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Green Identity Crisis Deepens

Renewables and Natural Gas Industries Form Alliance



It’s no secret that environmentalists are going through a bit of an identity crisis when it comes to natural gas. Celebrities including Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon, and Yoko Ono have aligned themselves with green groups like the Sierra Club to come out steadfastly against shale gas. Meanwhile others, including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Environmental Defense Fund, have boosted fracking as a “bridge” to wean the US off of coal, and usher in more renewables, a process that is already underway. But a report released this morning makes it clear that the renewables industry sees itself in the latter camp, forming an unexpected alliance with the natural gas industry. --Tim McDonnell, Climate Desk, 1 February 2013
The Bowland basin does look promising. In places, it’s 6,000 feet thick; by comparison the Barnett and Marcellus formations in the US are generally around 300 feet thick. And then there’s the issue of probable under-estimating on the underlying resource. There’s speculation in the industry that the overall size of the Bowland Shale might be as high as 1,000 tcf. --John Roberts, Platts, 26 January 2013 The UK has vast shale-gas reserves that could cause domestic and European natural gas prices to tumble, according to author of a new report, due for release in the next few months. Gordon Pickering, director of Navigant Consulting, told Petroleum Economist that the company had been commissioned by the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to assess the country’s shale-gas resource potential. ”This is potentially a very significant resource in the UK. Compared to other countries in Europe there is a better chance of things moving forward in unconventional gas,” Pickering said. “It’s very promising and I’m very excited about the resources in the UK.” --Helene Robertson, Petroleum Economist, 31 January 2013

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In a widely expected U-turn, Romanian authorities yesterday (31 January) gave the American energy giant Chevron the certificates it needed to start exploring for shale gas in the eastern part of the country. The decision takes place nine months after protests in southeast Romania, in particular in the town of Vama Veche, where shale gas exploration is due to take place. The country’s senate overwhelming rejected a motion to ban shale gas exploration. Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who took office in May, had proposed the legislation when his party was in opposition. After its re-election in December, the Ponta government’s return to shale gas exploration comes hardly as a surprise. --EurActiv, 1 February 2013 A representative of France’s ministry of economy, technology and industry said on Wednesday that he is optimistic that the current ban on shale gas exploration will be lifted in the coming years, as the country takes its lead from other European countries. --ICIS News, 1 February 2013 Japan will drop its pledge to the global community to cut greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2020 because of the country’s reduced future reliance on nuclear power, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a government panel Friday. The new policies will be incorporated into Japan’s new growth strategy. --The Japan Times, 27 January 2013 Lord Lawson’s political efforts are also devoted to contesting the certainties of some scientists about climate change, work pursued through his Global Warming Policy Foundation. He said the government was basically pursuing a “socialist policy” where the energy secretary “has total discretion as to what contracts he signs with which energy companies”. --George Parker, Political Editor, Financial Times [Registration], 1 February 2013


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