rssPosts by Ed Brayton
Keystone XL would create few U.S. jobs
Defenders of the Keystone XL pipeline have argued that the project is important for creating up to 20,000 new jobs in a struggling economy, but TransCanada, which owns the pipeline, said late last week that the number of permanent jobs would only number in the hundreds.
DOE panel calls for tougher fracking rules
A Department of Energy advisory panel that was criticized by environmentalists for having too many members connected to the oil and gas industry has issued a second report calling for stronger regulation of hydrofracking by state and federal agencies.
Fracking chemicals found in Wyoming groundwater
An ongoing EPA investigation of possible contamination from hydrofracking in Wyoming has found significant amounts of cancer-causing fracking chemicals in a freshwater aquifer in that state.
Obama will delay Keystone decision until after election, some predict
Given the political danger in making a decision — any decision — about the Keystone XL pipeline going into an election year, some observers think President Obama is likely to delay a final decision on the project until after the 2012 election.
Obama says he will be the one making Keystone decision
Though the job of approving or denying the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline technically falls to the U.S. State Department, President Obama said Tuesday that he will make the ultimate decision on the project.
EPA says it will weigh in soon on Keystone XL
The Environmental Protection Agency will soon offer its comments on the final Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the U.S. State Department concerning the Keystone XL pipeline.
Congressional leaders call for investigation of Keystone XL approval
More than a dozen members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter (PDF) to President Obama and to the Inspector General of the U.S. State Department requesting an investigation of the approval process for the Keystone XL pipeline.
Scientific American raises serious questions about safety of fracking
The editors of Scientific American published an op-ed saying that the practice of hydrofracking has been adopted faster than questions about the safety of the procedure have been answered and that the states are “flying blind” in trying to regulate its effects.
Extension of unemployment benefits is likely to pass
David Espo of the Association Press says that the part of President Obama’s jobs bill that includes another extension of federal unemployment benefits is likely to pass the U.S. House while other parts will be shot down.
Weekly unemployment claims show little relief
The Dept. of Labor’s report on new unemployment claims this week put the number at 404,000. This is a decrease of only 1,000 from last week’s revised figure. The four-week average now stands at 408,000, a decrease of 7,000 from last week.
