US Govt helped the oil-shale industry

mdrobster · Sep 23, 2012

http://news.yahoo.com/decades-federal-dollars-helped-fuel-141648115.html
Over three decades, from the shale fields of Texas and Wyoming to the Marcellus in the Northeast, the federal government contributed more than $100 million in research to develop fracking, and billions more in tax breaks.

Once again, for the betterment of this union, the US govt assisted industry, without the govt help, who knows how long it would have taken for this option to even be possible.

Margot · Sep 23, 2012

mdrobster said: ↑

http://news.yahoo.com/decades-federal-dollars-helped-fuel-141648115.html
Over three decades, from the shale fields of Texas and Wyoming to the Marcellus in the Northeast, the federal government contributed more than $100 million in research to develop fracking, and billions more in tax breaks.

Once again, for the betterment of this union, the US govt assisted industry, without the govt help, who knows how long it would have taken for this option to even be possible.
Click to expand...

The first use of hydraulic fracking was in the mid 1940s.

waltky · Sep 23, 2012

The Keystone of coal and fracking protests...

Analysis: Coal fight looms, Keystone-like, over U.S. Northwest
23 Sept.`12 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Call it the Keystone of coal: a regulatory and public relations battle between environmentalists and U.S. coal miners akin to the one that has defined the Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline.

Instead of blocking an import, however, this fight is over whether to allow a growing surplus of coal to be exported to Asia, a decision that would throw miners a lifeline by effectively offshoring carbon emissions and potentially give China access to cheaper coal. Having long ago lost their bid to prevent the extraction of fossil fuels, environmental groups aim to close transport routes that bring those carbon fuels to market, pulling local and state politicians into the fight alongside regulators. Mining interests won a battle last week when the Army Corps of Engineers called for a quick study of plans to open the first coal port on the west coast at Oregon's Port of Morrow on the Columbia River, a review that will weigh impacts of hauling coal, not burning it.

Coal port skeptics say the ruling is ripe for challenge in the courts and they foresee a drawn-out fight over the review. "I'm afraid that by choosing to perform a less stringent analysis today, the Corps will ultimately create a longer delay," Oregon Senator Ron Wyden said in a statement. Wyden, who is due to lead the Energy and Natural Resources Committee if Democrats hold the Senate, has said he supports a full review of the project and is reserving judgment until it is completed. Delay is something miners can ill afford.

Alpha Natural Resources Inc, one of the country's largest coal producers, said last week it is cutting 1,200 jobs, roughly 9 percent of its workforce, as increased use of natural gas for power generation dents demand. While coal foes in the Pacific Northwest can stymie the projects, the federal government will have the final say. If President Barack Obama wins a second term, the issue will likely test his determination to curb the use of fossil fuels blamed for climate change, especially since his policies are partly behind miners' yearnings for Asian markets.

Tough new Environmental Protection Agency limits on power plant emissions are often blamed, along with low natural gas prices, for the drop in domestic coal use, but burning the black rock in Asia will have the same impact on the atmosphere. No matter who wins the election, the intensifying fight ahead over coal ports is raising Keystone-like questions about energy priorities in a time when traditional fuels are still abundant.

COAL ABOUNDS
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See also:

Gas drilling protests held in US, other countries
 Demonstrators in the United States and other countries protested Saturday against the natural gas drilling process known as fracking that they say threatens public health and the environment.

Participants in the "Global Frackdown" campaign posted photos on social media websites showing mostly small groups. But organizer Mark Schlosberg said Saturday afternoon he thought the protests were going well and he pointed to photos showing larger demonstrations in South Africa and France as well as higher turnouts in cities in California, Colorado and New York. "I think it's really the communities all over the world coming together to say, 'We want to protect our water, we want to protect our air, and we want to safeguard our climate future by getting off dirty fossil fuels and saying no to fracking. We need to invest in a renewable energy future,'" said Schlosberg, who is national organizing director for Food & Water Watch, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that developed the GlobalFrackdown website and campaign.

The immense volumes of natural gas found by fracturing underground shale rock around the country has spurred a boom in natural gas production that has been credited with creating jobs and lowering prices for industry and consumers. But scientists disagree on the risks of hydraulic fracking, a process that injects large volumes of water, sand and chemicals underground to break rock apart and free the gas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and many state regulators say fracking can be done safely, and the American Lung Association says it can help reduce air pollution. Opponents say the process can pollute water and sicken residents.

At a park in Pittsburgh, protesters signed a petition calling for a moratorium on shale gas drilling. In Buffalo, N.Y., demonstrators called upon Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ban hydraulic fracturing. Jennifer Krill, executive director of Earthworks, said about 50 San Francisco demonstrators marched along the waterfront to the Golden Gate bridge, carrying signs and banners. She posted a picture of a 30-foot-long white banner stretched out on the grass that listed chemicals used in fracking. "I thought it was a very eye-catching way to display one of the key problems with fracking, which is that the public does not know unless the company chooses to disclose it what chemicals are involved in hydraulic fracturing," she said.

Kathy Hanratty of Frack-Free Geauga said about 30 to 40 people turned out at a demonstration in the northeast Ohio county, which she said was not bad considering "it's a small county and a rainy morning." "It is an affected area," Hanratty said. "We just had the seismic test trucks go past my house on Monday." In Ohio, an injection well used to hold wastewater from the fracking process has been tied to a series of earthquakes in the Youngstown area.

http://news.yahoo.com/gas-drilling-protests-held-us-other-countries-225745136.html
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mdrobster · Sep 23, 2012

waltky said: ↑

The Keystone of coal and fracking protests...

Analysis: Coal fight looms, Keystone-like, over U.S. Northwest
23 Sept.`12 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Call it the Keystone of coal: a regulatory and public relations battle between environmentalists and U.S. coal miners akin to the one that has defined the Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline.

See also:

Gas drilling protests held in US, other countries
— Demonstrators in the United States and other countries protested Saturday against the natural gas drilling process known as fracking that they say threatens public health and the environment.
Click to expand...

Non sequitor.

Hey these companies wouldn't exist if it weren't for the US govt, proud to be an American.

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US Govt helped the oil-shale industry

mdrobster Well-Known Member

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US Govt helped the oil-shale industry

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