France’s Ban On Fracking Is ‘Absolute’

BY ANDREW BREINER ON OCTOBER 11, 2013 AT 2:09 PM

France’s ban on fracking was finally completed Friday, as its constitutional court upheld a 2011 law prohibiting the practice and canceling all exploration permits. The decision posted on the court’s website said the ban “conforms to the constitution” and is not “disproportionate,” effectively protecting it from any future legal challenge.

U.S. driller Schuepbach Energy brought its complaint to the court after two of its exploration permits were revoked due to the ban. Schuepbach attempted to argue that since no study had established fracking risks, there was no cause for the ban, and that since fracking isn’t banned for geothermal energy projects, it was unfair. The court didn’t find that convincing, citing the differences between geothermal and shale gas exploration.

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U.S. approves natural gas exports from third terminal

Wed Aug 7, 2013 6:13pm EDT

* Export terminal wins approval to export 2 bcf a day

* Nearly two dozen applications waiting for export decision

* Lawmaker calls for swifter action on applications

* Industrial group warns of price spikes from exports

By Ayesha Rascoe

WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Wednesday approved natural gas exports from a third U.S. facility, the second permit issued in about three months, triggering debate over whether the review of a long backlog of export applications is picking up steam.

The export terminal in Lake Charles, Louisiana, was given a conditional license from the Department of Energy to ship liquefied natural gas to all countries. The terminal is backed by BG Group Plc and Energy Transfer Partners LP's Southern Union Co.

The department's order gives the Lake Charles terminal permission to export up to 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day for 20 years. The approval is contingent upon the Lake Charles terminal receiving a permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for construction of the facility.

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Oil companies frack in coastal waters off Calif.

JASON DEAREN, Associated Press, By JASON DEAREN and ALICIA CHANG, Associated Press

Updated 1:25 pm, Saturday, August 3, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Companies prospecting for oil off California's coast have used hydraulic fracturing on at least a dozen occasions to force open cracks beneath the seabed, and now regulators are investigating whether the practice should require a separate permit and be subject to stricter environmental review.

While debate has raged over fracking on land, prompting efforts to ban or severely restrict it, offshore fracking has occurred with little attention in sensitive coastal waters where for decades new oil leases have been prohibited.

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Revealed: EPA Fracking Study Rebukes Agency's Own Safety Claims

Published on Monday, August 5, 2013 by DeSmog Blog

DeSmog Exclusive: Censored EPA PA fracking water contamination presentation published for first time

by Steve Horn

DeSmogBlog has obtained a copy of an Obama Administration Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fracking groundwater contamination PowerPoint presentation describing a then-forthcoming study's findings in Dimock, Pennsylvania. 

The PowerPoint presentation reveals a clear link between hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") for shale gas in Dimock and groundwater contamination, but was censored by the Obama Administration. Instead, the EPA issued an official desk statement in July 2012 - in the thick of election year - saying the water in Dimock was safe for consumption.

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Efficiency Drove U.S. Emissions Decline, Not Natural Gas, Study Says

 inside climate news 

Conventional wisdom says switching to natural gas is why CO2 fell last year, but a recent analysis found a different explanation.

By Maria Gallucci, InsideClimate News

Jul 30, 2013

Aggressive energy efficiency efforts by households, companies and motorists led to the decline in carbon dioxide emissions from energy use in the United States,according to a recent report. The controversial finding contradicts recent studies that say the power sector's shift away from coal to cheap natural gas caused the bulk of reductions.

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Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Enforcement - Violations

EARTHWORKS

Click chart for larger version
Drilling and Violations

Between 2005 and 2011 more than 24,000 oil and gas wells were drilled in Pennsylvania. During that time, there were more than 15,000 violations. Interestingly, since 2008 the number of wells drilled per year has decreased, yet the number of violations per year has more than doubled – from 1,500 in 2008 to 4,069 in 2011.

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Fracking Bill could Take the ‘Public’ Out of Federal Lands

It’s about local control, say members of Congress who want the states, not the federal government, to regulate fracking on federal lands — those public lands that belong to all Americans.

The House Natural Resources Committee is considering a bill that would bar the feds from enforcing any “Federal regulation, guidance, or permit requirement regarding” fracking in states that have their own rules or guidance.

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