Today’s Essential Reads
FRACKING:
Ohio Officials Issue New Drilling Rules, Tie Fracking Waste to Swarm of Earthquakes
Regulators in Ohio rocked the oil and gas industry Friday with the strongest allegation yet that hydraulic fracturing could be triggering some earthquakes.
House GOP, Interior Spar Over Energy Production
House Republicans, including those from Colorado, are at war with the Interior Department about how much better the U.S. is doing at producing its own energy.
Astonishment and Outrage at Effects of Fracking
A must-see movie now showing on HBO is “Gasland.” It is a look at the campaign to extract natural gas in the U.S. by hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), and examines the industry’s exemptions from environmental regulations.
STRATFOR: US to Become Natural Gas Exporter
The United States has significantly increased its natural gas production since 2005, largely because of advancements in extraction technology. These technological improvements are relatively new, so their exact long-term impact on U.S. production is currently unclear. However, in the short term, this increased production has caused domestic prices to decrease substantially.
BP OIL SPILL:
Feds Let BP Off Probation Despite Pending Safety Violations
BP’s refining subsidiary was released today from criminal probation related to a 2005 explosion in Texas City that killed 15 workers.
Gulf Shores Settles with BP for $6.5 Million for Tax Losses
The city has settled with BP PLC for $6.5 million in future losses to the city’s tax revenues due to the 2010 oil spill, according to Mayor Robert Craft on Monday.
Offshore Oil Drilling: Avoid Reckless Repeat
In the headlines recently have been articles about BP and plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the oil company reaching a settlement the oil well rupture in the Gulf of Mexico, fear over oil drilling of off Cuba and an increase in deepwater oil drilling.
What BP Bought in $7.8 Billion Deal with Plaintiffs’ Lawyers
When corporate defendants pony up billions of dollars to settle litigation involving thousands of plaintiffs, they’re usually buying global peace, or at least a clearer picture of their remaining liability.
RADIATION:
VIDEO: Radiation, Coverups and the Legacy of Fukushima
One year on from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan’s northeast, details continue to emerge about how the crisis was much worse than the government and TEPCO originally let on.
