The issue of hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”) too often becomes a political dispute, which threatens to obscure a far more important matter for the energy industry as a whole: That fracking is a feat of engineering genius, an example of the working complexity of so many pumps, valves, meters, gears, gauges and systems; it… Keep reading →
The Welsh parliament voted against the use of shale gas fracking in Wales, signaling a discontent within U.K. parliaments over proposed shale gas development. “A proposal against shale gas fracking was voted through in the Welsh Assembly late on Wednesday, effectively making it impossible for shale gas developments to receive planning permits in Wales. Environmentalists,… Keep reading →
The process of hydraulic fracturing (also known simply as “fracking”) continues to divide the public and public policymakers, even as resulting lower natural gas prices have encouraged industries, including many power plants, to convert from coal-fired boilers as one means as coping with coming limitations on the emissions of carbon monoxide.
President Obama and his administration are bracing themselves from a Republican controlled Congress in wake of his FY 2016 budget which will see heavy investment in clean energy industries. “In addition to some $7.4 billion in research and development funding for clean energy and climate science, President Obama’s fiscal year 2016 budget — a nearly $4 trillion… Keep reading →
A new report from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has found that there is little to no risk of radiation exposure from hydraulic fracturing activity. “In the most comprehensive study of the subject ever conducted, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection found that there is no concern of radiation exposure from fracking wells for… Keep reading →
A research paper touted as peer-reviewed science – and used to justify New York’s ban on shale gas development – was actually peer-reviewed by active opponents of shale gas development who concealed their bias from the scientific community and the general public. This violates at least four different codes of conduct for scientific research and… Keep reading →
Energy sources and related commodities have driven national security issues ever since the modern nation-state was born with the Peace of Westphalia. Oak made Spain and England’s stout sailing ships. Water energy and wind drove mills and moved water. Wood and coal moved steamships. Then came the almost magical commodity of oil, packed with energy. World War II… Keep reading →
Some interesting perspective on New York’s decision to ban hydraulic fracturing – from neighboring Pennsylvania, where safe fracking has lifted the state economy while directly benefiting cities and towns all across the commonwealth. Jeffrey Sheridan, press secretary for Governor-elect Tom Wolf’s transition team (to the Philadelphia Business Journal): “Governor-elect Wolf opposes a ban, and he… Keep reading →
Fracking received much attention and debate in the fourth quarter. Fracking is the process of injecting large amounts of water, sand and chemicals into the ground at high pressures in order to release oil and natural gas into underground rock formations.
Times are changing and Opec is not what it once was in terms of oil price influence, but it’s too soon to completely dismiss the producer group that collectively controls such a large share of the world’s oil production, reserves, exports and thus supply. In this article, a Saudi diplomat argues his country “gets… Keep reading →
