Today’s essential reads
FRACKING:
Why Exxon is Promoting Natural Gas
You may not have seen the new ads Exxon is running, but I have. The ads are very upbeat. They feature a man who is allegedly an Exxon Geologist extolling the virtues of vast new deposits of natural gas that can supply “clean burning” energy for the next 100 years.White House Moves on Drilling
France Bans ‘Fracking’ After Months of Protest
France’s parliament voted this week to ban a controversial method of extracting shale gas, but don’t expect British Columbia to follow anytime soon.
Let’s Ban Fracking, Like the French
You might not be familiar with fracking, but you’ll hear lots about it soon. It’s a technique for extracting fossil fuels from hard-to-reach places – particularly natural gas trapped in underground shale rock. France has just banned this controversial and environmentally worrying practice. We think the UK should too, given current concerns.
BP OIL SPILL:
Anti-BP Protest Held at Grand Isle
Dean Blanchard, a shrimp dealer was responsible for organizing the protest which was held on private property he owns at Grand Isle. Blanchard had plans to burn a British flag at the protest but decided against it when others participating in the protest and residents of Grand Isle voiced their opinions on the matter saying it wasn’t the fault of the British people and therefore, the people of Great Britain should not be disrespected. Instead Blanchard ended up burning posters which contained the British Petroleum name.
The White House changed course over the weekend on offshore oil and gas exploration, dropping some of the efforts to delay drilling permits in the wake of the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.
A year after the BP disaster, some Southerners say they’re coming down with mysterious and frightening illnesses.
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Ties to Big Oil
Buried within legislation intended to help the Gulf region recover from the BP oil spill is a provision requiring lawsuits against oil companies to be heard in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
JAPAN NUCLEAR CRISIS:
Japan Sticks to Timeline for Solving Nuclear Crisis
Japanese officials on Monday reiterated their commitment to bring the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex under control within the original six- to nine-month timetable announced in mid-April, despite recent discoveries that its reactors are more heavily damaged than previously believed.
Arnie Gundersen: Fukushima Update (VIDEO)
Arnie Gundersen has provided us with some sound analysis of the critical issues at Fukushima. Arnie is an Energy Advisor with 39-years experience in Nuclear Engineering. He was a nuclear industry senior vice president and earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Nuclear Engineering. He also holds a nuclear safety patent, and has professional experience as a licensed reactor operator. Currently he acts as an educational speaker with Fairewinds Associates, around nuclear issues and the need for a paradigm shift in energy production.
