Environment: Draft federal plan for oil exploration off the Southeastern seaboard seen as flawed

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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A new federal study could lead to new fossil fuel development in the Atlantic off the Southeast coast.

Impacts of seismic surveying to marine mammals a major concern

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Conservation groups say a draft federal plan authorizing oil exploration off the Eastern Seaboard doesn’t do enough to protect marine mammals — and they have support from a bipartisan group of Florida lawmakers concerned about impacts to the economies of coastal communities.

At this stage, the issue is seismic testing with airguns to explore the ocean floor for potential oil deposits. The legislators from the U.S. House and Senate sent President Obama a letter urging him to reject the use of airguns.

According to a recent report from Oceana, an international ocean conservation group, the use of airguns for seismic surveying has widespread impacts on marine mammals, even at great distances.

“We are understanding more and more that the noise can disrupt entire populations,” said Oceana biologist Matthew Huelsenbeck, adding that the operations appear to planned in areas used by endangered northern right whales. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, energy, Environment, gas drilling, oil drilling | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: BLM releases North Fork oil and gas leasing info

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Should the BLM be required to release names of companies nominating parcels for oil and gas leasing?

Community groups say more transparency is needed early in leasing procedure

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Community groups in Colorado this week hailed the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to release the names of the entities who nominated the public lands in Western Colorado’s North Fork Valley for oil and gas drilling and fracking.

The agency’s decision is a win for the public and government transparency, said Jim Ramey, director of the Delta County community group Citizens for a Healthy Community.

“The BLM’s mission is to best manage public resources, not to promote an energy speculation and commodities trading industry. If drilling companies want to develop publicly-owned minerals they should say so publicly, allowing concerned citizens and affected communities to evaluate their health, safety, and environmental record,”  Ramey said. (more…)

Filed under: BLM, Colorado, energy, Environment, gas drilling, oil drilling, public lands | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Environment: Is the Gulf of Mexico resilient to oil spills?

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Research suggests role of bacteria has been underestimated

One of the impacted corals with attached brittle starfish. Although the orange tips on some branches of the coral is the color of living tissue, it is unlikely that any living tissue remains on this animal. PHOTO COURTESY Lophelia II 2010, NOAA OER and BOEMR.

Some of oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster coated and killed deep-sea corals in the Gulf of Mexico, but a large quantity may have been consumed by oil-eating bacteria.  Photo courtesy Lophelia II 2010, NOAA OER and BOEMR.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Nearly three years after the Deepwater Horizon drill rig exploded and the busted Macondo Well spewed millions of gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, scientists are still trying to figure out to what happened to all the oil.

Only a tiny amount was captured or burned at the surface, and vast quantity — nobody knows exactly how much — was “dispersed” with chemicals injected directly into the stream of oil streaming out of the broken pipes, but a surprisingly large percentage of the oil may have been broken down by microbes. (more…)

Filed under: BP Gulf oil spill, Environment, Marine biology, ocean conservation, oil drilling | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: More wrangling over the Roan Plateau, as the BLM takes comments for another environmental impact statement

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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A view of the Roan Plateau from a NASA satellite.

BLM starts new environmental study for drilling leases in sensitive wildlife area

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — With comments coming in on a revised BLM study for fossil fuel development on Colorado’s Roan Plateau, it’s clear that there’s little common ground between the energy industry and conservation groups.

Hunters, anglers and environmentalists want the federal agency to set strict protections for natural resources, while oil and gas companies say the government needs to get on with opening the area for drilling as required under federal law.

A federal court last year ruled that the 2008 drilling plan didn’t consider conservation-oriented options, and that it didn’t adequately analyze the cumulative air quality impacts of oil and gas drilling. The BLM has acknowledged that developing up to 1,500 wells on the Roan Plateau would permanently alter some areas of high quality fish and wildlife habitat.

Meanwhile, fossil fuel stakeholders, represented by the West Slope Colorado Oil & Gas Association also submitted comments, explaining that federal law requires the Roan Plateau to be leased and calling on the BLM to make only the specific supplemental analysis required by the court. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, energy, Environment, gas drilling, oil drilling, politics | Tagged: , , , , , | 3 Comments »

EPA’s proposed limits on power plant emissions would accelerate shift from coal to natural gas

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Coal-fired power plants currently produce about 46 percent of the country’s electricity. Photo via Wikipedia and the Creative Commons.

Study compares economic sensitivity of gas and coal-fired power plants

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Proposed new limits on power plant emissions could spur a big shift away from coal and toward natural gas. The new rules on sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide and mercury may make nearly two-thirds of the nation’s coal-fired power plants as expensive to run as plants powered by natural gas, according to a new Duke University study.

“Because of the cost of upgrading plants to meet the EPA‘s pending emissions regulations and its stricter enforcement of current regulations, natural gas plants would become cost-competitive with a majority of coal plants — even if natural gas becomes more than four times as expensive as coal,” said Lincoln F. Pratson, a professor of earth and ocean sciences at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment. (more…)

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Audit shows gaps in USFS oil and gas leasing programs

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Draft oil and gas leasing map on the White River National Forest.

Report questions agency’s readiness for potential spills

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — The U.S. Forest Service needs to tighten up its oil and gas leasing program, including procedures for reporting spills and monitoring cleanups, according to a new report from the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General.

Along with illustrating weaknesses in the Forest Service’s oversight of oil and gas drilling on national forest lands, the report also noted that the agency needs to work more closely with the Bureau of Land Management to streamline the permitting process on national forest lands. (more…)

Filed under: BLM, energy, Environment, gas drilling, oil drilling, public lands, US Forest Service | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado: Dems launch push for more renewable energy

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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More wind power in Colorado’s future? Photo courtesy UCAR.

New bill would expand renewable energy standards to rural electricity co-ops

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — New legislation proposed by Colorado lawmakers could help refocus the energy debate by shifting more demand to renewable sources.

Under the Ritter administration, Colorado took significant steps to move toward renewable sources, but that momentum has faltered under Gov. Hickenlooper, widely seen as tilting toward the fossil fuel industry.

Senate Bill 252 would expand Colorado’s renewable energy standard by raising the percentage of retail electricity sales that must be achieved from renewable energy resources by cooperative electric associations that provide service to 100,000 meters or more from 10 percent to 25 percent starting in 2020. (more…)

Filed under: business, Colorado, economy, energy, Environment, renewable energy | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Environment: Pipelines under scrutiny

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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An oil pipeline in Alaska. Photo courtesy USGS.

Thirst for oil leads to inevitable disasters

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — With more than 2.6 million miles of pipeline criss-crossing the country, it seems almost inevitable that there will be breaks and spills. The only question is how serious the spill will be.

Right now, residents of Mayflower, Ark, will probably tell you that last year’s passage of the Pipeline Safety Act didn’t prevent their town from becoming the latest ground zero in a seemingly never-ending series of oil spill disasters.

The Pipeline Safety Act doubled the maximum civil penalties for pipeline safety violations from $100,000 to $200,000 and authorized an increase for the federal pipeline inspector workforce. (more…)

Filed under: energy, Environment, oil drilling | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Debate shows some common ground, many differences on fracking regulation

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
Oil and gas drilling near schools and homes in Firestone, Colorado. Photo courtesy Shane Davis, Sierra Club, Rocky Mountain Chapter.

Oil and gas drilling near schools and homes in Firestone, Colorado. Photo courtesy Shane Davis, Sierra Club, Rocky Mountain Chapter.

Gov. Hickenlooper, Boulder County Commissioner Elise Jones tackle tough questions in lively Denver session

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Despite a couple of interruptions by hecklers, Monday’s debate between Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and Boulder County Commissioner Elise Jones showed there may be some common ground for addressing the contentious issue of oil and gas drilling regulations.

Hickenlooper seemed to agree that the state could do more to address citizen concerns about health and quality of life impacts, and said that the venting methane from oil and gas drilling operations is an unacceptable waste.

But the lunchtime debate at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law also highlighted some of the conflicting views about the appropriate roles of local and state regulation, as well as larger questions about energy policies. Jones emphasized that Colorado residents want a clean, renewable energy future, while Hickenlooper touted natural gas as the fastest way to cut greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, energy, Environment, fracking, gas drilling, oil drilling | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Big money influences Keystone pipeline Senate vote

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would carry tar sands oil from Canada across the heartland of the U.S.

Colorado’s senators split, with Bennet voting yes, while Udall casts a no vote

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — It’s probably not surprising that the U.S. Senate passed an amendment (62-37) in support of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. There’s money — Big Money — at stake, and new research from Oil Change International details who got what.

The 10 senators who cosponsored the Hoeven Amendment have on average received $807, 517 from the fossil fuel industry. That works out to 254 percent more  than the average senator not sponsoring the amendment, and a total haul of more than $8 million dollars, based on data from DirtyEnergyMoney.org. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, energy, Environment | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

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