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The Canadian Minister of the Environment has announced that coal burning power plants must drastically cut emissions or face closure by 2025. The pronouncement signals a national shift towards more efficient, less polluting natural gas plants. The measure is expected to reduce Canadian emissions by approximately 15 megatonnes, which equates to taking 3.2 million vehicles off the road. The exact......read more
In light of the Gulf oil spill, many citizens are becoming increasingly distrustful of energy companies and the methods they employ. In a very positive step, Range Resources has decided to voluntarily disclose the chemicals that it uses in order to break through sediment and acquire natural gas. The decision comes under mounting concern from citizens who live near the natural gas extraction......read more
This week, the New York State Assembly approved a temporary moratorium on the controversial natural gas exploration technique known as "fracking." Combining hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling, fracking uses large quantities of water and chemicals to blast through the earth's surface and uncover natural gas reserves. The moratorium is aimed at the Marcellus Shale field,......read more
Natural gas is hailed by proponents as the crucial link between dirty fossil fuels and renewable power. But two new studies, to be published this week, suggest that natural gas development may be doing more to warm the planet than burning coal. The research reports, discussed in an NYT article by Tom Zeller Jr., say that newly developed techniques for tapping natural gas reserves — such as......read more
Advocates of natural gas development like to tout the fuel's environmental benefits. They argue that it burns cleaner than coal, with significantly fewer emissions. Which is true. But according to new research, switching from coal to natural gas won't do much to curb cimate change. Why? Methane leaks. Methane leaks from pipelines and wellheads are a reality of natural gas production.......read more
The huge, belching smokestacks of electric power plants have long symbolized air pollution woes. But a shift is under way: More and more electric plants around the nation are being fueled by natural gas, which is far cleaner than coal, the traditional fuel. The most optimistic projections describe an abundant domestic energy source that will create enormous numbers of jobs and lead to cleaner......read more
Good news for fracking opponents in New York state this week, as an N.Y. Supreme Court judge ruled that the upstate town of Dryden is within its rights to ban a company from drilling for natural gas within its borders. Last August, Dryden's Town Board passed a drilling ban and was sued a month later by the Anschutz Exploration Corporation, whose lawyers argued that the town had no power to......read more
As stated in The Energy Manifesto, energy accounts for more than its fair share of greenhouse gas emissions, so it's of paramount importance in the grand scheme of tackling climate change. The answer of course is a massive shift to renewable energy, but I'm fairly certain when I wake up tomorrow morning we will be nowhere near to meeting our energy demands from renewable sources. If, for now,......read more
Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune for Huffington Post: You know what natural gas smells like. Or do you? Natural gas is actually odorless. That rotten-egg smell is added for safety reasons. Otherwise, you might not notice a potentially deadly gas leak.If only we could add a similar smell to the natural gas industry. Too many people -- especially politicians -- aren't paying attention......read more
Natural gas, a key component of the Obama administration's plan for American energy independence, is highly problematic in terms of climate change. Though it has significant less carbon emissions than either coal or oil, natural gas fields "leak" methane into the atmosphere -- and methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Now key Obama advisors have revealed a government-wide strategy aimed at cutting......read more
