Quebec Total Ban on Fracking as USGS Links it to Earthquakes

Last Tuesday the Quebec environment minister announced an absolute ban on fracking while the process is studied.

That move is looking like a stroke of genius today, as the U.S. Geological Survey is releasing a report showing an unprecedented increase in earthquakes occurring in the U.S. heartland.

The study identifies a six-fold increase of magnitude 3.0 or higher quakes that has occurred since 2001 in the U.S. heartland. Significantly, the scientists say that the cause of the increase in seismic activity is almost certainly manmade.

Quebec has been shown to have significant natural gas reserves in the St. Lawrence Valley that could potentially be accessed using the fracking technique. The process involes horizontal drilling and underground blasting with high pressure mixtures of waste water and chemicals to release gas trapped in shale formations..

There has been a moratorium in effect in Quebec since last March. However the new ban will include even experimental fracking designed to test the process. Testing will now occur only in the lab.

Last month, a series of small earthquakes in Ohio was blamed on fracking.

You Can't Be Rich on Shattered Land

This song about fracking by Alex Hickey is pretty self-explanatory. Sad song and beautiful singing...





Alex is enroute from her home in NS to a tour of a few stops in Ontario after appearing in Montreal last night. You can check out the tour schedule here.

NY Governer Orders 7-Month Ban on Horizontal Fracking

The Governor of New York State has issued an executive order prohibiting high-volume hydraulic fracturing of horizontally drilled natural gas wells for seven months.

The ban affects activity mostly in the Marcellus Shale region of the state. The process is quite similar to that envisioned for the Utica Shale, in the St. Lawrence Valley, between Montreal and Quebec City.

The Environmental Protection Agency is attempting to determine whether the process has been responsible for contaminating drinking water, as opponents believe.

Pittsburgh Bans Fracking; Sydney AU Has "Secret Plan" to Permit Fracking for Coal Seam Methane

Pittsburgh PA has announced a ban on drilling for natural gas within its city limits. This is reported to be in response in part to corporations taking out leases to drill under area parks and cemeteries.

Although this is not the same specific shale formation as the Utica Shale slated for exploration near Montreal, one must acknowledge the geographic proximity and the experience with fracking that Pennsylvania and New York State have.

An extensive description by Monique Beaudin of the Quebec shale gas situation appeared in the Montreal Gazette Nov. 15 and was republished at least in part in "Marcellus Protest".

Sydney Australia's "Secret" Fracking Plans

Meanwhile, the city of Sydney, Australia, wants to wean itself off coal and has put in motion a "secret plan" to tap into coal seam methane gas deposits directly underlying the city. And drilling permits have already been issued, to the surprise of everyone, even a Green Party-led local municipal council. Wild.

Whether there is some difference in terminology down under isn't clear. The article in the Sydney Morning Herald where this news was reported includes the following paragraph mentioning fracking:

Coal-seam methane gas mining has been controversial in NSW and internationally for environmental damage caused by the so-called fracking technique used to extract the gas. In fracking, water injected with sand, salt and chemicals is used to fracture rock to force gas to the surface.

German Green Party "Blindsided" By "Unconventional" Gas Exploration in Densely Populated Areas

Germany's most populous state, North-Rhine Westphalia, has issued exploration permits to ExxonMobil and nine other companies, including at least one Canadian firm, to drill for unconventional gas across vast parts of the country.

According to reports, drilling in certain areas in 2008 by the Aachen technical university was not successful.

The German Green Party said they were "blindsided" by the news, which was reported today in the German online paper Der Westen. (in German). 

Citing an answer from state Economy Minister Harry Voigtsberger to a Green party state parliamentary inquiry into the matter, the paper said that the drilling would span across land equalling almost half of the state’s size.


The Green Party "parliamentary energy expert" said that the claims were staked quietly and secretly.

The articles cited mention "coal bed methane" or gas "stored in rock strata", without specifically mentioning that the companies will be exploring for "shale gas" or using hydrofracturing techniques, which are suspected as being responsible for contamination of water supplies in places where these techniques have been put in practice.

Recent improvements in exploration technologies have made it easier to discover shale gas deposits.

Germany is seeking to reduce its dependence on Russia as a source of natural gas.

No word on the cost of the exploration licenses.

Canada Has a Glut? of Clean Energy - Yet Madness Rules Utilities

Fascinating to read on The Sir Robert Bond Papers a breakdown of Danny Williams' breakdown of the status of the Lower Churchill hydro development.  Even more interesting, a (year-old!) report about five years of secret negotiations between Hydro Quebec and Newfoundland over HQ taking on an equity role in the Lower Churchill with NL setting aside redress over the original Churchill Falls deal.

Awash in Green - ergy?

These reports are just more confirmation that the energy situation in Canada is baffling, convoluted, incomprehensible and just completely fried..

1. Apparently Canada has a massive excess of clean green energy. So much so that a lot of it isn't even developed. Even though it is safe, clean and relatively easy on the environment in many or most cases.

Committing to Overpriced Energy

2. Yet for some as yet unexplained reason, Ontario and B.C. are entering into electricity contracts like there's no tomorrow, committing to paying out huge sums that vastly exceed going market prices for utility power, and Alberta, of course, continues to go hogwild, producing the dirtiest energy in the world .

If you don't believe #1 - then why is it that scads of undeveloped hydro potential remains untouched in remote parts of Labrador and Quebec? One reason is supposedly because Hydro Quebec and Newfoundland are both worried about throwing a dam power sale and having no one show up. And, both parties seem to be jealous about protecting whatever angle they have (or would have or hope to have or dream to have) at selling electricity in the U.S. market.

Water Taps Behaving Like Flamethrowers

Meanwhile, back in the Q, exploration companies are falling over each other to stake out claims in the Utica shale "gaz" biz. This is the whole hydrofracturing blitz that's going to occur below all the sweet farmland in the lower St. Lawrence. This, despite the fact that miffed residents of upstate New York and Pennsylvania are having loads o' fun posting videos of their water taps behaving like flamethrowers... and searching on Google for places to get their water tested.

You fracking betcha.

Luv Those "Free Mining" Principles

Well, you can't really blame the Quebec prospectors for luvin' it. Given that oil and gas in Quebec still falls under the venerable "Mining Act", which, under "free mining" principles, allows exploration on a "first-come-first-served basis", with license holders obliged to pay annual "rent" of $2.50/hectare. Based on that the rental cost of the rights to explore 1 million hectares would be about $2.5 million, seemingly a far cry from what is being spent by industry in western Canada.


In fact, B.C. has raked in over $3 billion since 2008 from auctioning off exploration rights for its own shale gas motherlode. Maybe that's why B.C. figured they could afford to pay $825 million for a 1/3 share of the Waneta Dam. Which is an astronomical amount to pay, especially when you consider that the original deal for Hydro Quebec to buy N.B. Power - lock, stock and 15 hydro, coal and diesel generating stations, was $4.75 billion.

Now What is NB Power Gonna Do?

Which brings us to the whole Hydro Quebec N.B. Power non-buyout fiasco. Rejected by New Brunswickers for all the wrong reasons. Officially, ultimately declined by Quebec for the bogus reason that it would be "too risky".

Geo-Thermal Ignored

Why, amidst all these other conundrums, does geo-thermal energy get so little serious play?

Why does none of this make any sense?

Coveting Enron

Besides the fact that corporate vultures are circling everywhere around this ecosystem, eyes glazing over with greed at the thought of somehow, some way, setting up another Enron.

Do we chalk it all up to petty regional jealousies?

Is there any light at the end of the tunnel for a sane energy plan in Canada?

Pauline Marois Says PQ Would Demand Quebec Get 50% of Wealth from Shale Gas

The opposition Parti Quebecois has been insisting on a one-year moratorium on shale-gas drilling. Meanwhile, PQ chef Pauline Marois was telling youth delegates over the weekend that a PQ government would ensure that 50% of the wealth from the resource would come back to the province.

Easier to take things both ways when you're in opposition, eh!

Environmental hearings on the shale gas begin today in St. Hyacinthe, near Montreal. Critics charge that the hearings are restricted and will be dominated by industry promoters.

The PQ say that the Liberal government is too eager to embrace the new industry, having already issued 400 drilling permits, albeit only seven that have as yet resulted in exploratory holes being drilled.

Reports say that 11% of Quebec's energy consumption is natural gas and that it is all imported from western Canada or the U.S. and could likely be replaced by Quebec gas if the shale was developed. An estimated $200 million per year in extra revenue could go Quebec's way. Perhaps not to be sneezed at but hardly the "game changer" that has been touted.

Extraction of the shale gas requires horizontal drilling and bombardment of the shale with sand, water and chemicals to break the rock and release the gas. The process is in place in the U.S. in thousands of wells, however widespread complaints include reports of gas getting into the water supplies, and people lighting their water on fire. New York State has imposed a temporary moratorium.

"Flow Slow" On-River Conference Sept. 18 on Delaware River in Upstate N.Y.

A "On-River Conference" nicknamed Flow Slow, to be held this weekend in Upstate New York, will be a "celebration of pure water" involving artists of many disciplines, and will also seek to educate people in the consequences of hydraulic fracking and horizontal drilling that has been proposed for the area.

The Flow Slow conference events will kick off at 9 a.m. on Saturday the 18th, with a continental breakfast put on by Callicoon Fine Arts in the town of Callicoon. It will continue with lunch, art, music and other events and meals in different locations on the Delaware River and in other towns. This sounds like a phenomenal concept - I hope they pull it off smoothly!

 The conference will feature art, music and conversations taking place both onshore and on a diverse flotilla of canoes, kayaks, rafts and other watercraft which will travel throughout the day down a portion of the threatened Delaware River. Along the route the conference will pass through Damascus and Milanville PA and other towns, and finish up in Narrowsville, N.Y.

All events are free and also include public events and activities in the communities enroute. See the linked info for full details.

The event is being produced in association with SkyDog Projects, ISSUE Project Room, Mildred's Lane, Callicoon Fine Arts, Electronic Music Foundation, Ant Hill Farm, and The Queens Museum. Among the participants expected are: musicians Bruce Tovsky, Suzanne Thorpe and Carrie Dashow; visual artist creating site specific installations, Heather Dewey Hagbourg; and water based artworks by Natalie Jerimijenko, Uke Jackson, Kevin Vertrees and others.

The Delaware River,  the watershed for 17 million Americans, was recently named the most endangered river in the U.S.

W-T-F(rack) Is Up With the Gas Company?

If the gas industry after 50+ years of practice can't distribute gas without blowing up houses and leaving a trail of corpses behind it, I don't think I want them fracking with the bedrock under the St. Lawerence River, thanks anyways.  

'Round these parts, a call to 9-1-1 mentioning a smell of natural gas will probably reward you with a battalion of fire trucks rolling down your street.

Not so, apparently, in San Bruno, CA, where a huge explosion and fires Thursday evening leveled  40 some-odd homes and rendered more than 300 at least temporarily unlivable. Four people were killed and scores injured.

This, despite the fact that numerous complaints of natural gas odors were received in the preceding days. It is not yet clear why the gas company, PG&E, failed to take action that would have prevented the disaster.

According to an industry rating system, There are at least 100 sections of pipeline across the U.S. that have received the same high risk assessment as this line had. Current efforts to identify a specific reason for the explosion have come up empty, Most likely a lengthy investigation is in the cards.

Recently, other natural gas explosions have occurred in LA, Texas (multiple), Edmonton, Chamberlin, Ont., Vankleek Hill, ON, Toronto, (Bloor Street - Enbridge Gas - 7 fatalities), Pennsylvania (2 fatalities), West Virginia... and innumerable other locations.

In the overview, one has to wonder what is going on with this industry. It seems as if the natural gas industry at large is unable to manage its most basic operations safely. The West Virginia incident above is notable as it occurred in the course of a "fracking" (hydraulic fracturing) operation.

The highly controversial fracking technique of accessing trapped natural gas reserves was developed by Haliburton and involves shooting pressurized mixtures of sand, water and chemicals down deep wells to break up rock structures.

Fracking is presently in use in parts of B.C., Alta, Sask. and N.B., is being proposed to open up huge natural gas reserves in Quebec and is raising serious questions.

Now the San Clara explosion, which so vividly exposes the industry's apparent incompetence in managing its supposedly tried and true fundamentals, is provoking intensified scrutiny not only of gas distribution in general but also of the fracking technique in particular.