Energy
Yet another editorial pans offshore drilling proposal
Yet another in a growing list of editorial pages has weighed in against the Obama/Tillis/McCrory plan to open up the coastline of North Carolina to offshore oil and gas drilling. This morning it’s Raleigh’s News & Observer. Here’s the excellent conclusion: “President Obama’s motivation for supporting offshore drilling is complicated. The clearest reason appears to […]
Outer Banks oil and gas drilling: A disaster waiting happen
Looks like those leftist tree huggers at the EPA are at it again. This is from AP: “The Obama administration floated a plan Tuesday that for the first time would open up a broad swath of the Atlantic Coast to drilling, even as it moved to restrict drilling in environmentally-sensitive areas off Alaska. The proposal […]
The lowdown on NC’s new fracking rules
As you may have heard, North Carolina’s Mining and Energy Commission held the last in a series of meetings last Friday during which they considered public feedback on the draft fracking rules. Despite having received over 200,000 public comments over the last few months, the Commission only made a few little changes to the rules. […]
Governor touts job creation, environmental safeguards in signing fast-track fracking bill
Governor Pat McCrory, backed by Republican legislators and his Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, signed the controversial Energy Modernization Act Wednesday morning. The legislation speeds up the start of natural gas drilling in North Carolina. The governor said the bill, which zipped through both chambers last week with limited debate, will bring good jobs […]
As drilling safety rules finalized, environmentalists remain wary of rush to frack (video)
The N.C. Mining and Energy Commission has finalized the proposed safety regulations that companies will need to follow in order to frack for natural gas in our state. Over the past 18 months the commission has adopted 120 rules they believe will ensure that hydraulic fracturing can be done safely. Still environmentalists worry the process […]
Will coal ash end up in consumer products?
We’ve all been reading about the ugly environmental disaster unfolding in Eden at Duke Energy’s retired Dan River coal-burning plant. As of this writing, the coal ash pond pipe has been plugged, but not before dumping more than 80,000 tons of waste into the Dan River. Meanwhile in Washington, the US EPA is considering other […]
Water Contamination from Fracking Confirmed
An Associated Press investigation into water contamination linked to fracking shows contamination in multiple wells in at least two states, information which is contrary to industry statements in the past. This investigation comes on the heels of the recent confirmation that fracking practices were the cause of earthquakes in Ohio in 2011, where fracking waste has […]
Fracking risks highlighted once again in new study on groundwater
There’s yet another disturbing fracking story worth reading — this one from the good people at Pro Publica: “A recently published studyby researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington found elevated levels of arsenic and other heavy metals in groundwater near natural gas fracking sites in Texas’ Barnett Shale. While the findings are far from conclusive, […]
Wilimington Star criticizes G.A.’s attack on fuel efficient cars
In case you missed it, the Wilmington Star has a thoughtful editorial about the new taxes on fuel efficent cars in the Senate budget. The fossil-fuel industry couldn’t have written a better bill to discourage North Carolinians from buying hybrid and electric cars, but it didn’t have to. The state Senate budget released Sunday contains a provision […]
Article shines light on state’s strange, Tea Partying Mining Commissioner
In case you missed it, Indy Week’s Billy Ball has a fascinating and disturbing story about the Chairman of North Carolina’s Mining and Energy Commission, Lee County Commissioner Jim Womack. According to Ball’s story, in addition to his two public roles, Womack is also a fire-breathing, Tea Partying blogger at a website known as “Lee County’s Top Political Blog,” […]
Coal Blooded – Report by the NAACP
The NAACP recently released a report, Coal Blooded, which documents the “Environmental Justice Performance” of all coal fired power plants around the country. The report ranks the 378 plants using EPA toxic emissions data and demographic information – race, income and population density. The report shows that the six million Americans living near coal plants […]
Bill McKibben’s “Do the Math” Road Show
Bill McKibben, well-known author, scholar and advocate for taking action to address climate change, will speak at Duke University on Monday evening. His road tour – Do the Math – explains the terrifying arithmetic of the climate crisis and focuses on building a movement to avoid the most catastrophic effects of a warming planet. If […]