Energy
Better Than a Carbon Tax? An Option That Reduces More but Hurts Less
We should treat a carbon tax like a speeding ticket
Stories by Scott McNally
Guest Post: Exploding Oil Trains - Should we worry about the train or its cargo?
If you haven't seen the video of the train carrying Bakken crude oil exploding, it is quite an impressive and scary sight. Fortunately, in the Casselton, ND incident, nobody was hurt by the explosion...
Sustainability
Stanford Divests from Coal—Good Choice or Bad Call?
Stanford University will stop investing in coal companies after its Board of Trustees voted in support of eliminating direct investments in publically traded companies that mine coal for electricity generation...
Sustainability
Guest Post: Waterless Fracking?
Propane Fracking vs. Water Fracking: Which is better (worse)? With all the negative attention surrounding hydraulic fracturing, a process that stimulates shale plays but requires the use of millions of gallons of water, it is no surprise that companies are looking at alternatives...
Sustainability
Guest Post: Oil and Gas An American Jobs Producer?
The U.S. national unemployment rate is 8.2%. That is pretty high. But one thing is clear: states that produce oil and gas, on average, are in significantly better shape than those that don’t...
Sustainability
Guest Post: End Oil Subsidies? The $4 Billion Question
By now, you have probably heard the call by democrats and environmentalists to “end the $4 billion in subsidies for big oil.”The five major oil companies that have a significant presence in the United States - Exxon, Chevron, Shell, BP and Conoco - are some of the biggest businesses in America, and have some of the highest gross profits of all U.S...
Sustainability
Guest Post: Rick Santorum and Climate Change
How to Explain Climate Change to a SkepticRick Santorum has recently described climate change as a hoax – a bunch of “bogus” science that tries to make nature’s normal “boom and bust” cycle into something man-made...
Sustainability
Guest Post: Why Obama Rejected Keystone XL
Keystone XL should be approved. It is an economic, geopolicitcal, and even an environmental no-brainer, but it was still rejected. Why? Many are claiming that President Obama was swayed by the protestors outside the White House, or by environmental groups, or that he just hates oil and doesn’t want to create jobs...
Sustainability
Guest Post: Shale Gas - The Low Carbon Option?
It may be surprising to hear that hydraulic fracturing is not the cause of water contamination , but what may be even more surprising is that shale gas produced using fracking may have lower life cycle greenhouse gas emissions than conventional gas.According to a recent Environmental Science and Technology report, “shale gas life-cycle [greenhouse gas] emissions are 6% lower than conventional natural gas”There are several reasons why shale gas could have lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but perhaps the most significant reason is that multiple horizontal wells (used when tapping shale gas) can be drilled from a single well pad...
Guest Post: Water Contamination – Fracking is not the problem
With the current negative attention and controversy surrounding shale gas drilling, the words `hydraulic fracturing' or `fracking' have become synonymous with something else: water contamination...
