Video - Natural Gas Explosion Punctures Storage Tank in Washington State

A natural gas explosion and fire occurred on March 31, at 8:20 a.m., in Williams-Northwest Pipeline storage plant in Plymouth, Washington. Although the associated fire was extinguished, the blast punched a hole in a liquefied natural gas storage tank causing a gas leak. A total of 5 workers were injured and part of the nearby town had to be evacuated. Deputies went door to door throughout Plymouth, along the Columbia River, and evacuated people in a 2-mile radius. Traffic on a nearby highway and train tracks was also temporarily arrested. The pipeline is the major "artery" of gas to the Pacific Northwest. This was but the latest in a series of natural gas explosions that are causing many to be concerned about safety.

Natural Gas Explosions Highlight Safety Concerns

Four major natural gas explosions in the last few months are raising concerns about safety. The deadly blasts hit gas infrastructure at every level including a drilling well, a processing facility, a pipeline and even an apartment complex.

As revealed by a March 12 explosion in East Harlem, gas can be deadly. Given that research shows gas pipelines are leaking all across the country, it is a virtual certainty that we will see other tragedies like this in the not too distant future.

New US Gas Rules Reduce Air Pollution and Protect the Health of Americans

Based on extensive input from the public and a broad range of stakeholders, new gas rules were put forth in the US that significantly reduce air pollution. In the absence of Congressional support for efforts to combat climate change and protect the health of Americans, US President Barack Obama continues to use his regulatory authority to unilaterally advance the national interest.

Through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Obama administration has set cleaner gas rules. The new regulations will cut sulfur in gasoline by two thirds by 2017 as well as reduce pollutants including soot, smog and toxic emissions from cars and trucks. This in turn will improve the health of American children and save thousands of lives every year. According to the EPA this will be achieved at little cost to consumers. EPA chief Gina McarCthy said the cost to consumers will amount to less than a penny per gallon of gas and raise the average cost of buying a vehicle by $72 in 2025.

Newfoundland Pauses Fracking

The Newfoundland and Labrador government has indicated that it will suspend all efforts to explore the prospects for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to extract oil and gas in the province. The province wide moratorium will include suspension of fracking exploration around Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site which became a focal point of concern. The park comprises 1,805 square kilometres of western Newfoundland’s coastal lowlands and towering Long Range Mountains.

US GHG Emissions Declining Due to Increases in Natural Gas

According to new data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are decreasing in the US. However, this is due in large part to increases in natural gas production. Extracting gas, particularly shale gas, releases methane which is a far more potent GHG than carbon dioxide.

Emissions from Power plants are a major component of national GHG totals as they are responsible for approximately 40 percent of US carbon pollution. According to the EPA report, US power plants saw their GHG emissions go down 10 percent between 2010 and 2012 and 6.3 percent between 2011 to 2012.

Breaking News: Injunction Lifted on Fracking Protests in New Brunswick

On Monday, October 21, a judge in Moncton, New Brunswick, lifted an injunction that prevented the people of the Elsipogtog First Nation from protesting against shale gas exploration in the province. The protesters want SWN Resources to stop seismic testing and leave. In a written statement, the Assembly of First Nations Chiefs called for the provincial government to suspend the permits granted to SWN Resources.

On October 17, in response to a court injunction, the RCMP cleared the protest roadblocks on Route 134 by force. Six police vehicles were burned and police fired beanbag type bullets and doused protestors with pepper spray. Many have criticized the police for causing the protest to spiral out of control.

Promised Land: A Review by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Written by costars Matt Damon and John Krasinski, this Gus Van Sant film shows how farmers hit hard hit by recession must decide whether they are going to take the money offered by gas companies that want to employ hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on their lands. In this article Robert F. Kennedy Jr. offers his comments on the movie.

A December 2012 Siena College poll shows that upstate New Yorkers oppose fracking by an astounding margin of 45-39. Those numbers surprise New York politicians who can generally count on the support of upstaters for virtually any industrial or commercial enterprise that promises even the faintest chance of economic development for New York’s impoverished rural communities.

Matt Damon and John Krasinski’s new film Promised Land answers the question of why even the poorest rural communities are standing up against fracking. Damon and Krasinki both co-wrote and star in the film. At a screening Tuesday night, Matt told me why the pair undertook this enterprise:

Anti-Fracking Movie Trailer Promised Land (Video)