Dispatches: Santa Barbarans Rally Against Efforts to Expand Fracking in California
News and notes from Pacific Standard staff and contributors.
Gas
Trump and Friends Cash In
Members and backers of the Trump administration are profiting from DAPL while scheming to make even bigger bucks shipping oil and petrochemicals overseas.
How One Judge in West Virginia Gave Natural Gas a Big Victory and Shortchanged Residents
Justice Beth Walker voted to re-open an already decided case around the time her husband owned stock in a variety of energy companies. And that's not even why she's been impeached.
Trump Administration Seeks to Open Most Coastal Waters to Offshore Oil Drilling
The decision would remove protections for up 100 million acres of water, some of which have been closed to drilling for three decades.
The Far Right and the Future of Conservation
Legislators in both Capitol Hill and the high country, awash in Big Oil campaign contributions, are rapidly dismantling the pillars of American conservation.
The Public Transit Paradox
Gas is crazy cheap. Car sales are through the roof. So why isn’t taxpayer support for mass transit tanking?
Spill Tracker
An explosion in North American fossil fuel extraction has led to a dangerous rise in pipeline spills and oil train derailments.
It's Time for a New Gas Tax
The main federal fund for roads and bridges runs at a deep deficit. If even red states can raise the gas tax, why can’t Congress?
How a Conservative Billionaire Is Moving Heaven and Earth to Become the Biggest Alternative Energy Giant in the Country
Philip Anschutz wants to turn his 500-square-mile cattle ranch into the world’s largest wind farm. The project would generate four times more electricity than the Hoover Dam, enough to power all of the households in Los Angeles and San Francisco. It would also make Anschutz the nation’s most unlikely environmental hero—if he can ever get the thing built.
Tilting at Windmills
An early look at a Pacific Standard story that's currently only available to subscribers.
What It Takes to Be a Whistleblower in America—and What It Takes Out of You
In 2005, Tony Menendez blew the whistle on Halliburton’s accounting practices. The fight cost him nine years of his life.
Progress and Controversy Arrive With New Rules for Fracking on Public Lands
An initial review of rules issued by the Interior Department shows the federal government has taken important steps to protect drinking water resources, while not adopting the strictest regulations in place in some states.
Why Does the Gas Station Across the Street Have Higher Prices?
A combination of location, credit card fees, and brand: basically, nothing worth paying for.
What Would It Cost to Sign Away Liability to a Fracking Co?
A Pennsylvania gas company offers residents cash to buy protection from any claims of harm.
Canada’s Big, Ugly Environmental Problem
Our neighbor to the north’s once-celebrated record of environmental science research and climate change policy has been thoroughly turned on its head over the past decade. And tense negotiations over the Keystone XL pipeline may have damaged Canada’s relationship with the U.S.
The Poor Regulation of the Fracking Industry
In Ohio, where gas drilling is booming and toxic waste abundant, legislators acted modestly to address concerns about public safety.
Chesapeake Energy’s $5 Billion Shuffle
The energy giant raised the cash it needed to survive by slashing royalties it paid property owners to drill on their land.
How Oil and Gas Drillers Avoid Paying Royalties to Landowners
Income from oil and gas production doesn’t always trickle down to landowners, as companies find ways to minimize the share they pay in royalties.
Transportation Theorists Rally Around Vehicle-Miles-Traveled Tax
Fuel economy is a great idea, unless you’re counting on the taxes that fuel sales generate to pay for something. Maybe there’s a better way …
Tax Code Mocks Federal Energy Intent
Arcane bits of the tax code provide a huge tacit subsidy for the producers of fossil fuels, according to a recently released study.
The Approaching World Oil Supply Crisis
Analysis: Two prominent energy thinkers suggest a direction for what to do as the spigots start trailing off — which they feel is much closer than do most in the industry.