Natural Gas & Oil Drilling Topics

Democracy Now! reports on natural gas and oil drilling, with a focus on the environmental and human health effects.

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  • Ny_fracking_rally_web

    Debate on Fracking: Was Syracuse Right to Ban the Controversial Natural Gas Drilling Process?

    We’re broadcasting live from Syracuse, which recently became the third city in New York state to ban the natural gas drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The Syracuse Common Council voted unanimously last week to ban fracking within city limits. They also voted to limit where wastewater from the fracking process can be stored. Fracking is controversial because it injects millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals...
    Nov 04, 2011 | Story
  • White-house-pipeline_web

    10,000 Surround White House to Protest Keystone XL Tar Sands Oil Pipeline

    More than 10,000 protesters surrounded the White House on Sunday calling on President Obama to reject the proposed Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast. The protest came exactly a year before the 2012 election, and the pipeline is shaping up to be a major political issue. Last week, President Obama said for the first time he will make the final decision on whether to approve the controversial 1,700-mile pipeline proposed...
    Nov 07, 2011 | Story

  • "Keystone XL: Ring Around the Rose Garden" By Amy Goodman

    Since President Barack Obama took office, a broad, international coalition against has formed against the planned Keystone XL pipeline, intended to run from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf Coast of Texas. Now the deadline for its approval or rejection is at hand.
    Nov 09, 2011 | Columns & Articles
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    Naomi Klein on Environmental Victory: Obama Delays Keystone XL Oil Pipeline Decision Until 2013

    Environmental activists are claiming victory after the Obama administration announced Thursday it will postpone any decision on the proposed 1,700-mile Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline until 2013. The announcement was made just days after more than 10,000 people encircled the White House calling on President Obama to reject the project, the second major action against the project organized by Bill McKibben’s 350.org and Tar Sands Action. In...
    Nov 11, 2011 | Story
  • Delaware_web

    White House Could Cast Decisive Vote to Permit 20,000 Fracking Wells in Delaware River Basin

    This week the Delaware River Basin Commission released draft regulations to allow for the natural gas drilling technique hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, in the river’s watershed, which provides water to 15.6 million people in New York City, Philadelphia and New Jersey. The proposed plan would allow for some 20,000 gas wells to be developed in the watershed. A vote on the regulations is set for Nov. 21 and could prompt a battle between...
    Nov 11, 2011 | Story
  • Greenpeace_action_cop17

    South Africa Arrests, Deports Greenpeace Activists After Attempted High Stakes Banner Hang

    Environmental groups in Durban have staged a series of actions in recent days calling on world leaders to agree to a just climate change deal. Democracy Now! got an inside look at one action staged by Greenpeace to hang a banner off of a Durban hotel where a meeting of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development was taking place, bringing together representatives from a number of large corporations and delegates to the U.N. Climate...
    Dec 05, 2011 | Story
  • Nnimmo_bassey_foe_cop17

    At Durban Summit, Leading African Activist Calls U.S. Emissions Stance "A Death Sentence for Africa"

    We continue our week-long coverage from the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 17, in Durban, where negotiators from more than 190 nations are in their final week of key talks on fighting climate change. The future of the Kyoto Protocol is in doubt, as is the formation of a new Green Climate Fund. With the talks taking place in South Africa, special interest is being paid to how the continent of Africa is already being heavily impacted...
    Dec 06, 2011 | Story
  • Cop17_tar_sands_action

    Indigenous Activists from Canada Protest Tar Sands Oil at Durban Climate Change Summit

    This morning in Durban, South Africa, a group of youth and indigenous activists from Canada gave delegates to the U.N. climate talks mock gift bags containing samples of fake tar sands along with tourism brochures for Canada and Canadian flags. Kandi Mossett, one of the activists participating in the action, says Canada’s reliance on tar sands oil "is the largest catastrophic project that I am aware of on earth right now." Mossett,...
    Dec 06, 2011 | Story
  • Canada_youth_delegation_cop17

    Canadian Activists Barred from Durban Summit for Protesting Environment Minister

    Canada’s Minister of Environment Peter Kent addressed the United Nations Climate Change Conference today and defended his country’s environmental record despite Canada’s support of continued tar sands oil extraction and its threat to pull out of the Kyoto Protocol. Soon after Kent began speaking, six members of the Canadian Youth Delegation stood up and turned their backs on the minister. They were taken out of the room and later...
    Dec 07, 2011 | Story
  • Nigerian_oil_spill4

    Oil Slick from Massive Spill in Nigeria Threatens Coastline, May Be Largest Spill in a Decade

    Communities along Nigeria’s Niger Delta have been put on alert following a major oil spill from the oil giant, Shell. The massive oil slick is making its way to the Nigerian coast, threatening local wildlife and massive pollution along the shore. Much of the available information about the spill comes from the company responsible for it, Royal Dutch Shell, which says less than 40,000 barrels have leaked so far. But Nigeria’s National...
    Dec 27, 2011 | Story