FRACKING:
US Proposes More Fracking Disclosure
US regulators proposed Friday that companies using fracking to explore for natural gas must disclose the chemicals they use, but only after they drill — sparking more ire from environmental activists.
BLM Releases New Proposed Fracking Rule
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) posted its new proposed rule Friday for hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells – bringing praise, criticism, relief and skepticism from different groups the rule could affect.
Beware of Federalizing ‘Fracking’
President Obama recently signed an executive order creating a task force to coordinate the efforts of several government agencies considering regulations on hydraulic fracturing. Though some have welcomed the order as a way to standardize myriad state approaches, federalization is far more likely to cause overregulation and a new open-ended political lever against our domestic energy supply.
Farm Bureau Hopes to Connect Landowners with Fracking Information
The natural gas drilling process called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is set to come to at least two Southern Illinois counties this summer. Speculation is underway in other local areas, too.
BP OIL SPILL:
Oil Mat Attack Planned in Orange Beach by Coastal Managers
A submerged oil mat filled with gooey tar remained buried under the sand east of Perdido Pass just north of Perdido Pass Bridge on Monday, while coastal officials devise a plan to get rid of it — just weeks before the summer tourists hit the beaches.
Shrimp Season Off to a Slow Start
What shrimpers are hauling in depends on who you ask.
NYTimes: An Old Texas Tale Retold: the Farmer vs. the Oil Company
When the TransCanada men first came, Julia Trigg Crawford said, they were polite. They offered money. Seven thousand dollars to let the Keystone XL pipeline cross her family’s 600-acre farm on its way from the Alberta tar sands to the refineries on the Gulf Coast.
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Status Conferences Scheduled
Now that the massive trial over liability in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster has been rescheduled for Jan. 14, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier released a list of dates when the parties to the case can get together each month through the end of the year to confer about progress in their work. Status conferences have been scheduled for June 15, July 13, Aug. 17, Sept. 14, Oct. 19, Nov. 16 and Dec. 18. All meetings are at 9:30 a.m. in room C-268 at federal court in New Orleans.
RADIATION:
Utility In Charge of Fukushima Nuclear Plant Appoints New Management
The utility in charge of the Japanese nuclear plant that suffered multiple meltdowns has named an outside candidate as its new chairman.
