Lakota Form Human Blockade to Stop Tar Sands Trucks

A Canadian company wants to avoid paying the State of South Dakota taxes, so they decide to cut through the Indian Nation lands. Exactly where are the officials of South Dakota in this issue of losing highway tax money?  

                                  

Totran Transportation Services, Inc., a Canadian company apparently wanted to avoid paying the state of South Dakota $50,000 per truck or $100,000 to use its state highways. Instead Totran Transportation thought they would use the roads on the reservation, and avoid paying the necessary highway taxes.                          

                 

Lakota members yesterday formed a human blockade to stop trucks carrying tar sands equipment through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The action resulted in the arrest of 5 protesters.                                                                                                                                              

Read full story and view video at Common Dreams                                                                                                                            

Brazil Oil Spill Contained - Safety Issue Lingers

Brazil's second major offshore oil spill in four months appears to have been contained, but the latest accident raises questions about the safety of offshore drilling as the country barrels ahead with plans to develop massive offshore reserves.

State-run energy giant Petroleo Brasileiro - or Petrobras - continued recovery operations Thursday, piloting ships armed with water cannons to slice through oil slicks scattered over a 70-square-kilometer area in the Atlantic Ocean.

Petrobras estimates that 160 barrels of crude were dumped into the sea after a tube ruptured during a long-term well test at the Carioca Nordeste field.

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How Long Can Apparent Stability in Oil Prices Last?

Those seeking a more tranquil 2012 oil market may be disappointed – IEA Deputy Executive Director

The relative stability in oil prices may be fragile, the IEA’s Deputy Executive Director has warned, with much depending on whether economic malaise or supply-side problems predominate in 2012.

Ambassador Richard Jones was addressing the US Senate Committee of Energy and Natural Resources in Washington DC. He briefed the Committee on oil market developments in 2011 and the IEA’s outlook for the oil market in the year ahead, stressing that those hoping for a calm oil market in 2012 may be disappointed.

Full article at International Energy Agency (IEA)

Why the Caribbean Matters - Op-Ed

By Michael W Edghill - Op-Ed Contributor

When it comes to US foreign policy, most of the focus tends to be on the Middle East and, increasingly, China. There is rarely a cursory glance offered in the direction of Latin America and the Caribbean, aside from discussions of the border with Mexico.

Unfortunately, this is due to the fact that most people do not recognize that the Caribbean is a gateway for two of the highest-priority security issues in the United States: drug trafficking and energy dependence.

While the doomsday scenario of nuclear war in the Middle East is highly provocative, security in the Caribbean may have a greater effect on the everyday lives of Americans.

Continue with article at Caribbean Journal

If Silver Goes Down All Hell Will Break Loose In The Physical Market

Video on Silver Investment Update

The Electric Car and the New Normal

About halfway between St. Louis and Chicago, nestled in the fertile corn and soybean fields of Illinois, a quiet electric car revolution is sprouting up in the town of Normal, a town that in some ways is anything but.                                                                                                                                                                

That’s because this vibrant, forward-looking community of 50,000—along with its adjacent sister city of Bloomington (pop 74,000)—calls itself “EV Town.” And it’s becoming a midwestern Mecca for the zero emission automobile. That’s right, here in the heart of the Prairie State, where big-wheeled pickups and corn silos the size of space shuttles rule, plug-in cars have come to town.                                                  

 

Locals say they are here to stay . . continue reading at Huffington Post

Amazon Fungi Will Eat Plastic

Now this is NEWS!

Polyurethane seemed like it couldn’t interact with the earth’s normal processes of breaking down and recycling material. That’s just because it hadn’t met the right mushroom yet.

The Amazon is home to more species than almost anywhere else on earth. One of them, carried home recently by a group from Yale University, appears to be quite happy eating plastic in airless landfills.

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Everything You Know About Peak Oil Is Wrong

We’re not running out of resources. Quite the contrary. And in our abundance lies a paradox  

                  

At some point in the coming months, the confrontation between the West and Iran over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program may reach a breaking point.                                                                                

Even assuming the two sides manage to avoid full-fledged military conflict, the crisis could still cause significant disruption to the world economy. An embargo against Iranian oil exports, or a move by Iran’s leaders to close the Straits of Hormuz—or both—could send the price of oil soaring and jeopardize the re-election hopes of leaders from Paris to Washington.                                                                                

                                                                               

And as happens with every oil crisis, pundits will insist that the pain we’re feeling is nothing compared to what it will be like when the world finally runs out of black gold.                                                                   

Continue reading article at Business Week

Toxic Water on U.S. Base

Prolonged fuel leakage and consequent water contamination at the largest US Marine Corps Base in North Carolina has killed many American military personnel and civilians.

                                                                  

For decades, the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune dumped fluids containing toxic chemicals, which leached into groundwater and eventually contaminated the water distribution system of the base.                                                                                                                                        

                                                  

The camp's water contamination problem existed between 1957 to 1987 during which period the US Marine service members and their families used the contaminated tap water for drinking and bathing.                      

        

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More States Ordering Disclosure of Fracking Chemicals

In a belated attempt to soothe public suspicion about shale-gas drilling, state regulators increasingly are forcing natural gas producers to disclose the chemicals used to hydraulically fracture natural gas wells.

    

Starting Feb. 1, Texas becomes the latest state to require drilling companies to disclose the volumes of chemicals and water they use in "fracking," which involves the high-pressure injection of chemically treated water and sand deep underground to release entrapped oil and gas.  

                                         

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National Petrochemical & Refiners Association Changes Name

As an oil refining group changes its name, some views on its future    

                                                             

The National Petrochemical & Refiners Association officially changed its name today, to American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers. In its presentation to a group of the Washington energy community, and the press, the "manufacturing" aspect of this was uppermost.                                                                      

                                                                    

That makes a great deal of sense. With so much national policy aimed at boosting the manufacturing sector, why not look to be part of it? Especially when your product, as has been widely reported, was the largest export for the US, by dollar value, in 2011.                                                                                 

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Google Launches New Master Privacy Policy

Offering users what it calls less “legal gloop to wade through,” Google announced a new master privacy policy and terms of service on Tuesday via the company’s blog.

Google began notifying users of the change coming to its terms of service and privacy policies, which will take effect on March 1.

Rather than 70 privacy documents, there is one main privacy policy to govern its many products. What this means: Google can pull information from one service and deliver it to you via another, fusing Google+ with Gmail with YouTube, for example, and whatever other Google products you use.

Full story at Mashable

Huge Solar Storm Pounding Earth Right Now

A powerful solar eruption is blasting a stream of charged particles toward Earth tomorrow - this is the strongest radiation storm since 2005.                                   

Image credit - National Geographic News

The solar storm may trigger stunning aurora displays and cause minor disruptions to satellites over the next two days, NASA scientists say.

The storm began when a powerful solar flare erupted on the sun yesterday (Jan. 23), blasting a stream of charged particles toward Earth.

This electromagnetic burst, called a coronal mass ejection (CME), hit Earth at about 9:31 a.m. EST (1430 GMT), according to scientists at the Space Weather Center at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Read more about the Space Hurricane

While on Space.com, also check out The Sun's Wrath: Worst Solar Storms in History

Who Is Kim Dotcom?

I am not a Megaupload subscriber, knew little about the company until this past week when the founder, and other company execs were arrested. From news reports on and off-line, it was hard not to miss this story.                                                                              

The story on Megaupload was tied to other important news stories this past week. First, the proposed vote in Washington on the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act). The bill did not pass, and actually ended up being the largest online protest in history. The next big story was the group Anonymous taking down the U.S. Dept of Justice, FBI and other websites in retaliation against the government shutting down Megaupload's website, and seizure of the company's domain.                        

 

After getting an understanding of how these stories are related, then came the question of exactly who is this Kim Dotcom?

South Sudan Orders Halt of Oil Production

The South split from Sudan in July, taking with it 75% of the country's oil production of 470,000 barrels per day. However, despite its oil wealth the new state of South Sudan lacks the infrastructure to refine and export oil.                                                                                                                                                

South Sudan has said it ordered the halt of oil production that provides some 98% of its revenue, amid a deepening dispute with the Sudanese government over pipeline fees.                                                        

Sudan admits to taking some South Sudanese oil destined for export as compensation until an agreement, but the South has said this is theft.                                                                                           

Full story at Yahoo News

Oil Rig Arrives In Cuba For Offshore Drilling

Cuba has said it may have 20 billion barrels of oil in its parts of the Gulf, but the U.S. Geological Survey has estimated about 5 billion.

A Chinese-built drilling rig to be used in the first major exploration for oil in Cuba's offshore waters arrived on Thursday off the coast of the communist-ruled island's capital.

Starting next week, Spanish oil giant Repsol YPF, working in partnership with Norway's Statoil and ONGC Videsh, a unit of India's Oil and Natural Gas Corp, is expected to drill at least two wells in Cuban waters about 70 miles from the Florida Keys.

Read rest of article at Reuters

Canadian Oil Headed to China?

The last line of a statement by Joe Oliver, Canada’s Minister for Natural Resources, in response to the decision Wednesday by the Obama administration to deny the Keystone Pipeline – at least temporarily – gives credence to the oft-voiced rumor that if the U.S. turned up its nose at the Canadian oil sands oil that the Maple Leafs would sell the oil to China.

Continue reading article at Des Moines Register

Billions of Dollars Lost by Caribbean’s Largest Oil Refinery

The refinery, which is one of the 10 largest in the world and the largest in the Caribbean, is a joint venture between the Hess Corporation and Petroleos de Venezuela SA.

In spite of rising oil prices on the world market, billions of dollars in losses have caused the HOVENSA oil refinery in St Croix, US Virgin Islands, to be shut down the company announced yesterday (January 18).

Losses at the HOVENSA refinery have totalled US$1.3 billion in the past three years alone and were projected to continue revealed the official statement from the company.

Read more at Caribbean 360

OPEC Says Europe’s Debt Crisis Could Cut 2012 Oil Consumption

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries says the ongoing European governmental debt crisis could cut global oil consumption this year.

OPEC on Monday left its forecast for 2012 oil demand unchanged at nearly 89 million barrels a day. But the 12-nation cartel, which produces about 40% of the world's oil, said that if Europe's financial woes worsen, it could weaken demand not only in Europe, but also in emerging economies across the globe.

The price of oil has risen about 25% since September, to about $100 a barrel in New York trading. The price has been pushed higher in the last month as tensions rise because of Iran's threat to block oil tanker traffic through the Persian Gulf in response to the economic sanctions imposed by Western nations seeking to curtail Tehran's nuclear program. About a fifth of the world's oil production is transported through the gulf.

OPEC said “geopolitical concerns” have affected the oil market, but otherwise made no mention of the dispute between Iran and the West.

Article Source: VOA News

Electric Vehicle – Beautiful Light Carbon Fiber

Nice article from Thompkins & Friends - Category Environment. Subscribe and get the latest Twitter news!                                                                                                             

The automotive industry is learning a lot from other industries, but with the introduction of the electric vehicle, they are truly catching up on some fields that were avoided in the past.                  

                                            

One such a field is the application of carbon fibers, where makers of race cars, airplanes and windmills have been in the lead for so many years now. The rise of the electric vehicle has refocussed the attention of the automotive on carbon fiber again, with the likes of BMW and Tesla opening the gates and eyes for many others in the quest to create lighter cars. Lighter cars equal a higher efficiency and for electric vehicles, a higher range.                                                                                                                                                     

Read article at MyHEV