Today’s essential reads
FRACKING:
Lawsuit Filed to Prevent Gas Drilling
A lawsuit was filed Thursday in U. S. District Court in Little Rock by a large group of environmental organizations and individuals from across north Arkansas against three agencies of the United States government to prevent gas drilling in the Ozark National Forest in northwest Arkansas and under Greers Ferry Lake in north central Arkansas until studies have been conducted to comply with applicable environmental laws and to demonstrate that hydraulic fracturing of gas wells is not potentially harmful to the environment.
There has been much opposition to shale gas extraction via the new techniques of directional drilling, hydraulic fracturing and pressurised gas collection/release, with dramatic footage of water from domestic taps catching light due to dissolved gas in areas of the US where shale gas ‘fracking’ projects are underway. It certainly makes for powerful videos.
Oil Underground; Rules Up in the Air: Editorial
Last December, the $3 million Patriot Waste Treatment plant and the Warren sewer system got final state permits to treat and dispose of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing. Last week, those permits turned out to be anything but final, and now a plant that was supposed to bring jobs to struggling Warren is fighting for its life. The state now says that Patriot cannot dispose of the treated water in the Warren sewer system.
Pocono Protesters Oppose Natural Gas Drilling Impact Fee
A group of protesters put heat on the natural gas industry Saturday, protesting a recently proposed State Senate bill which proposes a fee on natural gas drilling and would tie the hands of municipalities from preventing drilling in their communities.
BP OIL SPILL:
Some Drilling-Related Legislation Still Alive in Texas Legislature
With just a week left in the legislative session, most proposed drilling-related bills appear dead but a handful still have a chance of becoming state law.
Senators Talk, Do Nothing About High Gasoline Prices
The Senate last week debated two responses to rising gasoline prices and rejected both.
Proceed with Care to Expand Drilling
Almost as horrifying as the images of oil-slicked seagulls and turtles were the revelations that surfaced after the 2010 British Petroleum spill about federal regulators and the oil industry.
Oil Stock Buybacks Stoke Tax Debate
The five biggest oil companies in the U.S. argue that recent efforts to abolish $2??billion a year in industry tax breaks would take away money they need to grow domestic energy supplies and create jobs. But they rarely mention another place where their money often goes: buying back their own stock.
JAPAN NUCLEAR CRISIS:
Japan Looks to Replace Nuclear with World’s First Super Solar Array
Facing increased pressure to find a new energy solution in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis, the Tokyo government has announced plans to deploy what could be the world’s first national solar array.
Delayed Decontamination Facility Poses New Risks
The construction of a decontamination facility to treat hundreds of thousands of tons of radioactive water is facing a delay of one to two weeks, authorities said Monday, raising new problems of where to store the toxic water and increasing the risk of seawater contamination.
