Waterless fracking is catching on

By dwray in The nature of things

The Eagle Ford Shale has been thundering through South Texas for the past couple of years, and a big reason the play is even happening is the use of slant drilling and hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) to unlock oil and ...

BP is back in court, faces up to $17 billion in penalties for spill

By dwray in The nature of things

The trial to determine whether British Petroleum and other contractors were "grossly negligent" started Monday, according to an Associated Press story. If BP alone is convicted of negligence in the oil spill that caused the deaths of 11 rig workers, ...

Is that water tainted? Groups urge EPA to look again

By dwray in The nature of things

When the Barnett Shale started booming about a decade ago, people were lining up to have companies like Range Resources drill in their North Texas backyards. However, that all changed when some of those living on top of the Barnett ...

Supreme Court to hear a case on genetically modified soybeans

By dwray in The nature of things

Indiana farmer Hugh Bowman planted soybeans he'd obtained from the local elevator, and they grew. The company that created the genetically modified beans, Monsanto, claims that Bowman, by planting them, violated the company's restrictions. It's an interesting case because the ...

The Eagle Ford Shale Legislative Caucus: It's a thing now

By dwray in The nature of things

If you haven't heard about the Eagle Ford Shale, you're obviously living on another planet, because it's been the talk of Crossroads for a couple of years now. The Texas Legislature is also getting in on the act; lawmakers created ...

Energy Secretary is on his way out

By dwray in The nature of things

There's always a lot of turnover at the beginning of a new term of office and this second round with President Obama is no exception. EPA head Lisa Jackson announced she was done, as did Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who ...

A monster wave off the coast of Portugal

By dwray in The nature of things

If you haven't seen the footage of a guy riding a giant wave off the coast of Portugal, you must check it out. Because it's amazing. It seems these waves are created by the undersea geography, a deep canyon pointing ...

The Supremes won't be hearing about EPA rulemaking

By dwray in The nature of things

The Supreme Court declined to hear a case questioning the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to make rules on air quality. The case, Asarco LLC v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency et al, was a challenge to an EPA air quality rule ...

Climate change got a mention in the inaugural address

By dwray in The nature of things

On Monday morning, President Obama referenced climate change in his second inaugural address, a historic reference. Going into his first term, environmentalists expected more from the president on climate change legislation than they ended up getting. The issue pretty much ...

Will the EPA's fracking study ask the tough questions?

By dwray in The nature of things

If you've been living with your head under a rock you may not have heard about how horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) have unlocked shale plays like the Eagle Ford Shale, causing a boom in the U.S. oil ...