Gas Fracking

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Britain is hitting for fracking. But it will be more expensive than renewables.

Gas 'will add more to energy bills than renewables' – government advisers

Finding by Committee for Climate Change contradicts coalition's line on energy, despite using government's own research.

Household energy bills will be about £600 higher per year in the coming decades if the UK relies increasingly on gas, the government's climate advisers warned on Thursday.

But the Committee on Climate Change found that bills would only be £100 higher than today's average dual fuel bill of about £1,300, if the country concentrated on renewable power generation, such as wind power.

The committee's findings rebuff the government's argument that gas will in future provide a cheap source of electricity and heating – and the findings are based on the government's own research.

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Independant Film Maker, Catherine Boyle, Talks with Tony Ingraffea

Also => Physicians, Scientists, and Engineers for Healthy Energy

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Shale Gas Bulletin Ireland

Issue No. 2 - February 15, 2013

After her very well-received visit to Ireland in February 2012, Jessica Ernst will return to Ireland in early March for a more extended speaking tour.

Ms. Ernst is a Canadian scientist with 30 years' experience in the oil and gas industry, who has had personal experience of the risks posed by hydraulic fracking.

She is suing the Alberta government, the energy regulator and EnCana for negligence and unlawful activities, alleging that EnCana contaminated a shallow aquifer with natural gas and toxic chemicals.

Jessica's presentation schedule is as follows:

• Saturday 2nd March, presentation of “Fracking Community” in Leitrim Village Community Center, Leitrim Village, near Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim, 7pm
  
• Monday 4th March, presentation of “Fracking Community” in the Old Ground Hotel, Ennis, Co. Clare, at 8pm
  
• Wednesday 6th March, Peter Froggatt Center, Queens University, Belfast, 7pm
  
• Thursday 7th March- United Reformed Church, St George's Rd. St Anne's, Lancs. , FY8 2AE
  
• Friday 8th March, Balcombe Church of England Primary School, London Road, Balcombe, RH17 6HS 8pm to 10pm
  
• Sunday 10th March, Our Natural Resources - Not for Sale. Organised by Save Our Seafront and supported by An Taisce and other organisations. Jessica Ernst will speak at this event, time to be confirmed 11.30 to 5.30 in the Gresham Hotel on O'Connell Street
  
• Monday 11th March, NUI Maynouth, 1pm Room to be confirmed
  
• Monday evening, 11th March, to be hosted by FOE, time and venue TBC

Contact: youthmardingo@gmail.com

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Please take your time and send this Application for a Licence Not to Frack Ireland to the ministers by post or at least by email.

(minister.rabbitte@dcenr.gov.ie and Minister.O'Dowd@dcenr.gov.ie)

Deadline: 28 February !

Thank you very much.

For a fracking free Ireland!

Cheers.

=> Apply for a Frack Free Leitrim

Love Leitrim are encouraging the people of Leitrim and Ireland to ask the Government to safeguard the future of this area.

At the moment the decision currently lies with the Government whether to allow hydraulic fracturing in Ireland.

Love Leitrim points out that the Government “are not considering public health in their decision making process and do not have public health expertise on the steering group guiding current research.”

“On February 28, gas companies have to get their applications in for an exploration licence. If these companies are granted an exploration license, many commentators have advised that this could pave the way for the introduction of hydraulic fracturing into Ireland, as the nature of the licensing terms are difficult to get out of.”

To coincide with this Love Leitrim are asking people to send their own applications for a license not to frack Leitrim! Applications for a frack free future will be rolled out and the public are asked to post them to Minister of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte before the end of February.

Love Leitrim are encouraging people to get the application form at their local shop, sign it and send it on.

The application for a Frack Free Leitrim is the brainchild of local tourist provider Nuala McNulty, she is pleading with people to make their voices heard by their decision makers in what she sees as this critical time through sending the applications to Minister Pat Rabbitte.

The applications will be available in local shops and market stalls and through social media. They reiterate the rights of local people to be able to live in a rural area without the threat that hydraulic fracturing brings to their health and livelihoods.

Nuala said, “Throughout this process people have been forgotten about. We want to put people back into the centre of decision making. It’s as simple as this. “We are asking the Irish government, Are you with your people or not? We need them to show us they are with us by halting any further licenses.”

The Frack FreeLeitrim application asks the Petroleum Affairs Division for a license “not to carry out hydraulic fracturing in Leitrim.” It states that “Due to economic necessity, human and animal health and future happiness of communities we feel it is imperative that our wishes are carried out.”

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NewVision wrote: »

UNANIMA International, a UN Economic and Social Council accredited NGO working for international justice at the United Nations, celebrates its 10th Anniversary today (Oct. 1) by presenting its annual WOMAN OF COURAGE award to Jessica Ernst of Rosebud, Alberta, internationally known for her efforts to hold companies accountable for environmental harm done by "fracking".

Woman of Courage Award 2011

Jessica Ernst received the 2011 UNANIMA International Woman of Courage award at the October 2011 opening of its ten-year anniversary celebration. A biologist and environmental activist, Jessica began her career as a patch-oil consultant. When the natural gas producer EnCana introduced fracking practices in the Calgary region, she was a major voice in exposing its harmful effects in other areas of Alberta, Canada after seeing her own household contaminated with pollutants. At great personal cost, she took the issue publicly, exposing Encana’s violations in provincial laws to carry out hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas from the area. In April 2011 she released a statement of claim in a lawsuit Ernst v. Encana, alleging that EnCana “failed to follow the investigation and enforcement processes that they had established and publicized.”

Website: www.ernstversusencana.ca

NewVision

This is a fair use sampling of what's cooking in the public debate about fracking. Get a taste of the pros (mostly industry spin) and the cons.

Enjoy.

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More events:

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In relation to visiting speaker Jessica Ernst's experiences, the document below outlines her evidence and argument against fracking in Alberta. It's not easy reading.

=> https://sites.google.com/site/frackingireland/a-look-at-canada/2012-01-12-updated-gas-migration-paper-Ernst-to-NYDEC.pdf

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NewVision wrote: »

This presentation is now on YouTube:

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Interesting stuff again in the Shale Gas Bulletin Ireland.

=> Issue No. 5 - April 1, 2013

Headlines:

Increasing evidence of health impacts | Petroleum companies pulling back | Difficulties treating fracking wastewater

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Scotland becomes Gasland

First UK fracking leak as Dart Energy wells fail

The Scottish Herald today reported the UK’s first fracking leak – at Coal Bed Methane (CBM) wells near Canonbie in Scotland. The wells – owned by Dart Energy – confirm anecdotal evidence from locals who have – over the last two years – periodically noticed gas in their water supply.

...

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The Shale Gas Bulletin Ireland Issue No. 6 April 15, 2013

• "Frackademia": Fracking Industry + Academia = Questionable Science
• Not a lot of fracking jobs after all...
• Fracking contamination case settled for $750,000

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Experts Warn: Carbon Bubble Could Worsen Global Economic Crisis

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Are People Living Near Fracking Sites Getting Sick?

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Ever watched Gasland?

=> http://vimeo.com/38843993

Part 2 is out now.

Josh Fox's Gasland Part II Faces Aggressive Oil and Gas Public Relations Campaign

“It’s coming,” a baritone voice warns as images of a fiery hellscape flash across the screen. “Lies. Deception,” someone whispers, just before the narrator launches into a diatribe about Josh Fox’s new documentary, Gasland Part II, in a youtube clip whose esthetic falls somewhere between b-horror movie and election season attack ad. It’s the sort of video that might be campy if it wasn’t made with an actual budget.

Posted last November under the account energyforamerica, the faux trailer is one of the first hits in a Gasland 2 youtube search.

“I think it’s kinda unprecedented,” Mr. Fox said after the mock trailer appeared on youtube five months ago. “I don’t know of any other trailer that has attacked a film before even the actual trailer of the film has come out.”

Mr. Fox, the documentarian who made the Emmy-winning Gasland in 2010, and whose new movie Gasland Part II is now making its world premiere at Tribeca, has already withstood an aggressive P.R. campaign the likes of which few journalists and film-makers have ever experienced. The man who forever linked fracking to flaming tap water in the public mind has found himself, once again, in the oil and gas industry’s doghouse.

With funding from an array of oil companies, front groups like Energy in Depth have created entire websites devoted to “debunking” the first-hand reports shown in the first Gasland, produced their own film titled Truthland, and maneuvered behind the scenes to undermine Gasland’s credibility amongst the media.

Now the oil industry is gearing up for a new campaign to attack the sequel. And early signs indicate they plan to pull out all the stops.

Energy for America, which posted the Gasland 2 youtube video, turns out to be an organization that is tied to the Koch brothers and funded by the American Energy Alliance (AEA), the Institute for Energy Research (IER) and Americans for Prosperity, according to Sourcewatch, which adds that all three organizations are funded by the energy industry.

NewVision

Shale Gas Bulletin Ireland Issue No. 7 - May 1, 2013

• Hydrocarbon leak contaminates groundwater in Parahcute, Colorado
• Health risks from chemicals released during natural gas production
• Why gas wells leak

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The New York Times "Drilling Down" series is an excellent series of articles and interactive features, many of which allow access to data and documents that the New York Times obtained through open records requests and leaks.

=> Insiders Sound an Alarm Amid a Natural Gas Rush


Deborah Rogers is one of the industry experts mentioned in the NYT article above. A financial analyst and member of the advisory committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, she was among the first to raise questions about the economic viability of shale gas extraction.

In this presentation from May 2012 (36 minutes), Ms. Rogers discusses the difference between gas "resources" and "reserves", the ways that petroleum companies in the USA have exaggerated their reserves, and how encouraging investment in this sector serves the financial interests of Wall Street investment banks.

Deborah Rogers has published a new report, “Shale and Wall Street: Was the Decline in Natural Gas Prices Orchestrated?”, examining the role large Wall Street investment banks have played in the shale gas boom/bust.



The report identifies similarities between the financial dealings that led to the mortgage crisis and those that have contributed to the rise and fall of shale gas and oil production in the USA.

In particular, it explains how unprofitable shale oil and gas assets are now being bundled and sold to unsuspecting investors using financial instruments that resemble credit default swaps.

The report highlights the poor economic performance of shale gas and oil in the USA, which is due to the extremely poor productivity and high costs of unconventional shale gas exploitation. It provides details of the heavy financial losses being suffered by even the most prominent companies, now that actual production figures are available to investors.

The report's Appendix shows that median incomes and retail sales in areas of intensive shale gas production remain below the respective state averages.

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10-12th May 2013, Mere Brow, near Tarleton, PR4 6JX, Next to 'Leisure Lakes', Lancashire

Camp Frack 2

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Will Shale Gas Be a “Game-changer” in Europe?

Developments in the U.S. shale gas industry offer important precedents for the nascent shale gas industry in Europe. This post explores lessons on regulation, public perception, markets and the “hype” that surrounds shale gas. It asks the question, will shale gas be a “game-changer” in Europe?

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Coming to sites across the UK soon – fracking flares (UK Independent, 9 May 2013)

IGas chief warns that any production of shale gas would involve 'flaring off' leakages



The British countryside could be dotted with hundreds of naked flames several metres high after the head of Britain's biggest fracking company warned that any production of shale gas would involve “flaring off” leakages.

...

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‘Sheer lunacy’ to consider fracking in an Irish context (Inshore Ireland, 12 May 2013)

After researching the shale gas industry in the US I have come to the conclusion that rather than asking ‘how do we regulate this industry’, we in Ireland should be asking ‘why are we soliciting an industry that is mired in debt?’ Because, if we're not careful, we could end up bailing out the shale gas industry here.

The shale gas industry in the US and elsewhere is facing cash flow issues with many companies spending twice as much as they are making: UK exploration company Cuadrilla has had to raise more cash than anticipated; and Chesapeake — the second largest natural gas producer in the US — is paying over 8% to refinance at a time when interest rates are at historic lows.

This is not a well industry (pardon the pun), and given the grave concerns about environmental damage; risks to public health and threats to a profitable agri-business, tourism and angling industries, it appears sheer lunacy to even consider fracking in an Irish context.

...

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James Bradbury from the World Resources Institute (WRI) is discussing Environmental Impacts of Natural Gas Production and Natural Gas Exports and Greenhouse Gas Emissions => Fugitive Methane Emissions: The Climate Implications of U.S. Shale Gas Exports

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Will Ohio’s Landfills Become a Dumping Ground for Radioactive Fracking Waste?

...

Under the ODNR proposal, drill cuttings and brine could be classified by the state as naturally occurring radioactive materials, or NORM. Such materials would not be required to be tested for radioactivity and could remain on site at a horizontal-drilling well pad or could be shipped for disposal in any of Ohio’s 39 licensed municipal solid waste landfills.

Meanwhile, waste materials classified by the state as technologically-enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials, or TENORM—such as drilling muds—could also be disposed of in a solid waste landfill if it contains less than five pico curries per gram of radioactive content.

Even more concerning, if the material tests high, over the five pico curries threshold, it could be mixed or “down blended” with soil, sawdust, automobile salvage yard “fluff” or other materials to dilute the radioactive content for disposal.

“If the shale gas wastes are ‘properly’ disposed of, they are going to swamp the handful of existing, federally-approved low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities. This is why the industry and supporting politicians are dodging that classification as quickly as they can” said Dr. Julie Weatherington-Rice, scientific advisor to the Ohio Environmental Council.

...

Also => Shale Gas Bulletin Ireland Issue No. 5 - April 1, 2013, Difficulties treating fracking wastewater

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Sinn Féin MLA Phil Flanagan challenges the Enterprise, Trade & Investment Minister Arlene Foster on the issue of her department issuing further petroleum licenses around Lough Neagh and on the issue of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in Fermanagh. Recorded on 9th May 2013:

NewVision

Colreavy launches bill to ban fracking

Deputy Michael Colreavy, Sinn Féin spokesperson on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, has this week launched a bill that will include a ban on the practice of fracking.

The Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2013 includes a ban on fracking along with the need for Oil and Gas Companies to engage in public consultation prior to the granting of an exploratory licence.

Speaking on this piece of legislation Deputy Colreavy said, “Fracking is one of the most controversial methods of gas extraction that has been developed in recent years.

“It involves the blasting of water, sand and chemicals into the ground in the hope of releasing shale gas. The gas then seeps up through cracks in the stone beneath the soil to be collected by the petroleum companies.

“The practice has been banned in several countries and has been the subject of high profile campaigns in Canada and the United States.

“This piece of legislation seeks to ban unconventional methods of gas exploration and extraction and protect the health and environment of those who live in the Lough Allen Basin.

“This bill also seeks to enshrine in law the need for oil and gas companies to engage in public consultation prior to being granted an exploratory licence.

...

NewVision

Documentary film examines what fracking could mean

A stunning new documentary film, produced by communities in Fermanagh, investigating what 'fracking' could mean for the county will have its premiere screening at the Ardhowen Theatre on Tuesday, June 4, at 8pm.

The film called Fracking In Fermanagh: what could it mean? is 90 minutes long and has been made with the participation of about 15 local young people aged from 9 to 22. About 30 interviews were recorded with a broad range of people from the local community, including farmers, fishermen, tourism providers, ecologists, doctors, young people and with politicians at the local and national level. International perspectives on fracking were given by specialists in the fields of health and the environment.

Facilitated by Enniskillen's Development Media Workshop, and part-funded by Fermanagh District Council, the film begins by clarifying what hydraulic fracturing, or fracking actually is.

...

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Wishful thinking: Debunking the Myths of the Shale Gas Boom (Food & Water Watch, 14 May 2013)

The hype surrounding shale gas in Europe is founded in the American shale gas boom, where “cheap and abundant” energy appears to provide energy security. However, according to Food and Water Europe and Friends of the Earth Europe, a closer look at the US boom reveals an economic system based on shaky foundations, that side-lines health and the environment, and is reliant on unsustainably low prices driven by speculation and industry overestimates.

Sceptics shatter European shale gas hopes (Natural Gas Daily, 16 May 2013)

Geologists, policy makers and industry representatives discussed the potential contribution shale gas could make to Europe’s energy mix at an event in the European Parliament earlier this week.

Although David Hughes – author of Drill, Baby, Drill – and Werner Zittel – co-author of the latest Energy Watch Group report – sees only limited potential for shale gas in Europe, the European Commission said it should not be dismissed.

=> Drill, Baby, Drill

=> Presentation by Werner Zittel

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Shale Gas Bulletin Ireland - Issue No. 8 - May 15, 2013

• Shale gas is not a "game changer"
• Fracking and political corruption
• "Lock the Gate" comes to Ireland