Archive for February 22nd, 2015

U.S. shale oil’s crash diet likely to bring forward output dip

Reuters: Shale oil producers are throttling back so quickly on drilling that U.S. crude output could fall sooner than expected, within months, executives say as they slash costs to cope with tumbling crude prices and compete with Persian Gulf rivals. About a dozen chief executives who talked to Reuters or who spoke publicly, acknowledged they were taken aback by the scale and speed of the cutbacks, noting how this oil price downturn was different from several previous episodes in their careers. For...

Now is the time to invest in real geothermal energy

Mother Nature Network: In a recent post on ground source heat pumps, I purposely used a photo of a geothermal installation in Iceland to make the point that geothermal energy was a very different thing. Many complained that I obviously didn't know what I was talking about ("The big clue starts with the picture at the top which is NOT a geothermal heat pump system.") Well, duh — that was the whole point. Geothermal power is a very different thing and a very important source of renewable energy. With true geothermal energy...

Q+A: Prioritize food security, not conflict, wheat scientist advises

Reuters: Heat and drought are a major cause of wheat yield losses worldwide, problems that scientists predict will worsen due to climate change. As a wheat physiologist, Matthew Reynolds works to bolster crop yields and improve the capacity of wheat to survive hot temperatures, particularly in developing countries. "Climate change puts farmer livelihoods at risk and can lead to vast food-crop losses in vulnerable environments,' said Reynolds, who was recently named a distinguished scientist at the International...

US Chevron Quits Shale Gas Operations in Romania

Novinite: US energy giant Chevron is quitting shale gas exploration in Romania after prolonged anti-fracking protests. Romania was the last shale gas project of Chevron in Europe. Last month Chevron made clear that it was suspending shale gas exploration activities in Poland, while last year the company terminated this type of activity in Lithuania and Ukraine. “That leaves Romania, where we are in the process of relinquishing our concession interests,” a Chevron Spokesman was quoted as saying by...

Call for wider fracking moratorium in Scotland

Scotsman: AN alliance of community and environmental groups has called for the Scottish Government`s moratorium on fracking to be extended to cover underground coal gasification. Almost 30 organisations and individuals, including residents’ associations, academics, Friends of the Earth and Unison Scotland, have made the plea in a letter to energy minister Fergus Ewing. Campaigners welcomed the moratorium on unconventional oil and gas developments announced by Mr Ewing last month but say it does not go...

Is a controversial breeding project saviour of wild salmon, or wreaking havoc with nature?

Independent: Bob Kindness makes fishing look easy. It seems that no sooner has he cast his line into the fast-flowing river Carron in Wester Ross than he’s playing the rod, smiling and reeling in a marvellous-looking wild Atlantic salmon. Despite this success, wild salmon numbers across Scotland are at their lowest level for a decade, with catches in some areas down by 50 per cent. The situation is so dire that SNP ministers in Holyrood have just announced a plan to ban anglers taking salmon from Scottish...