Author Archive

As Keystone awaits fate, other tar sands projects move forward

Al Jazeera: The federal government has quietly approved major tar sands transportation projects with unstudied environmental effects -- managing to circumvent the executive branch’s impact analysis that paralyzed development of the Keystone XL pipeline and bolstered activists’ claims that the project is dangerous and damaging to the environment. Over the past few years, the Keystone pipeline has become a household name. The controversy caused by Canadian pipeline company TransCanada’s project, which would...

In Louisiana, an environmental lawsuit brings hope for a new chapter

Al Jazeera: Louisiana is being slowly devoured by water. Hardly anyone disputes that. But beyond a shared sense of creeping panic, there’s little common ground in the state. As over 2,000 miles of coast have been eaten away over the last 80 or so years, the state and federal government, oil and gas companies, activists and residents battled and bickered over funding the future of the state’s coast. So far, little has been accomplished. John Barry, an author cum activist, hopes to change that. Last July,...