Is Colorado BLM Director Helen Hankins backpedaling on decisions to halt controversial drilling plans next to Mesa Verde National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, and in North Fork Valley? Barely a month after deferring oil and gas leasing decisions, Dir. Hankins’ staff are showing signs she is planning to welch on her office’s commitment to protect… Read more »
In an editorial today, the Wall Street Journal claimed a “sharp drop in production on federal lands is the direct result of Obama Administration policies.” They cherry pick statements from a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report to try and support their claim, but ignore sections of the report that directly refute them. The CRS report… Read more »
Over the past few weeks, we’ve examined Estonian oil shale company, Eesti Energia, known as Enefit in the U.S., to find out the real story on Estonian oil shale and how it could affect the American West. The outlook is grim. Even though Eesti Energia is widely considered the world’s leading oil shale firm and… Read more »
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources convened, Thursday, to question President Obama’s Interior Sec. nominee, REI Chief Executive Officer Sally Jewell. The three-hour hearing was generally friendly, but some Senators couldn’t pass up the chance to repeat oil and gas industry talking points, rather than deal in facts. The Checks and Balances Project watched the… Read more »
In a post on his “Balance Sheet” blog, Mark Jaffe at the Denver Post wades in to the debate about drilling on public lands. He writes: When Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he replied, or at least is said to have replied: “Because that’s where the money is.” And so it is… Read more »
Price and geology have incentivized oil and gas companies to drill on nonfederal lands in recent years. Yet this fact hasn’t stopped industry group Western Energy Alliance (WEA) and Congressmen Ed Whitfield (R-KY.), who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power, from mischaracterizing a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on… Read more »
The Center for Western Priorities released its new Follow the Oil report today. CWP Policy Director, and report author, Greg Zimmerman used GIS mapping technology, EIA data, and other information to show that economic, technological and geological forces are moving drillers to private land. The report includes great infographics, and pretty much flies in the… Read more »
For over a century, conflicting claims have surrounded the rock called oil shale. Estonian oil shale company Eesti Energia, and its U.S. arm, Enefit, are no exception to this rule. Whether it’s company executives, other oil executives or financial experts, we’ve seen numerous inconsistencies about Enefit’s financial health, technological capability, impact on the environment, and… Read more »
State Department releases Keystone XL environmental impact statement, ignores reality of climate change impacts This afternoon, the State Department released its Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) on the controversial Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline, claiming that the pipeline will “not likely result in significant adverse environmental effects.” The SEIS paves the way for President Obama’s approval… Read more »
This week, Alan Prendergast wrote in Westword about a new Environment Colorado campaign to protect Colorado’s national parks from drilling: “When you’re a bureaucrat under fire, accused of being a tool of Big Oil, there’s nothing like a big, wet kiss from your critics to let you know you’re being watched — closely. Particularly if… Read more »
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