Feds Halt New Drilling on Rover Pipeline After Massive Spills Destroy Ohio Wetlands

Posted on May 12, 2017 by GarryRogers

GR: Hmm, Energy Transfer Partners–why is that name familiar?

“The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) halted new drilling Wednesday on the Rover Pipeline until it addresses its 2 million gallon spill of drilling fluids into Ohio wetlands.

“The decision was made just days after the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) slapped parent company Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) with a $431,000 fine over numerous water and air pollution violations along the route of the $4.2 billion project. ETP is the same company behind the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, which also happened to leak 84 gallons of oil in South Dakota early last month.

“Terry Turpin, director of FERC’s Office of Energy Projects, said in a Wednesday letter to the developer that FERC staff has “serious concerns” about the sizable spill, its environmental impacts and the “lack of clarity regarding the underlying reasons for its occurrence, and the possibility of future problems.”

“The two spills of betonite mud were discovered April 13 and 14 in Stark and Richland County wetlands and was caused by pressure during drilling that allowed mud to rise to the surface, the Ohio EPA said.” –Lorraine Chow (Continue reading: Feds Halt New Drilling on Rover Pipeline After Massive Spills Destroy Ohio Wetlands.)

Zinke Releases National Monument Hit List

Posted on May 7, 2017 by GarryRogers

GR: The anti-nature Trump administration guided by our corrupt congress, has launched yet another attempt to enrich the fossil-fuel industry. This attempt is aimed at the nation’s national monuments. And for what? We do not need the fuels. Industry administrators are simply too lazy to switch their focus to renewable energy. So, now we have to cite both sloth and greed as the human forces behind the “death-to-nature” actions of the Trumpeters.

Bears Ears National Monument. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management.

“President Trump’s Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, today released his list of National Monuments he intends to dismantle.

“On the chopping block, more than 11 million acres of public lands in the American West. These lands include the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, Canyons of the Ancients in Colorado, Grand Canyon-Parashant in Arizona, Gold Butte in Nevada, Craters of the Moon in Idaho, Giant Sequoia in California, and many more.

“Make no mistake, this is a hit list. In spite of Zinke’s claims otherwise, the American public has made their voices heard loudly and clearly over the years as Presidents have designated deserving American natural and cultural treasures as National Monuments. Since their designations, Americans far and wide have continued to voice support for protection.

“It’s not a surprise. These public lands are truly majestic and unmatched. They’re also major economic boosters. It’s no wonder that even the State of Utah, which is opposed to National Monuments, touts Monuments like the Grand Staircase-Escalante as “phenomenal” landscapes in an effort to drive tourism and generate revenue.

“If anything is unprecedented, it’s Trump’s attack on these American treasures.

“Zinke’s announcement today kicks off a process that will surely lead to the diminishment or dismantling of protections for all of these places. Trump himself called these National Monuments “abuses,” a pretty strong indicator of where this process is going to end up.

“And while Zinke’s move is clearly being driven by the anti-public lands movement, this movement itself seems to be fueled largely by fossil fuel interests.

Bears Ears by Tim Peterson

“As we wrote earlier, the Bears Ears National Monument in particular is squarely in the crosshairs of fracking companies. Other Monuments, including Grand Staircase-Escalante (which has already experienced oil spills), Canyons of the Ancients (CO) (which has already been extensively developed by oil and gas companies), Upper Missouri River Breaks (MT), Grand Canyon-Parashant (AZ), Basin and Range (NV), and Carrizo Plain (CA) also all have potential for fracking.” –Jeremy Nichols (Continue reading: Zinke Releases National Monument Hit List – ClimateWest.)

Climate News | GarryRogers Nature Conservation

Posted on March 28, 2017 by GarryRogers

Here’s a news summary from my Atmosphere News page. Click here for Coverage and Sources.

The top stories today are not good. Most of them focus on Trump’s effort to end climate research and remove inhibitions on fossil fuel use.

An elderly woman displaced by the drought in Somalia walking between makeshift tents that are now home to the desperate at a camp in Baidoa. Credit Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Sample stories:

Story One: Alex Guillen, Politico

Story Two: Danian Carrington, The Guardian

Story Three: Arthur Neslen, The Guardian

Other stories by the Associated Press, New York Times, Carbonbrief, and the Washington Post. In a total refutation of “for the people,” Trump’s climate efforts are contrary to the wishes of most Americans. As we approach the melt season, north polar sea ice is very thin. The Dakota Access pipeline is full of oil. Global-warming induced drought is creating famine and war. The one good story is that Maryland has banned fracking.

For these stories and more, go to: Climate News | GarryRogers Nature Conservation

North Dakota to block supplies from pipeline protesters’ camp | Reuters

Posted on November 29, 2016 by GarryRogers

GR: Initiating a siege that blocks emergency vehicles and supplies from reaching people on tribal treaty lands is an obvious next step for a law enforcement system that sees itself as the defender of corporate rights. This is the strategy followed by dictators such as Bashar Hafez al-Assad the current President of Syria. Aid agencies have fought to deliver supplies to peaceful people in Syria and perhaps they can do so in North Dakota.

(Photo: The Oceti Sakowin camp is seen at sunrise during a protest against plans to pass the Dakota Access pipeline near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, U.S. November 2, 2016. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith)

“North Dakota law enforcement will begin to block supplies from reaching protesters at a camp near the construction site of an oil pipeline project in an effort to force demonstrators to vacate the area, officials said on Tuesday.

“Activists have spent months protesting plans to route the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline beneath a lake near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, saying the project poses a threat to water resources and sacred Native American sites.

“Supplies, including food and building materials, will be blocked from entering the main camp following Governor Jack Dalrymple’s signing of an “emergency evacuation” order on Monday, Maxine Herr, a spokeswoman from the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, said.

“The order was effective immediately. As of Tuesday morning, however, no vehicles carrying supplies had been turned back, said Cecily Fong, a spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services.” —Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Matthew Lewis. Read more: North Dakota to block supplies from pipeline protesters’ camp | Reuters

The Standing Rock ‘Water Protectors’ Vow to Stay No Matter What the Government Does | VICE | United States

Posted on November 28, 2016 by GarryRogers

GR: The Corr of Engineers did not send an eviction notice. The letter was merely trying to avoid liability. There isn’t much new here, but we have to be pleased with news media that report on the issue.

A protester near Standing Rock on November 25, 2016. Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

“Despite a government order to vacate, tribal leaders as well as demonstrators camped out in Standing Rock, North Dakota, say they are staying put.

“In a letter sent Friday to Dave Archambault II, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, the Army Corps of Engineers said they will be closing a portion of the land north of the Cannonball River on December 5, and that anyone on that land will be “considered trespassing and may be subject to prosecution under federal, state and local laws.”

“It’s unclear if the Corps will take steps to arrest or remove people who stay. The Army Corps of Engineers did not respond to my request for comment. One thing’s for sure: It would take a major effort to remove the estimated 5,000 encamped to stop the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. (Update: The Corps released a statement late Sunday clarifying that they have “no plans for forcible removal.” Instead, they say, they are “seeking a peaceful and orderly transition to a safer location.” How exactly that would happen is unclear.)

“Our Tribe is deeply disappointed in this decision by the United States, but our resolve to protect our water is stronger than ever,” said Archambault in a statement. “We ask that all everyone who can appeal to President Obama and the Army Corps of Engineers to consider the future of our people and rescind all permits and deny the easement to cross the Missouri River just north of our Reservation and straight through our treaty lands.” –Cole Kazdin and Duy Linh Tu (continue reading: The Standing Rock ‘Water Protectors’ Vow to Stay No Matter What the Government Does | VICE | United States)

Mark Ruffalo Urges President Obama to Keep Fossil Fuels in the Ground in Gripping New Documentary | Alternet

Posted on June 16, 2016 by GarryRogers

GR.–Mark Ruffalo led the successful effort to ban fracking in New York, proving that celebrities can achieve change.

By Reynard Loki / AlterNet

June 16, 2016.–“I recently attended a film screening of “Dear President Obama, The Clean Energy Revolution Is Now,” a new documentary narrated by actor and activist Mark Ruffalo about the impact of hydraulic fracturing across the United States. Commonly referred to as “fracking,” it is a controversial drilling process to access oil and natural gas—primarily methane—trapped in underground shale deposits. While the fracking boom has created jobs and stimulated the economy, numerous studies have linked it to numerous environmental and health impacts.

“A direct appeal to the president to ban fracking, the film urges Obama (and all elected officials) to join the growing “anti-drilling” movement across the U.S. and accept the reality that the only reasonable energy policy is to leave the majority of fossil fuels in the ground, a position held by many leading scientists.” Continue reading: Mark Ruffalo Urges President Obama to Keep Fossil Fuels in the Ground in Gripping New Documentary | Alternet

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From floods to forest fires: a warming planet – in pictures | Environment | The Guardian

Posted on June 3, 2016 by GarryRogers

Photos of Human Impact: Droughts, floods, forest fires and melting poles – climate change is impacting Earth like never before. From the Australia to Greenland, Ashley Cooper’s work spans 13 years and over 30 countries. This selection, taken from his new book, shows a changing landscape, scarred by pollution and natural disasters – but there is hope too, with the steady rise of renewable energyAshley CooperFriday 3 June 2016 06.05 EDT

Source: From floods to forest fires: a warming planet – in pictures | Environment | The Guardian

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Federal Agencies Find That Fracking In The Pacific Would Have No ‘Significant’ Environmental Impacts | ThinkProgress

Posted on June 2, 2016 by GarryRogers

The debate over fracking in California is about to get even more heated, following a report from two federal agencies that found that fracking for oil and gas in the ocean — known as offshore fracking — is unlikely to have a “significant” impact on the environment.

On Friday, both the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) jointly released an environmental study that looked at the impact of hydraulic fracturing — or fracking — on marine ecosystems. The report analyzed 23 offshore fracking operations that operated in California between 1982 and 2014, and found that the operations have a minimal impact on the quality of water and ocean health. To the fossil fuel industry, this signals a return to normalcy, as both the BOEM and BSEE will resume approval of offshore fracking permits that they had temporarily suspended while the environmental study was being conducted. Source: Federal Agencies Find That Fracking In The Pacific Would Have No ‘Significant’ Environmental Impacts | ThinkProgress

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How fracking can contribute to climate change | Environment | The Guardian

Posted on May 29, 2016 by GarryRogers

One of the justifications for fracking is the use of natural gas as a bridging fuel between coal and a low-carbon future. However natural gas is mostly methane, which has strong global warming impacts in its own right. Natural gas therefore only provides climate benefits over coal if the leakage is no more than 2-3%.

We cannot measure leaks from every pipe joint. One alternative is to measure the sum of lots of leaks from a distance. Flights over US shale gas fields reveal large methane sources, but these areas also have cattle farms that produce methane and the two sources need to be separated.

Source: How fracking can contribute to climate change | Environment | The Guardian

Battle lines drawn over new fossil fuel infrastructure

Posted on May 25, 2016 by GarryRogers

GR: We need Clinton to follow Sanders’ stance on fracking.

Summit County Citizens Voice

Signs of oil and gas development are visible in eastern on a landscape level from 35,000 feet in the air. @bberwyn photo.

Broad coalition of conservation groups oppose measure that could speed approval of natural gas export terminals

Staff Report

Pro-fossil fuel legislators in Congress hope they can help their campaign donors by putting the cart before the fracking horse. An amended version of the Senate’s Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016 (S. 2012) includes provisions that would speed up the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval of liquefied natural gas export terminals.

According to critics of the measure, that artificially increases the demand for U.S. natural gas and hits communities with additional health and climate risks. More than 370 organizations are urging the Senate to reject provisions in the bill that would encourage oil and gas fracking.

The groups delivered a letter to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee…

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