Tag "fracking"
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Fracking with no freshwater — or water — increasingly common
The next great environmental fight in California is likely to be over hydraulic fracturing, the energy extraction process that uses underground water cannons to blast away rock and reach oil and natural gas reserves. Gov. Jerry Brown appears ready to
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CA road use tax could morph into social engineering experiment
The prospect that Californians will face a new state levy is certain to cause grousing and considerable comment. But a proposal that is increasingly making waves has far-reaching implications and possibilities that have yet to be acknowledged. This is from
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Oxy CA energy spinoff has bumpy launch
When energy giant Occidental launched a spinoff to focus on California energy exploration on Dec. 1, the circumstances facing California Resources Corp. were daunting. The plunging price of oil made unconventional energy extraction methods, which cost more, less attractive. And
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Report may force CA media to admit Obama backs fracking safety
As Cal Watchdog has repeatedly noted over the past two years, the California print media — with the exception of the U-T San Diego editorial page (my edits) and a San Francisco Chronicle reporter — never note the Obama administration’s
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Oil tech for CA: From Russia, with love?
On Jan. 1 California’s fracking law drills in – just as the price of oil has dropped to its lowest levels of recent years. And just as something new from Russia, Plasma Pulse Technology, may make fracking superfluous. Senate Bill
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Will NY fracking ban trigger ‘domino effect’ that reaches CA?
California environmentalists and government regulators have long prided themselves in pioneering new rules and restrictions. But now it appears a liberal East Coast state has taken the lead in dealing with one of the day’s most controversial environmental issues. This
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Fracking safety: NYT vs. LAT, yet again
The fracking revolution continues to unfold in a half-dozen states around the nation, with enormous benefits to all Americans. A New York Times analysis Friday laid out the particulars: The steepening drop in gasoline prices in recent weeks — spurred by
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Voters affirm CA fracking
After a lot of spending and acrimony, little has changed from California’s high-profile ballot measures to ban hydraulic fracturing, which injects a mix of substances into shale rock to free up oil for extraction. In two counties with little to no
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Has CA ranch found cheap route to carbon containment? Maybe
If a recent San Francisco Chronicle story is right, the problem posed by carbon and other greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere — which most scientists think will play havoc with the climate — might just have a cheap, low-tech
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Mexico moves toward free-market oil
After its 1994 peso crisis, Mexico could have chosen more socialism — or move toward capitalism. It chose the latter and has been one of the world’s growth success stories ever since. Tax rates actually are lower than in El Norte (although
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