Some regions in the Gulf of Mexico affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are still feeling it’s affects. It was four years ago when BP’s well ignited and pumped oil into the Gulf of Mexico for three months. Six months after the spill, a survey showed severe damage was done to coral up to […]
Social license requires integrity and follow through
If the oil industry isn’t going to operate on a zero spill mandate, when there are issues at sites and cleanups are not done quickly enough to satisfy area residents, a companies social license can be in jeopardy. That’s what’s happening in Louisiana. Many landowners in the southern state have been locked in a battle […]
Earthquakes spur more fears about fracking
A jump in the number of earthquakes in Oklahoma, and across the north central U.S. from Colorado to Ohio. Is it just a coincidence the increase in seismic activity if happening along with oil activity? That’s what scientists and regulators are trying to determine. Some seismologists believe waste water injected back into the ground is […]
Help for oil spill cleanup
MIT researchers think they have found a way to separate oil from water after a major spill. Their newly developed membrane could process large quantities of the finely mixed materials back into pure oil and water. In addition to its possible role in cleaning up spills, the new method could also be used for routine […]
Is pipeline company prepared to haze whales?
The pipeline situation in Canada has been contentious for a while. But now, it’s getting positively weird. In the latest twist, the energy giant Kinder Morgan is proposing a novel wildlife protection scheme. If a pipeline expansion that boosts oil exports out of Vancouver leads to a massive new spill, Kinder Morgan says it knows […]
What category do you file this idea under?
Oil companies in Northern Alberta have used air cannons to scare birds from tailings ponds. The next step to “protecting” wildlife from being impacted by the oil industry might be setting off explosives to deter whales from swimming near any potential spill from tankers on the west coast. The Globe and Mail obtained documents outlining […]
Safety is priority one when it comes to transporting the oil industry’s products
It doesn’t matter how it is being transported around the country the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) wants you to know the oil industry is doing all it can to prevent accidents. CAPP V.P. Greg Stringham says his organization has pushed for a number of changes to rail transportation since the Lac Megantic tragedy […]
Fears an increase in oil tanker traffic in BC poses risks to wildlife
With the possibility of more oil tanker traffic along the BC coast, the State of Washington commissioned a study to consider the damage a spill could cause to the environment. The state’s Ecology Department returned with a report suggesting wildlife, sea otters in particular, would be at great risk. “The relative risk of an oil […]