Is cheap natural gas really all that cheap? The risks associated with fracking have begun to raise questions, and when it comes to our domestic fossil fuel supply, relatively low retail prices mask a heavier load that includes taxpayer subsidies, profound impacts on public health and the environment, and a negative effect on some local [...]

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Rainfall shortage in Pennsylvania throws cold water on fracking.

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To frack or not to frack–a question for a White House working group.

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CSRHub launches fracking as a new special issue. This allows users to filter for companies within the CSRHub data set that participate in fracking.

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Does fracking have regulation problems or simply a communication challenge?

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Latest report from the United States Geological Survey provides a definitive link between fracking and the increase in seismic activity.

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Natural gas has been in the news a lot lately, being hailed as the solution to our energy problems on the one hand, and a potential environmental disaster on the other. Let us try to sort out the reality behind this old friend with a new face. Before we start, it might be useful to make a distinction between the natural gas that has historically been collected as a byproduct of oil drilling and the more recently promoted source known as shale gas.

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“Is the emergence of shale gas a positive or negative development with respect to sustainability?” This was one of the most interesting questions discussed on one of the panels at KPMG’s Global Summit last week in New York. Given the growth of both interest and dispute around shale gas, the question was basically if shale gas is a bridge to a sustainable future or a bridge to nowhere.

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What do oil and gas say about Environmental NGOs when they think no one is watching?

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Michael Brune, the Sierra Club’s executive director, announced earlier this month that Sierra Club has decided to turn down $30 million in donations from people connected with Chesapeake Energy, the country’s second-largest natural gas producer. This decision came after it was revealed that Sierra Club secretly received $26 million in donations from these donors between 2007 and 2010.

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Well, the vultures might be circling, but they might have to wait a while to pick the bones of the CleanTech industry, which by many accounts, is still far from dead. Juliet Ellperin wrote in this month’s Wired, that the CleanTech boom has gone bust, comparing it to both the Internet bubble and the housing bubble. But a number of experts are forecasting significant growth for the renewable sector despite several mitigating factors.

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President Obama made his energy vision very clear, explaining that “this country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy. A strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.“ Under the definition of American energy he included natural gas, offshore oil and clean energy sources like solar and wind, letting us to believe that for him these are all important parts of the energy future of the U.S. In a way, he wants to have the cake and eat it too. Is it possible? I doubt.

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As 2011 comes to close, Google has embarked on its annual exploration of the biggest news, trends and events that captured our attention and sparked our curiosity throughout the year. With Zeitgeist 2011, Google provides a visual analysis of how the world searched, including Top 10 lists of the most popular queries in a variety of [...]

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The EPA announced that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) may be to blame for causing groundwater pollution. This may influence the highly contentious debate in New York, where Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to lift the ban on fracking in the Marcellus Shale area. “If fracking is so safe, why does it need loopholes?”

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The Honda Civic Natural Gas won the 2012 Green Car of the Year, Green Car Journal announced during a press conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The Honda Civic Natural Gas is the only assembly-line produced natural gas vehicle manufactured for sale in the U.S. It gets 38 MPG, and comes with a $26,155 [...]

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The latest advertising campaign from the good folks in the natural gas industry is helpfully suggesting that we can have our cake and eat it too. ConocoPhillips is offering in new ads to provide both clean and affordable energy, if only we’d just cooperate.

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Investors are growing increasingly wary of fracking, a method of natural gas extraction that involves pumping a chemical brine underground at high pressure. Full disclosure of the risks of fracking, including water contamination and the accuracy of estimates on well output have been the subject of a growing number of shareholder resolutions. Now the New [...]

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This post is part of a series on Stakeholder Engagement sponsored by Jurat Software. Last week Stephen Colbert did a funny five-minute segment on the Colbert Report about “Talisman Terry’s Energy Adventure,” a coloring children’s book promoting the benefits of natural gas drilling. The publisher of this 24-page book is no other than the Calgary-based [...]

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Last week, France became the first country to ban hydraulic fracturing in gas and oil operations. Known as fracking for short, the practice is associated with serious water contamination issues, and a recent study by Cornell University indicates that it may generate more greenhouse gas emissions than coal mining due to the release of methane [...]

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Opponents of fracking have taken their cause to energy companies’ shareholders, and the results are impressive. Recent shareholder resolution votes on fracking resulted in huge percentages of “yes” votes.

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I must admit that I have been heavily focused on renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydro and biofuels as the medium-long-term path towards meeting our growing energy needs while minimizing our impacts on the climate and the environment.  And recently I spoke out against nuclear’s role in the long-term energy mix. I am [...]

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Though natural gas has been promoted as a low-emission alternative to other fossil fuels, not all natural gas is created equal. The extraction of gas that is trapped in shale deposits may create more greenhouse gas emissions than coal, according to a new study. Understandably, the release of the study has resulted in pushback from [...]

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Harrington Investments, Inc., an investment advisory firm specializing in socially responsible investing, announced today that it is divesting its entire holding in Chesapeake Energy Corporation (CHK) due to the corporation’s poor environmental record and its lack of accountability to shareholders.

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Investors filed shareholder resolutions with nine oil and gas companies, asking them to report on plans to deal with the risks surrounding natural gas hydraulic fracturing (commonly called ‘fracking’) in the U.S. The risks investors want the companies to report on include chemical use and water contamination. Fracking injects water, chemicals and particles underground to [...]

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There’s been an implicit assumption that with Peak Oil either already here or arriving soon and our society’s gargantuan (and growing) appetite for energy, and with efficiency and renewables unable to keep pace, that we would be falling back on dirty old coal, sure as a greasy meatball would slip out of the frying pan and into the fire. The facts, however, do not seem to bear that out.

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As reported last week, the state of New York was considering a ban on the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” for natural gas exploration. Over the weekend Governor David Patterson signed a seven month moratorium on the most potentially destructive methods of horizontal fracturing, although many climate hawks would have preferred a more [...]

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It looks like one of the more controversial methods of gas extraction is coming under greater regulatory scrutiny: New York is considering becoming the first state to ban the practice of hydraulic fracturing, also known as “fracking.” The state assembly voted 93-43 to impose a temporary moratorium on the practice which would extend until May [...]

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Hydraulic fracturing.  Sounds like something the guy next door did to his souped up Toyota Corolla’s suspension system.  Well, it’s actually far worse.  Hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) is a process in which water, chemicals and other particles are injected into the ground, anywhere from 5,000 to 20,000 feet below the surface, in order to stimulate [...]

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