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Keystone Foes Say Two Pipelines Are Worse Than One
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on January 30th, 2014
Bloomberg: Opponents of Keystone XL now want to block its construction by showing that two oil pipelines from Canada to the U.S. are worse than one.
The Sierra Club said TransCanada Corp.’s (TRP) Keystone and the proposed expansion of Enbridge Inc.’s (ENB) Alberta Clipper should be reviewed together to account for how the combination would contribute to climate change. The San Francisco-based environmental group filed a petition today with 15 other groups, asking the U.S. State Department to revise its Keystone...
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Obama Appeals to Trout Fishermen on Power-Plant Pollution
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on September 25th, 2013
Bloomberg: The Obama administration is trying to build support for a key element of its climate-change plan with appeals to everyone from trout fishermen to fans of Al Roker on the Weather Channel.
The push to promote the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to curb carbon dioxide from power plants stands in contrast to the low-key approach of President Barack Obama’s first term, when it downplayed the hazards and trumpeted an “all of the above” energy policy.
“It’s very important to get out ahead of...
Billionaire investor backs anti-Keystone XL TV ad campaign
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on September 8th, 2013
Bloomberg: Billionaire U.S. investor Tom Steyer said he is backing a four-part, $1 million advertising campaign aimed at convincing viewers the Keystone XL pipeline will hurt the economy and communities and should be blocked.
The first commercial, airing today during the political talk shows, features Steyer in Port Arthur, Texas, saying much of the oil to be shipped from Alberta to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast would end up being exported.
“Foreign countries will get more access to more oil to...
Keystone XL Seen Harming ‘Quality Night Skies’ Near Parks
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on August 16th, 2013
Bloomberg: Building the Keystone XL pipeline would lead to more manmade light and noise in sparsely populated regions, which may harm natural resources, wildlife and visitors to national parks, the U.S. Interior Department said.
In comments submitted to the State Department as part of an environmental review, Interior warned that developer TransCanada Corp. (TRP) isn’t adequately dealing with risks to “cultural soundscapes” and “high quality night skies” from disturbances during construction and from pumping...
Exxon Among Targets for Divestiture in Climate Push
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on July 26th, 2013
Bloomberg: Activist Bill McKibben, who helped turn an obscure oil pipeline project into a high-profile political fight, has a new target for his effort to curb global warming: energy companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM)
McKibben’s group, 350.org, is asking colleges, cities and churches to divest their financial holdings from a group of 200 companies that produce coal, oil or natural gas. So far six schools, 16 cities and 11 religious institutions have agreed to divest from those companies, according...
Wyoming Replaces U.S. to Study Water Woes Tied to Fracking
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on June 20th, 2013
Bloomberg: The only finding by U.S. regulators of water contamination from fracking was thrown into doubt yesterday when the federal government halted its investigation and handed the probe over to the State of Wyoming. State officials will now investigate the integrity of gas wells owned by Encana Corp. (ECA) near 14 domestic water wells in Pavillion, Wyoming, while the Environmental Protection Agency stops further work on its draft report from 2011, which linked groundwater woes to hydraulic fracturing,...
Billionaire Steyer Rejects Trade With Obama on Keystone
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on June 20th, 2013
Bloomberg: President Barack Obama’s adoption of measures to combat climate change shouldn’t be seen as a trade off for approving the Keystone XL pipeline, a top donor to his re-election campaign said.
Hedge-fund billionaire Tom Steyer unveiled a social-media campaign today meant to organize supporters and pressure the president to reject the pipeline, which would carry oil sands from Alberta to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico. Steyer hired a former Obama campaign digital producer, Tara McGowan, to help...
Fracking Role for Environmental Defense Fund Splits Green Groups
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on May 23rd, 2013
Bloomberg: A coalition of 67 grassroots groups criticized the Environmental Defense Fund for its ties to natural gas drillers in setting voluntary standards for hydraulic fracturing, a process opposed by many green advocates.
The activist groups, many in communities where natural gas production is booming or in New York where it could start soon, said EDF is offering “greenwashing” for companies such as Chevron Corp. (CVX) by joining them on a set of standards for fracking.
“There is a better way to protect...
Governors Ask Obama to Weigh Climate Impact of Coal Ports
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on March 26th, 2013
Bloomberg: President Barack Obama’s administration should weigh the climate-change impact of burning coal in Asia when considering whether to approve Pacific coal- export terminals, two Western governors said.
In a letter to the White House Council of Environmental Quality, the Democratic governors, John Kitzhaber of Oregon and and Jay Inslee of Washington, said the administration must expand its review of the projects and consider the carbon dioxide that would be released when the coal is burned for power....
Chevron, Green Groups Agree Set Standards for Shale Gas
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on March 20th, 2013
Bloomberg: Chevron Corp. (CVX) joined natural gas producers and environmental groups to form an independent center that will set standards for drilling by hydraulic fracturing in the U.S. Appalachian region.
Gas output in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia is booming as drillers unlock shale deposits using the process, also called fracking, that shoots water, sand and chemicals underground to crack rock and free trapped gas. The process has spurred complaints from landowners and environmental groups about...