Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
UT Says Independent Group Will Look Into Fracking Study
The provost of the University of Texas says an independent group will look into a hydraulic fracturing study by UT professor Charles Groat in light of news that he is also a director of Houston-based Plains Exploration and Production Co. (NYSE: PXP).
Anti-Fracking Group Urges Lafayette to Impose Drilling Moratorium
An anti-fracking group that recently sprouted up in Lafayette came before the City Council on Wednesday night and asked it to place an immediate moratorium on any future hydraulic fracturing in town.
California Regulators to Host Public Forum on Fracking
California oil regulators will hold their final public meeting on hydraulic fracturing in Sacramento on Wednesday, capping a months-long series of workshops aimed at shaping rules for the controversial method of oil extraction.
Fracking: What Cuomo Won’t (or Can’t) Tell You
On Saturday, June 2, 2012, I hosted a screening of Josh Fox’s documentary film, Gasland, at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse, New York. After the film, I moderated a panel that included Fox, Kate Hudson from Waterkeeper Alliance, ecologist and author Sandra Steingraber and Cornell University engineering professor Dr. Anthony Ingraffea.
BP OIL SPILL:
What Five Oil Companies Did With Their $375 Million In Daily Profits
The Big Five oil companies – BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell – are slated to announce their 2012 second-quarter profits later this week.
Report: Companies Involved in Gulf Spill Didn’t Focus on Major Accident Risks
Two of the main companies involved in the disastrous 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill were more focused on personal injury risks than the potential for a major accident, a federal agency said in a report released Tuesday.
House Votes to Open Oil Drilling off East Coast
The House voted on Wednesday to force the Obama administration to allow more oil drilling off the Atlantic Coast, prompting a backlash from South Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson.
System for Stopping An Oil Spill is Tested in Gulf
The first deep-sea test of a state-of-the-art containment system for stopping an oil spill akin to BP’s catastrophic 2010 spill began on Tuesday, regulators said.
RADIATION:
Nuclear Expansion on Track Despite Fukushima: OECD Report
Strong expansion of nuclear power as a carbon-free energy source in Asia is expected to press ahead despite the Fukushima accident in Japan that soured sentiment in some countries, a benchmark report said on Thursday.
