I have a great idea. Let’s take one of the globe’s most important agricultural regions, one with severe water constraints and a fast-dropping water table. And let’s set up shop there with a highly water-intensive form of fossil fuel extraction, one that throws off copious amounts of toxic wastewater. Nothing could possibly go wrong … […]
Comment: Oil and gas industry faces a trust deficit that threatens to undermine the fracturing boom
From the top of Houston’s downtown skyscrapers on a clear day, you can see straight out to the refineries that surround the Houston Ship Channel. On a not-so-clear day, you can see the brown haze of pollution that hangs over our city. Houstonians know well the jobs, energy and wealth that come from our oil […]
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 […]
Study suggests Canadian experience with fracking unlikely to mirror those in the US
Nova Scotia, a province with budget problems, is under some pressure to forge ahead with its unconventional oil and gas resources. Before that happens a study was called for to determine the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing. Social ecologist Shawn Dalton, who headed up the study, says because using fracking only became financially viable about […]