Amy Mall's Blog: Moving Beyond Oil

EPA Administrator travels to see gas drilling in Wyoming

2009-05-20T00:53:38Z

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is travelling to Wyoming later this week. She is being hosted by Governor Dave Freudenthal on a tour of energy production sites, including a natural gas drilling operation in Pinedale.

NRDC has worked with local partners for years to help protect the wildest lands around Pinedale, in the Upper Green River Valley, from irresponsible energy development. The area provides some of the West's most vital wildlife habitat, including an ancient migration corridor for pronghorn, mule deer, elk, moose, and big-horned sheep. One special pronghorn herd migrates 150 miles twice a year, farther than any other land mammal in the Americas, aside from caribou. Pronghorn are the sole species in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem that is native only to the American West, and are the fastest distance runners on earth, reaching speeds of more than 50 miles per hour. I know you thought the cheetah is the fastest -- but not over distance. Can you tell I am a fan of the pronghorn?

Now back to energy. Not only is wildlife habitat being threatened in western Wyoming, but so is human health. The Pinedale area has been experiencing elevated ozone levels over the last two winters, including violations and advisories. This is in a rural area of western Wyoming that until recently had some of the purest air in the nation. EPA regional staff gave the Bureau of Land Management's plan for the area an "unsatisfactory" rating, and asked the BLM to strengthen protections for air quality. In addition, water contamination has occurred. Benzene has been found in over one-third of the monitor water wells in the area, with some benzene levels greatly exceeding the EPA standard.

NRDC's local partners, including the Upper Green River Valley Coalition, Powder River Basin Resource Council, Wyoming Outdoor Council and Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, have been working for years to address drilling impacts on Wyoming wildlife, ranchers, hunters and anglers. But the air and water contamination in the Pinedale area is only one example of the harmful impacts of oil and gas production that is operating under outdated regulations that do not reflect industry expansion or technological advances. With an industry presence in 34 states, air and/or water contamination has recently been reported in Michigan, Texas, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Louisiana. EPA can play a critical role in addressing the growing threat to air, water and public health from oil and gas production across the country.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson agrees to look into hydraulic fracturing

2009-05-19T22:58:13Z

Earlier today, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lisa Jackson, testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. During the hearing she was asked about the risk to drinking water safety posed by the practice of hydraulic fracturing, given recently reported incidents from several states of water contamination linked to the practice. Administrator Jackson stated that EPA should look into the issue and review the agency's position.

This is great news. Hydraulic fracturing involves the injection of fluids, often containing toxic chemicals, into oil or gas wells at very high pressure. These pressurized fluids are used to crack open the underground formation to allow oil or gas to flow more freely and increase production. Fracturing is highly variable and unpredictable, and can lead to unintended consequences, such as contamination of drinking water. Studies show that, while some of the injected fluids are returned to the surface, some remain underground. In some cases, they are injected directly into underground sources of drinking water.

This practice should be regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) like other forms of underground injection. Yet, in 2005, Congress exempted hydraulic fracturing from the SDWA to the benefit of Halliburton and a handful of other hydraulic fracturing companies. Closing the Halliburton Loophole would not shut down drilling or mandate a burdensome new permit process; it's time to reverse this hand-out to special interests.

Families in places as diverse as Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado and Alabama have experienced drinking water contamination linked to hydraulic fracturing, with impacts to their own health and that of their livestock. We need a minimum federal standard to prohibit drinking water contamination and shine a light on hydraulic fracturing.

A better oil and gas industry for Colorado

2009-03-30T17:06:18Z

Thanks to the dogged persistence of Governor Ritter and his expert staff, Colorado has new oil and gas rules that will help make the industry a better neighbor and position it for a cleaner and stronger energy future.

The new rules were finalized last week, but the change started in 2007 when Governor Ritter asked the state legislature for the authority to change the make-up of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Prior to 2007, the Commission, which regulates oil and gas production in Colorado, consisted of seven members, and it was required by law that at least five of them worked for industry. Now, the Commission consists of nine members, only 3 of whom must have industry experience, and it reserves one spot for someone with substantial environmental or wildlife experience, and another for someone with substantial experience in land conservation or reclamation. This was a terrific way to begin oversight reform.

The new rules are a reasonable response to an unprecedented drilling boom in Colorado - one that is being replicated across the country. Colorado went from a state with 1,000 drilling applications in 1996 to over 8,000 in 2008.

To be honest, many feel the rules do not go far enough in protecting human health and wildlife. But they are a giant leap forward, and we hope just one of many regulatory improvements nationwide. Among other things, the rules:

require operators to maintain an inventory of chemicals kept on site nears wells;
help protect drinking water by creating buffer zones near drinking water sources and requiring monitoring of well pressure and water quality in some circumstances;
require emission control devices on certain equipment located near homes, schools, and other occupied buildings;
improve regulation of waste, including toxic waste;
require operators to work with the Colorado Division of Wildlife to develop mitigation plans when drilling occurs near sensitive wildlife habitat such as sage grouse breeding and nesting areas, elk calving habitat, and black-footed ferret habitat;
prohibit drilling to the maximum extent possible in critical wildlife habitat such as big horn sheep lambing areas and adjacent to native cutthroat trout streams; and
provide a formal consultation role for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Colorado Division of Wildlife to protect public health, the environment, and wildlife.

While industry opposed these new rules, they are reasonable and appropriate. The oil and gas rulebook in Colorado has been updated to better reflect current knowledge about the impacts of oil and gas operations and the technologies available to reduce these impacts. The rules promote thoughtful and comprehensive planning of oil and gas industrial sites in advance, to minimize ground disturbance and environmental impacts -- something that should also save industry money.

The Governor and the legislature heard the cries of local communities who have experienced industrial activity and were asking for better protection of human health, livestock health, and wildlife habitat. Clear skies and pure water are essential not only for our health, but for preserving our state's economic assets and quality of life.

Oil shale and water in the Rockies

2009-03-23T19:17:01Z

Our colleagues at Western Resource Advocates just released a report called "Water on the Rocks" that catalogues all the water rights in Colorado that have been acquired by oil shale interests, or could be used by them, to develop oil shale on a commercial scale. WRA concludes: "The volume of both water and rights is staggering."

The report found that energy companies have the right to divert enough water each year to meet the needs of 8-10 million people. This water is currently used for agriculture and to supply communities in the mountains and on Colorado's Front Range. If the water was instead shifted to industrial oil shale production, it would impact many different water users.

Commercial oil shale production would also increase greenhouse gas emissions and further threaten the precious water supply in Colorado. We need policies that will lead us to a sustainable energy future -- not practices that will devour and/or contaminate our water, an already shrinking vital resource.

Take the Low (Carbon) Road to Energy Security

2009-02-09T23:48:02Z

The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) and the World Resources Institute recently worked together to publish "A Roadmap for a Secure, Low-Carbon Energy Economy." The Roadmap is intended to produce win-win-win recommendations that benefit energy security, our economy, and the climate. The Board of CSIS includes dignitaries such as Henry Kissinger, William Cohen, Brent Scrowcroft, and Zbigniew Brzezinski, and is chaired by Sam Nunn.

The Roadmap discusses, among other things, dirty fuels -- those that create more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels. Those dirty fuels include oil shale, tar sands, and liquid coal. The authors conclude that these high-carbon fuels are pitfalls that should be avoided because they "....do not offer the promise of long-term security and low emissions" and "....will be costly to develop, and present sizeable environmental challenges, including significantly higher carbon dioxide emissions relative to conventional fossil fuels."

Instead, the authors recommend that U.S. decisionmakers establish a long-term vision for a secure, low-carbon energy future. In several last-minute actions, the Bush administration attempted to jump-start the oil shale industry at the expense of Western land and water, and the climate. Fortunately, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has said he will review the Bush action plan for oil shale, which "was not the wise thing to do at this point in time."

Going-out-of-Business Sale on Dirty Fuels

2009-01-14T20:10:35Z

There is less than a week before President-elect Obama's inauguration. Tomorrow, there will be a Senate hearing on the nominee for the new Secretary of the Interior--Senator Ken Salazar. Nevertheless, despite the many changes in Washington, the Bush administration is staying its course with midnight maneuvers to lease new parcels of public wildlands in the West for oil shale development.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is asking companies to nominate parcels of land they would want to lease. They can nominate up to 640 acres and the leases would last for ten years, with an option to extend to 20 years if research is successful.

Ultimately, about two million acres of public lands in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming are at stake. Commercial production of oil shale threatens air and water quality, wildlife habitat, water supply, and community health in the region. It will also lead to increased global warming pollution. Instead of burning this caveman fuel, we need a national energy vision that focuses on sustainable solutions, including vehicle efficiency, homegrown renewable energy, and alternative vehicles, all of which will create new jobs and protect our environment.

This is the change we expect from the Obama administration. Senator Salazar has repeatedly called for a cautious and orderly process in our national oil shale policy. Recently, regarding new regulations, he said: "The Bush Administration has fallen into the trap of allowing political timelines to trump sound policy." This is the case again with today's announcement. The Bush administration should refrain from rushing harmful policies and gifts to industry and instead allow the new Secretary of the Interior to review the national oil shale policy and help craft a new energy future.

For more information, go to www.stopdirtyfuels.org

Big gift for big oil

2008-11-20T23:41:46Z

Earlier this week the Bush administration announced another parting gift for Big Oil in the form of new oil shale regulations. What America, and the world, really needs is investment in clean energy solutions -- like plug-in cars -- that will reduce our dependence on oil. Instead, the Bush administration has chosen to invest taxpayer subsidies in a dirty fuel with production operations that would destroy wildlife habitat, increase greenhouse gas emissions, and suck up limited water resources. About two million acres of public land are at stake -- land that belongs to all Americans.

Last month I wrote about our concerns with the draft regulations. Now the regulations have been finalized, and our concerns remain unchanged. The administration issued regulations for an industry that won't exist for at least a decade or more, providing favorable royalty rates that give oil shale production a better deal than conventional oil and gas, even though oil shale presents greater global warming impacts. It's impossible for a government agency to write appropriate regulations for an industry that doesn't exist, using technologies that are as yet undetermined, with the full extent of environmental and other impacts unknown. This is the kind of thing that makes people distrust their government. More information is available in NRDC's press statement.

Fine print, oil shale, and Cap'n Crunch

2008-10-08T19:28:47Z

Read the fine print and you'll find that the financial rescue package passed by Congress last week also provided a big favor for dirty fuels that have a much greater climate impact than conventional fuel. Yep - more than $4 billion of taxpayer dollars was given away to oil companies refining tar sands, oil shale, or liquid coal. This special gift was included even though companies are already building tar sands refineries without any government hand-out.

Dirty fuels have been a hot topic in D.C. this year. Some politicians claimed that oil shale regulations were needed to help lower gas prices. This was pure snake oil, given that research on oil shale technologies won't be completed for years, and any real commercial-scale production is likely decades away. But companies are interested in locking in favorable rules to lease large tracts of public land while there is an industry-friendly administration, and the Bush administration is cooperating by rushing to finalize regulations before it leaves office. How a government agency can write regulations for an industry that does not exist and for technologies and impacts that are unknown is beyond me. Nevertheless, the administration's proposed regulations offer favorable royalty rates to industry and lack environmental protections. Some members of Colorado's congressional delegation worked to put these regulations on hold until research is completed and industrial impacts are known, but were unsuccessful in the melee of gas price politics.

Last week I visited the lands in western Colorado that are the prime target for oil shale development. Much of the land remains untouched and a haven for wildlife.

NRDC recently co-sponsored a series of presentations in Colorado and Utah on oil shale and tar sands. Photographer Garth Lenz presented his photos of the tragic devastation occurring in Canada's boreal forest. His photos are a lot better than mine! You can see them yourself at: www.garthlenz.com. His photos hold important lessons for any future oil shale development in the lower 48. In addition, energy analyst Randy Udall presented his analysis of oil shale, including his conclusion that oil shale has less energy potential than Cap'n Crunch® cereal.

You can read more about these dirty fuels at www.stopdirtyfuels.org and about NRDC's proposals for cleaner solutions through fuel efficiency, conservation, and renewable alternatives at: http://beyondoil.nrdc.org/.