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Study: Most California Fracking Waste Left Unlined Pits
Posted by San Francisco Chronicle: David R. Baker on July 13th, 2015
San Francisco Chronicle: More than half of the wastewater from fracked oil wells in California is disposed of in open, unlined pits and could contaminate groundwater, according to a state-mandated study of hydraulic fracturing issued Thursday.
The California Council on Science and Technology study presents a cautious assessment of fracking in the state. And it’s not likely to defuse the political fight over fracking, with both the oil industry and its opponents on Thursday claiming vindication in its findings.
The...
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California Fracking Hasn’t Unearthed Oil Boom
Posted by San Francisco Chronicle: David R. Baker on January 15th, 2015
San Francisco Chronicle: About 20 percent of California's oil and natural-gas production uses hydraulic fracturing - with almost all of it happening in one corner of the San Joaquin Valley - according to the most authoritative survey yet released of fracking in the Golden State.
Oil companies frack 125 to 175 of the roughly 300 wells drilled in California each month, according to the survey released Wednesday by the California Council on Science and Technology. Nearly 93 percent of all fracked wells lie in western Kern...
Drought hinders state’s emissions goals
Posted by San Francisco Chronicle: David R. Baker on July 20th, 2014
San Francisco Chronicle: No state has done more than California to fight global warming. But a deepening drought could make that battle more difficult and more expensive.
A prolonged dry spell, stretching on for years, would slash the amount of power flowing from the state's hydroelectric dams, already running low after three parched winters.
The dams have, for years, been one of California's main sources of clean electricity, generating power without spewing greenhouse gases into the air. Drought forces utility companies...
Why environmentalists turned against fracking bill
Posted by San Francisco Chronicle: David R. Baker on September 13th, 2013
San Francisco Chronicle: Late Wednesday night, when California's state Senate approved a hotly contested bill to regulate fracking and sent it to Gov. Jerry Brown for approval, it did so without the endorsement of some normally supportive environmentalist groups.
The bill from State Sen. Fran Pavley had provoked intense opposition not just from the oil industry but from fracking opponents, who had been urging Brown to ban the practice outright. Word that he plans to sign the bill appears to have dashed those hopes, at...
A West Coast Keystone pipeline?
Posted by San Francisco Chronicle: David R. Baker on April 21st, 2013
San Francisco Chronicle: Opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would bring oil from Canada`s tar sands to the U.S. Gulf Coast, runs high in California.
Laying pipe as part of a previous improvement project on the Trans Mountain Pipeline. Photo courtesy Trans Mountain.
The proposed pipeline route doesn`t come anywhere near here. But many of California`s eco-conscious citizens oppose expanding tar sands production and aren`t shy about saying so. President Obama found that out earlier this month, when anti-Keystone...
California bills could delay fracking
Posted by San Francisco Chronicle: David R. Baker on March 21st, 2013
San Francisco Chronicle: Fracking for oil and natural gas in California could slam to a halt, at least temporarily, under legislation circulating in Sacramento.
One bill calls for a moratorium on the practice until the state conducts a sweeping study of fracking's benefits and risks, including the potential for groundwater contamination.
Another piece of legislation would allow fracking while the state conducts such a study. But the same bill, from Sen. Fran Pavley, would slap a moratorium on fracking if the study...
United States: Cap and trade may be plum for homeowners
Posted by San Francisco Chronicle: David R. Baker on November 16th, 2012
San Francisco Chronicle: California residents would see no net increase in their monthly utility bills as a result of the state's new cap-and-trade system to fight global warming, under a proposal issued Friday by state regulators.
Instead, the system would actually pay residential customers a small dividend, with the money drawn from the power plants, factories and other facilities that pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Under the proposal from the California Public Utilities Commission, residential utility...
Chevron-Ecuador case spawns complex legal issues
Posted by San Francisco Chronicle: David R. Baker on March 6th, 2011
San Francisco Chronicle: The $9.5 billion environmental lawsuit against Chevron Corp. in Ecuador has touched off an international legal scrum, with courts on three continents trying to assert control over the outcome. And it could get messier. The long-running case, watched worldwide for the precedent it could set, will probably move to other countries unless the two sides settle, which Chevron has vowed not to do. Last month, an Ecuadoran judge ruled that Chevron should pay to clean up a swath of the Amazon rain forest...