil or gas well, Boyce said. Given the widespread nature of the industry in the area, that doesn’t leave the bird with much habitat.
“There’s a huge gas play going on down there,” Boyce said. “The effect of a gas well extends out for 1.9 kilometres from the well site itself, and that’s not to mention the effects of the roads and power lines that go in. That area is just being riddled and fragmented into little tiny pieces by gas development. We’ve known this is a serious problem for five years. But the province has failed or refused to do anything about it.”
Boyce said if the rapid decline continues, Alberta could have no sage grouse by 2012. And if the decline is as great as in the last two years, they could be gone next year.
Sage grouse in Alberta and Saskatchewan are at the northernmost extent of their range, so the species wouldn’t be extinct. However, if the two provinces both lose the species, it would be considered extinct in Canada.
MORE:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
Industry+blamed+bird+demise/3796921/story.html
=====================
2. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Alta tarsands pond sludge oozes into bush
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2010 11:24 AM
Please see Article below – This is awful! We can not allow for more of these toxic lakes to be created for the purposes of mining tar sands!
This should not be a political issue, it is a life and death issue, everyone is affected by this toxic waste and what it does to our water and our environment – we need to put a stop to it now!
If you want to help facilitate a legislated end to these toxic lakes please take a moment to sign on as an individual or organization for to the text below. I am hoping that you can help support this call for justice by doing 3 things:
Get your NRO or other groups you may be associated with to sign-on to the call-out below by sending me your group/business/association name, contact info, city, country.
Circulating this message to others and sign-on individually at
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/40239.html
Tell your elected officials that you have signed on to this statement! (For more info and an Action Alert on the proposal for a new tar sands mine with a new tailings lake please see:
http://tinyurl.com/28o5q2a
We are looking to use this sign-on to increase the pressure on the Canadian Provincial and Federal government to eliminate tar sands tailing lakes following the latest duck death incident, on-going health issues reported by downstream primarily Indigenous communities, and the continued poisoning of precious Northern water systems. We are looking for as broad sign-on as possible (i.e. landowner, environment, First Nation, student, arts/culture, business, poverty, women’s etc.). If you are able to sign your NRO/group on and send this to your network I would be truly grateful.
Sheila Muxlow
Director
Sierra Club Prairie
- - - - -
The following is a plea for sanity in Northern Alberta:
We, the undersigned, represent diverse interests and priorities. We come from different walks of life {environmental, social, conservation, labour, health, First Nation, Metis, forestry, land use, arts, environmental justice, humanitarian, water, business, and farmers}; but we are united in our concern about the impact that tar sands tailing lakes are having on bird, animal, aquatic and human populations.
We are calling, with one voice, for the Alberta and the Federal government to address the growing and at times deadly impacts tar sands tailing lakes have by immediately denying all proposals that would require the creation of new tailings ponds and by legislating the complete phase out of existing tailings ponds because of the on-going and potential danger they pose to bird, animal, plant, aquatic and human populations.
Sincerely,
- - - - - -
NEWS: Alta. Oilsands pond sludge oozes into bush
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/11/14/
edmonton-tailings-pond-cnrl.html
Last Updated: Monday, November 15, 2010 | 5:32 AM MT CBC News
The tailings pond at CNRL’s Horizon oilsands project near Fort McKay, Alta. The uncontained western edge of the pond can be seen at the bottom of the picture. (CBC)
A northern Alberta tailings pond appears to have toxic sludge flowing into the muskeg from an uncontained western edge, a situation uncovered by a CBC News investigation.
The pond, located in a remote area about 70 kilometres northwest of Fort McMurray, contains toxic waste from the Horizon oilsands project operated by Calgary-based Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL). It has been in operation for about a year.
Mike Orr, a band councillor from the Fort McKay First Nation, is worried about what might happen to the band’s traditional food sources if animals drink water from the pond. (CBC)The pond has containing berms on all but its western side. According to documents obtained by CBC News, the company is relying on topography and clay beneath the surface to contain the tailings on that section of the pond.
CNRL is legally permitted to have this setup. The plan was approved six years ago by Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB).
But members of the Fort McKay First Nation are worried animals they traditionally hunt and trap may be drinking the water flowing from the tailings pond because there isn’t a barrier to keep them away.
“I feel like I want to cry,” said band councillor Mike Orr. “I grew up on the land. That’s the way I was brought up — to live off the land.”
MORE:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/11/14/
edmonton-tailings-pond-cnrl.html
===================
3. WATCH: Got Thirst? Will Alberta Water Law leave you high and dry?
http://sites.google.com/site/gotthirstalberta
================
4. Alberta Lutherans: Called to be Stewards of Alberta’s Water
Synod Of Alberta and the Territories Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Alberta Lutherans: Called to be Stewards of Alberta’s Water
A growing population, drought, low river water flows and toxic contamination mean that Alberta is facing a water crisis. The provincial government is currently reviewing our water allocation system and seems likely to implement a system based not on human needs (food production, drinking, cooking, cleaning), but on profit, and an antiquated “first come, first served” basis. Now is the time to give input to the government review.
Who has the right to water in Alberta, and what changes are needed so that families, ecosystems and future generations are ensured access to clean water?
At the Synod Convention, June 2010, a workshop on this issue was presented. Sheila Muxlow (Sierra Club) brought extensive knowledge on the current situation. Sierra Club is asking for our help with a postcard campaign to the provincial government.
Workshop/Campaign Backgrounder
Got Thirst? Will New Alberta Water Law Leave You High and Dry?Alberta is in a Water Crisis!
Water is becoming a scarce resource in Alberta. In addition to record low water flows in all seven of our river basins, Alberta has many water woes that need to be dealt with. Our water worries span the many concerns of toxic contamination and drought, to overallocation and population growth, to boiled water advisories and even tap water that you can light on fire. The questions then arise: Who has right to use water in Alberta? & How will our environment be protected in the process?
First in Time, First in Right (FITFIR) is not an equitable way to allocate water
Our present system of water allocation functions from a first come, first serve principle that does not prioritize water needs for our families, ecosystems, or future generations.
This means license holders who claimed water first have priority access to water, despite what they are using it for or if their use will run a river dry. Under the FITFIR system, our rivers and lakes along with many municipalities and farmers have junior licenses and thus in a time of scarcity are the ones forced to take on the burden of having to go without water, while senior license holders can continue business as usual.
Top-Down Democracy
In the fall of 2008, Minister Rob Renner (with AENV) announced the province would do a review of water rights and the allocation system. Since then there has been no public outreach or consultation on what the changes should look like. Instead the government commissioned 3 committees to provide recommendations. The recommendations do not challenge the FITFIR system, and rather focus solely on market based solutions, with some going further to call for a deregulation of protections and public oversight we already have. The government is using these recommendations to draft their revisions to
the province’s Water Act. Only when the major direction and decisions have been determined will the public be allowed to comment. Additionally treaty responsibilities that demand First Nations provide free, prior and informed consent before changes to water allocation and use be developed, are also not being met by the government of Alberta.
Violation of Treaty Responsibilities
The Supreme Court of Canada has confirmed that both the Federal and Provincial Crown have a constitutional duty to consult with and accommodate First Nations when the Crown’s actions potentially impact confirmed and claimed Treaty and Aboriginal rights. The management and allocation of water resources off-reserve by the government of Alberta has the potential to profoundly impact First Nation’s on-reserve water resources, the right to use and benefit from reserve lands, Treaty water rights and other Treaty and Aboriginal rights. First Nation people are recognized stewards of their traditional territories, particularly with respect to all essential elements including air and water, and
thus must be at the forefront of policy development with respect to these natural resources.
Water Market’s and Deregulation are not the answer!
Water markets create a profit incentive for water license holders to trade water to other uses, by making water licenses private property that can be bought, sold or traded.
Thus instead of regulating and protecting our water the government will be relegating the decisions on who gets water under an ability to pay principle. More concerning, water markets contradict the need for water conservation, as water that is presently not being used is given a price tag and an incentive is created to allocate unused water to a use that can draw a profit. Advocates say water markets will allocate water to “higher value uses” but they define higher value uses as those that increase the GDP. (An FYI- water kept in rivers or provided for basic human needs can not compare in GDP growth with the development of a new coal bed methane well or other such development.) Where are the the protections for our families, our ecosystems, and our future generations?
We in Alberta need to make changes to our water laws to ensure that we have strong protections that ensure water access for our basic human needs, our lakes and rivers and for our children and grandchildren.
We all need water to survive now and in the future and our lakes and rivers provide us with the natural infrastructure to replenish many elements on this planet- plus give us the natural space to engage in clean, green recreational activities. None of the official recommendations ask for these prioritization s and protections above the needs of industrial and commercial uses. We can’t stay silent on this in Alberta. We need to make it known now so changes to water law do not leave us high and dry!
In Summary, the Major Concerns with the proposed changes are three-fold:
1) Develop a provincial water allocation system that focuses on the public interest by giving first priority to ecosystem health and basic human needs, rather than a market based system that allocates access to water based on the ability to pay.
2) Incorporate water conservation as a top priority of government and to dedicate adequate funding and staff to this purpose.
3) Conduct broad and meaningful consultations with the public, impacted groups and First Nations on the full range of options before making changes to the Water Act.
Make Your Voice Heard!
Despite the fact that the government has not asked for public input, we have the right to make our voices heard. Water is a resource that we all need for a healthy life and we as the public need to be involved with changes to legislation around water policy. Send a postcard, call, write your MLA and MP and let them know your opinion! Then tell others and keep putting the pressure on!
Postcard available on website:
www.gotthirstalberta.ca
================
5. Canada ‘quits’ pipeline bomber hunt
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/11/
20101111101152807284.html
In Depth by Al Jazeera
Police relent in hunt for saboteur who attacked the US’ top oil supplier, as some locals embrace conspiracy theories.
Chris Arsenault Last Modified: 12 Nov 2010 17:34 GMT
From his farm house in northern Canada, Tim Ewert has watched hundreds of elite security forces hunt the bomber responsible for attacking six gas installations in the past two years.
Then, he says, he watched most of Canada’s famed mounted police pack up and head home without catching their man.
Canada is the largest foreign supplier of oil to the US, so the repercussions from attacks have been felt in the boardrooms of Houston and the halls of power in Washington and Ottawa, far away from the rolling hills of northeastern British Columbia province.
The sabotage campaign led EnCana, North America’s largest extractor of natural gas and the exclusive target of the attacks, to offer a $1mn reward for information leading to the saboteur’s conviction. It is reportedly tied for the largest award ever offered in Canadian history. The stakes are high.
The first attack hit a gas pipeline in October 2008, days after local media and corporate officials received threatening, hand-written letters demanding that EnCana “close down operations [and stop] endangering our families with crazy expansion of deadly gas wells in our homelands”.
No one has been charged over the bombings, which police say constitute “domestic terrorism”.
MORE:
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/11/
20101111101152807284.html
===================
6. Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas Footprint of Natural Gas from Shale Formations Obtained by High-Volume, Slick-Water Hydraulic Fracturing
http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/howarth/
GHG%20emissions%20from%20Marcellus%20--%20November%202010.pdf
Robert W. Howarth
David R. Atkinson Professor of Ecology & Environmental Biology, Cornell University
(November15, 2010)
Natural gas is widely advertised and promoted as a clean burning fuel that produces less greenhouse gas emissions than coal when burned. While it is true that less carbon dioxide is emitted from burning natural gas than from burning coal per unit of energy generated, the combustion emissions are only part of story and the comparison is quite misleading. With funding from the Park Foundation, my colleagues Renee Santoro, Tony Ingraffea, and I have assessed the likely footprint from natural gas in comparison to coal.
We have now submitted a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. A summary figure from the submission is shown here. (See Graph – URL below.) Please note this should be treated tentatively, as changes or refinements in response to reviewer comments are likely. We nonetheless post the update now due to the tremendous interest in the topic, and its importance in deciding the wisdom of viewing natural gas as a transitional fuel over the coming decades, with a lower greenhouse gas footprint than coal.
The figure illustrates a comparison using a 20-year horizon for the relative importance of methane and carbon dioxide.
- - - -
GRAPH: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology is at:
http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/howarth/
GHG%20emissions%20from%20Marcellus%20--%20November%202010.pdf
Comparison of greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas, diesel oil, and coal, including both direct emissions of CO2 during combustion (blue bars), indirect emissions of CO2 necessary to develop and use the energy source (red bars), and fugitive emissions of methane, converted to equivalent value of CO2 for global warming potential assuming a 20-year time horizon (purple bars). For natural gas, the solid bar represents the low end estimate, and the stippled bar represents the high end. Units are grams carbon per million joules of energy.
- - - - -
We urge caution in viewing natural gas as good fuel choice for the future. Using the best available science, we conclude that natural gas is no better than coal and may in fact be worse than coal in terms of its greenhouse gas footprint when evaluated over the time course of the next several decades. Note that both the National Academy of Sciences and the Council of Scientific Society Presidents have urged great caution before proceeding with the development of diffuse natural gas from
shale formations using unconventional technology.
See: National Research Council (2009). Hidden Costs of Energy: Unpriced Consequences of Energy Production and Use. National Academy of Sciences Press; and Letter to President Obama and senior administration officials, May 4, 2009, from the Council of Scientific Society Presidents.
=====================
7. WATCH: Shale Gas Drilling: Pros & Cons (Shale-ionares)
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/
?id=7054210n&tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea.4
November 14, 2010 12:34 PM
While some complain that extracting natural gas from shale rock formations is tainting their water supply, others who have allowed drilling on their property are getting wealthy. Lesley Stahl reports.
Story below: How many water supplies have been impacted by gas drilling? Pa. doesn't keep count
=================
8. How many water supplies have been impacted by gas drilling? Pa. doesn't keep count
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/
how-many-water-supplies-have-been-impacted-by-gas-drilling-pa-doesn-t-keep-count-1.1063683
By Laura Legere (Staff Writer) Published: November 14, 2010
Marcellus Shale Complete coverage of natural gas drilling in Northeast Pennsylvania including recently updated searchable database of natural gas drilling leases for Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming Counties
Strengthened oil and gas regulations to be considered by a state review board this week will help answer an increasingly urgent question in the era of Marcellus Shale exploration: how many water supplies have been impacted by drilling activities?Right now, no one is keeping a complete count.
The Oil and Gas Act does not require drillers to notify state regulators when landowners alert them that drinking water has been harmed by the companies' operations.
Under current law, the Department of Environmental Protection must look into cases of potential drinking water pollution only when it is asked to investigate a problem by a landowner.
The department also does not track how often gas drillers voluntarily replace drinking water supplies, either temporarily or permanently.
"Often, homeowners and drillers work out agreements without needing the department's assistance," DEP spokesman Tom Rathbun said. "We get involved when we are notified of a problem, but we are not made aware of every case."
A revised Oil and Gas Act will change that. When the new regulations go into effect, likely in January if they pass all reviews, drillers will have to notify the department within 24 hours of receiving a complaint.
MORE:
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/
how-many-water-supplies-have-been-impacted-by-gas-drilling-pa-doesn-t-keep-count-1.1063683
=====================
9. End $300 billion subsidies for fossil fuels, says energy watchdog
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/677854/
end_300_billion_subsidies_for_fossil_fuels_says_energy_watchdog.html
Tom Levitt 9th November, 2010
Subsidies for oil, coal and gas sectors were six times higher than those for renewable energy in 2009, the latest International Energy Agency (IEA) assessment has revealed
Ending government subsidies for fossil-fuels is the best way of cutting demand and stopping rising carbon emissions from the energy sector, says the Paris-based IEA, which urged the money to be switched to supporting the renewable sector.
Total subsidies paid to support fossil fuels amounted to more than $312 billion in 2009 in comparison to $57 billion in support for renewables. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, India and China accounted for more than half of all the coal, gas and oil subsidies.
The IEA, whose assessments most governments base their energy policies on, estimate that cutting fossil fuel subsidies would reduce the world's energy-related carbon dioxide emissions by 5.8 per cent.
'Getting the prices right, by eliminating fossil-fuel subsidies, is the single most effective measure to cut energy demand in countries where they persist, while bringing other immediate economic benefits,' said IEA executive director Nobuo Tanaka, who added that the renewable sector could play a 'central role in reducing carbon-dioxide emissions, but only if strong and sustained support is made available.'
Greenpeace welcomed the call and said the fossil fuel subsidies were leading to 'unfair competition with clean and climate friendly renewable energies.'
MORE:
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/677854/
end_300_billion_subsidies_for_fossil_fuels_says_energy_watchdog.html
====================
10. 'Peak Oil' and the German Government - Military Study Warns of a Potentially Drastic Oil Crisis
http://www.spiegel.de/international/ger ... 38,00.html
By Stefan Schultz 09/01/2010
A study by a German military think tank has analyzed how "peak oil" might change the global economy. The internal draft document -- leaked on the Internet -- shows for the first time how carefully the German government has considered a potential energy crisis.
The term "peak oil" is used by energy experts to refer to a point in time when global oil reserves pass their zenith and production gradually begins to decline. This would result in a permanent supply crisis -- and fear of it can trigger turbulence in commodity markets and on stock exchanges.
- - - - -
German Military Study Warns of Potential Energy Crisis
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6912
Posted by Robert Rapier on September 2, 2010 - 10:30am
This week a study on peak oil by a German military think tank was leaked on the Internet. The document shows that the German government is closely studying the issue of peak oil, and is aware of the potential for serious consequences as oil production declines. The study is reminiscent of the Hirsch Report, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy, that warned of the risks posed by peak oil.
The document warns of the potential for regional shortages, market failures, and a shift in political power toward those capable of exporting oil. This report describes potential outcomes that require planning and preparation. The scenarios outlined in the paper are exactly the kinds of drivers that lead me to advocate for greater regional energy self-sufficiency. The report clearly lays out just how vulnerable Europe will be because of its continuing dependence upon Russia for both oil and gas, and notes that Russia will be in a very strong political bargaining position as a result.
MORE:
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6912
================
11. EU energy chief wants 1 trillion euro network revamp
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE6A90WT20101110
Wed, Nov 3 2010 BRUSSELS | Wed Nov 10, 2010 5:04am EST
Nov 10 (Reuters) - Europe's energy chief unveiled a strategy on Wednesday for investing 1 trillion euros ($1,391 billion) over the next decade in a shared EU energy network to bolster solidarity and curb rising dependence on fossil fuel imports.
European Union Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said the narrow interests of national capitals had prevailed for too long. He asked European leaders to back his plan for unity at the first EU energy summit on Feb. 4.
= = = = =
Global oil availability has peaked -EU energy chief
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBRU01112520101110
BRUSSELS | Wed Nov 10, 2010
Nov 10 (Reuters) - The availability of oil worldwide has already peaked, the European Union's energy chief Guenther Oettinger said on Wednesday.
"My fear is that the global consumption of oil is going to increase, but European oil consumption has already reached its peak. The amount of oil available globally, I think, has already peaked," Oettinger told a news briefing in Brussels.
He was presenting a new EU energy strategy for investing 1 trillion euros over the next decade in a common EU energy network, to curb the bloc's dependence on fossil fuel imports. (Reporting by Charlie Dunmore, editing by Rex Merrifield)
Last edited by Oscar on Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:19 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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- Site Admin
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FRACKING NEWS - November 18, 2010
by Oscar » Thu Nov 18, 2010 12:48 pm
FRACKING NEWS - November 18, 2010
1. GASLAND - Free Film Screening - Lethbridge - Nov. 23
2. Reaction to death of Bill C-311 - 4 articles
3. KOOP: Submission the House of Commons Committee on Natural Resources
4. CELDF: Open Letter to Communities Working to Stop Fracking
5. WATCH: The PISIM (Sun) Project: Documentary
6. Council of Canadians Update – November 15 & 17, 2010
7. $1.7 Billion and Rising: Taxpayers' Gas Bill for Oil Sands
8. The Hunger Strike of Mary-Ellen Proctor
9. US Diplomat's Memo Urged 'Greening' of 'Shocking' Oil Sands
10. Murphy Oil Adds Bakken Shale Acreage – Blood Tribe First Nation
11. NAFTA Chapter 11 an increasing threat to the public good
12. WATCH: Author and Activist Derrick Jensen: "The Dominant Culture is Killing the Planet...It’s Very Important for Us to Start to Build a Culture of Resistance"
13. Canadian fracking company plans 200 jobs in W.Pa.
14. New North Dakota oil formation drawing interest
15. Mining Projects That Could Devastate the Entire Planet (Tarsands is included)
16. LETTER: SHIELDS: The Market Harper Ignores
=============================
1. GASLAND - Free Film Screening - Lethbridge - Nov. 23
Lethbridge College - E.C. Fredrick’s Theatre (CE 1365)
Nov. 23, 7 p.m.
= = = = =
OTHER Canadian SCREENINGS:
http://www.cinemapolitica.org/upcoming/ ... imple.html
Tue November 16 8:00pm - Bishop's
Thu November 18 7:00pm - Concordia University (Montreal)
Josh Fox/ USA/ 2010/ 107 min. - Gasland
Thu November 18 7:00pm - Saint John (NB) Josh Fox/ USA/ 2010/ 107 min. Gasland
Fri November 26 6:00pm - Saint John (NB) Josh Fox/ USA/ 2010/ 107 min. - H2Oil
Fri November 26 7:00pm - Friday Night Docs by Cinema Politica Fredericton
Shannon Walsh / Canada / 2009 / 72 min Gasland
Thu January 13 7:00pm - University of Regina Josh Fox/ USA/ 2010/ 107 min. H2Oil
Thu April 14 7:00 pm - Vancouver Public Library Shannon Walsh
======================
2. Reaction to death of Bill C-311 - 4 articles
It's tough to be a climate scientist when dinosaurs are making the calls
http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/
tough+climate+scientist+when+dinosaurs+making+calls/3847040/story.html
Jack Knox Times Colonist November 18, 2010
Having tried, in vain, to peel a spitting-mad Andrew Weaver off the ceiling, I ask Canada's best-known climate scientist whether he ever feels like chucking it all in and stomping off to a quiet corner with a bottle of Jack Daniel's.
"Absolutely," he says. "Retiring with a bottle of Jack Daniel's sounds good right now."
It's 8:23 a.m.
Listening to Weaver, it's hard to know what he's angrier about, the fact that Stephen Harper's Conservatives just sabotaged climate-change legislation, or the sneaky way in which they did it.
At question is a global-warming bill that passed through the House of Commons with the support of the NDP, Liberals and Bloc Québécois, only to be abruptly killed by the Conservatives with a snap vote in the Senate on Tuesday.
It ticks off Weaver that Harper, having been voted in on a promise to do away with the unelected Senate, instead packed the institution with ill-informed patronage appointments ("Mike Duffy, climate scientist extraordinaire") who waited until 15 opposition members were absent before defeating, without debate, a bill that had already been OK'd by the elected arm of Parliament.
The UVic climatologist, sputtering words like "unbelievable" and "dictator" and "shocking affront to democracy," says he hopes the opposition will force Harper's minority government to fall. "He's got to get kicked out. This is Canada, not Zimbabwe ... or maybe it is.
"It's all about not wanting to do anything about the issue," Weaver says of the Senate sabotage. It's about pandering to the oil industry, to the Conservatives' Alberta power base.
- - - - SNIP - - - -
A truly conservative government would gather the evidence, do a rational analysis of the facts and react accordingly, he says. He sounds almost wistful about the approach of Britain's Conservatives, who yesterday
declared their intention to shove the U.K.'s electricity industry into using lower-emitting fuels. Meanwhile, our social reformers are roaring around in Hummers, refighting the Scopes Monkey Trial and pit-lamping hippies. They pay lip service to climate change, but in their hearts believe it's some New Age crystal crap that the Liberals left in the basement.
Climate scientists are "a collective Noah," Weaver says. They have done their job, given the evidence to the politicians -- only to be ignored.
Weaver, the author of Keeping Cool: Canada in a Warming World, also had a key role when the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its report in 2007. People like him must be tempted to throw their hands in the air and walk away, particularly when constantly challenged by the half-informed.
"Mainstream media, could you please stop pitting the ignorant versus the educated and framing it as a debate?" asked U.S. political commentator Bill Maher in a YouTube piece that Weaver loves.
Climate change is a reality, Maher says. "Like it or not, no one can change the nature of reality, except with mushrooms and Pabst Blue Ribbon."
Or maybe a bottle of Jack Daniel's.
= = = = = = =
Greens Decry Conservative Snap Vote on Climate Change Bill
http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2010-11-18/
greens-decry-conservative-snap-vote-climate-change-bill
18 November 2010 - 9:51am
OTTAWA -- The Green Party of Canada is denouncing the decision of the Canadian Senate to kill the Climate Change Accountability Act, Bill C-311, and in so doing, killing Canada's best chance to take real action on climate change and move into a Green economy.
"With COP16 less than two weeks away in Mexico, it is stunning that the Conservative majority in the Senate would use a sneak attack to defeat the only climate legislation before Parliament," said Green Leader Elizabeth May.
Elizabeth May is now calling on Canadians to get on the airwaves and into the newspapers letters section to protest this anti-democratic move. The Bill had passed Third Reading in the House of Commons in May. After being presented to Senate 193 days ago, Bill C-311 was defeated 43-32, with no debate and without being sent back to committee, an extraordinary move not seen in over seventy years.
"Voters should be outraged at the hypocrisy of Prime Minister Harper for using the Senate as an end-run around the House of Commons when he campaigned vigorously for an accountable Senate. His obvious abhorrence of the Bill surely influenced the Conservative members of the now stacked Senate who killed this Bill without any consideration," said May.
"Harper’s assertion that action on climate change throws millions of people out of work is utter absurdity. We could be putting Canadians to work in a Green economy, but this government only hears the special pleadings of the fossil fuel lobby. Even though we pledged at the G20 to kill fossil fuel subsidies, we have not even done that," said May.
A 2009 study by the European Commission found almost half a million jobs will be created by reaching their target of 20% of energy coming from renewables by 2020.
MORE:
http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2010-11-18/
greens-decry-conservative-snap-vote-climate-change-bill
= = = = = =
Shocking defeat of climate bill at the hands of Harper's unelected Senators
http://www.ndp.ca/press/
shocking-defeat-climate-bill-hands-harpers-unelected-senators
NDP Press Releases Wed 17 Nov 2010
OTTAWA — NDP leader Jack Layton said he was appalled to learn last night of the defeat of his party's landmark climate change bill at the hands of Stephen Harper's unelected and unaccountable Conservative Senators.
"Last night, Stephen Harper's appointed Conservative Senators quietly voted to kill a critical environment bill," said Layton. "This bill had already received final approval from elected Members of Parliament -- and yet Stephen Harper's unelected Senators killed it last night. So much for sober second thought.”
Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act, received final approval by the House of Commons on May 5th when it passed Third Reading by a vote of 149-136. Last night in the Senate, the bill was defeated in a snap vote, 43-32.
“As a result of this bill's defeat, Canada now heads to the UN climate change meetings in Cancun completely empty handed," said NDP Environment Critic Linda Duncan. "Despite endless promises to act on climate change, Stephen Harper's government has not even tabled one law to address our rising greenhouse gas emissions."
MORE:
http://www.ndp.ca/press/
shocking-defeat-climate-bill-hands-harpers-unelected-senators
= = = = = =
LETTER: LITTLE: Senate’s decision to kill Bill C-311.
From: Phil Little
To: Stephen Harper
Cc: Gilles Duceppe ; Jack Layton ; Rae.B@parl.gc.ca ; Ignatieff.M@parl.gc.ca ; Jean Crowder ; Charlie Angus ; Davies.L@parl.gc.ca
Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 11:08 AM
Subject: Senate’s decision to kill Bill C-311
I am appalled at the way the Harper government continues to repudiate the will of the Commons - both the house and the people. The latest example is the Senate manoeuvre to kill Bill C-311 which had been passed by the House of Commons. The directed move by the Senate at the will of the Prime Minister displays another act of contempt of Parliament. Furthermore it shows that Canada, under the minority government of Harper, is unwilling to be a responsible global citizen.
Bill C-311 had been delayed and barely debated by the Senate. Instead, a vote was taken on an evening when a number of Liberal Senators were absent which enabled the Conservative appointees to kill the vote. I agree with Mr. Layton when he called this manoeuvre, which apparently hasn’t been used in 70 years, ‘fundamentally wrong’ and an affront to Canadian democracy. “Canadians must not allow the Senate to get away with this…”
Bill C-311 passed the House of Commons last May. It is unacceptable that an unelected Senate voted to kill this Bill without even having a full debate at the Senate, or opportunity for witnesses. Canadian democracy deserves better.
The climate crisis is real and requires urgent action. Bill C-311 was a first step in the right direction. It would have committed the Canadian government to emission reductions (25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020), these are half of what many at the Cancun UN climate negotiations are demanding is necessary.
I am very concerned about Canada’s international reputation entering the next major round of UN climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico November 29 to December 10. Canada’s current emission reduction target amounts a 2.5 percent rise above 1990 levels by 2020. When compared to the 25% called for in Bill C-311 and the 40% to 50% called for by many Global South countries, this is shocking.
And, yet, mere days ahead of the next major round of international climate negotiations in Cancun, the majority of unelected Conservative Senate members killed the Climate Change Accountability Act. Bill C-311 – this is shameful!
I can understand that these unelected Harper appointees have an agenda to play the partisan game at the behest of their benefactor, Stephen Harper. But these Senators are also citizens of Canada and the world, probably have children and grandchildren, live and breathe the same air and drink the same water as the rest of us. Can it be that partisan politics is more important to them than the long term survivability of the planet, its people and all other forms of life. For the sake of the prestige and benefits of a senate position are they so willing to contribute to the denigration and destruction of the environment and ultimately the good of future generations of Canadians?
I reject the recent actions of the unelected Senate, as manipulated by the Senators of the Conservative party, which not only is an affront to the will of Parliament, but an attack on the foundations of Canadian democracy. The arrogance of these Harper appointees brings shame to the Canadian people - and it demonstrates that our democratic institutions are as much threatened here at home as elsewhere in the world.
I urge Parliamentarians to use all means to repudiate this attack on Canadian democracy, including a vote of non-confidence. At this time Canadians will be willing to endure another election to remove Stephen Harper from the position of authority and power which he has abused in so many instances, supported by a weak and wavering official Opposition.
Sincerely,
Phil Little
10846 - Grandview Road,
Ladysmith, B.C. V9G1Z7
===============================
3. KOOP: Submission the House of Commons Committee on Natural Resources
MORE INFO ON THE COMMITTEE --[i] in case you, and or your community wants to send in submission (s). if you are affected by oil shale in your community, send in a submission or ask for a committee to study the oil shales. if you are affected or worried about cbm, or shallow fracturing, send in a submission! now is your chance. –[/i] Will Koop, Vancouver, B.C. Coordinator, B.C. Tap Water Alliance.
= = = = =
SUBMISSION BY BC TAP WATER ALLIANCE
Chair, Natural Resources Standing Committee.
I am forwarding this email to each member of the Committee following advice from the Standing Committee Clerk, Andrew Lauzon.
I understand the Natural Resources Standing Committee is engaged in a study of Energy Security in Canada including looking at unconventional oil and gas, beginning as scheduled for tomorrow, November 18, 2010. I would like to submit the attached two reports (as download-able links) to the Committee for their consideration of this issue. (The reports are too large as email attachments)
My two reports (below) are written only in English, and therefore cannot be distributed to the Standing Committee through its Clerk. Therefore, I am sending each member a link copy of my two reports. I hope to be providing members with executive summaries of each report to be sent to the Committee Clerk, and then distributed to members.
1. EnCana's Cabin Not So Homey: Cumulative Environmental Effects an Unfolding and Emerging Crisis in Northeastern British Columbia's Shale Gas Plays - An Introductory Journey into BC's Dirty Domino Zone. November 9, 2010.
Direct link to report:
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-EnCanasCabin-Nov9-2010.pdf
(pdf file - 13.725 megabytes)
2. 24/7 Less Peace in the Peace. October 13, 2010.
Direct link to report:
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-Talisman-Oct13-2010.pdf
(pdf file - 6.24 megabytes)
Note: More information in the first report, "EnCana's Cabin", concerning specific data on EnCana's 63-K pad site, north of Fort Nelson, B.C., is being pursued with EnCana at this moment. The data on this site was based on projected figures, from figures presented by both EnCana and its well-services contrator/operator Trican. When that data is confirmed with EnCana and the BC Oil and Gas Commission, the report will be revised accordingly, affecting total volumes used by EnCana for fresh water, frack sand, and toxics.
Sincerely, Will Koop, Vancouver, B.C.
Coordinator, B.C. Tap Water Alliance.
- - - - -
Guide for the submission of briefs to a House of Commons Committee
http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/process/house/
WitnessesGuides/guide-brief-E.htm
Who can submit a brief?
Any organization or individual may submit a written brief to a committee of the House of Commons, even if they did not have the opportunity to appear as a witness. Witnesses appearing before a committee are also encouraged to submit a brief to support their presentation.
Format and content of a brief
Although a committee may develop its own criteria as to the relevance and the acceptance of briefs, the general guidelines for their submission and content are as follows:
although individuals or organizations may submit briefs in either official language, briefs are not distributed to members of the committee until they are available in both official languages;
therefore briefs presented in only one of the two official languages must be sent to the clerk of the committee well beforehand to allow sufficient time for translation;
government departments and agencies must submit briefs in both official languages;
the brief should include factual information to substantiate the views expressed and the claims made;
recommendations to the committee should be as specific as possible, especially in terms of suggested amendments to bills;
the name and address of the association, organization or person submitting the brief should be clearly indicated on the title page;
briefs exceeding 10 pages must contain a one page summary;
recommendations should be summarized at the end of the brief;
explanatory notes should be placed at the end of the brief;
any reference materials used should be clearly indicated;
any logos, line drawings, graphs, tables and charts should be done in black ink as other colours may not readily be photocopied;
any photographs submitted with the brief must be in black and white and have a glossy finish;
the clerk must be consulted on the number of copies required.
Andrew Lauzon
Clerk of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources
Sixth Floor, 131 Queen Street
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
RNNR@parl.gc.ca
Tel. 613-995-0047
Fax. 613-996-1626
- - - -
You can listen in to the committee proceedings by clicking on the date in the calendar on the right hand side and then selecting the broadcast icon on the 'Meeting Information' box that drops down.
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/CommitteeBusiness/
CommitteeHome.aspx?Cmte=RNNR&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=3
Standing Committee on Natural Resources (email list)
Benoit.L@parl.gc.ca (Chair) - Leon Benoit
Tonks.A@parl.gc.ca (vice-chair) - Alan Tonks
Cullen.N@parl.gc.ca (vice-chair) - Nathan Cullen
Allen.M@parl.gc.ca - Mike Allen
BruneP@parl.gc.c - Paule Brunelle
Harris.R@parl.gc.ca - Richard M. Harris
Coderre.D@parl.gc.ca - David Anderson
Anderson.Da@parl.gc.ca - Denis Coderre
Pomerleau.R@parl.gc.ca - Roger Pomerleau
Andrews.S@parl.gc.ca - Scott Andrews
Gallant.C@parl.gc.ca - Cheryl Gallant
Shory.D@parl.gc.ca - Devinder Shory
=======================================
4. CELDF: Open Letter to Communities Working to Stop Fracking
http://www.celdf.org/
open-letter-to-communities-working-to-stop-fracking
by CELDF, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
November 16th, 2010
From the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
This morning, the Pittsburgh City Council became the first municipality in the United States to ban natural gas extraction within its boundaries. The ordinance isn’t just a ban – it consists of a new Bill of Rights for Pittsburgh residents (which includes a right to water along with rights for ecosystems and nature), and then proceeds to ban those activities – including natural gas extraction - which would violate those rights.
MORE:
http://www.celdf.org/
open-letter-to-communities-working-to-stop-fracking
===========================
5. WATCH: The PISIM (Sun) Project: Documentary
http://outreach.usask.ca/programs/pisim_project.html
Premiere Screening - "The Pisim Project" Documentary
From: Angela Edmunds <maestarproductions@yahoo.ca>
Please join us for the Premiere Screening of the documentary "The Pisim Project". The Premiere screening will take place in Cumberland House, SK at Charlebois Community School at 7:00pm on Thursday November 18, 2010.
"The Pisim Project" follows a group of students in Cumberland House, SK as they design and build an energy efficient house. Directed by Saskatchewan filmmakers Angela Edmunds & Marcel Petit and produced in collaboration with the Charlebois Community School and the College of Engineering Office of Outreach and Transitions at the University of Saskatchewan.
To view the trailer:
http://www.vimeo.com/11388070
For more information about the project visit :
http://outreach.usask.ca/programs/pisim_project.html
After the Premiere in Cumberland House we will be touring the film to various other communities around the province including:
Saskatoon, Sk Monday, November 22nd, 2010
7:00pm - Broadway Theatre
North Battleford, Sk Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
7:00pm - Public Library
Regina, Sk Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
7:00pm - MacKenzie Art Gallery
The filmmakers, producers and several of the students will also be in attendance at (some or all of) the screenings. We hope to see you at one of the screenings to celebrate this amazing project. Stay tuned for other screenings near you!!
For more information contact:
Angela Edmunds,
maestarproductions@yahoo.ca
Marcel Petit,
mpetproductions@gmail.com
Angela Mae Edmunds
Mae Star Productions
306.381.7460 (c)
maestarproductions@yahoo.ca
www.maestarproductions.ca
========================================
6. Council of Canadians Update – November 15 & 17, 2010
Council of Canadians Update - November 15, 2010
NEWS: Toxic tar sands tailing pond lacking critical barrier
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5331
CBC reports that, “A northern Alberta tailings pond appears to have toxic sludge flowing into the muskeg from an uncontained western edge, a situation uncovered by a CBC News investigation.”
NEWS: Moncton to debate limiting fracking within city limits
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5329
The Times & Transcript reports this morning that, “Moncton city council will debate limiting ‘fracking’ in city limits when they meet this evening at 5 p.m. for their twice monthly council session. Fracking is a controversial method used by natural gas drillers to release natural gas trapped in rock.
NEWS: BHP Billiton withdraws its bid for the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5326
The CBC reports that, “BHP Billiton has withdrawn its $40-billion hostile-takeover bid of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, the Australian company said Sunday.
NEWS: Guelph chapter holds event on peak oil
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5324
The Guelph Mercury reports that Robert Rapier, an American chemical engineer and peak oil expert, “was in (Guelph) Wednesday night to give the keynote address at an event titled Our Environmental Future, (which was) hosted by the University of Guelph and sponsored by the Council of Canadians and Transition Guelph.”
NEWS: APEC commits to a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific by 2020
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5320
The Globe and Mail reports that, “The 21 leaders of APEC signed off on a plan to create a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific by 2020, a long-promised and long-debated effort to open up trade between some of the world’s largest economies.”
WIN! Langley freeway connector turned down
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5318
The Vancouver Examiner reports that opponents of freeway expansion are declaring a partial victory “with the announcement that the British Columbia Agricultural Land Commission turned down a Langley section of the road and overpass proposal.”
NEWS: Kamloops chapter presents community award
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5316
The Kamloops Daily News reports that the Kamloops chapter of the Council of Canadians presented an award last Friday afternoon to Ruth Madsen.
UPDATE: Defending the Great Lakes, building the commons
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5310
We began this morning with a lake-side reflection on the importance of water and the significance of the win on the right to water and sanitation resolution at the United Nations this past July, and its implications for the Great Lakes.
MEMORIAM: Chapter activist John Derwood Camp passes away
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5322
The Comox Valley Record reports that: John Derwood Camp passed away peacefully at his home in the early-morning hours of Nov. 6 after an extended illness.
NEWS: Harper must do more than endorse the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5308
A Government of Canada media release today announced that the Harper government has “formally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” but adds the context, “in a manner fully consistent with Canada’s Constitution and laws.”
ACTION ALERT: Show your support for Canadian corporate accountability for human rights violations and environmental degradation
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/making-waves/2010/11/
action-alert-show-your-support-canadian-corporate-accountability
Canadian mining companies are some of the worst offenders of human rights and environmental standards in developing countries. Mining Watch recently obtained a 2009 report commissioned by Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada which noted that "Canadian mining companies are involved in more than four times as many violations as the next two highest offenders, Australia and India."
- - - - - -
Council of Canadians Update - November 17, 2010
MEDIA RELEASE: Senate killing of Climate Bill C-311 'shocking', says Council of Canadians
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... ov-10.html
ACTION ALERT: Tell your MP how you feel about the Senate’s decision to kill Bill C-311
http://www.canadians.org/action/2010/Bi ... Nov17.html
ACTION ALERT: Sign the petition to ban hydraulic fracturing in Nova Scotia, The Inverness County Chapter of the Council of Canadians
http://www.canadians.org/media/water/20 ... -10-a.html
WIN! Moncton stops selling its drinking water for fracking
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5380
The City of Moncton has been selling its drinking water for $1.58 a cubic metre to Apache Canada, a US-owned mining company, for their hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) testing in the Frederick Brook formation in the Elgin area in southern New Brunswick.
WIN! Glacier Howser project derailed
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5364
The Wilderness Committee reports that, “Late last week we got word that the Glacier Howser project has lost its energy purchase agreement with BC Hydro. … The citizens of Kaslo and Nelson, and all of those who wrote letters (to British Columbia Environmental Assessment office) to keep Glacier and Howser creeks (in the Kootenays) wild know the power of the pen.”
NEWS: Harden-Donahue outraged by C-311 defeat
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5389
The Canadian Press reports this afternoon that, “Opposition MPs and environmental activists say Canada is going into global-warming talks empty-handed after a majority of Conservative senators voted down a climate-change bill. A snap vote in the Senate on Tuesday caught Liberals in the upper house off guard, and not enough Grits showed up to save the bill from losing by a narrow margin of 43-42.”
NEWS: Red Deer chapter challenges Extendicare
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5387
The Red Deer Advocate reports that, “Health care advocates in Central Alberta are demanding that Alberta Health Services take over the operation of Red Deer’s newest privately operated long-term care centre.”
UPDATE: Council supports C-469, a Canadian environmental bill of rights
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5384
Bill C-469, An Act to establish a Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights, had its second reading and debate in the House of Commons this past May, and the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development began studying the bill last month.
NEWS: Council joins call for oil and gas moratorium in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5369
The Gulf of St. Lawrence is the world’s largest estuary and the outlet for the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. Increasingly, concerned groups are saying that oil and gas exploration and drilling should not take place in the Gulf. Today, the Council of Canadians joined in that call.
NEWS: Municipalities worried about costs of new wastewater regulations
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5367
The Montreal Gazette reports that, “Municipal leaders from across the country said they believed (former environment minister Jim) Prentice was starting to understand their concerns about financing waste water system upgrades and improvements required by the regulations.” But they’re not so sure about the new environment minister, John Baird.
NEWS: C-311 climate legislation defeated in the Senate
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5361
This evening, the Senate voted 43 to 32 to kill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act. The bill, passed by the House of Commons in a 149 to 136 vote in May, called for Canada’s carbon emissions to be cut 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
One Giant Step Backwards: Senate kills Bill C-311
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=345
Mere days before the next major round of UN climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, Canada’s unelected Senate killed Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act.
Trade Justice Network releases “October Draft” of CETA
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1172
Yesterday, the Trade Justice Network met again in Ottawa to discuss campaign work against the Canada-EU free trade negotiations.
=======================
7. $1.7 Billion and Rising: Taxpayers' Gas Bill for Oil Sands
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/09/GasBillForOilSands/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151110
Extractors gobble natural gas, deducting the cost from their taxes. That already huge public subsidy, hidden from view, is due to balloon.
By Mitchell Anderson, 9 Nov 2010, TheTyee.ca
Alberta's oil sands extractors' use of natural gas, already voracious and set to rise steeply, is more than half paid for by Canadian taxpayers -- a vast yet little-known subsidy that insiders say encourages profligate consumption of a finite energy source.
The numbers are huge. Oil sands operations currently consume about one billion cubic feet of gas per day, heating thick bitumen so it can be extracted from surrounding rock and gravel. This reverse-alchemy eats up about 20 per cent of Canada's natural gas demand and may balloon to 40 per cent by 2035.
The price is huge, too -- much of it written off against corporate taxes. Bitumen recovery and upgrading will eat up more than 15 billion cubic metres of natural gas this year according to data from the Alberta government. At current prices this will cost $3.4 billion, of which $1.7 billion will be paid for by the public.
Both gas consumption and prices are projected to balloon in coming years, which will vastly increase lost revenue to the taxpayer.
But even though Canadian citizens are on the hook, the Alberta extractors aren't required to share with the public the price they are assigning to the natural gas they are writing off.
Meanwhile, petro firms are pushing into methods of oil sands extraction that require ever increasing amounts of natural gas.
So why has it become so profitable to convert natural gas into tar? Perhaps the biggest piece of the puzzle is hidden in tax and royalty regulations.
Companies operating in Alberta's oil sands are allowed to deduct fuel costs from their provincial and federal taxes. They are also allowed to double dip and deduct these same fuel expenses from the royalties payable the Alberta taxpayer. This means that in the first eight months of 2010, taxpayers paid for more than half of natural gas used to extract bitumen from rock.
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/09/GasBillForOilSands/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151110
=========================================
8. The Hunger Strike of Mary-Ellen Proctor
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/15/MaryEllenProctor/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151110
An army of women joined in fasting to bring attention to the lack of shelter for battered women and children in Fort McMurray.
By Andrew Nikiforuk, November 15, 2010 TheTyee.ca
Not too many people have gone on hunger strikes in Fort McMurray, the moneyed frontier of unconventional oil, but Mary-Ellen Proctor, the mother of eight children, is now proudly one of them.
Last summer she fasted for 21 days and started a phenomenon in the oil sands city.
Joanne Roberts, an employee of ConocoPhillips, followed next and fasted for another three weeks.
Roberts, in turn, was succeeded by several volunteers who fasted for a day or two. Vicki Rankin, a school teacher, then entered the chain at day 86 and fasted another 21 days.
Altogether a growing army of women have now notched up 100 days of consecutive fasting -- and all to draw attention to the lack of housing for battered women and children in the city that bitumen made.
Now Proctor, a 50-year-old Prince Rupert native, never expected to follow in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi or to lead a prolonged hunger strike. But Fort McMurray will change one's life in unexpected ways as northern boomtowns always do.
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/15/MaryEllenProctor/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151110
===================
9. US Diplomat's Memo Urged 'Greening' of 'Shocking' Oil Sands
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/10/MemoUrgedGreening/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151110
'Environmental impacts are high' but US should support Alberta's bitumen mining anyway, advised restricted 2008 report.
By Stanley Tromp, 10 Nov 2010, TheTyee.ca
Alberta's largest buyer of oil appeared internally conflicted, torn between the need for a large secure oil supply and its desire to control carbon emissions. In the end, though, its support for energy supply won out.
That was the conclusion of a top American diplomat writing to the U.S. State Department headquarters in Washington D.C. in Feb. 2008, nearly a year before Barack Obama succeeded George W. Bush as president. The memo was signed by Tom Huffaker, a lawyer who has been U.S. consul general for Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories since Aug. 2006. In March 2009 he became vice president, policy and environment for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) in Calgary.
"In our view, our goal should be to encourage, where we can, a process that is already making fitful progress, the 'greening' of the oil sands," the memo concluded. "Should we opt instead to support policies that damage the market for the oil sands and raise the cost of capital here, we should at least do so knowingly, well aware that, while this may seem to advance our environmental interests, it will harm our energy security."
The memo was obtained under the American freedom of information law (after a one year delay), and marked "sensitive but unclassified," and "not for distribution outside USG [U.S. government] channels." A copy was forwarded to the U.S. embassy in Moscow, where Huffaker had worked in the mid-1990s.
Speaking to The Tyee from CAPP's office in Calgary this week, Huffaker first emphasized that he is speaking only for CAPP today and not the American government. "I'm more sophisticated now. That memo was based on the facts on technology and the economy as I knew it then." He said that if he was writing today, revisions, if any, would be only very minor ones. "There remain the three factors -- energy, the environment and the economy. We don't argue that one is most important."
Although the memo originated in the Bush era, Huffaker says "there is more continuity than change" between Bush and Obama regarding Alberta oil, and "there is much less difference than you would expect on policy." He added that Bush made some environmental progress that is not well recognized today.
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/10/MemoUrgedGreening/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151110
====================================
10. Murphy Oil Adds Bakken Shale Acreage – Blood Tribe First Nation
http://shale.typepad.com/bakkenshale/bl ... st-nation/
09/10/2010
Murphy Oil (MUR) reported that the company has signed an agreement to acquire properties in the Southern Alberta basin that is prospective for the Bakken Shale.
Murphy Oil acquired 202 sections, or 129,280 acres from Kainaiwa Resources Inc., an entity associated with the Blood Tribe First Nation in Canada. The acreage is located on the tribe’s reserve in Alberta. The agreement is for a term of five years and requires Murphy Oil to drill a minimum of sixteen wells during that time.
===================
11. NAFTA Chapter 11 an increasing threat to the public good
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/updates/
nafta-chapter-11-increasing-threat-public-good
NOVEMBER 17, 2010
Canada has been hit with 28 investor-state claims and paid $157M to date.
OTTAWA, November 4, 2010: All levels of government, particularly in Canada, are being targeted by investors for alleged breaches of Chapter 11, NAFTA's investment chapter, says a new report by trade analyst Scott Sinclair.
The report published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) documents all 66 known NAFTA investor-state claims (to October 2010) and analyses recent key developments, including the Canadian government's troubling decision to settle AbitibiBowater's NAFTA claim by paying the company $CAD 130 million.
Investor-state claims as of October 1, 2010 include 28 against Canada, 19 against the U. S., and 19 against Mexico. Canada has paid out NAFTA damages totaling $CAD157 million, while Mexico has paid damages of $US187 million. The U.S. has yet to lose a NAFTA chapter 11 case. All three governments have incurred tens of millions of dollars in legal costs to defend themselves against investor claims.
"This situation has become a legal and economic minefield, with governments too often finding that the best interests of their citizens are trumped by the ability of multinationals to make profits," the study notes.
Click here to read the whole study:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/
nafta-chapter-11-investor-state-disputes-1
=================================
12. WATCH: Author and Activist Derrick Jensen: "The Dominant Culture is Killing the Planet...It’s Very Important for Us to Start to Build a Culture of Resistance"
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/11/15/
author_and_activist_derrick_jensen_the
By Derrick Jensen 16 November, 2010 Democracy Now!
Derrick Jensen has been called the poet-philosopher of the ecological movement. He has written some 15 books critiquing contemporary society and the destruction of the environment. His many books include A Language Older than Words, Endgame, What We Left Behind, Resistance against Empire, and Deep Green Resistance. We play Part I of our conversation with him. "I think a lot of us are increasingly recognizing that the dominant culture is killing the planet," Jensen says. "I think it’s very important for us to start to build a culture of resistance, because what we’re doing isn’t working, clearly." [includes rush transcript]
==========================
13. Canadian fracking company plans 200 jobs in W.Pa.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/
cfwff_brief-canadian-fracking-company-plans-200-jobs-in-w-pa--1313738.html
Posted on: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 02:29:52 EST
Nov 17, 2010 (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
A Canadian gas well services firm plans to hire more than 200 people for a new complex being built in southwestern Pennsylvania to serve Marcellus shale wells.
Calfrac Well Services Corp., based in Calgary, Alberta, provides hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as well as coiled tubing and cementing services for oil and gas well drillers. John Grisdale, president of the company's U.S. operations says Calfrac is building a full-service facility in the Fayette Business Park in Georges Township, about 40 miles south of Pittsburgh.
The facility should open late next year and Grisdale tells the Herald-Standard of Uniontown, "Our expectation is to add 200 or more jobs."
To see more of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/
========================================
14. New North Dakota oil formation drawing interest
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/298724/
DICKINSON, N.D. - The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources released details Monday about an oil formation in southwest North Dakota believed to be similar to the Bakken and leasing has already begun.
By: Lisa Call, Forum Communications Co., INFORUM
Published November 17 2010
DICKINSON, N.D. - The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources released details Monday about an oil formation in southwest North Dakota believed to be similar to the Bakken and leasing has already begun.
Stephan Nordeng, DMR geologist, said the Tyler Formation, which encompasses nearly all of western and southwestern North Dakota, extending into South Dakota, is a very large and complicated formation.
“Up to the north it probably doesn’t cover quite as much area as the Bakken, but it extends further south than the Bakken, but otherwise they lay pretty much on top of each other,” Nordeng said
MORE:
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/298724/
===========================
15. Mining Projects That Could Devastate the Entire Planet (Tarsands is included!)
http://www.alternet.org/story/
148874/5_mining_projects_that_could_devastate_the_entire_planet
Climate Story Tellers / By Subhankar Banerjee November 16, 2010
We've burned coal and oil for more than 100 years that has resulted in human-made climate change. We cannot allow one more hundred years of the same.
- - - - -
I’ll tell you about five Godzilla-scale fossil-digging projects in North America that if approved will set us on a course to repeat our past with grave implications for the future of our planet. You may have already heard about some of these projects individually, but the urgency to stop them collectively is more than ever before.
MORE:
http://www.alternet.org/story/148874/
5_mining_projects_that_could_devastate_the_entire_planet
===========================================
16. LETTER: SHIELDS: The Market Harper Ignores
From: lagran
To: Prime Minister/Premier ministre ; Layton, Jack - M.P. ; iggy ; minister.energy@gov.ab.ca
Cc: Minister, EMPR EMPR:EX ; goodale ; bill boyd ; Alberta Activism
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 10:14 AM
Subject: The Market Harper Ignores
While our federal government is spending millions to study the Mackenzie Pipeline that would allow the Americans to export yet more LNG to Europe, we ignore the LNG potential of China-India market. While the American market for profitable natural gas exports has disappeared, Canada has never adjusted although warned for years of the impending problem approaching! Why? Even Canada's former ambassador to United States noticed this upcoming drastic change, to the point McKenna advised building pipelines to ports, to free Canada's natural gas from the low priced NAFTA market, still we remain "Land-Locked" and 100% comitted to solely this desperate market. Now that the U.S. has started LNG exports to Europe----the more Canadian gas sold through NAFTA the more LNG the Americans can export!! Even Frank McKenna never expected Canada without a nation energy program, and 100% committed to NAFTA, to be that stupid!!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, AB
= = = = = = = =
Great "Chindia" oil grab
http://www.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2010/Nov/16/
Great--Chindia--oil-grab
11/16/2010 7:31:43 AM | Matt Badiali, Growth Stock Wire
China and India's combined oil consumption will be 30% of the forecast world oil production in 10 years
The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects a 36% increase in the world's oil demand over the next 25 years.
But when we look at oil supplies today, there's plenty already. Where is the demand going to come from? In a word: "Chindia."
Here's a chart of China and India's combined daily oil imports:
(GRAPH - on website)
That's an enormous amount of oil imports. However, what's more concerning is the growth rate. If nothing happens to the world's economy to derail this trend, oil will become much more expensive.
In 1993, China imported oil for the first time in decades. As its economy grew, imports grew by an average 26% per year – a colossal amount.
To put that in perspective… in 1965, the U.S. imported 22% of its demand. We didn't hit 50% imports until 1993. It took 27 years for us to import half our oil consumption.
China did it in just nine years.
China's oil demand grew by 7% per year since it began importing oil in 1993. However, it has sped up since 2000. Over the last 10 years, its imports grew 16% per year. Today, imports make up 54% of China's oil demand.
India is also consuming the world's oil at a phenomenal rate. Since 2000, India's imports have grown by 6% per year. Imports represent 76% of its total oil consumption today.
What we see, if we extend this trend 10 years out, is China and India's combined oil consumption will be 30% of the forecast world oil production.
That's an enormous problem, because it doesn't leave much for the rest of us. There just isn't that much new production coming online to meet the needs of the rest of the world. China and India are already grabbing as much as they can…
MORE:
http://www.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2010/Nov/16/
Great--Chindia--oil-grab
1. GASLAND - Free Film Screening - Lethbridge - Nov. 23
2. Reaction to death of Bill C-311 - 4 articles
3. KOOP: Submission the House of Commons Committee on Natural Resources
4. CELDF: Open Letter to Communities Working to Stop Fracking
5. WATCH: The PISIM (Sun) Project: Documentary
6. Council of Canadians Update – November 15 & 17, 2010
7. $1.7 Billion and Rising: Taxpayers' Gas Bill for Oil Sands
8. The Hunger Strike of Mary-Ellen Proctor
9. US Diplomat's Memo Urged 'Greening' of 'Shocking' Oil Sands
10. Murphy Oil Adds Bakken Shale Acreage – Blood Tribe First Nation
11. NAFTA Chapter 11 an increasing threat to the public good
12. WATCH: Author and Activist Derrick Jensen: "The Dominant Culture is Killing the Planet...It’s Very Important for Us to Start to Build a Culture of Resistance"
13. Canadian fracking company plans 200 jobs in W.Pa.
14. New North Dakota oil formation drawing interest
15. Mining Projects That Could Devastate the Entire Planet (Tarsands is included)
16. LETTER: SHIELDS: The Market Harper Ignores
=============================
1. GASLAND - Free Film Screening - Lethbridge - Nov. 23
Lethbridge College - E.C. Fredrick’s Theatre (CE 1365)
Nov. 23, 7 p.m.
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OTHER Canadian SCREENINGS:
http://www.cinemapolitica.org/upcoming/ ... imple.html
Tue November 16 8:00pm - Bishop's
Thu November 18 7:00pm - Concordia University (Montreal)
Josh Fox/ USA/ 2010/ 107 min. - Gasland
Thu November 18 7:00pm - Saint John (NB) Josh Fox/ USA/ 2010/ 107 min. Gasland
Fri November 26 6:00pm - Saint John (NB) Josh Fox/ USA/ 2010/ 107 min. - H2Oil
Fri November 26 7:00pm - Friday Night Docs by Cinema Politica Fredericton
Shannon Walsh / Canada / 2009 / 72 min Gasland
Thu January 13 7:00pm - University of Regina Josh Fox/ USA/ 2010/ 107 min. H2Oil
Thu April 14 7:00 pm - Vancouver Public Library Shannon Walsh
======================
2. Reaction to death of Bill C-311 - 4 articles
It's tough to be a climate scientist when dinosaurs are making the calls
http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/
tough+climate+scientist+when+dinosaurs+making+calls/3847040/story.html
Jack Knox Times Colonist November 18, 2010
Having tried, in vain, to peel a spitting-mad Andrew Weaver off the ceiling, I ask Canada's best-known climate scientist whether he ever feels like chucking it all in and stomping off to a quiet corner with a bottle of Jack Daniel's.
"Absolutely," he says. "Retiring with a bottle of Jack Daniel's sounds good right now."
It's 8:23 a.m.
Listening to Weaver, it's hard to know what he's angrier about, the fact that Stephen Harper's Conservatives just sabotaged climate-change legislation, or the sneaky way in which they did it.
At question is a global-warming bill that passed through the House of Commons with the support of the NDP, Liberals and Bloc Québécois, only to be abruptly killed by the Conservatives with a snap vote in the Senate on Tuesday.
It ticks off Weaver that Harper, having been voted in on a promise to do away with the unelected Senate, instead packed the institution with ill-informed patronage appointments ("Mike Duffy, climate scientist extraordinaire") who waited until 15 opposition members were absent before defeating, without debate, a bill that had already been OK'd by the elected arm of Parliament.
The UVic climatologist, sputtering words like "unbelievable" and "dictator" and "shocking affront to democracy," says he hopes the opposition will force Harper's minority government to fall. "He's got to get kicked out. This is Canada, not Zimbabwe ... or maybe it is.
"It's all about not wanting to do anything about the issue," Weaver says of the Senate sabotage. It's about pandering to the oil industry, to the Conservatives' Alberta power base.
- - - - SNIP - - - -
A truly conservative government would gather the evidence, do a rational analysis of the facts and react accordingly, he says. He sounds almost wistful about the approach of Britain's Conservatives, who yesterday
declared their intention to shove the U.K.'s electricity industry into using lower-emitting fuels. Meanwhile, our social reformers are roaring around in Hummers, refighting the Scopes Monkey Trial and pit-lamping hippies. They pay lip service to climate change, but in their hearts believe it's some New Age crystal crap that the Liberals left in the basement.
Climate scientists are "a collective Noah," Weaver says. They have done their job, given the evidence to the politicians -- only to be ignored.
Weaver, the author of Keeping Cool: Canada in a Warming World, also had a key role when the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its report in 2007. People like him must be tempted to throw their hands in the air and walk away, particularly when constantly challenged by the half-informed.
"Mainstream media, could you please stop pitting the ignorant versus the educated and framing it as a debate?" asked U.S. political commentator Bill Maher in a YouTube piece that Weaver loves.
Climate change is a reality, Maher says. "Like it or not, no one can change the nature of reality, except with mushrooms and Pabst Blue Ribbon."
Or maybe a bottle of Jack Daniel's.
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Greens Decry Conservative Snap Vote on Climate Change Bill
http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2010-11-18/
greens-decry-conservative-snap-vote-climate-change-bill
18 November 2010 - 9:51am
OTTAWA -- The Green Party of Canada is denouncing the decision of the Canadian Senate to kill the Climate Change Accountability Act, Bill C-311, and in so doing, killing Canada's best chance to take real action on climate change and move into a Green economy.
"With COP16 less than two weeks away in Mexico, it is stunning that the Conservative majority in the Senate would use a sneak attack to defeat the only climate legislation before Parliament," said Green Leader Elizabeth May.
Elizabeth May is now calling on Canadians to get on the airwaves and into the newspapers letters section to protest this anti-democratic move. The Bill had passed Third Reading in the House of Commons in May. After being presented to Senate 193 days ago, Bill C-311 was defeated 43-32, with no debate and without being sent back to committee, an extraordinary move not seen in over seventy years.
"Voters should be outraged at the hypocrisy of Prime Minister Harper for using the Senate as an end-run around the House of Commons when he campaigned vigorously for an accountable Senate. His obvious abhorrence of the Bill surely influenced the Conservative members of the now stacked Senate who killed this Bill without any consideration," said May.
"Harper’s assertion that action on climate change throws millions of people out of work is utter absurdity. We could be putting Canadians to work in a Green economy, but this government only hears the special pleadings of the fossil fuel lobby. Even though we pledged at the G20 to kill fossil fuel subsidies, we have not even done that," said May.
A 2009 study by the European Commission found almost half a million jobs will be created by reaching their target of 20% of energy coming from renewables by 2020.
MORE:
http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2010-11-18/
greens-decry-conservative-snap-vote-climate-change-bill
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Shocking defeat of climate bill at the hands of Harper's unelected Senators
http://www.ndp.ca/press/
shocking-defeat-climate-bill-hands-harpers-unelected-senators
NDP Press Releases Wed 17 Nov 2010
OTTAWA — NDP leader Jack Layton said he was appalled to learn last night of the defeat of his party's landmark climate change bill at the hands of Stephen Harper's unelected and unaccountable Conservative Senators.
"Last night, Stephen Harper's appointed Conservative Senators quietly voted to kill a critical environment bill," said Layton. "This bill had already received final approval from elected Members of Parliament -- and yet Stephen Harper's unelected Senators killed it last night. So much for sober second thought.”
Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act, received final approval by the House of Commons on May 5th when it passed Third Reading by a vote of 149-136. Last night in the Senate, the bill was defeated in a snap vote, 43-32.
“As a result of this bill's defeat, Canada now heads to the UN climate change meetings in Cancun completely empty handed," said NDP Environment Critic Linda Duncan. "Despite endless promises to act on climate change, Stephen Harper's government has not even tabled one law to address our rising greenhouse gas emissions."
MORE:
http://www.ndp.ca/press/
shocking-defeat-climate-bill-hands-harpers-unelected-senators
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LETTER: LITTLE: Senate’s decision to kill Bill C-311.
From: Phil Little
To: Stephen Harper
Cc: Gilles Duceppe ; Jack Layton ; Rae.B@parl.gc.ca ; Ignatieff.M@parl.gc.ca ; Jean Crowder ; Charlie Angus ; Davies.L@parl.gc.ca
Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 11:08 AM
Subject: Senate’s decision to kill Bill C-311
I am appalled at the way the Harper government continues to repudiate the will of the Commons - both the house and the people. The latest example is the Senate manoeuvre to kill Bill C-311 which had been passed by the House of Commons. The directed move by the Senate at the will of the Prime Minister displays another act of contempt of Parliament. Furthermore it shows that Canada, under the minority government of Harper, is unwilling to be a responsible global citizen.
Bill C-311 had been delayed and barely debated by the Senate. Instead, a vote was taken on an evening when a number of Liberal Senators were absent which enabled the Conservative appointees to kill the vote. I agree with Mr. Layton when he called this manoeuvre, which apparently hasn’t been used in 70 years, ‘fundamentally wrong’ and an affront to Canadian democracy. “Canadians must not allow the Senate to get away with this…”
Bill C-311 passed the House of Commons last May. It is unacceptable that an unelected Senate voted to kill this Bill without even having a full debate at the Senate, or opportunity for witnesses. Canadian democracy deserves better.
The climate crisis is real and requires urgent action. Bill C-311 was a first step in the right direction. It would have committed the Canadian government to emission reductions (25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020), these are half of what many at the Cancun UN climate negotiations are demanding is necessary.
I am very concerned about Canada’s international reputation entering the next major round of UN climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico November 29 to December 10. Canada’s current emission reduction target amounts a 2.5 percent rise above 1990 levels by 2020. When compared to the 25% called for in Bill C-311 and the 40% to 50% called for by many Global South countries, this is shocking.
And, yet, mere days ahead of the next major round of international climate negotiations in Cancun, the majority of unelected Conservative Senate members killed the Climate Change Accountability Act. Bill C-311 – this is shameful!
I can understand that these unelected Harper appointees have an agenda to play the partisan game at the behest of their benefactor, Stephen Harper. But these Senators are also citizens of Canada and the world, probably have children and grandchildren, live and breathe the same air and drink the same water as the rest of us. Can it be that partisan politics is more important to them than the long term survivability of the planet, its people and all other forms of life. For the sake of the prestige and benefits of a senate position are they so willing to contribute to the denigration and destruction of the environment and ultimately the good of future generations of Canadians?
I reject the recent actions of the unelected Senate, as manipulated by the Senators of the Conservative party, which not only is an affront to the will of Parliament, but an attack on the foundations of Canadian democracy. The arrogance of these Harper appointees brings shame to the Canadian people - and it demonstrates that our democratic institutions are as much threatened here at home as elsewhere in the world.
I urge Parliamentarians to use all means to repudiate this attack on Canadian democracy, including a vote of non-confidence. At this time Canadians will be willing to endure another election to remove Stephen Harper from the position of authority and power which he has abused in so many instances, supported by a weak and wavering official Opposition.
Sincerely,
Phil Little
10846 - Grandview Road,
Ladysmith, B.C. V9G1Z7
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3. KOOP: Submission the House of Commons Committee on Natural Resources
MORE INFO ON THE COMMITTEE --[i] in case you, and or your community wants to send in submission (s). if you are affected by oil shale in your community, send in a submission or ask for a committee to study the oil shales. if you are affected or worried about cbm, or shallow fracturing, send in a submission! now is your chance. –[/i] Will Koop, Vancouver, B.C. Coordinator, B.C. Tap Water Alliance.
= = = = =
SUBMISSION BY BC TAP WATER ALLIANCE
Chair, Natural Resources Standing Committee.
I am forwarding this email to each member of the Committee following advice from the Standing Committee Clerk, Andrew Lauzon.
I understand the Natural Resources Standing Committee is engaged in a study of Energy Security in Canada including looking at unconventional oil and gas, beginning as scheduled for tomorrow, November 18, 2010. I would like to submit the attached two reports (as download-able links) to the Committee for their consideration of this issue. (The reports are too large as email attachments)
My two reports (below) are written only in English, and therefore cannot be distributed to the Standing Committee through its Clerk. Therefore, I am sending each member a link copy of my two reports. I hope to be providing members with executive summaries of each report to be sent to the Committee Clerk, and then distributed to members.
1. EnCana's Cabin Not So Homey: Cumulative Environmental Effects an Unfolding and Emerging Crisis in Northeastern British Columbia's Shale Gas Plays - An Introductory Journey into BC's Dirty Domino Zone. November 9, 2010.
Direct link to report:
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-EnCanasCabin-Nov9-2010.pdf
(pdf file - 13.725 megabytes)
2. 24/7 Less Peace in the Peace. October 13, 2010.
Direct link to report:
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-Talisman-Oct13-2010.pdf
(pdf file - 6.24 megabytes)
Note: More information in the first report, "EnCana's Cabin", concerning specific data on EnCana's 63-K pad site, north of Fort Nelson, B.C., is being pursued with EnCana at this moment. The data on this site was based on projected figures, from figures presented by both EnCana and its well-services contrator/operator Trican. When that data is confirmed with EnCana and the BC Oil and Gas Commission, the report will be revised accordingly, affecting total volumes used by EnCana for fresh water, frack sand, and toxics.
Sincerely, Will Koop, Vancouver, B.C.
Coordinator, B.C. Tap Water Alliance.
- - - - -
Guide for the submission of briefs to a House of Commons Committee
http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/process/house/
WitnessesGuides/guide-brief-E.htm
Who can submit a brief?
Any organization or individual may submit a written brief to a committee of the House of Commons, even if they did not have the opportunity to appear as a witness. Witnesses appearing before a committee are also encouraged to submit a brief to support their presentation.
Format and content of a brief
Although a committee may develop its own criteria as to the relevance and the acceptance of briefs, the general guidelines for their submission and content are as follows:
although individuals or organizations may submit briefs in either official language, briefs are not distributed to members of the committee until they are available in both official languages;
therefore briefs presented in only one of the two official languages must be sent to the clerk of the committee well beforehand to allow sufficient time for translation;
government departments and agencies must submit briefs in both official languages;
the brief should include factual information to substantiate the views expressed and the claims made;
recommendations to the committee should be as specific as possible, especially in terms of suggested amendments to bills;
the name and address of the association, organization or person submitting the brief should be clearly indicated on the title page;
briefs exceeding 10 pages must contain a one page summary;
recommendations should be summarized at the end of the brief;
explanatory notes should be placed at the end of the brief;
any reference materials used should be clearly indicated;
any logos, line drawings, graphs, tables and charts should be done in black ink as other colours may not readily be photocopied;
any photographs submitted with the brief must be in black and white and have a glossy finish;
the clerk must be consulted on the number of copies required.
Andrew Lauzon
Clerk of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources
Sixth Floor, 131 Queen Street
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
RNNR@parl.gc.ca
Tel. 613-995-0047
Fax. 613-996-1626
- - - -
You can listen in to the committee proceedings by clicking on the date in the calendar on the right hand side and then selecting the broadcast icon on the 'Meeting Information' box that drops down.
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/CommitteeBusiness/
CommitteeHome.aspx?Cmte=RNNR&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=3
Standing Committee on Natural Resources (email list)
Benoit.L@parl.gc.ca (Chair) - Leon Benoit
Tonks.A@parl.gc.ca (vice-chair) - Alan Tonks
Cullen.N@parl.gc.ca (vice-chair) - Nathan Cullen
Allen.M@parl.gc.ca - Mike Allen
BruneP@parl.gc.c - Paule Brunelle
Harris.R@parl.gc.ca - Richard M. Harris
Coderre.D@parl.gc.ca - David Anderson
Anderson.Da@parl.gc.ca - Denis Coderre
Pomerleau.R@parl.gc.ca - Roger Pomerleau
Andrews.S@parl.gc.ca - Scott Andrews
Gallant.C@parl.gc.ca - Cheryl Gallant
Shory.D@parl.gc.ca - Devinder Shory
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4. CELDF: Open Letter to Communities Working to Stop Fracking
http://www.celdf.org/
open-letter-to-communities-working-to-stop-fracking
by CELDF, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
November 16th, 2010
From the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
This morning, the Pittsburgh City Council became the first municipality in the United States to ban natural gas extraction within its boundaries. The ordinance isn’t just a ban – it consists of a new Bill of Rights for Pittsburgh residents (which includes a right to water along with rights for ecosystems and nature), and then proceeds to ban those activities – including natural gas extraction - which would violate those rights.
MORE:
http://www.celdf.org/
open-letter-to-communities-working-to-stop-fracking
===========================
5. WATCH: The PISIM (Sun) Project: Documentary
http://outreach.usask.ca/programs/pisim_project.html
Premiere Screening - "The Pisim Project" Documentary
From: Angela Edmunds <maestarproductions@yahoo.ca>
Please join us for the Premiere Screening of the documentary "The Pisim Project". The Premiere screening will take place in Cumberland House, SK at Charlebois Community School at 7:00pm on Thursday November 18, 2010.
"The Pisim Project" follows a group of students in Cumberland House, SK as they design and build an energy efficient house. Directed by Saskatchewan filmmakers Angela Edmunds & Marcel Petit and produced in collaboration with the Charlebois Community School and the College of Engineering Office of Outreach and Transitions at the University of Saskatchewan.
To view the trailer:
http://www.vimeo.com/11388070
For more information about the project visit :
http://outreach.usask.ca/programs/pisim_project.html
After the Premiere in Cumberland House we will be touring the film to various other communities around the province including:
Saskatoon, Sk Monday, November 22nd, 2010
7:00pm - Broadway Theatre
North Battleford, Sk Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
7:00pm - Public Library
Regina, Sk Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
7:00pm - MacKenzie Art Gallery
The filmmakers, producers and several of the students will also be in attendance at (some or all of) the screenings. We hope to see you at one of the screenings to celebrate this amazing project. Stay tuned for other screenings near you!!
For more information contact:
Angela Edmunds,
maestarproductions@yahoo.ca
Marcel Petit,
mpetproductions@gmail.com
Angela Mae Edmunds
Mae Star Productions
306.381.7460 (c)
maestarproductions@yahoo.ca
www.maestarproductions.ca
========================================
6. Council of Canadians Update – November 15 & 17, 2010
Council of Canadians Update - November 15, 2010
NEWS: Toxic tar sands tailing pond lacking critical barrier
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5331
CBC reports that, “A northern Alberta tailings pond appears to have toxic sludge flowing into the muskeg from an uncontained western edge, a situation uncovered by a CBC News investigation.”
NEWS: Moncton to debate limiting fracking within city limits
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5329
The Times & Transcript reports this morning that, “Moncton city council will debate limiting ‘fracking’ in city limits when they meet this evening at 5 p.m. for their twice monthly council session. Fracking is a controversial method used by natural gas drillers to release natural gas trapped in rock.
NEWS: BHP Billiton withdraws its bid for the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5326
The CBC reports that, “BHP Billiton has withdrawn its $40-billion hostile-takeover bid of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, the Australian company said Sunday.
NEWS: Guelph chapter holds event on peak oil
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5324
The Guelph Mercury reports that Robert Rapier, an American chemical engineer and peak oil expert, “was in (Guelph) Wednesday night to give the keynote address at an event titled Our Environmental Future, (which was) hosted by the University of Guelph and sponsored by the Council of Canadians and Transition Guelph.”
NEWS: APEC commits to a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific by 2020
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5320
The Globe and Mail reports that, “The 21 leaders of APEC signed off on a plan to create a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific by 2020, a long-promised and long-debated effort to open up trade between some of the world’s largest economies.”
WIN! Langley freeway connector turned down
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5318
The Vancouver Examiner reports that opponents of freeway expansion are declaring a partial victory “with the announcement that the British Columbia Agricultural Land Commission turned down a Langley section of the road and overpass proposal.”
NEWS: Kamloops chapter presents community award
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5316
The Kamloops Daily News reports that the Kamloops chapter of the Council of Canadians presented an award last Friday afternoon to Ruth Madsen.
UPDATE: Defending the Great Lakes, building the commons
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5310
We began this morning with a lake-side reflection on the importance of water and the significance of the win on the right to water and sanitation resolution at the United Nations this past July, and its implications for the Great Lakes.
MEMORIAM: Chapter activist John Derwood Camp passes away
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5322
The Comox Valley Record reports that: John Derwood Camp passed away peacefully at his home in the early-morning hours of Nov. 6 after an extended illness.
NEWS: Harper must do more than endorse the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5308
A Government of Canada media release today announced that the Harper government has “formally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” but adds the context, “in a manner fully consistent with Canada’s Constitution and laws.”
ACTION ALERT: Show your support for Canadian corporate accountability for human rights violations and environmental degradation
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/making-waves/2010/11/
action-alert-show-your-support-canadian-corporate-accountability
Canadian mining companies are some of the worst offenders of human rights and environmental standards in developing countries. Mining Watch recently obtained a 2009 report commissioned by Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada which noted that "Canadian mining companies are involved in more than four times as many violations as the next two highest offenders, Australia and India."
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Council of Canadians Update - November 17, 2010
MEDIA RELEASE: Senate killing of Climate Bill C-311 'shocking', says Council of Canadians
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... ov-10.html
ACTION ALERT: Tell your MP how you feel about the Senate’s decision to kill Bill C-311
http://www.canadians.org/action/2010/Bi ... Nov17.html
ACTION ALERT: Sign the petition to ban hydraulic fracturing in Nova Scotia, The Inverness County Chapter of the Council of Canadians
http://www.canadians.org/media/water/20 ... -10-a.html
WIN! Moncton stops selling its drinking water for fracking
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5380
The City of Moncton has been selling its drinking water for $1.58 a cubic metre to Apache Canada, a US-owned mining company, for their hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) testing in the Frederick Brook formation in the Elgin area in southern New Brunswick.
WIN! Glacier Howser project derailed
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5364
The Wilderness Committee reports that, “Late last week we got word that the Glacier Howser project has lost its energy purchase agreement with BC Hydro. … The citizens of Kaslo and Nelson, and all of those who wrote letters (to British Columbia Environmental Assessment office) to keep Glacier and Howser creeks (in the Kootenays) wild know the power of the pen.”
NEWS: Harden-Donahue outraged by C-311 defeat
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5389
The Canadian Press reports this afternoon that, “Opposition MPs and environmental activists say Canada is going into global-warming talks empty-handed after a majority of Conservative senators voted down a climate-change bill. A snap vote in the Senate on Tuesday caught Liberals in the upper house off guard, and not enough Grits showed up to save the bill from losing by a narrow margin of 43-42.”
NEWS: Red Deer chapter challenges Extendicare
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5387
The Red Deer Advocate reports that, “Health care advocates in Central Alberta are demanding that Alberta Health Services take over the operation of Red Deer’s newest privately operated long-term care centre.”
UPDATE: Council supports C-469, a Canadian environmental bill of rights
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5384
Bill C-469, An Act to establish a Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights, had its second reading and debate in the House of Commons this past May, and the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development began studying the bill last month.
NEWS: Council joins call for oil and gas moratorium in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5369
The Gulf of St. Lawrence is the world’s largest estuary and the outlet for the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. Increasingly, concerned groups are saying that oil and gas exploration and drilling should not take place in the Gulf. Today, the Council of Canadians joined in that call.
NEWS: Municipalities worried about costs of new wastewater regulations
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5367
The Montreal Gazette reports that, “Municipal leaders from across the country said they believed (former environment minister Jim) Prentice was starting to understand their concerns about financing waste water system upgrades and improvements required by the regulations.” But they’re not so sure about the new environment minister, John Baird.
NEWS: C-311 climate legislation defeated in the Senate
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5361
This evening, the Senate voted 43 to 32 to kill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act. The bill, passed by the House of Commons in a 149 to 136 vote in May, called for Canada’s carbon emissions to be cut 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
One Giant Step Backwards: Senate kills Bill C-311
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=345
Mere days before the next major round of UN climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, Canada’s unelected Senate killed Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act.
Trade Justice Network releases “October Draft” of CETA
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1172
Yesterday, the Trade Justice Network met again in Ottawa to discuss campaign work against the Canada-EU free trade negotiations.
=======================
7. $1.7 Billion and Rising: Taxpayers' Gas Bill for Oil Sands
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/09/GasBillForOilSands/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151110
Extractors gobble natural gas, deducting the cost from their taxes. That already huge public subsidy, hidden from view, is due to balloon.
By Mitchell Anderson, 9 Nov 2010, TheTyee.ca
Alberta's oil sands extractors' use of natural gas, already voracious and set to rise steeply, is more than half paid for by Canadian taxpayers -- a vast yet little-known subsidy that insiders say encourages profligate consumption of a finite energy source.
The numbers are huge. Oil sands operations currently consume about one billion cubic feet of gas per day, heating thick bitumen so it can be extracted from surrounding rock and gravel. This reverse-alchemy eats up about 20 per cent of Canada's natural gas demand and may balloon to 40 per cent by 2035.
The price is huge, too -- much of it written off against corporate taxes. Bitumen recovery and upgrading will eat up more than 15 billion cubic metres of natural gas this year according to data from the Alberta government. At current prices this will cost $3.4 billion, of which $1.7 billion will be paid for by the public.
Both gas consumption and prices are projected to balloon in coming years, which will vastly increase lost revenue to the taxpayer.
But even though Canadian citizens are on the hook, the Alberta extractors aren't required to share with the public the price they are assigning to the natural gas they are writing off.
Meanwhile, petro firms are pushing into methods of oil sands extraction that require ever increasing amounts of natural gas.
So why has it become so profitable to convert natural gas into tar? Perhaps the biggest piece of the puzzle is hidden in tax and royalty regulations.
Companies operating in Alberta's oil sands are allowed to deduct fuel costs from their provincial and federal taxes. They are also allowed to double dip and deduct these same fuel expenses from the royalties payable the Alberta taxpayer. This means that in the first eight months of 2010, taxpayers paid for more than half of natural gas used to extract bitumen from rock.
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/09/GasBillForOilSands/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151110
=========================================
8. The Hunger Strike of Mary-Ellen Proctor
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/15/MaryEllenProctor/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151110
An army of women joined in fasting to bring attention to the lack of shelter for battered women and children in Fort McMurray.
By Andrew Nikiforuk, November 15, 2010 TheTyee.ca
Not too many people have gone on hunger strikes in Fort McMurray, the moneyed frontier of unconventional oil, but Mary-Ellen Proctor, the mother of eight children, is now proudly one of them.
Last summer she fasted for 21 days and started a phenomenon in the oil sands city.
Joanne Roberts, an employee of ConocoPhillips, followed next and fasted for another three weeks.
Roberts, in turn, was succeeded by several volunteers who fasted for a day or two. Vicki Rankin, a school teacher, then entered the chain at day 86 and fasted another 21 days.
Altogether a growing army of women have now notched up 100 days of consecutive fasting -- and all to draw attention to the lack of housing for battered women and children in the city that bitumen made.
Now Proctor, a 50-year-old Prince Rupert native, never expected to follow in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi or to lead a prolonged hunger strike. But Fort McMurray will change one's life in unexpected ways as northern boomtowns always do.
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/15/MaryEllenProctor/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151110
===================
9. US Diplomat's Memo Urged 'Greening' of 'Shocking' Oil Sands
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/10/MemoUrgedGreening/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151110
'Environmental impacts are high' but US should support Alberta's bitumen mining anyway, advised restricted 2008 report.
By Stanley Tromp, 10 Nov 2010, TheTyee.ca
Alberta's largest buyer of oil appeared internally conflicted, torn between the need for a large secure oil supply and its desire to control carbon emissions. In the end, though, its support for energy supply won out.
That was the conclusion of a top American diplomat writing to the U.S. State Department headquarters in Washington D.C. in Feb. 2008, nearly a year before Barack Obama succeeded George W. Bush as president. The memo was signed by Tom Huffaker, a lawyer who has been U.S. consul general for Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories since Aug. 2006. In March 2009 he became vice president, policy and environment for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) in Calgary.
"In our view, our goal should be to encourage, where we can, a process that is already making fitful progress, the 'greening' of the oil sands," the memo concluded. "Should we opt instead to support policies that damage the market for the oil sands and raise the cost of capital here, we should at least do so knowingly, well aware that, while this may seem to advance our environmental interests, it will harm our energy security."
The memo was obtained under the American freedom of information law (after a one year delay), and marked "sensitive but unclassified," and "not for distribution outside USG [U.S. government] channels." A copy was forwarded to the U.S. embassy in Moscow, where Huffaker had worked in the mid-1990s.
Speaking to The Tyee from CAPP's office in Calgary this week, Huffaker first emphasized that he is speaking only for CAPP today and not the American government. "I'm more sophisticated now. That memo was based on the facts on technology and the economy as I knew it then." He said that if he was writing today, revisions, if any, would be only very minor ones. "There remain the three factors -- energy, the environment and the economy. We don't argue that one is most important."
Although the memo originated in the Bush era, Huffaker says "there is more continuity than change" between Bush and Obama regarding Alberta oil, and "there is much less difference than you would expect on policy." He added that Bush made some environmental progress that is not well recognized today.
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/10/MemoUrgedGreening/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151110
====================================
10. Murphy Oil Adds Bakken Shale Acreage – Blood Tribe First Nation
http://shale.typepad.com/bakkenshale/bl ... st-nation/
09/10/2010
Murphy Oil (MUR) reported that the company has signed an agreement to acquire properties in the Southern Alberta basin that is prospective for the Bakken Shale.
Murphy Oil acquired 202 sections, or 129,280 acres from Kainaiwa Resources Inc., an entity associated with the Blood Tribe First Nation in Canada. The acreage is located on the tribe’s reserve in Alberta. The agreement is for a term of five years and requires Murphy Oil to drill a minimum of sixteen wells during that time.
===================
11. NAFTA Chapter 11 an increasing threat to the public good
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/updates/
nafta-chapter-11-increasing-threat-public-good
NOVEMBER 17, 2010
Canada has been hit with 28 investor-state claims and paid $157M to date.
OTTAWA, November 4, 2010: All levels of government, particularly in Canada, are being targeted by investors for alleged breaches of Chapter 11, NAFTA's investment chapter, says a new report by trade analyst Scott Sinclair.
The report published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) documents all 66 known NAFTA investor-state claims (to October 2010) and analyses recent key developments, including the Canadian government's troubling decision to settle AbitibiBowater's NAFTA claim by paying the company $CAD 130 million.
Investor-state claims as of October 1, 2010 include 28 against Canada, 19 against the U. S., and 19 against Mexico. Canada has paid out NAFTA damages totaling $CAD157 million, while Mexico has paid damages of $US187 million. The U.S. has yet to lose a NAFTA chapter 11 case. All three governments have incurred tens of millions of dollars in legal costs to defend themselves against investor claims.
"This situation has become a legal and economic minefield, with governments too often finding that the best interests of their citizens are trumped by the ability of multinationals to make profits," the study notes.
Click here to read the whole study:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/
nafta-chapter-11-investor-state-disputes-1
=================================
12. WATCH: Author and Activist Derrick Jensen: "The Dominant Culture is Killing the Planet...It’s Very Important for Us to Start to Build a Culture of Resistance"
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/11/15/
author_and_activist_derrick_jensen_the
By Derrick Jensen 16 November, 2010 Democracy Now!
Derrick Jensen has been called the poet-philosopher of the ecological movement. He has written some 15 books critiquing contemporary society and the destruction of the environment. His many books include A Language Older than Words, Endgame, What We Left Behind, Resistance against Empire, and Deep Green Resistance. We play Part I of our conversation with him. "I think a lot of us are increasingly recognizing that the dominant culture is killing the planet," Jensen says. "I think it’s very important for us to start to build a culture of resistance, because what we’re doing isn’t working, clearly." [includes rush transcript]
==========================
13. Canadian fracking company plans 200 jobs in W.Pa.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/
cfwff_brief-canadian-fracking-company-plans-200-jobs-in-w-pa--1313738.html
Posted on: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 02:29:52 EST
Nov 17, 2010 (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
A Canadian gas well services firm plans to hire more than 200 people for a new complex being built in southwestern Pennsylvania to serve Marcellus shale wells.
Calfrac Well Services Corp., based in Calgary, Alberta, provides hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as well as coiled tubing and cementing services for oil and gas well drillers. John Grisdale, president of the company's U.S. operations says Calfrac is building a full-service facility in the Fayette Business Park in Georges Township, about 40 miles south of Pittsburgh.
The facility should open late next year and Grisdale tells the Herald-Standard of Uniontown, "Our expectation is to add 200 or more jobs."
To see more of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/
========================================
14. New North Dakota oil formation drawing interest
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/298724/
DICKINSON, N.D. - The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources released details Monday about an oil formation in southwest North Dakota believed to be similar to the Bakken and leasing has already begun.
By: Lisa Call, Forum Communications Co., INFORUM
Published November 17 2010
DICKINSON, N.D. - The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources released details Monday about an oil formation in southwest North Dakota believed to be similar to the Bakken and leasing has already begun.
Stephan Nordeng, DMR geologist, said the Tyler Formation, which encompasses nearly all of western and southwestern North Dakota, extending into South Dakota, is a very large and complicated formation.
“Up to the north it probably doesn’t cover quite as much area as the Bakken, but it extends further south than the Bakken, but otherwise they lay pretty much on top of each other,” Nordeng said
MORE:
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/298724/
===========================
15. Mining Projects That Could Devastate the Entire Planet (Tarsands is included!)
http://www.alternet.org/story/
148874/5_mining_projects_that_could_devastate_the_entire_planet
Climate Story Tellers / By Subhankar Banerjee November 16, 2010
We've burned coal and oil for more than 100 years that has resulted in human-made climate change. We cannot allow one more hundred years of the same.
- - - - -
I’ll tell you about five Godzilla-scale fossil-digging projects in North America that if approved will set us on a course to repeat our past with grave implications for the future of our planet. You may have already heard about some of these projects individually, but the urgency to stop them collectively is more than ever before.
MORE:
http://www.alternet.org/story/148874/
5_mining_projects_that_could_devastate_the_entire_planet
===========================================
16. LETTER: SHIELDS: The Market Harper Ignores
From: lagran
To: Prime Minister/Premier ministre ; Layton, Jack - M.P. ; iggy ; minister.energy@gov.ab.ca
Cc: Minister, EMPR EMPR:EX ; goodale ; bill boyd ; Alberta Activism
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 10:14 AM
Subject: The Market Harper Ignores
While our federal government is spending millions to study the Mackenzie Pipeline that would allow the Americans to export yet more LNG to Europe, we ignore the LNG potential of China-India market. While the American market for profitable natural gas exports has disappeared, Canada has never adjusted although warned for years of the impending problem approaching! Why? Even Canada's former ambassador to United States noticed this upcoming drastic change, to the point McKenna advised building pipelines to ports, to free Canada's natural gas from the low priced NAFTA market, still we remain "Land-Locked" and 100% comitted to solely this desperate market. Now that the U.S. has started LNG exports to Europe----the more Canadian gas sold through NAFTA the more LNG the Americans can export!! Even Frank McKenna never expected Canada without a nation energy program, and 100% committed to NAFTA, to be that stupid!!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, AB
= = = = = = = =
Great "Chindia" oil grab
http://www.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2010/Nov/16/
Great--Chindia--oil-grab
11/16/2010 7:31:43 AM | Matt Badiali, Growth Stock Wire
China and India's combined oil consumption will be 30% of the forecast world oil production in 10 years
The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects a 36% increase in the world's oil demand over the next 25 years.
But when we look at oil supplies today, there's plenty already. Where is the demand going to come from? In a word: "Chindia."
Here's a chart of China and India's combined daily oil imports:
(GRAPH - on website)
That's an enormous amount of oil imports. However, what's more concerning is the growth rate. If nothing happens to the world's economy to derail this trend, oil will become much more expensive.
In 1993, China imported oil for the first time in decades. As its economy grew, imports grew by an average 26% per year – a colossal amount.
To put that in perspective… in 1965, the U.S. imported 22% of its demand. We didn't hit 50% imports until 1993. It took 27 years for us to import half our oil consumption.
China did it in just nine years.
China's oil demand grew by 7% per year since it began importing oil in 1993. However, it has sped up since 2000. Over the last 10 years, its imports grew 16% per year. Today, imports make up 54% of China's oil demand.
India is also consuming the world's oil at a phenomenal rate. Since 2000, India's imports have grown by 6% per year. Imports represent 76% of its total oil consumption today.
What we see, if we extend this trend 10 years out, is China and India's combined oil consumption will be 30% of the forecast world oil production.
That's an enormous problem, because it doesn't leave much for the rest of us. There just isn't that much new production coming online to meet the needs of the rest of the world. China and India are already grabbing as much as they can…
MORE:
http://www.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2010/Nov/16/
Great--Chindia--oil-grab
Last edited by Oscar on Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:19 pm, edited 2 times in total.
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9144
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FRACKING NEWS: November 22, 2010
by Oscar » Mon Nov 22, 2010 5:40 pm
FRACKING NEWS: November 22, 2010
1. EVENT: GASLAND - A film by Josh Fox - Mabou, NS - Nov. 30
2. EVENT: Drum for Justice - Join KAIROS' December 5th Day of Action for Indigenous People
3. Jessica Ernst Submission to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources
4. LETTER: HUGHES: Are you being fracked?
5. LETTER: SHIELDS: Wake-Up In Saskatchewan--Potash Was Peanuts!
6. A possible new oil discovery in southern Alberta
7. Speakers tour will bring Enbridge stories to northern B.C.
8. WATCH: Frack That Oil by Kris Kitko
9. The Delusional People Who Want to Frack This Country Up
10. We must shed our old notions about growth
11. Bill C-311 Defeated (2 articles)
12. ALTERNET Newsletter: WATER: Top Stories this week – November 19, 2010
13. Council of Canadians Update – November 22, 2010
=================
1. EVENT: GASLAND - A film by Josh Fox - Mabou, NS - Nov. 30
GASLAND Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=dZe1AeH0Qz8&feature=related
This award-winning documentary examines the natural gas boom in the United States and the effects of the drilling technology known as hydraulic fracturing.
What is uncovered is truly shocking -- water that can be lit on fire right out of the sink, chronically ill residents of drilling areas from disparate locations in the US all with the same mysterious symptoms, huge pools of toxic waste that kill cattle and vegetation, well blowouts and huge gas explosions consistently covered up by state and federal regulatory agencies
Free admission
Tuesday, November 30th at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30
Strathspey Place, Mabou, NS
Sponsored by the Inverness County Chapter of the Council of Canadians and Cinema Politica.
==================
2. EVENT: Drum for Justice - Join KAIROS' December 5th Day of Action for Indigenous People.
http://www.straightgoods.ca/2010/
ViewArticle.cfm?Ref=925&Cookies=yes
Dateline: Monday, November 08, 2010
from KAIROS You're invited to host a public drum circle and petition-signing in support of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
You're invited to raise awareness of the many Indigenous peoples' voices that are speaking to the impact of climate change.
And you're invited to have fun while you're at it! In 2007, Canadian churches celebrated as the UN adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which enshrines the right of Indigenous peoples to decide how their lands and resources will be used. But Canada has still not endorsed the UN Declaration.
Between November 29 and December 10, 2010, Indigenous peoples from around the world will gather at the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico, to ensure that they are a full part of any decisions on the global climate crisis. But the Canadian government has blocked progress on climate change.
It's time to change the climate on Indigenous rights. Join KAIROS supporters in churches and communities across the country as we drum together in solidarity with Indigenous peoples for the UN Declaration and climate justice.
Hold an event on or close to December 5.
Invite local drum circles of all kinds.
Invite your local Friendship Centre, local Indigenous leadership, and groups of every age and background who want to sound the drum for justice.
Invite Elders and speakers to share their thoughts.
Explore together how you can make local contributions to climate justice, and how you can live into the UN Declaration.
References
Sign the KAIROS UNDRIP petition!
Download the 'Beat the Drum' flyer
================
3. Jessica Ernst Submission to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources
http://albertasurfacerights.com/articles/?id=573
Jessica Ernst
Box 753 Rosebud, AB T0J 2T0
1-403-677-2074
November 17, 2010
Standing Committee on Natural Resources
Sixth Floor, 131 Queen Street
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Canada
Sent by E-Mail to: RNNR@parl.gc.ca
Dear Chair, Standing Committee on Natural Resources,
I testified to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development in 2007 about my community's drinking water contamination after EnCana hydraulically fractured our fresh water aquifers even though the company promised never to do such a dreadful thing. Nothing improved to protect Canada's water. In fact, things got worse. Governments gave more incentives and deregulation to enable hydraulic fracturing; more deregulation is reportedly coming. This is appalling because our governments, regulators and industry know of the many cases of drinking water contamination that have occurred after drilling and fracturing across North America.
Energy Security means nothing to Canadians if we don't have safe water.
Now EnCana wants to do deviated drilling under my little piece of land, even though my water is already too dangerous to live with. EnCana wrote me that deviated drilling does not increase risk of gas leakage but our energy regulator admits that deviated drilling is a factor of major impact for gas leakage
(http://www.co2captureandstorage.info/docs/
WBI3Presentations/SBachuTWatson.pdf).
EnCana plans to inject acid gas under my land but will not tell me what acid gas or why or what protections I will be provided if something goes wrong. The company refuses to give me a copy of their liability insurance. My community's water is already a ticking time bomb; one water tower already blew up. The energy regulator approved EnCana's application in a day.
Is that energy security?
Companies promise that they never fracture into drinking water aquifers; EnCana's activities in my community prove this promise false. Companies promise there has never been a proven case of water contamination by fracturing; the regulator in PA reported that hydraulic fracturing caused gas migration into water. Companies promised not to inject diesel into drinking water aquifers when they fracture; they recently admitted to Congress they did anyways.
EnCana refuses to provide the list of chemicals the company used in my community even though the regulator found evidence in our water of petroleum distillates and other toxic man made chemicals used in drilling and fracturing. EnCana's website states that it supports chemical disclosure but when asked to do what the company says, the company doesn't. I asked EnCana to provide a copy of their submission to Congress investigating EnCana's hydraulic fracturing activities, and all allegations of water contamination by the company (see first PDF attached). EnCana refused.
What energy security do Canadians have when companies fracturing with hazardous chemicals terrorize landowners and communities, lie, withhold vital information, and refuse to take responsibility for bad operations and experiments gone wrong?
Researchers and regulators report problems with hydraulic fracturing and industry admits that they don't know what shallow or deep fractures do, but the relentless and risky hydraulic fracturing and water contamination continues. That is not energy security.
I thank you for reading me out and carefully considering the documents I researched and compiled for you.
Sincerely,
Jessica Ernst
All documents are at:
http://albertasurfacerights.com/articles/?id=573
===============
4. LETTER: HUGHES: Are you being fracked?
Sent for publishing November 21, 2010
It seems that the days of sticking a pipe into the ground and pumping up the oil to feed our addiction to the stuff are over – the easy oil is gone. Now, after years of courting big oil and gas companies with lax regulations and promises of low or non-existent royalties, Saskatchewan is currently under frenzied assault to suck up every last drop of natural gas, oil and coalbed methane using a process called hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Calgary author, Andrew Nikiforuk, describes hydraulic fracturing as “a brute force technology used in 90 per cent of all unconventional oil and gas well drilling which has allowed companies to exploit vast shale deposits across the continent over the last decade.” The highly pressurized fracking fluids cause mini-earthquakes which breaks open the pores of gas-bearing rock in unpredictable ways along horizontal reaches stretching an average of 1.6 kilometres underground.
Within the last 5 years, some 1000 gas and oil wells have been drilled (12 – 15 boreholes per ‘pad’), mainly over the Bakken Formation in the southern part of the province, although there may be as many or more in northwestern Saskatchewan. And, in the northeast, we have discovered the Pasquia Hills Oil Shale Project owned by Calgary-based Oilsands Quest Inc. with exploration permits on 490,000 acres surrounding the small town of Hudson Bay in beautiful northeastern Saskatchewan.
Simply put, fracking involves injecting, under extreme pressure, enormous volumes of water, sand and chemicals thousands of feet into rock formations to force dense gas and oil shales to fracture, or crack, enabling the gas or oil to escape and flow back to the surface where it is piped into storage tanks and to market. The industry can achieve faster payback and further increase the scope of fracking by many kilometers by drilling horizontal wells, where the drill bit is steered along a horizontal trajectory thousands of additional feet – out of sight under farms, towns, and cities.
Sydney, Australia is the latest victim, with drilling to begin within months only blocks from city center. In the meantime, citing health and environmental concerns, Pittsburgh’s city council unanimously passed a ban on natural gas drilling within city limits.
Not surprisingly, there are many major environmental and health concerns with this disaster-in-the-making activity.
Millions of gallons of fresh water (from 5,000 – 3 million gallons, 100-200 dusty and noisy truckloads per well), possibly coming from the same source used for your household drinking wells, ranching and farming. Apparently, "a single permit held by Encana gave it access to water at 71 different locations (in BC) for a combined daily maximum of 16,117 cubic metres or nearly six-and-a-half Olympic swimming pools worth of water per day."
Between 20 and 70 percent of this water remains underground, lost forever from the finite supply on the Planet. And, since no one knows where the aquifers are, their size or their shape, the risk of contaminating your precious underground water is enormous – despite industry assurances that this is a safe procedure; that pipes don’t leak, that cement doesn’t crack!
The produced water, loaded with hundreds of unknown chemicals, which does manage to come to the surface cannot be reused in another well and is placed into closed storage tanks or pumped into large, open holding pits and left to evaporate. This evaporation allows toxic, volatile chemicals to be released into the air and it concentrates the non-volatiles in the pits. Also, evaporation pits have been known to leak or overflow, potentially contaminating the soil and local water sources. Out of the chemicals known to be used in hydraulic fracturing for which basic information is available, 96 percent provide a warning about eye and/or skin harm, 94 percent warn about respiratory system harm, and 49 percent warn about brain or neurological harm that can occur either when the chemicals are inhaled or when they come into contact with skin. (Feb. 2009 study, “Products and Chemicals Used in Fracturing”, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange)
In natural gas fracturing, up to 435 chemical products are known to be used, many of them carcinogenic or toxic to humans and wildlife, even in very small doses. Apparently, Alberta Environment found the human carcinogen, hexavalent chromium (Chromium-6 – think Erin Brockovich) in Rosebud, AB area well water – where tap water has enough natural gas in it to actually ignite! Great secrecy (to keep the company’s ‘competitive edge’) surrounds the list of chemicals used which prevents landowners and, in some cases, government agencies from conducting proper water quality tests.
So, if there’s a knock on your door one day and a representative from an oil and gas company is there, saying they own the ‘sub-surface rights’ to your property and they’re about to drill for natural gas – without your knowledge or permission - you’ll know you’ve been fracked!
Elaine Hughes
Archerwill, SK
=====================
5. LETTER: SHIELDS: Wake-Up In Saskatchewan--Potash Was Peanuts!
From: lagran
To: bill boyd
Cc: premier@gov.nl.ca ; Minister, EMPR EMPR:EX ; Fincati, Donna ERM
Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 1:16 PM
Subject: Wake-Up In Saskatchewan--Potash Was Peanuts!
I would like the citizens of Saskatchewan to examine the attached with respect to the second paragraph. Who in the province believe this type of public giveaway is necessary to an industry that reports windfall profits, quarter after quarter, each year? As a former resident of Saskatchewan and an active investor I'm appalled at the "over the top" treatment energy developers receive in Saskatchewan. These light sweet oil reserves are located in an area with a full slate of public amenities, such as roads, electrical power, towns, etc. and only miles from export opportunities that should act as incentive enough! The price per. bbl. of finding oil reserves in S.E. Saskatchewan is such the Province need not use public funds to sweeten the very sweet pot!!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, AB
- - - - - -
“Shouts & Toots’ from the Oil Patch
http://www.canadianinsight.com/
November 19, 2010
Cloudbreak Resources Ltd. (CDB:TSXV) announced on November 19th as entered into a purchase agreement with two arm's length vendors to acquire a 100% interest in three 5 year oil and gas leases covering approximately 1,120 acres (1.75 sections) of land in southeast Saskatchewan. The three properties are located on a productive trend within a structural belt that is parallel to the prolific Minton Red River oil field. The cost of the acquisition is $272.63 per acre.
Saskatchewan government assists oil and gas companies to facilitate payback of drilling costs. The royalty will not apply to the first 30,000 bbl of oil equivalent production from the first horizontal well or 20,000 bbl of oil equivalent production from the first vertical well drilled on each property in the Red River formation within four years after closing.
Cloudbreak's advisor, Dr. Hairuo Qing, states, “Based on the location of these parcels relative to mapped basement highs in the area, and their close proximity to strong Red River production, these acquisitions provide the Company a rare opportunity to acquire additional key lands with excellent Red River potential, and increase its exposure to this highly desirable light oil play".
The Red River is a porous dolomite that typically produces oil at high flow rates and exceptional volumes from dome-like traps where the formation is draped over local basement highs.
Cloudbreak Resources Ltd. Is a junior oil and gas company based in Vancouver, B.C.
=================
6. A possible new oil discovery in southern Alberta
http://www.canadianinsight.com/
November 19, 2010
There is much speculation and rumors are flying that a new oil discovery has been made which encompasses southern Alberta and northern Montana. Some geologist theorize that this portion is an extension of the famous Bakken which covers southeastern Saskatchewan, southwestern Manitoba, northern portion of North Dakota and north eastern tip of Montana.
Land sales in Alberta and Montana have been keen for this area and land values are rising. Land sales indicate that several large companies including U.S. Murphy Oil and Canada’s Crescent Point Energy are very active in this area and are buying sizeable tracts of land.
While drilling activity is reported to be mostly on the American side of the border, it is expected that things will heat up in early 2011 on the Alberta side. It is suspected that Crescent Point Energy has drilled several horizontal wells in the area and are in the midst of drilling a third horizontal well. Reports of any oil discovery are mum.
New oil discoveries are usually kept secret for as long as possible; this is an advantage to the oil company making the discovery. Provincial legislation allows newly found pools to be hushed up and on occasion a ‘tight hole’ policy may be enacted by the oil company. In such situations, the discoverer can amass as much land as possible prior to an announced new discovery.
Whether the discovery is large or small, the following months may prove to be very interesting. Without a doubt, you will hear more about this region and the outcome. Alberta may just be into the Bakken.
By Allan Pierce
===============
7. Speakers tour will bring Enbridge stories to northern B.C.
http://friendsofwildsalmon.ca/news/arti ... kpipeline/
?utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=E-News&org=354&lvl=100&ite=724&lea=56276&ctr=0&par=1
FOWS, November 18, 2010
Think Pipeline Speaking Tour
Two speakers from the United States will tour northern BC next month to share information and stories related to Enbridge pipelines south of the border. The ThinkPipeline tour will be stopping in eight communities between Prince George and Prince Rupert.
Born and raised in Battle Creek Michigan, Beth Wallace works with the National Wildlife Federation. Her presentation, “Anatomy of a Crude Oil Pipeline Accident,” tells the story of Enbridge’s 2010 crude oil spill into the Kalamazoo River.
Erin O’Brien works with the Wisconsin Wetlands Association. Her presentation, “Beyond Spills: Environmental Considerations for Communities along Pipeline Corridors,” provides an overview of Wisconsin’s experience with Enbridge’s 2007 construction of an oil pipeline.
The ThinkPipeline speaking tour will be holding events in the following communities:
Prince George: Monday, Nov. 29, 7:00 pm at the UNBC, Canfor Theatre
Vanderhoof: Tuesday, Nov. 30, 12:00 pm at the Neighborhood Space (Beside Subway)
Houston: Tuesday, Nov. 30, 7:00 pm at the Houston Public Library
Burns Lake: Wednesday, Dec. 1, 6:30 pm at the College of New Caledonia
Smithers: Thursday, Dec. 2, 7:00 pm at the Della Herman Theatre (Smithers Secondary)
Terrace: Friday, Dec. 3, 6:00 pm at the Skeena Jr. Secondary School Lecture Theatre
Prince Rupert: Saturday, Dec. 4, 7:00 pm at the Tom Rooney Playhouse
Kitimat: Sunday, Dec. 5, 1:30 pm at the Riverlodge Recreation Centre
The ThinkPipeline tour is sponsored by Friends of Wild Salmon, Sea to Sands Conservation Alliance, Friends of Morice Bulkley, SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, Northwest Watch, Douglas Channel Watch, and Prince Rupert Environmental Society.
For more info:
For more information on the tour, or to book pre-event interviews with the speakers, please contact Pat Moss at 250-847-9693 or Greg Brown at 778-210-0340:
=======================
8. WATCH: Frack That Oil by Kris Kitko
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=_gfoeX6wM4g&feature=player_embedded
Kris Kitko's song about Big Oil's exploitation of North Dakota's people & land.
=====================
9. The Delusional People Who Want to Frack This Country Up
http://www.alternet.org/story/148870/
By James Howard Kunstler,
Kunstler.com
Posted on November 15, 2010, Printed on November 19, 2010
On Sunday night CBS hauled Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy, on board their flagship Sunday infotainment vehicle, 60 Minutes, to blow a mighty wind up America's ass (as they say in professional PR circles). America is lately addicted to lying to itself, and 60 Minutes has become the "go-to" patsy for funneling disinformation into an already hopelessly confused, wishful, delusional, US public.
McClendon told the credulous Leslie Stahl and the huge viewing audience that America "has two Saudi Arabia's of gas." Now, you know immediately that at least half the viewers misconstrued this statement to mean that we have two Saudi Arabia's of gasoline. Translation: don't worry none about driving anywhere you like, or having to get some tiny little pansy-ass hybrid whatchamacallit car to do it in, and especially don't pay no attention to them "green" sumbitches on the sidelines trying to sell you some kind of peak oil story.... It also prepared the public to support whatever Mr. McClendon's company wants to do, because he says his company will free America from its slavery to OPEC. By the way, CBS never clarified these parts of the story by the end of the show.
First of all, they are talking about methane gas, not liquid gasoline or oil. There are large deposits of methane gas locked into shale deposits roughly following the Appalachian mountain chain from New York State through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, into Ohio, but also hot spots out west. It's hard to get at. You have to basically blow up the shale rock deep underground with high pressure water that is loaded up with chemicals and sand particles to keep the rock fragments separated once they are blown apart. Chesapeake Energy specializes in this rock fracturing (or "fracking") method for drilling. You can get gas out of the ground this way. The question is how much, over what time period, at what cost.
At the present time, with America anxious about any kind of future energy, shale gas sounds like a dream-come-true. Mostly what the public saw on 60 Minutes last night was a sell-job for Chesapeake Energy to boost its stock price.
Here are some facts:
MORE:
http://www.alternet.org/story/148870/
=====================
10. We must shed our old notions about growth
http://news.guelphmercury.com/opinions/ ... theeditor/
article/723576
November 20, 2010
The well-written Nov. 11 article, The Easy Oil is Gone, highlighted Robert Rapier’s thoughts at the recent conference Our Environmental Future. Our four additional speakers outlined many options for a better future.
Peter Victor, an economist and author from York University, explained that even though the economic growth model is commonly thought to be the way to go, this reliance on growth is new in human history. We have only had economic growth for the last 10 generations. He pointed out that GDP only measures the things that have a monetary exchange, while most of what we value is priceless. For example, how good is a hurricane or a flood, or a major oil spill? The destruction incurs emergency and reparation services which increase our GDP, so disasters figure as good things for our GDP and economy. He said the present industrial growth economy needs to be changed in order to stop downloading the destructive costs of growth on to nature and future generations, and offered a model for prosperity without growth — go slower and use less oil by design, not disaster.
MORE:
http://news.guelphmercury.com/opinions/ ... theeditor/
article/723576
===================
11. Bill C-311 Defeated (2 articles)
LISTEN: Nov 19/10 - Pt 1: Senate Debate on Bill C-311
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2010/11/19/
nov-1910---pt-1-senate-debate/
(All Links are on website. Ed.)
The Senate has defeated Bill C-311, a climate change bill that had been passed by the House of Commons. The opposition says an unelected Senate had no business doing that. But the Conservative Government says Senators did the right thing and that they were perfectly within their rights to defeat "a completely irresponsible bill."
Senate Debate - Panel
We started this segment with a clip from Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaking shortly after he was elected in 2006. The Prime Minister has long advocated an elected Senate ... arguing un-elected Senators can't claim a legitimate democratic mandate.
But earlier this week, he praised the Conservative-dominated Senate for killing Bill C-311 ... a climate change bill that had been passed by the House of Commons. The bill was voted down in the Senate without any debate. That hasn't happened in 70 years. And that has a lot of Canadians crying foul.
The government's critics pounced ... calling out the Conservatives for what they perceive as hypocrisy. But others say the Senators simply did what they were supposed to do by giving sober second thought to a controversial bill.
So to talk about this bill, we were joined by three Senators who participated in the vote on Bill C-311. Pamela Wallin is a Conservative Senator from Saskatchewan. James Cowan is the Liberal Leader in The Senate. He represents Nova Scotia. And Anne Cools is a former Liberal and Conservative Senator. She now sits as an Independent, representing Toronto Centre-York.
LISTEN: (Click on Icon)
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2010/11/19/
nov-1910---pt-1-senate-debate/
= = = = = = =
Conservatives kill climate change bill
http://www.ceasefire.ca/
?p=6314&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28Ceasefire.ca%29
Fri, Nov 19, 2010
The story that the Roman Emperor Caligula wanted to appoint his horse to the Senate is apocryphal, but it is a sad fact that Canada’s own quasi-Emperor has appointed 36 unelected horses (or posterior portions thereof) to the Canadian Senate in just the past four years. And on Tuesday the Prime Minister’s stable of equine extremities stampeded into action to kill a bill that he couldn’t kill in the House of Commons because it had been passed by a majority of that body’s democratically elected members.
The Climate Change Accountability Act (Bill C-311) was denied second reading in the Senate in a snap vote by the Conservatives, who earlier had refused to permit even a single word of debate on the bill in the Senate.
Bill C-311 would have forced the Canadian government to take action on global climate change, calling for “greenhouse gases to be cut 25 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020″ and for a long-term target “to bring emissions 80 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050″. This, of course, made it utterly unacceptable to the Prime Minister (Gloria Galloway, “Tory senators kill climate bill passed by house,” Globe and Mail, 17 November 2010; Susan Delacourt, “Climate bill, Commons crushed in one blow,” Toronto Star, 17 November 2010; “Killed climate change bill flawed: Harper,” CBC News, 17 November 2010).
A recent Environics poll commissioned by the Council of Canadians and other organizations found that 87% of Canadians believe we “need to have an economy that is in harmony with nature, which recognizes and respects the planet”, and that over 70% agree that “The money spent on wars and the military would all be better spent on efforts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the impacts of climate change.”
But why should the opinions of mere citizens matter to the Prime Minister when he has enough appointed minions to enable him to ignore the views of the public? With the defeat of Bill C-311 he is free to go back to emulating another infamous Roman Emperor, Caligula’s nephew Nero, and fiddle as the planet burns.
========================
12. ALTERNET Newsletter: WATER: Top Stories this week – November 19, 2010
Pittsburgh Bans Fracking (and Corporate Personhood)
http://www.alternet.org/story/148881/
pittsburgh_bans_fracking_%28and_corporate_personhood%29_
A historic new ordinance bans natural gas drilling while elevating community decision making and the rights of nature over the "rights" associated with corporate personhood.
Mari Margil, Ben Price / YES! Magazine
Simmering Water War: How New Power Plants Will Suck Our Water Sources Dry
http://www.alternet.org/story/148881/
pittsburgh_bans_fracking_%28and_corporate_personhood%29_
Boneheaded executives and greed-headed investors might be draining the fresh water supplies where you live.
Jim Hightower / Other Words
While U.S. Politicians Play Dumb About Climate Change, One Country Is Being Pushed Past the Tipping Point
http://www.alternet.org/story/148922/
while_u.s._politicians_play_dumb_about_climate_change%2C_one_country_is_being_pushed_past_the_tipping_point
Many Americans hardly feel the impact of the climate crisis. To see the impact of the climate crisis on a daily basis, head south to Bolivia.
Jill Richardson / AlterNet
In Supporting Natural Gas Drilling, Obama Omits Any Mention of Responsibility
http://www.alternet.org/story/148875/
in_supporting_natural_gas_drilling%2C_obama_omits_any_mention_of_responsibility
It's important to acknowledge that just because natural gas is cleaner than other fossil fuels -- especially coal -- does not mean we should give the industry a free pass.
By Michael Brune / AlterNet
The Delusional People Who Want to Frack This Country Up
http://www.alternet.org/story/148870/
the_delusional_people_who_want_to_frack_this_country_up
The lying starts at the very top in this country, exhibit A being the grand idea that we can run our cars on U.S. reserves of natural gas.
By James Howard Kunstler / Kunstler.com
Big FAIL: Bottled Water Companies Finalists For State Dept. Corporate Excellence Award
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/340000/
big_fail%3A_bottled_water_companies_finalists_for_state_dept._corporate_excellence_award/#paragraph3
By Tara Lohan | AlterNet
What's in Your Water? Nuclear Waste, Coal Slurries and Industrial Estrogen
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/342333/
what%27s_in_your_water_nuclear_waste%2C_coal_slurries_and_industrial_estrogen/#paragraph4
By Sarah Laskow | The Media Consortium
Suez Water Sues Documentary FLOW for Defamation and Loses
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/342316/
suez_water_sues_documentary_flow_for_defamation_and_loses/#paragraph4
By Tara Lohan | AlterNet
===================
13. Council of Canadians Update – November 22, 2010
MEDIA RELEASE:
Canadian Civil Society Demands Canadian Mining Companies
Be Held Accountable for Overseas Abuses
http://canadians.org/media/other/2010/22-Nov-10.html
NEWS: Council demands disclosure on GE salmon assessment
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5426
A media release issued today states that, “PEI groups (have) asked Premier Ghiz to insist that Environment Canada disclose that they have begun an environmental assessment of production of genetically engineered (GE) Atlantic salmon eggs on the Island.”
NEWS: Decision on Great Lakes radioactive shipments
by Dec. 22
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5423
The Toronto Star reports that, “An international coalition of environmental groups and community leaders (including the Council of Canadians) will make its final pleas to Canada’s nuclear safety regulator Monday in a last-ditch attempt to stop a controversial plan to ship radiation-laced steel through the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway.”
NEWS: Nelson chapter sponsors mining justice event
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5421
The Nelson Daily Star reports that, “Canadian mining and human rights in Guatemala will be the topic of a talk by human rights lawyer Grahame Russell this Sunday, Nov. 21 (7 p.m.) at Self Design High. Russell is the co-director of Rights Action, a Canadian NGO long engaged in community development, environment and human rights work throughout Central America. He will provide examples of inspiring, courageous leadership and actions being taken throughout Central America to resist and combat these ills, actions that all of us can take part in, here in Canada.”
NEWS: Indian Affairs cuts water shipments to
Constance Lake First Nation
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5418
Last August, the Toronto Star editorial board wrote that, “At the very time Canada was voting against a UN resolution making water a human right, more than 100 aboriginal communities across the country were facing drinking water advisories requiring them to boil their water or rely on emergency deliveries. …That stark statistic has hit home for the 900 Cree and Ojibwa members of the Constance First Lake Nation in northern Ontario, where a state of emergency has been declared because an aging purification plant is unable to ensure a safe water supply.”
NEWS: Maude Barlow, Canada’s tireless agitator
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5414
The Calgary Herald reports today: With tears welling up in her eyes, the Australian farmer looked over her parched fields where she grew rice for a prosperous export market. Rice production, a water-intensive business, was encouraged by the national government that handed out water licences in the 1990s.
1. EVENT: GASLAND - A film by Josh Fox - Mabou, NS - Nov. 30
2. EVENT: Drum for Justice - Join KAIROS' December 5th Day of Action for Indigenous People
3. Jessica Ernst Submission to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources
4. LETTER: HUGHES: Are you being fracked?
5. LETTER: SHIELDS: Wake-Up In Saskatchewan--Potash Was Peanuts!
6. A possible new oil discovery in southern Alberta
7. Speakers tour will bring Enbridge stories to northern B.C.
8. WATCH: Frack That Oil by Kris Kitko
9. The Delusional People Who Want to Frack This Country Up
10. We must shed our old notions about growth
11. Bill C-311 Defeated (2 articles)
12. ALTERNET Newsletter: WATER: Top Stories this week – November 19, 2010
13. Council of Canadians Update – November 22, 2010
=================
1. EVENT: GASLAND - A film by Josh Fox - Mabou, NS - Nov. 30
GASLAND Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=dZe1AeH0Qz8&feature=related
This award-winning documentary examines the natural gas boom in the United States and the effects of the drilling technology known as hydraulic fracturing.
What is uncovered is truly shocking -- water that can be lit on fire right out of the sink, chronically ill residents of drilling areas from disparate locations in the US all with the same mysterious symptoms, huge pools of toxic waste that kill cattle and vegetation, well blowouts and huge gas explosions consistently covered up by state and federal regulatory agencies
Free admission
Tuesday, November 30th at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30
Strathspey Place, Mabou, NS
Sponsored by the Inverness County Chapter of the Council of Canadians and Cinema Politica.
==================
2. EVENT: Drum for Justice - Join KAIROS' December 5th Day of Action for Indigenous People.
http://www.straightgoods.ca/2010/
ViewArticle.cfm?Ref=925&Cookies=yes
Dateline: Monday, November 08, 2010
from KAIROS You're invited to host a public drum circle and petition-signing in support of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
You're invited to raise awareness of the many Indigenous peoples' voices that are speaking to the impact of climate change.
And you're invited to have fun while you're at it! In 2007, Canadian churches celebrated as the UN adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which enshrines the right of Indigenous peoples to decide how their lands and resources will be used. But Canada has still not endorsed the UN Declaration.
Between November 29 and December 10, 2010, Indigenous peoples from around the world will gather at the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico, to ensure that they are a full part of any decisions on the global climate crisis. But the Canadian government has blocked progress on climate change.
It's time to change the climate on Indigenous rights. Join KAIROS supporters in churches and communities across the country as we drum together in solidarity with Indigenous peoples for the UN Declaration and climate justice.
Hold an event on or close to December 5.
Invite local drum circles of all kinds.
Invite your local Friendship Centre, local Indigenous leadership, and groups of every age and background who want to sound the drum for justice.
Invite Elders and speakers to share their thoughts.
Explore together how you can make local contributions to climate justice, and how you can live into the UN Declaration.
References
Sign the KAIROS UNDRIP petition!
Download the 'Beat the Drum' flyer
================
3. Jessica Ernst Submission to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources
http://albertasurfacerights.com/articles/?id=573
Jessica Ernst
Box 753 Rosebud, AB T0J 2T0
1-403-677-2074
November 17, 2010
Standing Committee on Natural Resources
Sixth Floor, 131 Queen Street
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Canada
Sent by E-Mail to: RNNR@parl.gc.ca
Dear Chair, Standing Committee on Natural Resources,
I testified to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development in 2007 about my community's drinking water contamination after EnCana hydraulically fractured our fresh water aquifers even though the company promised never to do such a dreadful thing. Nothing improved to protect Canada's water. In fact, things got worse. Governments gave more incentives and deregulation to enable hydraulic fracturing; more deregulation is reportedly coming. This is appalling because our governments, regulators and industry know of the many cases of drinking water contamination that have occurred after drilling and fracturing across North America.
Energy Security means nothing to Canadians if we don't have safe water.
Now EnCana wants to do deviated drilling under my little piece of land, even though my water is already too dangerous to live with. EnCana wrote me that deviated drilling does not increase risk of gas leakage but our energy regulator admits that deviated drilling is a factor of major impact for gas leakage
(http://www.co2captureandstorage.info/docs/
WBI3Presentations/SBachuTWatson.pdf).
EnCana plans to inject acid gas under my land but will not tell me what acid gas or why or what protections I will be provided if something goes wrong. The company refuses to give me a copy of their liability insurance. My community's water is already a ticking time bomb; one water tower already blew up. The energy regulator approved EnCana's application in a day.
Is that energy security?
Companies promise that they never fracture into drinking water aquifers; EnCana's activities in my community prove this promise false. Companies promise there has never been a proven case of water contamination by fracturing; the regulator in PA reported that hydraulic fracturing caused gas migration into water. Companies promised not to inject diesel into drinking water aquifers when they fracture; they recently admitted to Congress they did anyways.
EnCana refuses to provide the list of chemicals the company used in my community even though the regulator found evidence in our water of petroleum distillates and other toxic man made chemicals used in drilling and fracturing. EnCana's website states that it supports chemical disclosure but when asked to do what the company says, the company doesn't. I asked EnCana to provide a copy of their submission to Congress investigating EnCana's hydraulic fracturing activities, and all allegations of water contamination by the company (see first PDF attached). EnCana refused.
What energy security do Canadians have when companies fracturing with hazardous chemicals terrorize landowners and communities, lie, withhold vital information, and refuse to take responsibility for bad operations and experiments gone wrong?
Researchers and regulators report problems with hydraulic fracturing and industry admits that they don't know what shallow or deep fractures do, but the relentless and risky hydraulic fracturing and water contamination continues. That is not energy security.
I thank you for reading me out and carefully considering the documents I researched and compiled for you.
Sincerely,
Jessica Ernst
All documents are at:
http://albertasurfacerights.com/articles/?id=573
===============
4. LETTER: HUGHES: Are you being fracked?
Sent for publishing November 21, 2010
It seems that the days of sticking a pipe into the ground and pumping up the oil to feed our addiction to the stuff are over – the easy oil is gone. Now, after years of courting big oil and gas companies with lax regulations and promises of low or non-existent royalties, Saskatchewan is currently under frenzied assault to suck up every last drop of natural gas, oil and coalbed methane using a process called hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Calgary author, Andrew Nikiforuk, describes hydraulic fracturing as “a brute force technology used in 90 per cent of all unconventional oil and gas well drilling which has allowed companies to exploit vast shale deposits across the continent over the last decade.” The highly pressurized fracking fluids cause mini-earthquakes which breaks open the pores of gas-bearing rock in unpredictable ways along horizontal reaches stretching an average of 1.6 kilometres underground.
Within the last 5 years, some 1000 gas and oil wells have been drilled (12 – 15 boreholes per ‘pad’), mainly over the Bakken Formation in the southern part of the province, although there may be as many or more in northwestern Saskatchewan. And, in the northeast, we have discovered the Pasquia Hills Oil Shale Project owned by Calgary-based Oilsands Quest Inc. with exploration permits on 490,000 acres surrounding the small town of Hudson Bay in beautiful northeastern Saskatchewan.
Simply put, fracking involves injecting, under extreme pressure, enormous volumes of water, sand and chemicals thousands of feet into rock formations to force dense gas and oil shales to fracture, or crack, enabling the gas or oil to escape and flow back to the surface where it is piped into storage tanks and to market. The industry can achieve faster payback and further increase the scope of fracking by many kilometers by drilling horizontal wells, where the drill bit is steered along a horizontal trajectory thousands of additional feet – out of sight under farms, towns, and cities.
Sydney, Australia is the latest victim, with drilling to begin within months only blocks from city center. In the meantime, citing health and environmental concerns, Pittsburgh’s city council unanimously passed a ban on natural gas drilling within city limits.
Not surprisingly, there are many major environmental and health concerns with this disaster-in-the-making activity.
Millions of gallons of fresh water (from 5,000 – 3 million gallons, 100-200 dusty and noisy truckloads per well), possibly coming from the same source used for your household drinking wells, ranching and farming. Apparently, "a single permit held by Encana gave it access to water at 71 different locations (in BC) for a combined daily maximum of 16,117 cubic metres or nearly six-and-a-half Olympic swimming pools worth of water per day."
Between 20 and 70 percent of this water remains underground, lost forever from the finite supply on the Planet. And, since no one knows where the aquifers are, their size or their shape, the risk of contaminating your precious underground water is enormous – despite industry assurances that this is a safe procedure; that pipes don’t leak, that cement doesn’t crack!
The produced water, loaded with hundreds of unknown chemicals, which does manage to come to the surface cannot be reused in another well and is placed into closed storage tanks or pumped into large, open holding pits and left to evaporate. This evaporation allows toxic, volatile chemicals to be released into the air and it concentrates the non-volatiles in the pits. Also, evaporation pits have been known to leak or overflow, potentially contaminating the soil and local water sources. Out of the chemicals known to be used in hydraulic fracturing for which basic information is available, 96 percent provide a warning about eye and/or skin harm, 94 percent warn about respiratory system harm, and 49 percent warn about brain or neurological harm that can occur either when the chemicals are inhaled or when they come into contact with skin. (Feb. 2009 study, “Products and Chemicals Used in Fracturing”, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange)
In natural gas fracturing, up to 435 chemical products are known to be used, many of them carcinogenic or toxic to humans and wildlife, even in very small doses. Apparently, Alberta Environment found the human carcinogen, hexavalent chromium (Chromium-6 – think Erin Brockovich) in Rosebud, AB area well water – where tap water has enough natural gas in it to actually ignite! Great secrecy (to keep the company’s ‘competitive edge’) surrounds the list of chemicals used which prevents landowners and, in some cases, government agencies from conducting proper water quality tests.
So, if there’s a knock on your door one day and a representative from an oil and gas company is there, saying they own the ‘sub-surface rights’ to your property and they’re about to drill for natural gas – without your knowledge or permission - you’ll know you’ve been fracked!
Elaine Hughes
Archerwill, SK
=====================
5. LETTER: SHIELDS: Wake-Up In Saskatchewan--Potash Was Peanuts!
From: lagran
To: bill boyd
Cc: premier@gov.nl.ca ; Minister, EMPR EMPR:EX ; Fincati, Donna ERM
Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 1:16 PM
Subject: Wake-Up In Saskatchewan--Potash Was Peanuts!
I would like the citizens of Saskatchewan to examine the attached with respect to the second paragraph. Who in the province believe this type of public giveaway is necessary to an industry that reports windfall profits, quarter after quarter, each year? As a former resident of Saskatchewan and an active investor I'm appalled at the "over the top" treatment energy developers receive in Saskatchewan. These light sweet oil reserves are located in an area with a full slate of public amenities, such as roads, electrical power, towns, etc. and only miles from export opportunities that should act as incentive enough! The price per. bbl. of finding oil reserves in S.E. Saskatchewan is such the Province need not use public funds to sweeten the very sweet pot!!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, AB
- - - - - -
“Shouts & Toots’ from the Oil Patch
http://www.canadianinsight.com/
November 19, 2010
Cloudbreak Resources Ltd. (CDB:TSXV) announced on November 19th as entered into a purchase agreement with two arm's length vendors to acquire a 100% interest in three 5 year oil and gas leases covering approximately 1,120 acres (1.75 sections) of land in southeast Saskatchewan. The three properties are located on a productive trend within a structural belt that is parallel to the prolific Minton Red River oil field. The cost of the acquisition is $272.63 per acre.
Saskatchewan government assists oil and gas companies to facilitate payback of drilling costs. The royalty will not apply to the first 30,000 bbl of oil equivalent production from the first horizontal well or 20,000 bbl of oil equivalent production from the first vertical well drilled on each property in the Red River formation within four years after closing.
Cloudbreak's advisor, Dr. Hairuo Qing, states, “Based on the location of these parcels relative to mapped basement highs in the area, and their close proximity to strong Red River production, these acquisitions provide the Company a rare opportunity to acquire additional key lands with excellent Red River potential, and increase its exposure to this highly desirable light oil play".
The Red River is a porous dolomite that typically produces oil at high flow rates and exceptional volumes from dome-like traps where the formation is draped over local basement highs.
Cloudbreak Resources Ltd. Is a junior oil and gas company based in Vancouver, B.C.
=================
6. A possible new oil discovery in southern Alberta
http://www.canadianinsight.com/
November 19, 2010
There is much speculation and rumors are flying that a new oil discovery has been made which encompasses southern Alberta and northern Montana. Some geologist theorize that this portion is an extension of the famous Bakken which covers southeastern Saskatchewan, southwestern Manitoba, northern portion of North Dakota and north eastern tip of Montana.
Land sales in Alberta and Montana have been keen for this area and land values are rising. Land sales indicate that several large companies including U.S. Murphy Oil and Canada’s Crescent Point Energy are very active in this area and are buying sizeable tracts of land.
While drilling activity is reported to be mostly on the American side of the border, it is expected that things will heat up in early 2011 on the Alberta side. It is suspected that Crescent Point Energy has drilled several horizontal wells in the area and are in the midst of drilling a third horizontal well. Reports of any oil discovery are mum.
New oil discoveries are usually kept secret for as long as possible; this is an advantage to the oil company making the discovery. Provincial legislation allows newly found pools to be hushed up and on occasion a ‘tight hole’ policy may be enacted by the oil company. In such situations, the discoverer can amass as much land as possible prior to an announced new discovery.
Whether the discovery is large or small, the following months may prove to be very interesting. Without a doubt, you will hear more about this region and the outcome. Alberta may just be into the Bakken.
By Allan Pierce
===============
7. Speakers tour will bring Enbridge stories to northern B.C.
http://friendsofwildsalmon.ca/news/arti ... kpipeline/
?utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=E-News&org=354&lvl=100&ite=724&lea=56276&ctr=0&par=1
FOWS, November 18, 2010
Think Pipeline Speaking Tour
Two speakers from the United States will tour northern BC next month to share information and stories related to Enbridge pipelines south of the border. The ThinkPipeline tour will be stopping in eight communities between Prince George and Prince Rupert.
Born and raised in Battle Creek Michigan, Beth Wallace works with the National Wildlife Federation. Her presentation, “Anatomy of a Crude Oil Pipeline Accident,” tells the story of Enbridge’s 2010 crude oil spill into the Kalamazoo River.
Erin O’Brien works with the Wisconsin Wetlands Association. Her presentation, “Beyond Spills: Environmental Considerations for Communities along Pipeline Corridors,” provides an overview of Wisconsin’s experience with Enbridge’s 2007 construction of an oil pipeline.
The ThinkPipeline speaking tour will be holding events in the following communities:
Prince George: Monday, Nov. 29, 7:00 pm at the UNBC, Canfor Theatre
Vanderhoof: Tuesday, Nov. 30, 12:00 pm at the Neighborhood Space (Beside Subway)
Houston: Tuesday, Nov. 30, 7:00 pm at the Houston Public Library
Burns Lake: Wednesday, Dec. 1, 6:30 pm at the College of New Caledonia
Smithers: Thursday, Dec. 2, 7:00 pm at the Della Herman Theatre (Smithers Secondary)
Terrace: Friday, Dec. 3, 6:00 pm at the Skeena Jr. Secondary School Lecture Theatre
Prince Rupert: Saturday, Dec. 4, 7:00 pm at the Tom Rooney Playhouse
Kitimat: Sunday, Dec. 5, 1:30 pm at the Riverlodge Recreation Centre
The ThinkPipeline tour is sponsored by Friends of Wild Salmon, Sea to Sands Conservation Alliance, Friends of Morice Bulkley, SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, Northwest Watch, Douglas Channel Watch, and Prince Rupert Environmental Society.
For more info:
For more information on the tour, or to book pre-event interviews with the speakers, please contact Pat Moss at 250-847-9693 or Greg Brown at 778-210-0340:
=======================
8. WATCH: Frack That Oil by Kris Kitko
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=_gfoeX6wM4g&feature=player_embedded
Kris Kitko's song about Big Oil's exploitation of North Dakota's people & land.
=====================
9. The Delusional People Who Want to Frack This Country Up
http://www.alternet.org/story/148870/
By James Howard Kunstler,
Kunstler.com
Posted on November 15, 2010, Printed on November 19, 2010
On Sunday night CBS hauled Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy, on board their flagship Sunday infotainment vehicle, 60 Minutes, to blow a mighty wind up America's ass (as they say in professional PR circles). America is lately addicted to lying to itself, and 60 Minutes has become the "go-to" patsy for funneling disinformation into an already hopelessly confused, wishful, delusional, US public.
McClendon told the credulous Leslie Stahl and the huge viewing audience that America "has two Saudi Arabia's of gas." Now, you know immediately that at least half the viewers misconstrued this statement to mean that we have two Saudi Arabia's of gasoline. Translation: don't worry none about driving anywhere you like, or having to get some tiny little pansy-ass hybrid whatchamacallit car to do it in, and especially don't pay no attention to them "green" sumbitches on the sidelines trying to sell you some kind of peak oil story.... It also prepared the public to support whatever Mr. McClendon's company wants to do, because he says his company will free America from its slavery to OPEC. By the way, CBS never clarified these parts of the story by the end of the show.
First of all, they are talking about methane gas, not liquid gasoline or oil. There are large deposits of methane gas locked into shale deposits roughly following the Appalachian mountain chain from New York State through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, into Ohio, but also hot spots out west. It's hard to get at. You have to basically blow up the shale rock deep underground with high pressure water that is loaded up with chemicals and sand particles to keep the rock fragments separated once they are blown apart. Chesapeake Energy specializes in this rock fracturing (or "fracking") method for drilling. You can get gas out of the ground this way. The question is how much, over what time period, at what cost.
At the present time, with America anxious about any kind of future energy, shale gas sounds like a dream-come-true. Mostly what the public saw on 60 Minutes last night was a sell-job for Chesapeake Energy to boost its stock price.
Here are some facts:
MORE:
http://www.alternet.org/story/148870/
=====================
10. We must shed our old notions about growth
http://news.guelphmercury.com/opinions/ ... theeditor/
article/723576
November 20, 2010
The well-written Nov. 11 article, The Easy Oil is Gone, highlighted Robert Rapier’s thoughts at the recent conference Our Environmental Future. Our four additional speakers outlined many options for a better future.
Peter Victor, an economist and author from York University, explained that even though the economic growth model is commonly thought to be the way to go, this reliance on growth is new in human history. We have only had economic growth for the last 10 generations. He pointed out that GDP only measures the things that have a monetary exchange, while most of what we value is priceless. For example, how good is a hurricane or a flood, or a major oil spill? The destruction incurs emergency and reparation services which increase our GDP, so disasters figure as good things for our GDP and economy. He said the present industrial growth economy needs to be changed in order to stop downloading the destructive costs of growth on to nature and future generations, and offered a model for prosperity without growth — go slower and use less oil by design, not disaster.
MORE:
http://news.guelphmercury.com/opinions/ ... theeditor/
article/723576
===================
11. Bill C-311 Defeated (2 articles)
LISTEN: Nov 19/10 - Pt 1: Senate Debate on Bill C-311
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2010/11/19/
nov-1910---pt-1-senate-debate/
(All Links are on website. Ed.)
The Senate has defeated Bill C-311, a climate change bill that had been passed by the House of Commons. The opposition says an unelected Senate had no business doing that. But the Conservative Government says Senators did the right thing and that they were perfectly within their rights to defeat "a completely irresponsible bill."
Senate Debate - Panel
We started this segment with a clip from Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaking shortly after he was elected in 2006. The Prime Minister has long advocated an elected Senate ... arguing un-elected Senators can't claim a legitimate democratic mandate.
But earlier this week, he praised the Conservative-dominated Senate for killing Bill C-311 ... a climate change bill that had been passed by the House of Commons. The bill was voted down in the Senate without any debate. That hasn't happened in 70 years. And that has a lot of Canadians crying foul.
The government's critics pounced ... calling out the Conservatives for what they perceive as hypocrisy. But others say the Senators simply did what they were supposed to do by giving sober second thought to a controversial bill.
So to talk about this bill, we were joined by three Senators who participated in the vote on Bill C-311. Pamela Wallin is a Conservative Senator from Saskatchewan. James Cowan is the Liberal Leader in The Senate. He represents Nova Scotia. And Anne Cools is a former Liberal and Conservative Senator. She now sits as an Independent, representing Toronto Centre-York.
LISTEN: (Click on Icon)
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2010/11/19/
nov-1910---pt-1-senate-debate/
= = = = = = =
Conservatives kill climate change bill
http://www.ceasefire.ca/
?p=6314&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28Ceasefire.ca%29
Fri, Nov 19, 2010
The story that the Roman Emperor Caligula wanted to appoint his horse to the Senate is apocryphal, but it is a sad fact that Canada’s own quasi-Emperor has appointed 36 unelected horses (or posterior portions thereof) to the Canadian Senate in just the past four years. And on Tuesday the Prime Minister’s stable of equine extremities stampeded into action to kill a bill that he couldn’t kill in the House of Commons because it had been passed by a majority of that body’s democratically elected members.
The Climate Change Accountability Act (Bill C-311) was denied second reading in the Senate in a snap vote by the Conservatives, who earlier had refused to permit even a single word of debate on the bill in the Senate.
Bill C-311 would have forced the Canadian government to take action on global climate change, calling for “greenhouse gases to be cut 25 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020″ and for a long-term target “to bring emissions 80 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050″. This, of course, made it utterly unacceptable to the Prime Minister (Gloria Galloway, “Tory senators kill climate bill passed by house,” Globe and Mail, 17 November 2010; Susan Delacourt, “Climate bill, Commons crushed in one blow,” Toronto Star, 17 November 2010; “Killed climate change bill flawed: Harper,” CBC News, 17 November 2010).
A recent Environics poll commissioned by the Council of Canadians and other organizations found that 87% of Canadians believe we “need to have an economy that is in harmony with nature, which recognizes and respects the planet”, and that over 70% agree that “The money spent on wars and the military would all be better spent on efforts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the impacts of climate change.”
But why should the opinions of mere citizens matter to the Prime Minister when he has enough appointed minions to enable him to ignore the views of the public? With the defeat of Bill C-311 he is free to go back to emulating another infamous Roman Emperor, Caligula’s nephew Nero, and fiddle as the planet burns.
========================
12. ALTERNET Newsletter: WATER: Top Stories this week – November 19, 2010
Pittsburgh Bans Fracking (and Corporate Personhood)
http://www.alternet.org/story/148881/
pittsburgh_bans_fracking_%28and_corporate_personhood%29_
A historic new ordinance bans natural gas drilling while elevating community decision making and the rights of nature over the "rights" associated with corporate personhood.
Mari Margil, Ben Price / YES! Magazine
Simmering Water War: How New Power Plants Will Suck Our Water Sources Dry
http://www.alternet.org/story/148881/
pittsburgh_bans_fracking_%28and_corporate_personhood%29_
Boneheaded executives and greed-headed investors might be draining the fresh water supplies where you live.
Jim Hightower / Other Words
While U.S. Politicians Play Dumb About Climate Change, One Country Is Being Pushed Past the Tipping Point
http://www.alternet.org/story/148922/
while_u.s._politicians_play_dumb_about_climate_change%2C_one_country_is_being_pushed_past_the_tipping_point
Many Americans hardly feel the impact of the climate crisis. To see the impact of the climate crisis on a daily basis, head south to Bolivia.
Jill Richardson / AlterNet
In Supporting Natural Gas Drilling, Obama Omits Any Mention of Responsibility
http://www.alternet.org/story/148875/
in_supporting_natural_gas_drilling%2C_obama_omits_any_mention_of_responsibility
It's important to acknowledge that just because natural gas is cleaner than other fossil fuels -- especially coal -- does not mean we should give the industry a free pass.
By Michael Brune / AlterNet
The Delusional People Who Want to Frack This Country Up
http://www.alternet.org/story/148870/
the_delusional_people_who_want_to_frack_this_country_up
The lying starts at the very top in this country, exhibit A being the grand idea that we can run our cars on U.S. reserves of natural gas.
By James Howard Kunstler / Kunstler.com
Big FAIL: Bottled Water Companies Finalists For State Dept. Corporate Excellence Award
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/340000/
big_fail%3A_bottled_water_companies_finalists_for_state_dept._corporate_excellence_award/#paragraph3
By Tara Lohan | AlterNet
What's in Your Water? Nuclear Waste, Coal Slurries and Industrial Estrogen
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/342333/
what%27s_in_your_water_nuclear_waste%2C_coal_slurries_and_industrial_estrogen/#paragraph4
By Sarah Laskow | The Media Consortium
Suez Water Sues Documentary FLOW for Defamation and Loses
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/342316/
suez_water_sues_documentary_flow_for_defamation_and_loses/#paragraph4
By Tara Lohan | AlterNet
===================
13. Council of Canadians Update – November 22, 2010
MEDIA RELEASE:
Canadian Civil Society Demands Canadian Mining Companies
Be Held Accountable for Overseas Abuses
http://canadians.org/media/other/2010/22-Nov-10.html
NEWS: Council demands disclosure on GE salmon assessment
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5426
A media release issued today states that, “PEI groups (have) asked Premier Ghiz to insist that Environment Canada disclose that they have begun an environmental assessment of production of genetically engineered (GE) Atlantic salmon eggs on the Island.”
NEWS: Decision on Great Lakes radioactive shipments
by Dec. 22
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5423
The Toronto Star reports that, “An international coalition of environmental groups and community leaders (including the Council of Canadians) will make its final pleas to Canada’s nuclear safety regulator Monday in a last-ditch attempt to stop a controversial plan to ship radiation-laced steel through the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway.”
NEWS: Nelson chapter sponsors mining justice event
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5421
The Nelson Daily Star reports that, “Canadian mining and human rights in Guatemala will be the topic of a talk by human rights lawyer Grahame Russell this Sunday, Nov. 21 (7 p.m.) at Self Design High. Russell is the co-director of Rights Action, a Canadian NGO long engaged in community development, environment and human rights work throughout Central America. He will provide examples of inspiring, courageous leadership and actions being taken throughout Central America to resist and combat these ills, actions that all of us can take part in, here in Canada.”
NEWS: Indian Affairs cuts water shipments to
Constance Lake First Nation
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5418
Last August, the Toronto Star editorial board wrote that, “At the very time Canada was voting against a UN resolution making water a human right, more than 100 aboriginal communities across the country were facing drinking water advisories requiring them to boil their water or rely on emergency deliveries. …That stark statistic has hit home for the 900 Cree and Ojibwa members of the Constance First Lake Nation in northern Ontario, where a state of emergency has been declared because an aging purification plant is unable to ensure a safe water supply.”
NEWS: Maude Barlow, Canada’s tireless agitator
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5414
The Calgary Herald reports today: With tears welling up in her eyes, the Australian farmer looked over her parched fields where she grew rice for a prosperous export market. Rice production, a water-intensive business, was encouraged by the national government that handed out water licences in the 1990s.
Last edited by Oscar on Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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- Site Admin
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FRACKING NEWS: November 25, 2010
by Oscar » Thu Nov 25, 2010 9:28 pm
FRACKING NEWS: November 25, 2010
1. Misplaced Generosity - New report says extreme oil profits come at expense of government revenue
2. Truth Is Scarier Than Fiction
3. LISTEN: INTERVIEW: IN USA, Stunning announcement on hydraulic fracturing
4. NIKIFORUK: Alberta's Soviet Meal Deal
5. Alberta's oilpatch not paying its way: report
6. ERCB invites feedback on changes to well spacing framework
7. Alberta Tories kill Alberta Parks Act in backroom deal
8. LETTER: SHIELDS: Harper Kicks Albertans In The B-B-B-Belly!
9. LETTER: SHIELDS: The West Still Wants In
10. Oil Spill Nets Calgary Company Massive Fine
11. Canada’s oilsands strategy includes lobbying against global-warming measures: documents
12. Harper cited as obstacle to ending fossil fuel subsidies
13. End Tax Breaks to Oil, Coal and Gas Companies
14. Final report on Encana gas leak released
15. Join the Polaris Institute's Tar Sands Watch Team!
16. Report raises Keystone response concerns
17. DOBBIN: Citizen Psychopaths
18. Drafting Nature's Constitution
19. Our Most Loved Resource? Water
20. Watchdog probes whether federal leak sent Taseko stock into tailspin
21. Council of Canadians Update - November 23, 24 & 25, 2010
===============
1. Misplaced Generosity - New report says extreme oil profits come at expense of government revenue
Parkland Institute Faculty of Arts - University of Alberta
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NOVEMBER 25, 2010
CALGARY – Despite a provincial deficit now forecast to reach $5 billion this year, a new report from the U of A’s Parkland Institute points out that Albertans have foregone tens of billions in potential revenue as a result of overly generous royalty cuts and the government’s failure to meet even its own modest targets.
The report, entitled Misplaced Generosity: Extraordinary profits in Alberta’s oil and gas industry, takes a closer look at whether the oilpatch was in need of the latest string of royalty cuts and asks some tough questions about the scale of their profits and how the Stelmach government has managed this province’s most important economic file.
“Albertans are already enduring a recession and a variety of cuts to public services,” says the report’s author Regan Boychuk, public policy research manager with the Parkland Institute. “Without a change of course by their government, they can expect more of the same: generosity for the oilpatch, discipline for citizens.”
The report traces the scale of industry profits over the last decade and delivers some much-needed scrutiny to the Stelmach government’s series of drilling incentives and royalty holidays that have forfeited billions in public revenue.
Debunking myths about Alberta’s supposedly higher oilfield costs, investment fleeing to our neighbours, and about how risky the oil and gas business is in Alberta, Misplaced Generosity also exposes the publicly-funded roots of oil production in the tar sands and reiterates recommendations to improve the accountability and oversight of the provincial government’s management of oil and gas revenues.
“Properly managed in Albertans’ interest,” Boychuk says, “oil and gas revenue could quickly accumulate to a sizable fund that could sustainably generate many billions in investment revenue to support annual budgets for generations to come.”
Full report and Executive Summary are at:
http://parklandinstitute.ca/research/summary/
misplaced_generosity/
The Parkland Institute is a non-partisan public policy research institute in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta. Misplaced Generosity: Extraordinary profits in Alberta’s oil and gas industry is available on the Parkland Institute web site at
<parklandinstitute.ca>
or in hard copy from the Parkland Institute at 780-492-8558.
===================
2. When Truth Is Scarier Than Fiction
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-ruffalo/
when-art-imitates-life_b_785665.html
Mark Ruffalo - Actor/Director Posted: November 22, 2010 07:11 PM
It sounds like a crazy conspiracy -- too extreme to be true. Flaming tap water, dead animals, secret chemical formulas, mysterious illnesses afflicting whole communities, and people afraid to speak up. The November 11th episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation brought viewers to a small town taken over by -- industrial gas drilling. The storyline in "Fracked" follows the investigators as they attempt to uncover the truth behind two murders, but end up discovering a much viewers to a small town taken over by -- industrial gas drilling. The storyline in "Fracked" follows the investigators as they attempt to uncover the truth behind two murders, but end up discovering a much bigger crime: an industry destroying people's lives with no accountability.
Although the story told on CSI is fictional, the parallels to real life are stark.
In Colorado, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and several other states, the method of gas drilling called hydraulic fracturing has wreaked havoc on people's lives.
Across the country hydraulic fracturing has been linked to many cases of water so polluted with gas that you can actually light it on fire.
Hydraulic fracturing (or “hydro-fracking”) involves pumping millions of gallons of toxic chemicals deep underground to break up rock formations and release pockets of gas. The process can lead to contamination of underground drinking water sources, as well as severe land and air pollution above ground.
Like in the CSI episode, many people who have been impacted by hydraulic fracturing have been forced to keep silent, signing nondisclosure agreements in order to receive small settlements—or even just deliveries of drinkable water. But the stories that have come to light don’t paint a rosy picture of the gas industry.
Last year in Louisiana, sixteen cows dropped dead within hours of drinking from puddles tainted with a mysterious green fluid in a pasture next to a fracking well site. Chesapeake Energy, the company that owned the rig, refused to identify the chemicals in the fluid.
In 2008, a woman who briefly came into contact with fracturing fluids nearly died from acute liver, heart, and respiratory failure. Cathy Behr, an emergency room nurse in Durago, Colorado, treated a worker from a gas well site who was caught in a chemical spill. Behr spent just 10 minutes with the patient upon his initial entry to the hospital—putting his chemical-laced clothing into a bag and helping him to clean off. Despite her limited exposure, she immediately lost her sense of smell and rapidly became gravely ill. As doctors fought to save Behr’s life, the company that manufactured the chemicals refused to reveal the composition of the fluid—calling the formula a trade secret.
And just a few days ago in Colorado, a woman who spent years in close proximity to numerous gas wells died after a prolonged battle with a rare form of cancer. Drilling rigs were located as close as 300 feet from Chris Mobaldi’s home in Rifle, Colorado between 1997 and 2004. Mobaldi was diagnosed with her first pituitary tumor four years after gas drilling began in the area, and experienced other rare ailments that indicated severe brain damage.
Mobaldi’s doctors say that exposure to contaminants from the nearby drilling activities is to blame, but there have been no studies on the long-term health consequences of exposure to fracking chemicals. Now Mobaldi’s husband is seeking to donate her body for medical research and struggling to find anyone who can help.
- - - - -
[Chris Mobaldi died earlier this week from a rare persistent tumor, after years of exposure to toxic chemicals from gas drilling. ]
MORE:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-ruffalo/
when-art-imitates-life_b_785665.html
==================
3. LISTEN: IN USA, Stunning announcement on hydraulic fracturing
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain/
article/0/2706/1729657/WAMC.News/Governor.Paterson.Visits.WAMC
QUOTE: "At this point, I would say that the hydrofracking opponents have raised enough of an argument to thwart us going forward at this time."
Governor David Paterson: Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Yesterday on WAMC Radio, Governor Paterson admitted that he is no longer convinced that fracking is safe and that as a result of all of our hard work - fracking will not go forward at this time.
Here is the full quote:
"This is a very good example of public participation. Our DEC...originally ruled that hydrofracking would not affect thewater quality in the area but we've received additional information and have not been able to come to a conclusion as to whether or not this is a good idea. Even with the tremendous revenues that will come in at this time...we're not going to risk public safety or water quality, which will be the next emerging global problem after the energy shortage. At this point, I would say that the hydrofracking opponents have raised enough of an argument to thwart us going forward at this time."
====================
4. NIKIFORUK: Alberta's Soviet Meal Deal
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/24/SovietMealDeal/
To know why an oil-rich province forces hospital patients to eat thawed slop, meet the man they call The Cookie Monster.
By Andrew Nikiforuk, TheTyee.ca November 24, 2010
= = = = =
If you want to know what it's like to live in a petro state, where bust and boom budgets abuse ordinary people, just hear out Marguerite Edwards. She's started a revolution in rural Alberta and God bless her.
The 82-year-old, straight-talking farm girl hails from Oyen, Alberta near the Saskatchewan border. Last March Alberta Health Services positively "irked" her when it introduced a new 21-day standardized meal plan at the Big Country Hospital.
Out went locally cooked food such as roast beef, mashed potatoes and turnips. And in came precooked frozen dinners trucked all the way from a central supplier in Calgary. The new industrial menu included 'pasta and meat sauce' and 'broccoli cheese soufflé.' Just add lots of steam and, well, you get the gooey plastic picture. Many folks couldn't even recognize the crap as food.
The new meal deal for 114 rural hospitals and long-term care facilities is another so-called cost-saving measure by the province's Superboard known as Alberta Health Services. But it's really another sordid metaphor for how things have come undone in a province ruled by one party armed with petro dollars for nearly 40 years.
Let them eat cookies
Two years ago Premier Ed Stelmach dissolved the province's nine regional health authorities and created one big centralized agency to ostensibly save money. Health care, after all, represents 40 per cent of the government's budget. But centralization and concentration of power, the hallmark of petro states coping with volatile oil revenue and even more volatile government spending and cutting, hasn't saved a penny. Now Canada's wealthiest province is running a $5-billion deficit and its health care system is in free fall.
The intellectually-challenged Stelmach put an Aussie, Dr. Steve Duckett, in charge of the Superboard. In Alberta, they call Duckett the Cookie Monster. That's because of a now famous incident when journalists dared to pose a few fair-minded questions to Duckett and he repeatedly rebuffed them by saying: "I'm still eating my cookie." (The exchange is now a YouTube sensation.) Duckett, a professional itinerant economist, now makes approximately $800,000 a year piloting a Titanic-like $15-billion health care system that increasingly has little to do with health and everything with power (the high spending Saudi government hires foreigner's to run essential services too.). When not greedily consuming cookies, Duckett peppers his talks with incomprehensible jargon such as "discount outlier days" and "low trim cases."
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/24/SovietMealDeal/
= = = = =
WATCH: Stephen Duckett's "Cookie Exchange" with Edmonton media
http://www.google.com/
search?q=In+Ottawa%2C+who+stands+up+for+Alberta%3F&rls=com.microsoft:en-ca:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7RNWE_en
= = = = =
Health board member quits over Duckett's dismissal
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/11/25/
edmonton-board-members-quit.html
Last Updated: Thursday, November 25, 2010 | 1:21 PM MT CBC News
The decision by the Alberta Health Services board to fire Stephen Duckett as CEO and president is prompting some board members to tender their resignations.
MORE:…..
====================
5. Alberta's oilpatch not paying its way: report
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/
companies+pocket+profits+while+Albertans+bills+think+tank+argues/3883594/story.html
Provincial deficit linked to generosity to the energy industry
By Dan Healing, Calgary Herald November 25, 2010
CALGARY - The oil and gas industry in Alberta is paying even less now than it did during the decade ended in 2008 - and it underpaid by $121 billion in that period, charges the Parkland Institute in a new report.
But Alberta's energy minister and a spokesman for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers both said rig utilization rates and drilling right sales show that the province did the right thing when it trimmed royalties over the past 18 months to maintain industry health.
"Albertans have seen a stream of royalty cuts that range into the many billions of dollars," said study author Regan Boychuk, who became the Calgary research manager for the University of Alberta-based think-tank in June, at a press conference in Calgary Thursday.
"There's good reason to believe that those cuts have brought us back below the level we were before the last royalty review."
Rates were raised in January 2009 but following a howl of protest from industry, a series of incentives were introduced.
Last month, the Alberta Energy 2009-10 annual report stated the Alberta government relinquished about $1.5 billion in potential energy income from the programs designed to spur oilpatch activity.
With the additional $1.4 billion in uncollected royalties projected for the current budget year, the province is expecting to forfeit nearly $3 billion over two years.
MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/
companies+pocket+profits+while+Albertans+bills+think+tank+argues/3883594/story.html
===================
6. ERCB invites feedback on changes to well spacing framework
http://www.canadaviews.ca/2010/11/25/
ercb-invites-feedback-on-changes-to-well-spacing-framework/
News Release November 25, 2010
Calgary... As part of the Energy Resources Conservation Board’s commitment to streamlining and improving its regulatory requirements, it is seeking stakeholder feedback on proposed changes to its well-spacing framework for conventional and unconventional oil and gas reservoirs.
The proposed changes reflect the ERCB’s ongoing work to create a more relevant and effective approach to the regulation of Alberta’s energy resources.
The ERCB proposes the following four changes to its well-spacing framework:
· Remove subsurface well-density controls for coalbed methane and shale gas province-wide, and for certain gas zones in southeastern Alberta.
· Increase baseline well densities from one well to two wells per pool per standard drilling spacing units province-wide for conventional gas reservoirs.
· Streamline additional well-spacing requirements.
· Standardize province-wide target areas for drilling spacing units.
The proposed changes ensure that development continues to occur in a manner that conserves and protects the resource for all Albertans.
Well spacing relates to subsurface reservoir development. Today’s horizontal drilling technology means that operators often do not need a well directly above the target reservoir.
Existing well spacing regulations were implemented in the early stages of Alberta’s oil and gas industry to ensure efficient and orderly development of Alberta’s energy resources.
The proposed changes to well spacing requirements compliment the Government of Alberta’s Energizing Investment: A Framework to Improve Alberta’s Natural Gas and Conventional Oil Competitiveness released in March. The Framework aims to ensure Alberta provides a leading competitive environment for oil and gas investment in Alberta.
A key outcome of the Framework was the establishment of the Regulatory Enhancement Project which is examining ways to improve Alberta’s regulatory systems. The ERCB has been a full participant in this project since it began earlier this year.
Details on the proposed well spacing changes are available in Bulletin 2010-39, which can be found on the ERCB’s Web site. -30-
This news release and the report are available on the ERCB website at
www.ercb.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Darin Barter, ERCB Communications
Office: 403-297-4116
Cellular: 403-681-0946
=====================
7. Alberta Tories kill Alberta Parks Act in backroom deal
http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/
Alberta+Tories+kill+Alberta+Parks+backroom+deal/3884251/story.html
By Karen Kleiss, edmontonjournal.com November 25, 2010 2:03 PM
EDMONTON — Liberal Parks critic Harry Chase has confirmed the controversial Alberta Parks Act will “die on the order paper” after a backroom political trade-off Thursday morning.
Tourism, Parks and Recreation Minister Cindy Ady has called a press conference for 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon at which Chase said she will announce the bill’s withdrawal.
- - - -SNIP - - - -
“I give them credit for recognizing the shortcomings of this bill. ... In a nutshell, what it did was it took away the protection for ecological reserves, it took away protection for wilderness areas and it lumped everything into the parks category.”
Chase said the Tories wanted faster approval for uncontroversial bills, including the changes to the Police Act, as well as certain concessions during the Bill 17 Alberta Health Act filibuster.
More to come ...
kkleiss@edmontonjournal.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
========================
8. LETTER: SHIELDS: Harper Kicks Albertans In The B-B-B-Belly!
From: lagran
To: Prime Minister/Premier ministre ; Layton, Jack - M.P. ; iggy
Cc: goodale ; flaherty ; bill boyd ; jmorales@neb-one.gc.ca ; acameron@neb-one.gc.ca
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 12:49 PM
Subject: Harper Kicks Albertans In The B-B-B-Belly!
I'm delighted the federal Tories who licensed the export of raw bitumen slurry to United States finally got under the hide of people in northern Alberta. I indeed have had a ball in the local coffee shops responding to those seeking sympathy for the felt abuse they have suffered at the hands of Harper's Reform/Conservatives. Although this is no where near the tragedy Harper delivered by licensing the Keystone pipeline, it has caught the 'low-brow" Alberta imagination unlike other major kicks in the belly, Alberta has received from the same Harper!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, Alberta
- - - - -
In Ottawa, who stands up for Alberta?
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/
Ottawa+stands+Alberta/3875014/story.html
Edmonton Journal November 24, 2010
Well, well, well! This is what being "In" in Ottawa looks like for Edmontonians. After Stephen Harper's cold shoulder to the jaw on the Expo 2017 bid, it will be blackly amusing to watch the city's invisible backbench MPs in the next election trying to explain to voters how crucial it is to have their Conservative "voices" in the government caucus.
In a town and province where publicly condemning Conservative governments is a rare step of last resort, an infuriated Mayor Stephen Mandel wasted no time in laying blame for the feds' refusing to financially support the city's bid for the $2.3-billion event. He blasted Alberta MPs, Edmonton Conservative MPs and, specifically, Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose for their failure to sell the project.
And Mandel is far from seething alone. For example, bid committee member Randy Ferguson, a card-carrying federal Conservative party member, says Albertans "took a kick in the teeth." He lamented the betrayal by his prime minister and urged Albertans to reconsider the value of voting Conservative in the next federal election.
MORE:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/
Ottawa+stands+Alberta/3875014/story.html
======================
9. LETTER: SHIELDS: The West Still Wants In
From: lagran
To: Prime Minister/Premier ministre ; Layton, Jack - M.P. ; iggy
Cc: premier@gov.nl.ca ; goodale ; flaherty ; Alberta Activism
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 12:18 PM
Subject: Fw: The West Still Wants In
- - - - -
From: lagran
To: letters@thejournal.canwest.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 3:56 PM
Subject: The West Still Wants In
Alberta got exactly what it deserves from this unpredictable federal government that gets their vote regardless! Why would the Harper Tories waste federal spending on a province that will continue to return Tory M.P's to Ottawa? Better to have the type of spending Edmonton sought for Expo-2017 spent in Area's like Ontario and Quebec, that may reward the Tories for their stand!
Saskatchewan may also find their support for federal Tories working against their desire for a covered foot ball stadium. With the federal decision on Saskatchewan's potash, is the federal Tory vote so secure that they will fund the arena in Quebec City, and reject Saskatchewan's call for funding for a covered arena for the Roughies? I hear a ground swell call to the Harper Tories in Ottawa-----The West Wants In!!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, Alberta
- - - - - -
Harper Government's "Dear John Letter" to Edmonton's Expo 2017
http://communities.canada.com/edmontonjournal/blogs/
commons/archive/2010/11/22/harper-government-s-quot-dear-john-letter-quot-to-edmonton-s-expo-2017.aspx
By David Staples Mon, Nov 22 2010
His Worship Stephen Mandel
Mayor of Edmonton
Dear Mr. Mayor,
I appreciate your response to my April 2009 letter where I explored the interest of Canadian cities in hosting an International Exposition in 2017. You will recall that at that time I indicated the Federal Government would consider supporting a bid for Expo 2017 after having taken into account all the costs involved in hosting an event of this size.
We have been actively reviewing the business plan submitted by the bid organizing committee and have been in close contact for a number of months in doing our due diligence in examining the project, including its costs and obligations. This letter is to inform you that, due to concerns about the high costs of this event, the Government of Canada does not support a Canadian bid going forward to the International Exhibitions Bureau.
With regard to specific costs and our concerns, the business plan for the bid calls for a financial commitment of $706 million from the Federal Government in order for the event to be successful. This amount doesn’t take into account the full costs of security for this three month event nor the full costs of the Federal Government's obligations to host an event of this size. Costs for the Federal Government for this project could easily eclipse $1 billion, and that is a financial risk we are not prepared to take at this time. Particularly given our Government’s most recent Budget, where we committed to “aggressively review all spending to ensure value for money” with a goal of eliminating the federal deficit by 2015.
I would like to thank you and all of those who worked on the Expo 2017 project. I know this news will be disappointing, but I assure you that this decision was arrived at after great examination, due diligence, and respect for taxpayers' interests.
Sincerely,
The Honourable James Moore, P.C., M.P
====================
10. Oil Spill Nets Calgary Company Massive Fine
http://www.cjcyfm.com/newscentre/local-news/
oil-spill-nets-calgary-company-massive-fine-566
Friday, November 19th 2010 12:35
A Calgary-based company has been fined for spilling oil 48 kilometres from CFB Suffield's National Wildlife Area.
A Calgary-based company has been fined $125,000 for depositing a harmful substance in waters frequented by birds, just west of Medicine Hat. Harvest Operations Corporation pleaded guilty in a Medicine Hat court room Thursday, to discharging about 14,500 litres of crude oil from an oil well site near Ralston in September 2008. The company says the incident was due to a bridge plug failure and improperly sealed well bore. 1,200 sq. metres of land near the CFB Suffield National Wildlife Area was affected and about 300 birds died, including migratory birds, songbirds and raptors. No waterways were affected in the spill.
MORE:
http://www.cjcyfm.com/newscentre/local-news/
oil-spill-nets-calgary-company-massive-fine-566
- - - - - -
Calgary energy company fined $125,000 for oil spill killing 300 birds near Medicine Hat
http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Calgary+energy+company+fined+spill+killing+birds+near+Medicine/3856341/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
By Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald November 19, 2010 1:03 PM
A Calgary energy company has been fined $125,000 in relation to a 2008 oil spill near Ralston that killed 300 birds.
In court in Medicine Hat on Thursday, Harvest Operations Corp. pleaded guilty to one count under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act "for the deposit of a substance harmful to migratory birds in waters or an area frequented by birds."
Environment Canada said approximately 14,500 litres of crude oil was discharged from an oil well site on September 8, 2008 due to a bridge plug failure and improperly sealed well bore.
MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Calgary+energy+company+fined+spill+killing+birds+near+Medicine/3856341/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
====================
11. Canada’s oilsands strategy includes lobbying against global-warming measures: documents
http://www.canada.com/business/
Canada+oilsands+strategy+includes+lobbying+against+global+warming+measures+documents/3863881/story.html
By Mike De Souza, Postmedia News November 22, 2010
OTTAWA — Three major departments in the federal government have been actively co-ordinating a communications strategy with Alberta and its fossil-fuel industry to fight international global-warming policies that “target” oilsands production, newly released federal documents reveal.
The documents, obtained by Postmedia News, suggest that Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, have collaborated on an “advocacy strategy” in the U.S. to promote the oilsands and discourage environmental-protection policies.
“The activities of the oil sands sector has emerged as one of the high priority files for the federal government,” wrote Natural Resources Canada policy adviser Paul Khanna in an email, on behalf of Kevin Stringer, the director of Petroleum Resources in the same department.
“As a result we have developed several products that provide the department’s views on oil sands development . . . and we have contributed (along with EC) to a DFAIT led ‘Advocacy Strategy’ on oil sands for the US.”
The email, dated Dec. 1, 2008, is part of hundreds of pages of documents released through an access-to-information request by Climate Action Network Canada.
The documents also include a powerpoint presentation outlining the communications strategy in 2009 and secret briefing notes that urge the natural resources minister to fight back against “well-orchestrated media campaigns” against the oilsands as well as “restrictive legislative and regulatory proposals that associate oil sands with ‘dirty oil.’”
The powerpoint presentation highlights the economic importance of the oilsands as a resource that places Canada second in world oil reserves, but also acknowledges that development is threatened by environmental concerns and climate policies from south of the border.
“US legislation at both federal and state levels potentially target oilsands production,” says a Natural Resources Canada powerpoint presentation from March 2009 called: Addressing Oil Sands Issues in the United States.
“Some (environmental groups) have targeted oil sands in proactive, well financed and well organized ‘dirty oil’ campaigns.”
MORE:
http://www.canada.com/business/
Canada+oilsands+strategy+includes+lobbying+against+global+warming+measures+documents/3863881/story.html
==================
12. Harper cited as obstacle to ending fossil fuel subsidies
http://www.canada.com/business/
Harper+cited+obstacle+ending+fossil+fuel+subsidies/3778016/story.html
By Mike De Souza, Postmedia News November 4, 2010
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper is resisting calls from within his government and abroad to scale back fossil fuel subsidies, says a report released Thursday.
The assessment, Fueling the Problem, released by Climate Action Network, says that billions of dollars in subsidies for oil and gas companies are helping drive up emissions that cause global warming.
"In a time of fiscal constraint, the federal government could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in extra revenue by ending unfair tax breaks to some of the richest companies in the world," said the report. "Eliminating handouts to oil and gas corporations operating in Canada would also help the country take a step towards a cleaner energy economy."
The report also follows an analysis released earlier in the week by the International Institute for Sustainable Development which estimated that the industry received $2.84 billion in tax incentives from the different levels of government across Canada in 2008 through 63 different subsidy programs.
The institute's analysis found that the federal government's share of those subsidies was $1.38 billion, followed by Alberta at $1.05 billion, Saskatchewan at $327 million and Newfoundland and Labrador at $83 million.
It also concluded that the emissions from the oilsands sector, in particular, are about 12 per cent higher than they would be without any subsidies or incentives. alternatives, thereby increasing the lock-in of economies into fossil fuels."
MORE:
http://www.canada.com/business/
Harper+cited+obstacle+ending+fossil+fuel+subsidies/3778016/story.html
======================
13. End Tax Breaks to Oil, Coal and Gas Companies
http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/issues/ocg-2010/
Open Letter to Prime Minister Harper and Minister Flaherty
November 10, 2010
An appeal to end special tax breaks to oil, coal and gas companies
As organizations concerned about the worsening impacts of climate change at home and around the world, as well as the need to seriously reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, we are calling on the Government of Canada to eliminate tax breaks to the companies that produce oil, gas and coal in the federal 2011 budget.
The Government of Canada provides around a billion dollars in tax breaks every year to companies producing fossil fuels, who are among the richest in the country. As the world moves towards a clean energy economy, Canada’s ongoing tax breaks and subsidies to the fossil fuel sector are taking us in the wrong direction.
In an era of fiscal constraint, hundreds of millions of dollars in savings could go a long way towards meeting pressing social and environmental needs in Canada and abroad. By ending fossil fuel tax breaks, Canada would also be meeting the commitment our government made in Pittsburgh in 2009, along with other G20 leaders, to phase out subsidies and tax breaks to companies producing oil, gas and coal.
By subsidizing the companies that produce fossil fuels, the Government of Canada is encouraging greater production and facilitating the rapid expansion of the tar sands, Canada’s fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas pollution. Globally, artificially low costs of fossil fuels have been shown to encourage wasteful consumption, distort energy markets, and allow for increased greenhouse gas pollution, thereby fueling the climate crisis. Subsidizing oil extraction also makes investments in oil more attractive compared to cleaner alternatives like wind and solar power, thereby further tying our economies to fossil fuels.
We would like to take this opportunity to urge the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister to use the 2011 budget as an opportunity to end tax breaks for oil coal and gas companies.
Thank you for your time and attention,
Signatory Organizations:
- - - - -
REPORT: Fuelling the Problem
http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/publications/
fuelling-the-problem-climate-action-network-canada.pdf
========================
14. Final report on Encana gas leak released
http://www.energeticcity.ca/fortstjohn/news/11/23/10/
final-report-encana-gas-leak-released
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The B.C. Oil and Gas commission has released its final report on the Encana gas leak near Dawson Creek last November.
The OGC has completed its investigation into the Nov. 22, 2009 sour gas leak at a wellsite in Pouce Coupe. The final version corrects a discrepancy in the time a 911 call was placed, since the call went through the Prince George centre. The centre recorded the time based on Pacific Standard Time when the call came in from the Peace River region which was on Mountain Standard Time when the incident occurred.
The report outlines that because of the time zone difference, there is not enough evidence to show that there were flaws in the response times between the RCMP and Encana. The original report showed more than an hour’s difference of when the emergency call was received to when police and Encana officials responded. However, the new findings show the actual time lapse was only about 15 minutes.
The Encana sour gas leak was determined to have been caused by erosion in the piping.
In conjunction with its final report, the OGC has also issued certain industry-wide directives for industry officials operating in B.C. The directives include establishing programs to monitor erosion and corrosion and discussing emergency procedures with local emergency personnel.
- - - -SNIP - - - -
Company officials are set to appear in court in Dawson Creek on Dec. 7.
Report available from:
http://www.ogc.gov.bc.ca/
document.aspx?documentID=1026&type=.pdf
=================
15. Join the Polaris Institute's Tar Sands Watch Team!
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/
The Polaris Institute is looking for your support to encourage the Government of Canada to invest in a just and equitable clean energy economy and to de-emphasize dirty industries like the tar sands. In 2010 Polaris Institute's Tar Sands Watch Campaign opened the public's eye to the social, environmental and economic implications of our reliance on fossil fuels
==================
16. Report raises Keystone response concerns
http://journalstar.com/news/local/
article_efd6b104-855f-526c-b272-79b875595642.html
By ART HOVEY / Lincoln Journal Star JournalStar.com | Posted: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 12:00 am
A sparse population to spot evidence of leaking oil and the distance from emergency cleanup equipment make the Ogallala Aquifer and the Nebraska Sandhills vulnerable to a spill from the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
That's one of the major conclusions in a new, 60-page report on the pending pipeline project unveiled in Lincoln on Tuesday by Plains Justice, an energy and environmental law center in Billings, Mont.
Paul Blackburn, based at Plains Justice's Vermillion, S.D., office, came to Lincoln to explain the findings of a research effort he led.
The report is titled "The Northern Great Plains at Risk: Oil Spill Planning Deficiencies in Keystone Pipeline System."
It's available for viewing at plainsjustice.org. or
http://plainsjustice.org/files/Keystone_XL/
Keystone%20Pipeline%20Oil%20Spill%20Response%20Planning%20Report%202010-11-23%20FINAL.pdf
MORE:
http://journalstar.com/news/local/
article_efd6b104-855f-526c-b272-79b875595642.html
====================
17. DOBBIN: Citizen Psychopaths
http://murraydobbin.ca/2010/11/22/citizen-psychopaths/
Posted: 22 Nov 2010 09:54 AM PST
Boys’ Club…
You know they’re gonna kill us
It’s the Boys’ Club
- Parachute Club
National governments have been back in the news over the past two years because of the financial crisis and the havoc it wreaked on the global economy. Belying the ideology that nations were obsolete in the grand new order of transnational corporations, they are now front and centre trying to save the corporations that supposedly had replaced them. That is, saving them from themselves — from their greed, overreach, hubris and sheer incompetence.
Yet there is a disturbing silence about the role of corporations in the world as if these private institutions are somehow immutable — created by the heavens and something we have to live with, like the weather. We need to change our way of thinking because corporations are the Frankenstein monsters that will destroy the planet. No amount of so-called “good corporate citizenship” or investment in wind power or electric cars will change this fact — the most important fact that the planet will deal with (or not) in the next century. Imagine what you will regarding what “we” have to do to save the planet. Unless we dismantle this perverse institution and take away its power, the world will descend into another dark age.
MORE:
http://murraydobbin.ca/2010/11/22/citizen-psychopaths/
• In Search of the Humanitarian Corporation
http://thetyee.ca/Views/2005/01/10/Huma ... rporation/
Former exec Hugo Bonjean believes one can exist, if we change its charter.
• All About Psychopath, Inc.
http://thetyee.ca/Entertainment/2004/01/16/
All_About_Psychopath_Inc/
Makers of hot doc 'The Corporation' talk about soulless power, 'socially responsible' business, unions, and trying to know what's real anymore.
• What Happened on the BP Oil Rig?
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/06/18/WhatHappenedBP/
The facts, now out, are detailed here. The moral reckoning has yet to begin.
===================
18. Drafting Nature's Constitution
http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/
drafting-natures-constitution
Simply regulating pollution will never really stop it. Mari Margil of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund discusses why we need a fundamental change in the way we use law to protect nature. Mar 02, 2010
The environmental movement, with its army of professional advocates, lawyers, grassroots campaigners, and dedicated funders, has been around for decades. Yet nearly every biological indicator shows a planet in crisis—and poised to unravel faster as climate change disrupts already-shaky ecosystem functions.
Mari Margil, associate director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF)
[ http://www.celdf.org/ ]
believes it's time for different tactics. The nonprofit agency used to work within the body of existing environmental law—helping impacted residents file lawsuits or appeal corporate permits—to protect communities from environmental damage. But a series of blocked efforts, often made worse by the very agencies meant to protect the environment, convinced the group that more fundamental changes were necessary.
"Our system of environmental laws and regulations don't actually protect the environment," says CLEDF's Mari Margil. "At best, they merely slow the rate of its destruction ... We weren't helping anyone protect anything."
The organization has since changed its goals, working with citizens from all over North and South America to literally rewrite local laws in ways that allow people to speak up for their communities, watersheds, forests, and air.
According to Margil, anemic environmental laws spring from the fact that nature has no constitutional rights. CLEDF has taken a local approach to reversing this structural blind spot, drafting ordinances for townships from New England to Pennsylvania to Washington State that:
MORE:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/
drafting-natures-constitution
- - - - - -
Communities Take on Corporate Power
http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/
stand-up-to-corporate-power/communities-take-power
People across the country are taking our founding documents at their word, declaring citizens' right and duty to protect nature and community.
YES! Magazine encourages you to make free use of this article by taking these easy steps.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/about/reprints
sgast. (2010, February 26). Drafting Nature\'s Constitution.
Retrieved November 22, 2010, from YES! Magazine
http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/
drafting-naturesconstitution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License
==================
19. Our Most Loved Resource? Water
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/22/WaterLove/
British Columbians are keen to protect rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands, a new poll finds.
By Linda Nowlan, Today, TheTyee.ca
Water pricing is a hot issue in communities across the country. Yet it remains an untapped option for conservation, and for preventing tragedies like Walkerton.
We love our water, so much that we want new rules to protect the elixir of life. Water is the most highly valued natural resource we have, according to a new poll from the McAllister polling group done for WWF Canada and the Vancouver Foundation, released today.
While it may be predictable that 98 per cent of British Columbians feel fresh water is crucial to the prosperity and quality of life in B.C., it's less obvious that 72 per cent say nature should be the priority for managing water use during times of water scarcity -- even if it slows economic growth. And 62 per cent of those polled said that current rules governing water use in B.C. were not strict enough to ensure the future sustainability of B.C.'s fresh water resources.
The citizens of the province are giving a strong go-ahead signal to the government to do what it takes to protect and conserve our rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands.
So take note, beleaguered politicians from all parties: this is a good news story. Bold reforms to safeguard water laws are likely to attract public support. Just as the carbon tax turned out to be a popular move by the Liberals (and opposition to the tax was a disaster for the NDP), ensuring nature's needs for water are met promises to be popular.
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/22/WaterLove/
Linda Nowlan is an environmental lawyer in Vancouver who served on the Canadian Council of Academies' Expert Panel on Groundwater, the BC Independent Drinking Water Review Panel, and is the author of numerous reports on water and environmental law, including
Practising Shared Water Governance in Canada: A Primer and Buried Treasure: Groundwater Permitting and Pricing in Canada
(co-authored with Dr. Karen Bakker)
http://www.watergovernance.ca/publications/
#practising-shared-water-governance-in-ca
and
Buried Treasure: Groundwater Permitting and Pricing in Canada.
http://www.buriedtreasurecanada.org/Buried-Treasure.ppt
Related:
• The High Cost of Cheap Water
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/05/18/CheapWater/
• Trickle Down
http://thetyee.ca/Books/2007/10/29/BarlowOnWater/
Maude Barlow on water as a right, free trade and Canada's 'shame.'
• The Myth of Canada's Water Abundance
http://thetyee.ca/Books/2007/11/22/NoWater/
And why Maude Barlow's 'solution' is really a dry hole.
======================
20. Watchdog probes whether federal leak sent Taseko stock into tailspin
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/watchdog-probes-whether-federal-leak-sent-taseko-stock-into-tailspin/article1812738/?service=mobile
CBC cites unnamed government sources who say possible leak of information led to Taseko Mine Ltd.’s 40-per-cent drop
ADRIAN MORROW Globe and Mail Update Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2010
Investigators are trying to determine whether a leak of sensitive information from within the federal government prompted a sharp drop in value of the shares of a British Columbia mining company, the CBC is reporting.
Citing unnamed government sources, the broadcaster said Wednesday night that the Investment Regulatory Organization of Canada is trying to determine why shares in Taseko Mines Ltd., fell nearly 40 per cent on Oct. 14, more than two weeks before the federal government announced that it was blocking the firm’s plans to develop the Prosperity Mine, a development 125 kilometres southwest of Prince George.
Federal officials fear that the steep drop in stock was caused by a leak of information that the development would be stopped, the broadcaster reported, adding that the decision was taken secretly, in hopes of preventing such stock market fluctuations.
MORE:
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/watchdog-probes-whether-federal-leak-sent-taseko-stock-into-tailspin/article1812738/?service=mobile
====================
21. Council of Canadians Update - November 23, 24 & 25, 2010
Council of Canadians Update: November 25, 2010
NEWS: Prosperity mine supporters to meet Baird in Ottawa
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5467
The Williams Lake Tribune reports that, “Williams Lake Mayor Kerry Cook will be amongst a delegation of local politicians going to Ottawa in an attempt to get answers regarding the rejection of Taseko’s Prosperity mine.”
UPDATE: The Council looks forward to 2011
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5464
2011 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the Council of Canadians.
NEWS: Canada’s chief climate negotiator questions UN process
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5461
The Globe and Mail reports that, “Some, including Canada’s chief negotiator (Guy Saint-Jacques), have begun to question whether the (United Nations) is really the best forum for such complicated (climate) discussions. …In a recent interview, he said the Canadian government prefers to keep holding climate talks under the auspices of the United Nations. …But Mr. Saint-Jacques also gave voice to a growing weariness around the negotiating table.”
NEWS: Enviropig and supersized salmon may be first
GM animals allowed into food system
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5457
In a largely pro-biotechnology lead article today, the Globe and Mail reports that, “Under development for more than a decade, the University of Guelph’s 20 Enviropigs are close behind a Canadian-made supersized salmon in a race to become the first genetically modified animals allowed into the food system.”
NEWS: Possible government leak of Fish Lake decision
investigated
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5452
CBC News reports this evening that, “Canadian securities investigators are probing a recent run on a B.C. gold mining stock and a possibility the sell-off was triggered by a leak of confidential information from inside the federal government, CBC News has learned.
UPDATE: ‘Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change’
screened near Parliament Hill
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5448
The Council of Canadians and the Indigenous Environmental Network have just shown the new film ‘Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change’ at the National Press Club near Parliament Hill in Ottawa this evening, just days before the climate negotiations begin in Cancun, Mexico.
Council of Canadians helps to bring Inuit Accounts of
Climate Change in Arctic to the Hill
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=356
The Council of Canadians joined with the Indigenous Environmental Network, Isuma Productions and Linda Duncan’s office (NDP Environment Critic) brought the influential documentary Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change to a number of MPs and staff representing all political parties, Senators and guests on Parliament Hill last night.
NAFTA ministers to meet in Mexico, Canada this December
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1212
North American integration talks still appear on the back burner, if they haven’t been taken off the stove entirely.
- - - - -
Council of Canadians Update - November 24, 2010
NEWS: Climate change warming the world’s lakes
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5444
The Associated Press reports that, “A first-of-its-kind NASA study is finding nice cool lakes are heating up — even faster than air. Two NASA scientists used satellite data to look at 104 large inland lakes around the world. They found that on average they have warmed 2 degrees since 1985. That’s about two-and-a-half times the increase in global temperatures in the same time period. The study was published Wednesday in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.”
NEWS: Constance Lake First Nation water crisis
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5442
The Canadian Press reports that, “A northern Ontario reserve where the water is unsafe to drink is pleading with Ottawa to maintain its bottled water shipments. The community learned last week that Ottawa was cutting the number of bottles shipped in from 4.5 litres per person, per day, to 1.5 litres, Constance Lake First Nations Chief Arthur Moore said.”
NEWS: BP, Imperial rent Canadian coast guard ship to
make case for Arctic oil drilling
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5438
The CBC reports this evening that, “Questions are being raised over the use of a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker by two oil companies for research that could help them make a case for drilling in the Arctic. CBC News has learned that for a minimum of $50,000 a day, BP and Imperial Oil paid to use CCGS Amundsen — Canada’s most advanced research ship which is dedicated to the study of climate change — for a total of six weeks over the past two years. The oil companies want to study the environmental impact of their exploratory oil drilling plans in the Beaufort Sea.”
NEWS: Council of Canadians in Mexico for climate summit
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5446
Metro News reports that, “Council of Canadians spokespeople will participate in workshops and roundtables in Mexico beginning next week for the Cancun climate talks. Ottawa-based national chairperson of the Council of Canadians, Maude Barlow, will be speaking in Mexico to raise several of the themes she addressed in a recent speech on the environment she delivered in California. ‘The global water crisis is the greatest ecological and human threat humanity has ever faced,’ said Barlow in a recent speech. ‘Dirty water is the biggest killer of children; everyday, more children die of waterborne disease than HIV/AIDS, malaria and war together,’ she said.”
Fix Panama’s tax regime before signing FTA,
trade committee hears
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1204
Canada’s international trade committee is currently in Europe talking to politicians, business groups and others about the Canada-EU free trade negotiations. When the group returns to Ottawa next week, hearings will continue into the Canada-Panama free trade agreement. Last week, the committee heard from a U.S. trade expert about the threats a Panama FTA would pose to Canada’s prudential financial regime.
- - - - -
Council of Canadians Update – November 23, 2010
MEDIA ADVISORY:
Council of Canadians to demand climate justice at Cancun talks
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... -10-a.html
ACTION ALERT: Take Our Cities Out of CETA
http://www.canadians.org/action/2010/CETA-BC-1010.html
NEWS: Carbon offsets a false solution to clean water
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5434
Tina Rosenberg recently wrote in the New York Times that, “Nearly a billion people don’t have drinkable water. Lack of water - and the associated lack of toilets and proper hygiene - kills 3.3 million people a year, most of them children under five. Lack of access to clean water is one of the world’s biggest health problems. And it is one of the hardest to solve. Lots of different groups dig wells and lay pipes - but the biggest challenge comes after the hardware is in.”
NEWS: Canada, EU reach MOU on hormone-treated beef
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5431
Reuters reports that, “Canada has gained duty-free access to the European Union for a 20,000-tonne annual quota of beef, Canada’s agriculture and trade ministers said on Tuesday. The access is worth about C$10 million ($9.8 million) annually, the ministers said.”
NEWS: Paris court ruling on FLOW ‘a victory’
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5429
The Vancouver Sun reports today that: Canadian activist Maude Barlow is calling it a victory for those who believe clean water is a human right, but a French court’s recent decision to reject a defamation lawsuit against the movie Flow could also be regarded as a sign of changing times.
NEWS: US Secretary of State in Ottawa, Dec. 13
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5428
The Pembina Institute has learned that US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will be visiting Ottawa on December 13.
International trade committee meets CETA skeptics in London
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1197
The House of Commons international trade committee (CIIT) is in Europe (UK, Belgium, Italy, Hungary) this week meeting with various people and organizations working on, or with an interest in, the Canada-EU trade negotiations. Yesterday in London they met with an anti-poverty, human rights group critical of CETA for its potential to interfere with non-trade related public policy objectives, including public services and job creation. Those in Toronto earlier this year for the G20 and the Council’s Shout Out for Global Justice will remember John Hilary, executive director of War on Want, as one of the keynote speakers. He and War on Water trade campaigner Dave Tucker met with the Canadian trade committee delegation yesterday morning at the Canadian consulate to discuss the stresses that trade agreements put on public services, including health care, and the need to develop an alternative trade model to the one proposed by CETA.
1. Misplaced Generosity - New report says extreme oil profits come at expense of government revenue
2. Truth Is Scarier Than Fiction
3. LISTEN: INTERVIEW: IN USA, Stunning announcement on hydraulic fracturing
4. NIKIFORUK: Alberta's Soviet Meal Deal
5. Alberta's oilpatch not paying its way: report
6. ERCB invites feedback on changes to well spacing framework
7. Alberta Tories kill Alberta Parks Act in backroom deal
8. LETTER: SHIELDS: Harper Kicks Albertans In The B-B-B-Belly!
9. LETTER: SHIELDS: The West Still Wants In
10. Oil Spill Nets Calgary Company Massive Fine
11. Canada’s oilsands strategy includes lobbying against global-warming measures: documents
12. Harper cited as obstacle to ending fossil fuel subsidies
13. End Tax Breaks to Oil, Coal and Gas Companies
14. Final report on Encana gas leak released
15. Join the Polaris Institute's Tar Sands Watch Team!
16. Report raises Keystone response concerns
17. DOBBIN: Citizen Psychopaths
18. Drafting Nature's Constitution
19. Our Most Loved Resource? Water
20. Watchdog probes whether federal leak sent Taseko stock into tailspin
21. Council of Canadians Update - November 23, 24 & 25, 2010
===============
1. Misplaced Generosity - New report says extreme oil profits come at expense of government revenue
Parkland Institute Faculty of Arts - University of Alberta
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NOVEMBER 25, 2010
CALGARY – Despite a provincial deficit now forecast to reach $5 billion this year, a new report from the U of A’s Parkland Institute points out that Albertans have foregone tens of billions in potential revenue as a result of overly generous royalty cuts and the government’s failure to meet even its own modest targets.
The report, entitled Misplaced Generosity: Extraordinary profits in Alberta’s oil and gas industry, takes a closer look at whether the oilpatch was in need of the latest string of royalty cuts and asks some tough questions about the scale of their profits and how the Stelmach government has managed this province’s most important economic file.
“Albertans are already enduring a recession and a variety of cuts to public services,” says the report’s author Regan Boychuk, public policy research manager with the Parkland Institute. “Without a change of course by their government, they can expect more of the same: generosity for the oilpatch, discipline for citizens.”
The report traces the scale of industry profits over the last decade and delivers some much-needed scrutiny to the Stelmach government’s series of drilling incentives and royalty holidays that have forfeited billions in public revenue.
Debunking myths about Alberta’s supposedly higher oilfield costs, investment fleeing to our neighbours, and about how risky the oil and gas business is in Alberta, Misplaced Generosity also exposes the publicly-funded roots of oil production in the tar sands and reiterates recommendations to improve the accountability and oversight of the provincial government’s management of oil and gas revenues.
“Properly managed in Albertans’ interest,” Boychuk says, “oil and gas revenue could quickly accumulate to a sizable fund that could sustainably generate many billions in investment revenue to support annual budgets for generations to come.”
Full report and Executive Summary are at:
http://parklandinstitute.ca/research/summary/
misplaced_generosity/
The Parkland Institute is a non-partisan public policy research institute in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta. Misplaced Generosity: Extraordinary profits in Alberta’s oil and gas industry is available on the Parkland Institute web site at
<parklandinstitute.ca>
or in hard copy from the Parkland Institute at 780-492-8558.
===================
2. When Truth Is Scarier Than Fiction
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-ruffalo/
when-art-imitates-life_b_785665.html
Mark Ruffalo - Actor/Director Posted: November 22, 2010 07:11 PM
It sounds like a crazy conspiracy -- too extreme to be true. Flaming tap water, dead animals, secret chemical formulas, mysterious illnesses afflicting whole communities, and people afraid to speak up. The November 11th episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation brought viewers to a small town taken over by -- industrial gas drilling. The storyline in "Fracked" follows the investigators as they attempt to uncover the truth behind two murders, but end up discovering a much viewers to a small town taken over by -- industrial gas drilling. The storyline in "Fracked" follows the investigators as they attempt to uncover the truth behind two murders, but end up discovering a much bigger crime: an industry destroying people's lives with no accountability.
Although the story told on CSI is fictional, the parallels to real life are stark.
In Colorado, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and several other states, the method of gas drilling called hydraulic fracturing has wreaked havoc on people's lives.
Across the country hydraulic fracturing has been linked to many cases of water so polluted with gas that you can actually light it on fire.
Hydraulic fracturing (or “hydro-fracking”) involves pumping millions of gallons of toxic chemicals deep underground to break up rock formations and release pockets of gas. The process can lead to contamination of underground drinking water sources, as well as severe land and air pollution above ground.
Like in the CSI episode, many people who have been impacted by hydraulic fracturing have been forced to keep silent, signing nondisclosure agreements in order to receive small settlements—or even just deliveries of drinkable water. But the stories that have come to light don’t paint a rosy picture of the gas industry.
Last year in Louisiana, sixteen cows dropped dead within hours of drinking from puddles tainted with a mysterious green fluid in a pasture next to a fracking well site. Chesapeake Energy, the company that owned the rig, refused to identify the chemicals in the fluid.
In 2008, a woman who briefly came into contact with fracturing fluids nearly died from acute liver, heart, and respiratory failure. Cathy Behr, an emergency room nurse in Durago, Colorado, treated a worker from a gas well site who was caught in a chemical spill. Behr spent just 10 minutes with the patient upon his initial entry to the hospital—putting his chemical-laced clothing into a bag and helping him to clean off. Despite her limited exposure, she immediately lost her sense of smell and rapidly became gravely ill. As doctors fought to save Behr’s life, the company that manufactured the chemicals refused to reveal the composition of the fluid—calling the formula a trade secret.
And just a few days ago in Colorado, a woman who spent years in close proximity to numerous gas wells died after a prolonged battle with a rare form of cancer. Drilling rigs were located as close as 300 feet from Chris Mobaldi’s home in Rifle, Colorado between 1997 and 2004. Mobaldi was diagnosed with her first pituitary tumor four years after gas drilling began in the area, and experienced other rare ailments that indicated severe brain damage.
Mobaldi’s doctors say that exposure to contaminants from the nearby drilling activities is to blame, but there have been no studies on the long-term health consequences of exposure to fracking chemicals. Now Mobaldi’s husband is seeking to donate her body for medical research and struggling to find anyone who can help.
- - - - -
[Chris Mobaldi died earlier this week from a rare persistent tumor, after years of exposure to toxic chemicals from gas drilling. ]
MORE:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-ruffalo/
when-art-imitates-life_b_785665.html
==================
3. LISTEN: IN USA, Stunning announcement on hydraulic fracturing
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain/
article/0/2706/1729657/WAMC.News/Governor.Paterson.Visits.WAMC
QUOTE: "At this point, I would say that the hydrofracking opponents have raised enough of an argument to thwart us going forward at this time."
Governor David Paterson: Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Yesterday on WAMC Radio, Governor Paterson admitted that he is no longer convinced that fracking is safe and that as a result of all of our hard work - fracking will not go forward at this time.
Here is the full quote:
"This is a very good example of public participation. Our DEC...originally ruled that hydrofracking would not affect thewater quality in the area but we've received additional information and have not been able to come to a conclusion as to whether or not this is a good idea. Even with the tremendous revenues that will come in at this time...we're not going to risk public safety or water quality, which will be the next emerging global problem after the energy shortage. At this point, I would say that the hydrofracking opponents have raised enough of an argument to thwart us going forward at this time."
====================
4. NIKIFORUK: Alberta's Soviet Meal Deal
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/24/SovietMealDeal/
To know why an oil-rich province forces hospital patients to eat thawed slop, meet the man they call The Cookie Monster.
By Andrew Nikiforuk, TheTyee.ca November 24, 2010
= = = = =
If you want to know what it's like to live in a petro state, where bust and boom budgets abuse ordinary people, just hear out Marguerite Edwards. She's started a revolution in rural Alberta and God bless her.
The 82-year-old, straight-talking farm girl hails from Oyen, Alberta near the Saskatchewan border. Last March Alberta Health Services positively "irked" her when it introduced a new 21-day standardized meal plan at the Big Country Hospital.
Out went locally cooked food such as roast beef, mashed potatoes and turnips. And in came precooked frozen dinners trucked all the way from a central supplier in Calgary. The new industrial menu included 'pasta and meat sauce' and 'broccoli cheese soufflé.' Just add lots of steam and, well, you get the gooey plastic picture. Many folks couldn't even recognize the crap as food.
The new meal deal for 114 rural hospitals and long-term care facilities is another so-called cost-saving measure by the province's Superboard known as Alberta Health Services. But it's really another sordid metaphor for how things have come undone in a province ruled by one party armed with petro dollars for nearly 40 years.
Let them eat cookies
Two years ago Premier Ed Stelmach dissolved the province's nine regional health authorities and created one big centralized agency to ostensibly save money. Health care, after all, represents 40 per cent of the government's budget. But centralization and concentration of power, the hallmark of petro states coping with volatile oil revenue and even more volatile government spending and cutting, hasn't saved a penny. Now Canada's wealthiest province is running a $5-billion deficit and its health care system is in free fall.
The intellectually-challenged Stelmach put an Aussie, Dr. Steve Duckett, in charge of the Superboard. In Alberta, they call Duckett the Cookie Monster. That's because of a now famous incident when journalists dared to pose a few fair-minded questions to Duckett and he repeatedly rebuffed them by saying: "I'm still eating my cookie." (The exchange is now a YouTube sensation.) Duckett, a professional itinerant economist, now makes approximately $800,000 a year piloting a Titanic-like $15-billion health care system that increasingly has little to do with health and everything with power (the high spending Saudi government hires foreigner's to run essential services too.). When not greedily consuming cookies, Duckett peppers his talks with incomprehensible jargon such as "discount outlier days" and "low trim cases."
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/24/SovietMealDeal/
= = = = =
WATCH: Stephen Duckett's "Cookie Exchange" with Edmonton media
http://www.google.com/
search?q=In+Ottawa%2C+who+stands+up+for+Alberta%3F&rls=com.microsoft:en-ca:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7RNWE_en
= = = = =
Health board member quits over Duckett's dismissal
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/11/25/
edmonton-board-members-quit.html
Last Updated: Thursday, November 25, 2010 | 1:21 PM MT CBC News
The decision by the Alberta Health Services board to fire Stephen Duckett as CEO and president is prompting some board members to tender their resignations.
MORE:…..
====================
5. Alberta's oilpatch not paying its way: report
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/
companies+pocket+profits+while+Albertans+bills+think+tank+argues/3883594/story.html
Provincial deficit linked to generosity to the energy industry
By Dan Healing, Calgary Herald November 25, 2010
CALGARY - The oil and gas industry in Alberta is paying even less now than it did during the decade ended in 2008 - and it underpaid by $121 billion in that period, charges the Parkland Institute in a new report.
But Alberta's energy minister and a spokesman for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers both said rig utilization rates and drilling right sales show that the province did the right thing when it trimmed royalties over the past 18 months to maintain industry health.
"Albertans have seen a stream of royalty cuts that range into the many billions of dollars," said study author Regan Boychuk, who became the Calgary research manager for the University of Alberta-based think-tank in June, at a press conference in Calgary Thursday.
"There's good reason to believe that those cuts have brought us back below the level we were before the last royalty review."
Rates were raised in January 2009 but following a howl of protest from industry, a series of incentives were introduced.
Last month, the Alberta Energy 2009-10 annual report stated the Alberta government relinquished about $1.5 billion in potential energy income from the programs designed to spur oilpatch activity.
With the additional $1.4 billion in uncollected royalties projected for the current budget year, the province is expecting to forfeit nearly $3 billion over two years.
MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/
companies+pocket+profits+while+Albertans+bills+think+tank+argues/3883594/story.html
===================
6. ERCB invites feedback on changes to well spacing framework
http://www.canadaviews.ca/2010/11/25/
ercb-invites-feedback-on-changes-to-well-spacing-framework/
News Release November 25, 2010
Calgary... As part of the Energy Resources Conservation Board’s commitment to streamlining and improving its regulatory requirements, it is seeking stakeholder feedback on proposed changes to its well-spacing framework for conventional and unconventional oil and gas reservoirs.
The proposed changes reflect the ERCB’s ongoing work to create a more relevant and effective approach to the regulation of Alberta’s energy resources.
The ERCB proposes the following four changes to its well-spacing framework:
· Remove subsurface well-density controls for coalbed methane and shale gas province-wide, and for certain gas zones in southeastern Alberta.
· Increase baseline well densities from one well to two wells per pool per standard drilling spacing units province-wide for conventional gas reservoirs.
· Streamline additional well-spacing requirements.
· Standardize province-wide target areas for drilling spacing units.
The proposed changes ensure that development continues to occur in a manner that conserves and protects the resource for all Albertans.
Well spacing relates to subsurface reservoir development. Today’s horizontal drilling technology means that operators often do not need a well directly above the target reservoir.
Existing well spacing regulations were implemented in the early stages of Alberta’s oil and gas industry to ensure efficient and orderly development of Alberta’s energy resources.
The proposed changes to well spacing requirements compliment the Government of Alberta’s Energizing Investment: A Framework to Improve Alberta’s Natural Gas and Conventional Oil Competitiveness released in March. The Framework aims to ensure Alberta provides a leading competitive environment for oil and gas investment in Alberta.
A key outcome of the Framework was the establishment of the Regulatory Enhancement Project which is examining ways to improve Alberta’s regulatory systems. The ERCB has been a full participant in this project since it began earlier this year.
Details on the proposed well spacing changes are available in Bulletin 2010-39, which can be found on the ERCB’s Web site. -30-
This news release and the report are available on the ERCB website at
www.ercb.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Darin Barter, ERCB Communications
Office: 403-297-4116
Cellular: 403-681-0946
=====================
7. Alberta Tories kill Alberta Parks Act in backroom deal
http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/
Alberta+Tories+kill+Alberta+Parks+backroom+deal/3884251/story.html
By Karen Kleiss, edmontonjournal.com November 25, 2010 2:03 PM
EDMONTON — Liberal Parks critic Harry Chase has confirmed the controversial Alberta Parks Act will “die on the order paper” after a backroom political trade-off Thursday morning.
Tourism, Parks and Recreation Minister Cindy Ady has called a press conference for 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon at which Chase said she will announce the bill’s withdrawal.
- - - -SNIP - - - -
“I give them credit for recognizing the shortcomings of this bill. ... In a nutshell, what it did was it took away the protection for ecological reserves, it took away protection for wilderness areas and it lumped everything into the parks category.”
Chase said the Tories wanted faster approval for uncontroversial bills, including the changes to the Police Act, as well as certain concessions during the Bill 17 Alberta Health Act filibuster.
More to come ...
kkleiss@edmontonjournal.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
========================
8. LETTER: SHIELDS: Harper Kicks Albertans In The B-B-B-Belly!
From: lagran
To: Prime Minister/Premier ministre ; Layton, Jack - M.P. ; iggy
Cc: goodale ; flaherty ; bill boyd ; jmorales@neb-one.gc.ca ; acameron@neb-one.gc.ca
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 12:49 PM
Subject: Harper Kicks Albertans In The B-B-B-Belly!
I'm delighted the federal Tories who licensed the export of raw bitumen slurry to United States finally got under the hide of people in northern Alberta. I indeed have had a ball in the local coffee shops responding to those seeking sympathy for the felt abuse they have suffered at the hands of Harper's Reform/Conservatives. Although this is no where near the tragedy Harper delivered by licensing the Keystone pipeline, it has caught the 'low-brow" Alberta imagination unlike other major kicks in the belly, Alberta has received from the same Harper!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, Alberta
- - - - -
In Ottawa, who stands up for Alberta?
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/
Ottawa+stands+Alberta/3875014/story.html
Edmonton Journal November 24, 2010
Well, well, well! This is what being "In" in Ottawa looks like for Edmontonians. After Stephen Harper's cold shoulder to the jaw on the Expo 2017 bid, it will be blackly amusing to watch the city's invisible backbench MPs in the next election trying to explain to voters how crucial it is to have their Conservative "voices" in the government caucus.
In a town and province where publicly condemning Conservative governments is a rare step of last resort, an infuriated Mayor Stephen Mandel wasted no time in laying blame for the feds' refusing to financially support the city's bid for the $2.3-billion event. He blasted Alberta MPs, Edmonton Conservative MPs and, specifically, Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose for their failure to sell the project.
And Mandel is far from seething alone. For example, bid committee member Randy Ferguson, a card-carrying federal Conservative party member, says Albertans "took a kick in the teeth." He lamented the betrayal by his prime minister and urged Albertans to reconsider the value of voting Conservative in the next federal election.
MORE:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/
Ottawa+stands+Alberta/3875014/story.html
======================
9. LETTER: SHIELDS: The West Still Wants In
From: lagran
To: Prime Minister/Premier ministre ; Layton, Jack - M.P. ; iggy
Cc: premier@gov.nl.ca ; goodale ; flaherty ; Alberta Activism
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 12:18 PM
Subject: Fw: The West Still Wants In
- - - - -
From: lagran
To: letters@thejournal.canwest.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 3:56 PM
Subject: The West Still Wants In
Alberta got exactly what it deserves from this unpredictable federal government that gets their vote regardless! Why would the Harper Tories waste federal spending on a province that will continue to return Tory M.P's to Ottawa? Better to have the type of spending Edmonton sought for Expo-2017 spent in Area's like Ontario and Quebec, that may reward the Tories for their stand!
Saskatchewan may also find their support for federal Tories working against their desire for a covered foot ball stadium. With the federal decision on Saskatchewan's potash, is the federal Tory vote so secure that they will fund the arena in Quebec City, and reject Saskatchewan's call for funding for a covered arena for the Roughies? I hear a ground swell call to the Harper Tories in Ottawa-----The West Wants In!!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, Alberta
- - - - - -
Harper Government's "Dear John Letter" to Edmonton's Expo 2017
http://communities.canada.com/edmontonjournal/blogs/
commons/archive/2010/11/22/harper-government-s-quot-dear-john-letter-quot-to-edmonton-s-expo-2017.aspx
By David Staples Mon, Nov 22 2010
His Worship Stephen Mandel
Mayor of Edmonton
Dear Mr. Mayor,
I appreciate your response to my April 2009 letter where I explored the interest of Canadian cities in hosting an International Exposition in 2017. You will recall that at that time I indicated the Federal Government would consider supporting a bid for Expo 2017 after having taken into account all the costs involved in hosting an event of this size.
We have been actively reviewing the business plan submitted by the bid organizing committee and have been in close contact for a number of months in doing our due diligence in examining the project, including its costs and obligations. This letter is to inform you that, due to concerns about the high costs of this event, the Government of Canada does not support a Canadian bid going forward to the International Exhibitions Bureau.
With regard to specific costs and our concerns, the business plan for the bid calls for a financial commitment of $706 million from the Federal Government in order for the event to be successful. This amount doesn’t take into account the full costs of security for this three month event nor the full costs of the Federal Government's obligations to host an event of this size. Costs for the Federal Government for this project could easily eclipse $1 billion, and that is a financial risk we are not prepared to take at this time. Particularly given our Government’s most recent Budget, where we committed to “aggressively review all spending to ensure value for money” with a goal of eliminating the federal deficit by 2015.
I would like to thank you and all of those who worked on the Expo 2017 project. I know this news will be disappointing, but I assure you that this decision was arrived at after great examination, due diligence, and respect for taxpayers' interests.
Sincerely,
The Honourable James Moore, P.C., M.P
====================
10. Oil Spill Nets Calgary Company Massive Fine
http://www.cjcyfm.com/newscentre/local-news/
oil-spill-nets-calgary-company-massive-fine-566
Friday, November 19th 2010 12:35
A Calgary-based company has been fined for spilling oil 48 kilometres from CFB Suffield's National Wildlife Area.
A Calgary-based company has been fined $125,000 for depositing a harmful substance in waters frequented by birds, just west of Medicine Hat. Harvest Operations Corporation pleaded guilty in a Medicine Hat court room Thursday, to discharging about 14,500 litres of crude oil from an oil well site near Ralston in September 2008. The company says the incident was due to a bridge plug failure and improperly sealed well bore. 1,200 sq. metres of land near the CFB Suffield National Wildlife Area was affected and about 300 birds died, including migratory birds, songbirds and raptors. No waterways were affected in the spill.
MORE:
http://www.cjcyfm.com/newscentre/local-news/
oil-spill-nets-calgary-company-massive-fine-566
- - - - - -
Calgary energy company fined $125,000 for oil spill killing 300 birds near Medicine Hat
http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Calgary+energy+company+fined+spill+killing+birds+near+Medicine/3856341/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
By Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald November 19, 2010 1:03 PM
A Calgary energy company has been fined $125,000 in relation to a 2008 oil spill near Ralston that killed 300 birds.
In court in Medicine Hat on Thursday, Harvest Operations Corp. pleaded guilty to one count under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act "for the deposit of a substance harmful to migratory birds in waters or an area frequented by birds."
Environment Canada said approximately 14,500 litres of crude oil was discharged from an oil well site on September 8, 2008 due to a bridge plug failure and improperly sealed well bore.
MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Calgary+energy+company+fined+spill+killing+birds+near+Medicine/3856341/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
====================
11. Canada’s oilsands strategy includes lobbying against global-warming measures: documents
http://www.canada.com/business/
Canada+oilsands+strategy+includes+lobbying+against+global+warming+measures+documents/3863881/story.html
By Mike De Souza, Postmedia News November 22, 2010
OTTAWA — Three major departments in the federal government have been actively co-ordinating a communications strategy with Alberta and its fossil-fuel industry to fight international global-warming policies that “target” oilsands production, newly released federal documents reveal.
The documents, obtained by Postmedia News, suggest that Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, have collaborated on an “advocacy strategy” in the U.S. to promote the oilsands and discourage environmental-protection policies.
“The activities of the oil sands sector has emerged as one of the high priority files for the federal government,” wrote Natural Resources Canada policy adviser Paul Khanna in an email, on behalf of Kevin Stringer, the director of Petroleum Resources in the same department.
“As a result we have developed several products that provide the department’s views on oil sands development . . . and we have contributed (along with EC) to a DFAIT led ‘Advocacy Strategy’ on oil sands for the US.”
The email, dated Dec. 1, 2008, is part of hundreds of pages of documents released through an access-to-information request by Climate Action Network Canada.
The documents also include a powerpoint presentation outlining the communications strategy in 2009 and secret briefing notes that urge the natural resources minister to fight back against “well-orchestrated media campaigns” against the oilsands as well as “restrictive legislative and regulatory proposals that associate oil sands with ‘dirty oil.’”
The powerpoint presentation highlights the economic importance of the oilsands as a resource that places Canada second in world oil reserves, but also acknowledges that development is threatened by environmental concerns and climate policies from south of the border.
“US legislation at both federal and state levels potentially target oilsands production,” says a Natural Resources Canada powerpoint presentation from March 2009 called: Addressing Oil Sands Issues in the United States.
“Some (environmental groups) have targeted oil sands in proactive, well financed and well organized ‘dirty oil’ campaigns.”
MORE:
http://www.canada.com/business/
Canada+oilsands+strategy+includes+lobbying+against+global+warming+measures+documents/3863881/story.html
==================
12. Harper cited as obstacle to ending fossil fuel subsidies
http://www.canada.com/business/
Harper+cited+obstacle+ending+fossil+fuel+subsidies/3778016/story.html
By Mike De Souza, Postmedia News November 4, 2010
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper is resisting calls from within his government and abroad to scale back fossil fuel subsidies, says a report released Thursday.
The assessment, Fueling the Problem, released by Climate Action Network, says that billions of dollars in subsidies for oil and gas companies are helping drive up emissions that cause global warming.
"In a time of fiscal constraint, the federal government could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in extra revenue by ending unfair tax breaks to some of the richest companies in the world," said the report. "Eliminating handouts to oil and gas corporations operating in Canada would also help the country take a step towards a cleaner energy economy."
The report also follows an analysis released earlier in the week by the International Institute for Sustainable Development which estimated that the industry received $2.84 billion in tax incentives from the different levels of government across Canada in 2008 through 63 different subsidy programs.
The institute's analysis found that the federal government's share of those subsidies was $1.38 billion, followed by Alberta at $1.05 billion, Saskatchewan at $327 million and Newfoundland and Labrador at $83 million.
It also concluded that the emissions from the oilsands sector, in particular, are about 12 per cent higher than they would be without any subsidies or incentives. alternatives, thereby increasing the lock-in of economies into fossil fuels."
MORE:
http://www.canada.com/business/
Harper+cited+obstacle+ending+fossil+fuel+subsidies/3778016/story.html
======================
13. End Tax Breaks to Oil, Coal and Gas Companies
http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/issues/ocg-2010/
Open Letter to Prime Minister Harper and Minister Flaherty
November 10, 2010
An appeal to end special tax breaks to oil, coal and gas companies
As organizations concerned about the worsening impacts of climate change at home and around the world, as well as the need to seriously reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, we are calling on the Government of Canada to eliminate tax breaks to the companies that produce oil, gas and coal in the federal 2011 budget.
The Government of Canada provides around a billion dollars in tax breaks every year to companies producing fossil fuels, who are among the richest in the country. As the world moves towards a clean energy economy, Canada’s ongoing tax breaks and subsidies to the fossil fuel sector are taking us in the wrong direction.
In an era of fiscal constraint, hundreds of millions of dollars in savings could go a long way towards meeting pressing social and environmental needs in Canada and abroad. By ending fossil fuel tax breaks, Canada would also be meeting the commitment our government made in Pittsburgh in 2009, along with other G20 leaders, to phase out subsidies and tax breaks to companies producing oil, gas and coal.
By subsidizing the companies that produce fossil fuels, the Government of Canada is encouraging greater production and facilitating the rapid expansion of the tar sands, Canada’s fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas pollution. Globally, artificially low costs of fossil fuels have been shown to encourage wasteful consumption, distort energy markets, and allow for increased greenhouse gas pollution, thereby fueling the climate crisis. Subsidizing oil extraction also makes investments in oil more attractive compared to cleaner alternatives like wind and solar power, thereby further tying our economies to fossil fuels.
We would like to take this opportunity to urge the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister to use the 2011 budget as an opportunity to end tax breaks for oil coal and gas companies.
Thank you for your time and attention,
Signatory Organizations:
- - - - -
REPORT: Fuelling the Problem
http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/publications/
fuelling-the-problem-climate-action-network-canada.pdf
========================
14. Final report on Encana gas leak released
http://www.energeticcity.ca/fortstjohn/news/11/23/10/
final-report-encana-gas-leak-released
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The B.C. Oil and Gas commission has released its final report on the Encana gas leak near Dawson Creek last November.
The OGC has completed its investigation into the Nov. 22, 2009 sour gas leak at a wellsite in Pouce Coupe. The final version corrects a discrepancy in the time a 911 call was placed, since the call went through the Prince George centre. The centre recorded the time based on Pacific Standard Time when the call came in from the Peace River region which was on Mountain Standard Time when the incident occurred.
The report outlines that because of the time zone difference, there is not enough evidence to show that there were flaws in the response times between the RCMP and Encana. The original report showed more than an hour’s difference of when the emergency call was received to when police and Encana officials responded. However, the new findings show the actual time lapse was only about 15 minutes.
The Encana sour gas leak was determined to have been caused by erosion in the piping.
In conjunction with its final report, the OGC has also issued certain industry-wide directives for industry officials operating in B.C. The directives include establishing programs to monitor erosion and corrosion and discussing emergency procedures with local emergency personnel.
- - - -SNIP - - - -
Company officials are set to appear in court in Dawson Creek on Dec. 7.
Report available from:
http://www.ogc.gov.bc.ca/
document.aspx?documentID=1026&type=.pdf
=================
15. Join the Polaris Institute's Tar Sands Watch Team!
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/
The Polaris Institute is looking for your support to encourage the Government of Canada to invest in a just and equitable clean energy economy and to de-emphasize dirty industries like the tar sands. In 2010 Polaris Institute's Tar Sands Watch Campaign opened the public's eye to the social, environmental and economic implications of our reliance on fossil fuels
==================
16. Report raises Keystone response concerns
http://journalstar.com/news/local/
article_efd6b104-855f-526c-b272-79b875595642.html
By ART HOVEY / Lincoln Journal Star JournalStar.com | Posted: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 12:00 am
A sparse population to spot evidence of leaking oil and the distance from emergency cleanup equipment make the Ogallala Aquifer and the Nebraska Sandhills vulnerable to a spill from the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
That's one of the major conclusions in a new, 60-page report on the pending pipeline project unveiled in Lincoln on Tuesday by Plains Justice, an energy and environmental law center in Billings, Mont.
Paul Blackburn, based at Plains Justice's Vermillion, S.D., office, came to Lincoln to explain the findings of a research effort he led.
The report is titled "The Northern Great Plains at Risk: Oil Spill Planning Deficiencies in Keystone Pipeline System."
It's available for viewing at plainsjustice.org. or
http://plainsjustice.org/files/Keystone_XL/
Keystone%20Pipeline%20Oil%20Spill%20Response%20Planning%20Report%202010-11-23%20FINAL.pdf
MORE:
http://journalstar.com/news/local/
article_efd6b104-855f-526c-b272-79b875595642.html
====================
17. DOBBIN: Citizen Psychopaths
http://murraydobbin.ca/2010/11/22/citizen-psychopaths/
Posted: 22 Nov 2010 09:54 AM PST
Boys’ Club…
You know they’re gonna kill us
It’s the Boys’ Club
- Parachute Club
National governments have been back in the news over the past two years because of the financial crisis and the havoc it wreaked on the global economy. Belying the ideology that nations were obsolete in the grand new order of transnational corporations, they are now front and centre trying to save the corporations that supposedly had replaced them. That is, saving them from themselves — from their greed, overreach, hubris and sheer incompetence.
Yet there is a disturbing silence about the role of corporations in the world as if these private institutions are somehow immutable — created by the heavens and something we have to live with, like the weather. We need to change our way of thinking because corporations are the Frankenstein monsters that will destroy the planet. No amount of so-called “good corporate citizenship” or investment in wind power or electric cars will change this fact — the most important fact that the planet will deal with (or not) in the next century. Imagine what you will regarding what “we” have to do to save the planet. Unless we dismantle this perverse institution and take away its power, the world will descend into another dark age.
MORE:
http://murraydobbin.ca/2010/11/22/citizen-psychopaths/
• In Search of the Humanitarian Corporation
http://thetyee.ca/Views/2005/01/10/Huma ... rporation/
Former exec Hugo Bonjean believes one can exist, if we change its charter.
• All About Psychopath, Inc.
http://thetyee.ca/Entertainment/2004/01/16/
All_About_Psychopath_Inc/
Makers of hot doc 'The Corporation' talk about soulless power, 'socially responsible' business, unions, and trying to know what's real anymore.
• What Happened on the BP Oil Rig?
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/06/18/WhatHappenedBP/
The facts, now out, are detailed here. The moral reckoning has yet to begin.
===================
18. Drafting Nature's Constitution
http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/
drafting-natures-constitution
Simply regulating pollution will never really stop it. Mari Margil of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund discusses why we need a fundamental change in the way we use law to protect nature. Mar 02, 2010
The environmental movement, with its army of professional advocates, lawyers, grassroots campaigners, and dedicated funders, has been around for decades. Yet nearly every biological indicator shows a planet in crisis—and poised to unravel faster as climate change disrupts already-shaky ecosystem functions.
Mari Margil, associate director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF)
[ http://www.celdf.org/ ]
believes it's time for different tactics. The nonprofit agency used to work within the body of existing environmental law—helping impacted residents file lawsuits or appeal corporate permits—to protect communities from environmental damage. But a series of blocked efforts, often made worse by the very agencies meant to protect the environment, convinced the group that more fundamental changes were necessary.
"Our system of environmental laws and regulations don't actually protect the environment," says CLEDF's Mari Margil. "At best, they merely slow the rate of its destruction ... We weren't helping anyone protect anything."
The organization has since changed its goals, working with citizens from all over North and South America to literally rewrite local laws in ways that allow people to speak up for their communities, watersheds, forests, and air.
According to Margil, anemic environmental laws spring from the fact that nature has no constitutional rights. CLEDF has taken a local approach to reversing this structural blind spot, drafting ordinances for townships from New England to Pennsylvania to Washington State that:
MORE:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/
drafting-natures-constitution
- - - - - -
Communities Take on Corporate Power
http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/
stand-up-to-corporate-power/communities-take-power
People across the country are taking our founding documents at their word, declaring citizens' right and duty to protect nature and community.
YES! Magazine encourages you to make free use of this article by taking these easy steps.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/about/reprints
sgast. (2010, February 26). Drafting Nature\'s Constitution.
Retrieved November 22, 2010, from YES! Magazine
http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/
drafting-naturesconstitution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License
==================
19. Our Most Loved Resource? Water
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/22/WaterLove/
British Columbians are keen to protect rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands, a new poll finds.
By Linda Nowlan, Today, TheTyee.ca
Water pricing is a hot issue in communities across the country. Yet it remains an untapped option for conservation, and for preventing tragedies like Walkerton.
We love our water, so much that we want new rules to protect the elixir of life. Water is the most highly valued natural resource we have, according to a new poll from the McAllister polling group done for WWF Canada and the Vancouver Foundation, released today.
While it may be predictable that 98 per cent of British Columbians feel fresh water is crucial to the prosperity and quality of life in B.C., it's less obvious that 72 per cent say nature should be the priority for managing water use during times of water scarcity -- even if it slows economic growth. And 62 per cent of those polled said that current rules governing water use in B.C. were not strict enough to ensure the future sustainability of B.C.'s fresh water resources.
The citizens of the province are giving a strong go-ahead signal to the government to do what it takes to protect and conserve our rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands.
So take note, beleaguered politicians from all parties: this is a good news story. Bold reforms to safeguard water laws are likely to attract public support. Just as the carbon tax turned out to be a popular move by the Liberals (and opposition to the tax was a disaster for the NDP), ensuring nature's needs for water are met promises to be popular.
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/22/WaterLove/
Linda Nowlan is an environmental lawyer in Vancouver who served on the Canadian Council of Academies' Expert Panel on Groundwater, the BC Independent Drinking Water Review Panel, and is the author of numerous reports on water and environmental law, including
Practising Shared Water Governance in Canada: A Primer and Buried Treasure: Groundwater Permitting and Pricing in Canada
(co-authored with Dr. Karen Bakker)
http://www.watergovernance.ca/publications/
#practising-shared-water-governance-in-ca
and
Buried Treasure: Groundwater Permitting and Pricing in Canada.
http://www.buriedtreasurecanada.org/Buried-Treasure.ppt
Related:
• The High Cost of Cheap Water
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/05/18/CheapWater/
• Trickle Down
http://thetyee.ca/Books/2007/10/29/BarlowOnWater/
Maude Barlow on water as a right, free trade and Canada's 'shame.'
• The Myth of Canada's Water Abundance
http://thetyee.ca/Books/2007/11/22/NoWater/
And why Maude Barlow's 'solution' is really a dry hole.
======================
20. Watchdog probes whether federal leak sent Taseko stock into tailspin
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/watchdog-probes-whether-federal-leak-sent-taseko-stock-into-tailspin/article1812738/?service=mobile
CBC cites unnamed government sources who say possible leak of information led to Taseko Mine Ltd.’s 40-per-cent drop
ADRIAN MORROW Globe and Mail Update Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2010
Investigators are trying to determine whether a leak of sensitive information from within the federal government prompted a sharp drop in value of the shares of a British Columbia mining company, the CBC is reporting.
Citing unnamed government sources, the broadcaster said Wednesday night that the Investment Regulatory Organization of Canada is trying to determine why shares in Taseko Mines Ltd., fell nearly 40 per cent on Oct. 14, more than two weeks before the federal government announced that it was blocking the firm’s plans to develop the Prosperity Mine, a development 125 kilometres southwest of Prince George.
Federal officials fear that the steep drop in stock was caused by a leak of information that the development would be stopped, the broadcaster reported, adding that the decision was taken secretly, in hopes of preventing such stock market fluctuations.
MORE:
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
industry-news/energy-and-resources/watchdog-probes-whether-federal-leak-sent-taseko-stock-into-tailspin/article1812738/?service=mobile
====================
21. Council of Canadians Update - November 23, 24 & 25, 2010
Council of Canadians Update: November 25, 2010
NEWS: Prosperity mine supporters to meet Baird in Ottawa
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5467
The Williams Lake Tribune reports that, “Williams Lake Mayor Kerry Cook will be amongst a delegation of local politicians going to Ottawa in an attempt to get answers regarding the rejection of Taseko’s Prosperity mine.”
UPDATE: The Council looks forward to 2011
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5464
2011 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the Council of Canadians.
NEWS: Canada’s chief climate negotiator questions UN process
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5461
The Globe and Mail reports that, “Some, including Canada’s chief negotiator (Guy Saint-Jacques), have begun to question whether the (United Nations) is really the best forum for such complicated (climate) discussions. …In a recent interview, he said the Canadian government prefers to keep holding climate talks under the auspices of the United Nations. …But Mr. Saint-Jacques also gave voice to a growing weariness around the negotiating table.”
NEWS: Enviropig and supersized salmon may be first
GM animals allowed into food system
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5457
In a largely pro-biotechnology lead article today, the Globe and Mail reports that, “Under development for more than a decade, the University of Guelph’s 20 Enviropigs are close behind a Canadian-made supersized salmon in a race to become the first genetically modified animals allowed into the food system.”
NEWS: Possible government leak of Fish Lake decision
investigated
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5452
CBC News reports this evening that, “Canadian securities investigators are probing a recent run on a B.C. gold mining stock and a possibility the sell-off was triggered by a leak of confidential information from inside the federal government, CBC News has learned.
UPDATE: ‘Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change’
screened near Parliament Hill
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5448
The Council of Canadians and the Indigenous Environmental Network have just shown the new film ‘Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change’ at the National Press Club near Parliament Hill in Ottawa this evening, just days before the climate negotiations begin in Cancun, Mexico.
Council of Canadians helps to bring Inuit Accounts of
Climate Change in Arctic to the Hill
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=356
The Council of Canadians joined with the Indigenous Environmental Network, Isuma Productions and Linda Duncan’s office (NDP Environment Critic) brought the influential documentary Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change to a number of MPs and staff representing all political parties, Senators and guests on Parliament Hill last night.
NAFTA ministers to meet in Mexico, Canada this December
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1212
North American integration talks still appear on the back burner, if they haven’t been taken off the stove entirely.
- - - - -
Council of Canadians Update - November 24, 2010
NEWS: Climate change warming the world’s lakes
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5444
The Associated Press reports that, “A first-of-its-kind NASA study is finding nice cool lakes are heating up — even faster than air. Two NASA scientists used satellite data to look at 104 large inland lakes around the world. They found that on average they have warmed 2 degrees since 1985. That’s about two-and-a-half times the increase in global temperatures in the same time period. The study was published Wednesday in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.”
NEWS: Constance Lake First Nation water crisis
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5442
The Canadian Press reports that, “A northern Ontario reserve where the water is unsafe to drink is pleading with Ottawa to maintain its bottled water shipments. The community learned last week that Ottawa was cutting the number of bottles shipped in from 4.5 litres per person, per day, to 1.5 litres, Constance Lake First Nations Chief Arthur Moore said.”
NEWS: BP, Imperial rent Canadian coast guard ship to
make case for Arctic oil drilling
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5438
The CBC reports this evening that, “Questions are being raised over the use of a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker by two oil companies for research that could help them make a case for drilling in the Arctic. CBC News has learned that for a minimum of $50,000 a day, BP and Imperial Oil paid to use CCGS Amundsen — Canada’s most advanced research ship which is dedicated to the study of climate change — for a total of six weeks over the past two years. The oil companies want to study the environmental impact of their exploratory oil drilling plans in the Beaufort Sea.”
NEWS: Council of Canadians in Mexico for climate summit
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5446
Metro News reports that, “Council of Canadians spokespeople will participate in workshops and roundtables in Mexico beginning next week for the Cancun climate talks. Ottawa-based national chairperson of the Council of Canadians, Maude Barlow, will be speaking in Mexico to raise several of the themes she addressed in a recent speech on the environment she delivered in California. ‘The global water crisis is the greatest ecological and human threat humanity has ever faced,’ said Barlow in a recent speech. ‘Dirty water is the biggest killer of children; everyday, more children die of waterborne disease than HIV/AIDS, malaria and war together,’ she said.”
Fix Panama’s tax regime before signing FTA,
trade committee hears
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1204
Canada’s international trade committee is currently in Europe talking to politicians, business groups and others about the Canada-EU free trade negotiations. When the group returns to Ottawa next week, hearings will continue into the Canada-Panama free trade agreement. Last week, the committee heard from a U.S. trade expert about the threats a Panama FTA would pose to Canada’s prudential financial regime.
- - - - -
Council of Canadians Update – November 23, 2010
MEDIA ADVISORY:
Council of Canadians to demand climate justice at Cancun talks
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... -10-a.html
ACTION ALERT: Take Our Cities Out of CETA
http://www.canadians.org/action/2010/CETA-BC-1010.html
NEWS: Carbon offsets a false solution to clean water
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5434
Tina Rosenberg recently wrote in the New York Times that, “Nearly a billion people don’t have drinkable water. Lack of water - and the associated lack of toilets and proper hygiene - kills 3.3 million people a year, most of them children under five. Lack of access to clean water is one of the world’s biggest health problems. And it is one of the hardest to solve. Lots of different groups dig wells and lay pipes - but the biggest challenge comes after the hardware is in.”
NEWS: Canada, EU reach MOU on hormone-treated beef
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5431
Reuters reports that, “Canada has gained duty-free access to the European Union for a 20,000-tonne annual quota of beef, Canada’s agriculture and trade ministers said on Tuesday. The access is worth about C$10 million ($9.8 million) annually, the ministers said.”
NEWS: Paris court ruling on FLOW ‘a victory’
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5429
The Vancouver Sun reports today that: Canadian activist Maude Barlow is calling it a victory for those who believe clean water is a human right, but a French court’s recent decision to reject a defamation lawsuit against the movie Flow could also be regarded as a sign of changing times.
NEWS: US Secretary of State in Ottawa, Dec. 13
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5428
The Pembina Institute has learned that US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will be visiting Ottawa on December 13.
International trade committee meets CETA skeptics in London
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1197
The House of Commons international trade committee (CIIT) is in Europe (UK, Belgium, Italy, Hungary) this week meeting with various people and organizations working on, or with an interest in, the Canada-EU trade negotiations. Yesterday in London they met with an anti-poverty, human rights group critical of CETA for its potential to interfere with non-trade related public policy objectives, including public services and job creation. Those in Toronto earlier this year for the G20 and the Council’s Shout Out for Global Justice will remember John Hilary, executive director of War on Want, as one of the keynote speakers. He and War on Water trade campaigner Dave Tucker met with the Canadian trade committee delegation yesterday morning at the Canadian consulate to discuss the stresses that trade agreements put on public services, including health care, and the need to develop an alternative trade model to the one proposed by CETA.
Last edited by Oscar on Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Oscar
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FRACKING NEWS: November 29, 2010
by Oscar » Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:40 pm
FRACKING NEWS: November 29, 2010
1. EVENT: NIKIFORUK: Are Canada’s Energy Regulators Captive to Industry? – Regina – Dec. 2
2. People’s Assembly on Climate Justice - Dec. 5, 2010 – Regina
3. Earth Day Canada Launches Award and Recognition Programs
4. CANCUN Climate Justice NOW! Nov. 29 – Dec. 10
5. FRACKING - ENDEAVOUR, SK - Nordic Oil and Gas - NE SK
6. Climate Justice Montreal Releases "Burning Water/Quand L’eau Flambe"
– The Primer
7. Actor Mark Ruffalo Lands on Terror List for Screening Film Against Fracking (GASLAND)
8. Government subsidies to tar sands companies larger than Environment Canada’s entire budget
9. New Brunswick introduces new review process for fracking projects
10. Put a CAPP on Tar Sands Greenwashing
11. Winning energy race - Aboriginal communities will be in demand as partners in new projects
12. Canada won't follow new U.S. plan to slash industrial greenhouse gases: Baird
13. Canadian diplomats in DC worked with corporations to kill US climate legislation
14. From pristine to polluted
15. Earth Grab: The Rush to Make Agriculture Fuel the Global Economy
16. Iraq to ink $12b Shell gas accord
17. Nigeria detains 12 in Halliburton bribery case
18. Laboratory Test Results Raise Concern Over Gulf Seafood
19. Council of Canadians Update: November 26 & 29, 2010
20. New Big Brother Laws Would Reshape Canada's Internet
21. 2011 EECOM Conference - Call for Participation
22. US government: Nosey Parker of the planet - WikiLeaks cable dump alerts
====================
1. EVENT: NIKIFORUK: Are Canada’s Energy Regulators Captive to Industry?
Presented by Andrew Nikiforuk, Author and Journalist
December 2, 2010 - 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Please note: This lecture will take place in Regina and will be video-conferenced to a Saskatoon audience.
Regina Location: JSGS Window Room, 2nd Floor, Gallery Building
University of Regina, College Avenue Campus
Saskatoon Location: Studio B (Lower Level), Education Building
University of Saskatchewan Campus
Registration:
Those interested in attending are encouraged to register online at
www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca
(please select News and Events, then Events Calendar and the appropriate calendar date). Please be advised that the JSGS Window Room is located on the second floor of the Gallery Building. Individuals with mobility difficulties should contact us at 306.585.5869 or js_outreach@uregina.ca at least one week prior to the event.
JSGS Lecture Series:
This event is part of a lecture series organized by the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS). This lecture series features speakers addressing provincial, national and international issues. To view our upcoming events or to learn more about our outreach activities, visit our website at
www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca.
=====================
2. People’s Assembly on Climate Justice - Dec. 5, 2010 - Regina
Where: Lower Level, Knox Metropolitan United Church, 2340 Victoria Ave.
Date: December 5 - 2 - 5 pm
During the next major round of climate in Cancun, Mexico negotiations (Nov. 29 - Dec. 10), People’s Assemblies on Climate Justice will be taking place across Canada. PACJ are movement-building and organizing events. The focus is on dialogue and transforming awareness into action through community-based climate justice actions.
Learn more at:
http://canadians.org/assemblies.
In light of the joint efforts and call to action from the Council of Canadians, KAIROS, the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, we are putting together a People’s Assembly for Regina. It will be a world cafe brainstorm on what we can do even though our governments are doing nothing. Please attend if you’re able; your voice is important.
For more info or to pre-register: phone 551-8500 or email reginapacj@gmail.com.
================
3. Earth Day Canada Launches Award and Recognition Programs
Earth Day Canada celebrates and supports environmental initiatives year-round through a suite of recognition programs and financial support, including scholarships, grants and cash awards programs.
Help celebrate and recognize these contributions by directly applying or promoting the programs to your volunteers, supporters and/or community network today.
http://www.earthday.ca/pub/.
Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program awards twenty $5000 scholarships to graduating Canadian high school students entering their first year of post-secondary studies.
Eligible students can apply now at
www.earthday.ca/scholarship.
The application deadline is January 31st, 2011.
Hometown Heroes Award Program rewards environmental leaders (individuals and groups) who have fostered meaningful, long–term community awareness and action in their communities with a $10 000 prize.
Nominate a hero today at
www.earthday.ca/hometown
The application deadline is February 28th, 2011.
===============
4. CANCUN - Climate Justice NOW! Nov. 29 – Dec. 10
Council of Canadians taking action in Cancun and Canada
http://www.canadians.org/energy/issues/ ... ancun.html
The climate crisis demands urgent action, but Canada is going in the wrong direction. The Canadian government remains committed to being an energy superpower focused on export-oriented energy trade, allowing this to trump much needed action on climate change and energy security. As the climate change crisis continues to grow, Canadians must demand urgent action from their government.
The Council of Canadians will be at the next major round of UN climate negotiations taking place in Cancun, Mexico November 29 to December 10, 2010. While the last round of talks failed to produce a binding agreement, the Council of Canadians will be working with allies, social justice organizations, environmental groups and thousands of concerned people as part of a burgeoning grassroots climate justice movement to demand “system change, not climate change.”
Click here to read more about our actions in Cancun and find out how you can get involved:
http://www.canadians.org/energy/issues/climatejustice/
cancun.html
- - - - - -
Council of Canadians to demand climate justice at Cancun talks
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2010/
23-Nov-10-a.html
Ottawa – Council of Canadians spokespeople will be available for comment from Mexico in the lead-up to and during the upcoming United Nations climate talks in Cancun, November 29 to December 10. Council spokespeople will be engaged in a variety of activities including participation in official side events and co-hosting a panel, workshops and roundtable in the alternative popular spaces outside of the negotiation process.
The Council of Canadians activities in Mexico will include:
Maude Barlow speaking at a press conference on the connection between water and climate justice in Mexico City on November 30.
Participating in an international caravan through impacted communities in Mexico, helping to connect local struggles to the global climate crisis and the need for transformative change, on November 27-29.
Maude Barlow speaking on a high profile panel (‘Building a Broad Labor and Climate Justice Alliance’) with leading American author and environmentalist Bill McKibben and prominent labour leaders, on December 4.
Co-hosting a panel and workshops on the rights of nature, water justice, a roundtable on the global call for a climate referendum and a workshop on the push to exploit oil and gas reserves in the Arctic that includes screening the new documentary, Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change on December 5.
Participating in a major march in Cancun on December 7.
The Council of Canadians team in Mexico will include Chairperson Maude Barlow; Political Director Brent Patterson; Energy and Climate Justice Campaigner Andrea Harden-Donahue; National Water Campaigner Emma Lui; Blue Planet Project Organizer Anil Naidoo; and Board member Leticia Adair. The team will join Claudia Campero with the Council of Canadians’ Blue Planet Project, who is based in Mexico. -30-
For More Information:
Dylan Penner, Media Officer, Council of Canadians, 613-795-8685, dpenner@canadians.org
Andrea Harden-Donahue, Energy and Climate Justice Campaigner, Council of Canadians, 613-218-5800, aharden@canadians.org
www.canadians.org/cancun
- - - - - -
WATCH: Global warming tops Cancun summit
http://english.aljazeera.net/video/americas/2010/11/
2010112991521958552.html
Cancun climate summit seeks to map out a global vision on dealing with climate change.
Last Modified: 29 Nov 2010 10:27 GMT
Experts believe 2010's severe weather changes hit the poorest communities around the world hardest. This is further evidence of the devastating effects of global warming.
The Cancun UN climate summit will seek a commitment to keep global carbon dioxide emissions low, after the failure in the last climate meeting in Copenhagen.
Though the challenges remain the same there are those who question whether the Cancun summit can combine mapping out a global vision on how to deal with climate change along with finding ways to pay for it.
Al Jazeera's Mariana Sanchez reports from Mexico City.
================
5. FRACKING - ENDEAVOUR, SK - Nordic Oil and Gas - NE SK
Nordic Oil and Gas Receives Well License Allowing it to Commence Drilling New Exploration Well at Endeavour, Saskatchewan
http://www.nordicoilandgas.com/Nov1010.html
NEWS RELEASE November 10, 2010
Second well location being surveyed - both wells to be drilled at same time
WINNIPEG, Nov. 10 /CNW/ - Donald Benson, Chairman and CEO of Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd. (the "Company), (TSXV: NOG), is pleased to announce that the Company has received its well license from the Saskatchewan government, thereby paving the way for Nordic to commence drilling its new exploration well at Endeavour.
"While it took longer than we had anticipated, we are delighted to finally receive the required well license that now allows us to move forward with this exciting project," Mr. Benson stated. "The first well location is offset from a 1950s well, which encountered oil in six different intervals. The seismic that we shot indicated that a well drilled back in the mid-1950s was drilled on a low, whereas our location is on a structural high. The 1950s well also indicated the presence of a salt cap, which we feel acts as a seal.
In addition, Mr. Benson also noted that the Company has completed surveying and is applying to license a second location in the Endeavour area, "and we plan on drilling both wells at the same time.
- - - -SNIP - - -
Further updates will be provided once the Company has secured a drilling rig and the site has been prepared and readied for the start of drilling.
As a further note regarding the recent announcement of the Equity Line Facility for $10,000,000.00 which the Company has secured, the Company wishes to confirm that the facility is for a three year period and it is anticipated that several drawn downs will take place at hopefully increasing share pricing. This will not be a matter of flooding the market with low priced shares but rather a facility which will allow us rapid access to capital as required. A discovery at Endeavour should have a tremendous impact on the price of our shares.
About Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd.
Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd. is a junior oil and gas company engaged in the exploration and development of oil, natural gas and Coal Bed Methane in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The Corporation is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and trades under the symbol NOG. Nordic was one of the "2008 TSX Venture 50" companies, a ranking of the top 10 public venture capital companies in five industry sectors listed on the TSX Venture Exchange.
- - - - SNIP- - - -
For additional information, contact:
Don Bain, Corporate Secretary.
Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd.
Tel. 204-229-7751
Fax: 204-943-1829
E-mail: donbain1@mts.net
www.nordicoilandgas.com
= = = = = =
Nordic Oil and Gas/MAP/PHOTOS - Preeceville/Endeavour, SK
http://www.nordicoilandgas.com/Saskoilarticle1109.pdf
= = = = = =
LETTER: HUGHES: Are you being fracked?
Tisdale Recorder, November 24, 2010
It seems that the days of sticking a pipe into the ground and pumping up the oil to feed our addiction to the stuff are over – the easy oil is gone. Now, after years of courting big oil and gas companies with lax regulations and promises of low or non-existent royalties, Saskatchewan is currently under frenzied assault to suck up every last drop of natural gas, oil and coalbed methane using a process called hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Calgary author, Andrew Nikiforuk, describes hydraulic fracturing as “a brute force technology used in 90 per cent of all unconventional oil and gas well drilling which has allowed companies to exploit vast shale deposits across the continent over the last decade.” The highly pressurized fracking fluids cause mini-earthquakes which breaks open the pores of gas-bearing rock in unpredictable ways along horizontal reaches stretching an average of 1.6 kilometres underground.
Within the last 5 years, some 1000 gas and oil wells have been drilled (12 – 15 boreholes per ‘pad’), mainly over the Bakken Formation in the southern part of the province, although there may be as many or more in northwestern Saskatchewan. And, in the northeast, we have discovered the Pasquia Hills Oil Shale Project owned by Calgary-based Oilsands Quest Inc. with exploration permits on 490,000 acres surrounding the small town of Hudson Bay in beautiful northeastern Saskatchewan.
Simply put, fracking involves injecting, under extreme pressure, enormous volumes of water, sand and chemicals thousands of feet into rock formations to force dense gas and oil shales to fracture, or crack, enabling the gas or oil to escape and flow back to the surface where it is piped into storage tanks and to market. The industry can achieve faster payback and further increase the scope of fracking by many kilometers by drilling horizontal wells, where the drill bit is steered along a horizontal trajectory thousands of additional feet – out of sight under farms, towns, and cities.
Sydney, Australia is the latest victim, with drilling to begin within months only blocks from city center. In the meantime, citing health and environmental concerns, Pittsburgh’s city council unanimously passed a ban on natural gas drilling within city limits.
Not surprisingly, there are many major environmental and health concerns with this disaster-in-the-making activity.
Millions of gallons of fresh water (from 5,000 – 3 million gallons, 100-200 dusty and noisy truckloads per well), possibly coming from the same source used for your household drinking wells, ranching and farming. Apparently, "a single permit held by Encana gave it access to water at 71 different locations (in BC) for a combined daily maximum of 16,117 cubic metres or nearly six-and-a-half Olympic swimming pools worth of water per day."
Between 20 and 70 percent of this water remains underground, lost forever from the finite supply on the Planet. And, since no one knows where the aquifers are, their size or their shape, the risk of contaminating your precious underground water is enormous – despite industry assurances that this is a safe procedure; that pipes don’t leak, that cement doesn’t crack!
The produced water, loaded with hundreds of unknown chemicals, which does manage to come to the surface cannot be reused in another well and is placed into closed storage tanks or pumped into large, open holding pits and left to evaporate. This evaporation allows toxic, volatile chemicals to be released into the air and it concentrates the non-volatiles in the pits. Also, evaporation pits have been known to leak or overflow, potentially contaminating the soil and local water sources. Out of the chemicals known to be used in hydraulic fracturing for which basic information is available, 96 percent provide a warning about eye and/or skin harm, 94 percent warn about respiratory system harm, and 49 percent warn about brain or neurological harm that can occur either when the chemicals are inhaled or when they come into contact with skin. (Feb. 2009 study, “Products and Chemicals Used in Fracturing”, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange)
In natural gas fracturing, up to 435 chemical products are known to be used, many of them carcinogenic or toxic to humans and wildlife, even in very small doses. Apparently, Alberta Environment found the human carcinogen, hexavalent chromium (Chromium-6 – think Erin Brockovich) in Rosebud, AB area well water – where tap water has enough natural gas in it to actually ignite! Great secrecy (to keep the company’s ‘competitive edge’) surrounds the list of chemicals used which prevents landowners and, in some cases, government agencies from conducting proper water quality tests.
So, if there’s a knock on your door one day and a representative from an oil and gas company is there, saying they own the ‘sub-surface rights’ to your property and they’re about to drill for natural gas – without your knowledge or permission - you’ll know you’ve been fracked!
Elaine Hughes
Archerwill, SK
= = = = = =
MORE FRACKING INFO:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/
viewforum.php?f=31&sid=8d8b02e5165211622926130883d87cd9
==================
6. FRACKING GUIDE: "Burning Water" - The Primer
http://montreal.mediacoop.ca/story/
climate-justice-montreal-releases-burning-waterquand-l%E2%80%99eau-flambe/5183
Climate Justice Montreal Releases "Burning Water/Quand L’eau Flambe"
A primer on shale gas extraction in Quebec and what people can do to stop it
by Cameron Fenton →Environment
Montreal - Today, Climate Justice Montreal released Burning Water, a primer on shale gas extraction - or "fracking" - in Quebec. The publication outlines the extent of current and future fracking activities, profiling the major corporate players and where they currently hold permits for extraction and are, in many cases, already drilling exploratory wells.
"We want to present this information in an easily accesible, yet comprehensive manner to help grow the constantly builing resistance in Quebec," said Kawina Robichaud, an organizer with Climate Justice Montreal and one othe publications authors.
The publication highlights some of the major corporations involved in extraction, as well as current and future hotspots for resistance.
Download Primer (Eng):
http://montreal.mediacoop.ca/sites/medi ... files2/mc/
FRACKGUIDEENG_0.pdf
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7. Actor Mark Ruffalo Lands on Terror List for Screening Film Against Fracking
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/362465/
actor_mark_ruffalo_lands_on_terror_list_for_screening_film_against_fracking/#paragraph2
- - - All Links are on this website - -
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(GasLand is the film Ruffalo is promoting. Scroll down to trailer.)
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WATCH: Ruffalo speaks out:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/
39511093#39511093
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Opposing controversial oil- and gas-drilling practices is a prelude to terrorism, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Homeland Security. Actor Mark Ruffalo discovered this when he landed on the state's terror watch list after planning a screening of an anti-fracking documentary–an incident he found “pretty fuckin' funny,” according to GQ. The star of Zodiac and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has been a vocal opponent of the drilling method, which involves cracking rocks through hydraulic pressure underground to release the fossil fuels below–often into groundwater. Earlier this year, he appeared on Maddow to discuss the practice, which was recently given the OK in the areas where the tri-state region–New York, New Jersey and yep, Pennsylvania– gets their drinking water.
"If you think that what you are putting into the ground is so safe," Ruffalo addressed the gas industry now so gung-ho to drill near NYC's water source, "Why note come into the regulation of the Clean Water Act?"
The area where drilling is slated to occur is in "the watershed for 19 million people -- 5% of our population could have their water contaminated" by this process, Ruffalo notes. Thirty thousand gas wells are slated to be fracked immediately.
The Pennsylvania Department of Homeland Security,…
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In October, it was revealed that the department had declared the documentary Coal Country to be a "potential catalyst for inspiring 'direct action' protests or even sabotage against facilities, machinery, and/or corporate headquarters."
A Pennsylvania activist Web site reported earlier this month that the department has been monitoring the Twitter feeds of known anti-war activists.
No word on whether the city of Pittsburgh–which recently banned fracking–is also on Pennsylvania's terror list.
MORE:
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/362465/
actor_mark_ruffalo_lands_on_terror_list_for_screening_film_against_fracking/#paragraph2
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8. Government subsidies to tar sands companies larger than Environment Canada’s entire budget
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/Blog/
government-subsidies-to-tar-sands-companies-l/blog/28184?
utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=November%20e-news%20(1)&utm_content=
Blogpost by Keith Stewart - November 8, 2010 at 10:25
If you want to understand where governments really stand, it’s always a good idea to follow the money. That is why Greenpeace commissioned the Global Subsidies Initiative to do some research for us on tax breaks to corporations producing “high cost” oil (tar sands and deep-water off shore wells) in five countries: Canada, the US, the UK, Brazil and Mexico.
Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI):
http://www.globalsubsidies.org/
All of these countries committed to “phase out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that lead to wasteful consumption” at the G20 Leaders Summit in Philadelphia in 2009. No new actions have been taken since then, so we want to turn up the heat on keeping that promise when the G20 gets together again in Korea later this week.
Report:
http://priceofoil.org/2010/11/08/g20-fo ... el-report/
The main conclusion of the GSI report commissioned by Greenpeace is that all five countries are providing more subsidies to oil companies than they admit publicly, and that “it makes little sense to make fiscal cutbacks [to other government programs because of rising deficits] while granting inefficient subsidies; or to attempt to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while concurrently subsidizing GHG emissions through fossil fuel subsidies.”
It also notes that these subsidies also have a more insidious long-term effect of undermining the green economy: “Subsidizing oil extraction has a range of secondary effects, including making investments in oil more attractive compared to lower carbon, lower risk alternatives, thereby increasing the lock-in of economies into fossil fuels.”
Oil companies in Canada are getting a particularly sweet deal, as the subsidies that they were able to put a dollar figure to totalled over $2.8 billion in 2008 (and there were more subsidies that they couldn’t quantify). Most of that came from the federal ($1.38 billion) and Alberta ($1.05 billion) governments, with the tar sands taking in the lion’s share ($1.59 billion) of this money.
To put this in perspective, more of our money is going to subsidize oil companies’ destruction in the tar sands than there is in the combined 2008 budgets of Environment Canada ($1.12 billion) and Alberta Environment ($403 million).
But what would happen if we stopped giving some of the richest companies in the world billions in public dollars to go after the dirtiest and riskiest types of oil?
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G20 Summit Seoul 2010
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/publications/
reports/G20-Summit-Seoul-2010-/
Publication - November 8, 2010
G20 leaders are meeting against the backdrop of one of the hottest years on record – a year marred by fires, floods and storms. The G20 leaders must honour promises they made a year earlier to take action on climate change, cut fossil fuel subsidies and help the world kick-start a green economy. Below, find background documents for the G20 meeting held in Seoul this week.
G20 Climate Checklist
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/
international/publications/climate/2010/Seoul%20Summit.pdf
Media Briefing GSI Report 2010
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/
international/publications/climate/2010/Greenpeace_Subsidies_nov2010.pdf
GSI Report
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/
international/publications/climate/2010/Tax%20and%20Royalty%20Related%20Subsidies%20to%20Oil%20Extraction%20from%20High%20Cost%20Fields%20November%202010%205MB.pdf
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9. New Brunswick introduces new review process for fracking projects
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5471
Friday, November 26th, 2010
The Telegraph-Journal reports that, “A new environmental review process that will require government approval at nearly every stage of a project’s development will become the standard for oil and gas exploration ventures in New Brunswick. The approach, known as a phased environmental impact assessment, will mean companies looking for underground resources will trigger the environmental review process much sooner than they would have in the past.”
“The (New Brunswick Department of Environment) began considering the new review process earlier this year after citizens expressed concern over certain shale gas exploration practices.”
“Current environmental assessment rules in New Brunswick only require a company to register for a review once they are set to commercially extract gases or minerals… By then, however, companies have already built a well pad, drilled the bore hole and performed tests to determine how much of the resource is there. …A phased EIA approach will ensure proper planning is applied during these early stages of a project…”
“It will be applied for the first time in the gas sector to Corridor Resources Inc. and Apache Canada’s shale gas project near Elgin. …The firm, a subsidiary of Houston’s Apache Corp., was brought into New Brunswick in a farm-out agreement with Halifax-based Corridor Resources, which has rights to explore and develop oil and gas in a swathe of land equal to one-seventh of the province. Apache drilled two wells in the Elgin area this summer and began the process of hydraulic fracturing earlier this month. The company says the Moncton shale rock basin holds significant potential for natural gas and optimistic projections would see them decide in 2013 to develop the resource, drilling as many as 32 wells per year for up to 30 years. …Representatives with Apache could not be reached for comment on Thursday.”
In late-March it was first reported that US-owned Apache Canada Ltd. and Halifax-based Corridor Resources Inc. would begin drilling and exploration work for natural gas in the Elgin area of southern New Brunswick in June, and that this natural gas in the Frederick Brook formation would require hydraulic fracturing - or ‘fracking’ - to access.
More on that at
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3160
In October, news reports indicated that the City of Moncton had been selling its drinking water for $1.58 a cubic metre to Apache Canada for their testing in the Frederick Brook formation. By November, those water sales had been stopped.
More on that at
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5380.
Today’s Telegraph-Journal article is at
http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com ... le/1325006
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MORE FRACKING INFO:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=31
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10. Put a CAPP on Tar Sands Greenwashing
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/Blog/
put-a-capp-on-tar-sands-greenwashing/blog/28380?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=November%20e-news%20(1)&utm_content=
Blogpost by Mike Hudema - November 23, 2010 at 7:58
Faced with the grim realities of tar sands oil extraction, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) seems like it would rather take its dirty money and run a huge publicity campaign to make the tar sands look better, than actually address the pressing environmental and human rights atrocities caused by tar sands development.
CAPP is trying to greenwash the destruction that is taking place in Alberta through a series of print and video ads.
Check them out here -
http://www.capp.ca/oilsands/ads/.
They must think we’re stupid to believe what they’re feeding us: that everything in Alberta is A-okay. But we’re not stupid; like you, we know that everything is not okay in Alberta. And we need your help to make sure CAPP doesn't get away with its latest dishonest game.
The truth is that the tar sands are an immensely destructive project. To date, tar sands oil extraction has devastated an area the size of the city of Toronto. If oil extraction from the tar sands continues unchecked, it has the potential to destroy an area the size of England.
Toxic tar sands tailings lakes already span 170 square km, which is an area larger than Lake Muskoka, and they are growing every day. Downstream, primarily First Nations communities, are seeing increased sicknesses in their communities, seeing a traditional way of life becoming further displaced and many are afraid of drinking the water. Everyday, 11 million litres of toxic tailings leak into the surrounding environment. The current greenhouse gas emissions of the tar sands is equivalent to that of 9 million cars. By 2020, it is projected that the greenhouse gas emissions will rise to the equivalent of the annual emissions of over 26 million cars, which is 1.5 times the greenhouse gas emissions of all the cars in Canada.
The spin campaigns waged by CAPP, as well as the Alberta government, are a direct response to the pressure that you’ve helped us generate.
It is time to show CAPP that any attempt to greenwash the tar sands will not go unchecked.
That's where you come in . . . Are you game to help us fight BIG OIL?
We are looking for your help to culture jam these ads:
Like the “Put a CAPP on Tar Sands Greenwashing Facebook Page”
Take a look at the CAPP campaign.
Download one of the videos or print ads.
Have fun!! Construct the funniest or edgiest mash-ups, image swaps, collages, rewrites, or remixes you can think of. Be smart, be edgy, be creative, and most of all, have fun with it! It is time to turn these gross distortions of the tar sands destructive reality against themselves. It is time to fix these greenwashes with the truth about the tar sands.
Once your ad jam is complete:
a) Post it on our Facebook page wall
b) Make it into your Facebook picture
c) Post it on the Facebook page wall
d) Print it out and wheatpaste it around your home city or town
e) Post it on youtube and flicker, and
f) Twitpic it with the hashtag #cappwash.
Oh yeah. One more thing. In order to amp up the fun and excitement, we have made the CAPP ad jam into a contest. There will be prizes for the top print and video jams. The winning entry will be published. We will highlight entries on our website as we tally up the top choices. Submit your ad jams on the facebook page wall or email them to capp.greenwash@greenpeace.org
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11. Winning energy race - Aboriginal communities will be in demand as partners in new projects
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/ ... ergy+race/
3881486/story.html
BY JIM MIDDLEMISS, THE FINANCIAL POSTNOVEMBER 25, 2010
The renewable energy gold rush currently underway could be a boon to Canada's aboriginal community.
That's because alternative energy companies are looking to partner with First Nations to build run-of-river hydroelectric plants, wind farms and solar farms on lands covered by native claims.
"Our view is that, certainly in Canada, many of the remaining – if not all of the remaining -- attractive hydroelectric sites will need a degree of First Nations' participation of some type," said Ben Vaughan, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Brookfield Renewable Power, which builds energy projects.
Last May, Brookfield and partners Peter Kiewit Sons Co., an engineering firm, and James Smith Cree Nation, Peter Chapman Cree Nation, the Chakastapaysin Band of the Cree, announced a deal with SaskPower to launch a $12-million feasibility study on locating a hydroelectric plant on the Saskatchewan River, known as the Pehonan Hydroelectric Project. If completed, it will generate 250 megawatts of clean energy.
Mr. Vaughan said Pehonan is one of four projects the firm currently has underway involving renewable energy and First Nations. The furthest along is the Kokish River Hydro Electric Project, involving Kwagis Power, a limited partnership between Brookfield and the 'Namgis First Nation. The run-of-river project proposed for northeastern Vancouver Island would generate up to 45 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power 15,000 homes.
MORE:
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/ ... ergy+race/
3881486/story.html
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12. Canada won't follow new U.S. plan to slash industrial greenhouse gases: Baird
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/TG57.html
Published: Sunday, November 28, 2010 | 2:26 PM ET
Canadian Press Andy Blatchford, The Canadian Press
The Harper government has no plans to follow a U.S. initiative to slash the greenhouse gas emissions of big polluters — even though Ottawa has pledged to harmonize its climate policies with the Americans.
The White House, stung by its failure to legislate a cap-and-trade bill before the recent congressional elections, has a Plan B set to be implemented within weeks.
The new U.S. rules — passed by executive order — are aimed at curbing emissions from large industrial facilities like refineries and cement factories. They go into effect Jan. 2.
Canadian climate experts say this country could contain the pollution growth from its own industries, notably the oilsands, by introducing similar standards north of the border.
But newly minted Environment Minister John Baird downplayed the plans from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as "patchwork."
"It's very, very preliminary stuff on energy efficiency," said Baird, who said he hadn't heard about the new U.S. rules before being contacted by The Canadian Press.
MORE: http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/TG57.html
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13. Canadian diplomats in DC worked with corporations to kill US climate legislation
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5507
Canadian diplomats in DC worked with corporations to kill US climate legislation
Monday, November 29th, 2010
Postmedia News reports that, “Canadian diplomats in Washington have quietly asked such oil-industry players as Exxon Mobil and BP to help ‘kill’ U.S. global-warming policies in order to ensure that ‘the oil keeps a-flowing’ from Alberta into the U.S. marketplace…”
“In a series of newly released correspondence from Canada’s Washington embassy, the Canadian diplomats describe recommendations from Environment Canada to clean up the oilsands as ’simply nutty’, proposing instead to ‘kill any interpretation’ of U.S. energy legislation that would apply to the industry.”
“The messages from diplomats were sent as the oilsands industry was lobbying against Section 526 of the U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act, restricting U.S. government departments and agencies from buying fuel with a high environmental footprint.”
“The correspondence reveals that the Canadian diplomats had contacted officials from the American Petroleum Institute - an industry association - as well as from Exxon Mobil Corp., BP, Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips, EnCana Corp. and Marathon Oil Corp. ‘to point out the potential implication to their imports from Canada.’”
“The new documents also follow revelations by Postmedia News last week that the Harper government had crafted a multi-department communications strategy with industry stakeholders and the Alberta government to attack foreign environmental policies and promote the oilsands.”
The Harper government has repeatedly claimed that Canada’s climate policies - including our emissions targets - must be in line with those of the United States. They claim they cannot take action until the US does.
This article shows that the Harper government has actively worked to undermine US climate legislation in order to maintain the tar sands.
The Council of Canadians joined with many groups supporting Section 526.
The article is at
http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/
Canadian+diplomats+sought+help+from+companies/3898255/story.html#ixzz16fiGTKyg.
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14. From pristine to polluted
http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2010-11-29/
article-2001218/From-pristine-to-polluted/1
Published on November 29th, 2010 Barb Sweet The Telegram
(QUOTE: He (Christie) recalls a conversation with a retired mill manager who commented, “Bob, how godawful stupid that government was.”)
How a region’s hunger for prosperity led to a legacy of contamination
Fergie MacKay was not long into his teaching career in Pictou County, N.S., in the late 1960s and times were hard.
There was a downturn at the rail car and steel plant running the length of his hometown.
Trenton proudly markets itself as the place of the first pouring of steel in British North America and it is one of the county’s five close-knit towns with its surrounding rural communities and villages.
When times were good, thousands of men poured in and out of the plant’s gates during shift changes.
Thursday was payday and workers would flood the shopping district of New Glasgow, stocking up on canned goods and sale items for the inevitable layoffs between rail car orders and cyclical busts in the worldwide rail transportation sector.
So when the announcement was made that a pulp and paper giant was to open Scott Maritimes in 1967 on nearby Abercrombie Point, it spelled economic relief for the whole county. The coal mines were dying and the county was years away from luring a Michelin Tire plant.
“We were starving economically,” recalls MacKay, a Trenton councillor and retired rural high school teacher.
“The pulp mill was seen as a godsend.”
Pulp and paper was a lucrative industry with no end in sight then — a good-paying job at the mill set a family up for life. And it also brought jobs in the woods and in trucking.
But along with the pulp mill came Boat Harbour, a now infamous tidal lagoon where 25 million gallons of wastewater a day from the bleach kraft pulp mill was to go before being released into the Northumberland Strait. The provincial government was to own and operate Boat Harbour for 25 years, eventually handing operation over to the pulp mill.
Not every industrial story ends in a debacle the magnitude of Boat Harbour. But the use of a natural body of water for industrial waste — pulp, mining or otherwise — is something MacKay and another activist, Bob Christie, warn against.
“This was a cheap way of doing it. Once that happens, it’s gone forever,” MacKay says.
“People got blinded by saying how much this thing was going to employ.”
MORE:
http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2010-11-29/
article-2001218/From-pristine-to-polluted/1
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MORE INFO:
http://www.canadians.org/water/documents/TIA/
letter-long-harbour-0310.pdf
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15. Earth Grab: The Rush to Make Agriculture Fuel the Global Economy
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/
Earth-Grab-The-Rush-to-Make-Agriculture-the-New-Fuel-for-the-Global-Economy-1357916.htm
Posted: 23 Nov 2010 07:23 AM PST
Whether we’re talking about global energy, climate change, food security or commodity trade -- agriculture has quickly taken centre stage in the new global economy. It’s an economy worth trillions -- and it all starts with plants. The world’s biggest corporations are rushing to grab and convert living plant matter called biomass --- into fuel, chemicals, and other profitable products. Corn and sugarcane are already being converted to biofuels on a large scale, but trees, grasslands and algae could be next. The fossil fuel economy is transforming rapidly into a ‘bio-economy’, says Jim Thomas of ETC Group, an international research institute based in Ottawa. Plants, trees and forests are the new oil fields. They’re above the ground, and they’re easy to grab”, says Thomas. Thomas, and farm movement leaders from Brazil, Mali and Haiti are speaking this week at Earth Grab, a public forum in Montreal (Friday, November 26, see below for details). Iderle Brenus, who will be speaking at the conference, is a leader with the Mouvement Paysan Papaye, one of the largest peasant movements in Haiti. Last year, the organization, which is supported by DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE, organized a large-scale protest against seed donations from the corporation Monsanto. Brenus and others believe that small-scale farming can offer a sustainable solution to the re-construction of Haiti, but this could be undermined by a push towards a bio-economy. The New Bio-economy: A ‘Red-hot Resource Grab’. A recent ETC Group report, The New Biomassters shows how global energy, forestry, agribusiness, chemical, and biotech companies are busy constructing a bio-economy built on converting biomass into fuels and other products. The emerging global bio-economy is worth trillions, and it threatens to eat up our crops, forests and other plant life, says Thomas. However, what’s being sold as a ‘green’ switch from fossil fuels to plant-based production, is in fact a red-hot resource grab on the lands, livelihoods, knowledge and resources of the peoples of the Global South. That would make Brazil the number one bio-energy oilfield, according to Camila Moreno, of Friends of the Earth, Brazil. Brazil wants to become the Saudi Arabia of biofuels, says Moreno. Not only are our country’s land and biomass up for grabs, but Brazilian corporations are actively grabbing land in other countries, she says. Sub-Saharan Africa is seen as a second major region for grabbing resources for fuel. Biomass and Biofuels: False Solutions to Climate Change? On the eve of the Cancun climate talks, Moreno says the emphasis on biomass-based energy solutions sidesteps the real issues. We can’t really address climate change by replacing our fossil fuel addiction with a bio-energy addiction, she says. We actually have to set real targets to reduce our emissions. And the evidence is piling up that growing crops commercially for fuels could be even more damaging to the environment, and make our carbon footprint worse. Biomass and Food Security: Choosing Fuel over Hunger? According to Susan Walsh, Executive Director of USC Canada, just as the demand for corn ethanol led to higher food prices and hunger, the massive biomass-grab will have devastating consequences for people and our environment, here and in developing countries. All signs indicate that we could be months away from another devastating global ‘food crisis’ like we witnessed in 2008, says Walsh. Skyrocketing prices of basic agricultural commodities such as corn and wheat, combined with low reserves for some grains, make the situation highly precarious. With additional pressures from climate change, diverting any grain production for biofuels puts food security in direct conflict with energy security, says Walsh. Will our appetite for fuel crush our ability to produce enough food for an ever-hungry world? What’s more, those who produce 70% of the world’s food small holder farmers will be most affected by land and resource grabs, says Walsh. Instead, Walsh suggests turning to the world’s majority small farmers for real and time-tested solutions that feed people and respond to climate change. This requires a transformation from ‘industrial’ to ‘ecological’ principles, says Walsh. Ecological farming is proven to be far more resilient, socially just, and innovative than the high-input, monoculture model that comes with so many risks, and has a huge ecological footprint she says.
More information:
www.foodsecurecanada.org
The New BioMassters:
http://www.etcgroup.org/en/node/5232
A Viable Food Future:
http://usc-canada.org/what-you-can-do/
- 30 -
For more information and interviews with Camila Moreno, Jim Thomas or Susan Walsh: For interviews with Iderle Brenus: François Gloutnay, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE, (514) 257-8710 ext. 318
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16. Iraq to ink $12b Shell gas accord
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=231014
28 Nov 2010
A multibillion-dollar final deal between Iraq and Royal Dutch Shell to capture flared gas at southern oilfields is set to be signed before the year-end, a senior Iraqi oil official said. The $12 billion deal, a venture between Iraq’s South Gas Company (SGC), Shell and Japan’s Mitsubishi, involves the capture of associated natural gas produced at fields near the oil hub of Basra, including Rumaila, Iraq’s workhorse.
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17. Nigeria detains 12 in Halliburton bribery case
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AQ1SX20101127
27 Nov 2010
Nigeria's anti-corruption police have raided the offices of the U.S. oilfield services group Halliburton and arrested 12 people Thursday in a bribery case involving the former Halliburton unit KBR Inc, a spokesman said on Saturday. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it had detained 10 Halliburton staff for questioning and one senior employee each from oil services firms Saipem Contracting Nigeria Ltd and Technip Offshore Nigeria Ltd.
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18. Laboratory Test Results Raise Concern Over Gulf Seafood
http://www.wftv.com/news/25875784/detail.html
22 Nov 2010
'Inspectors' initially tested gulf shrimp after the BP oil spill by smelling it.
WFTV sent shrimp to be tested after scientists disagreed on whether it is safe to eat after the oil spill, and the results revealed Monday are raising a lot of red flags. WFTV put gulf shrimp to the test by ordering raw shrimp over the Internet and shipping it to a private lab... Scientists found elevated levels of Anthracene, a toxic hydrocarbon and a by-product of petroleum. The Anthracene levels were double what the FDA finds to be acceptable
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19. Council of Canadians Update: November 26 & 29, 2010
Council of Canadians Update – November 26, 2010
MEDIA RELEASE:
‘In Memoriam’ for murdered Mexican anti-mining activist
refused by Calgary Herald
http://www.canadians.org/media/other/20 ... ov-10.html
An ‘In Memoriam’ classified ad to be run on November 27th on behalf of the family of murdered anti-mining activist Mariano Abarca Roblero has been called "unsuitable" by the Calgary Herald, though several other Canadian newspapers, including the Globe and Mail and the Edmonton Journal, have agreed to print it.
NEWS: Giles with Penobsquis residents as they raise water concerns
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5473
Council of Canadians Atlantic organizer Angela Giles is in Moncton today at a pre-hearing meeting held by the New Brunswick Mining Commissioner to hear complaints from Penobsquis residents against the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan.
NEWS: New Brunswick introduces new review process for
fracking projects
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5471
The Telegraph-Journal reports that, “A new environmental review process that will require government approval at nearly every stage of a project’s development will become the standard for oil and gas exploration ventures in New Brunswick. The approach, known as a phased environmental impact assessment, will mean companies looking for underground resources will trigger the environmental review process much sooner than they would have in the past.”
NEWS: RCMP may investigate possible Fish Lake decision leak
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5469
CBC reports that, “The federal Liberal Party’s public safety critic (Mark Holland) has written to the RCMP, asking the force to probe the recent run on B.C.’s Taseko Mines Ltd. stock and a possibility the sell-off was triggered by a government leak.”
= = = = = =
Council of Canadians Update – November 29, 2010
Canadian Civil Society Groups Participate in Caravans to
Cancun Climate Talks
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... -10-2.html
People’s Assemblies on Climate Justice to take place
across Canada
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... ov-10.html
NEWS: Rights of nature challenge launched against BP
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5512
A historic case was filed by an international coalition of defenders of nature’s rights at the Constitutional court of Ecuador against BP and its crimes against nature.
NEWS: Canadian diplomats in DC worked with corporations
to kill US climate legislation
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5507
Postmedia News reports that, “Canadian diplomats in Washington have quietly asked such oil-industry players as Exxon Mobil and BP to help ‘kill’ U.S. global-warming policies in order to ensure that ‘the oil keeps a-flowing’ from Alberta into the U.S. marketplace…”
NEWS: Kavanagh compares Boat Harbour and Sandy Pond
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5505
The St. John’s Telegram reports that, “Ken Kavanagh, a retired teacher from Bell Island, a Council of Canadians spokesman and chairman of the Sandy Pond Alliance opposing use of a 38-hectare lake for mine tailings in Long Harbour, says while the industries and times are different, there is a similarity with Boat Harbour — the economic pressure placed on residents to compromise the environment for jobs.”
NEWS: Long Harbour residents reflect on Sandy Pond
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5476
The St. John’s Telegram reports today on three Long Harbour residents and their views on Sandy Pond being turned into a Schedule 2 tailings impoundment area.
Updates from Climate Justice Meeting in Cancun
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/? ... &feed=rss2
UPDATE: Caravana arrives in Salamanca
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5500
It was past 9 pm when our ‘la caravana de denuncia y resistencia’ arrived near a main square in the city of Salamanca. We gathered near the steps of a government office on a busy pedestrian street and were greeted by speakers who told us about the situation here.
UPDATE: Protecting the Independence watershed in
Dolores Hidalgo
A community gathering has just concluded this Sunday afternoon at a park in the Mexican town of Dolores Hidalgo.
UPDATE: On the climate justice caravan in San Pedro
10:15 am - We are approaching the town of San Pedro and beginning to see some of the destruction caused by a Canadian company operating a gold and silver mine here.
UPDATE: Climate caravan leaves San Luis Potosi
Day 2 - At 7:30 am, we gathered for a breakfast of huevos rancheros and bread (with the delicious additional ingredients of love and solidarity) in a cafe opened for us with La Via Campesina organizers and some of the Mexican farmers who will be on this 500 kilometre climate justice caravan to Mexico City.
UPDATE: Meeting with La Via Campesina in San Luis Potosi
After a long day of travelling we arrived in San Luis Potosi, Mexico several hours ago.
UPDATE: En route to the Cancun climate summit
After a 5 am arrival at the Ottawa airport for a 6:45 am flight to Chicago, we are now having a quick breakfast before departing for Mexico (via Dallas) for the beginning of our intervention at the upcoming COP 16 climate summit in Cancun.
Real solutions heard in Dolores Hidalgo
Our caravan just pulled out of Dolores Hidalgo. We were led to a central park and warmly welcomed by many community members - inhabitants of the independence Watershed.
Day 1: Caravaning to Mexico City
In the lead up to the UN climate negotiations beginning in Cancun this Monday, Brent Patterson and I have joined a caravan for environmental and social justice.
=================
20. New Big Brother Laws Would Reshape Canada's Internet
http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2010/11/16 ... ernetLaws/
Three bills would mandate new spyware to scoop your info with no court oversight, and broaden police powers to snoop.
By Michael Geist, 16 November 2010, TheTyee.ca
The push for new Internet surveillance capabilities goes back to 1999, when government officials began crafting proposals to institute new surveillance technologies within Canadian networks along with additional legal powers to access surveillance and subscriber information. The so-called lawful access initiatives stalled in recent years, but earlier this month the government tabled its latest proposal with three bills that received only limited attention despite their potential to fundamentally reshape the Internet in Canada.
The bills contain a three-pronged approach focused on information disclosure, mandated surveillance technologies, and new police powers.
MORE: http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2010/11/16 ... ernetLaws/
=====================
21. 2011 EECOM Conference - Call for Participation
http://www.soeea.sk.ca.
The 2011 EECOM Conference: Exploring the Socioecological in Education and Culture: Becoming Active Participants in Change will be held on June 8th - 11th, 2011 at the University of Regina.
The 2011 EECOM (Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication) conference will focus on exploring the issues of learning and being active in society AND our environment. Themes within the conference will include: socioecological pedagogies - Teaching/learning strategies with a focus on environmental, cultural, and/or social justice; place-based learning - Teaching/learning strategies with a focus on place and/or outdoor education; food/agriculture/sustainable living practices; activism and youth/community engagement; leadership development; diversity/species at risk.
The call for presentations, workshops, and participation can be downloaded on the EECOM web site at
http://www.eecom.org/.
Deadline is January 10th, 2011.
Registration will open March 2011.
Please see the SOEEA website for more information
http://www.soeea.sk.ca.
====================
22. US government: Nosey Parker of the planet - WikiLeaks cable dump alerts
http://www.legitgov.org/
Compiled by Lori Price, 29 Nov 2010
*This page will be updated!* Check for updates as WikiLeaks dumps the cables!
1. EVENT: NIKIFORUK: Are Canada’s Energy Regulators Captive to Industry? – Regina – Dec. 2
2. People’s Assembly on Climate Justice - Dec. 5, 2010 – Regina
3. Earth Day Canada Launches Award and Recognition Programs
4. CANCUN Climate Justice NOW! Nov. 29 – Dec. 10
5. FRACKING - ENDEAVOUR, SK - Nordic Oil and Gas - NE SK
6. Climate Justice Montreal Releases "Burning Water/Quand L’eau Flambe"
– The Primer
7. Actor Mark Ruffalo Lands on Terror List for Screening Film Against Fracking (GASLAND)
8. Government subsidies to tar sands companies larger than Environment Canada’s entire budget
9. New Brunswick introduces new review process for fracking projects
10. Put a CAPP on Tar Sands Greenwashing
11. Winning energy race - Aboriginal communities will be in demand as partners in new projects
12. Canada won't follow new U.S. plan to slash industrial greenhouse gases: Baird
13. Canadian diplomats in DC worked with corporations to kill US climate legislation
14. From pristine to polluted
15. Earth Grab: The Rush to Make Agriculture Fuel the Global Economy
16. Iraq to ink $12b Shell gas accord
17. Nigeria detains 12 in Halliburton bribery case
18. Laboratory Test Results Raise Concern Over Gulf Seafood
19. Council of Canadians Update: November 26 & 29, 2010
20. New Big Brother Laws Would Reshape Canada's Internet
21. 2011 EECOM Conference - Call for Participation
22. US government: Nosey Parker of the planet - WikiLeaks cable dump alerts
====================
1. EVENT: NIKIFORUK: Are Canada’s Energy Regulators Captive to Industry?
Presented by Andrew Nikiforuk, Author and Journalist
December 2, 2010 - 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Please note: This lecture will take place in Regina and will be video-conferenced to a Saskatoon audience.
Regina Location: JSGS Window Room, 2nd Floor, Gallery Building
University of Regina, College Avenue Campus
Saskatoon Location: Studio B (Lower Level), Education Building
University of Saskatchewan Campus
Registration:
Those interested in attending are encouraged to register online at
www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca
(please select News and Events, then Events Calendar and the appropriate calendar date). Please be advised that the JSGS Window Room is located on the second floor of the Gallery Building. Individuals with mobility difficulties should contact us at 306.585.5869 or js_outreach@uregina.ca at least one week prior to the event.
JSGS Lecture Series:
This event is part of a lecture series organized by the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS). This lecture series features speakers addressing provincial, national and international issues. To view our upcoming events or to learn more about our outreach activities, visit our website at
www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca.
=====================
2. People’s Assembly on Climate Justice - Dec. 5, 2010 - Regina
Where: Lower Level, Knox Metropolitan United Church, 2340 Victoria Ave.
Date: December 5 - 2 - 5 pm
During the next major round of climate in Cancun, Mexico negotiations (Nov. 29 - Dec. 10), People’s Assemblies on Climate Justice will be taking place across Canada. PACJ are movement-building and organizing events. The focus is on dialogue and transforming awareness into action through community-based climate justice actions.
Learn more at:
http://canadians.org/assemblies.
In light of the joint efforts and call to action from the Council of Canadians, KAIROS, the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, we are putting together a People’s Assembly for Regina. It will be a world cafe brainstorm on what we can do even though our governments are doing nothing. Please attend if you’re able; your voice is important.
For more info or to pre-register: phone 551-8500 or email reginapacj@gmail.com.
================
3. Earth Day Canada Launches Award and Recognition Programs
Earth Day Canada celebrates and supports environmental initiatives year-round through a suite of recognition programs and financial support, including scholarships, grants and cash awards programs.
Help celebrate and recognize these contributions by directly applying or promoting the programs to your volunteers, supporters and/or community network today.
http://www.earthday.ca/pub/.
Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program awards twenty $5000 scholarships to graduating Canadian high school students entering their first year of post-secondary studies.
Eligible students can apply now at
www.earthday.ca/scholarship.
The application deadline is January 31st, 2011.
Hometown Heroes Award Program rewards environmental leaders (individuals and groups) who have fostered meaningful, long–term community awareness and action in their communities with a $10 000 prize.
Nominate a hero today at
www.earthday.ca/hometown
The application deadline is February 28th, 2011.
===============
4. CANCUN - Climate Justice NOW! Nov. 29 – Dec. 10
Council of Canadians taking action in Cancun and Canada
http://www.canadians.org/energy/issues/ ... ancun.html
The climate crisis demands urgent action, but Canada is going in the wrong direction. The Canadian government remains committed to being an energy superpower focused on export-oriented energy trade, allowing this to trump much needed action on climate change and energy security. As the climate change crisis continues to grow, Canadians must demand urgent action from their government.
The Council of Canadians will be at the next major round of UN climate negotiations taking place in Cancun, Mexico November 29 to December 10, 2010. While the last round of talks failed to produce a binding agreement, the Council of Canadians will be working with allies, social justice organizations, environmental groups and thousands of concerned people as part of a burgeoning grassroots climate justice movement to demand “system change, not climate change.”
Click here to read more about our actions in Cancun and find out how you can get involved:
http://www.canadians.org/energy/issues/climatejustice/
cancun.html
- - - - - -
Council of Canadians to demand climate justice at Cancun talks
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2010/
23-Nov-10-a.html
Ottawa – Council of Canadians spokespeople will be available for comment from Mexico in the lead-up to and during the upcoming United Nations climate talks in Cancun, November 29 to December 10. Council spokespeople will be engaged in a variety of activities including participation in official side events and co-hosting a panel, workshops and roundtable in the alternative popular spaces outside of the negotiation process.
The Council of Canadians activities in Mexico will include:
Maude Barlow speaking at a press conference on the connection between water and climate justice in Mexico City on November 30.
Participating in an international caravan through impacted communities in Mexico, helping to connect local struggles to the global climate crisis and the need for transformative change, on November 27-29.
Maude Barlow speaking on a high profile panel (‘Building a Broad Labor and Climate Justice Alliance’) with leading American author and environmentalist Bill McKibben and prominent labour leaders, on December 4.
Co-hosting a panel and workshops on the rights of nature, water justice, a roundtable on the global call for a climate referendum and a workshop on the push to exploit oil and gas reserves in the Arctic that includes screening the new documentary, Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change on December 5.
Participating in a major march in Cancun on December 7.
The Council of Canadians team in Mexico will include Chairperson Maude Barlow; Political Director Brent Patterson; Energy and Climate Justice Campaigner Andrea Harden-Donahue; National Water Campaigner Emma Lui; Blue Planet Project Organizer Anil Naidoo; and Board member Leticia Adair. The team will join Claudia Campero with the Council of Canadians’ Blue Planet Project, who is based in Mexico. -30-
For More Information:
Dylan Penner, Media Officer, Council of Canadians, 613-795-8685, dpenner@canadians.org
Andrea Harden-Donahue, Energy and Climate Justice Campaigner, Council of Canadians, 613-218-5800, aharden@canadians.org
www.canadians.org/cancun
- - - - - -
WATCH: Global warming tops Cancun summit
http://english.aljazeera.net/video/americas/2010/11/
2010112991521958552.html
Cancun climate summit seeks to map out a global vision on dealing with climate change.
Last Modified: 29 Nov 2010 10:27 GMT
Experts believe 2010's severe weather changes hit the poorest communities around the world hardest. This is further evidence of the devastating effects of global warming.
The Cancun UN climate summit will seek a commitment to keep global carbon dioxide emissions low, after the failure in the last climate meeting in Copenhagen.
Though the challenges remain the same there are those who question whether the Cancun summit can combine mapping out a global vision on how to deal with climate change along with finding ways to pay for it.
Al Jazeera's Mariana Sanchez reports from Mexico City.
================
5. FRACKING - ENDEAVOUR, SK - Nordic Oil and Gas - NE SK
Nordic Oil and Gas Receives Well License Allowing it to Commence Drilling New Exploration Well at Endeavour, Saskatchewan
http://www.nordicoilandgas.com/Nov1010.html
NEWS RELEASE November 10, 2010
Second well location being surveyed - both wells to be drilled at same time
WINNIPEG, Nov. 10 /CNW/ - Donald Benson, Chairman and CEO of Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd. (the "Company), (TSXV: NOG), is pleased to announce that the Company has received its well license from the Saskatchewan government, thereby paving the way for Nordic to commence drilling its new exploration well at Endeavour.
"While it took longer than we had anticipated, we are delighted to finally receive the required well license that now allows us to move forward with this exciting project," Mr. Benson stated. "The first well location is offset from a 1950s well, which encountered oil in six different intervals. The seismic that we shot indicated that a well drilled back in the mid-1950s was drilled on a low, whereas our location is on a structural high. The 1950s well also indicated the presence of a salt cap, which we feel acts as a seal.
In addition, Mr. Benson also noted that the Company has completed surveying and is applying to license a second location in the Endeavour area, "and we plan on drilling both wells at the same time.
- - - -SNIP - - -
Further updates will be provided once the Company has secured a drilling rig and the site has been prepared and readied for the start of drilling.
As a further note regarding the recent announcement of the Equity Line Facility for $10,000,000.00 which the Company has secured, the Company wishes to confirm that the facility is for a three year period and it is anticipated that several drawn downs will take place at hopefully increasing share pricing. This will not be a matter of flooding the market with low priced shares but rather a facility which will allow us rapid access to capital as required. A discovery at Endeavour should have a tremendous impact on the price of our shares.
About Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd.
Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd. is a junior oil and gas company engaged in the exploration and development of oil, natural gas and Coal Bed Methane in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The Corporation is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and trades under the symbol NOG. Nordic was one of the "2008 TSX Venture 50" companies, a ranking of the top 10 public venture capital companies in five industry sectors listed on the TSX Venture Exchange.
- - - - SNIP- - - -
For additional information, contact:
Don Bain, Corporate Secretary.
Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd.
Tel. 204-229-7751
Fax: 204-943-1829
E-mail: donbain1@mts.net
www.nordicoilandgas.com
= = = = = =
Nordic Oil and Gas/MAP/PHOTOS - Preeceville/Endeavour, SK
http://www.nordicoilandgas.com/Saskoilarticle1109.pdf
= = = = = =
LETTER: HUGHES: Are you being fracked?
Tisdale Recorder, November 24, 2010
It seems that the days of sticking a pipe into the ground and pumping up the oil to feed our addiction to the stuff are over – the easy oil is gone. Now, after years of courting big oil and gas companies with lax regulations and promises of low or non-existent royalties, Saskatchewan is currently under frenzied assault to suck up every last drop of natural gas, oil and coalbed methane using a process called hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Calgary author, Andrew Nikiforuk, describes hydraulic fracturing as “a brute force technology used in 90 per cent of all unconventional oil and gas well drilling which has allowed companies to exploit vast shale deposits across the continent over the last decade.” The highly pressurized fracking fluids cause mini-earthquakes which breaks open the pores of gas-bearing rock in unpredictable ways along horizontal reaches stretching an average of 1.6 kilometres underground.
Within the last 5 years, some 1000 gas and oil wells have been drilled (12 – 15 boreholes per ‘pad’), mainly over the Bakken Formation in the southern part of the province, although there may be as many or more in northwestern Saskatchewan. And, in the northeast, we have discovered the Pasquia Hills Oil Shale Project owned by Calgary-based Oilsands Quest Inc. with exploration permits on 490,000 acres surrounding the small town of Hudson Bay in beautiful northeastern Saskatchewan.
Simply put, fracking involves injecting, under extreme pressure, enormous volumes of water, sand and chemicals thousands of feet into rock formations to force dense gas and oil shales to fracture, or crack, enabling the gas or oil to escape and flow back to the surface where it is piped into storage tanks and to market. The industry can achieve faster payback and further increase the scope of fracking by many kilometers by drilling horizontal wells, where the drill bit is steered along a horizontal trajectory thousands of additional feet – out of sight under farms, towns, and cities.
Sydney, Australia is the latest victim, with drilling to begin within months only blocks from city center. In the meantime, citing health and environmental concerns, Pittsburgh’s city council unanimously passed a ban on natural gas drilling within city limits.
Not surprisingly, there are many major environmental and health concerns with this disaster-in-the-making activity.
Millions of gallons of fresh water (from 5,000 – 3 million gallons, 100-200 dusty and noisy truckloads per well), possibly coming from the same source used for your household drinking wells, ranching and farming. Apparently, "a single permit held by Encana gave it access to water at 71 different locations (in BC) for a combined daily maximum of 16,117 cubic metres or nearly six-and-a-half Olympic swimming pools worth of water per day."
Between 20 and 70 percent of this water remains underground, lost forever from the finite supply on the Planet. And, since no one knows where the aquifers are, their size or their shape, the risk of contaminating your precious underground water is enormous – despite industry assurances that this is a safe procedure; that pipes don’t leak, that cement doesn’t crack!
The produced water, loaded with hundreds of unknown chemicals, which does manage to come to the surface cannot be reused in another well and is placed into closed storage tanks or pumped into large, open holding pits and left to evaporate. This evaporation allows toxic, volatile chemicals to be released into the air and it concentrates the non-volatiles in the pits. Also, evaporation pits have been known to leak or overflow, potentially contaminating the soil and local water sources. Out of the chemicals known to be used in hydraulic fracturing for which basic information is available, 96 percent provide a warning about eye and/or skin harm, 94 percent warn about respiratory system harm, and 49 percent warn about brain or neurological harm that can occur either when the chemicals are inhaled or when they come into contact with skin. (Feb. 2009 study, “Products and Chemicals Used in Fracturing”, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange)
In natural gas fracturing, up to 435 chemical products are known to be used, many of them carcinogenic or toxic to humans and wildlife, even in very small doses. Apparently, Alberta Environment found the human carcinogen, hexavalent chromium (Chromium-6 – think Erin Brockovich) in Rosebud, AB area well water – where tap water has enough natural gas in it to actually ignite! Great secrecy (to keep the company’s ‘competitive edge’) surrounds the list of chemicals used which prevents landowners and, in some cases, government agencies from conducting proper water quality tests.
So, if there’s a knock on your door one day and a representative from an oil and gas company is there, saying they own the ‘sub-surface rights’ to your property and they’re about to drill for natural gas – without your knowledge or permission - you’ll know you’ve been fracked!
Elaine Hughes
Archerwill, SK
= = = = = =
MORE FRACKING INFO:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/
viewforum.php?f=31&sid=8d8b02e5165211622926130883d87cd9
==================
6. FRACKING GUIDE: "Burning Water" - The Primer
http://montreal.mediacoop.ca/story/
climate-justice-montreal-releases-burning-waterquand-l%E2%80%99eau-flambe/5183
Climate Justice Montreal Releases "Burning Water/Quand L’eau Flambe"
A primer on shale gas extraction in Quebec and what people can do to stop it
by Cameron Fenton →Environment
Montreal - Today, Climate Justice Montreal released Burning Water, a primer on shale gas extraction - or "fracking" - in Quebec. The publication outlines the extent of current and future fracking activities, profiling the major corporate players and where they currently hold permits for extraction and are, in many cases, already drilling exploratory wells.
"We want to present this information in an easily accesible, yet comprehensive manner to help grow the constantly builing resistance in Quebec," said Kawina Robichaud, an organizer with Climate Justice Montreal and one othe publications authors.
The publication highlights some of the major corporations involved in extraction, as well as current and future hotspots for resistance.
Download Primer (Eng):
http://montreal.mediacoop.ca/sites/medi ... files2/mc/
FRACKGUIDEENG_0.pdf
=====================
7. Actor Mark Ruffalo Lands on Terror List for Screening Film Against Fracking
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/362465/
actor_mark_ruffalo_lands_on_terror_list_for_screening_film_against_fracking/#paragraph2
- - - All Links are on this website - -
- - - - -
(GasLand is the film Ruffalo is promoting. Scroll down to trailer.)
- - -
WATCH: Ruffalo speaks out:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/
39511093#39511093
- - - - -
Opposing controversial oil- and gas-drilling practices is a prelude to terrorism, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Homeland Security. Actor Mark Ruffalo discovered this when he landed on the state's terror watch list after planning a screening of an anti-fracking documentary–an incident he found “pretty fuckin' funny,” according to GQ. The star of Zodiac and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has been a vocal opponent of the drilling method, which involves cracking rocks through hydraulic pressure underground to release the fossil fuels below–often into groundwater. Earlier this year, he appeared on Maddow to discuss the practice, which was recently given the OK in the areas where the tri-state region–New York, New Jersey and yep, Pennsylvania– gets their drinking water.
"If you think that what you are putting into the ground is so safe," Ruffalo addressed the gas industry now so gung-ho to drill near NYC's water source, "Why note come into the regulation of the Clean Water Act?"
The area where drilling is slated to occur is in "the watershed for 19 million people -- 5% of our population could have their water contaminated" by this process, Ruffalo notes. Thirty thousand gas wells are slated to be fracked immediately.
The Pennsylvania Department of Homeland Security,…
- - - SNIP - - -
In October, it was revealed that the department had declared the documentary Coal Country to be a "potential catalyst for inspiring 'direct action' protests or even sabotage against facilities, machinery, and/or corporate headquarters."
A Pennsylvania activist Web site reported earlier this month that the department has been monitoring the Twitter feeds of known anti-war activists.
No word on whether the city of Pittsburgh–which recently banned fracking–is also on Pennsylvania's terror list.
MORE:
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/362465/
actor_mark_ruffalo_lands_on_terror_list_for_screening_film_against_fracking/#paragraph2
=====================
8. Government subsidies to tar sands companies larger than Environment Canada’s entire budget
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/Blog/
government-subsidies-to-tar-sands-companies-l/blog/28184?
utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=November%20e-news%20(1)&utm_content=
Blogpost by Keith Stewart - November 8, 2010 at 10:25
If you want to understand where governments really stand, it’s always a good idea to follow the money. That is why Greenpeace commissioned the Global Subsidies Initiative to do some research for us on tax breaks to corporations producing “high cost” oil (tar sands and deep-water off shore wells) in five countries: Canada, the US, the UK, Brazil and Mexico.
Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI):
http://www.globalsubsidies.org/
All of these countries committed to “phase out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that lead to wasteful consumption” at the G20 Leaders Summit in Philadelphia in 2009. No new actions have been taken since then, so we want to turn up the heat on keeping that promise when the G20 gets together again in Korea later this week.
Report:
http://priceofoil.org/2010/11/08/g20-fo ... el-report/
The main conclusion of the GSI report commissioned by Greenpeace is that all five countries are providing more subsidies to oil companies than they admit publicly, and that “it makes little sense to make fiscal cutbacks [to other government programs because of rising deficits] while granting inefficient subsidies; or to attempt to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while concurrently subsidizing GHG emissions through fossil fuel subsidies.”
It also notes that these subsidies also have a more insidious long-term effect of undermining the green economy: “Subsidizing oil extraction has a range of secondary effects, including making investments in oil more attractive compared to lower carbon, lower risk alternatives, thereby increasing the lock-in of economies into fossil fuels.”
Oil companies in Canada are getting a particularly sweet deal, as the subsidies that they were able to put a dollar figure to totalled over $2.8 billion in 2008 (and there were more subsidies that they couldn’t quantify). Most of that came from the federal ($1.38 billion) and Alberta ($1.05 billion) governments, with the tar sands taking in the lion’s share ($1.59 billion) of this money.
To put this in perspective, more of our money is going to subsidize oil companies’ destruction in the tar sands than there is in the combined 2008 budgets of Environment Canada ($1.12 billion) and Alberta Environment ($403 million).
But what would happen if we stopped giving some of the richest companies in the world billions in public dollars to go after the dirtiest and riskiest types of oil?
= = = = =
G20 Summit Seoul 2010
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/publications/
reports/G20-Summit-Seoul-2010-/
Publication - November 8, 2010
G20 leaders are meeting against the backdrop of one of the hottest years on record – a year marred by fires, floods and storms. The G20 leaders must honour promises they made a year earlier to take action on climate change, cut fossil fuel subsidies and help the world kick-start a green economy. Below, find background documents for the G20 meeting held in Seoul this week.
G20 Climate Checklist
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/
international/publications/climate/2010/Seoul%20Summit.pdf
Media Briefing GSI Report 2010
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/
international/publications/climate/2010/Greenpeace_Subsidies_nov2010.pdf
GSI Report
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/
international/publications/climate/2010/Tax%20and%20Royalty%20Related%20Subsidies%20to%20Oil%20Extraction%20from%20High%20Cost%20Fields%20November%202010%205MB.pdf
=====================
9. New Brunswick introduces new review process for fracking projects
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5471
Friday, November 26th, 2010
The Telegraph-Journal reports that, “A new environmental review process that will require government approval at nearly every stage of a project’s development will become the standard for oil and gas exploration ventures in New Brunswick. The approach, known as a phased environmental impact assessment, will mean companies looking for underground resources will trigger the environmental review process much sooner than they would have in the past.”
“The (New Brunswick Department of Environment) began considering the new review process earlier this year after citizens expressed concern over certain shale gas exploration practices.”
“Current environmental assessment rules in New Brunswick only require a company to register for a review once they are set to commercially extract gases or minerals… By then, however, companies have already built a well pad, drilled the bore hole and performed tests to determine how much of the resource is there. …A phased EIA approach will ensure proper planning is applied during these early stages of a project…”
“It will be applied for the first time in the gas sector to Corridor Resources Inc. and Apache Canada’s shale gas project near Elgin. …The firm, a subsidiary of Houston’s Apache Corp., was brought into New Brunswick in a farm-out agreement with Halifax-based Corridor Resources, which has rights to explore and develop oil and gas in a swathe of land equal to one-seventh of the province. Apache drilled two wells in the Elgin area this summer and began the process of hydraulic fracturing earlier this month. The company says the Moncton shale rock basin holds significant potential for natural gas and optimistic projections would see them decide in 2013 to develop the resource, drilling as many as 32 wells per year for up to 30 years. …Representatives with Apache could not be reached for comment on Thursday.”
In late-March it was first reported that US-owned Apache Canada Ltd. and Halifax-based Corridor Resources Inc. would begin drilling and exploration work for natural gas in the Elgin area of southern New Brunswick in June, and that this natural gas in the Frederick Brook formation would require hydraulic fracturing - or ‘fracking’ - to access.
More on that at
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3160
In October, news reports indicated that the City of Moncton had been selling its drinking water for $1.58 a cubic metre to Apache Canada for their testing in the Frederick Brook formation. By November, those water sales had been stopped.
More on that at
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5380.
Today’s Telegraph-Journal article is at
http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com ... le/1325006
- - - - -
MORE FRACKING INFO:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=31
================
10. Put a CAPP on Tar Sands Greenwashing
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/Blog/
put-a-capp-on-tar-sands-greenwashing/blog/28380?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=November%20e-news%20(1)&utm_content=
Blogpost by Mike Hudema - November 23, 2010 at 7:58
Faced with the grim realities of tar sands oil extraction, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) seems like it would rather take its dirty money and run a huge publicity campaign to make the tar sands look better, than actually address the pressing environmental and human rights atrocities caused by tar sands development.
CAPP is trying to greenwash the destruction that is taking place in Alberta through a series of print and video ads.
Check them out here -
http://www.capp.ca/oilsands/ads/.
They must think we’re stupid to believe what they’re feeding us: that everything in Alberta is A-okay. But we’re not stupid; like you, we know that everything is not okay in Alberta. And we need your help to make sure CAPP doesn't get away with its latest dishonest game.
The truth is that the tar sands are an immensely destructive project. To date, tar sands oil extraction has devastated an area the size of the city of Toronto. If oil extraction from the tar sands continues unchecked, it has the potential to destroy an area the size of England.
Toxic tar sands tailings lakes already span 170 square km, which is an area larger than Lake Muskoka, and they are growing every day. Downstream, primarily First Nations communities, are seeing increased sicknesses in their communities, seeing a traditional way of life becoming further displaced and many are afraid of drinking the water. Everyday, 11 million litres of toxic tailings leak into the surrounding environment. The current greenhouse gas emissions of the tar sands is equivalent to that of 9 million cars. By 2020, it is projected that the greenhouse gas emissions will rise to the equivalent of the annual emissions of over 26 million cars, which is 1.5 times the greenhouse gas emissions of all the cars in Canada.
The spin campaigns waged by CAPP, as well as the Alberta government, are a direct response to the pressure that you’ve helped us generate.
It is time to show CAPP that any attempt to greenwash the tar sands will not go unchecked.
That's where you come in . . . Are you game to help us fight BIG OIL?
We are looking for your help to culture jam these ads:
Like the “Put a CAPP on Tar Sands Greenwashing Facebook Page”
Take a look at the CAPP campaign.
Download one of the videos or print ads.
Have fun!! Construct the funniest or edgiest mash-ups, image swaps, collages, rewrites, or remixes you can think of. Be smart, be edgy, be creative, and most of all, have fun with it! It is time to turn these gross distortions of the tar sands destructive reality against themselves. It is time to fix these greenwashes with the truth about the tar sands.
Once your ad jam is complete:
a) Post it on our Facebook page wall
b) Make it into your Facebook picture
c) Post it on the Facebook page wall
d) Print it out and wheatpaste it around your home city or town
e) Post it on youtube and flicker, and
f) Twitpic it with the hashtag #cappwash.
Oh yeah. One more thing. In order to amp up the fun and excitement, we have made the CAPP ad jam into a contest. There will be prizes for the top print and video jams. The winning entry will be published. We will highlight entries on our website as we tally up the top choices. Submit your ad jams on the facebook page wall or email them to capp.greenwash@greenpeace.org
===================
11. Winning energy race - Aboriginal communities will be in demand as partners in new projects
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/ ... ergy+race/
3881486/story.html
BY JIM MIDDLEMISS, THE FINANCIAL POSTNOVEMBER 25, 2010
The renewable energy gold rush currently underway could be a boon to Canada's aboriginal community.
That's because alternative energy companies are looking to partner with First Nations to build run-of-river hydroelectric plants, wind farms and solar farms on lands covered by native claims.
"Our view is that, certainly in Canada, many of the remaining – if not all of the remaining -- attractive hydroelectric sites will need a degree of First Nations' participation of some type," said Ben Vaughan, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Brookfield Renewable Power, which builds energy projects.
Last May, Brookfield and partners Peter Kiewit Sons Co., an engineering firm, and James Smith Cree Nation, Peter Chapman Cree Nation, the Chakastapaysin Band of the Cree, announced a deal with SaskPower to launch a $12-million feasibility study on locating a hydroelectric plant on the Saskatchewan River, known as the Pehonan Hydroelectric Project. If completed, it will generate 250 megawatts of clean energy.
Mr. Vaughan said Pehonan is one of four projects the firm currently has underway involving renewable energy and First Nations. The furthest along is the Kokish River Hydro Electric Project, involving Kwagis Power, a limited partnership between Brookfield and the 'Namgis First Nation. The run-of-river project proposed for northeastern Vancouver Island would generate up to 45 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power 15,000 homes.
MORE:
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/ ... ergy+race/
3881486/story.html
====================
12. Canada won't follow new U.S. plan to slash industrial greenhouse gases: Baird
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/TG57.html
Published: Sunday, November 28, 2010 | 2:26 PM ET
Canadian Press Andy Blatchford, The Canadian Press
The Harper government has no plans to follow a U.S. initiative to slash the greenhouse gas emissions of big polluters — even though Ottawa has pledged to harmonize its climate policies with the Americans.
The White House, stung by its failure to legislate a cap-and-trade bill before the recent congressional elections, has a Plan B set to be implemented within weeks.
The new U.S. rules — passed by executive order — are aimed at curbing emissions from large industrial facilities like refineries and cement factories. They go into effect Jan. 2.
Canadian climate experts say this country could contain the pollution growth from its own industries, notably the oilsands, by introducing similar standards north of the border.
But newly minted Environment Minister John Baird downplayed the plans from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as "patchwork."
"It's very, very preliminary stuff on energy efficiency," said Baird, who said he hadn't heard about the new U.S. rules before being contacted by The Canadian Press.
MORE: http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/TG57.html
====================
13. Canadian diplomats in DC worked with corporations to kill US climate legislation
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5507
Canadian diplomats in DC worked with corporations to kill US climate legislation
Monday, November 29th, 2010
Postmedia News reports that, “Canadian diplomats in Washington have quietly asked such oil-industry players as Exxon Mobil and BP to help ‘kill’ U.S. global-warming policies in order to ensure that ‘the oil keeps a-flowing’ from Alberta into the U.S. marketplace…”
“In a series of newly released correspondence from Canada’s Washington embassy, the Canadian diplomats describe recommendations from Environment Canada to clean up the oilsands as ’simply nutty’, proposing instead to ‘kill any interpretation’ of U.S. energy legislation that would apply to the industry.”
“The messages from diplomats were sent as the oilsands industry was lobbying against Section 526 of the U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act, restricting U.S. government departments and agencies from buying fuel with a high environmental footprint.”
“The correspondence reveals that the Canadian diplomats had contacted officials from the American Petroleum Institute - an industry association - as well as from Exxon Mobil Corp., BP, Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips, EnCana Corp. and Marathon Oil Corp. ‘to point out the potential implication to their imports from Canada.’”
“The new documents also follow revelations by Postmedia News last week that the Harper government had crafted a multi-department communications strategy with industry stakeholders and the Alberta government to attack foreign environmental policies and promote the oilsands.”
The Harper government has repeatedly claimed that Canada’s climate policies - including our emissions targets - must be in line with those of the United States. They claim they cannot take action until the US does.
This article shows that the Harper government has actively worked to undermine US climate legislation in order to maintain the tar sands.
The Council of Canadians joined with many groups supporting Section 526.
The article is at
http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/
Canadian+diplomats+sought+help+from+companies/3898255/story.html#ixzz16fiGTKyg.
================
14. From pristine to polluted
http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2010-11-29/
article-2001218/From-pristine-to-polluted/1
Published on November 29th, 2010 Barb Sweet The Telegram
(QUOTE: He (Christie) recalls a conversation with a retired mill manager who commented, “Bob, how godawful stupid that government was.”)
How a region’s hunger for prosperity led to a legacy of contamination
Fergie MacKay was not long into his teaching career in Pictou County, N.S., in the late 1960s and times were hard.
There was a downturn at the rail car and steel plant running the length of his hometown.
Trenton proudly markets itself as the place of the first pouring of steel in British North America and it is one of the county’s five close-knit towns with its surrounding rural communities and villages.
When times were good, thousands of men poured in and out of the plant’s gates during shift changes.
Thursday was payday and workers would flood the shopping district of New Glasgow, stocking up on canned goods and sale items for the inevitable layoffs between rail car orders and cyclical busts in the worldwide rail transportation sector.
So when the announcement was made that a pulp and paper giant was to open Scott Maritimes in 1967 on nearby Abercrombie Point, it spelled economic relief for the whole county. The coal mines were dying and the county was years away from luring a Michelin Tire plant.
“We were starving economically,” recalls MacKay, a Trenton councillor and retired rural high school teacher.
“The pulp mill was seen as a godsend.”
Pulp and paper was a lucrative industry with no end in sight then — a good-paying job at the mill set a family up for life. And it also brought jobs in the woods and in trucking.
But along with the pulp mill came Boat Harbour, a now infamous tidal lagoon where 25 million gallons of wastewater a day from the bleach kraft pulp mill was to go before being released into the Northumberland Strait. The provincial government was to own and operate Boat Harbour for 25 years, eventually handing operation over to the pulp mill.
Not every industrial story ends in a debacle the magnitude of Boat Harbour. But the use of a natural body of water for industrial waste — pulp, mining or otherwise — is something MacKay and another activist, Bob Christie, warn against.
“This was a cheap way of doing it. Once that happens, it’s gone forever,” MacKay says.
“People got blinded by saying how much this thing was going to employ.”
MORE:
http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2010-11-29/
article-2001218/From-pristine-to-polluted/1
- - - - - -
MORE INFO:
http://www.canadians.org/water/documents/TIA/
letter-long-harbour-0310.pdf
===================
15. Earth Grab: The Rush to Make Agriculture Fuel the Global Economy
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/
Earth-Grab-The-Rush-to-Make-Agriculture-the-New-Fuel-for-the-Global-Economy-1357916.htm
Posted: 23 Nov 2010 07:23 AM PST
Whether we’re talking about global energy, climate change, food security or commodity trade -- agriculture has quickly taken centre stage in the new global economy. It’s an economy worth trillions -- and it all starts with plants. The world’s biggest corporations are rushing to grab and convert living plant matter called biomass --- into fuel, chemicals, and other profitable products. Corn and sugarcane are already being converted to biofuels on a large scale, but trees, grasslands and algae could be next. The fossil fuel economy is transforming rapidly into a ‘bio-economy’, says Jim Thomas of ETC Group, an international research institute based in Ottawa. Plants, trees and forests are the new oil fields. They’re above the ground, and they’re easy to grab”, says Thomas. Thomas, and farm movement leaders from Brazil, Mali and Haiti are speaking this week at Earth Grab, a public forum in Montreal (Friday, November 26, see below for details). Iderle Brenus, who will be speaking at the conference, is a leader with the Mouvement Paysan Papaye, one of the largest peasant movements in Haiti. Last year, the organization, which is supported by DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE, organized a large-scale protest against seed donations from the corporation Monsanto. Brenus and others believe that small-scale farming can offer a sustainable solution to the re-construction of Haiti, but this could be undermined by a push towards a bio-economy. The New Bio-economy: A ‘Red-hot Resource Grab’. A recent ETC Group report, The New Biomassters shows how global energy, forestry, agribusiness, chemical, and biotech companies are busy constructing a bio-economy built on converting biomass into fuels and other products. The emerging global bio-economy is worth trillions, and it threatens to eat up our crops, forests and other plant life, says Thomas. However, what’s being sold as a ‘green’ switch from fossil fuels to plant-based production, is in fact a red-hot resource grab on the lands, livelihoods, knowledge and resources of the peoples of the Global South. That would make Brazil the number one bio-energy oilfield, according to Camila Moreno, of Friends of the Earth, Brazil. Brazil wants to become the Saudi Arabia of biofuels, says Moreno. Not only are our country’s land and biomass up for grabs, but Brazilian corporations are actively grabbing land in other countries, she says. Sub-Saharan Africa is seen as a second major region for grabbing resources for fuel. Biomass and Biofuels: False Solutions to Climate Change? On the eve of the Cancun climate talks, Moreno says the emphasis on biomass-based energy solutions sidesteps the real issues. We can’t really address climate change by replacing our fossil fuel addiction with a bio-energy addiction, she says. We actually have to set real targets to reduce our emissions. And the evidence is piling up that growing crops commercially for fuels could be even more damaging to the environment, and make our carbon footprint worse. Biomass and Food Security: Choosing Fuel over Hunger? According to Susan Walsh, Executive Director of USC Canada, just as the demand for corn ethanol led to higher food prices and hunger, the massive biomass-grab will have devastating consequences for people and our environment, here and in developing countries. All signs indicate that we could be months away from another devastating global ‘food crisis’ like we witnessed in 2008, says Walsh. Skyrocketing prices of basic agricultural commodities such as corn and wheat, combined with low reserves for some grains, make the situation highly precarious. With additional pressures from climate change, diverting any grain production for biofuels puts food security in direct conflict with energy security, says Walsh. Will our appetite for fuel crush our ability to produce enough food for an ever-hungry world? What’s more, those who produce 70% of the world’s food small holder farmers will be most affected by land and resource grabs, says Walsh. Instead, Walsh suggests turning to the world’s majority small farmers for real and time-tested solutions that feed people and respond to climate change. This requires a transformation from ‘industrial’ to ‘ecological’ principles, says Walsh. Ecological farming is proven to be far more resilient, socially just, and innovative than the high-input, monoculture model that comes with so many risks, and has a huge ecological footprint she says.
More information:
www.foodsecurecanada.org
The New BioMassters:
http://www.etcgroup.org/en/node/5232
A Viable Food Future:
http://usc-canada.org/what-you-can-do/
- 30 -
For more information and interviews with Camila Moreno, Jim Thomas or Susan Walsh: For interviews with Iderle Brenus: François Gloutnay, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE, (514) 257-8710 ext. 318
================
16. Iraq to ink $12b Shell gas accord
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=231014
28 Nov 2010
A multibillion-dollar final deal between Iraq and Royal Dutch Shell to capture flared gas at southern oilfields is set to be signed before the year-end, a senior Iraqi oil official said. The $12 billion deal, a venture between Iraq’s South Gas Company (SGC), Shell and Japan’s Mitsubishi, involves the capture of associated natural gas produced at fields near the oil hub of Basra, including Rumaila, Iraq’s workhorse.
=================
17. Nigeria detains 12 in Halliburton bribery case
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AQ1SX20101127
27 Nov 2010
Nigeria's anti-corruption police have raided the offices of the U.S. oilfield services group Halliburton and arrested 12 people Thursday in a bribery case involving the former Halliburton unit KBR Inc, a spokesman said on Saturday. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it had detained 10 Halliburton staff for questioning and one senior employee each from oil services firms Saipem Contracting Nigeria Ltd and Technip Offshore Nigeria Ltd.
================
18. Laboratory Test Results Raise Concern Over Gulf Seafood
http://www.wftv.com/news/25875784/detail.html
22 Nov 2010
'Inspectors' initially tested gulf shrimp after the BP oil spill by smelling it.
WFTV sent shrimp to be tested after scientists disagreed on whether it is safe to eat after the oil spill, and the results revealed Monday are raising a lot of red flags. WFTV put gulf shrimp to the test by ordering raw shrimp over the Internet and shipping it to a private lab... Scientists found elevated levels of Anthracene, a toxic hydrocarbon and a by-product of petroleum. The Anthracene levels were double what the FDA finds to be acceptable
=================
19. Council of Canadians Update: November 26 & 29, 2010
Council of Canadians Update – November 26, 2010
MEDIA RELEASE:
‘In Memoriam’ for murdered Mexican anti-mining activist
refused by Calgary Herald
http://www.canadians.org/media/other/20 ... ov-10.html
An ‘In Memoriam’ classified ad to be run on November 27th on behalf of the family of murdered anti-mining activist Mariano Abarca Roblero has been called "unsuitable" by the Calgary Herald, though several other Canadian newspapers, including the Globe and Mail and the Edmonton Journal, have agreed to print it.
NEWS: Giles with Penobsquis residents as they raise water concerns
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5473
Council of Canadians Atlantic organizer Angela Giles is in Moncton today at a pre-hearing meeting held by the New Brunswick Mining Commissioner to hear complaints from Penobsquis residents against the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan.
NEWS: New Brunswick introduces new review process for
fracking projects
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5471
The Telegraph-Journal reports that, “A new environmental review process that will require government approval at nearly every stage of a project’s development will become the standard for oil and gas exploration ventures in New Brunswick. The approach, known as a phased environmental impact assessment, will mean companies looking for underground resources will trigger the environmental review process much sooner than they would have in the past.”
NEWS: RCMP may investigate possible Fish Lake decision leak
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5469
CBC reports that, “The federal Liberal Party’s public safety critic (Mark Holland) has written to the RCMP, asking the force to probe the recent run on B.C.’s Taseko Mines Ltd. stock and a possibility the sell-off was triggered by a government leak.”
= = = = = =
Council of Canadians Update – November 29, 2010
Canadian Civil Society Groups Participate in Caravans to
Cancun Climate Talks
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... -10-2.html
People’s Assemblies on Climate Justice to take place
across Canada
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... ov-10.html
NEWS: Rights of nature challenge launched against BP
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5512
A historic case was filed by an international coalition of defenders of nature’s rights at the Constitutional court of Ecuador against BP and its crimes against nature.
NEWS: Canadian diplomats in DC worked with corporations
to kill US climate legislation
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5507
Postmedia News reports that, “Canadian diplomats in Washington have quietly asked such oil-industry players as Exxon Mobil and BP to help ‘kill’ U.S. global-warming policies in order to ensure that ‘the oil keeps a-flowing’ from Alberta into the U.S. marketplace…”
NEWS: Kavanagh compares Boat Harbour and Sandy Pond
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5505
The St. John’s Telegram reports that, “Ken Kavanagh, a retired teacher from Bell Island, a Council of Canadians spokesman and chairman of the Sandy Pond Alliance opposing use of a 38-hectare lake for mine tailings in Long Harbour, says while the industries and times are different, there is a similarity with Boat Harbour — the economic pressure placed on residents to compromise the environment for jobs.”
NEWS: Long Harbour residents reflect on Sandy Pond
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5476
The St. John’s Telegram reports today on three Long Harbour residents and their views on Sandy Pond being turned into a Schedule 2 tailings impoundment area.
Updates from Climate Justice Meeting in Cancun
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/? ... &feed=rss2
UPDATE: Caravana arrives in Salamanca
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5500
It was past 9 pm when our ‘la caravana de denuncia y resistencia’ arrived near a main square in the city of Salamanca. We gathered near the steps of a government office on a busy pedestrian street and were greeted by speakers who told us about the situation here.
UPDATE: Protecting the Independence watershed in
Dolores Hidalgo
A community gathering has just concluded this Sunday afternoon at a park in the Mexican town of Dolores Hidalgo.
UPDATE: On the climate justice caravan in San Pedro
10:15 am - We are approaching the town of San Pedro and beginning to see some of the destruction caused by a Canadian company operating a gold and silver mine here.
UPDATE: Climate caravan leaves San Luis Potosi
Day 2 - At 7:30 am, we gathered for a breakfast of huevos rancheros and bread (with the delicious additional ingredients of love and solidarity) in a cafe opened for us with La Via Campesina organizers and some of the Mexican farmers who will be on this 500 kilometre climate justice caravan to Mexico City.
UPDATE: Meeting with La Via Campesina in San Luis Potosi
After a long day of travelling we arrived in San Luis Potosi, Mexico several hours ago.
UPDATE: En route to the Cancun climate summit
After a 5 am arrival at the Ottawa airport for a 6:45 am flight to Chicago, we are now having a quick breakfast before departing for Mexico (via Dallas) for the beginning of our intervention at the upcoming COP 16 climate summit in Cancun.
Real solutions heard in Dolores Hidalgo
Our caravan just pulled out of Dolores Hidalgo. We were led to a central park and warmly welcomed by many community members - inhabitants of the independence Watershed.
Day 1: Caravaning to Mexico City
In the lead up to the UN climate negotiations beginning in Cancun this Monday, Brent Patterson and I have joined a caravan for environmental and social justice.
=================
20. New Big Brother Laws Would Reshape Canada's Internet
http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2010/11/16 ... ernetLaws/
Three bills would mandate new spyware to scoop your info with no court oversight, and broaden police powers to snoop.
By Michael Geist, 16 November 2010, TheTyee.ca
The push for new Internet surveillance capabilities goes back to 1999, when government officials began crafting proposals to institute new surveillance technologies within Canadian networks along with additional legal powers to access surveillance and subscriber information. The so-called lawful access initiatives stalled in recent years, but earlier this month the government tabled its latest proposal with three bills that received only limited attention despite their potential to fundamentally reshape the Internet in Canada.
The bills contain a three-pronged approach focused on information disclosure, mandated surveillance technologies, and new police powers.
MORE: http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2010/11/16 ... ernetLaws/
=====================
21. 2011 EECOM Conference - Call for Participation
http://www.soeea.sk.ca.
The 2011 EECOM Conference: Exploring the Socioecological in Education and Culture: Becoming Active Participants in Change will be held on June 8th - 11th, 2011 at the University of Regina.
The 2011 EECOM (Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication) conference will focus on exploring the issues of learning and being active in society AND our environment. Themes within the conference will include: socioecological pedagogies - Teaching/learning strategies with a focus on environmental, cultural, and/or social justice; place-based learning - Teaching/learning strategies with a focus on place and/or outdoor education; food/agriculture/sustainable living practices; activism and youth/community engagement; leadership development; diversity/species at risk.
The call for presentations, workshops, and participation can be downloaded on the EECOM web site at
http://www.eecom.org/.
Deadline is January 10th, 2011.
Registration will open March 2011.
Please see the SOEEA website for more information
http://www.soeea.sk.ca.
====================
22. US government: Nosey Parker of the planet - WikiLeaks cable dump alerts
http://www.legitgov.org/
Compiled by Lori Price, 29 Nov 2010
*This page will be updated!* Check for updates as WikiLeaks dumps the cables!
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9144
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
FRACKING NEWS: December 8, 2010
by Oscar » Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:32 am
FRACKING NEWS: December 8, 2010
“Imagine” – John Lennon – December 8, 1980
1. LUNCHEON PRESENTATION: Ann-Lise Norman, PhD. – Ramada Hotel, Calgary – Dec. 15
2. Victory for BC as NDP motion passes in Parliament
3. It's industry vs. residents in shale gas development
4. High Fives: New York Legislature Approves Fracking Moratorium
5. Industry backs voluntary disclosure of fracking chemicals through states
6. Pennsylvania Gas Drillers Dumping Radioactive Waste in New York
7. Shale gas supply expected to keep US prices low in 2011
8. US natural gas drilling boom linked to pollution and social strife
9. Europe's scramble for gas sees controversial hydraulic fracturing cross the Atlantic
10. LETTER: SHIELDS: It's Our Own Fault!!
11. REALLY BAD LEGISLATIONS IN ALBERTA
12. Tories signal they'll OK new mine - Eastern Slopes project stirs controversy
13. Crying foul over Calmar gas well
14. WikiLeaks Reveals State Department Discord Over U.S. Support for Canadian Tar Sands Oil Program
15. WATCH: Black Blood – Tainted Land and Dying Caribou
16. Beaver Lake Cree Nation adds its voice to those outraged by BP/Husky Sunrise tar sands project
17. Oil patch yogurt ad not misleading, council says
18. BP Hails 'Significant Milestone' in Canadian Oil Sands Plan
19. CAPP Not Happy With Greenpeace Making Fun of Their Propoganda Ads Oil industry condemns Greenpeace satire
20. LETTER: SHIELDS: Wrong Pipeline Enbridge!!
==================
1. LUNCHEON PRESENTATION: Ann-Lise Norman, PhD. – Ramada Hotel, Calgary – Dec. 15
Air Dispersion Modeling in Complex Terrain: Do Models and Apportionment Measurements Agree?
- - - - -
• When: Wednesday, December 15, 2010, downtown Ramada Hotel, 708 - 8 Ave. SW, second floor.
• Tickets: $20 for students (first 10 e-mail registered students are free), $35 for A&WMA members, and $45 for others
Dear A&WMA member and/or environmental professional, please join us on Wednesday, December 15, 2010, when our luncheon presentation topic will be:
Air Dispersion Modeling in Complex Terrain:
Do Models and Apportionment Measurements Agree?
Abstract
Outputs from air quality models are typically compared to annual data from air quality measurement stations but considerable differences may result when shorter or longer timescales are used. Students from the UofC Environmental Sciences Program participated in a study to assess both the short and long-term effects of emissions from industrial facilities on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta and their results were compared to outputs from CALPUFF. Come and listen to the outcome of this assessing both the short and long-term effects of emissions from industrial facilities on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta.
Presenter: Ann-Lise Norman, PhD.
Profile: Dr. Norman obtained both undergraduate and graduate degrees in physics at the University of Calgary. She completed her BSc. in 1989 and her PhD. in 1994. Her MSc compared atmospheric sulfur sources in Alberta and Bermuda using isotope apportionment and a year of her PhD was spent in Germany, in 1992, studying processes affecting sulfur in soil in the Black Forest.
Career History
After completing her PhD. she moved to Toronto and set up a stable isotope laboratory with Environment Canada, first as a Consultant and then as a Chemist. In 1998 she returned to Calgary and accepted a joint appointment as Assistant Professor in Physics and Astronomy and the Environmental Science Program at the University of Calgary. Dr. Norman is currently an Associate Professor and was nominated the Director of the
interdisciplinary undergraduate Environmental Science Program in 2008.
Details:
• When: Wednesday, December 15, 2010, downtown Ramada Hotel, 708 - 8 Ave. SW, second floor.
• Tickets: $20 for students (first 10 e-mail registered students are free), $35 for A&WMA members, and $45 for others.
You may pay in person at the CPANS registration desk from 11:30 to 12:00 at the Ramada on the day of the luncheon.
We accept cash, cheques, Master Card and VISA. Sorry, we do not accept debit cards.
Paypal is not available for this luncheon
Webcasts are typically available to join the Luncheon remotely and a $15 fee per person is applicable.
You may register by e-mailing your contact information with your full name, affiliation and phone number no later than Monday, December 13, 2010. Also please advise if you are an A&WMA member. Please note that we reserve the right to invoice you if you registered, but did not cancel your registration prior to this date.
Contact for Registration:
Christi McTavish, Assistant to CPANS Calgary Luncheon Director, Ph#: 403-232-6771 x6271
Email: christi.mctavish@rwdi.com
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding speakers, topics, or other related issues, please contact David Chadder, CPANS Calgary Luncheon Director, at david.chadder@rwdi.com.
========================
2. Victory for BC as NDP motion passes in Parliament
http://catherinebellndp.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/
victory-for-bc-ndp-tanker-motion-passes-in-parliament/
Nathan Cullen, Rupert Daily Online, December 7, 2010
One more marker along path to shut down Enbridge threat
British Columbia is one step closer to having a full legislated ban on supertankers off its north and central coasts after a motion introduced by MP Nathan Cullen received the support of Parliament just minutes ago.
“Banning tankers would protect the BC coast from Enbridge’s risky venture,” said an ecstatic Cullen following today’s vote which passed the House of Commons 143 to 138. “This is absolutely one more marker along the path to defending the Northwest against the threat to our environment and way of life.”
“For years the people of British Columbia and concerned Canadians have been calling on the federal government to protect their coast from the risk posed by oil tankers,” echoed New Democrat Leader Jack Layton.
“Now the government has clear direction from this House to move forward and bring in this much needed legislation.”
For Cullen, New Democrat Natural Resources and Energy critic, today’s victory is the culmination of years of hard work and consultation with communities, First Nations, and other stakeholders.
“First Nations have led the fight to protect our environment and ocean economy every step of the way,” he said.
MORE:
http://catherinebellndp.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/
victory-for-bc-ndp-tanker-motion-passes-in-parliament/
= = = =
Canada Votes to Ban Tar Sands Oil Tankers off BC Coast; Enbridge Front Group Exposed
http://www.desmogblog.com/
canada-votes-ban-tar-sands-oil-tankers-british-columbias-coast
7 December 10
Tags: alberta oil sands, bitumen, british columbia, Canada, climate legislation, Colin Kinsley, Desmogger, Emma Pullman, Enbridge,
House of Commons, lower house, Nathan Cullen, Northern Gateway Alliance, Northern Gateway Pipeline, oil spill, propaganda pipeline, Regulatory, Senate, Stephen Harper, supertanker, tanker ban, tankers, tar sands
Today, Canada's House of Commons approved a motion calling for a permanent ban on oil tankers off British Columbia's coast. The passed NDP motion introduced by MP Nathan Cullen urges the government to immediately propose legislation to "ban bulk oil tanker traffic" through the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound, off the north coast of B.C. The bill received Parliamentary support in a tight a vote of 143-138, with all opposition parties supporting it and Conservatives opposed.
British Columbia is now one step closer to having a full legislated ban on supertankers off its north and central coasts. The opposition is sending a clear message to the Conservatives to legislate a formal moratorium.
Today's ban could seriously impact Enbridge, who has plans to develop a $5.5 billion 1,170-kilometre pipeline to carry dirty tar sands bitumen to Kitimat, B.C., where it would be loaded onto supertankers bound for growing energy markets in Asia.
Enbridge has already been hard at work to ensure that the ban did not succeed today. According to information secured by the Prince George Citizen, Enbridge is footing the bill for a northern front group to create community support for its pipeline project. The Northern Gateway Alliance is the brainchild of Enbridge who fear opposition to their profitable pipeline project. The chair of the astroturf Alliance, former Prince George mayor Colin Kinsley, is even on Enbridge's payroll.
MORE:
http://www.desmogblog.com/
canada-votes-ban-tar-sands-oil-tankers-british-columbias-coast
==================
3. It's industry vs. residents in shale gas development
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/ ... le/1329978
Published Tuesday November 30th, 2010
Resources: Government trying to find compromise between competing interests
A1 BRETT BUNDALE TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL
FREDERICTON - The Progressive Conservative government is under increasing pressure to pick a side in what one observer is calling a David and Goliath story pitting rural New Brunswick residents against powerful resource companies.
Yet Natural Resources Minister Bruce Northrup insists he will strike a compromise between industry and the public on the future of shale gas in New Brunswick.
"Industry is on one side, landowners are on the other and we're in the middle," he said on Monday from his Kings East riding office.
Critics of shale gas are concerned with the contamination of drinking water, loud drilling noises and environmental damage.
They are urging government to halt exploration, hydro-fracking and natural gas development until tougher regulations are brought in that safeguard the environment and communities.
MORE:
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/ ... le/1329978
===================
4. High Fives: New York Legislature Approves Fracking Moratorium
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/
371106/high_fives:_new_york_legislature_approves_fracking_moratorium/
By Tara Lohan | Sourced from AlterNet Posted at November 30, 2010, 10:26 am
I wrote last week about an incredible effort by the Working Families Party and other allies to help turn up the heat in New York State on the controversial practice of "fracking" by gas drilling companies. In a huge victory last night the New York Assembly voted 93 to 43 for a temporary moratorium on the practice (until May of next year) so that the environmental impacts can be better assessed. This comes after states like Pennsylvania, which allow fracking have reported numerous environmental violations, most especially, threats to ground and surface water.
New York's senate passed a similar bill several months ago and now the fracking moratorium awaits the signature of Gov. Patterson -- you can urge him to sign this legislation by calling his office at 518-474-8390.
As the Working Families Party reports:
At the time the bill passed last night, more than 52,000 New Yorkers had signed the petition urging the Assembly to act. We joined an incredible alliance of Frack Action, Environmental Advocates, MoveOn.org, Mark Ruffalo, Pete Seeger, Assemblymembers Robert Sweeney and Steve Englebright, Borough President Scott Stringer, and so many others to pass a bill that everyone thought was dead -- first through the New York State Senate, then the Assembly.
MORE:
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/371106/
high_fives:_new_york_legislature_approves_fracking_moratorium/
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New York State Assembly Passes Hydraulic Fracturing Moratorium
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/
stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201011301116dowjonesdjonline000226&title=new-york-state-assembly-passes-hydraulic-fracturing-moratorium
By Matt Day, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES Nov. 30, 2010
NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- The New York State Assembly passed a bill late Monday banning new hydraulic fracturing in the state until May 2011 to allow time for further study of the oil and natural gas drilling technique.
The state senate approved the ban in August, and Gov. David Paterson is widely expected to approve the measure. The bill bans state regulators from issuing new drilling permits for wells that would use hydraulic fracturing until May 15 "to afford the state and its residents the opportunity to continue the review and analysis of the effects of hydraulic fracturing on water and air quality, environmental safety and public health."
The technique, in which a mix of water, sand and chemicals is pumped at high pressure to break up shale rock formations deep underground and access the oil and gas trapped within, has drawn scrutiny from environmental advocacy groups and regulators for potential risks to drinking water and other environmental effects.
The procedure has allowed oil and natural gas companies in recent years to gain access to the massive gas reserves held in shale formations, including the Marcellus shale, which lies underneath much of New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Opponents of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have called for further study of the technique's environmental effects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is studying hydraulic fracturing, and expects to release its findings in 2012.
MORE:
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/
stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201011301116dowjonesdjonline000226&title=new-york-state-assembly-passes-hydraulic-fracturing-moratorium
========================
5. Industry backs voluntary disclosure of fracking chemicals through states
Mike Soraghan, E&E reporter (12/03/2010)
ALTERNATE SOURCE:
http://www.anga.us/media-room/press-releases/2010/12/
anga,-ipaa,-axpc-endorse-state-based-registry-for-disclosure-of-hydraulic-fracturing-chemicals
Oil and gas drilling companies have made another move toward voluntary public disclosure of hydraulic-fracturing chemicals by uniting behind state regulators' efforts to create a national registry of the chemicals.
The registry is intended as a template for a state-based system of public disclosure. It comes amid increasing calls from lawmakers, environmental groups and other activists for the federal government to require disclosure.
"The work that our member companies have put into reaching a consensus to participate in this registry is testament to the commitment they have made to making these disclosures and earning the public trust," said Bruce Thompson, president of the American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC).
The Independent Petroleum Association of America and America's Natural Gas Alliance joined AXPC in endorsing the effort of the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission to develop a disclosure registry.
"The natural gas community is committed to the safe and responsible development of this clean energy resource," said ANGA President and CEO Regina Hopper. "That commitment means being responsive to the questions raised in communities where we work. It is our hope that with this greater transparency will come greater public confidence in the safety of the hydraulic fracturing process."
But environmentalists say the agreement on voluntary disclosure is no substitute for requiring every driller, including those who do not abide by trade association practices, to publicly disclose fracturing chemicals.
ALTERNATE SOURCE:
http://www.anga.us/media-room/press-releases/2010/12/
anga,-ipaa,-axpc-endorse-state-based-registry-for-disclosure-of-hydraulic-fracturing-chemicals
===================
6. Pennsylvania Gas Drillers Dumping Radioactive Waste in New York
http://www.alternet.org/story/148962/
By Peter Mantius, DC Bureau
Posted on November 24, 2010, Printed on November 30, 2010
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Trucks hauling rock cuttings from drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation in Pennsylvania regularly cross the New York State border these days to dump in the Chemung County Landfill seven miles east of Elmira.
The Marcellus formation is characterized by unusually high readings of naturally occurring radioactive material, or NORM, so most of the cuttings are probably radioactive. The Chemung Landfill, a former gravel pit, has never been licensed to handle low-level radioactive waste.
So how can the landfill’s private operators get clearance from the county and state environmental regulators to become a regional dump for radioactive drilling wastes?
The short answer: Provide the revenue-hungry county a rich payout, exploit a legal loophole, and presto, it’s a done deal.
The longer answer: Regulations haven’t kept pace with the recent widespread use of an invasive new drilling technology used to tap the Marcellus.
“There are many aspects of this new industrial activity that outpace existing regs. Radiological regulation is just one of them,” said Anthony Ingraffea, a Cornell University geology professor who has tracked the evolution of natural gas drilling for decades.
The latest variation of hydraulic fracturing now commonly used in Marcellus shale mining in Pennsylvania has never been allowed in New York State, but it is expected to be approved soon. Ingraffea said the New York Department of Environmental Conservation will need broader legal authority and a much deeper staff to cope with its considerable side effects.
But the DEC isn’t there yet, so there are legal gray areas that provide opportunities, and Casella Waste Systems is mining them.
MORE:
http://www.alternet.org/story/148962/
======================
7. Shale gas supply expected to keep US prices low in 2011
http://www.ogj.com/index/article-displa ... /articles/
oil-gas-journal/drilling-production-2/2010/12/shale-gas_supply_expected.html
Dec 3, 2010 Bob Tippee OGJ Editor
HOUSTON, Dec. 3 -- While another year of price distress awaits US producers of natural gas from shale reservoirs, technology has lowered breakeven thresholds of important plays, speakers said at an industry conference in Houston.
Beyond next year, said Dan Pickering, copresident of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. LLC, $4/Mcf gas is unsustainable. In the long term, he explained, a commodity's price must cover the highest cost in the most expensive 25-30% of supply needed to meet demand. For that part of the projected supply spectrum in 2013, Pickering said, the breakeven price with a 10% before-income-tax rate of return ranges from just less than $6/Mcf to slightly more than $8/Mcf.
Pickering told the Decision Strategies Oilfield Breakfast Forum that current price weakness results from a supply jump rooted in surprisingly high levels of drilling and drilling efficiency since 2009.
Despite low gas prices, drilling stayed high in 2010 because of lease obligations, protection of producers against price weakness by hedges, and a surge in the formation of joint ventures with drilling commitments.
Those factors will begin to subside in 2011, Pickering said. For example, less production will be hedged, so "industry will be much more exposed to gas prices in 2011" and therefore more inclined to reduce drilling if prices stay low.
MORE:
http://www.ogj.com/index/article-displa ... /articles/
oil-gas-journal/drilling-production-2/2010/12/shale-gas_supply_expected.html
====================
8. US natural gas drilling boom linked to pollution and social strife
http://www.theecologist.org/trial_inves ... ns/687515/
us_natural_gas_drilling_boom_linked_to_pollution_and_social_strife.html
Jim Wickens 30th November, 2010
The gas stored in the Marcellus Shale formation is the subject of desperate drilling to secure US domestic energy supplies. But the process involved - hydraulic fracturing - is the focus of a bitter dispute over environmental damage and community rights
It is a timeless patchwork of small dairy farms and endless hills, emblazoned with the blood-red tints of an autumnal Pennsylvania forest. Set against this sleepy backdrop, however, the constant convoys of water trucks rumbling along the deserted country roads suggest something profound is taking place. This is ‘fracking’ country, the latest frontier in America’s desperate search for fossil fuels.
Pioneered by companies such as Halliburton, high-volume horizontal slickwater fracturing – otherwise known as hydraulic fracturing, or simply fracking – involves the drilling of horizontal wells that are then injected with large volumes of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure to open up rock fractures and help propel rock-trapped gas back to the surface. For landowners, those in the gas industry and governments of cash-strapped US states that find themselves sitting on the gas-rich lines of the Marcellus Shale rock formation, this new technique has opened up lucrative opportunities and created a rush unseen for decades. Vast reserves of previously untappable natural gas, perhaps in excess of 50 trillion cubic feet of gas, can now be extracted on US soil, and the arguments used by advocates of fracking seem impressive.
MORE:
http://www.theecologist.org/trial_inves ... ns/687515/
us_natural_gas_drilling_boom_linked_to_pollution_and_social_strife.html
=======================
9. Europe's scramble for gas sees controversial hydraulic fracturing cross the Atlantic
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/687549/
europes_scramble_for_gas_sees_controversial_hydraulic_fracturing_cross_the_atlantic.html
Luke Starr 30th November,2010
In the US, gas-extraction in the Marcellus Shale has been linked to pollution and social conflict. Now Halliburton, Chevron and Exxon, among others, want to bring the so-called 'fracking' process to Europe, reports Luke Starr
Despite growing evidence from the US of a raft of negative environmental and social consequences of drilling for natural gas using the controversial hydraulic fracturing process, European energy companies are scrambling to secure licenses to roll out extraction projects this side of the Atlantic.
Hydraulic fracturing – also known as ‘fracking’ – is a process used in the vast majority of natural gas wells in the US, where millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground to break apart rock formations and release gas. Experts have increasingly expressed concern that the chemicals used in fracking may pose a threat underground or when waste fluids are transported or spilled.
As in the US, shale gas is being increasingly seen as a way to sever links with a volatile provider, only in Europe's case it is not Middle Eastern oil sheikhs but oligarchs at Russian giant Gazprom.
In August, US energy corporation Halliburton carried out the first hydraulic fracturing of a well in Poland on behalf of the state-owned Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG). Energy consultancy Wood MacKenzie estimates the country's reserves could stand at 1.4 trillion cubic meters. The high numbers have got US companies Exxon and Chevron scrambling to drill test wells alongside smaller companies such as Three Leg Resources from the Isle of Man.
With more than half of Poland's energy needs supplied by coal, shale gas is seen as a way drastically to cut national CO2 emissions in line with EU targets. According to Dr Andrzej Kassenberg of the Institute of Sustainable Development thinktank, replacing coal power plants with gas would cut emissions by as much as 75 million metric tonnes.
MORE:
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/687549/
europes_scramble_for_gas_sees_controversial_hydraulic_fracturing_cross_the_atlantic.html
=========================
10. LETTER: SHIELDS: It's Our Own Fault!!
Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 08:57:07 -0700
From: lagran <lagran@shaw.ca>
To: bill boyd <minister.er@gov.sk.ca>, Minister, EMPR EMPR:EX
<EMPR.Minister@gov.bc.ca>, <minister.energy@gov.ab.ca>
CC: <acameron@neb-one.gc.ca>, "Alberta Activism" <albertaactivism@shaw.ca>, "flaherty" <flaherty.j@parl.gc.ca>, "goodale" <goodale.r@parl.gc.ca>
This story by Regan Boychuk where he compares the energy industry developers to real estate agents should not be great news to Albertans. Our "wee-mouse" as Premier came to power with promises of gaining a better royalty deal for the Alberta public, and insuring bitumen would be upgraded at source. What happened? Unlike the folks in Newfoundland who stood solidly behind "Danny" when he took on the energy giants, Albertans, especially the printed press, cowardly backed the "big-money" leaving our poor "wee mouse" backing down on both royalties, and indeed using private funds to promote the export of raw bitumen!
The real shock came when Saskatchewan decided they must "Dumb-Down" to the same level as Alberta, to keep their energy program progressing!! Although natural gas prices greatly affected Alberta and British Columbia, CAPP was able to have Saskatchewan government folks believe they needed drilling incentives to proceed with further development of the sweet light Bakken oil discovery!! Without reasoning that industry in Saskatchewan had a full compliment of infrastructure, and a decided advantage in export distance, Saskatchewan government forgave royalties on flush production on horizontal wells to a sinful degree.
And the printed and vocal news in Saskatchewan remain unaware of the hi-way robbery undertaken daily right under their nose. Concerned deeply about loosing potash penny royalties, while willing giving the rich energy sector billions in funds that belong to Saskatchewan citizens!!
Do we need a national energy program? Just view the energy industry profits in Alberta, with respect to our government deficits and health care programs, to come to who in Alberta is treated far and away too generous!! Perhaps "Danny" would consult to western provinces to gain for their public what our government clowns are afraid to tackle. "Danny" would very quickly point out the press members and any public or private bodies undercutting his attempts at gaining what is in the public interest in all western Provinces!!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, Alberta
- - - - -
Generosity for energy sector, tough times for everyone else
As industry rakes in billions, public services are cut and deficit grows
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/
Generosity+energy+sector+tough+times+everyone+else/
3928455/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
By Regan Boychuk, Freelance December 4, 2010
After a long string of billions in drilling incentives and royalty holidays for the oilpatch over the last two years, the latest provincial budget update recently confirmed the $5-billion scale of Alberta's expected deficit.
Already enduring a recession and a variety of cuts to public services, Albertans have every reason to expect more of the same from the Progressive Conservative government: generosity for the oilpatch, discipline for citizens.
A new report from the Parkland Institute -- Misplaced Generosity: Extraordinary Profits in Alberta's Oil and Gas Industry -- takes a closer look at whether the oilpatch was in need of those handouts, and asks some tough questions about the scale of their profits and how the Stelmach government has managed this province's most important economic file.
Let's not forget: the oilpatch doesn't own the oil, natural gas, or bitumen. Albertans own the resources. In this sense, Albertans are like homeowners. The oilpatch is like a real estate agent. We hire them to sell our property for us. We pay these oilpatch "real estate agents" well: We cover all of their costs and grant them a reasonable additional profit.
And we keep them busy: We sold about $700 billion worth of homes (oil/natural gas/bitumen) between 1999 and 2008.
MORE:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/
Generosity+energy+sector+tough+times+everyone+else/
3928455/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
====================
11. REALLY BAD LEGISLATIONS IN ALBERTA (STALINIST-LIKE ELEMENTS in BILLS 19 & 36, a fundamental power grab from municipalities)
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-AlbertaLegislations.html
This website has never characterized or identified the actions of any government in Canada with such strong language. But the valid suggestion comes directly from the Alberta website, Real Agriculture. (http://realagriculture.com, under word search "soviet union", and its resultant web page)
Consider the following analysis and descriptive comments by Alberta lawyer Keith Wilson recorded in a 15-minute radio interview posted on that web site - you may not believe your own ears!:
http://realagriculture.com/2010/12/01/
is-this-alberta-or-the-formersoviet-union-the-land-stewardship-act-is-unbelievable/
The province of Alberta, under the "Progressive" Conservative Party, passed Bill 36 in 2009. American-born Ted Morton, who recently ran for Premier of Alberta, was the author of the legislation.
(Check out backgrounders on Morton. I.e.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Morton)
Keith Wilson summarizes that the legislation "overrides or takes away many of the important responsibilities that municipalities and communities have as leaders on land use planning in their communities".
Under Section 11 of Bill 36, it grants power to the government of Alberta, under new Regional Plans, to "extinguish" "land titles", "free-hold mineral titles", "water licenses", "grazing leases", "development permits", "area structure plans", "sub-division approvals", "pipeline permits", etc.
Under Section 19, it states that no compensation is payable.
Under Section 15, an Albertan has "no right of any recourse to the Courts, and the Courts have no authority to grant you any remedy!"
Wilson, who undertook a research paper the Legal Society on Bills 19 and 36, states that "these are drastic provisions, unprecedented in a Western Parliamentary Democracy".
The question put to Wilson in the radio interview by Shaun Haney was on whether there was the possibility of the misuse of power under these legislations. Wilson states:
Absolutely. History has shown us is that is what happens. ... This notion of centralized planning has been tried before ... it's been tried in eastern Europe, and history has shown that it is a complete failure! The further you move away from moving power and decision-making away from the people that are affected by the decisions, the less effective those decisions are and you get poorer decision-making. ... The problem is Section 17, sub 4, of the Land Stewardship Act, Bill 36, says the Land Stewardship Act trumps every other Act. It's paramount! It wipes out those protections! It allows the Cabinet to use their authority under the Land Stewardship Act to do whatever they want! Just because there is protections in these other laws, they don't apply, because Section 17, subsection 4, says the Regional Plan trumps! One of the hallmarks of the British Tradition, whether its Britain, whether in fact it's the United States, whether it's Australia or countries in Europe, is that we have the Courts there to protect citizens and their property from capricious and arbitrary acts of government. That is one of their fundamental roles. If you feel a government has treated you badly, you can go to a court and put it to a judge. That's the hallmark of one of our freedoms, and they've taken it away through Section 15.
This legislation is 'retroactive'. Normally legislation applies going forward. ... Another principal of our legal system is non-retroactivity. This legislation is written to be expressly retroactive. ... That's why it is so troubling for me, and the many other lawyers who have read this legislation, that's what it says, and it is exceptionally difficult to believe that this government, let alone any thinking government, would pass this type of law.
Let me put one other point on the table. In view of the awareness that is growing, because the Regional Planning process is now on in southern Alberta - it's game time for people down there - the government is saying, 'Oh, don't worry, the Bill of Rights will protect you.' That's completely false. The Alberta Bill of Rights will not protect you. The Courts have been clear ... have consistently said if a Legislature enacts a piece of legislation, such as Bill 36, that provides a mechanism for property to be taken, and that same legislation provides either no mechanism for compensation or says no compensation is payable, the Bill of Rights won't protect you. This notion - oh, don't worry, these
bad things with these new powers, you won't be harmed by it because you can protect yourself by claming the Bill of Rights - is legally false, it's incorrect, it's wrong.
Under this legislation "there is no opportunity for an appeal if Cabinet designates your land as 'change of use', and any of your existing rights are taken".
The legislations may largely and assumedly benefit energy companies operating in Alberta.
WHERE IS WESTERN CANADA HEADED?
Remember what the BC Liberals did in British Columbia in 2006?
They passed Bill 30, overriding the intervening Land Use Decision powers by Third Level governments (Regional Districts, Municipalities) on issues related to Run of River hydro-electric development proposals. Remember how incensed the Union of B.C. Municipalities was and how the provincial government simply ignored its conference resolution concerns as the developments were happily proceeding and unfolding? (while removing and revising provincial environmental legislations and regulations). What is presently occurring in Alberta is a more severe or radical sort of legislation. Lawyer Keith Wilson says, before the occurrence of the upcoming election (and the possibility of a new government being elected and then removing this draconian legislation), is that the present legislation should be immediately REPEALED!
Here are the words printed on the Alberta web site, Real Agriculture, by Shaun Haney:
I have to admit that I have missed the boat on this one. I have been hearing many different people talk about the Land Stewardship Act and why as a farmer you should be concerned about it. At first glance I thought it had to do with re-classifying land for environmental concerns but the reality is that it is way more than that. The cabinet has given itself the power to re-classify land depending on what it deems as the best for it’s long term area planning. This essentially takes the power out of the hands of the local municipalities and has potentially very negative affects for agriculture, oil patch and acreage owners.
Yesterday I interviewed Keith Wilson, Wilson Law Office, about Bill 36 – Land Stewardship Act and why as a landowner in Alberta you need to be very concerned about what the PC cabinet is trying or going to do. The interview is 15 minutes but believe me you will not believe what you are hearing.
If you cannot see the below embedded video, click here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EdIAsAi9v4
As Keith Wilson mentions in the interview, it is hard to believe that the provincial government is actually granting itself this kind of power. To be able to have this kind of power in people that are potentially so detached from the ground floors of reality is incredibly dangerous and scary. Giving the provincial cabinet the power to re-classify land without even the consideration for appeal or compensation is ridiculous. This kind of central planning seems to be the philosophy for the Stelmach government. Why are we moving to central planning in Alberta? Whether it is health super boards or central land planning, the government seems to think that it can do a better job than local health boards or municipalities. Being able to overrule pre-approved NRCB permits or disregarding how land has been used for 100 years is what this bill accomplishes for the government.
I suggest that you take the time to listen to the 15 minute interview above with Keith Wilson and get engaged in the outrage towards this bill. Apparently in Alberta, your land is not your land. The Alberta Government has decided that they are now the decision makers for land use in the province and there is essentially nothing that you can do about it. Welcome to the Soviet Union…..errrrrr……..Alberta.
========================
12. Tories signal they'll OK new mine - Eastern Slopes project stirs controversy
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Torie ... they+mine/
3927767/story.html
BY KELLY CRYDERMAN, CALGARY HERALD DECEMBER 4, 2010
The Alberta government is signalling it favours a proposed mining project in the Eastern Slopes, calling it a "required resource in the region."
Speaking of Micrex Development Corp.'s application to mine magnetite at the foot of the Livingstone Mountain range southwest of Calgary, Sustainable Resource Development Minister Mel Knight also said development across Alberta won't wait for the government's land-use framework to be implemented.
"You can't stop the province and hold it in abeyance and wait for the plans," Knight said in reaction to questions from the Opposition.
"There is ongoing opportunities for development in the Eastern Slopes, and that will, again, continue," Knight said.
However, critics say before any major development projects are approved anywhere, the province needs to wait for the land-use framework – an overarching government land plan meant to direct orderly development across Alberta -- to start working.
Exactly two years after the government released its final plan to the public, little progress has been made.
"In Alberta, we have a tremendous amount of pressure to do resource development. And I understand the need to do that. But there is a certain tipping point," Alberta Liberal MLA Kent Hehr said. "The land-use framework, in my view, is necessary to protect what's left."
The final land-use framework was unveiled in December 2008, when then Sustainable Resource Development Minister Ted Morton declared future development decisions -- whether they be residential or industrial -- "will no longer be done on a one-off basis. It will be looked in a broader context of what's anticipated for the coming several decades."
The stated purpose of the plan was "to manage growth, not to stop it."
MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Torie ... they+mine/
3927767/story.html
===================
13. Crying foul over Calmar gas well
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/
Crying+foul+over+Calmar+well/3931720/story.html
Calmar residents upset about lack of compensation, loss of property values
By Hanneke Brooymans, edmontonjournal.com December 6, 2010
QUOTE: “Have you ever been on the albertawellregistry.com website?” The website front page says, “Avoid the heartache of Calmar.”
EDMONTON — Imperial Oil will start knocking down homes in Calmar this week as it prepares to fix a previously abandoned well that leaked into one home’s backyard in 2008.
The company bought three of the five homes in Evergreen Crescent that it needs to complete the project and is still in mediated negotiations for the other two homes.
Some neighbours say they are unhappy they won’t receive compensation. They say they face not only the noise and inconvenience of the demolition but also loss of value to their properties.
They feel that someone should be held responsible for the situation they’re in. The group has hired a lawyer, who recently took their views town council recently.
“I’m hoping they can relocate us, compensate us,” said Ralph Olson, referring to the town and Imperial Oil. He expects his home in Evergreen Crescent to be next to the rig that will move in to fix the well.
“Obviously, some people feel more affected than other people,” Olson said. “But the unfortunate part is it’s going to affect everybody over time. It is affecting the price of homes in Calmar in general.
MORE:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/
Crying+foul+over+Calmar+well/3931720/story.html
===================
14. WikiLeaks Reveals State Department Discord Over U.S. Support for Canadian Tar Sands Oil Program
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/12/07-3
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2010 10:32 AM
CONTACT: Friends of The Earth [1]
Kelly Trout, 202-222-0722, ktrout@foe.org [2]
Alex Moore, 202-222-0733, amoore@foe.org [3]
Leaked cable warns of tar sands oil's 'higher environmental footprint' as agency considers pipeline that would double U.S. dependence on it
WASHINGTON - December 7 - A diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks has revealed that a U.S. diplomat warned the Obama administration about significant environmental impacts stemming from Canada's controversial tar sands oil production program.
The language in the cable contradicts recent statements by U.S. State Department officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that underplay the environmental impacts of tar sands oil while defending a proposed pipeline that would bring the extremely polluting oil from Canada to the U.S.
In the January 2009 cable [4], which was prepared for President Obama and Secretary Clinton in advance of the president's first trip to Canada, the diplomat states that Canada has "keen sensitivity over the higher environmental footprint of oil from western Canada's oil sands." The diplomat goes on to warn the president that among Canadian officials there is "concern about the implications for Canada of your energetic calls to develop renewable energies and reduce our reliance on imported oil."
This candid admission of the impacts of tar sands oil production, which results in three times more global warming pollution than production of conventional oil, differs markedly from the description of tar sands oil given by the State Department in public documents.
In its draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared to analyze the Keystone XL pipeline project, which would pump tar sands oil from Canada through six U.S. states to refineries in Texas, the State Department claims that tar sands oil is "similar" to other oils and that the impact of increasing reliance on tar sands oil "would be minor." Despite the fact that her agency is still completing its final EIS, Secretary Clinton has stated that she is "inclined" to approve the pipeline.
"It's hard to understand why State Department officials in Washington, D.C. would deny a problem acknowledged by the expert on the ground," said Alex Moore, dirty fuels campaigner at Friends of the Earth. "Tar sands oil production takes an unacceptable toll on the environment and public health and should not be supported by the U.S. government."
Marcie Keever, legal director at Friends of the Earth, added, "It appears as though the State Department sought to deceive the American public about the environmental impacts of tar sands oil in conducting its draft Environmental Impact Statement on the Keystone XL pipeline. The department is required by law to fully evaluate potential environmental impacts, including the extreme levels of pollution produced by tar sands oil."
"Failure to fully assess the environmental impacts of this tar sands oil pipeline would violate the National Environmental Policy Act and leave the agency vulnerable to litigation," concluded Keever.
If approved by the Obama administration, the Keystone XL pipeline would pump 900,000 barrels of tar sands oil into the U.S. daily, doubling our country's consumption of tar sands oil and leading to additional global warming emissions equal to adding more than 6 million new cars to U.S. roads.
The leaked cable warning of tar sands oil’s impact is available at:
http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2009/01/09OTTAWA64.html [4]
The State Department’s draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline is available at:
http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov [5]
More information about the Keystone XL pipeline is available at:
http://www.foe.org/keystone-xl-pipeline [6]
###
Friends of the Earth [1] is the U.S. voice of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, with member groups in 77 countries. Since 1969, Friends of the Earth has fought to create a more healthy, just world.
Friends of The Earth Links: Homepage [1]FOE (Press Center) [7]FOE (Action Center) [8]
=======================
15. WATCH: Black Blood – Tainted Land and Dying Caribou
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loca ... /20101125/
bc_first_story_1303_101125/20101125/?hub=BritishColumbiaSpecialEvent3
By: ctvbc.ca Date: Thursday Nov. 25, 2010 4:49 PM PT
For some First nations in Northeastern B.C., living with oil spills and contaminated sites have become a daily routine. With projects like the Enbridge pipeline on the way -- what does the future hold for B.C.'s fragile landscape?
CTV's First Story gives you Black Blood -- the untold story of tainted land and dying caribou.
=========================
16. Beaver Lake Cree Nation adds its voice to those outraged by BP/Husky Sunrise tar sands project
http://www.raventrust.com/blog/2010-12/
beaver-lake-cree-nation-adds-its-voice-to-those-outraged-by-bp-husky-sunrise-tar-sands-project.html
December 3, 2010, Lac La Biche, Alberta - As oil giant BP and its partner Husky Energy Inc. announced plans to move forward with the large-scale Sunrise project, Beaver Lake Cree Nation’s Chief and Council say the extraction project demonstrates why First Nations need to remain strong in the fight to stop the ecologically disastrous plan.
Beaver Lake Cree Nation Chief Lameman said Monday’s announcement that Sunrise will proceed came as a shock, given BP’s poor record for environmental management strategies. “Once again we are very disappointed and dismayed at the growing lack of concern and disrespect that is being shown to our Mother Earth and to us as the Indigenous Peoples and the true stewards of the land. This continues to happen despite the growing scientific knowledge and proof such as the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf, the major oil spill in the American Midwest and the recent repeated incident with the waterfowl at the tar sands and others that are too numerous to name. “It falls to us as stewards of the land to stand in the path of these projects, and hold government accountable for allowing them to proceed at the cost of our land, animals and water,” said Chief Lameman. “We launched a court action in May 2008 and we intend to see it through to keep companies like BP from destroying our traditional territories and rendering our guaranteed treaty rights to hunt, fish, trap and gather meaningless.”
It is reported the oil company expects Sunrise to pump 200,000 barrels a day by 2020. BP put the project on hold several times because of concerns raised by activist shareholders about the high concentration of greenhouse gases and toxic waste that pose an environmental risk.
Said Chief Lameman,“It is because of projects like this that we no longer see caribou in our territory.
We were forced to take a separate legal action to protect the caribou and if these developments are allowed to continue at an unmitigated rate, we will have to take action to also protect our moose, our deer, our fish and our birds.”
MORE:
http://www.raventrust.com/blog/2010-12/
beaver-lake-cree-nation-adds-its-voice-to-those-outraged-by-bp-husky-sunrise-tar-sands-project.html
-========================
17. Oil patch yogurt ad not misleading, council says
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/
oil-patch-yogurt-ad-not-misleading-council-says/article1818855/
NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE Calgary— Globe and Mail Update
Last updated Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 11:54AM EST
The Alberta oil patch has avoided potential embarrassment after Advertising Standards Canada ruled that an advertisement that compared toxic oil sands effluent to yogurt did not mislead viewers.
The Sierra Club of Canada had complained that the ad was a “greenwashing” attempt to untruthfully make the oil sands sound environmentally benign. The ad featured a Suncor Energy Inc. SU-T employee named Shelley Powell, who in a spot about tailings – a key issue confronting the oil sands – said they are “essentially like yogurt.”
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, which created the ad, said Ms. Powell was attempting to describe the consistency of tailings. Advertising Standards Canada, which uses volunteers from advertisers, ad agencies, media and the public to consider contentious promotional material, agreed.
“Following an extensive review of the commercial, the majority of Council did not find the particular claim in question was misleading in terms of the [Canadian] Code [of Advertising Standards],” the Janet Feasby, vice-president of standards, wrote in a letter Monday. “They found that Ms. Powell’s reference to yogurt referred only to the apparent physical consistency of the tailings and did not humanize or soft pedal the more controversial aspects surrounding tailings.”
CAPP has since pulled the English version of the ad, although the French version – complete with a comparison to yogurt – remains on its website.
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/
oil-patch-yogurt-ad-not-misleading-council-says/article1818855/
=======================
18. BP Hails 'Significant Milestone' in Canadian Oil Sands Plan
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/30
by Agence France Presse Published on Tuesday, November 30, 2010
LONDON - British energy giant BP has welcomed key progress in its plan controversially to extract oil from Canadian sands, with a company spokesman on Tuesday describing the step as a "significant milestone".
Canadian group Husky Energy, BP's joint-venture partner, said on Monday that it was giving the go-ahead for the project's first phase.
A BP spokesman said the move was "a significant milestone" for the British company.
"We will now move forward . . . leading to first production in 2014," he told AFP.
At an estimated 175 billion barrels, Alberta's oil sands are the second largest oil reserve in the world behind Saudi Arabia, but they were neglected for years, except by local companies, because of high extraction costs.
Since 2000, skyrocketing crude oil prices and improved extraction methods have made exploitation more economical, and have lured several multinational oil companies to mine the sands.
But environmentalists oppose extraction from sands, claiming it produces three to five times more carbon emissions than conventional oil production and pollutes waterways.
BP, which was at the heart of an environmental crisis earlier this year due to a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, has said that the oil or tar sands project is crucial in helping meet the world's energy needs up to
2030.
MORE:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/30
===================
19. CAPP Not Happy With Greenpeace Making Fun of Their Propoganda Ads Oil industry condemns Greenpeace satire
http://www.albertasurfacerights.org/articles/?id=613
Last Updated: Saturday, December 4, 2010 | 4:31 PM
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says Greenpeace has gone too far in its latest attack on the oilsands industry.
In an online contest posted on Facebook, Greenpeace is encouraging people to take aim at a CAPP ad campaign launched earlier this year that shows oilsands workers talking about land reclamation and environmental cleanup in the industry.
Greenpeace is encouraging people to create mash-ups or remixes, using videos from CAPP's campaign. One spoof video posted to the group's Facebook page depicts a biologist saying she will probably die of cancer and her family will be paid money to keep quiet.
CAPP spokesperson Janet Annesley said the ads go too far.
- - - SNIP - - - -
Hudema said more ads are on the way and Greenpeace will continue posting them.
Greenpeace has not been contacted by CAPP about the ads, he added.
=======================
20. LETTER: SHIELDS: Wrong Pipeline Enbridge!!
From: lagran
To: Prime Minister/Premier ministre ; Layton, Jack - M.P. ; iggy
Cc: Minister, EMPR EMPR:EX ; goodale ; flaherty ; bill boyd ; Jerry Bellikka ; jmorales@neb-one.gc.ca ; acameron@neb-one.gc.ca
Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2010 4:54 PM
Subject: Wrong Pipeline Enbridge!!
With a record like Enbridge has with trying to pump bitumen slurry in the U.S. it is no wonder there exists some environmental concerns with the idea of this slurry reaching our coastal waters. Bitumen should be upgraded to a nice light synthetic oil as close to source as possible, not mixed with diluents to make a pump-able mixture and that abrasive slurry pumped over the entire North American continent. Asian interest that require bitumen product as a energy source, should be encouraged to build upgraders at source, with the understanding all synthetic product produced through these upgraders would be delivered to those that spent the capital to upgrade at source. Enbridge would be far wiser to try to get a natural gas pipeline to coastal waters to revive the natural gas business, and start Canada into the LNG business!!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, Alta.
= = = = = =
Environmental fears dog Enbridge pipeline plan
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
environmental-fears-dog-enbridge-pipeline-plan/article1819723/
SHAWN McCARTHY — GLOBAL ENERGY REPORTER
OTTAWA— From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 7:13PM EST
Last updated Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 8:09 pm
Enbridge Inc. (ENB-T57.820.681.19%) is facing a new hurdle to its controversial plan to export oil sands crude to Asia, as pressure builds on the government to impose a ban on supertanker traffic in northern B.C. waters.
Doubts are growing within the industry about Enbridge’s ability to gain regulatory approvals for its $5.5-billion Northern Gateway pipeline, which would traverse 1,100 kilometres of wild terrain to Kitimat, B.C., where supertankers would load the oil sands bitumen for Pacific markets.
In Ottawa on Tuesday, Liberal and New Democratic Party MPs allied themselves with the West Coast native groups and environmentalists to oppose the pipeline, and urged Prime Minister Stephen Harper to legislate a ban on crude tanker traffic.
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
environmental-fears-dog-enbridge-pipeline-plan/article1819723/
“Imagine” – John Lennon – December 8, 1980
1. LUNCHEON PRESENTATION: Ann-Lise Norman, PhD. – Ramada Hotel, Calgary – Dec. 15
2. Victory for BC as NDP motion passes in Parliament
3. It's industry vs. residents in shale gas development
4. High Fives: New York Legislature Approves Fracking Moratorium
5. Industry backs voluntary disclosure of fracking chemicals through states
6. Pennsylvania Gas Drillers Dumping Radioactive Waste in New York
7. Shale gas supply expected to keep US prices low in 2011
8. US natural gas drilling boom linked to pollution and social strife
9. Europe's scramble for gas sees controversial hydraulic fracturing cross the Atlantic
10. LETTER: SHIELDS: It's Our Own Fault!!
11. REALLY BAD LEGISLATIONS IN ALBERTA
12. Tories signal they'll OK new mine - Eastern Slopes project stirs controversy
13. Crying foul over Calmar gas well
14. WikiLeaks Reveals State Department Discord Over U.S. Support for Canadian Tar Sands Oil Program
15. WATCH: Black Blood – Tainted Land and Dying Caribou
16. Beaver Lake Cree Nation adds its voice to those outraged by BP/Husky Sunrise tar sands project
17. Oil patch yogurt ad not misleading, council says
18. BP Hails 'Significant Milestone' in Canadian Oil Sands Plan
19. CAPP Not Happy With Greenpeace Making Fun of Their Propoganda Ads Oil industry condemns Greenpeace satire
20. LETTER: SHIELDS: Wrong Pipeline Enbridge!!
==================
1. LUNCHEON PRESENTATION: Ann-Lise Norman, PhD. – Ramada Hotel, Calgary – Dec. 15
Air Dispersion Modeling in Complex Terrain: Do Models and Apportionment Measurements Agree?
- - - - -
• When: Wednesday, December 15, 2010, downtown Ramada Hotel, 708 - 8 Ave. SW, second floor.
• Tickets: $20 for students (first 10 e-mail registered students are free), $35 for A&WMA members, and $45 for others
Dear A&WMA member and/or environmental professional, please join us on Wednesday, December 15, 2010, when our luncheon presentation topic will be:
Air Dispersion Modeling in Complex Terrain:
Do Models and Apportionment Measurements Agree?
Abstract
Outputs from air quality models are typically compared to annual data from air quality measurement stations but considerable differences may result when shorter or longer timescales are used. Students from the UofC Environmental Sciences Program participated in a study to assess both the short and long-term effects of emissions from industrial facilities on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta and their results were compared to outputs from CALPUFF. Come and listen to the outcome of this assessing both the short and long-term effects of emissions from industrial facilities on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta.
Presenter: Ann-Lise Norman, PhD.
Profile: Dr. Norman obtained both undergraduate and graduate degrees in physics at the University of Calgary. She completed her BSc. in 1989 and her PhD. in 1994. Her MSc compared atmospheric sulfur sources in Alberta and Bermuda using isotope apportionment and a year of her PhD was spent in Germany, in 1992, studying processes affecting sulfur in soil in the Black Forest.
Career History
After completing her PhD. she moved to Toronto and set up a stable isotope laboratory with Environment Canada, first as a Consultant and then as a Chemist. In 1998 she returned to Calgary and accepted a joint appointment as Assistant Professor in Physics and Astronomy and the Environmental Science Program at the University of Calgary. Dr. Norman is currently an Associate Professor and was nominated the Director of the
interdisciplinary undergraduate Environmental Science Program in 2008.
Details:
• When: Wednesday, December 15, 2010, downtown Ramada Hotel, 708 - 8 Ave. SW, second floor.
• Tickets: $20 for students (first 10 e-mail registered students are free), $35 for A&WMA members, and $45 for others.
You may pay in person at the CPANS registration desk from 11:30 to 12:00 at the Ramada on the day of the luncheon.
We accept cash, cheques, Master Card and VISA. Sorry, we do not accept debit cards.
Paypal is not available for this luncheon
Webcasts are typically available to join the Luncheon remotely and a $15 fee per person is applicable.
You may register by e-mailing your contact information with your full name, affiliation and phone number no later than Monday, December 13, 2010. Also please advise if you are an A&WMA member. Please note that we reserve the right to invoice you if you registered, but did not cancel your registration prior to this date.
Contact for Registration:
Christi McTavish, Assistant to CPANS Calgary Luncheon Director, Ph#: 403-232-6771 x6271
Email: christi.mctavish@rwdi.com
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding speakers, topics, or other related issues, please contact David Chadder, CPANS Calgary Luncheon Director, at david.chadder@rwdi.com.
========================
2. Victory for BC as NDP motion passes in Parliament
http://catherinebellndp.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/
victory-for-bc-ndp-tanker-motion-passes-in-parliament/
Nathan Cullen, Rupert Daily Online, December 7, 2010
One more marker along path to shut down Enbridge threat
British Columbia is one step closer to having a full legislated ban on supertankers off its north and central coasts after a motion introduced by MP Nathan Cullen received the support of Parliament just minutes ago.
“Banning tankers would protect the BC coast from Enbridge’s risky venture,” said an ecstatic Cullen following today’s vote which passed the House of Commons 143 to 138. “This is absolutely one more marker along the path to defending the Northwest against the threat to our environment and way of life.”
“For years the people of British Columbia and concerned Canadians have been calling on the federal government to protect their coast from the risk posed by oil tankers,” echoed New Democrat Leader Jack Layton.
“Now the government has clear direction from this House to move forward and bring in this much needed legislation.”
For Cullen, New Democrat Natural Resources and Energy critic, today’s victory is the culmination of years of hard work and consultation with communities, First Nations, and other stakeholders.
“First Nations have led the fight to protect our environment and ocean economy every step of the way,” he said.
MORE:
http://catherinebellndp.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/
victory-for-bc-ndp-tanker-motion-passes-in-parliament/
= = = =
Canada Votes to Ban Tar Sands Oil Tankers off BC Coast; Enbridge Front Group Exposed
http://www.desmogblog.com/
canada-votes-ban-tar-sands-oil-tankers-british-columbias-coast
7 December 10
Tags: alberta oil sands, bitumen, british columbia, Canada, climate legislation, Colin Kinsley, Desmogger, Emma Pullman, Enbridge,
House of Commons, lower house, Nathan Cullen, Northern Gateway Alliance, Northern Gateway Pipeline, oil spill, propaganda pipeline, Regulatory, Senate, Stephen Harper, supertanker, tanker ban, tankers, tar sands
Today, Canada's House of Commons approved a motion calling for a permanent ban on oil tankers off British Columbia's coast. The passed NDP motion introduced by MP Nathan Cullen urges the government to immediately propose legislation to "ban bulk oil tanker traffic" through the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound, off the north coast of B.C. The bill received Parliamentary support in a tight a vote of 143-138, with all opposition parties supporting it and Conservatives opposed.
British Columbia is now one step closer to having a full legislated ban on supertankers off its north and central coasts. The opposition is sending a clear message to the Conservatives to legislate a formal moratorium.
Today's ban could seriously impact Enbridge, who has plans to develop a $5.5 billion 1,170-kilometre pipeline to carry dirty tar sands bitumen to Kitimat, B.C., where it would be loaded onto supertankers bound for growing energy markets in Asia.
Enbridge has already been hard at work to ensure that the ban did not succeed today. According to information secured by the Prince George Citizen, Enbridge is footing the bill for a northern front group to create community support for its pipeline project. The Northern Gateway Alliance is the brainchild of Enbridge who fear opposition to their profitable pipeline project. The chair of the astroturf Alliance, former Prince George mayor Colin Kinsley, is even on Enbridge's payroll.
MORE:
http://www.desmogblog.com/
canada-votes-ban-tar-sands-oil-tankers-british-columbias-coast
==================
3. It's industry vs. residents in shale gas development
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/ ... le/1329978
Published Tuesday November 30th, 2010
Resources: Government trying to find compromise between competing interests
A1 BRETT BUNDALE TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL
FREDERICTON - The Progressive Conservative government is under increasing pressure to pick a side in what one observer is calling a David and Goliath story pitting rural New Brunswick residents against powerful resource companies.
Yet Natural Resources Minister Bruce Northrup insists he will strike a compromise between industry and the public on the future of shale gas in New Brunswick.
"Industry is on one side, landowners are on the other and we're in the middle," he said on Monday from his Kings East riding office.
Critics of shale gas are concerned with the contamination of drinking water, loud drilling noises and environmental damage.
They are urging government to halt exploration, hydro-fracking and natural gas development until tougher regulations are brought in that safeguard the environment and communities.
MORE:
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/ ... le/1329978
===================
4. High Fives: New York Legislature Approves Fracking Moratorium
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/
371106/high_fives:_new_york_legislature_approves_fracking_moratorium/
By Tara Lohan | Sourced from AlterNet Posted at November 30, 2010, 10:26 am
I wrote last week about an incredible effort by the Working Families Party and other allies to help turn up the heat in New York State on the controversial practice of "fracking" by gas drilling companies. In a huge victory last night the New York Assembly voted 93 to 43 for a temporary moratorium on the practice (until May of next year) so that the environmental impacts can be better assessed. This comes after states like Pennsylvania, which allow fracking have reported numerous environmental violations, most especially, threats to ground and surface water.
New York's senate passed a similar bill several months ago and now the fracking moratorium awaits the signature of Gov. Patterson -- you can urge him to sign this legislation by calling his office at 518-474-8390.
As the Working Families Party reports:
At the time the bill passed last night, more than 52,000 New Yorkers had signed the petition urging the Assembly to act. We joined an incredible alliance of Frack Action, Environmental Advocates, MoveOn.org, Mark Ruffalo, Pete Seeger, Assemblymembers Robert Sweeney and Steve Englebright, Borough President Scott Stringer, and so many others to pass a bill that everyone thought was dead -- first through the New York State Senate, then the Assembly.
MORE:
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/371106/
high_fives:_new_york_legislature_approves_fracking_moratorium/
= = = = = =
New York State Assembly Passes Hydraulic Fracturing Moratorium
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/
stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201011301116dowjonesdjonline000226&title=new-york-state-assembly-passes-hydraulic-fracturing-moratorium
By Matt Day, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES Nov. 30, 2010
NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- The New York State Assembly passed a bill late Monday banning new hydraulic fracturing in the state until May 2011 to allow time for further study of the oil and natural gas drilling technique.
The state senate approved the ban in August, and Gov. David Paterson is widely expected to approve the measure. The bill bans state regulators from issuing new drilling permits for wells that would use hydraulic fracturing until May 15 "to afford the state and its residents the opportunity to continue the review and analysis of the effects of hydraulic fracturing on water and air quality, environmental safety and public health."
The technique, in which a mix of water, sand and chemicals is pumped at high pressure to break up shale rock formations deep underground and access the oil and gas trapped within, has drawn scrutiny from environmental advocacy groups and regulators for potential risks to drinking water and other environmental effects.
The procedure has allowed oil and natural gas companies in recent years to gain access to the massive gas reserves held in shale formations, including the Marcellus shale, which lies underneath much of New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Opponents of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have called for further study of the technique's environmental effects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is studying hydraulic fracturing, and expects to release its findings in 2012.
MORE:
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/
stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201011301116dowjonesdjonline000226&title=new-york-state-assembly-passes-hydraulic-fracturing-moratorium
========================
5. Industry backs voluntary disclosure of fracking chemicals through states
Mike Soraghan, E&E reporter (12/03/2010)
ALTERNATE SOURCE:
http://www.anga.us/media-room/press-releases/2010/12/
anga,-ipaa,-axpc-endorse-state-based-registry-for-disclosure-of-hydraulic-fracturing-chemicals
Oil and gas drilling companies have made another move toward voluntary public disclosure of hydraulic-fracturing chemicals by uniting behind state regulators' efforts to create a national registry of the chemicals.
The registry is intended as a template for a state-based system of public disclosure. It comes amid increasing calls from lawmakers, environmental groups and other activists for the federal government to require disclosure.
"The work that our member companies have put into reaching a consensus to participate in this registry is testament to the commitment they have made to making these disclosures and earning the public trust," said Bruce Thompson, president of the American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC).
The Independent Petroleum Association of America and America's Natural Gas Alliance joined AXPC in endorsing the effort of the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission to develop a disclosure registry.
"The natural gas community is committed to the safe and responsible development of this clean energy resource," said ANGA President and CEO Regina Hopper. "That commitment means being responsive to the questions raised in communities where we work. It is our hope that with this greater transparency will come greater public confidence in the safety of the hydraulic fracturing process."
But environmentalists say the agreement on voluntary disclosure is no substitute for requiring every driller, including those who do not abide by trade association practices, to publicly disclose fracturing chemicals.
ALTERNATE SOURCE:
http://www.anga.us/media-room/press-releases/2010/12/
anga,-ipaa,-axpc-endorse-state-based-registry-for-disclosure-of-hydraulic-fracturing-chemicals
===================
6. Pennsylvania Gas Drillers Dumping Radioactive Waste in New York
http://www.alternet.org/story/148962/
By Peter Mantius, DC Bureau
Posted on November 24, 2010, Printed on November 30, 2010
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Trucks hauling rock cuttings from drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation in Pennsylvania regularly cross the New York State border these days to dump in the Chemung County Landfill seven miles east of Elmira.
The Marcellus formation is characterized by unusually high readings of naturally occurring radioactive material, or NORM, so most of the cuttings are probably radioactive. The Chemung Landfill, a former gravel pit, has never been licensed to handle low-level radioactive waste.
So how can the landfill’s private operators get clearance from the county and state environmental regulators to become a regional dump for radioactive drilling wastes?
The short answer: Provide the revenue-hungry county a rich payout, exploit a legal loophole, and presto, it’s a done deal.
The longer answer: Regulations haven’t kept pace with the recent widespread use of an invasive new drilling technology used to tap the Marcellus.
“There are many aspects of this new industrial activity that outpace existing regs. Radiological regulation is just one of them,” said Anthony Ingraffea, a Cornell University geology professor who has tracked the evolution of natural gas drilling for decades.
The latest variation of hydraulic fracturing now commonly used in Marcellus shale mining in Pennsylvania has never been allowed in New York State, but it is expected to be approved soon. Ingraffea said the New York Department of Environmental Conservation will need broader legal authority and a much deeper staff to cope with its considerable side effects.
But the DEC isn’t there yet, so there are legal gray areas that provide opportunities, and Casella Waste Systems is mining them.
MORE:
http://www.alternet.org/story/148962/
======================
7. Shale gas supply expected to keep US prices low in 2011
http://www.ogj.com/index/article-displa ... /articles/
oil-gas-journal/drilling-production-2/2010/12/shale-gas_supply_expected.html
Dec 3, 2010 Bob Tippee OGJ Editor
HOUSTON, Dec. 3 -- While another year of price distress awaits US producers of natural gas from shale reservoirs, technology has lowered breakeven thresholds of important plays, speakers said at an industry conference in Houston.
Beyond next year, said Dan Pickering, copresident of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. LLC, $4/Mcf gas is unsustainable. In the long term, he explained, a commodity's price must cover the highest cost in the most expensive 25-30% of supply needed to meet demand. For that part of the projected supply spectrum in 2013, Pickering said, the breakeven price with a 10% before-income-tax rate of return ranges from just less than $6/Mcf to slightly more than $8/Mcf.
Pickering told the Decision Strategies Oilfield Breakfast Forum that current price weakness results from a supply jump rooted in surprisingly high levels of drilling and drilling efficiency since 2009.
Despite low gas prices, drilling stayed high in 2010 because of lease obligations, protection of producers against price weakness by hedges, and a surge in the formation of joint ventures with drilling commitments.
Those factors will begin to subside in 2011, Pickering said. For example, less production will be hedged, so "industry will be much more exposed to gas prices in 2011" and therefore more inclined to reduce drilling if prices stay low.
MORE:
http://www.ogj.com/index/article-displa ... /articles/
oil-gas-journal/drilling-production-2/2010/12/shale-gas_supply_expected.html
====================
8. US natural gas drilling boom linked to pollution and social strife
http://www.theecologist.org/trial_inves ... ns/687515/
us_natural_gas_drilling_boom_linked_to_pollution_and_social_strife.html
Jim Wickens 30th November, 2010
The gas stored in the Marcellus Shale formation is the subject of desperate drilling to secure US domestic energy supplies. But the process involved - hydraulic fracturing - is the focus of a bitter dispute over environmental damage and community rights
It is a timeless patchwork of small dairy farms and endless hills, emblazoned with the blood-red tints of an autumnal Pennsylvania forest. Set against this sleepy backdrop, however, the constant convoys of water trucks rumbling along the deserted country roads suggest something profound is taking place. This is ‘fracking’ country, the latest frontier in America’s desperate search for fossil fuels.
Pioneered by companies such as Halliburton, high-volume horizontal slickwater fracturing – otherwise known as hydraulic fracturing, or simply fracking – involves the drilling of horizontal wells that are then injected with large volumes of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure to open up rock fractures and help propel rock-trapped gas back to the surface. For landowners, those in the gas industry and governments of cash-strapped US states that find themselves sitting on the gas-rich lines of the Marcellus Shale rock formation, this new technique has opened up lucrative opportunities and created a rush unseen for decades. Vast reserves of previously untappable natural gas, perhaps in excess of 50 trillion cubic feet of gas, can now be extracted on US soil, and the arguments used by advocates of fracking seem impressive.
MORE:
http://www.theecologist.org/trial_inves ... ns/687515/
us_natural_gas_drilling_boom_linked_to_pollution_and_social_strife.html
=======================
9. Europe's scramble for gas sees controversial hydraulic fracturing cross the Atlantic
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/687549/
europes_scramble_for_gas_sees_controversial_hydraulic_fracturing_cross_the_atlantic.html
Luke Starr 30th November,2010
In the US, gas-extraction in the Marcellus Shale has been linked to pollution and social conflict. Now Halliburton, Chevron and Exxon, among others, want to bring the so-called 'fracking' process to Europe, reports Luke Starr
Despite growing evidence from the US of a raft of negative environmental and social consequences of drilling for natural gas using the controversial hydraulic fracturing process, European energy companies are scrambling to secure licenses to roll out extraction projects this side of the Atlantic.
Hydraulic fracturing – also known as ‘fracking’ – is a process used in the vast majority of natural gas wells in the US, where millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground to break apart rock formations and release gas. Experts have increasingly expressed concern that the chemicals used in fracking may pose a threat underground or when waste fluids are transported or spilled.
As in the US, shale gas is being increasingly seen as a way to sever links with a volatile provider, only in Europe's case it is not Middle Eastern oil sheikhs but oligarchs at Russian giant Gazprom.
In August, US energy corporation Halliburton carried out the first hydraulic fracturing of a well in Poland on behalf of the state-owned Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG). Energy consultancy Wood MacKenzie estimates the country's reserves could stand at 1.4 trillion cubic meters. The high numbers have got US companies Exxon and Chevron scrambling to drill test wells alongside smaller companies such as Three Leg Resources from the Isle of Man.
With more than half of Poland's energy needs supplied by coal, shale gas is seen as a way drastically to cut national CO2 emissions in line with EU targets. According to Dr Andrzej Kassenberg of the Institute of Sustainable Development thinktank, replacing coal power plants with gas would cut emissions by as much as 75 million metric tonnes.
MORE:
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/687549/
europes_scramble_for_gas_sees_controversial_hydraulic_fracturing_cross_the_atlantic.html
=========================
10. LETTER: SHIELDS: It's Our Own Fault!!
Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 08:57:07 -0700
From: lagran <lagran@shaw.ca>
To: bill boyd <minister.er@gov.sk.ca>, Minister, EMPR EMPR:EX
<EMPR.Minister@gov.bc.ca>, <minister.energy@gov.ab.ca>
CC: <acameron@neb-one.gc.ca>, "Alberta Activism" <albertaactivism@shaw.ca>, "flaherty" <flaherty.j@parl.gc.ca>, "goodale" <goodale.r@parl.gc.ca>
This story by Regan Boychuk where he compares the energy industry developers to real estate agents should not be great news to Albertans. Our "wee-mouse" as Premier came to power with promises of gaining a better royalty deal for the Alberta public, and insuring bitumen would be upgraded at source. What happened? Unlike the folks in Newfoundland who stood solidly behind "Danny" when he took on the energy giants, Albertans, especially the printed press, cowardly backed the "big-money" leaving our poor "wee mouse" backing down on both royalties, and indeed using private funds to promote the export of raw bitumen!
The real shock came when Saskatchewan decided they must "Dumb-Down" to the same level as Alberta, to keep their energy program progressing!! Although natural gas prices greatly affected Alberta and British Columbia, CAPP was able to have Saskatchewan government folks believe they needed drilling incentives to proceed with further development of the sweet light Bakken oil discovery!! Without reasoning that industry in Saskatchewan had a full compliment of infrastructure, and a decided advantage in export distance, Saskatchewan government forgave royalties on flush production on horizontal wells to a sinful degree.
And the printed and vocal news in Saskatchewan remain unaware of the hi-way robbery undertaken daily right under their nose. Concerned deeply about loosing potash penny royalties, while willing giving the rich energy sector billions in funds that belong to Saskatchewan citizens!!
Do we need a national energy program? Just view the energy industry profits in Alberta, with respect to our government deficits and health care programs, to come to who in Alberta is treated far and away too generous!! Perhaps "Danny" would consult to western provinces to gain for their public what our government clowns are afraid to tackle. "Danny" would very quickly point out the press members and any public or private bodies undercutting his attempts at gaining what is in the public interest in all western Provinces!!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, Alberta
- - - - -
Generosity for energy sector, tough times for everyone else
As industry rakes in billions, public services are cut and deficit grows
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/
Generosity+energy+sector+tough+times+everyone+else/
3928455/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
By Regan Boychuk, Freelance December 4, 2010
After a long string of billions in drilling incentives and royalty holidays for the oilpatch over the last two years, the latest provincial budget update recently confirmed the $5-billion scale of Alberta's expected deficit.
Already enduring a recession and a variety of cuts to public services, Albertans have every reason to expect more of the same from the Progressive Conservative government: generosity for the oilpatch, discipline for citizens.
A new report from the Parkland Institute -- Misplaced Generosity: Extraordinary Profits in Alberta's Oil and Gas Industry -- takes a closer look at whether the oilpatch was in need of those handouts, and asks some tough questions about the scale of their profits and how the Stelmach government has managed this province's most important economic file.
Let's not forget: the oilpatch doesn't own the oil, natural gas, or bitumen. Albertans own the resources. In this sense, Albertans are like homeowners. The oilpatch is like a real estate agent. We hire them to sell our property for us. We pay these oilpatch "real estate agents" well: We cover all of their costs and grant them a reasonable additional profit.
And we keep them busy: We sold about $700 billion worth of homes (oil/natural gas/bitumen) between 1999 and 2008.
MORE:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/
Generosity+energy+sector+tough+times+everyone+else/
3928455/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
====================
11. REALLY BAD LEGISLATIONS IN ALBERTA (STALINIST-LIKE ELEMENTS in BILLS 19 & 36, a fundamental power grab from municipalities)
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-AlbertaLegislations.html
This website has never characterized or identified the actions of any government in Canada with such strong language. But the valid suggestion comes directly from the Alberta website, Real Agriculture. (http://realagriculture.com, under word search "soviet union", and its resultant web page)
Consider the following analysis and descriptive comments by Alberta lawyer Keith Wilson recorded in a 15-minute radio interview posted on that web site - you may not believe your own ears!:
http://realagriculture.com/2010/12/01/
is-this-alberta-or-the-formersoviet-union-the-land-stewardship-act-is-unbelievable/
The province of Alberta, under the "Progressive" Conservative Party, passed Bill 36 in 2009. American-born Ted Morton, who recently ran for Premier of Alberta, was the author of the legislation.
(Check out backgrounders on Morton. I.e.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Morton)
Keith Wilson summarizes that the legislation "overrides or takes away many of the important responsibilities that municipalities and communities have as leaders on land use planning in their communities".
Under Section 11 of Bill 36, it grants power to the government of Alberta, under new Regional Plans, to "extinguish" "land titles", "free-hold mineral titles", "water licenses", "grazing leases", "development permits", "area structure plans", "sub-division approvals", "pipeline permits", etc.
Under Section 19, it states that no compensation is payable.
Under Section 15, an Albertan has "no right of any recourse to the Courts, and the Courts have no authority to grant you any remedy!"
Wilson, who undertook a research paper the Legal Society on Bills 19 and 36, states that "these are drastic provisions, unprecedented in a Western Parliamentary Democracy".
The question put to Wilson in the radio interview by Shaun Haney was on whether there was the possibility of the misuse of power under these legislations. Wilson states:
Absolutely. History has shown us is that is what happens. ... This notion of centralized planning has been tried before ... it's been tried in eastern Europe, and history has shown that it is a complete failure! The further you move away from moving power and decision-making away from the people that are affected by the decisions, the less effective those decisions are and you get poorer decision-making. ... The problem is Section 17, sub 4, of the Land Stewardship Act, Bill 36, says the Land Stewardship Act trumps every other Act. It's paramount! It wipes out those protections! It allows the Cabinet to use their authority under the Land Stewardship Act to do whatever they want! Just because there is protections in these other laws, they don't apply, because Section 17, subsection 4, says the Regional Plan trumps! One of the hallmarks of the British Tradition, whether its Britain, whether in fact it's the United States, whether it's Australia or countries in Europe, is that we have the Courts there to protect citizens and their property from capricious and arbitrary acts of government. That is one of their fundamental roles. If you feel a government has treated you badly, you can go to a court and put it to a judge. That's the hallmark of one of our freedoms, and they've taken it away through Section 15.
This legislation is 'retroactive'. Normally legislation applies going forward. ... Another principal of our legal system is non-retroactivity. This legislation is written to be expressly retroactive. ... That's why it is so troubling for me, and the many other lawyers who have read this legislation, that's what it says, and it is exceptionally difficult to believe that this government, let alone any thinking government, would pass this type of law.
Let me put one other point on the table. In view of the awareness that is growing, because the Regional Planning process is now on in southern Alberta - it's game time for people down there - the government is saying, 'Oh, don't worry, the Bill of Rights will protect you.' That's completely false. The Alberta Bill of Rights will not protect you. The Courts have been clear ... have consistently said if a Legislature enacts a piece of legislation, such as Bill 36, that provides a mechanism for property to be taken, and that same legislation provides either no mechanism for compensation or says no compensation is payable, the Bill of Rights won't protect you. This notion - oh, don't worry, these
bad things with these new powers, you won't be harmed by it because you can protect yourself by claming the Bill of Rights - is legally false, it's incorrect, it's wrong.
Under this legislation "there is no opportunity for an appeal if Cabinet designates your land as 'change of use', and any of your existing rights are taken".
The legislations may largely and assumedly benefit energy companies operating in Alberta.
WHERE IS WESTERN CANADA HEADED?
Remember what the BC Liberals did in British Columbia in 2006?
They passed Bill 30, overriding the intervening Land Use Decision powers by Third Level governments (Regional Districts, Municipalities) on issues related to Run of River hydro-electric development proposals. Remember how incensed the Union of B.C. Municipalities was and how the provincial government simply ignored its conference resolution concerns as the developments were happily proceeding and unfolding? (while removing and revising provincial environmental legislations and regulations). What is presently occurring in Alberta is a more severe or radical sort of legislation. Lawyer Keith Wilson says, before the occurrence of the upcoming election (and the possibility of a new government being elected and then removing this draconian legislation), is that the present legislation should be immediately REPEALED!
Here are the words printed on the Alberta web site, Real Agriculture, by Shaun Haney:
I have to admit that I have missed the boat on this one. I have been hearing many different people talk about the Land Stewardship Act and why as a farmer you should be concerned about it. At first glance I thought it had to do with re-classifying land for environmental concerns but the reality is that it is way more than that. The cabinet has given itself the power to re-classify land depending on what it deems as the best for it’s long term area planning. This essentially takes the power out of the hands of the local municipalities and has potentially very negative affects for agriculture, oil patch and acreage owners.
Yesterday I interviewed Keith Wilson, Wilson Law Office, about Bill 36 – Land Stewardship Act and why as a landowner in Alberta you need to be very concerned about what the PC cabinet is trying or going to do. The interview is 15 minutes but believe me you will not believe what you are hearing.
If you cannot see the below embedded video, click here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EdIAsAi9v4
As Keith Wilson mentions in the interview, it is hard to believe that the provincial government is actually granting itself this kind of power. To be able to have this kind of power in people that are potentially so detached from the ground floors of reality is incredibly dangerous and scary. Giving the provincial cabinet the power to re-classify land without even the consideration for appeal or compensation is ridiculous. This kind of central planning seems to be the philosophy for the Stelmach government. Why are we moving to central planning in Alberta? Whether it is health super boards or central land planning, the government seems to think that it can do a better job than local health boards or municipalities. Being able to overrule pre-approved NRCB permits or disregarding how land has been used for 100 years is what this bill accomplishes for the government.
I suggest that you take the time to listen to the 15 minute interview above with Keith Wilson and get engaged in the outrage towards this bill. Apparently in Alberta, your land is not your land. The Alberta Government has decided that they are now the decision makers for land use in the province and there is essentially nothing that you can do about it. Welcome to the Soviet Union…..errrrrr……..Alberta.
========================
12. Tories signal they'll OK new mine - Eastern Slopes project stirs controversy
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Torie ... they+mine/
3927767/story.html
BY KELLY CRYDERMAN, CALGARY HERALD DECEMBER 4, 2010
The Alberta government is signalling it favours a proposed mining project in the Eastern Slopes, calling it a "required resource in the region."
Speaking of Micrex Development Corp.'s application to mine magnetite at the foot of the Livingstone Mountain range southwest of Calgary, Sustainable Resource Development Minister Mel Knight also said development across Alberta won't wait for the government's land-use framework to be implemented.
"You can't stop the province and hold it in abeyance and wait for the plans," Knight said in reaction to questions from the Opposition.
"There is ongoing opportunities for development in the Eastern Slopes, and that will, again, continue," Knight said.
However, critics say before any major development projects are approved anywhere, the province needs to wait for the land-use framework – an overarching government land plan meant to direct orderly development across Alberta -- to start working.
Exactly two years after the government released its final plan to the public, little progress has been made.
"In Alberta, we have a tremendous amount of pressure to do resource development. And I understand the need to do that. But there is a certain tipping point," Alberta Liberal MLA Kent Hehr said. "The land-use framework, in my view, is necessary to protect what's left."
The final land-use framework was unveiled in December 2008, when then Sustainable Resource Development Minister Ted Morton declared future development decisions -- whether they be residential or industrial -- "will no longer be done on a one-off basis. It will be looked in a broader context of what's anticipated for the coming several decades."
The stated purpose of the plan was "to manage growth, not to stop it."
MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Torie ... they+mine/
3927767/story.html
===================
13. Crying foul over Calmar gas well
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/
Crying+foul+over+Calmar+well/3931720/story.html
Calmar residents upset about lack of compensation, loss of property values
By Hanneke Brooymans, edmontonjournal.com December 6, 2010
QUOTE: “Have you ever been on the albertawellregistry.com website?” The website front page says, “Avoid the heartache of Calmar.”
EDMONTON — Imperial Oil will start knocking down homes in Calmar this week as it prepares to fix a previously abandoned well that leaked into one home’s backyard in 2008.
The company bought three of the five homes in Evergreen Crescent that it needs to complete the project and is still in mediated negotiations for the other two homes.
Some neighbours say they are unhappy they won’t receive compensation. They say they face not only the noise and inconvenience of the demolition but also loss of value to their properties.
They feel that someone should be held responsible for the situation they’re in. The group has hired a lawyer, who recently took their views town council recently.
“I’m hoping they can relocate us, compensate us,” said Ralph Olson, referring to the town and Imperial Oil. He expects his home in Evergreen Crescent to be next to the rig that will move in to fix the well.
“Obviously, some people feel more affected than other people,” Olson said. “But the unfortunate part is it’s going to affect everybody over time. It is affecting the price of homes in Calmar in general.
MORE:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/
Crying+foul+over+Calmar+well/3931720/story.html
===================
14. WikiLeaks Reveals State Department Discord Over U.S. Support for Canadian Tar Sands Oil Program
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/12/07-3
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2010 10:32 AM
CONTACT: Friends of The Earth [1]
Kelly Trout, 202-222-0722, ktrout@foe.org [2]
Alex Moore, 202-222-0733, amoore@foe.org [3]
Leaked cable warns of tar sands oil's 'higher environmental footprint' as agency considers pipeline that would double U.S. dependence on it
WASHINGTON - December 7 - A diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks has revealed that a U.S. diplomat warned the Obama administration about significant environmental impacts stemming from Canada's controversial tar sands oil production program.
The language in the cable contradicts recent statements by U.S. State Department officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that underplay the environmental impacts of tar sands oil while defending a proposed pipeline that would bring the extremely polluting oil from Canada to the U.S.
In the January 2009 cable [4], which was prepared for President Obama and Secretary Clinton in advance of the president's first trip to Canada, the diplomat states that Canada has "keen sensitivity over the higher environmental footprint of oil from western Canada's oil sands." The diplomat goes on to warn the president that among Canadian officials there is "concern about the implications for Canada of your energetic calls to develop renewable energies and reduce our reliance on imported oil."
This candid admission of the impacts of tar sands oil production, which results in three times more global warming pollution than production of conventional oil, differs markedly from the description of tar sands oil given by the State Department in public documents.
In its draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared to analyze the Keystone XL pipeline project, which would pump tar sands oil from Canada through six U.S. states to refineries in Texas, the State Department claims that tar sands oil is "similar" to other oils and that the impact of increasing reliance on tar sands oil "would be minor." Despite the fact that her agency is still completing its final EIS, Secretary Clinton has stated that she is "inclined" to approve the pipeline.
"It's hard to understand why State Department officials in Washington, D.C. would deny a problem acknowledged by the expert on the ground," said Alex Moore, dirty fuels campaigner at Friends of the Earth. "Tar sands oil production takes an unacceptable toll on the environment and public health and should not be supported by the U.S. government."
Marcie Keever, legal director at Friends of the Earth, added, "It appears as though the State Department sought to deceive the American public about the environmental impacts of tar sands oil in conducting its draft Environmental Impact Statement on the Keystone XL pipeline. The department is required by law to fully evaluate potential environmental impacts, including the extreme levels of pollution produced by tar sands oil."
"Failure to fully assess the environmental impacts of this tar sands oil pipeline would violate the National Environmental Policy Act and leave the agency vulnerable to litigation," concluded Keever.
If approved by the Obama administration, the Keystone XL pipeline would pump 900,000 barrels of tar sands oil into the U.S. daily, doubling our country's consumption of tar sands oil and leading to additional global warming emissions equal to adding more than 6 million new cars to U.S. roads.
The leaked cable warning of tar sands oil’s impact is available at:
http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2009/01/09OTTAWA64.html [4]
The State Department’s draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline is available at:
http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov [5]
More information about the Keystone XL pipeline is available at:
http://www.foe.org/keystone-xl-pipeline [6]
###
Friends of the Earth [1] is the U.S. voice of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, with member groups in 77 countries. Since 1969, Friends of the Earth has fought to create a more healthy, just world.
Friends of The Earth Links: Homepage [1]FOE (Press Center) [7]FOE (Action Center) [8]
=======================
15. WATCH: Black Blood – Tainted Land and Dying Caribou
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loca ... /20101125/
bc_first_story_1303_101125/20101125/?hub=BritishColumbiaSpecialEvent3
By: ctvbc.ca Date: Thursday Nov. 25, 2010 4:49 PM PT
For some First nations in Northeastern B.C., living with oil spills and contaminated sites have become a daily routine. With projects like the Enbridge pipeline on the way -- what does the future hold for B.C.'s fragile landscape?
CTV's First Story gives you Black Blood -- the untold story of tainted land and dying caribou.
=========================
16. Beaver Lake Cree Nation adds its voice to those outraged by BP/Husky Sunrise tar sands project
http://www.raventrust.com/blog/2010-12/
beaver-lake-cree-nation-adds-its-voice-to-those-outraged-by-bp-husky-sunrise-tar-sands-project.html
December 3, 2010, Lac La Biche, Alberta - As oil giant BP and its partner Husky Energy Inc. announced plans to move forward with the large-scale Sunrise project, Beaver Lake Cree Nation’s Chief and Council say the extraction project demonstrates why First Nations need to remain strong in the fight to stop the ecologically disastrous plan.
Beaver Lake Cree Nation Chief Lameman said Monday’s announcement that Sunrise will proceed came as a shock, given BP’s poor record for environmental management strategies. “Once again we are very disappointed and dismayed at the growing lack of concern and disrespect that is being shown to our Mother Earth and to us as the Indigenous Peoples and the true stewards of the land. This continues to happen despite the growing scientific knowledge and proof such as the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf, the major oil spill in the American Midwest and the recent repeated incident with the waterfowl at the tar sands and others that are too numerous to name. “It falls to us as stewards of the land to stand in the path of these projects, and hold government accountable for allowing them to proceed at the cost of our land, animals and water,” said Chief Lameman. “We launched a court action in May 2008 and we intend to see it through to keep companies like BP from destroying our traditional territories and rendering our guaranteed treaty rights to hunt, fish, trap and gather meaningless.”
It is reported the oil company expects Sunrise to pump 200,000 barrels a day by 2020. BP put the project on hold several times because of concerns raised by activist shareholders about the high concentration of greenhouse gases and toxic waste that pose an environmental risk.
Said Chief Lameman,“It is because of projects like this that we no longer see caribou in our territory.
We were forced to take a separate legal action to protect the caribou and if these developments are allowed to continue at an unmitigated rate, we will have to take action to also protect our moose, our deer, our fish and our birds.”
MORE:
http://www.raventrust.com/blog/2010-12/
beaver-lake-cree-nation-adds-its-voice-to-those-outraged-by-bp-husky-sunrise-tar-sands-project.html
-========================
17. Oil patch yogurt ad not misleading, council says
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/
oil-patch-yogurt-ad-not-misleading-council-says/article1818855/
NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE Calgary— Globe and Mail Update
Last updated Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 11:54AM EST
The Alberta oil patch has avoided potential embarrassment after Advertising Standards Canada ruled that an advertisement that compared toxic oil sands effluent to yogurt did not mislead viewers.
The Sierra Club of Canada had complained that the ad was a “greenwashing” attempt to untruthfully make the oil sands sound environmentally benign. The ad featured a Suncor Energy Inc. SU-T employee named Shelley Powell, who in a spot about tailings – a key issue confronting the oil sands – said they are “essentially like yogurt.”
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, which created the ad, said Ms. Powell was attempting to describe the consistency of tailings. Advertising Standards Canada, which uses volunteers from advertisers, ad agencies, media and the public to consider contentious promotional material, agreed.
“Following an extensive review of the commercial, the majority of Council did not find the particular claim in question was misleading in terms of the [Canadian] Code [of Advertising Standards],” the Janet Feasby, vice-president of standards, wrote in a letter Monday. “They found that Ms. Powell’s reference to yogurt referred only to the apparent physical consistency of the tailings and did not humanize or soft pedal the more controversial aspects surrounding tailings.”
CAPP has since pulled the English version of the ad, although the French version – complete with a comparison to yogurt – remains on its website.
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/
oil-patch-yogurt-ad-not-misleading-council-says/article1818855/
=======================
18. BP Hails 'Significant Milestone' in Canadian Oil Sands Plan
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/30
by Agence France Presse Published on Tuesday, November 30, 2010
LONDON - British energy giant BP has welcomed key progress in its plan controversially to extract oil from Canadian sands, with a company spokesman on Tuesday describing the step as a "significant milestone".
Canadian group Husky Energy, BP's joint-venture partner, said on Monday that it was giving the go-ahead for the project's first phase.
A BP spokesman said the move was "a significant milestone" for the British company.
"We will now move forward . . . leading to first production in 2014," he told AFP.
At an estimated 175 billion barrels, Alberta's oil sands are the second largest oil reserve in the world behind Saudi Arabia, but they were neglected for years, except by local companies, because of high extraction costs.
Since 2000, skyrocketing crude oil prices and improved extraction methods have made exploitation more economical, and have lured several multinational oil companies to mine the sands.
But environmentalists oppose extraction from sands, claiming it produces three to five times more carbon emissions than conventional oil production and pollutes waterways.
BP, which was at the heart of an environmental crisis earlier this year due to a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, has said that the oil or tar sands project is crucial in helping meet the world's energy needs up to
2030.
MORE:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/30
===================
19. CAPP Not Happy With Greenpeace Making Fun of Their Propoganda Ads Oil industry condemns Greenpeace satire
http://www.albertasurfacerights.org/articles/?id=613
Last Updated: Saturday, December 4, 2010 | 4:31 PM
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says Greenpeace has gone too far in its latest attack on the oilsands industry.
In an online contest posted on Facebook, Greenpeace is encouraging people to take aim at a CAPP ad campaign launched earlier this year that shows oilsands workers talking about land reclamation and environmental cleanup in the industry.
Greenpeace is encouraging people to create mash-ups or remixes, using videos from CAPP's campaign. One spoof video posted to the group's Facebook page depicts a biologist saying she will probably die of cancer and her family will be paid money to keep quiet.
CAPP spokesperson Janet Annesley said the ads go too far.
- - - SNIP - - - -
Hudema said more ads are on the way and Greenpeace will continue posting them.
Greenpeace has not been contacted by CAPP about the ads, he added.
=======================
20. LETTER: SHIELDS: Wrong Pipeline Enbridge!!
From: lagran
To: Prime Minister/Premier ministre ; Layton, Jack - M.P. ; iggy
Cc: Minister, EMPR EMPR:EX ; goodale ; flaherty ; bill boyd ; Jerry Bellikka ; jmorales@neb-one.gc.ca ; acameron@neb-one.gc.ca
Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2010 4:54 PM
Subject: Wrong Pipeline Enbridge!!
With a record like Enbridge has with trying to pump bitumen slurry in the U.S. it is no wonder there exists some environmental concerns with the idea of this slurry reaching our coastal waters. Bitumen should be upgraded to a nice light synthetic oil as close to source as possible, not mixed with diluents to make a pump-able mixture and that abrasive slurry pumped over the entire North American continent. Asian interest that require bitumen product as a energy source, should be encouraged to build upgraders at source, with the understanding all synthetic product produced through these upgraders would be delivered to those that spent the capital to upgrade at source. Enbridge would be far wiser to try to get a natural gas pipeline to coastal waters to revive the natural gas business, and start Canada into the LNG business!!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, Alta.
= = = = = =
Environmental fears dog Enbridge pipeline plan
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
environmental-fears-dog-enbridge-pipeline-plan/article1819723/
SHAWN McCARTHY — GLOBAL ENERGY REPORTER
OTTAWA— From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 7:13PM EST
Last updated Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 8:09 pm
Enbridge Inc. (ENB-T57.820.681.19%) is facing a new hurdle to its controversial plan to export oil sands crude to Asia, as pressure builds on the government to impose a ban on supertanker traffic in northern B.C. waters.
Doubts are growing within the industry about Enbridge’s ability to gain regulatory approvals for its $5.5-billion Northern Gateway pipeline, which would traverse 1,100 kilometres of wild terrain to Kitimat, B.C., where supertankers would load the oil sands bitumen for Pacific markets.
In Ottawa on Tuesday, Liberal and New Democratic Party MPs allied themselves with the West Coast native groups and environmentalists to oppose the pipeline, and urged Prime Minister Stephen Harper to legislate a ban on crude tanker traffic.
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
environmental-fears-dog-enbridge-pipeline-plan/article1819723/
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9144
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
FRACKING NEWS: December 10, 2010
by Oscar » Fri Dec 10, 2010 5:24 pm
FRACKING NEWS: December 10, 2010
1. Environment Commissioner to hold Public Meetings with RCEN members: St. John’s, NFLD on Dec. 15 and Halifax, NS on Dec. 16
2. Commitment problems
3. BEST DECEMBER LAND SALE EVER CAPS BOUNCE-BACK YEAR FOR INDUSTRY (MORE FRACKING IN SASKATCHEWAN! )
4. EnCana to enter plea in Pouce Coupe leak
5. Encana chips in to help prevent human/bear interactions
6. Onondaga Nation faces new environmental threat: Fracking
7. What’s the future for fracking?
8. Is the controversial extraction of shale gas by fracking safe?
9. ‘Rotten egg’ odor rekindles Silt-area debate on gas fracking
10. Mark Ruffalo on Those Terror Watch List Stories
11. Secrecy of Fracking Chemicals Takes Beltway Spotlight
12. Experts agree: Fracking moratorium 'symbolic'/Related Articles
13. The fracking fracas
14. EPA Issues an Imminent and Substantial Endangerment Order to Protect Drinking Water in Southern Parker County
15. Gas: the bridge to nowhere?
16. Controversial gas 'fracking' extraction headed to Europe
17. Russian Gas to Fall Short of European Demand, Physicist Predicts
18. A scramble for the Arctic
19. Americans warn of pipeline danger
20. 'Enbridge go home,' say B.C. natives - 'This project isn't going anywhere'
21. Oil and water: A risky mix
22. Prestigious journal calls oil sands an ‘environmentalist’s nightmare’
23. At National Oil Spill Commission Meeting, We Share Our Preliminary Findings
24. Nebraska lawmakers hold hearing on Keystone pipeline
25. No thanks to oilsands
==================
1. Environment Commissioner to hold Public Meetings with RCEN members: St. John’s, NFLD on Dec. 15 and Halifax, NS on Dec. 16
http://us1.campaign-archive.com/
?u=e873a49b0f734d2e0b87b7fb8&id=f5844a0f58&e=de5b94c2c0
The RCEN is working with the Office of the Auditor General to organize a series of meetings between the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, and members of the public and the RCEN’s Affiliate Networks.
Come meet the Commissioner, Scott Vaughan, at the events listed below next week in the Maritimes.
The Commissioner will be presenting findings from his 2010 Fall Report to Parliament
[ http://www.cen-rce.org/ebulletin/announceb.html ],
followed by a question and answer session.
The report, released on December 7th, covers three important topics: the federal government’s ability to respond to oil spills from ships; monitoring of freshwater from lakes and rivers; and the government’s readiness to respond to the impacts of a changing climate.
December 15th at 7:00pm in St. John’s, Newfoundland
Hosted by: Newfoundland & Labrador Environmental Network and Grenfell College’s Environmental Policy Unit
Where: Junior Common Room, Gushue Hall, Memorial University, St. John's
December 16th at 7:00pm in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Hosted by: Nova Scotia Environmental Network
Where: Veith House, 3115 Veith Street, Halifax
==================
2. Commitment problems
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/
Commitment+problems/3949643/story.html
THE OTTAWA CITIZEN DECEMBER 9, 2010
In the weeks since Conservative senators, without any debate, decided to kill climate change legislation known as Bill C-311, there has been plenty of news about Canada's attitude toward global warming – almost none of it from the government itself.
Documents obtained by Postmedia News and reports from unofficial sources paint a picture of a government that talks publicly about the importance of tackling climate change while working feverishly in the background to undermine efforts by other countries.
Canadians need clarity and detail about where the country stands. What we have, instead, is a policy of strategic ambiguity, in which the government is purposely vague about its intentions. One can't help but feel that the government's objective, when it comes to environmental policy, is to say one thing and do another.
===========================
3. BEST DECEMBER LAND SALE EVER CAPS BOUNCE-BACK YEAR FOR INDUSTRY (MORE FRACKING IN SASKATCHEWAN! )
http://www.gov.sk.ca/
news?newsId=f4e2d97f-a5eb-4084-8770-a0504632b530
News Release - December 8, 2010
Saskatchewan's resurgent oil and gas industry is ending 2010 on a high with the best December sale ever of Crown petroleum and natural gas rights.
December's sale brought in $56.6 million in revenue to the province and boosted year-end land sale revenue to $463 million, almost four times the $118 million in revenue collected for 2009. This makes 2010 the second-best year on record for revenues from land sales.
"We're very pleased with the way our industry has bounced back this year after a challenging 2009 for the industry worldwide," Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd said. "We're seeing increased investment and drilling, which translate into additional spin-off economic activity and benefits for the people of Saskatchewan.
"Our December sale is traditionally a slower sale, but this one garnered nearly $10 million more in revenue than the previous benchmarks for December. That bodes well for future activity by the industry in 2011 and beyond."
December's sale included three petroleum and natural gas exploration licences that sold for $1.7 million and 245 lease parcels that attracted $55 million in bonus bids.
The Swift Current area, with heightened interest in the Lower Shaunavon play, received the most bids with sales of $25.2 million. The Weyburn-Estevan area was next at $17.8 million, followed by the Lloydminster area at $7.5 million and the Kindersley-Kerrobert area at $6.1 million.
The highest price for a single parcel was $6.5 million, paid by Charter Land Services Inc. for a 1,036-hectare lease near Shaunavon.
The highest price on a per-hectare basis was $35,211. Scott Land & Lease Ltd. bid $4.7 million for a 133-hectare lease parcel near Stoughton.
The next sale of Crown petroleum and natural gas dispositions will be held on February 7, 2011. -30-
For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis, Energy and Resources, Regina
Phone: 306-787-1691
Email: robert.ellis@gov.sk.ca
===================
4. EnCana to enter plea in Pouce Coupe leak
http://www.energeticcity.ca/fortstjohn/news/12/07/10/
encana-enter-plea-pouce-coupe-leak
By: Energeticcity.ca Staff Tuesday, December 7, 2010
EnCana Corporation made it's first court appearance Tuesday in Dawson Creek.
The case has now been moved to Feb. 8, 2011 when the company will apparently enter a plea.
The Ministry of the Environment has filed two charges against the corporation. EnCana is charged with introducing business-related waste into the environment and failing to report a spill of a polluting substance.
The charges are in relation to a sour gas leak that occurred in November of 2009. The leak was caused by sand that had eroded a piece of pipeline infrastructure, called a 'Tee'
====================
5. Encana chips in to help prevent human/bear interactions
http://www.inews880.com/Channels/Reg/LocalNews/
story.aspx?ID=1322586
12/6/2010
Ecana is handing some cash to the province, to help prevent human and bear encounters.
The natural gas company is giving $40,000 to Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, to kick start the "BearSmart" program in the Grande Cache region.
http://www.srd.alberta.ca/RecreationPublicUse/
AlbertaBearSmart/Default.aspx
The program provides bear-resistant garbage cans, educational signs, and in-school visits for communities in the area. The goal is to reduce bear attacks, as well as increase the grizzly bear population through respect of the bear's habitat.
The same program is already in effect in areas like Canmore and Fort McMurray.
===============
6. Onondaga Nation faces new environmental threat: Fracking
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/northeast/
Onondaga-Nation-faces-new-environmentalthreat-Fracking-110476059.html
By Terry Hansen, nov 30 2010
NEDROW, N.Y. – The Onondaga, a member nation of the Haudenosaunee Iroquois
Confederacy and long leaders as healers of the environment face a new threat: Hydraulic
fracturing, or fracking.
The technique, used for much of today’s natural gas extraction shoots chemicals mixed with millions of gallons of sand and water thousands of feet underground to break apart the rock, allowing more gas to escape and flow out of a well.
Complaints have soared as fracking has expanded across the country. “Every state where this is going on, people’s water is contaminated,” said Joseph Heath, general legal counsel to the Onondaga Nation.
New York, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania sit atop the gas rich Marcellus shale. Until recently, New York stood ready to allow drilling. But in the face of considerable opposition they are now considering a moratorium.
“We’ve held them off for two years,” Heath said. The Onondaga, whose nation lies in Central New York, near Syracuse, are part of a grass-roots movement that helped convince New York’s state senate to put a moratorium on fracking until May 2012.
Heath said all the environmental issues involving fracking are a concern, but two specific issues are unique to the Onondaga.
MORE:
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/northeast/
Onondaga-Nation-faces-new-environmentalthreat-Fracking-110476059.html
===================
7. What’s the future for fracking?
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/12/02/
whats-the-future-for-fracking/
December 2, 2010 2:58pm by Kiran Stacey
Yesterday’s decision by the Obama administration to put a moratorium on drillingin the eastern Gulf of Mexico further intensifies the current debate about hydraulic fracturing, the controversial process by which much of the unconventional gas is being exploited in the US. The process has been at the centre of the most recent argument between the oil and gas industry and environmentalists since Gasland was released earlier this year, highlighting the effect of some of the chemicals used in extraction. But the argument has gathered pace in the last few days, not least because of the announcement by Ken Salazar (pictured) that he would consider tightening up rulesso that companies have to disclose what chemicals are being used to extract the gas. This was met by fierce resistance by Republican congressman Doc Hastings, who has written a letter to Salazar denouncing the decision even to consider such a policy change. Hastings writes: The department’s consideration of requiring duplicative and burdensome disclosures - above and beyond the significant efforts already taken at state level - raises the very real possibility of a further crippling of federal land communities and the jobs of tens of thousands of Americans that are dependent on the responsible development of those lands.
It’s a strong reaction, given the fact that this is just a policy consideration at the moment. And as Salazar said on Tuesday, he is a supporter of extracting natural gas: From our point of view, [the] bottom line is that there is a bright future with respect to natural gas here in America. But it is a sign that gas lobbyists and supportive politicians are getting their repostes in quickly. And well they might, given the way things are turning against them on a state level. On Monday night the New York State Assembly passed a six-month moratorium on fracking throughout the state, aimed particularly at the Marcellus field in the north. Locals agree that the bill was largely symbolic, as the state’s environmental conservation department is already reviewing the impact of drilling in the Marcellus field. But the symbolism is significant - policymakers were sending a message to the oil and gas industry about their intentions. This will be a diffficult balance for politicians on a local and national level - between environmental concerns and security of supply. And it is a debate that is making its way to European shores. The Ecologist carried a piece this week that highlighted the nascent unconventional gas market in Europe, focusing particularly on Poland and its estimated 1.4 trillion cubic metres of natural gas. The wording of the piece gave a hint of the argument to come, should this market expand at anything like the rate seen in the US: Despite growing evidence from the US of a raft of negative environmental and social consequences of drilling for natural gas using the controversial hydraulic fracturing process, European energy companies are scrambling to secure licenses to roll out extraction projects this side of the Atlantic.
MORE:
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/12/02/
whats-the-future-for-fracking/
===================
8. Is the controversial extraction of shale gas by fracking safe?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/su ... s/2010/12/
how_is_fracking_stacking.html
Susan Watts | 18:40 UK time, Thursday, 2 December 2010
Never heard of "fracking"? If not, chances are you will soon. It is short for hydraulic fracturing, and is part of a process by which the United States is tapping into a vast new source of energy – natural gas trapped in shale rock, deep underground. But this new source of energy is controversial. Video sharing website YouTube is buzzing with clips showing people who live close to gas drill sites setting light to their tap water. They claim this happened only after drilling released methane gas and contaminated their private water wells. There is a lot at stake - not just money, but also the reputation of a whole new industry.
Potential rewards - Some estimates suggest there is enough shale gas under US soil that in energy terms it represents at least a couple of Saudi Arabias. What is more, this trillions-of-dollars-worth of energy is home-grown, and cleaner than other fossil fuels.
Until recently it was thought too difficult to tap economically. But a new engineering approach that combines "fracking" with horizontal drilling has challenged that (see how fracking works in the video below). If all goes well in the US, Europe could be next. Just this September, a Chatham House report weighed up the prospects of a shale gas revolution. But is it safe to go ahead?
'Learning by doing' - In early October, I went to the town of Dimock in the US state of Pennsylvanian to find out more. Residents there have become well known for their experience with fracking, and with the gas companies at work in their backyards.
The message I took away from the trip was similar to that highlighted by Chatham House, which in its report spoke about the industry as one which is "learning by doing".
When I spoke to one of the gas companies operating in Pennsylvania, Chesapeake Energy, I found that such "learning by doing" had uncovered a problem. The company, the second largest gas company in the US, conceded this straight away. Brian Grove, from Chesapeake, told us that problems the company had encountered with shallow pockets of gas could explain how methane might reach people's drinking water.
The threat of methane in people's drinking water is one of two chief safety concerns about the industry. If colourless, odourless methane gas migrates into people's private drinking water wells it is not a health risk in itself, though in high concentrations methane gas is an asphyxiate.
More worrying, the gas could explode if it collects in a confined space.
Contamination claim - The second anxiety is over what is in the so-called fracking fluids. These are mixed in with millions of gallons of water, and pumped underground at high pressure to help ease the gas out of the dense shale rock. One of the Dimock residents we met, Bill Ely, like many landowners in the area, leased his land to a company called Cabot Oil and Gas, hoping to make money from royalties. Now he is suing the firm for contaminating his water supply with methane gas and putting his home at risk of explosion. After a neighbour's private water well apparently did explode, Cabot installed ventilation pipes on Mr Ely's water well, and agreed to divert his well water through a hose, rather than into his home. They truck in all his drinking water too.
MORE:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/su ... s/2010/12/
how_is_fracking_stacking.html
=================
9. ‘Rotten egg’ odor rekindles Silt-area debate on gas fracking
http://coloradoindependent.com/
69077/%E2%80%98rotten-egg%E2%80%99-odor-rekindles-silt-area-debateon-gas-fracking
By DAVID O. WILLIAMS 12/2/10 11:45 AM
A small town on the Western Slope of Colorado with the unlikely name of “Silt” has become ground zero for the natural gas hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” debate – at least in this state.
The city of Pittsburgh recently banned gas drilling within the city limits out of fear that fracking may lead to drinking water contamination – a charge the oil and gas industry steadfastly denies.
But in Silt, where nearby West Divide Creek once was so laden with methane and benzene that area resident Lisa Bracken could famously light its waters on fire, many industry critics claim the process of injecting water, sand and chemicals deep underground to free up more gas is far too risky.
It’s to the point where some Silt Mesa subdivision residents have urged a boycott of town businesses because officials there are too supportive of the industry.
MORE:
http://coloradoindependent.com/
69077/%E2%80%98rotten-egg%E2%80%99-odor-rekindles-silt-area-debateon-gas-fracking
===================
10. Mark Ruffalo on Those Terror Watch List Stories
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/12/02/
mark-ruffalo-on-those-terror-watch-list-stories/
DECEMBER 2, 2010, 6:00 PM ET By Lorraine Cwelich
Actor Mark Ruffalo says stories claiming that he was placed on a terror watch list are “fantastical.”
According to widespread news reports this week, Ruffalo was allegedly placed on a terror watch list by the Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security for organizing screenings of “Gasland,” a documentary about fracking, the practice of drilling for natural gas using a hydraulic fracturing process, which some allege contaminates ground water.
We spoke with Ruffalo this week at a holiday party at the New York City restaurant Bottino. “I’ve never been stopped at the airport and I think that the story has snowballed into this incredibly fantastical thing,” he said. “At the center, of course, is one small grain of truth, which is that back in September, I was hosting educational screenings of ‘Gasland.’ Pennsylvania’s Homeland Security was monitoring these screenings and feeding information to the gas industry. And they got busted. It was a huge embarrassment and the head of their Homeland Security had to resign over it.”
A online copy of the Pennsylvania Intelligence Bulletin No. 131, Aug. 30, 2010, seems to confirm that a screening of “Gasland” was under scrutiny by the Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security, which produced the report. Other private events and groups were apparently also being watched. Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security Director James Powers announced his resignation on Oct. 1. Gov. Ed Rendell reportedly said at the time that “Jim is a good man who made a very significant mistake in judgment.”
MORE:
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/12/02/
mark-ruffalo-on-those-terror-watch-list-stories/
========================
11. Secrecy of Fracking Chemicals Takes Beltway Spotlight
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS282628354120101201
Wed, Dec 1 2010
“It’s not as if it looks like the industry is hiding something. They are hiding something.”
By Elizabeth McGowan
WASHINGTON—Convincing the natural gas industry that a chemical disclosure protocol should be mandatory has proven to be much more formidable than blasting apart shale rock where the coveted hydrocarbons lurk underground. And conservationists fear that the disclosure debate is slowing progress on resolving environmental impacts associated with natural gas drilling and its sister act of “fracking”— which is geological slang for hydraulic fracturing. Those disparities became grist for a polite but enlivened exchange among three topic experts at the conservative Heritage Foundation. It was one of two fracking forums that unfolded in the nation’s capital Tuesday afternoon.
“The industry needs to deal with those issues rather than glibly keep saying they are America’s clean fuel source,” senior policy adviser Scott Anderson of the Environmental Defense Fund told those gathered for “The Promise and Perils of Hydraulic Fracturing: Best Answers to the Hardest Questions.”
“Nothing good is going to happen in the natural gas industry … until this disclosure issue is behind them,” Anderson continued. “It’s not as if it looks like the industry is hiding something. They are hiding something.”
Both of the other Heritage panelists—Mark Boling, executive vice president of Houston-based Southwestern Energy, and Lee Fuller, vice president of government relations with the Independent Petroleum Association of America—agreed that lack of disclosure is a
shortcoming.
However, they also pointed fingers at what they labeled environmental alarmists for scaring the public by highlighting and exaggerating the potential links between hydraulic fracturing chemicals and tainted drinking water.
Boling accused activists of waging a fear-based campaign that lacked scientific proof and demonstrable facts.
“If you give them enough fear, people can be scared of chemicals,” Fuller said. “The fact that we’ve been diverted on this path about chemicals … is an orchestrated effort to try to terrify lots of people.”
MORE:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS282628354120101201
=======================
12. Experts agree: Fracking moratorium 'symbolic'/Related Articles
http://www.theithacajournal.com/article ... 30/NEWS01/
11300378/Experts+agree++Fracking+moratorium++symbolic+
BY STEVE REILLY •SREILLY@GANNETT.COM • NOVEMBER 30, 2010, 7:55 PM
The state Assembly's vote in favor of a six-month moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, a controversial drilling technique essential to tapping the natural gas reserves of the Marcellus Shale, is drawing mixed reactions from legislators and advocates on both sides of the drilling debate. "We already have a de facto moratorium on horizontal hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale, and as far as I'm concerned, this really was a big mistake from the beginning," said Ithaca-based anti-drilling activist Walter Hang. The moratorium, if signed into law, would overlap with an already existing ban on the use of high-pressure hydraulic fracturing in horizontal wells, which has been on hold in the state for 2 1/2 years. In July 2008, Gov. David Paterson issued an executive order halting permits for horizontal hydraulic fracturing until the state Department of Environmental Conservation completes its review of the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement. While the new moratorium would last until May 15, 2011, few expect the DEC to complete its review of the draft SGEIS before then. In all likelihood, the SGEIS will be challenged in court. The new moratorium would also extend the current ban to include hydraulic fracturing in both vertical and horizontal wells. "It was a badly drafted bill," said Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D-Endwell, who voted against the moratorium. Lupardo said Assembly members who supported the bill "felt the need to send a message on behalf of the people who are concerned about hydrofracking," but did not understand the consequences of banning vertical drilling. "This should not be viewed as a referendum on gas drilling -- the bill itself had problems," she said. "As important an issue as this is, I think it's important to pass legislation that really gets to the heart of what we want to do, and I think this misses the boat." The moratorium was passed by the state Senate in August with only nine senators -- including Sen. Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton -- voting against it. After the Assembly's 93-43 vote Monday, the bill is currently awaiting the approval of the governor who said he was undecided on whether to sign it. “The legislative action, I think, is well intended, but whether or not we need it is uncertain," Paterson said in an interview Tuesday with Gannett's Albany Bureau. "In many ways, this is political cover, this is window dressing," Hang said. "You ask anyone, and they basically say this is a symbolic victory."
MORE: http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20101130/
NEWS01/11300378/Experts+agree++Fracking+moratorium++symbolic+
RELATED:
NY shale gas moratorium is a win-win
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/12/02/
new-york-state-moratorium-on-shale-gas-drilling-comes-at-aperfect-time/
New York could be first state to ban controversial drilling practice
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/02/new.yo ... oratorium/
Vocal And Tiny Minority Propagates Natural Gas Disinformation
http://blogs.forbes.com/greatspeculations/2010/12/02/
vocal-and-tiny-minority-propagates-natural-gasdisinformation/
Chemical disclosure
http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/chemical-disclosure/
Content?oid=1418467
=======================
13. The fracking fracas
http://www.hcn.org/hcn/greenjustice/blo ... ing-fracas
Red Lodge | Nov 30, 2010 10:32 AM By Heather Hansen
When the EPA sent a subpoena to Halliburton earlier this month, demanding to know what’s in the fluid used to drive their hydraulic fracturing process for natural gas and oil production, industry watchers braced for a showdown. But, less than a week later, the company (which is one of the largest oilfield services corporations in the world) responded by posting information on its website, including a partial list of substances it’s currently using and on the new, environmentally-friendly version the company says it plans to put into play. The move, which is seen by cynics as an attempt to satisfy the EPA without implementing new regulations, raises questions about what mining companies should be required to reveal about their fracturing practices. The EPA demanded the information as part of a study Congress ordered, amid citizen concerns that hydraulic fracturing may be contaminating water supplies and causing air pollution, and ultimately impacting the health of humans and the environment. Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” is the process of driving a cocktail of water, sand and chemicals into the ground in order to create cracks in the rock through which natural gas and oil can be more easily accessed. Anywhere from 20 to 90 percent of the wastewater that’s left, which often amounts to millions of gallons, remains underground. The fracking fluid that it recaptured is generally stored above-ground in open pits until it can be treated. While fracking fluids, which are also essential for reducing friction, are generally considered proprietary concoctions by the industry, some 944 chemicals were identified by scientists in a study released recently in the journal Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. The study focused on 73 of those substances that are found to have “10 or more adverse health effects.” These are toxic, even carcinogenic, ingredients that are considered potentially harmful to humans. Whether or not the EPA has the authority to request fracking formulas, as it did from the nine leading natural gas drilling companies in a November letter, and whether or not it’s within its scope to regulate them, are legitimate questions. When it studied fracking in 2004, the agency concluded that (at least coal bed methane production wells) presented no danger of contaminating underwater drinking water sources. A year later Congress, acting on the Bush/ Cheney Energy Bill, exempted the industry from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. It basically told the EPA to take a hike and let fracking continue unsupervised. The act is commonly called the “Halliburton Loophole.” Why should the EPA be able to come back at natural gas drillers just five years later? For good reason: since the exemption, there’s been a natural gas boom; fracking is now done in 38 states. The industry also has introduced new techniques like drilling horizontally, up to a mile, and busting into new kinds of rock. It’s also now being proposed relatively close to heavily-populated watersheds (specifically in the Marcellus Shale [PDF] region of New York [PDF] and Ohio).
MORE:
http://www.hcn.org/hcn/greenjustice/blo ... ing-fracas
Heather Hansen is an environmental journalist working with the Red Lodge Clearinghouse /Natural Resources Law Center at CU Boulder, to help raise awareness of natural resource issues.
Essays in the Just West blog are not written by High Country News. The authors are solely responsible for the content.
===================
14. EPA Issues an Imminent and Substantial Endangerment Order to Protect Drinking Water in Southern Parker County
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/
713f73b4bdceb126852577f3002cb6fb?OpenDocument
Agency orders Range Natural Gas Company to stop the contamination of Methane and Other Contaminants into drinking water near multiple residences
(DALLAS – December 7, 2010) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered a natural gas company in Forth Worth, Texas, to take immediate action to protect homeowners living near one of its drilling operations who have complained about flammable and bubbling drinking water coming out of their tap. EPA testing has confirmed that extremely high levels of methane in their water pose an imminent and substantial risk of explosion or fire. EPA has also found other contaminants including benzene, which can cause cancer, in their drinking water.
EPA has determined that natural gas drilling near the homes by Range Resources in Parker County, Texas, has caused or contributed to the contamination of at least two residential drinking water wells. Therefore, today, EPA has ordered the company to step in immediately to stop the contamination, provide drinking water and provide methane gas monitors to the homeowners. EPA has issued an imminent and substantial endangerment order under Section 1431 of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Parker County is located west of Fort Worth, Texas.
In late August, EPA received a citizen's complaint regarding concerns with a private drinking water well. During the inspector’s follow-up inquiry, EPA learned that the homeowner had previously complained to the Texas Railroad Commission as well as the company, but their concerns were not adequately addressed by the State or the company. EPA then conducted an on-site inspection of the private drinking water well with the homeowner and a neighboring residence, and returned to collect both water and gas samples. These samples were sent to an EPA certified laboratory for analysis. The data was received in late November 2010 and was carefully reviewed by EPA scientists. The EPA scientists have conducted isotopic fingerprint analysis and concluded the source of the drinking water well contamination to closely match that from Range Resources’ natural gas production well.
EPA has asked the company to conduct a full scale investigation. EPA is requiring Range Resources under this order to:
MORE:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/
713f73b4bdceb126852577f3002cb6fb?OpenDocument
To read a copy of order to the company, visit:http://www.epa.gov/region6
To learn more about EPA's National Enforcement Initiatives, visit:
http://epa.gov/compliance/data/planning ... tives.html
To learn more about EPA hydraulic fracturing study, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/hydraulicfracturing
# # #
Note: If a link above doesn't work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.
For more information contact Dave Bary or Joe Hubbard at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov
==================
15. Gas: the bridge to nowhere?
http://theenergycollective.com/david-lewis/47794/
gas-bridge-nowhere
November 29, 2010 by David Lewis
I corresponded with Dr. Robert Howarth since I posted an article: http://www.theenergycollective.com/davi ... erhaps-not about his research into the climate impact of gas here last week. Howarth is the scientist who is saying gas has a greater climate impact than coal.
Howarth emailed to say his opinion is based on several points. One, the latest research indicates methane has about 30% greater climate impact than the IPCC AR4 stated, and two: “I believe they are severely underestimating the methane leakage”.
Howarth drew my attention to the work of Dr. Drew Shindell, a senior climate scientist at NASA G.I.S.S. who published new data on methane in October 2009.
Shindell was the lead author of a paper:
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/326/5953/716.full
published in Science.
Here is the press release:
http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/news/20091029/
The work of Dr. Shindell’s group is solid. They were able to quantify and add in the effects of methane/aerosol interactions which the IPCC’s AR4 couldn’t include because the discovery was made after its cutoff date of May 2006 .
“What happens is that as you put more methane into the atmosphere, it competes for oxidants such as hydroxyl with sulphur dioxide… More methane means less sulphate, which is reflective and thus has a cooling effect. Calculations of GWP [a way to calculate climate impact] including these gas-aerosol linkages thus substantially increase the value for methane.”
(this Shindell quote is from this article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/
earthenvironment/article6895907.ece
=======================
16. Controversial gas 'fracking' extraction headed to Europe
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/01/
gas-fracking-extraction-europe
Ecologist: Europe's dash for gas is leading Halliburton, Chevron and Exxon to consider bringing hydraulic fracturing across the Atlantic
• Luke Starr for the Ecologist
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 December 2010 12.47 GMT
Despite growing evidence from the US of a raft of negative environmental and social consequences of drilling for natural gas using the controversial hydraulic fracturing process, European energy companies are scrambling to secure licenses to roll out extraction projects this side of the Atlantic. Hydraulic fracturing – also known as 'fracking' – is a process used in the vast majority of natural gas wells in the US, where millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground to break apart rock formations and release gas. Experts have increasingly expressed concern that the chemicals used in fracking may pose a threat underground or when waste fluids are transported or spilled. As in the US, shale gas is being increasingly seen as a way to sever links with a volatile provider, only in Europe's case it is not Middle Eastern oil sheikhs but oligarchs at Russian giant Gazprom. In August, US energy corporation Halliburton carried out the first hydraulic fracturing of a well in Poland on behalf of the state-owned Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG). Energy consultancy Wood MacKenzie estimates the country's reserves could stand at 1.4 trillion cubic meters. The high numbers have got US companies Exxon and Chevron scrambling to drill test wells
alongside smaller companies such as Three Leg Resources from the Isle of Man. With more than half of Poland's energy needs supplied by coal, shale gas is seen as a way drastically to cut national CO2 emissions in line with EU targets.
MORE:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/01/
gas-fracking-extraction-europe
====================
17. Russian Gas to Fall Short of European Demand, Physicist Predicts
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/
100218102445.htm
ScienceDaily (Feb. 18, 2010)
The political ramifications of dependence on Russian natural gas are a current, lively topic of debate within the EU. One issue that deserves more attention is whether sufficient gas will even be available for export to the EU. So argues physicist Bengt Söderbergh, whose dissertation provides an assessment of future Norwegian and Russian gas export levels. He is scheduled to defend his dissertation on 19 February at Uppsala University.
According to forecasts by the International Energy Agency (IEA), production of natural gas within the EU will decline from the 2006 level of 216 billion cubic metres per year (Gm3/year) to 90 Gm3/year by 2030, even as demand for gas is expected to rise significantly. The need to import gas will accordingly increase by up to 90 per cent during the period. Russia and Norway are currently the most significant suppliers of gas to the EU. Their combined share of the EU's gas imports during 2006 was 62 per cent.
Bengt Söderbergh's dissertation aims at an evaluation of future levels of Norwegian and Russian gas exports to the EU. Norwegian and Russian gas production scenarios were developed based on modelling of production from individual gas fields. The combined production from the largest fields - - the so-called "giant fields" -- was forecast.
MORE:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/
100218102445.htm
=====================
18. A scramble for the Arctic
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/11/
20101130181427770987.html
With one fifth of the world's oil and gas at stake, countries are struggling to control the once-frozen arctic.
Chris Arsenault Last Modified: 01 Dec 2010 16:26 GMT
From her office in the frozen north, Delice Calcote has watched big powers vie for control over the Arctic with little concern for its original inhabitants.
"This is our land," said Calcote, a liaison with the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council, an advocacy group representing the region's indigenous peoples. "We aren't happy with everyone trying to claim it."
But as the planet warms, as northern sea lanes become accessible to shippers, as companies hungrily eye vast petroleum and mineral deposits below its melting ice, a quiet, almost polite, scramble for control is transpiring in the Arctic.
"Countries are setting the chess pieces on the board. There are tremendous resources at stake," said Rob Huebert, director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.
The frozen zone could hold 22 per cent of the world’s undiscovered conventional oil and natural gas resources, according to the US energy information administration.
MORE:
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/11/
20101130181427770987.html
===================
19. Americans warn of pipeline danger
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/111323729.html
Terrace Standard December 05, 2010
Two American speakers who have had firsthand dealings with Enbridge pipelines were touring northern B.C. last week warning people of the perils of pipeline projects.
Erin O’Brien from the Wisconsin Wetlands Association and Beth Wallace of Michigan’s National Wildlife Federation spoke to a gathering of people at the Best Western in Terrace Dec. 3.
O’Brien spoke about Wisconsin’s experience with Enbridge’s 2007 construction of an oil pipeline, saying there were numerous and widespread permit violations during construction. This caused damage to wetlands, habitat and contributed to river pollution.
Wallace was born and raised in the Michigan area of Enbridge’s oil spill in the Kalamazoo River this year. She told of how there was a delayed response by the company when the oil
MORE:
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/111323729.html
=====================
20. 'Enbridge go home,' say B.C. natives - 'This project isn't going anywhere'
http://www.theprovince.com/Enbridge+home+natives/
3921132/story.html
By Kent Spencer, The Province December 3, 2010
B.C. natives and pipeline owners moved further apart than ever Thursday over plans for a $5.5-billion crude-oil pipeline through northern B.C.
A coalition of 61 native bands in the huge Fraser River basin vowed to stop Enbridge's proposal even if authorities ultimately approve it. "Our laws do not permit crude-oil pipelines into our territories. This project isn't going anywhere," Chief Larry Nooski of Nadleh Whut'en First Nation vowed at a Vancouver news conference.
The natives refused to spell out how far they would go to achieve their ends.
Their hardline stance came just three days after Enbridge CEO Pat Daniel offered them a 10-per-cent equity stake in the giant project. "This is a significant way for aboriginals to benefit by owning a stake and sharing in the revenue," said Enbridge spokeswoman Gina Jordan. "The cash would start flowing in the first year of operations."
Natives, however, were in no mood to bargain.
"We don't want any part of Enbridge's equity," said Nooski.
"The gold-rush mentality is over," said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs.
"The message is clear: Enbridge, go home. You're unwelcome intruders."
- - - -SNIP - - -
The natives say they are fighting for their salmon and their way of life, and they want the country to respect a United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples.
The pipeline, which is in the midst of a two-year environmental review, would be 1,172 kilometres long, stretching from Edmonton to Kitimat, and carry 525,000 barrels per day of crude oil from Alberta's oilsands to the B.C. coast.
The oil would be carried to world markets on 225 tankers a year.
kspencer@theprovince.com
==================
21. Oil and water: A risky mix
http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/water+risky/
3928278/story.html
Commentary OTTAWA CITIZEN DECEMBER 4, 2010
People the world over need oil. Most of us use some oil every day. Oil is the substance that fuels the world economy, from gasoline to drugs to fertilizers to plastics and beyond. The globe cannot live without petroleum products.
Most of us would like oil consumption to decline for environmental and geopolitical reasons, as well as to preserve a vital resource. And that's a noble goal. But a jet plane cannot fly on electricity. The world will always need some oil, as green as we might become. Alberta has an enormous amount of petroleum in its oilsands. Oil and bitumen have few practical export channels beyond this continent. That limits trade options for oilsands products and curbs development in the oilsands. That's not good when the world is screaming for oil and other countries than Canada are prepared to reap the profits from global oil markets. Lost economic growth should not be allowed to happen when Canada is suffering from a downturn.
Enbridge Inc. wants to take advantage of the Asian market by constructing a pipeline from just north of Edmonton to Kitimat on the northern British Columbia coast. That's an ambitious plan that should go forward given the economic benefits to Alberta, British Columbia and Canada in a very slow economy.
However, the project is facing some enormous hurdles, most of which are human. Aboriginal groups, 30 of them in fact, are negotiating with Enbridge about claims along the pipeline route. All efforts should be made by government and the company so that first nations people are treated fairly in these dealings.
Also, coastal aboriginals are extremely concerned about allowing supertankers loaded with bitumen to travel along the north B.C. coast.
MORE:
http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/water+risky/
3928278/story.html
====================
22. Prestigious journal calls oil sands an ‘environmentalist’s nightmare’
http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Environment/2010/11/24/
oil-sands-nature/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=291110
By Geoff Dembicki November 24, 2010 04:23 pm
The prestigious scientific journal Nature is urging scientists to speak out against the environmental impacts of Alberta’s oil sands.
“It would be unrealistic to expect that we could harvest fossil fuels or minerals without an effect on the environment,” reads an editorial in this week’s issue. “But the fast development of the tar sands, combined with weak regulation and a lack of effective watchdogs, have made them an environmentalist’s nightmare.”
Since the 1990s, greenhouse gas emissions from oil sands extraction have declined 30 percent per barrel, the journal notes. And ongoing University of Alberta research to reduce water impacts is a positive step, it reads.
On the surface, Nature’s editorial argues, Alberta government regulations appear to be tough on industry. Large companies have to pay $15 per tonne on each tonne of carbon they emit over a certain limit and mined lands and tailings ponds must legally be reclaimed.
“But many of these rules are weaker than they seem,” the editorial argues.
Overall emissions, it points out, are set to "go through the roof.” And only one six-hundredth of all mined land has been officially reclaimed, it reads.
“Canada’s tar sands, like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, are a warning sign of things to come. Future sources of fossil fuels will only get dirtier and riskier,” reads the Nature editorial.
It concludes: “Scientists can make a difference, not, as some critics allege, by playing politics, but by applying their expertise as concerned citizens.”
University of Alberta water expert David Schindler also authors a story in this week’s Nature. His report on oil sands water pollution, coupled with images of deformed fish, helped convince Alberta and federal governments to appoint scientific review panels last month.
Geoff Dembicki reports for the Tyee.
======================
23. At National Oil Spill Commission Meeting, We Share Our Preliminary Findings
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-beinecke/
at-national-oil-spill-com_b_792466.html
Frances Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council
Posted: December 6, 2010 10:42 AM
The National Oil Spill Commissioners shared our preliminary conclusions on Friday about the root causes of the BP oil disaster and the best ways to safeguard America against future spills. Though our final report will not be released until January, our initial findings have taken shape. Over the course of the past six months, the commission has investigated the actions of BP, Halliburton, and Transocean. Through this process, we detected a broadly sweeping and deeply embedded problem that transcends the actions of specific companies: We found systemic regulatory and industry failure to protect the American public's interest.
There simply has not been adequate oversight or investment in oil spill response and containment.
Specifically, we found that government oversight had not kept up with the complexity of drilling in the deep water. Meanwhile, the oil industry, unlike other high-risk venture such as aviation and nuclear power, had not developed industry-wide performance standards to promote best practices in increasingly perilous and fragile environments such as the deep water and the Arctic.
In the case of the Macondo well, the three companies also routinely failed to communicate critical information about problems they were encountering. During our meeting this week, Richard Sears, who is a senior science and engineering adviser to the commission with three decades of experience in the energy industry, said:
They were not always sharing information, calling in experts, engaging. And there are many instances where they did not share information from operator to contractor. And certainly between contractors, information was not being shared. And as a result, individuals were making very important decisions about the operations, about the safety, of what was happening on the rig. They are making these decisions without fully appreciating the context in which they were being made, or even the importance of a particular decision.
MORE:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-beinecke/
at-national-oil-spill-com_b_792466.html
======================
24. Nebraska lawmakers hold hearing on Keystone pipeline
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7319682.html
By: Margery Beck, Associated Press December 01 2010
LINCOLN, Neb. — A TransCanada official says the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico this year should not make state officials uneasy about a proposed oil pipeline route through the Nebraska Sandhills.
But some state lawmakers, experts and residents whose land lies in the pipeline's path say the state shouldn't take any chances.
The Legislature's Natural Resources Committee met today with natural resources experts, residents and pipeline officials to discuss the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
Doug Cobb, of Holt County, says lawmakers should consider regulations — like one to protect landowners from liability should an oil leak occur.
But TransCanada executive Robert Jones says the pipeline is safe and should not be compared to the Gulf oil rig that exploded in April, triggering a massive leak.
MORE:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7319682.html
===================
25. No thanks to oilsands
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/thanks+oilsands/
3927153/story.html
BY RALPH IBANEZ, THE STAR PHOENIX DECEMBER 4, 2010
Dave Clinton (Encourage oil industry, SP Nov. 29) is asking us to stop picking on the oilsands, and support "investment in the future" instead.
Oilsands are the planet's dirtiest, most destructive form of oil extraction.
Its devastation of Alberta's boreal forest is so enormous that it can be clearly seen from outer space. Oilsands processing is responsible for the largest greenhouse gases production in Canada, accounting for 40 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
To extract this oil, the sands need to be boiled in water from the Athabasca River, using a billion cubic feet of natural gas a day. Not only does this release greenhouse gases but it uses up a strategic natural resource crucial for winter survival.
The used water stored in tailing ponds is so poisonous that scores of birds die just by contact with it. Naturally, water leaks -- despite the "preventive containment" Clinton refers to -- and the Athabasca is becoming more and more polluted. High levels of arsenic, benzene, mercury and other proven carcinogens are found in the river. Cancer and other rare diseases are rampant among First Nations people who depend on the river water.
They report that fish smells like gasoline and, once cooked, tastes like burnt rubber. They have found scores of fish with tumors and deformities.
- - - SNIP - - -
Support the oilsands? Thanks, but no thanks.
Ralph Ibanez
Saskatoon
1. Environment Commissioner to hold Public Meetings with RCEN members: St. John’s, NFLD on Dec. 15 and Halifax, NS on Dec. 16
2. Commitment problems
3. BEST DECEMBER LAND SALE EVER CAPS BOUNCE-BACK YEAR FOR INDUSTRY (MORE FRACKING IN SASKATCHEWAN! )
4. EnCana to enter plea in Pouce Coupe leak
5. Encana chips in to help prevent human/bear interactions
6. Onondaga Nation faces new environmental threat: Fracking
7. What’s the future for fracking?
8. Is the controversial extraction of shale gas by fracking safe?
9. ‘Rotten egg’ odor rekindles Silt-area debate on gas fracking
10. Mark Ruffalo on Those Terror Watch List Stories
11. Secrecy of Fracking Chemicals Takes Beltway Spotlight
12. Experts agree: Fracking moratorium 'symbolic'/Related Articles
13. The fracking fracas
14. EPA Issues an Imminent and Substantial Endangerment Order to Protect Drinking Water in Southern Parker County
15. Gas: the bridge to nowhere?
16. Controversial gas 'fracking' extraction headed to Europe
17. Russian Gas to Fall Short of European Demand, Physicist Predicts
18. A scramble for the Arctic
19. Americans warn of pipeline danger
20. 'Enbridge go home,' say B.C. natives - 'This project isn't going anywhere'
21. Oil and water: A risky mix
22. Prestigious journal calls oil sands an ‘environmentalist’s nightmare’
23. At National Oil Spill Commission Meeting, We Share Our Preliminary Findings
24. Nebraska lawmakers hold hearing on Keystone pipeline
25. No thanks to oilsands
==================
1. Environment Commissioner to hold Public Meetings with RCEN members: St. John’s, NFLD on Dec. 15 and Halifax, NS on Dec. 16
http://us1.campaign-archive.com/
?u=e873a49b0f734d2e0b87b7fb8&id=f5844a0f58&e=de5b94c2c0
The RCEN is working with the Office of the Auditor General to organize a series of meetings between the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, and members of the public and the RCEN’s Affiliate Networks.
Come meet the Commissioner, Scott Vaughan, at the events listed below next week in the Maritimes.
The Commissioner will be presenting findings from his 2010 Fall Report to Parliament
[ http://www.cen-rce.org/ebulletin/announceb.html ],
followed by a question and answer session.
The report, released on December 7th, covers three important topics: the federal government’s ability to respond to oil spills from ships; monitoring of freshwater from lakes and rivers; and the government’s readiness to respond to the impacts of a changing climate.
December 15th at 7:00pm in St. John’s, Newfoundland
Hosted by: Newfoundland & Labrador Environmental Network and Grenfell College’s Environmental Policy Unit
Where: Junior Common Room, Gushue Hall, Memorial University, St. John's
December 16th at 7:00pm in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Hosted by: Nova Scotia Environmental Network
Where: Veith House, 3115 Veith Street, Halifax
==================
2. Commitment problems
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/
Commitment+problems/3949643/story.html
THE OTTAWA CITIZEN DECEMBER 9, 2010
In the weeks since Conservative senators, without any debate, decided to kill climate change legislation known as Bill C-311, there has been plenty of news about Canada's attitude toward global warming – almost none of it from the government itself.
Documents obtained by Postmedia News and reports from unofficial sources paint a picture of a government that talks publicly about the importance of tackling climate change while working feverishly in the background to undermine efforts by other countries.
Canadians need clarity and detail about where the country stands. What we have, instead, is a policy of strategic ambiguity, in which the government is purposely vague about its intentions. One can't help but feel that the government's objective, when it comes to environmental policy, is to say one thing and do another.
===========================
3. BEST DECEMBER LAND SALE EVER CAPS BOUNCE-BACK YEAR FOR INDUSTRY (MORE FRACKING IN SASKATCHEWAN! )
http://www.gov.sk.ca/
news?newsId=f4e2d97f-a5eb-4084-8770-a0504632b530
News Release - December 8, 2010
Saskatchewan's resurgent oil and gas industry is ending 2010 on a high with the best December sale ever of Crown petroleum and natural gas rights.
December's sale brought in $56.6 million in revenue to the province and boosted year-end land sale revenue to $463 million, almost four times the $118 million in revenue collected for 2009. This makes 2010 the second-best year on record for revenues from land sales.
"We're very pleased with the way our industry has bounced back this year after a challenging 2009 for the industry worldwide," Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd said. "We're seeing increased investment and drilling, which translate into additional spin-off economic activity and benefits for the people of Saskatchewan.
"Our December sale is traditionally a slower sale, but this one garnered nearly $10 million more in revenue than the previous benchmarks for December. That bodes well for future activity by the industry in 2011 and beyond."
December's sale included three petroleum and natural gas exploration licences that sold for $1.7 million and 245 lease parcels that attracted $55 million in bonus bids.
The Swift Current area, with heightened interest in the Lower Shaunavon play, received the most bids with sales of $25.2 million. The Weyburn-Estevan area was next at $17.8 million, followed by the Lloydminster area at $7.5 million and the Kindersley-Kerrobert area at $6.1 million.
The highest price for a single parcel was $6.5 million, paid by Charter Land Services Inc. for a 1,036-hectare lease near Shaunavon.
The highest price on a per-hectare basis was $35,211. Scott Land & Lease Ltd. bid $4.7 million for a 133-hectare lease parcel near Stoughton.
The next sale of Crown petroleum and natural gas dispositions will be held on February 7, 2011. -30-
For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis, Energy and Resources, Regina
Phone: 306-787-1691
Email: robert.ellis@gov.sk.ca
===================
4. EnCana to enter plea in Pouce Coupe leak
http://www.energeticcity.ca/fortstjohn/news/12/07/10/
encana-enter-plea-pouce-coupe-leak
By: Energeticcity.ca Staff Tuesday, December 7, 2010
EnCana Corporation made it's first court appearance Tuesday in Dawson Creek.
The case has now been moved to Feb. 8, 2011 when the company will apparently enter a plea.
The Ministry of the Environment has filed two charges against the corporation. EnCana is charged with introducing business-related waste into the environment and failing to report a spill of a polluting substance.
The charges are in relation to a sour gas leak that occurred in November of 2009. The leak was caused by sand that had eroded a piece of pipeline infrastructure, called a 'Tee'
====================
5. Encana chips in to help prevent human/bear interactions
http://www.inews880.com/Channels/Reg/LocalNews/
story.aspx?ID=1322586
12/6/2010
Ecana is handing some cash to the province, to help prevent human and bear encounters.
The natural gas company is giving $40,000 to Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, to kick start the "BearSmart" program in the Grande Cache region.
http://www.srd.alberta.ca/RecreationPublicUse/
AlbertaBearSmart/Default.aspx
The program provides bear-resistant garbage cans, educational signs, and in-school visits for communities in the area. The goal is to reduce bear attacks, as well as increase the grizzly bear population through respect of the bear's habitat.
The same program is already in effect in areas like Canmore and Fort McMurray.
===============
6. Onondaga Nation faces new environmental threat: Fracking
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/northeast/
Onondaga-Nation-faces-new-environmentalthreat-Fracking-110476059.html
By Terry Hansen, nov 30 2010
NEDROW, N.Y. – The Onondaga, a member nation of the Haudenosaunee Iroquois
Confederacy and long leaders as healers of the environment face a new threat: Hydraulic
fracturing, or fracking.
The technique, used for much of today’s natural gas extraction shoots chemicals mixed with millions of gallons of sand and water thousands of feet underground to break apart the rock, allowing more gas to escape and flow out of a well.
Complaints have soared as fracking has expanded across the country. “Every state where this is going on, people’s water is contaminated,” said Joseph Heath, general legal counsel to the Onondaga Nation.
New York, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania sit atop the gas rich Marcellus shale. Until recently, New York stood ready to allow drilling. But in the face of considerable opposition they are now considering a moratorium.
“We’ve held them off for two years,” Heath said. The Onondaga, whose nation lies in Central New York, near Syracuse, are part of a grass-roots movement that helped convince New York’s state senate to put a moratorium on fracking until May 2012.
Heath said all the environmental issues involving fracking are a concern, but two specific issues are unique to the Onondaga.
MORE:
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/northeast/
Onondaga-Nation-faces-new-environmentalthreat-Fracking-110476059.html
===================
7. What’s the future for fracking?
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/12/02/
whats-the-future-for-fracking/
December 2, 2010 2:58pm by Kiran Stacey
Yesterday’s decision by the Obama administration to put a moratorium on drillingin the eastern Gulf of Mexico further intensifies the current debate about hydraulic fracturing, the controversial process by which much of the unconventional gas is being exploited in the US. The process has been at the centre of the most recent argument between the oil and gas industry and environmentalists since Gasland was released earlier this year, highlighting the effect of some of the chemicals used in extraction. But the argument has gathered pace in the last few days, not least because of the announcement by Ken Salazar (pictured) that he would consider tightening up rulesso that companies have to disclose what chemicals are being used to extract the gas. This was met by fierce resistance by Republican congressman Doc Hastings, who has written a letter to Salazar denouncing the decision even to consider such a policy change. Hastings writes: The department’s consideration of requiring duplicative and burdensome disclosures - above and beyond the significant efforts already taken at state level - raises the very real possibility of a further crippling of federal land communities and the jobs of tens of thousands of Americans that are dependent on the responsible development of those lands.
It’s a strong reaction, given the fact that this is just a policy consideration at the moment. And as Salazar said on Tuesday, he is a supporter of extracting natural gas: From our point of view, [the] bottom line is that there is a bright future with respect to natural gas here in America. But it is a sign that gas lobbyists and supportive politicians are getting their repostes in quickly. And well they might, given the way things are turning against them on a state level. On Monday night the New York State Assembly passed a six-month moratorium on fracking throughout the state, aimed particularly at the Marcellus field in the north. Locals agree that the bill was largely symbolic, as the state’s environmental conservation department is already reviewing the impact of drilling in the Marcellus field. But the symbolism is significant - policymakers were sending a message to the oil and gas industry about their intentions. This will be a diffficult balance for politicians on a local and national level - between environmental concerns and security of supply. And it is a debate that is making its way to European shores. The Ecologist carried a piece this week that highlighted the nascent unconventional gas market in Europe, focusing particularly on Poland and its estimated 1.4 trillion cubic metres of natural gas. The wording of the piece gave a hint of the argument to come, should this market expand at anything like the rate seen in the US: Despite growing evidence from the US of a raft of negative environmental and social consequences of drilling for natural gas using the controversial hydraulic fracturing process, European energy companies are scrambling to secure licenses to roll out extraction projects this side of the Atlantic.
MORE:
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/12/02/
whats-the-future-for-fracking/
===================
8. Is the controversial extraction of shale gas by fracking safe?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/su ... s/2010/12/
how_is_fracking_stacking.html
Susan Watts | 18:40 UK time, Thursday, 2 December 2010
Never heard of "fracking"? If not, chances are you will soon. It is short for hydraulic fracturing, and is part of a process by which the United States is tapping into a vast new source of energy – natural gas trapped in shale rock, deep underground. But this new source of energy is controversial. Video sharing website YouTube is buzzing with clips showing people who live close to gas drill sites setting light to their tap water. They claim this happened only after drilling released methane gas and contaminated their private water wells. There is a lot at stake - not just money, but also the reputation of a whole new industry.
Potential rewards - Some estimates suggest there is enough shale gas under US soil that in energy terms it represents at least a couple of Saudi Arabias. What is more, this trillions-of-dollars-worth of energy is home-grown, and cleaner than other fossil fuels.
Until recently it was thought too difficult to tap economically. But a new engineering approach that combines "fracking" with horizontal drilling has challenged that (see how fracking works in the video below). If all goes well in the US, Europe could be next. Just this September, a Chatham House report weighed up the prospects of a shale gas revolution. But is it safe to go ahead?
'Learning by doing' - In early October, I went to the town of Dimock in the US state of Pennsylvanian to find out more. Residents there have become well known for their experience with fracking, and with the gas companies at work in their backyards.
The message I took away from the trip was similar to that highlighted by Chatham House, which in its report spoke about the industry as one which is "learning by doing".
When I spoke to one of the gas companies operating in Pennsylvania, Chesapeake Energy, I found that such "learning by doing" had uncovered a problem. The company, the second largest gas company in the US, conceded this straight away. Brian Grove, from Chesapeake, told us that problems the company had encountered with shallow pockets of gas could explain how methane might reach people's drinking water.
The threat of methane in people's drinking water is one of two chief safety concerns about the industry. If colourless, odourless methane gas migrates into people's private drinking water wells it is not a health risk in itself, though in high concentrations methane gas is an asphyxiate.
More worrying, the gas could explode if it collects in a confined space.
Contamination claim - The second anxiety is over what is in the so-called fracking fluids. These are mixed in with millions of gallons of water, and pumped underground at high pressure to help ease the gas out of the dense shale rock. One of the Dimock residents we met, Bill Ely, like many landowners in the area, leased his land to a company called Cabot Oil and Gas, hoping to make money from royalties. Now he is suing the firm for contaminating his water supply with methane gas and putting his home at risk of explosion. After a neighbour's private water well apparently did explode, Cabot installed ventilation pipes on Mr Ely's water well, and agreed to divert his well water through a hose, rather than into his home. They truck in all his drinking water too.
MORE:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/su ... s/2010/12/
how_is_fracking_stacking.html
=================
9. ‘Rotten egg’ odor rekindles Silt-area debate on gas fracking
http://coloradoindependent.com/
69077/%E2%80%98rotten-egg%E2%80%99-odor-rekindles-silt-area-debateon-gas-fracking
By DAVID O. WILLIAMS 12/2/10 11:45 AM
A small town on the Western Slope of Colorado with the unlikely name of “Silt” has become ground zero for the natural gas hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” debate – at least in this state.
The city of Pittsburgh recently banned gas drilling within the city limits out of fear that fracking may lead to drinking water contamination – a charge the oil and gas industry steadfastly denies.
But in Silt, where nearby West Divide Creek once was so laden with methane and benzene that area resident Lisa Bracken could famously light its waters on fire, many industry critics claim the process of injecting water, sand and chemicals deep underground to free up more gas is far too risky.
It’s to the point where some Silt Mesa subdivision residents have urged a boycott of town businesses because officials there are too supportive of the industry.
MORE:
http://coloradoindependent.com/
69077/%E2%80%98rotten-egg%E2%80%99-odor-rekindles-silt-area-debateon-gas-fracking
===================
10. Mark Ruffalo on Those Terror Watch List Stories
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/12/02/
mark-ruffalo-on-those-terror-watch-list-stories/
DECEMBER 2, 2010, 6:00 PM ET By Lorraine Cwelich
Actor Mark Ruffalo says stories claiming that he was placed on a terror watch list are “fantastical.”
According to widespread news reports this week, Ruffalo was allegedly placed on a terror watch list by the Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security for organizing screenings of “Gasland,” a documentary about fracking, the practice of drilling for natural gas using a hydraulic fracturing process, which some allege contaminates ground water.
We spoke with Ruffalo this week at a holiday party at the New York City restaurant Bottino. “I’ve never been stopped at the airport and I think that the story has snowballed into this incredibly fantastical thing,” he said. “At the center, of course, is one small grain of truth, which is that back in September, I was hosting educational screenings of ‘Gasland.’ Pennsylvania’s Homeland Security was monitoring these screenings and feeding information to the gas industry. And they got busted. It was a huge embarrassment and the head of their Homeland Security had to resign over it.”
A online copy of the Pennsylvania Intelligence Bulletin No. 131, Aug. 30, 2010, seems to confirm that a screening of “Gasland” was under scrutiny by the Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security, which produced the report. Other private events and groups were apparently also being watched. Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security Director James Powers announced his resignation on Oct. 1. Gov. Ed Rendell reportedly said at the time that “Jim is a good man who made a very significant mistake in judgment.”
MORE:
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/12/02/
mark-ruffalo-on-those-terror-watch-list-stories/
========================
11. Secrecy of Fracking Chemicals Takes Beltway Spotlight
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS282628354120101201
Wed, Dec 1 2010
“It’s not as if it looks like the industry is hiding something. They are hiding something.”
By Elizabeth McGowan
WASHINGTON—Convincing the natural gas industry that a chemical disclosure protocol should be mandatory has proven to be much more formidable than blasting apart shale rock where the coveted hydrocarbons lurk underground. And conservationists fear that the disclosure debate is slowing progress on resolving environmental impacts associated with natural gas drilling and its sister act of “fracking”— which is geological slang for hydraulic fracturing. Those disparities became grist for a polite but enlivened exchange among three topic experts at the conservative Heritage Foundation. It was one of two fracking forums that unfolded in the nation’s capital Tuesday afternoon.
“The industry needs to deal with those issues rather than glibly keep saying they are America’s clean fuel source,” senior policy adviser Scott Anderson of the Environmental Defense Fund told those gathered for “The Promise and Perils of Hydraulic Fracturing: Best Answers to the Hardest Questions.”
“Nothing good is going to happen in the natural gas industry … until this disclosure issue is behind them,” Anderson continued. “It’s not as if it looks like the industry is hiding something. They are hiding something.”
Both of the other Heritage panelists—Mark Boling, executive vice president of Houston-based Southwestern Energy, and Lee Fuller, vice president of government relations with the Independent Petroleum Association of America—agreed that lack of disclosure is a
shortcoming.
However, they also pointed fingers at what they labeled environmental alarmists for scaring the public by highlighting and exaggerating the potential links between hydraulic fracturing chemicals and tainted drinking water.
Boling accused activists of waging a fear-based campaign that lacked scientific proof and demonstrable facts.
“If you give them enough fear, people can be scared of chemicals,” Fuller said. “The fact that we’ve been diverted on this path about chemicals … is an orchestrated effort to try to terrify lots of people.”
MORE:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS282628354120101201
=======================
12. Experts agree: Fracking moratorium 'symbolic'/Related Articles
http://www.theithacajournal.com/article ... 30/NEWS01/
11300378/Experts+agree++Fracking+moratorium++symbolic+
BY STEVE REILLY •SREILLY@GANNETT.COM • NOVEMBER 30, 2010, 7:55 PM
The state Assembly's vote in favor of a six-month moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, a controversial drilling technique essential to tapping the natural gas reserves of the Marcellus Shale, is drawing mixed reactions from legislators and advocates on both sides of the drilling debate. "We already have a de facto moratorium on horizontal hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale, and as far as I'm concerned, this really was a big mistake from the beginning," said Ithaca-based anti-drilling activist Walter Hang. The moratorium, if signed into law, would overlap with an already existing ban on the use of high-pressure hydraulic fracturing in horizontal wells, which has been on hold in the state for 2 1/2 years. In July 2008, Gov. David Paterson issued an executive order halting permits for horizontal hydraulic fracturing until the state Department of Environmental Conservation completes its review of the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement. While the new moratorium would last until May 15, 2011, few expect the DEC to complete its review of the draft SGEIS before then. In all likelihood, the SGEIS will be challenged in court. The new moratorium would also extend the current ban to include hydraulic fracturing in both vertical and horizontal wells. "It was a badly drafted bill," said Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D-Endwell, who voted against the moratorium. Lupardo said Assembly members who supported the bill "felt the need to send a message on behalf of the people who are concerned about hydrofracking," but did not understand the consequences of banning vertical drilling. "This should not be viewed as a referendum on gas drilling -- the bill itself had problems," she said. "As important an issue as this is, I think it's important to pass legislation that really gets to the heart of what we want to do, and I think this misses the boat." The moratorium was passed by the state Senate in August with only nine senators -- including Sen. Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton -- voting against it. After the Assembly's 93-43 vote Monday, the bill is currently awaiting the approval of the governor who said he was undecided on whether to sign it. “The legislative action, I think, is well intended, but whether or not we need it is uncertain," Paterson said in an interview Tuesday with Gannett's Albany Bureau. "In many ways, this is political cover, this is window dressing," Hang said. "You ask anyone, and they basically say this is a symbolic victory."
MORE: http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20101130/
NEWS01/11300378/Experts+agree++Fracking+moratorium++symbolic+
RELATED:
NY shale gas moratorium is a win-win
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/12/02/
new-york-state-moratorium-on-shale-gas-drilling-comes-at-aperfect-time/
New York could be first state to ban controversial drilling practice
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/02/new.yo ... oratorium/
Vocal And Tiny Minority Propagates Natural Gas Disinformation
http://blogs.forbes.com/greatspeculations/2010/12/02/
vocal-and-tiny-minority-propagates-natural-gasdisinformation/
Chemical disclosure
http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/chemical-disclosure/
Content?oid=1418467
=======================
13. The fracking fracas
http://www.hcn.org/hcn/greenjustice/blo ... ing-fracas
Red Lodge | Nov 30, 2010 10:32 AM By Heather Hansen
When the EPA sent a subpoena to Halliburton earlier this month, demanding to know what’s in the fluid used to drive their hydraulic fracturing process for natural gas and oil production, industry watchers braced for a showdown. But, less than a week later, the company (which is one of the largest oilfield services corporations in the world) responded by posting information on its website, including a partial list of substances it’s currently using and on the new, environmentally-friendly version the company says it plans to put into play. The move, which is seen by cynics as an attempt to satisfy the EPA without implementing new regulations, raises questions about what mining companies should be required to reveal about their fracturing practices. The EPA demanded the information as part of a study Congress ordered, amid citizen concerns that hydraulic fracturing may be contaminating water supplies and causing air pollution, and ultimately impacting the health of humans and the environment. Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” is the process of driving a cocktail of water, sand and chemicals into the ground in order to create cracks in the rock through which natural gas and oil can be more easily accessed. Anywhere from 20 to 90 percent of the wastewater that’s left, which often amounts to millions of gallons, remains underground. The fracking fluid that it recaptured is generally stored above-ground in open pits until it can be treated. While fracking fluids, which are also essential for reducing friction, are generally considered proprietary concoctions by the industry, some 944 chemicals were identified by scientists in a study released recently in the journal Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. The study focused on 73 of those substances that are found to have “10 or more adverse health effects.” These are toxic, even carcinogenic, ingredients that are considered potentially harmful to humans. Whether or not the EPA has the authority to request fracking formulas, as it did from the nine leading natural gas drilling companies in a November letter, and whether or not it’s within its scope to regulate them, are legitimate questions. When it studied fracking in 2004, the agency concluded that (at least coal bed methane production wells) presented no danger of contaminating underwater drinking water sources. A year later Congress, acting on the Bush/ Cheney Energy Bill, exempted the industry from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. It basically told the EPA to take a hike and let fracking continue unsupervised. The act is commonly called the “Halliburton Loophole.” Why should the EPA be able to come back at natural gas drillers just five years later? For good reason: since the exemption, there’s been a natural gas boom; fracking is now done in 38 states. The industry also has introduced new techniques like drilling horizontally, up to a mile, and busting into new kinds of rock. It’s also now being proposed relatively close to heavily-populated watersheds (specifically in the Marcellus Shale [PDF] region of New York [PDF] and Ohio).
MORE:
http://www.hcn.org/hcn/greenjustice/blo ... ing-fracas
Heather Hansen is an environmental journalist working with the Red Lodge Clearinghouse /Natural Resources Law Center at CU Boulder, to help raise awareness of natural resource issues.
Essays in the Just West blog are not written by High Country News. The authors are solely responsible for the content.
===================
14. EPA Issues an Imminent and Substantial Endangerment Order to Protect Drinking Water in Southern Parker County
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/
713f73b4bdceb126852577f3002cb6fb?OpenDocument
Agency orders Range Natural Gas Company to stop the contamination of Methane and Other Contaminants into drinking water near multiple residences
(DALLAS – December 7, 2010) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered a natural gas company in Forth Worth, Texas, to take immediate action to protect homeowners living near one of its drilling operations who have complained about flammable and bubbling drinking water coming out of their tap. EPA testing has confirmed that extremely high levels of methane in their water pose an imminent and substantial risk of explosion or fire. EPA has also found other contaminants including benzene, which can cause cancer, in their drinking water.
EPA has determined that natural gas drilling near the homes by Range Resources in Parker County, Texas, has caused or contributed to the contamination of at least two residential drinking water wells. Therefore, today, EPA has ordered the company to step in immediately to stop the contamination, provide drinking water and provide methane gas monitors to the homeowners. EPA has issued an imminent and substantial endangerment order under Section 1431 of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Parker County is located west of Fort Worth, Texas.
In late August, EPA received a citizen's complaint regarding concerns with a private drinking water well. During the inspector’s follow-up inquiry, EPA learned that the homeowner had previously complained to the Texas Railroad Commission as well as the company, but their concerns were not adequately addressed by the State or the company. EPA then conducted an on-site inspection of the private drinking water well with the homeowner and a neighboring residence, and returned to collect both water and gas samples. These samples were sent to an EPA certified laboratory for analysis. The data was received in late November 2010 and was carefully reviewed by EPA scientists. The EPA scientists have conducted isotopic fingerprint analysis and concluded the source of the drinking water well contamination to closely match that from Range Resources’ natural gas production well.
EPA has asked the company to conduct a full scale investigation. EPA is requiring Range Resources under this order to:
MORE:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/
713f73b4bdceb126852577f3002cb6fb?OpenDocument
To read a copy of order to the company, visit:http://www.epa.gov/region6
To learn more about EPA's National Enforcement Initiatives, visit:
http://epa.gov/compliance/data/planning ... tives.html
To learn more about EPA hydraulic fracturing study, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/hydraulicfracturing
# # #
Note: If a link above doesn't work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.
For more information contact Dave Bary or Joe Hubbard at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov
==================
15. Gas: the bridge to nowhere?
http://theenergycollective.com/david-lewis/47794/
gas-bridge-nowhere
November 29, 2010 by David Lewis
I corresponded with Dr. Robert Howarth since I posted an article: http://www.theenergycollective.com/davi ... erhaps-not about his research into the climate impact of gas here last week. Howarth is the scientist who is saying gas has a greater climate impact than coal.
Howarth emailed to say his opinion is based on several points. One, the latest research indicates methane has about 30% greater climate impact than the IPCC AR4 stated, and two: “I believe they are severely underestimating the methane leakage”.
Howarth drew my attention to the work of Dr. Drew Shindell, a senior climate scientist at NASA G.I.S.S. who published new data on methane in October 2009.
Shindell was the lead author of a paper:
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/326/5953/716.full
published in Science.
Here is the press release:
http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/news/20091029/
The work of Dr. Shindell’s group is solid. They were able to quantify and add in the effects of methane/aerosol interactions which the IPCC’s AR4 couldn’t include because the discovery was made after its cutoff date of May 2006 .
“What happens is that as you put more methane into the atmosphere, it competes for oxidants such as hydroxyl with sulphur dioxide… More methane means less sulphate, which is reflective and thus has a cooling effect. Calculations of GWP [a way to calculate climate impact] including these gas-aerosol linkages thus substantially increase the value for methane.”
(this Shindell quote is from this article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/
earthenvironment/article6895907.ece
=======================
16. Controversial gas 'fracking' extraction headed to Europe
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/01/
gas-fracking-extraction-europe
Ecologist: Europe's dash for gas is leading Halliburton, Chevron and Exxon to consider bringing hydraulic fracturing across the Atlantic
• Luke Starr for the Ecologist
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 December 2010 12.47 GMT
Despite growing evidence from the US of a raft of negative environmental and social consequences of drilling for natural gas using the controversial hydraulic fracturing process, European energy companies are scrambling to secure licenses to roll out extraction projects this side of the Atlantic. Hydraulic fracturing – also known as 'fracking' – is a process used in the vast majority of natural gas wells in the US, where millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground to break apart rock formations and release gas. Experts have increasingly expressed concern that the chemicals used in fracking may pose a threat underground or when waste fluids are transported or spilled. As in the US, shale gas is being increasingly seen as a way to sever links with a volatile provider, only in Europe's case it is not Middle Eastern oil sheikhs but oligarchs at Russian giant Gazprom. In August, US energy corporation Halliburton carried out the first hydraulic fracturing of a well in Poland on behalf of the state-owned Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG). Energy consultancy Wood MacKenzie estimates the country's reserves could stand at 1.4 trillion cubic meters. The high numbers have got US companies Exxon and Chevron scrambling to drill test wells
alongside smaller companies such as Three Leg Resources from the Isle of Man. With more than half of Poland's energy needs supplied by coal, shale gas is seen as a way drastically to cut national CO2 emissions in line with EU targets.
MORE:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/01/
gas-fracking-extraction-europe
====================
17. Russian Gas to Fall Short of European Demand, Physicist Predicts
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/
100218102445.htm
ScienceDaily (Feb. 18, 2010)
The political ramifications of dependence on Russian natural gas are a current, lively topic of debate within the EU. One issue that deserves more attention is whether sufficient gas will even be available for export to the EU. So argues physicist Bengt Söderbergh, whose dissertation provides an assessment of future Norwegian and Russian gas export levels. He is scheduled to defend his dissertation on 19 February at Uppsala University.
According to forecasts by the International Energy Agency (IEA), production of natural gas within the EU will decline from the 2006 level of 216 billion cubic metres per year (Gm3/year) to 90 Gm3/year by 2030, even as demand for gas is expected to rise significantly. The need to import gas will accordingly increase by up to 90 per cent during the period. Russia and Norway are currently the most significant suppliers of gas to the EU. Their combined share of the EU's gas imports during 2006 was 62 per cent.
Bengt Söderbergh's dissertation aims at an evaluation of future levels of Norwegian and Russian gas exports to the EU. Norwegian and Russian gas production scenarios were developed based on modelling of production from individual gas fields. The combined production from the largest fields - - the so-called "giant fields" -- was forecast.
MORE:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/
100218102445.htm
=====================
18. A scramble for the Arctic
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/11/
20101130181427770987.html
With one fifth of the world's oil and gas at stake, countries are struggling to control the once-frozen arctic.
Chris Arsenault Last Modified: 01 Dec 2010 16:26 GMT
From her office in the frozen north, Delice Calcote has watched big powers vie for control over the Arctic with little concern for its original inhabitants.
"This is our land," said Calcote, a liaison with the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council, an advocacy group representing the region's indigenous peoples. "We aren't happy with everyone trying to claim it."
But as the planet warms, as northern sea lanes become accessible to shippers, as companies hungrily eye vast petroleum and mineral deposits below its melting ice, a quiet, almost polite, scramble for control is transpiring in the Arctic.
"Countries are setting the chess pieces on the board. There are tremendous resources at stake," said Rob Huebert, director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.
The frozen zone could hold 22 per cent of the world’s undiscovered conventional oil and natural gas resources, according to the US energy information administration.
MORE:
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/11/
20101130181427770987.html
===================
19. Americans warn of pipeline danger
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/111323729.html
Terrace Standard December 05, 2010
Two American speakers who have had firsthand dealings with Enbridge pipelines were touring northern B.C. last week warning people of the perils of pipeline projects.
Erin O’Brien from the Wisconsin Wetlands Association and Beth Wallace of Michigan’s National Wildlife Federation spoke to a gathering of people at the Best Western in Terrace Dec. 3.
O’Brien spoke about Wisconsin’s experience with Enbridge’s 2007 construction of an oil pipeline, saying there were numerous and widespread permit violations during construction. This caused damage to wetlands, habitat and contributed to river pollution.
Wallace was born and raised in the Michigan area of Enbridge’s oil spill in the Kalamazoo River this year. She told of how there was a delayed response by the company when the oil
MORE:
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/111323729.html
=====================
20. 'Enbridge go home,' say B.C. natives - 'This project isn't going anywhere'
http://www.theprovince.com/Enbridge+home+natives/
3921132/story.html
By Kent Spencer, The Province December 3, 2010
B.C. natives and pipeline owners moved further apart than ever Thursday over plans for a $5.5-billion crude-oil pipeline through northern B.C.
A coalition of 61 native bands in the huge Fraser River basin vowed to stop Enbridge's proposal even if authorities ultimately approve it. "Our laws do not permit crude-oil pipelines into our territories. This project isn't going anywhere," Chief Larry Nooski of Nadleh Whut'en First Nation vowed at a Vancouver news conference.
The natives refused to spell out how far they would go to achieve their ends.
Their hardline stance came just three days after Enbridge CEO Pat Daniel offered them a 10-per-cent equity stake in the giant project. "This is a significant way for aboriginals to benefit by owning a stake and sharing in the revenue," said Enbridge spokeswoman Gina Jordan. "The cash would start flowing in the first year of operations."
Natives, however, were in no mood to bargain.
"We don't want any part of Enbridge's equity," said Nooski.
"The gold-rush mentality is over," said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs.
"The message is clear: Enbridge, go home. You're unwelcome intruders."
- - - -SNIP - - -
The natives say they are fighting for their salmon and their way of life, and they want the country to respect a United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples.
The pipeline, which is in the midst of a two-year environmental review, would be 1,172 kilometres long, stretching from Edmonton to Kitimat, and carry 525,000 barrels per day of crude oil from Alberta's oilsands to the B.C. coast.
The oil would be carried to world markets on 225 tankers a year.
kspencer@theprovince.com
==================
21. Oil and water: A risky mix
http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/water+risky/
3928278/story.html
Commentary OTTAWA CITIZEN DECEMBER 4, 2010
People the world over need oil. Most of us use some oil every day. Oil is the substance that fuels the world economy, from gasoline to drugs to fertilizers to plastics and beyond. The globe cannot live without petroleum products.
Most of us would like oil consumption to decline for environmental and geopolitical reasons, as well as to preserve a vital resource. And that's a noble goal. But a jet plane cannot fly on electricity. The world will always need some oil, as green as we might become. Alberta has an enormous amount of petroleum in its oilsands. Oil and bitumen have few practical export channels beyond this continent. That limits trade options for oilsands products and curbs development in the oilsands. That's not good when the world is screaming for oil and other countries than Canada are prepared to reap the profits from global oil markets. Lost economic growth should not be allowed to happen when Canada is suffering from a downturn.
Enbridge Inc. wants to take advantage of the Asian market by constructing a pipeline from just north of Edmonton to Kitimat on the northern British Columbia coast. That's an ambitious plan that should go forward given the economic benefits to Alberta, British Columbia and Canada in a very slow economy.
However, the project is facing some enormous hurdles, most of which are human. Aboriginal groups, 30 of them in fact, are negotiating with Enbridge about claims along the pipeline route. All efforts should be made by government and the company so that first nations people are treated fairly in these dealings.
Also, coastal aboriginals are extremely concerned about allowing supertankers loaded with bitumen to travel along the north B.C. coast.
MORE:
http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/water+risky/
3928278/story.html
====================
22. Prestigious journal calls oil sands an ‘environmentalist’s nightmare’
http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Environment/2010/11/24/
oil-sands-nature/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=291110
By Geoff Dembicki November 24, 2010 04:23 pm
The prestigious scientific journal Nature is urging scientists to speak out against the environmental impacts of Alberta’s oil sands.
“It would be unrealistic to expect that we could harvest fossil fuels or minerals without an effect on the environment,” reads an editorial in this week’s issue. “But the fast development of the tar sands, combined with weak regulation and a lack of effective watchdogs, have made them an environmentalist’s nightmare.”
Since the 1990s, greenhouse gas emissions from oil sands extraction have declined 30 percent per barrel, the journal notes. And ongoing University of Alberta research to reduce water impacts is a positive step, it reads.
On the surface, Nature’s editorial argues, Alberta government regulations appear to be tough on industry. Large companies have to pay $15 per tonne on each tonne of carbon they emit over a certain limit and mined lands and tailings ponds must legally be reclaimed.
“But many of these rules are weaker than they seem,” the editorial argues.
Overall emissions, it points out, are set to "go through the roof.” And only one six-hundredth of all mined land has been officially reclaimed, it reads.
“Canada’s tar sands, like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, are a warning sign of things to come. Future sources of fossil fuels will only get dirtier and riskier,” reads the Nature editorial.
It concludes: “Scientists can make a difference, not, as some critics allege, by playing politics, but by applying their expertise as concerned citizens.”
University of Alberta water expert David Schindler also authors a story in this week’s Nature. His report on oil sands water pollution, coupled with images of deformed fish, helped convince Alberta and federal governments to appoint scientific review panels last month.
Geoff Dembicki reports for the Tyee.
======================
23. At National Oil Spill Commission Meeting, We Share Our Preliminary Findings
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-beinecke/
at-national-oil-spill-com_b_792466.html
Frances Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council
Posted: December 6, 2010 10:42 AM
The National Oil Spill Commissioners shared our preliminary conclusions on Friday about the root causes of the BP oil disaster and the best ways to safeguard America against future spills. Though our final report will not be released until January, our initial findings have taken shape. Over the course of the past six months, the commission has investigated the actions of BP, Halliburton, and Transocean. Through this process, we detected a broadly sweeping and deeply embedded problem that transcends the actions of specific companies: We found systemic regulatory and industry failure to protect the American public's interest.
There simply has not been adequate oversight or investment in oil spill response and containment.
Specifically, we found that government oversight had not kept up with the complexity of drilling in the deep water. Meanwhile, the oil industry, unlike other high-risk venture such as aviation and nuclear power, had not developed industry-wide performance standards to promote best practices in increasingly perilous and fragile environments such as the deep water and the Arctic.
In the case of the Macondo well, the three companies also routinely failed to communicate critical information about problems they were encountering. During our meeting this week, Richard Sears, who is a senior science and engineering adviser to the commission with three decades of experience in the energy industry, said:
They were not always sharing information, calling in experts, engaging. And there are many instances where they did not share information from operator to contractor. And certainly between contractors, information was not being shared. And as a result, individuals were making very important decisions about the operations, about the safety, of what was happening on the rig. They are making these decisions without fully appreciating the context in which they were being made, or even the importance of a particular decision.
MORE:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-beinecke/
at-national-oil-spill-com_b_792466.html
======================
24. Nebraska lawmakers hold hearing on Keystone pipeline
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7319682.html
By: Margery Beck, Associated Press December 01 2010
LINCOLN, Neb. — A TransCanada official says the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico this year should not make state officials uneasy about a proposed oil pipeline route through the Nebraska Sandhills.
But some state lawmakers, experts and residents whose land lies in the pipeline's path say the state shouldn't take any chances.
The Legislature's Natural Resources Committee met today with natural resources experts, residents and pipeline officials to discuss the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
Doug Cobb, of Holt County, says lawmakers should consider regulations — like one to protect landowners from liability should an oil leak occur.
But TransCanada executive Robert Jones says the pipeline is safe and should not be compared to the Gulf oil rig that exploded in April, triggering a massive leak.
MORE:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7319682.html
===================
25. No thanks to oilsands
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/thanks+oilsands/
3927153/story.html
BY RALPH IBANEZ, THE STAR PHOENIX DECEMBER 4, 2010
Dave Clinton (Encourage oil industry, SP Nov. 29) is asking us to stop picking on the oilsands, and support "investment in the future" instead.
Oilsands are the planet's dirtiest, most destructive form of oil extraction.
Its devastation of Alberta's boreal forest is so enormous that it can be clearly seen from outer space. Oilsands processing is responsible for the largest greenhouse gases production in Canada, accounting for 40 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
To extract this oil, the sands need to be boiled in water from the Athabasca River, using a billion cubic feet of natural gas a day. Not only does this release greenhouse gases but it uses up a strategic natural resource crucial for winter survival.
The used water stored in tailing ponds is so poisonous that scores of birds die just by contact with it. Naturally, water leaks -- despite the "preventive containment" Clinton refers to -- and the Athabasca is becoming more and more polluted. High levels of arsenic, benzene, mercury and other proven carcinogens are found in the river. Cancer and other rare diseases are rampant among First Nations people who depend on the river water.
They report that fish smells like gasoline and, once cooked, tastes like burnt rubber. They have found scores of fish with tumors and deformities.
- - - SNIP - - -
Support the oilsands? Thanks, but no thanks.
Ralph Ibanez
Saskatoon
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9144
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
FRACKING NEWS: December 12, 2010
by Oscar » Sun Dec 12, 2010 11:45 am
FRACKING NEWS: December 12, 2010
1. WATCH: UPDATES from COP 16 - Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
2. LETTER: LAURIN: re: Bill C-469 Environmental Bill of Rights
3. Sir Nicholas Stern on Canada
4. Climate-change reputation in tatters? Try blustering
5. Militarism as Cause and Consequence of Climate Change Expulsion of Organizer from COP16 Leads to Cancellation of Press Conference
6. Governor Paterson Issues Executive Order on Hydraulic Fracturing
7. US court denies attempt to block EPA climate rules
8. LETTER: ARNEY: Korean manufactured pieces for Alberta Tar Sands.
9. LETTERS: SHIELDS: Traitors!!
10. Clinton says no decision has been made on pipeline
11. Signs of the Apocalypse...nuclear-powered oil tankers
12. Tanker Ban Vote – Implications for Northern Gateway
13. Canada Votes to Ban Tar Sands Oil Tankers off BC Coast; Enbridge Front Group Exposed
14. REPORT: "Using Electricity More Efficiently" - CCPA SK - Nov. 30, 2010
15. If the $30 Billion We Give Oil Sands Went to Green Energy
16. Safety minister not following 'gossip' on WikiLeaks releases
17. Study Charts How Underground CO2 Can Leach Metals into Water
18. Death Squads versus Democracy: Tom Flanagan’s "Joke" directed against Wikileaks Julian Assange + Video
19. LETTER: WOLF: Julian Assange Captured by World's Dating Police
20. What's Behind the War on WikiLeaks
21. LISTEN: The Train Interview (Click on Icon)
22. President NAFTA Backs President SHAFTA
23. CETA: Reject bad free trade negotiations with the EU [Watch Parl. debate live Dec 14th]
24. Protesters target government's Vancouver office over Gateway project climate change
=====================
1. WATCH: UPDATES from COP 16 - Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
http://greenparty.ca/cop16/elizabeth-video-updates
======================
2. LETTER: LAURIN: re: Bill C-469 Environmental Bill of Rights
December 11, 2010
Prime Minister Stephen Harper & The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environmental and Sustainable Development
Re: Bill C-469 Environmental Bill of Rights
I am in support of Bill C-469. There are some excellent benefits that would accrue from Canada having such an Environmental Bill of Rights.
I was at a Land Stewardship conference at the University of Calgary in 2008 when Preston Manning spoke eloquently of the need for an Environmental Bill of Rights.
The Environmental Bill of Rights is a statement of principles which all Canadians can understand and work with in our public and private lives.
Environmental rights are recognized in 170 countries around the world and are enshrined in legislation in the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Ontario and Quebec. Environmental rights should be extended to all Canadians equally.
It protects Canadians' right to a healthy environment.
It ensures access to environmental information and the right to participate in decisions related to the environment.
I would strongly urge the Parliamentary Standing Committee to pass Bill C-469 to legislate for a healthy environment for all Canadians.
Thank you for your consideration on this matter,
Sincerely,
Wanda Laurin, Peace River, Alberta
Cc: Linda Duncan, MP, NDP
======================
3. Sir Nicholas Stern on Canada
http://greenparty.ca/blogs/7/2010-12-06 ... ern-canada
By Elizabeth May on 6 December 2010 - 1:50pm
After his talk, I asked Sir Nicholas what he made of the Canadian PM, who has a degree in economics but claims that meeting necessary GHG reduction targets will cost "millions of jobs." He replied, "if Canada stays dirty, you are going to have real problems down the road. Ask your PM if in his studies of economics, he studied the histories of economic revolutions. They create jobs and stimulate economic activity. To claim acting to reduce GHGs will lose jobs is to have it exactly backwards. Failing to act, losing out on the green race to new technology risks jobs, risks investments, risks access to markets. If you stay dirty, you run huge risks."
------------
Sir Nicholas Stern's presentation - The economic case for a low carbon path
http://greenparty.ca/blogs/7/2010-12-06/cop16-monday
COP16 - Monday
By Elizabeth May on 6 December 2010 - 11:58am
The economic case for a low carbon path was presented by Sir Nicholas Stern, former Senior Economist to the World Bank and author of the landmark Stern Review. Five years ago, he presented his economic analysis to the UK government -- forecasting that failing to act to avert the climate crisis would deal a crippling $7 trillion hit to the world economy.
This morning in Cancun he updated that report. On one hand he sees the pace of climate change is faster then anticipated. Ice sheet melt in particular has accelerated. His report had said stabilization could be at 450-550 ppm. He now believes 450 ppm is the upper limit.
On the other hand, he sees the private sector as having done much more than was expected. The last five years have been a fertile time for investments in a new industrial revolution. Nothing less than a full economic revolution is required. Tinkering around the edges will not be sufficient. He compared the last five industrial revolutions -- 18th century textile, late 19th century steam and rail, 20th century cars and mass production, 20th century information revolution. While all are very different, they share key characteristics. The revolution is preceded by a period of 3-4 decades of intense investments and activity.
In this context, there is a critical role for governments in coordinating. They need to correct for market failure. Greenhouse gas emissions are a large market failure.
He argues forcefully that improving energy efficiency is the top priority, as well as getting rid of subsidies to fossil fuels.
In Stern's view, sector by sector, we can meet the targets required to hit carbon neutrality, or even becoming carbon negative.
And have a positive economic impact at the same time.
====================
4. Climate-change reputation in tatters? Try blustering
http://license.icopyright.net/user/view ... NzUyMjE%3D
By JEFFREY SIMPSON Globe and Mail Dec 11, 2010
John Baird's aggressive message - a classic instance of throwing stones at glass houses - was designed for Canadian consumption A theory of sports suggests that a good offence is the best defence. It's a theory the Harper government has put into practice all week
around the environment.
With the Cancun climate-change summit approaching, the Harperites knew that, once again, Canada would be pilloried on the world stage. Sure enough, on Day 1, before part-time Environment Minister John Baird arrived, Canada once again was awarded Fossil of the Year, finishing first, second and third in a vote of 500 environmental groups worldwide.
Still, some kind of public-relations strategy had to be developed. True to personal form, and consistent with the government's overall PR approach, Mr. Baird went immediately on the offensive. Before leaving for Cancun, he announced - or, more properly, announced once again - the creation of a marine conservation area in Lancaster Sound
off Baffin Island. After all, some sort of environmentally friendly announcement had to be made, or made again, before the drubbing began in Cancun.
Even before his departure, Mr. Baird began blaming China, India, Brazil and others for not doing nearly enough to bring down greenhouse-gas emissions. It was largely the fault of developing countries such as these that the Kyoto Protocol failed, he claimed, and why a new climate-change agreement wouldn't work.
Canada is right to urge big developing countries to do better and more than what they've thus far proposed. Canada also would be right to do something serious itself before lecturing others, since Canada has the worst record in the advanced industrialized world.
- - - -SNIP - - - -
Not only did Canada manifestly fail to meet emission reduction targets set by a previous (Liberal) government, no one who knows the climate-change file believes in the Harper government's reduction target - a 17-per-cent decline from 2005 levels by 2020.
===================
5. Militarism as Cause and Consequence of Climate Change Expulsion of Organizer from COP16 Leads to Cancellation of Press Conference
http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/166545/1/246
PRESS RELEASE: Dec 10, 2010
from Climate SOS, Biofuel Watch, and Global Compliance Research Project
A 10-minute interview is now on the UNFCCC website:
http://www.climate-change.tv/maggie-zhou-december-2010
(Cancun, Dec 10, 2010): As climate negotiations in Cancun become increasingly chaotic and the outcomes uncertain, over 70 diverse environmental, peace and social justice organizations declare that on this 62nd International Human Rights Day, we must recognize that all efforts to address climate change or human rights will fail unless we contend with the “elephant in the living room”: militarism, and a logic of Might is Right. The group sent their statement
(available at www.climatesos.org)
to delegates at the COP16, and to president Obama. On the same website is a factsheet with detailed resources on this topic.
A press conference scheduled for today inside the COP16 had to be cancelled, because its main organizer, Dr. Maggie Zhou, a biologist with Climate SOS, was expelled from the UN climate conference, due to supposedly showing ‘disrespect’ to UN security by demanding an explanation when her badge was forcefully snatched away on Tuesday, following her very marginal participation in a peaceful, non-disruptive demonstration on the conference grounds. The majority of other participants had their badges returned. An interview with Zhou is still on the official UNFCCC website
(http://www.climate-change.tv/maggie-zhou-december-2010),
as of the time of this release.
According to Zhou’s article published in today’s Alter-ECO newsletter (issue #4, see www.climate-justice-now.org), USA alone spends well over $1 trillion/year on military related expenses, magnitudes higher than the climate ‘assistance’ of $10 billion/y for 2010-2012, or $100 billion/y by 2020, from all developed countries combined! Worse, these climate ‘aid’ pledges under the Copenhagen Accord will come mostly as loan guarantees, private investments for profit, and even recycled aid commitments. She added: “President Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace prize exactly one year ago, although it has done nothing to stop him from further increasing the U.S.’s military budget.”
MORE:
http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/166545/1/246
==================
6. Governor Paterson Issues Executive Order on Hydraulic Fracturing
http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/
121110HydraulicFracturingEO.html
December 11, 2010
Governor David A. Paterson has issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to conduct further comprehensive review and analysis of high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale. The Executive Order requires that, if approved, high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing would not be permitted until July 1, 2011, at the earliest. This should allay any fears that high-volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling under study by DEC will commence without assurances of safety.
"We in government must always focus on protecting the well-being of those whom we represent and serve, but we also have an obligation to look to the future and protect the long-term interests for our State and its residents," Governor Paterson said. "Therefore, I am proud to issue this Executive Order, which will guarantee that before any high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing is permitted, the Department of Environmental Conversation will complete its studies and certify that such operations are safe."
Permits for high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing can not be issued until the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) completes a Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS), which is currently being developed. As a result, there is already in place a de-facto moratorium on such permits.
The Governor issued the Executive Order contemporaneously with his veto of S.8129-B/A.11443-B, which would have suspended the issuance of new oil and gas drilling permits through May 15, 2011, including all conventional, low-volume, vertical oil and gas wells.
MORE: http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/
121110HydraulicFracturingEO.html
==========================
7. US court denies attempt to block EPA climate rules
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/
idAFN1012580920101211?sp=true
By Ayesha Rascoe Sat Dec 11, 2010 12:12am GMT
* US EPA can proceed with climate regulations-court
* Industry pursuing lawsuits against EPA carbon rules
WASHINGTON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal court on Friday denied an appeal by industry groups to block the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing greenhouse gas regulations early next year.
The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said opponents of EPA's planned regulations did not meet the "stringent standards" necessary for the court to stop the rules while various lawsuits proceed against the EPA's climate-related actions.
EPA rules to limit the emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, from major industrial sources are due to go into effect on January 2. The Obama administration is moving ahead with the rules after failing to pass a climate change law through Congress this year.
The rules face lawsuits from industry groups and states that question the federal government's authority to regulate ubiquitous greenhouse gases, and argue the EPA did not conduct enough of its own research when it made its finding that carbon is a danger to human health. [ID:nN19162371]
Critics of the regulations argue the EPA is not equipped to handle the enormous task of controlling emissions blamed for global warming, and onerous rules will damage the economy.
- - - -SNIP - - - -
Beginning in January, EPA will start requiring big emitters such as power plants, refineries and cement manufacturers to obtain permits for polluting greenhouse gases.
Companies will also have to adhere to EPA guidelines about the best technologies to use to control emissions when expanding or building new plants or factories. [ID:nN10193097]
Environmental groups lauded the court's decision to allow the regulations to move forward.
"We're glad the court rejected these baseless attempts by polluters to stall progress toward cleaner cars and safer air," David Baron, an attorney with Earthjustice, said in a statement.
==================
8. LETTER: ARNEY: Korean manufactured pieces for Alberta Tar Sands.
From: Jeremy Arney
To: Times Colonist ; Peninsula Review ; Island Tides ; Lower Island News ; The Agora ; The Canadian ; Vancouver Province ; Vancouver Sun ; Nanaimo Bulletin ; Calgary Herald ; The Calgary Sun ; Edmonton Journal ; Globe & Mail ; cbcnews@cbc.ca ; CBC ; The Ottawa Citizen ; hudson.mack@atv.ca ; Edmonton Sun ; Red Deer Advocate
Cc: Harper. Stephen ; Ignatieff, Michael ; Layton, Jack ; Duceppe, Gilles ; May Elizabeth ; Savoie, Denise ; Martin, Keith ; Strahl, Chuck ; Duncan, Linda ; Clement, Tony ; Baird, John
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2010 11:09 AM
Subject: Korean manufactured pieces for Alberta Tar Sands.
American citizens from four Northwestern States have BLOCKED a huge EXXON (Esso) mega-shipment destined for the TarSands.
For information, google 'giant alberta bound oil sands' which should get you to the Portland Oregonian at
www.oregonlive.com Or:
www.allagainstthehaul.org
At a time when the present Reform/ Alliance coalition government masquerading as conservatives are claiming their priority is jobs for Canadians, they are allowing Korea to manufacture the necessary parts for Canada's shame in northern Alberta.
They must have known this was happening because they had to issue import licences.
Why did they think these could not be made in Canada?
Why were they not willing to tell Exxon, "Get it done in Canada or forget it."
The size and scope and costs of this is breathtaking and we get nothing but the destruction of Alberta roads.
How much are they willing to help Alberta with the destruction of those roads to be used?
Are they really serious about creating jobs in Canada?
There are so many questions here that need to be answered.
One of those questions will be are you the mainstream media in Western Canada going to even look into this and then report it?
Thanks to the American States which have refused to allow these shipments to destroy their roads and towns on route.
If ever we needed proof that Stephen 'I make the rules' Harper is out of touch with the needs of the Canadian people and reality this is it.
Jeremy Arney
CAP candidate for SGI in 2008
6254a Springlea Rd, Victoria BC V8Z 5Z4
778-426-0454
= = = = = =
Giant Alberta-bound oil-sands shipments stall in Idaho as opposition mounts
http://www.sqwalk.com/q/
giant-alberta-bound-oil-sands-shipments-stall-idaho-opposition-mounts
Richard Read, The Oregonian, December 05, 2010
Imperial Oil managers thought they'd discovered a new Northwest Passage when they decided to send more than 200 giant factory building blocks from South Korea to Canada via Idaho.
The largest of the massive modules, built as pieces of an $8 billion project in Alberta's oil sands, are wide as two-lane highways, taller than freeway overpasses and two-thirds the length of football fields. Imperial planned to ship the behemoths to Vancouver, barge them upriver and unload them in Lewiston, Idaho.
For $100 million or so, Imperial intended to relocate overhead wires in Idaho and Montana, build dozens of highway pullouts and haul each load in the dead of night to Canada. The route, on winding highways free of overpasses, would avoid a much longer journey through the Panama Canal, the Great Lakes and Minnesota.
MORE: http://www.sqwalk.com/q/
giant-alberta-bound-oil-sands-shipments-stall-idaho-opposition-mounts
====================
9. LETTER: SHIELDS: Traitors!!
From: lagran
To: flaherty ; minister.energy@gov.ab.ca
Cc: Minister, EMPR EMPR:EX ; Layton, Jack - M.P. ; iggy ; goodale ; bill boyd ; Alberta Activism ; jmorales@neb-one.gc.ca ; acameron@neb-one.gc.ca
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2010 10:04 AM
Subject: Traitors!!
I would have Prime Minister Steve Harper resign for allowing the Keystone to rob 18,000 jobs from Canadians and give the same to the American public. Many folks cite this approval from Harper's Tories as the most foolish international deal of all time. Knowledgeable Canadians can't help but notice what happened to natural gas prices after Mulroney signed the "Free-Trade Agreement" that turned price control of natural gas from the producer to the importer. Harper now will try the very same thing with bitumen, allowing the single importer to control the take-away rate of bitumen, thus controlling the price spread with conventional crude set by international markets.
Lack of Bitumen upgrades has cost Canada an entire industry, much like what the export of raw natural gas through the Alliance pipeline did to Canada's budding petro-chemical industry. Flaherty's statement of Canada becoming a petro superpower caused eyeballs to stretch, this would have happened naturally without the federal Tories in power, and is now impossible with such. United States is slated to be that petro superpower using, of course, Canadian resources, since our government refuses the hard lifting to become involved in serious energy regulation from a economical CANADIAN point of view. Who is aware that Nova chemicals are about to import 30,000 BBls. of ethane a day from the United States? Canada-----A Petro-superpower --really, Mr. Flaherty!! Your government will not allow that to happen!!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, AB
= = = = = = = = = = = = =
Minister Paradis should resign for bragging about exporting Canadian jobs
http://www.cep.ca/mediarelease/
minister-paradis-should-resign-bragging-about-exporting-canadian-jobs
12/09/2010
OTTAWA -- Canada’s major oil sector union has called for the resignation of Conservative Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis over his remarks promoting Canadian bitumen exports to US businessmen because it will creates hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans.
“Mr. Paradis clearly fails to understand his responsibility to Canadians and Quebecois. His job is to ensure that our natural resources create jobs for Canadians, not Americans,” says Dave Coles, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada.
“The Conservative government has ignored our arguments for five years that the export of raw bitumen also exported thousands of jobs to the United States, and now we find that Conservative ministers were in the United States making the same argument to get American support for the XL pipeline.
“All this was taking place at the same time as Shell was closing its Montreal refinery in order to import gasoline from Europe. The La Presse report reveals the spectacle of a Quebec minister telling Americans that our resources will create jobs for them, while refineries are closing in Quebec and Quebecers are forced to rely on imported gasoline.
“Mr. Paradis has no credibility as Natural Resources minister. He should resign.”
Coles was reacting to a La Presse report based on freedom of information disclosures that Paradis told Illinois businessmen last summer that the XL bitumen pipeline would create 342,000 jobs in the United States.
CEP has opposed raw bitumen exports and has consistently called on the Canadian government to require oil sands producers to upgrade bitumen in Canada.
CEP has also argued that the closure of Shell’s Montreal refinery is a result of the failure of the Canadian government to require that Alberta bitumen and synthetic oil be made available to Eastern Canada for upgrading and refining.
==================
10. Clinton says no decision has been made on pipeline
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/a ... D9K1C1O80/
By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer , The Associated Press - OMAHA, Neb.
December 11, 2010
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a letter this week that no decision has been made on a proposed $7 billion pipeline to carry Canadian oil to Gulf Coast refineries.
Clinton wrote her letter Thursday to Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, responding to criticism of remarks she made during an October event that suggested support for TransCanada Corp.'s Keystone XL proposal. Nelson, a Democrat, was one of several senators who questioned Clinton's remarks because the proposal is still being reviewed.
"We have not made a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, and will not make one until we complete all steps of our review process," Clinton wrote. "The Department has a strong commitment to the environment and ensuring that decisions related to the pipeline are fully informed."
The proposed pipeline would cross Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. TransCanada has also proposed connecting the pipeline to the Bakken oil field in Montana and North Dakota. The proposed path would cross several rivers and the massive underground Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies drinking water to about 2 million people in eight states and supports irrigation.
Nelson praised Clinton's letter and said he's glad the project won't be approved until after the State Department considers the possible impact on the Ogallala Aquifer and the fragile Sandhills region of Nebraska and South Dakota.
MORE:
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/a ... D9K1C1O80/
================
11. Signs of the Apocalypse...nuclear-powered oil tankers
http://www.beyondnuclear.org/home/2010/12/8/
signs-of-the-apocalypsenuclear-powered-oil-tankers.html
December 8, 2010
The latest folly in a world already gone mad is the prospect of nuclear-powered oil tankers. The technology is under serious review as tankers seek to comply with emissions laws. But the prospect of an oceanic environmental double-catastrophe never appears to enter the discussion among the profiteers who bear the same mentality as those who want to plunder the now melting Arctic. In 2009, a nuclear-powered ice-breaker collided with an oil tanker (pictured). The tanker got a 9.5 meter long crack on the main deck from the impact but was fortunately only carrying ballast at the time.
- - - - - -
Could Oil Tankers Be New Reactor Market?
http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/nuclear/
could-oil-tankers-be-new-reactor-market
POSTED BY: Bill Sweet / Mon, December 06, 2010
With rising fuel prices, pending international limits on sulfur emissions, and concerns about greenhouse gas emissions in mind, the British shipping consultancy Lloyd's Registry has launched a study of whether oil tankers should be nuclear-powered. At present, reactors have been used almost exclusively to power military ships, starting with the famous U.S.S. Nautilus submarine (above). In civilian shipping, with the exception of one Russian container boat, nuclear propulsion is used only for icebreakers. Vince Jenkins, global marine risk adviser at Lloyds, clients of the firm are showing interest in alternative propulsion technologies that would cut carbon emissions. "Nuclear power is the only technology that can replace carbon emissions entirely," Jenkins told the Financial Times.
TAGS: nuclear propulsion // oil // reactors // tankers // transportation
==================
12. Tanker Ban Vote – Implications for Northern Gateway
http://blog.northerngateway.ca/2010/12/
tanker-ban-vote-%E2%80%93-implications-for-northern-gateway/
Enbridge Northern Gateway Blog
Pipelines John Carruthers, President Enbridge Northern Gateway
Yesterday, an Opposition motion in the House of Commons calling for a ban on tanker traffic at three of B.C.’s West Coast ports was passed by a slim margin by Opposition Members of Parliament.
Although disappointing to us, the Opposition motion is not binding on the government and it will not impact the rigorous regulatory process currently underway to consider Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Project. While we recognize that opponents will most certainly use yesterday’s outcome to add legitimacy to their objections about the project, it hasn’t changed Enbridge’s commitment to Northern Gateway.
We certainly understand that some Northern Gateway stakeholders are concerned about marine safety, the risk of a leak into waterways and the protection of the environment. Those are very legitimate concerns and ones that need to be addressed. As we’ve outlined in detail in our application to the Joint Review Panel, we will take every precaution to protect the environment along the right-of-way, at the Kitimat Terminal, and along our nation’s west coast. We are putting in place a model of world-class safety protocols and environmental protection.
MORE:
http://blog.northerngateway.ca/2010/12/
tanker-ban-vote-%E2%80%93-implications-for-northern-gateway/
==================
13. Canada Votes to Ban Tar Sands Oil Tankers off BC Coast; Enbridge Front Group Exposed
http://www.desmogblog.com/
canada-votes-ban-tar-sands-oil-tankers-british-columbias-coast
7 December 10
Tags: alberta oil sands, bitumen, british columbia, Canada, climate legislation, Colin Kinsley, Desmogger, Emma Pullman, Enbridge, House of Commons, lower house, Nathan Cullen, Northern Gateway Alliance, Northern Gateway Pipeline, oil spill, propaganda pipeline, Regulatory, Senate, Stephen Harper, supertanker, tanker ban, tankers, tar sands
Today, Canada's House of Commons approved a motion calling for a permanent ban on oil tankers off British Columbia's coast. The passed NDP motion introduced by MP Nathan Cullen urges the government to immediately propose legislation to "ban bulk oil tanker traffic" through the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound, off the north coast of B.C. The bill received Parliamentary support in a tight a vote of 143-138, with all opposition parties supporting it and Conservatives opposed.
British Columbia is now one step closer to having a full legislated ban on supertankers off its north and central coasts. The opposition is sending a clear message to the Conservatives to legislate a formal moratorium.
Today's ban could seriously impact Enbridge, who has plans to develop a $5.5 billion 1,170-kilometre pipeline to carry dirty tar sands bitumen to Kitimat, B.C., where it would be loaded onto supertankers bound for growing energy markets in Asia.
Enbridge has already been hard at work to ensure that the ban did not succeed today. According to information secured by the Prince George Citizen, Enbridge is footing the bill for a northern front group to create community support for its pipeline project. The Northern Gateway Alliance is the brainchild of Enbridge who fear opposition to their profitable pipeline project. The chair of the astroturf Alliance, former Prince George mayor Colin Kinsley, is even on Enbridge's payroll.
MORE:
http://www.desmogblog.com/
canada-votes-ban-tar-sands-oil-tankers-british-columbias-coast
===================
14. REPORT: "Using Electricity More Efficiently" - CCPA SK - Nov. 30, 2010
The Saskatchewan office of the Canadian centre for Policy Alternatives has just released the second in its series on "Transforming Saskatchewan's Electrical Future." Part Two, entitled "Using Electricity More Efficiently" contains some surprising facts about how much electricity is consumed in our province.
Did you know....
* Potash, oil and gas, steel, mining and chemicals currently consume 34.5% of all electricity in Saskatchewan?
* In ten years, those same industries will consume almost 50% of our province's electricity?
* Residential consumption is only 13.7% of total consumption and expected to drop to 11% in ten years?
Given industry's voracious appetite for cheap subsidized power, it is essential that we adopt a comprehensive conservation and efficiency program to ensure that the people of Saskatchewan are getting a fair deal when it comes to electrical generation in the province.
To read the press release:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsro ... -releases/
industry-consumes-well-over-half-all-electricity-saskatchewan-efficiencies-mu
To read the full report:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/
transforming-saskatchewan’s-electrical-future-part-2
Sincerely,
Simon Enoch, PhD, Director
Saskatchewan Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
Suite G–2835, 13th Avenue, Regina, Sk. S4T 1N6
Office Phone:(306) 924-3372
E-mail: ccpasask@sasktel.net
= = = = =
Schools save $1.56M on energy
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/
Schools+save+energy/3949638/story.html
BY JEANETTE STEWART, THE STAR PHOENIX DECEMBER 9, 2010
A large capital investment in energy reduction measures has saved about $1 million more than expected for Saskatoon Public Schools (SPS).
The public board began discussing the program at the end of 2004. A 10-million capital investment in energy savings measures began in 2007.
Since October of that year, the division has saved $1.56-million, $1.2 million more than anticipated, based on projections of energy costs without the improvements.
"We are well ahead," said Stan Laba, superintendent of facilities, at Tuesday's board meeting.
Facilities staff track energy uses at all SPS facilities on a daily and weekly basis.
Board members expressed satisfaction the project was taken on before school boards lost their ability to set the mill rate.
MORE:
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/
Schools+save+energy/3949638/story.html
==================
15. If the $30 Billion We Give Oil Sands Went to Green Energy
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/26/30BillionToGreen/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=291110
What could Canada achieve then? Here's the jaw-dropping answer.
By Mitchell Anderson, 26 Nov 2010, TheTyee.ca
Many Canadians are surprised to learn they are paying more than half of the cost for all the natural gas consumed at the Alberta oil sands through tax and royalty write-offs -- $1.7 billion this year alone. With gas prices and consumption predicted to balloon in coming years, what will be the collective cost to the taxpayer in the next decade for turning gas into bitumen? And what else could we do with this money?
Based on projections from the Alberta government, natural gas demand for bitumen recovery and upgrading will grow to 26.7 billion cubic metres per year by 2019 -- an increase of more than 75 per cent over 2010.
Likewise, natural gas prices are projected to climb as high as $9.15 per gigajoule by 2019. Using official yearly estimates for price and demand, these cumulative natural gas costs may total $63 billion from 2009 to 2019.
Assuming the taxpayer is picking up half of the tab through tax and royalty write-offs, by the end of the decade the public will provide about $31 billion to some of the world's wealthiest corporations for the reverse alchemy of turning natural gas into tar.
What else might be accomplished with this massive amount of money? What would happen if $30 billion in public incentives were instead directed towards our nation's renewable energy sectors over the next 10 years?
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/26/30BillionToGreen/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=291110
=======================
16. Safety minister not following 'gossip' on WikiLeaks releases
http://www.globalmontreal.com/world/
Safety+minister+following+gossip+Wikileaks+releases/3933777/story.html
By Juliet O'Neill, Postmedia News December 6, 2010 11:03 AM
OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Vic Toews appeared unconcerned or unaware Monday of the WikiLeaks release of a list of sites and resources in Canada identified by the United States as critical to that country in the event of attack, natural disaster or other emergency.
"I don't follow gossip very much so I don't really know the impact of WikiLeaks, but I can assure you that the security agencies in Canada are following it very closely and to the extent that I need to be involved and address those issues, they will brief me on the issues," Toews told reporters Monday after delivering a speech in Ottawa.
From an anti-snake venom producer in Italy to an isotopes producer in Canada, a 2008 list of what the United States counts as critical infrastructure and key resources around the world is contained in a cable asking for updates to the list of "critical foreign dependencies" in 2009.
Those are sites outside U.S. borders "whose loss could critically impact the public health, economic security, and/or national and homeland security of the United States."
Among the vital sites identified in Canada are those that produce gas and electricity, medicine, nuclear power, and those linking Canada and the United States — the bridges and highways that contain border crossings. Companies that help in the manufacture of military items are also on the list.
Examples range from GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, which produces pre-pandemic flu vaccines in Quebec, to nuclear plants, power dams, gas pipelines and a company that is critical to the production of military vehicles.
The cable said that under the direction of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the goal of the national infrastructure protection plan is to build "a safer, more secure and more resilient America."
Protection of the sites and resources would be designed "to prevent, deter, neutralize or mitigate the effects of deliberate efforts by terrorists to destroy, incapacitate or exploit them; and to strengthen national preparedness, timely response, and rapid receiver in the event of an attack, natural disaster or other emergency."
MORE:
http://www.globalmontreal.com/world/
Safety+minister+following+gossip+Wikileaks+releases/3933777/story.html
=======================
17. Study Charts How Underground CO2 Can Leach Metals into Water
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS15720845420101207
MORE FROM SOLVECLIMATE By Guest Writer at SolveClimate
Tue Dec 7, 2010 7:00am EST
Study is the first to observe, for at least a year, the effects of a CO2 leak on groundwater
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS15720845420101207
by Catherine M. Cooney
It’s not a common for a solution to carbon emissions to also pose a contamination danger for drinking water supplies, but new research indicates that if CO2 stored deep underground were to leak in even small amounts, it could cause metals to be released in shallow groundwater aquifers at concentrations that would pose a health risk.
In a study published in Environmental Science & Technology, authors Mark Little and Robert B. Jackson studied samples of sand and rock taken from four freshwater aquifers located around the country that overlie potential carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) sites.
The scientists found that tiny amounts of CO2 drove up levels of metals including manganese, cobalt, nickel, and iron in the water tenfold or more in some places. Some of these metals moved into the water quickly, within one week or two. They also observed potentially dangerous uranium and barium steadily moving into the water over the entire year-long experiment.
“We did the study to try and build a framework to help predict where problems with groundwater might arise if CO2 leaked,” Jackson told SolveClimate News. “The chemistry of the water provides us with an early warning of the potential leaks before the leaks occur, and that by itself if a very useful tool,” Jackson added.
The technology for capturing and storing CO2 emissions from coal plants and industrial facilities is not yet commercially available. Still, the Obama Administration and other governments consider capturing carbon dioxide and sequestering it underground a vital technology that will allow the world to continue using coal as fuel while reducing the impacts of climate change. This new study sheds further light on how fresh water contamination from the technology could potentially occur.
MORE:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS15720845420101207
=====================
18. Death Squads versus Democracy: Tom Flanagan’s "Joke" directed against Wikileaks Julian Assange + Video
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=22302
By Prof. Michael Keefer
Global Research, December 7, 2010Tom Flanagan, University of Calgary political science professor, right-wing pundit, and mentor and former senior advisor to Prime Minister Harper, has earned himself more international media attention during the past week than even he may have an appetite for.
On November 30th, Flanagan spoke as one of the regular panelists on CBC Television’s national political analysis program, Power and Politics with Evan Solomon. Staring into the camera, while across the bottom of the television screen there appeared a banner reading "WIKILEAKS LATEST: New document mentions PM Stephen Harper," Flanagan had this to say about Julian Assange, the founder and editor of Wikileaks:
"Well, I think Assange should be assassinated, actually. I think Obama should put out a contract and maybe use a drone or something."
Evan Solomon’s reaction was delayed—and when it finally came, thumpingly stupid. After letting Flanagan outline for nearly ten seconds his reasons for advocating political murder, he broke in at last, saying: "Tom, that’s pretty harsh stuff, just for the record, that’s pretty harsh stuff."
Flanagan responded to this interruption with what appears to have been a joke: "Well, I’m feeling very manly today." But making it clear that his initial remarks were seriously intended, he wrapped up his contribution to the program with a parting shot: "I wouldn’t feel unhappy if Assange disappeared." This sounds rather as though, after proposing a murder contract and a drone attack, he was offering Obama a third form of assassination: how about a death-squad "disappearance"? Solomon responded, echoing his earlier feebleness: "Well, I’ve gotta say, Tom Flanagan calling for that, that’s pretty strong stuff...."
MORE :
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=22302
- - - - - -
WATCH: Tom Flanagan: 'Julian Assange Should Be Assassinated' (video)
http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/
tom-flanagan-julian-assange-should-be-assassinated-video-2733731.html
by NowPublic Staff | December 1, 2010 at 11:50 am
===================
19. LETTER: WOLF: Julian Assange Captured by World's Dating Police
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-wolf/
interpol-the-worlds-datin_b_793033.html
Naomi Wolf Bestselling Author, The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot Posted: December 7, 2010 09:40 AM
Dear Interpol:
As a longtime feminist activist, I have been overjoyed to discover your new commitment to engaging in global manhunts to arrest and prosecute men who behave like narcissistic jerks to women they are dating.
I see that Julian Assange is accused of having consensual sex with two women, in one case using a condom that broke. I understand, from the alleged victims' complaints to the media, that Assange is also accused of texting and tweeting in the taxi on the way to one of the women's apartments while on a date, and, disgustingly enough, 'reading stories about himself online' in the cab.
Both alleged victims are also upset that he began dating a second woman while still being in a relationship with the first. (Of course, as a feminist, I am also pleased that the alleged victims are using feminist-inspired rhetoric and law to assuage what appears to be personal injured feelings. That's what our brave suffragette foremothers intended!).
Thank you again, Interpol. I know you will now prioritize the global manhunt for 1.3 million guys I have heard similar complaints about personally in the US alone -- there is an entire fraternity at the University of Texas you need to arrest immediately. I also have firsthand information that John Smith in Providence, Rhode Island, went to a stag party -- with strippers! -- that his girlfriend wanted him to skip, and that Mark Levinson in Corvallis, Oregon, did not notice that his girlfriend got a really cute new haircut -- even though it was THREE INCHES SHORTER.
Terrorists. Go get 'em, Interpol!
Yours gratefully,
Naomi Wolf
======================
20. What's Behind the War on WikiLeaks
http://www.informationclearinghouse.inf ... e27033.htm
By Ray McGovern December 10, 2010 "Information Clearing House"
WikiLeaks has teased the genie of transparency out of a very opaque bottle, and powerful forces in America, who thrive on secrecy, are trying desperately to stuff the genie back in.
How far down the U.S. has slid can be seen, ironically enough, in a recent commentary in Pravda (that's right, Russia's Pravda):
"What WikiLeaks has done is make people understand why so many Americans are politically apathetic… After all, the evils committed by those in power can be suffocating, and the sense of powerlessness that erupts can be paralyzing, especially when … government evildoers almost always get away with their crimes. …
"So shame on Barack Obama, Eric Holder and all those who spew platitudes about integrity, justice and accountability while allowing war criminals and torturers to walk freely upon the earth. … The American people should be outraged that [their] government has transformed a nation with a reputation for freedom, justice, tolerance and respect for human rights into a backwater that revels in its criminality, cover-ups, injustices and hypocrisies."
Odd, isn't it, that it takes a Pravda commentator to drive home the point that the Obama administration is on the wrong side of history.
Some bloodthirsty U.S. politicians even are calling for the murder of WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange, while some in the U.S. news media favor only prosecuting him and his leakers, while insisting that "responsible" journalists should be protected.
MORE: http://www.informationclearinghouse.inf ... e27033.htm
=====================
21. LISTEN: The Train Interview (Click on Icon)
http://trainradio.blogspot.com/2010/12/
chemtrails-geoengineering-and-climate.html
Chemtrails, geoengineering and climate change from Cancun and everywhere
Thursday, December 9, 2010
On December 9, 2010, The Train welcomed Ottawa organizer and social justice activist Sylvain Henry, US independent filmmaker and chemtrails activist Michael Murphy, and climate sanity champion Lord Christopher Monckton.
Rancourt challenged Murphy on the toxicity of nanoparticulate Al2O3 and on measurable environmental and human health impacts of chemtrails but all agreed to fight the undemocratic tyrants that run our lives and that global-scale geoengineering should be stopped.
Then Lord Monckton owned the last half like only he can. Twas a riot.
BACKGROUND LINKS:
WATCH: “What in the World are they Spraying?” Trailerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te_FOsKL_5Q
Michael Murphy documentary on chemtrails
Gore Gored - by Christopher Monckton (not available)
POST-SHOW FALLOUT:
Several listeners called the CHUO 89.1 FM radio station to complain and to ask that Rancourt's statements that aluminum oxide is not a highly toxic substance be retracted on air. Thank you for your interest in the show. The host of The Train has a responsibility to question claims of significant risk to public health when he has reason to believe the information to be in doubt. Please feel free to send all criticisms and feedback directly to Denis Rancourt at chuotrain@gmail.com. A selection of these statements will be read on air. In addition, more air time is planned for this topic.
FROM WIKIPEDIA:
Aluminium oxide is the family of inorganic compounds with the chemical formula Al2O3. It is an amphoteric oxide and is commonly referred to as alumina, corundum as well as many other names, reflecting its widespread occurrence in nature and industry. Its most significant use is in the production of aluminium metal, although it is also used as an abrasive due to its hardness and as a refractory material due to its high melting point.
Application--As a filler: Being fairly chemically inert, relatively non-toxic, and white, alumina is a favored filler for plastics. Alumina is a common ingredient in sunscreen.
================
22. President NAFTA Backs President SHAFTA
http://www.truth-out.org/president-naft ... hafta65865
Jeff Cohen Author and Media Critic Posted: December 11, 2010 10:32 AM
It was a stunning spectacle yesterday afternoon when former President Clinton took the podium from President Obama in the White House briefing room to help shove the Obama-GOP tax deal down the throats of Democratic activists and Congress members.
It was a fitting spectacle too (carried live on CNN) -- since Bill Clinton paved the way in teaching how a Democratic president can win battles through the votes not of his own party but the Republicans.
Remember NAFTA, the trade deal loved by big business and Republicans -- and opposed by Democratic constituencies like unions, environmentalists and consumer advocates? Clinton passed NAFTA with the votes of nearly 80 percent of GOP senators and almost 70 percent of House Republicans. Meanwhile, House Democrats opposed NAFTA by more than 3 to 2.
More than a year ago, I warned ("Get Ready for the Obama/GOP Alliance") that Obama would follow Clinton's lead in winning some of his biggest fights by allying with the GOP against his own base.
Following a long period of White House lecturing and name-calling ("the professional left," "f**king retarded") aimed at the activists who put him in the Oval Office, Obama has again shafted his base and broken a promise, this time on tax breaks for the rich.
Look for another Obama/GOP alliance if Democrats in Congress find their voices over Obama's bloody, costly, unwinnable folly in Afghanistan.
MORE:
http://www.truth-out.org/president-naft ... hafta65865
==================
23. CETA: Reject bad free trade negotiations with the EU [Watch Parl. debate live Dec 14th]
From: "Janet M Eaton" <jmeaton@ns.sympatico.ca>
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2010 8:25 AM
Subject: CETA: Reject bad free trade negotiations with the EU [Watch Parl. debate live Dec 14th]
The Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is being negotiated as a "next-generation" free trade deal that goes beyond NAFTA and the WTO in shielding corporate activity from government controls.
http://tradejustice.ca/en/section/2
It is sometimes referred to by our networks as the Canada- EU Free Trade Agreement.
See the Trade Justice Network (TJN) website for the leaked CETA negotiating document, background information on nature of the agreement and its impacts on environment, sustainability, our food system, jobs and the economy, public services, government procuremnt, culture, communications etc. and much more.
http://tradejustice.ca/en/section/2
For a quick overview see the new TJN 4 page comic book which reviews
all the issues and impacts in a nutshell.
http://fileserver.cfsadmin.org/file/tradejustice/
107062cf31075064c01a3e6cd712eb3d3f56f5a5.pdf
Janet M Eaton, SCC Rep, Trade Justice Network
Mark your calendars for Dec 14th for a live debate in Parliament on the CETA.
More information on the timing when available.
= = = = = = =
JULIAN: Reject bad free trade negotiations with the EU, Push for a Fair
Trade agreement with the EU
From: <Julian.P@parl.gc.ca>
Date sent: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 18:22:55 -0500
Subject: Reject bad free trade negotiations with the EU, Push for a Fair
Trade agreement with the EU
With the Harper government negotiating an agreement with the European Commission, a new trade monster looms on the horizon. Many of us were in favour in principle of these negotiations. The EU having much more progressive approaches on social and environmental policies which could have helped raise Canadian standards. Unfortunately, what is transpiring at the negotiation table is exactly the opposite of what ordinary Canadians and Europeans need-a progressive approach on trade. Instead of going to higher European standards, Canadian negotiators are pulling progressive European policies down to lower Canadian levels.
The NAFTA investor- state overrides which characterize NAFTA and have been so controversial in North America are being put on the table by the Stephen Harper government. Our municipalities and provinces´ right to ensure that taxpayers´ money is spent to create jobs in the municipalities/provinces on public procurement is also being put on the table. Our supply management system which effectively protects our small family farm sector is being put on the table. Environmental policy, our public health care, and a wide variety of other issues are on the table. That´s why the NDP fought for and secured an initial debate in Parliament on the Canada-EU trade agreement (CETA).
It is set for next Tuesday December 14th 2010 at the House of Commons.
We´re seeking to work with the activist community to ensure that the Canadian public understands what is at stake in this agreement.
Watch live on Tuesday December 14th as we all take note of the serious problems and risks of yet another right wing trade agreement that seeks to undermine and roll back all that is good and progressive in Canada and in Europe.
Please take a moment to sign up and be a part of the movement to push for a Fair Trade deal with the European Union.
Want to get involved?
Sign up for the campaign over email or Facebook to get all the updates and actions alerts and take part!
Join the Push for Fair Trade with EU group on facebook to spread the word
http://www.facebook.com/
event.php?eid=170662636307186&num_event_invites=0
Sign up for action updates by Email
http://peterjulian.ndp.ca/fair-trade-with-EU
Office of Peter Julian, MP
Burnaby-New Westminster
NDP International Trade Critic
Tel: (613) 992-4214 Fax: (613) 947-9500
TTY: (613) 992-4249
CEP 232/SCEP 232
www.peterjulian.ca
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peter-Jul ... 7586973623
================
24. Protesters target government's Vancouver office over Gateway project climate change
http://www.vancouversun.com/mobile/stor ... id=3963678
Saturday, December 11, 2010 By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun
VANCOUVER — Dozens of protesters on Saturday dumped 200 bags of sand collected from the South Fraser Perimetre Road project at the front doors of the World Trade Center, where Premier Gordon Campbell was believed to be holed up inside.
The so-called “direct action against climate change” was aimed at protesting the province’s plans to build freeways like the South Fraser Perimetre Road, at the expense of better transit and other sustainable options to get around.
The sand, taken from the South Fraser Perimetre Road project in Delta, included that dumped on agricultural land, said organizer Eric Doherty, of the Council of Canadians’ Vancouver-Burnaby chapter. Protesters lined up in assembly line fashion and passed the bags to the front of the line, where they were stacked in front of the doors.
“We took a small step toward digging up the South Fraser Perimetre freeway,” Doherty said, referring to the sandbags. “We’re going to keep the dike in place here to remind people of what the consequences of climate change are.
“Our main message is there are real solutions and we need to take real action. What we’re seeing from the provincial government is climate crime.”
Protesters, who said Campbell was seen entering the building earlier, called at him to come out. Most carried placards reading: Better transit not freeways. Stop Climate Change. “Campbell, where are you?” the protesters called.
Gina Vos, who carried a sign reading: “Cut Gateway freeways. $ billions for housing, health, education, transit,” chuckled as the sandbags mounted higher against the door.
“We’re giving the sand back to them,” she said. “We’re spending a lot on freeways and we don’t need that; we need better transit.”
The protest was aimed at putting a global face on the issue, particularly as it coincided with the UN Climate Change conference in Cancun, Doherty said. “We’re really part of a global movement; that’s where the hope lies,” he said, noting the agreement in Cancun was “meaningless; it’s a face-saving gesture for failure.”
Cathy Wilander, of the Council of Canadians’ Delta chapter, said the protest was “just the beginning of climate justice in B.C.” She said she was pleased with the turnout, given the cold weather and the fact it’s so close to Christmas.
“It’s a climate crime going on with the destruction of habitat, destruction of Burns Bog and the pavement of farmland, which we really need,” she said, adding the trucks and cars using the freeway will also post health risks to residents by affecting air quality. “We wanted to get [the issue] on the street and take action.”
MORE:
http://www.vancouversun.com/mobile/stor ... id=3963678
1. WATCH: UPDATES from COP 16 - Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
2. LETTER: LAURIN: re: Bill C-469 Environmental Bill of Rights
3. Sir Nicholas Stern on Canada
4. Climate-change reputation in tatters? Try blustering
5. Militarism as Cause and Consequence of Climate Change Expulsion of Organizer from COP16 Leads to Cancellation of Press Conference
6. Governor Paterson Issues Executive Order on Hydraulic Fracturing
7. US court denies attempt to block EPA climate rules
8. LETTER: ARNEY: Korean manufactured pieces for Alberta Tar Sands.
9. LETTERS: SHIELDS: Traitors!!
10. Clinton says no decision has been made on pipeline
11. Signs of the Apocalypse...nuclear-powered oil tankers
12. Tanker Ban Vote – Implications for Northern Gateway
13. Canada Votes to Ban Tar Sands Oil Tankers off BC Coast; Enbridge Front Group Exposed
14. REPORT: "Using Electricity More Efficiently" - CCPA SK - Nov. 30, 2010
15. If the $30 Billion We Give Oil Sands Went to Green Energy
16. Safety minister not following 'gossip' on WikiLeaks releases
17. Study Charts How Underground CO2 Can Leach Metals into Water
18. Death Squads versus Democracy: Tom Flanagan’s "Joke" directed against Wikileaks Julian Assange + Video
19. LETTER: WOLF: Julian Assange Captured by World's Dating Police
20. What's Behind the War on WikiLeaks
21. LISTEN: The Train Interview (Click on Icon)
22. President NAFTA Backs President SHAFTA
23. CETA: Reject bad free trade negotiations with the EU [Watch Parl. debate live Dec 14th]
24. Protesters target government's Vancouver office over Gateway project climate change
=====================
1. WATCH: UPDATES from COP 16 - Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
http://greenparty.ca/cop16/elizabeth-video-updates
======================
2. LETTER: LAURIN: re: Bill C-469 Environmental Bill of Rights
December 11, 2010
Prime Minister Stephen Harper & The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environmental and Sustainable Development
Re: Bill C-469 Environmental Bill of Rights
I am in support of Bill C-469. There are some excellent benefits that would accrue from Canada having such an Environmental Bill of Rights.
I was at a Land Stewardship conference at the University of Calgary in 2008 when Preston Manning spoke eloquently of the need for an Environmental Bill of Rights.
The Environmental Bill of Rights is a statement of principles which all Canadians can understand and work with in our public and private lives.
Environmental rights are recognized in 170 countries around the world and are enshrined in legislation in the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Ontario and Quebec. Environmental rights should be extended to all Canadians equally.
It protects Canadians' right to a healthy environment.
It ensures access to environmental information and the right to participate in decisions related to the environment.
I would strongly urge the Parliamentary Standing Committee to pass Bill C-469 to legislate for a healthy environment for all Canadians.
Thank you for your consideration on this matter,
Sincerely,
Wanda Laurin, Peace River, Alberta
Cc: Linda Duncan, MP, NDP
======================
3. Sir Nicholas Stern on Canada
http://greenparty.ca/blogs/7/2010-12-06 ... ern-canada
By Elizabeth May on 6 December 2010 - 1:50pm
After his talk, I asked Sir Nicholas what he made of the Canadian PM, who has a degree in economics but claims that meeting necessary GHG reduction targets will cost "millions of jobs." He replied, "if Canada stays dirty, you are going to have real problems down the road. Ask your PM if in his studies of economics, he studied the histories of economic revolutions. They create jobs and stimulate economic activity. To claim acting to reduce GHGs will lose jobs is to have it exactly backwards. Failing to act, losing out on the green race to new technology risks jobs, risks investments, risks access to markets. If you stay dirty, you run huge risks."
------------
Sir Nicholas Stern's presentation - The economic case for a low carbon path
http://greenparty.ca/blogs/7/2010-12-06/cop16-monday
COP16 - Monday
By Elizabeth May on 6 December 2010 - 11:58am
The economic case for a low carbon path was presented by Sir Nicholas Stern, former Senior Economist to the World Bank and author of the landmark Stern Review. Five years ago, he presented his economic analysis to the UK government -- forecasting that failing to act to avert the climate crisis would deal a crippling $7 trillion hit to the world economy.
This morning in Cancun he updated that report. On one hand he sees the pace of climate change is faster then anticipated. Ice sheet melt in particular has accelerated. His report had said stabilization could be at 450-550 ppm. He now believes 450 ppm is the upper limit.
On the other hand, he sees the private sector as having done much more than was expected. The last five years have been a fertile time for investments in a new industrial revolution. Nothing less than a full economic revolution is required. Tinkering around the edges will not be sufficient. He compared the last five industrial revolutions -- 18th century textile, late 19th century steam and rail, 20th century cars and mass production, 20th century information revolution. While all are very different, they share key characteristics. The revolution is preceded by a period of 3-4 decades of intense investments and activity.
In this context, there is a critical role for governments in coordinating. They need to correct for market failure. Greenhouse gas emissions are a large market failure.
He argues forcefully that improving energy efficiency is the top priority, as well as getting rid of subsidies to fossil fuels.
In Stern's view, sector by sector, we can meet the targets required to hit carbon neutrality, or even becoming carbon negative.
And have a positive economic impact at the same time.
====================
4. Climate-change reputation in tatters? Try blustering
http://license.icopyright.net/user/view ... NzUyMjE%3D
By JEFFREY SIMPSON Globe and Mail Dec 11, 2010
John Baird's aggressive message - a classic instance of throwing stones at glass houses - was designed for Canadian consumption A theory of sports suggests that a good offence is the best defence. It's a theory the Harper government has put into practice all week
around the environment.
With the Cancun climate-change summit approaching, the Harperites knew that, once again, Canada would be pilloried on the world stage. Sure enough, on Day 1, before part-time Environment Minister John Baird arrived, Canada once again was awarded Fossil of the Year, finishing first, second and third in a vote of 500 environmental groups worldwide.
Still, some kind of public-relations strategy had to be developed. True to personal form, and consistent with the government's overall PR approach, Mr. Baird went immediately on the offensive. Before leaving for Cancun, he announced - or, more properly, announced once again - the creation of a marine conservation area in Lancaster Sound
off Baffin Island. After all, some sort of environmentally friendly announcement had to be made, or made again, before the drubbing began in Cancun.
Even before his departure, Mr. Baird began blaming China, India, Brazil and others for not doing nearly enough to bring down greenhouse-gas emissions. It was largely the fault of developing countries such as these that the Kyoto Protocol failed, he claimed, and why a new climate-change agreement wouldn't work.
Canada is right to urge big developing countries to do better and more than what they've thus far proposed. Canada also would be right to do something serious itself before lecturing others, since Canada has the worst record in the advanced industrialized world.
- - - -SNIP - - - -
Not only did Canada manifestly fail to meet emission reduction targets set by a previous (Liberal) government, no one who knows the climate-change file believes in the Harper government's reduction target - a 17-per-cent decline from 2005 levels by 2020.
===================
5. Militarism as Cause and Consequence of Climate Change Expulsion of Organizer from COP16 Leads to Cancellation of Press Conference
http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/166545/1/246
PRESS RELEASE: Dec 10, 2010
from Climate SOS, Biofuel Watch, and Global Compliance Research Project
A 10-minute interview is now on the UNFCCC website:
http://www.climate-change.tv/maggie-zhou-december-2010
(Cancun, Dec 10, 2010): As climate negotiations in Cancun become increasingly chaotic and the outcomes uncertain, over 70 diverse environmental, peace and social justice organizations declare that on this 62nd International Human Rights Day, we must recognize that all efforts to address climate change or human rights will fail unless we contend with the “elephant in the living room”: militarism, and a logic of Might is Right. The group sent their statement
(available at www.climatesos.org)
to delegates at the COP16, and to president Obama. On the same website is a factsheet with detailed resources on this topic.
A press conference scheduled for today inside the COP16 had to be cancelled, because its main organizer, Dr. Maggie Zhou, a biologist with Climate SOS, was expelled from the UN climate conference, due to supposedly showing ‘disrespect’ to UN security by demanding an explanation when her badge was forcefully snatched away on Tuesday, following her very marginal participation in a peaceful, non-disruptive demonstration on the conference grounds. The majority of other participants had their badges returned. An interview with Zhou is still on the official UNFCCC website
(http://www.climate-change.tv/maggie-zhou-december-2010),
as of the time of this release.
According to Zhou’s article published in today’s Alter-ECO newsletter (issue #4, see www.climate-justice-now.org), USA alone spends well over $1 trillion/year on military related expenses, magnitudes higher than the climate ‘assistance’ of $10 billion/y for 2010-2012, or $100 billion/y by 2020, from all developed countries combined! Worse, these climate ‘aid’ pledges under the Copenhagen Accord will come mostly as loan guarantees, private investments for profit, and even recycled aid commitments. She added: “President Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace prize exactly one year ago, although it has done nothing to stop him from further increasing the U.S.’s military budget.”
MORE:
http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/166545/1/246
==================
6. Governor Paterson Issues Executive Order on Hydraulic Fracturing
http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/
121110HydraulicFracturingEO.html
December 11, 2010
Governor David A. Paterson has issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to conduct further comprehensive review and analysis of high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale. The Executive Order requires that, if approved, high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing would not be permitted until July 1, 2011, at the earliest. This should allay any fears that high-volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling under study by DEC will commence without assurances of safety.
"We in government must always focus on protecting the well-being of those whom we represent and serve, but we also have an obligation to look to the future and protect the long-term interests for our State and its residents," Governor Paterson said. "Therefore, I am proud to issue this Executive Order, which will guarantee that before any high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing is permitted, the Department of Environmental Conversation will complete its studies and certify that such operations are safe."
Permits for high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing can not be issued until the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) completes a Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS), which is currently being developed. As a result, there is already in place a de-facto moratorium on such permits.
The Governor issued the Executive Order contemporaneously with his veto of S.8129-B/A.11443-B, which would have suspended the issuance of new oil and gas drilling permits through May 15, 2011, including all conventional, low-volume, vertical oil and gas wells.
MORE: http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/
121110HydraulicFracturingEO.html
==========================
7. US court denies attempt to block EPA climate rules
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/
idAFN1012580920101211?sp=true
By Ayesha Rascoe Sat Dec 11, 2010 12:12am GMT
* US EPA can proceed with climate regulations-court
* Industry pursuing lawsuits against EPA carbon rules
WASHINGTON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal court on Friday denied an appeal by industry groups to block the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing greenhouse gas regulations early next year.
The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said opponents of EPA's planned regulations did not meet the "stringent standards" necessary for the court to stop the rules while various lawsuits proceed against the EPA's climate-related actions.
EPA rules to limit the emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, from major industrial sources are due to go into effect on January 2. The Obama administration is moving ahead with the rules after failing to pass a climate change law through Congress this year.
The rules face lawsuits from industry groups and states that question the federal government's authority to regulate ubiquitous greenhouse gases, and argue the EPA did not conduct enough of its own research when it made its finding that carbon is a danger to human health. [ID:nN19162371]
Critics of the regulations argue the EPA is not equipped to handle the enormous task of controlling emissions blamed for global warming, and onerous rules will damage the economy.
- - - -SNIP - - - -
Beginning in January, EPA will start requiring big emitters such as power plants, refineries and cement manufacturers to obtain permits for polluting greenhouse gases.
Companies will also have to adhere to EPA guidelines about the best technologies to use to control emissions when expanding or building new plants or factories. [ID:nN10193097]
Environmental groups lauded the court's decision to allow the regulations to move forward.
"We're glad the court rejected these baseless attempts by polluters to stall progress toward cleaner cars and safer air," David Baron, an attorney with Earthjustice, said in a statement.
==================
8. LETTER: ARNEY: Korean manufactured pieces for Alberta Tar Sands.
From: Jeremy Arney
To: Times Colonist ; Peninsula Review ; Island Tides ; Lower Island News ; The Agora ; The Canadian ; Vancouver Province ; Vancouver Sun ; Nanaimo Bulletin ; Calgary Herald ; The Calgary Sun ; Edmonton Journal ; Globe & Mail ; cbcnews@cbc.ca ; CBC ; The Ottawa Citizen ; hudson.mack@atv.ca ; Edmonton Sun ; Red Deer Advocate
Cc: Harper. Stephen ; Ignatieff, Michael ; Layton, Jack ; Duceppe, Gilles ; May Elizabeth ; Savoie, Denise ; Martin, Keith ; Strahl, Chuck ; Duncan, Linda ; Clement, Tony ; Baird, John
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2010 11:09 AM
Subject: Korean manufactured pieces for Alberta Tar Sands.
American citizens from four Northwestern States have BLOCKED a huge EXXON (Esso) mega-shipment destined for the TarSands.
For information, google 'giant alberta bound oil sands' which should get you to the Portland Oregonian at
www.oregonlive.com Or:
www.allagainstthehaul.org
At a time when the present Reform/ Alliance coalition government masquerading as conservatives are claiming their priority is jobs for Canadians, they are allowing Korea to manufacture the necessary parts for Canada's shame in northern Alberta.
They must have known this was happening because they had to issue import licences.
Why did they think these could not be made in Canada?
Why were they not willing to tell Exxon, "Get it done in Canada or forget it."
The size and scope and costs of this is breathtaking and we get nothing but the destruction of Alberta roads.
How much are they willing to help Alberta with the destruction of those roads to be used?
Are they really serious about creating jobs in Canada?
There are so many questions here that need to be answered.
One of those questions will be are you the mainstream media in Western Canada going to even look into this and then report it?
Thanks to the American States which have refused to allow these shipments to destroy their roads and towns on route.
If ever we needed proof that Stephen 'I make the rules' Harper is out of touch with the needs of the Canadian people and reality this is it.
Jeremy Arney
CAP candidate for SGI in 2008
6254a Springlea Rd, Victoria BC V8Z 5Z4
778-426-0454
= = = = = =
Giant Alberta-bound oil-sands shipments stall in Idaho as opposition mounts
http://www.sqwalk.com/q/
giant-alberta-bound-oil-sands-shipments-stall-idaho-opposition-mounts
Richard Read, The Oregonian, December 05, 2010
Imperial Oil managers thought they'd discovered a new Northwest Passage when they decided to send more than 200 giant factory building blocks from South Korea to Canada via Idaho.
The largest of the massive modules, built as pieces of an $8 billion project in Alberta's oil sands, are wide as two-lane highways, taller than freeway overpasses and two-thirds the length of football fields. Imperial planned to ship the behemoths to Vancouver, barge them upriver and unload them in Lewiston, Idaho.
For $100 million or so, Imperial intended to relocate overhead wires in Idaho and Montana, build dozens of highway pullouts and haul each load in the dead of night to Canada. The route, on winding highways free of overpasses, would avoid a much longer journey through the Panama Canal, the Great Lakes and Minnesota.
MORE: http://www.sqwalk.com/q/
giant-alberta-bound-oil-sands-shipments-stall-idaho-opposition-mounts
====================
9. LETTER: SHIELDS: Traitors!!
From: lagran
To: flaherty ; minister.energy@gov.ab.ca
Cc: Minister, EMPR EMPR:EX ; Layton, Jack - M.P. ; iggy ; goodale ; bill boyd ; Alberta Activism ; jmorales@neb-one.gc.ca ; acameron@neb-one.gc.ca
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2010 10:04 AM
Subject: Traitors!!
I would have Prime Minister Steve Harper resign for allowing the Keystone to rob 18,000 jobs from Canadians and give the same to the American public. Many folks cite this approval from Harper's Tories as the most foolish international deal of all time. Knowledgeable Canadians can't help but notice what happened to natural gas prices after Mulroney signed the "Free-Trade Agreement" that turned price control of natural gas from the producer to the importer. Harper now will try the very same thing with bitumen, allowing the single importer to control the take-away rate of bitumen, thus controlling the price spread with conventional crude set by international markets.
Lack of Bitumen upgrades has cost Canada an entire industry, much like what the export of raw natural gas through the Alliance pipeline did to Canada's budding petro-chemical industry. Flaherty's statement of Canada becoming a petro superpower caused eyeballs to stretch, this would have happened naturally without the federal Tories in power, and is now impossible with such. United States is slated to be that petro superpower using, of course, Canadian resources, since our government refuses the hard lifting to become involved in serious energy regulation from a economical CANADIAN point of view. Who is aware that Nova chemicals are about to import 30,000 BBls. of ethane a day from the United States? Canada-----A Petro-superpower --really, Mr. Flaherty!! Your government will not allow that to happen!!
Stewart Shields
Lacombe, AB
= = = = = = = = = = = = =
Minister Paradis should resign for bragging about exporting Canadian jobs
http://www.cep.ca/mediarelease/
minister-paradis-should-resign-bragging-about-exporting-canadian-jobs
12/09/2010
OTTAWA -- Canada’s major oil sector union has called for the resignation of Conservative Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis over his remarks promoting Canadian bitumen exports to US businessmen because it will creates hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans.
“Mr. Paradis clearly fails to understand his responsibility to Canadians and Quebecois. His job is to ensure that our natural resources create jobs for Canadians, not Americans,” says Dave Coles, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada.
“The Conservative government has ignored our arguments for five years that the export of raw bitumen also exported thousands of jobs to the United States, and now we find that Conservative ministers were in the United States making the same argument to get American support for the XL pipeline.
“All this was taking place at the same time as Shell was closing its Montreal refinery in order to import gasoline from Europe. The La Presse report reveals the spectacle of a Quebec minister telling Americans that our resources will create jobs for them, while refineries are closing in Quebec and Quebecers are forced to rely on imported gasoline.
“Mr. Paradis has no credibility as Natural Resources minister. He should resign.”
Coles was reacting to a La Presse report based on freedom of information disclosures that Paradis told Illinois businessmen last summer that the XL bitumen pipeline would create 342,000 jobs in the United States.
CEP has opposed raw bitumen exports and has consistently called on the Canadian government to require oil sands producers to upgrade bitumen in Canada.
CEP has also argued that the closure of Shell’s Montreal refinery is a result of the failure of the Canadian government to require that Alberta bitumen and synthetic oil be made available to Eastern Canada for upgrading and refining.
==================
10. Clinton says no decision has been made on pipeline
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/a ... D9K1C1O80/
By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer , The Associated Press - OMAHA, Neb.
December 11, 2010
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a letter this week that no decision has been made on a proposed $7 billion pipeline to carry Canadian oil to Gulf Coast refineries.
Clinton wrote her letter Thursday to Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, responding to criticism of remarks she made during an October event that suggested support for TransCanada Corp.'s Keystone XL proposal. Nelson, a Democrat, was one of several senators who questioned Clinton's remarks because the proposal is still being reviewed.
"We have not made a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, and will not make one until we complete all steps of our review process," Clinton wrote. "The Department has a strong commitment to the environment and ensuring that decisions related to the pipeline are fully informed."
The proposed pipeline would cross Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. TransCanada has also proposed connecting the pipeline to the Bakken oil field in Montana and North Dakota. The proposed path would cross several rivers and the massive underground Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies drinking water to about 2 million people in eight states and supports irrigation.
Nelson praised Clinton's letter and said he's glad the project won't be approved until after the State Department considers the possible impact on the Ogallala Aquifer and the fragile Sandhills region of Nebraska and South Dakota.
MORE:
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/a ... D9K1C1O80/
================
11. Signs of the Apocalypse...nuclear-powered oil tankers
http://www.beyondnuclear.org/home/2010/12/8/
signs-of-the-apocalypsenuclear-powered-oil-tankers.html
December 8, 2010
The latest folly in a world already gone mad is the prospect of nuclear-powered oil tankers. The technology is under serious review as tankers seek to comply with emissions laws. But the prospect of an oceanic environmental double-catastrophe never appears to enter the discussion among the profiteers who bear the same mentality as those who want to plunder the now melting Arctic. In 2009, a nuclear-powered ice-breaker collided with an oil tanker (pictured). The tanker got a 9.5 meter long crack on the main deck from the impact but was fortunately only carrying ballast at the time.
- - - - - -
Could Oil Tankers Be New Reactor Market?
http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/nuclear/
could-oil-tankers-be-new-reactor-market
POSTED BY: Bill Sweet / Mon, December 06, 2010
With rising fuel prices, pending international limits on sulfur emissions, and concerns about greenhouse gas emissions in mind, the British shipping consultancy Lloyd's Registry has launched a study of whether oil tankers should be nuclear-powered. At present, reactors have been used almost exclusively to power military ships, starting with the famous U.S.S. Nautilus submarine (above). In civilian shipping, with the exception of one Russian container boat, nuclear propulsion is used only for icebreakers. Vince Jenkins, global marine risk adviser at Lloyds, clients of the firm are showing interest in alternative propulsion technologies that would cut carbon emissions. "Nuclear power is the only technology that can replace carbon emissions entirely," Jenkins told the Financial Times.
TAGS: nuclear propulsion // oil // reactors // tankers // transportation
==================
12. Tanker Ban Vote – Implications for Northern Gateway
http://blog.northerngateway.ca/2010/12/
tanker-ban-vote-%E2%80%93-implications-for-northern-gateway/
Enbridge Northern Gateway Blog
Pipelines John Carruthers, President Enbridge Northern Gateway
Yesterday, an Opposition motion in the House of Commons calling for a ban on tanker traffic at three of B.C.’s West Coast ports was passed by a slim margin by Opposition Members of Parliament.
Although disappointing to us, the Opposition motion is not binding on the government and it will not impact the rigorous regulatory process currently underway to consider Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Project. While we recognize that opponents will most certainly use yesterday’s outcome to add legitimacy to their objections about the project, it hasn’t changed Enbridge’s commitment to Northern Gateway.
We certainly understand that some Northern Gateway stakeholders are concerned about marine safety, the risk of a leak into waterways and the protection of the environment. Those are very legitimate concerns and ones that need to be addressed. As we’ve outlined in detail in our application to the Joint Review Panel, we will take every precaution to protect the environment along the right-of-way, at the Kitimat Terminal, and along our nation’s west coast. We are putting in place a model of world-class safety protocols and environmental protection.
MORE:
http://blog.northerngateway.ca/2010/12/
tanker-ban-vote-%E2%80%93-implications-for-northern-gateway/
==================
13. Canada Votes to Ban Tar Sands Oil Tankers off BC Coast; Enbridge Front Group Exposed
http://www.desmogblog.com/
canada-votes-ban-tar-sands-oil-tankers-british-columbias-coast
7 December 10
Tags: alberta oil sands, bitumen, british columbia, Canada, climate legislation, Colin Kinsley, Desmogger, Emma Pullman, Enbridge, House of Commons, lower house, Nathan Cullen, Northern Gateway Alliance, Northern Gateway Pipeline, oil spill, propaganda pipeline, Regulatory, Senate, Stephen Harper, supertanker, tanker ban, tankers, tar sands
Today, Canada's House of Commons approved a motion calling for a permanent ban on oil tankers off British Columbia's coast. The passed NDP motion introduced by MP Nathan Cullen urges the government to immediately propose legislation to "ban bulk oil tanker traffic" through the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound, off the north coast of B.C. The bill received Parliamentary support in a tight a vote of 143-138, with all opposition parties supporting it and Conservatives opposed.
British Columbia is now one step closer to having a full legislated ban on supertankers off its north and central coasts. The opposition is sending a clear message to the Conservatives to legislate a formal moratorium.
Today's ban could seriously impact Enbridge, who has plans to develop a $5.5 billion 1,170-kilometre pipeline to carry dirty tar sands bitumen to Kitimat, B.C., where it would be loaded onto supertankers bound for growing energy markets in Asia.
Enbridge has already been hard at work to ensure that the ban did not succeed today. According to information secured by the Prince George Citizen, Enbridge is footing the bill for a northern front group to create community support for its pipeline project. The Northern Gateway Alliance is the brainchild of Enbridge who fear opposition to their profitable pipeline project. The chair of the astroturf Alliance, former Prince George mayor Colin Kinsley, is even on Enbridge's payroll.
MORE:
http://www.desmogblog.com/
canada-votes-ban-tar-sands-oil-tankers-british-columbias-coast
===================
14. REPORT: "Using Electricity More Efficiently" - CCPA SK - Nov. 30, 2010
The Saskatchewan office of the Canadian centre for Policy Alternatives has just released the second in its series on "Transforming Saskatchewan's Electrical Future." Part Two, entitled "Using Electricity More Efficiently" contains some surprising facts about how much electricity is consumed in our province.
Did you know....
* Potash, oil and gas, steel, mining and chemicals currently consume 34.5% of all electricity in Saskatchewan?
* In ten years, those same industries will consume almost 50% of our province's electricity?
* Residential consumption is only 13.7% of total consumption and expected to drop to 11% in ten years?
Given industry's voracious appetite for cheap subsidized power, it is essential that we adopt a comprehensive conservation and efficiency program to ensure that the people of Saskatchewan are getting a fair deal when it comes to electrical generation in the province.
To read the press release:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsro ... -releases/
industry-consumes-well-over-half-all-electricity-saskatchewan-efficiencies-mu
To read the full report:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/
transforming-saskatchewan’s-electrical-future-part-2
Sincerely,
Simon Enoch, PhD, Director
Saskatchewan Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
Suite G–2835, 13th Avenue, Regina, Sk. S4T 1N6
Office Phone:(306) 924-3372
E-mail: ccpasask@sasktel.net
= = = = =
Schools save $1.56M on energy
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/
Schools+save+energy/3949638/story.html
BY JEANETTE STEWART, THE STAR PHOENIX DECEMBER 9, 2010
A large capital investment in energy reduction measures has saved about $1 million more than expected for Saskatoon Public Schools (SPS).
The public board began discussing the program at the end of 2004. A 10-million capital investment in energy savings measures began in 2007.
Since October of that year, the division has saved $1.56-million, $1.2 million more than anticipated, based on projections of energy costs without the improvements.
"We are well ahead," said Stan Laba, superintendent of facilities, at Tuesday's board meeting.
Facilities staff track energy uses at all SPS facilities on a daily and weekly basis.
Board members expressed satisfaction the project was taken on before school boards lost their ability to set the mill rate.
MORE:
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/
Schools+save+energy/3949638/story.html
==================
15. If the $30 Billion We Give Oil Sands Went to Green Energy
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/26/30BillionToGreen/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=291110
What could Canada achieve then? Here's the jaw-dropping answer.
By Mitchell Anderson, 26 Nov 2010, TheTyee.ca
Many Canadians are surprised to learn they are paying more than half of the cost for all the natural gas consumed at the Alberta oil sands through tax and royalty write-offs -- $1.7 billion this year alone. With gas prices and consumption predicted to balloon in coming years, what will be the collective cost to the taxpayer in the next decade for turning gas into bitumen? And what else could we do with this money?
Based on projections from the Alberta government, natural gas demand for bitumen recovery and upgrading will grow to 26.7 billion cubic metres per year by 2019 -- an increase of more than 75 per cent over 2010.
Likewise, natural gas prices are projected to climb as high as $9.15 per gigajoule by 2019. Using official yearly estimates for price and demand, these cumulative natural gas costs may total $63 billion from 2009 to 2019.
Assuming the taxpayer is picking up half of the tab through tax and royalty write-offs, by the end of the decade the public will provide about $31 billion to some of the world's wealthiest corporations for the reverse alchemy of turning natural gas into tar.
What else might be accomplished with this massive amount of money? What would happen if $30 billion in public incentives were instead directed towards our nation's renewable energy sectors over the next 10 years?
MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/26/30BillionToGreen/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=291110
=======================
16. Safety minister not following 'gossip' on WikiLeaks releases
http://www.globalmontreal.com/world/
Safety+minister+following+gossip+Wikileaks+releases/3933777/story.html
By Juliet O'Neill, Postmedia News December 6, 2010 11:03 AM
OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Vic Toews appeared unconcerned or unaware Monday of the WikiLeaks release of a list of sites and resources in Canada identified by the United States as critical to that country in the event of attack, natural disaster or other emergency.
"I don't follow gossip very much so I don't really know the impact of WikiLeaks, but I can assure you that the security agencies in Canada are following it very closely and to the extent that I need to be involved and address those issues, they will brief me on the issues," Toews told reporters Monday after delivering a speech in Ottawa.
From an anti-snake venom producer in Italy to an isotopes producer in Canada, a 2008 list of what the United States counts as critical infrastructure and key resources around the world is contained in a cable asking for updates to the list of "critical foreign dependencies" in 2009.
Those are sites outside U.S. borders "whose loss could critically impact the public health, economic security, and/or national and homeland security of the United States."
Among the vital sites identified in Canada are those that produce gas and electricity, medicine, nuclear power, and those linking Canada and the United States — the bridges and highways that contain border crossings. Companies that help in the manufacture of military items are also on the list.
Examples range from GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, which produces pre-pandemic flu vaccines in Quebec, to nuclear plants, power dams, gas pipelines and a company that is critical to the production of military vehicles.
The cable said that under the direction of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the goal of the national infrastructure protection plan is to build "a safer, more secure and more resilient America."
Protection of the sites and resources would be designed "to prevent, deter, neutralize or mitigate the effects of deliberate efforts by terrorists to destroy, incapacitate or exploit them; and to strengthen national preparedness, timely response, and rapid receiver in the event of an attack, natural disaster or other emergency."
MORE:
http://www.globalmontreal.com/world/
Safety+minister+following+gossip+Wikileaks+releases/3933777/story.html
=======================
17. Study Charts How Underground CO2 Can Leach Metals into Water
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS15720845420101207
MORE FROM SOLVECLIMATE By Guest Writer at SolveClimate
Tue Dec 7, 2010 7:00am EST
Study is the first to observe, for at least a year, the effects of a CO2 leak on groundwater
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS15720845420101207
by Catherine M. Cooney
It’s not a common for a solution to carbon emissions to also pose a contamination danger for drinking water supplies, but new research indicates that if CO2 stored deep underground were to leak in even small amounts, it could cause metals to be released in shallow groundwater aquifers at concentrations that would pose a health risk.
In a study published in Environmental Science & Technology, authors Mark Little and Robert B. Jackson studied samples of sand and rock taken from four freshwater aquifers located around the country that overlie potential carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) sites.
The scientists found that tiny amounts of CO2 drove up levels of metals including manganese, cobalt, nickel, and iron in the water tenfold or more in some places. Some of these metals moved into the water quickly, within one week or two. They also observed potentially dangerous uranium and barium steadily moving into the water over the entire year-long experiment.
“We did the study to try and build a framework to help predict where problems with groundwater might arise if CO2 leaked,” Jackson told SolveClimate News. “The chemistry of the water provides us with an early warning of the potential leaks before the leaks occur, and that by itself if a very useful tool,” Jackson added.
The technology for capturing and storing CO2 emissions from coal plants and industrial facilities is not yet commercially available. Still, the Obama Administration and other governments consider capturing carbon dioxide and sequestering it underground a vital technology that will allow the world to continue using coal as fuel while reducing the impacts of climate change. This new study sheds further light on how fresh water contamination from the technology could potentially occur.
MORE:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS15720845420101207
=====================
18. Death Squads versus Democracy: Tom Flanagan’s "Joke" directed against Wikileaks Julian Assange + Video
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=22302
By Prof. Michael Keefer
Global Research, December 7, 2010Tom Flanagan, University of Calgary political science professor, right-wing pundit, and mentor and former senior advisor to Prime Minister Harper, has earned himself more international media attention during the past week than even he may have an appetite for.
On November 30th, Flanagan spoke as one of the regular panelists on CBC Television’s national political analysis program, Power and Politics with Evan Solomon. Staring into the camera, while across the bottom of the television screen there appeared a banner reading "WIKILEAKS LATEST: New document mentions PM Stephen Harper," Flanagan had this to say about Julian Assange, the founder and editor of Wikileaks:
"Well, I think Assange should be assassinated, actually. I think Obama should put out a contract and maybe use a drone or something."
Evan Solomon’s reaction was delayed—and when it finally came, thumpingly stupid. After letting Flanagan outline for nearly ten seconds his reasons for advocating political murder, he broke in at last, saying: "Tom, that’s pretty harsh stuff, just for the record, that’s pretty harsh stuff."
Flanagan responded to this interruption with what appears to have been a joke: "Well, I’m feeling very manly today." But making it clear that his initial remarks were seriously intended, he wrapped up his contribution to the program with a parting shot: "I wouldn’t feel unhappy if Assange disappeared." This sounds rather as though, after proposing a murder contract and a drone attack, he was offering Obama a third form of assassination: how about a death-squad "disappearance"? Solomon responded, echoing his earlier feebleness: "Well, I’ve gotta say, Tom Flanagan calling for that, that’s pretty strong stuff...."
MORE :
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=22302
- - - - - -
WATCH: Tom Flanagan: 'Julian Assange Should Be Assassinated' (video)
http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/
tom-flanagan-julian-assange-should-be-assassinated-video-2733731.html
by NowPublic Staff | December 1, 2010 at 11:50 am
===================
19. LETTER: WOLF: Julian Assange Captured by World's Dating Police
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-wolf/
interpol-the-worlds-datin_b_793033.html
Naomi Wolf Bestselling Author, The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot Posted: December 7, 2010 09:40 AM
Dear Interpol:
As a longtime feminist activist, I have been overjoyed to discover your new commitment to engaging in global manhunts to arrest and prosecute men who behave like narcissistic jerks to women they are dating.
I see that Julian Assange is accused of having consensual sex with two women, in one case using a condom that broke. I understand, from the alleged victims' complaints to the media, that Assange is also accused of texting and tweeting in the taxi on the way to one of the women's apartments while on a date, and, disgustingly enough, 'reading stories about himself online' in the cab.
Both alleged victims are also upset that he began dating a second woman while still being in a relationship with the first. (Of course, as a feminist, I am also pleased that the alleged victims are using feminist-inspired rhetoric and law to assuage what appears to be personal injured feelings. That's what our brave suffragette foremothers intended!).
Thank you again, Interpol. I know you will now prioritize the global manhunt for 1.3 million guys I have heard similar complaints about personally in the US alone -- there is an entire fraternity at the University of Texas you need to arrest immediately. I also have firsthand information that John Smith in Providence, Rhode Island, went to a stag party -- with strippers! -- that his girlfriend wanted him to skip, and that Mark Levinson in Corvallis, Oregon, did not notice that his girlfriend got a really cute new haircut -- even though it was THREE INCHES SHORTER.
Terrorists. Go get 'em, Interpol!
Yours gratefully,
Naomi Wolf
======================
20. What's Behind the War on WikiLeaks
http://www.informationclearinghouse.inf ... e27033.htm
By Ray McGovern December 10, 2010 "Information Clearing House"
WikiLeaks has teased the genie of transparency out of a very opaque bottle, and powerful forces in America, who thrive on secrecy, are trying desperately to stuff the genie back in.
How far down the U.S. has slid can be seen, ironically enough, in a recent commentary in Pravda (that's right, Russia's Pravda):
"What WikiLeaks has done is make people understand why so many Americans are politically apathetic… After all, the evils committed by those in power can be suffocating, and the sense of powerlessness that erupts can be paralyzing, especially when … government evildoers almost always get away with their crimes. …
"So shame on Barack Obama, Eric Holder and all those who spew platitudes about integrity, justice and accountability while allowing war criminals and torturers to walk freely upon the earth. … The American people should be outraged that [their] government has transformed a nation with a reputation for freedom, justice, tolerance and respect for human rights into a backwater that revels in its criminality, cover-ups, injustices and hypocrisies."
Odd, isn't it, that it takes a Pravda commentator to drive home the point that the Obama administration is on the wrong side of history.
Some bloodthirsty U.S. politicians even are calling for the murder of WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange, while some in the U.S. news media favor only prosecuting him and his leakers, while insisting that "responsible" journalists should be protected.
MORE: http://www.informationclearinghouse.inf ... e27033.htm
=====================
21. LISTEN: The Train Interview (Click on Icon)
http://trainradio.blogspot.com/2010/12/
chemtrails-geoengineering-and-climate.html
Chemtrails, geoengineering and climate change from Cancun and everywhere
Thursday, December 9, 2010
On December 9, 2010, The Train welcomed Ottawa organizer and social justice activist Sylvain Henry, US independent filmmaker and chemtrails activist Michael Murphy, and climate sanity champion Lord Christopher Monckton.
Rancourt challenged Murphy on the toxicity of nanoparticulate Al2O3 and on measurable environmental and human health impacts of chemtrails but all agreed to fight the undemocratic tyrants that run our lives and that global-scale geoengineering should be stopped.
Then Lord Monckton owned the last half like only he can. Twas a riot.
BACKGROUND LINKS:
WATCH: “What in the World are they Spraying?” Trailerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te_FOsKL_5Q
Michael Murphy documentary on chemtrails
Gore Gored - by Christopher Monckton (not available)
POST-SHOW FALLOUT:
Several listeners called the CHUO 89.1 FM radio station to complain and to ask that Rancourt's statements that aluminum oxide is not a highly toxic substance be retracted on air. Thank you for your interest in the show. The host of The Train has a responsibility to question claims of significant risk to public health when he has reason to believe the information to be in doubt. Please feel free to send all criticisms and feedback directly to Denis Rancourt at chuotrain@gmail.com. A selection of these statements will be read on air. In addition, more air time is planned for this topic.
FROM WIKIPEDIA:
Aluminium oxide is the family of inorganic compounds with the chemical formula Al2O3. It is an amphoteric oxide and is commonly referred to as alumina, corundum as well as many other names, reflecting its widespread occurrence in nature and industry. Its most significant use is in the production of aluminium metal, although it is also used as an abrasive due to its hardness and as a refractory material due to its high melting point.
Application--As a filler: Being fairly chemically inert, relatively non-toxic, and white, alumina is a favored filler for plastics. Alumina is a common ingredient in sunscreen.
================
22. President NAFTA Backs President SHAFTA
http://www.truth-out.org/president-naft ... hafta65865
Jeff Cohen Author and Media Critic Posted: December 11, 2010 10:32 AM
It was a stunning spectacle yesterday afternoon when former President Clinton took the podium from President Obama in the White House briefing room to help shove the Obama-GOP tax deal down the throats of Democratic activists and Congress members.
It was a fitting spectacle too (carried live on CNN) -- since Bill Clinton paved the way in teaching how a Democratic president can win battles through the votes not of his own party but the Republicans.
Remember NAFTA, the trade deal loved by big business and Republicans -- and opposed by Democratic constituencies like unions, environmentalists and consumer advocates? Clinton passed NAFTA with the votes of nearly 80 percent of GOP senators and almost 70 percent of House Republicans. Meanwhile, House Democrats opposed NAFTA by more than 3 to 2.
More than a year ago, I warned ("Get Ready for the Obama/GOP Alliance") that Obama would follow Clinton's lead in winning some of his biggest fights by allying with the GOP against his own base.
Following a long period of White House lecturing and name-calling ("the professional left," "f**king retarded") aimed at the activists who put him in the Oval Office, Obama has again shafted his base and broken a promise, this time on tax breaks for the rich.
Look for another Obama/GOP alliance if Democrats in Congress find their voices over Obama's bloody, costly, unwinnable folly in Afghanistan.
MORE:
http://www.truth-out.org/president-naft ... hafta65865
==================
23. CETA: Reject bad free trade negotiations with the EU [Watch Parl. debate live Dec 14th]
From: "Janet M Eaton" <jmeaton@ns.sympatico.ca>
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2010 8:25 AM
Subject: CETA: Reject bad free trade negotiations with the EU [Watch Parl. debate live Dec 14th]
The Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is being negotiated as a "next-generation" free trade deal that goes beyond NAFTA and the WTO in shielding corporate activity from government controls.
http://tradejustice.ca/en/section/2
It is sometimes referred to by our networks as the Canada- EU Free Trade Agreement.
See the Trade Justice Network (TJN) website for the leaked CETA negotiating document, background information on nature of the agreement and its impacts on environment, sustainability, our food system, jobs and the economy, public services, government procuremnt, culture, communications etc. and much more.
http://tradejustice.ca/en/section/2
For a quick overview see the new TJN 4 page comic book which reviews
all the issues and impacts in a nutshell.
http://fileserver.cfsadmin.org/file/tradejustice/
107062cf31075064c01a3e6cd712eb3d3f56f5a5.pdf
Janet M Eaton, SCC Rep, Trade Justice Network
Mark your calendars for Dec 14th for a live debate in Parliament on the CETA.
More information on the timing when available.
= = = = = = =
JULIAN: Reject bad free trade negotiations with the EU, Push for a Fair
Trade agreement with the EU
From: <Julian.P@parl.gc.ca>
Date sent: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 18:22:55 -0500
Subject: Reject bad free trade negotiations with the EU, Push for a Fair
Trade agreement with the EU
With the Harper government negotiating an agreement with the European Commission, a new trade monster looms on the horizon. Many of us were in favour in principle of these negotiations. The EU having much more progressive approaches on social and environmental policies which could have helped raise Canadian standards. Unfortunately, what is transpiring at the negotiation table is exactly the opposite of what ordinary Canadians and Europeans need-a progressive approach on trade. Instead of going to higher European standards, Canadian negotiators are pulling progressive European policies down to lower Canadian levels.
The NAFTA investor- state overrides which characterize NAFTA and have been so controversial in North America are being put on the table by the Stephen Harper government. Our municipalities and provinces´ right to ensure that taxpayers´ money is spent to create jobs in the municipalities/provinces on public procurement is also being put on the table. Our supply management system which effectively protects our small family farm sector is being put on the table. Environmental policy, our public health care, and a wide variety of other issues are on the table. That´s why the NDP fought for and secured an initial debate in Parliament on the Canada-EU trade agreement (CETA).
It is set for next Tuesday December 14th 2010 at the House of Commons.
We´re seeking to work with the activist community to ensure that the Canadian public understands what is at stake in this agreement.
Watch live on Tuesday December 14th as we all take note of the serious problems and risks of yet another right wing trade agreement that seeks to undermine and roll back all that is good and progressive in Canada and in Europe.
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24. Protesters target government's Vancouver office over Gateway project climate change
http://www.vancouversun.com/mobile/stor ... id=3963678
Saturday, December 11, 2010 By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun
VANCOUVER — Dozens of protesters on Saturday dumped 200 bags of sand collected from the South Fraser Perimetre Road project at the front doors of the World Trade Center, where Premier Gordon Campbell was believed to be holed up inside.
The so-called “direct action against climate change” was aimed at protesting the province’s plans to build freeways like the South Fraser Perimetre Road, at the expense of better transit and other sustainable options to get around.
The sand, taken from the South Fraser Perimetre Road project in Delta, included that dumped on agricultural land, said organizer Eric Doherty, of the Council of Canadians’ Vancouver-Burnaby chapter. Protesters lined up in assembly line fashion and passed the bags to the front of the line, where they were stacked in front of the doors.
“We took a small step toward digging up the South Fraser Perimetre freeway,” Doherty said, referring to the sandbags. “We’re going to keep the dike in place here to remind people of what the consequences of climate change are.
“Our main message is there are real solutions and we need to take real action. What we’re seeing from the provincial government is climate crime.”
Protesters, who said Campbell was seen entering the building earlier, called at him to come out. Most carried placards reading: Better transit not freeways. Stop Climate Change. “Campbell, where are you?” the protesters called.
Gina Vos, who carried a sign reading: “Cut Gateway freeways. $ billions for housing, health, education, transit,” chuckled as the sandbags mounted higher against the door.
“We’re giving the sand back to them,” she said. “We’re spending a lot on freeways and we don’t need that; we need better transit.”
The protest was aimed at putting a global face on the issue, particularly as it coincided with the UN Climate Change conference in Cancun, Doherty said. “We’re really part of a global movement; that’s where the hope lies,” he said, noting the agreement in Cancun was “meaningless; it’s a face-saving gesture for failure.”
Cathy Wilander, of the Council of Canadians’ Delta chapter, said the protest was “just the beginning of climate justice in B.C.” She said she was pleased with the turnout, given the cold weather and the fact it’s so close to Christmas.
“It’s a climate crime going on with the destruction of habitat, destruction of Burns Bog and the pavement of farmland, which we really need,” she said, adding the trucks and cars using the freeway will also post health risks to residents by affecting air quality. “We wanted to get [the issue] on the street and take action.”
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http://www.vancouversun.com/mobile/stor ... id=3963678
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