Grist
What does the volatile past of natural gas tell us about its future?
Calpine and some of its highest-flying competitors would be driven to bankruptcy largely by aggressive bets on gas power, forced to sell pipelines and power plants at a fraction of their cost.
It wasn't the first time natural gas had been a thorn in the side of the power sector. Then again, the preceding gas rush wasn't the last time the fuel would play panacea, either -- just read the headlines these days.Between 1992 and 2005, gas plants were virtually all that was built, and the size of the gas power fleet more than doubled. Utilities and other large gas customers had traditionally bought fuel on long-term contracts, paying a premium for predictability, but the continuing legacy of low prices inspired a shift toward spot markets (which are short-term, like the stock market). That was innocuous as long as prices stayed low, but spot markets can move quickly, and the shift set the stage for a decade of escalating and volatile gas prices.
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Asher Miller
opit
\After all, it wasn't that many years ago that I was noting a Grist article on CAFOs and pollution of the groundwater of the Mississippi River Basin from agricultural chemicals - being pesticides, antibiotics and nitrates. These days 'Dead Zones' and algal bloom are finally starting to be noticed...as is the Nitrogen Cycle.
One lady I read is convinced that ground level ozone is killing trees.http://witsendnj.blogspot.com/p/basic-premise.html
But there are stories about 'natural gas' that seem to constantly escape coverage.
Natural Gas: Avoidable Health Hazard
http://www.elements.nb.ca/theme/fuels/illness/caused.htm
If you value your health, don't burn gas indoors. Natural gas has caused more cases of environmental illness than any other substance, even than pesticides.
"How to Destroy the Earth's Fresh Water Supplies Without Anyone Finding Out"
http://www.journeyoftheforsaken.com/fracpage.htm
If that seems overdone, perhaps it is time to look around.
http://opitslinkfest.blogspot.com/2009/09/energy.html
http://opitslinkfest.blogspot.com/2009/07/water-wealth-power.html
Post Carbon Institute
REPORT: Will Natural Gas Fuel America in the 21st Century?
In this groundbreaking report, geoscientist David Hughes (formerly of Geological Survey of Canada) shatters the myth that U.S. natural gas can be a "bridge fuel" from high-carbon sources of energy like coal and oil to a renewable energy future.
Read the report to find out why US assumptions and recommendations around natural gas policy need to be urgently re-assessed.
Iran Successfully Tests Nuclear Missiles
President Obama needs to realize that his approach of negotiations and sanctions has failed to deal with the radicals ruling Iran. The threat is real. The survival of the free world is in danger. We can no longer vacillate; the jihadists in Tehran must not be allowed to obtain the nuclear bomb.The only reason for the current dilemma is our own shortcomings and our refusal to understand their ideology. The West continues to choose negotiations while providing Iran time to cross every red line.
It is time to realize that whatever price we may pay today in confronting this problem, it will be much less than when the Iranians get the bomb.
Reza Kahlili is a pseudonym for an ex-CIA spy
( Well no. But the headline gets attention, as does the reiteration that people without WMD are the real danger...and there is no mention of Mutual Assured Destruction or the role of Russia. )
Commission to Assess the Threat from High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse ( EMP )
Gunwalker: ATF Targets Were Actually FBI Informants
“Operation Fast and Furious” was run out of Phoenix as a multi-agency operation, and Congress is now pursuing leads into “Operation Castaway,” an operation based out of Tampa that seems to have mirrored the goals and tactics of the Arizona operation while providing weapons to the violent MS-13 gang in Honduras. Additionally, ICE Agents Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila were ambushed — and Zapata killed — with a weapon traced back to a yet-unnamed operation based out of Dallas. A steady recovery of weapons to southern Mexico out of the Houston area seems to indicate the possibility of a fourth operation.
Muslim border protest: 'We're asking for equal treatment'
"All Men are created equal" except when they're gay,black,immigrant,Muslim
A Craze for Pooches in Iran Dogs the Morality Police
Anonymous to Build Its Own Social Network
www.cbc.ca
The United Nations says tens of thousands of people have died in Somalia from causes related to malnutrition and parts of the country are suffering from famine in the worst drought for over half a century.
www.truth-out.org
The Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General's (IG) office recently found that the Marine Corp allowed their contactors for a vital troop protection system to act as government employees, including directing and evaluating government employees' work, grading their own work and writing up requir...
www.commondreams.org
WASHINGTON - July 20 - The latest idea to emerge in negotiations over a deficit-reduction package came from a group of senators that calls itself the Gang of Six. The proposal would be a disaster, Sen. Bernie Sanders warned. "The plan would result in devastating cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Me
www.truth-out.org
According to Scahill, at the time of this interview there were 630 companies on the U.S. government’s payroll in Iraq. More shocking are the 170 mercenary corporations operating in Iraq. Despite repeatedly committing criminal violations, these companies have been immune from prosecution and have rep...
www.foreignpolicyjournal.com
Scientific and technological solutions exist for a safer replacement of the current nuclear energy technology. The decision to pursue such alternatives is in the hands of the policymakers.
readersupportednews.org
'The News Corporation phone hacking and bribery story has brought down executives, reporters, editors, and government officials. Here is a list of arrests, convictions, firings, suspensions, and resignations that have occurred during the scandal.' Media Matters for America
www.alternet.org
The Center for Media and Democracy discovered ALEC is behind corporate political control, and now is the time to fight against the sale of our democracy.
www.thewhig.com 
GANANOQUE -- An organization hopes to get all parties involved in border regulation -- border patrols on both sides of the river, Canadian MPs and...
readme.readmedia.com
For the third time in four years, Sailors of the New York Naval Militia will assist the United States Border Patrol inspecting pleasure craft entering the United States from Canada on Lake Champlain during the months of July and August.
www.cbc.ca
The U.S. House of Representatives is to vote on a bill that will require drastic spending cuts as the price for raising the government's $14.3 trillion US borrowing limit.
business.financialpost.com
The world's largest search engine has detected a "large number" of Windows-based computers infected with a specific type of malicious software, Google Inc. announced in a blog post late Tuesday
business.financialpost.com
Brent crude oil futures could spike up to as high as $175 per barrel briefly next year if the global oil market stays tight, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Wednesday
business.financialpost.com
Canadian banks aren’t on a list of 28 lenders that could face capital surcharges if Basel's too-big-to-fail rules were applied today, the country’s banking regulator said
business.financialpost.com
China’s top offshore oil producer CNOOC Ltd agreed to buy outstanding shares of struggling Opti Canada Inc in a deal worth US$2.1-billion, a week after the oil sands company filed for court protection from creditors
business.financialpost.com
Head of European Commission delivers sombre warning to EU leaders to find a solution to Greek crisis this week
www.efsf.europa.eu
The European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) was created by the euro area member states following the decisions taken May 9, 2010 within the framework of the Ecofin Council.
www.ottawacitizen.com
It is now conventional wisdom that the Harper Conservatives are transforming Canadian criminal justice, a fact which many pundits cite as evidence of the incremental Harperization of Canadian society. It's pretty hard to disagree.
www.thestar.com
Windsor-Detroit bridge dubbed “Road to Nowhere” in TV ads
ipolitics.ca
iPolitics is serious about the business of government. In-depth, Informative, Insightful, Influential.
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The United Nations says tens of thousands of people have died in Somalia from causes related to malnutrition and parts of the country are suffering from famine in the worst drought for over half a century.
www.theglobeandmail.com 
Are we up for this huge challenge? Doing nothing will simply reinforce the harsh reality that most Canadians are ‘more equal than others’
www.canada.com
The federal government believes some 1,800 Canadian citizens have obtained their citizenship through fraudulent means and it intends to revoke their status, Postmedia News has learned.
Palestinians pushing to minimize Canadian opposition to statehood | Embassy - Canada's Foreign Polic
embassymag.caEmbassy is CanadaÕs influential foreign policy newspaper. With a weekly readership of over 60,000 it is the forum for debate on international issues for politicians, foreign policy experts, diplomats, aid workers, the military, leaders in trade and business and immigrant communities in Canada.
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But until recently everyone has bought into the unquestioned belief that natural gas is less harmful for the climate than coal. Worse, no one questions the supply and price hype.
The Cornell study has some issues. The natural gas industry, nat gas backers in the environmental movement, and the likes of NETL @ DOE have gone after Howarth et al. But we've done further analysis, addressed areas of criticism, and shown that the criticism itself is often filled with factual errors.
Bottom line, after all that, shale gas appears to be worse than coal over a 30-50 year timeframe (depending upon technology used). It's hard to justify endorsing natural gas as a bridge fuel to a clean energy future under those circumstances. Certainly not without further research.
Perhaps more significant: We will have to drill ~40,000 new wells EVERY YEAR just to stay flat on production. For natural gas to significantly replace coal or oil, we would need to see unprecedented rates of drilling. And there's no way we can see that happening at current prices.
Folks, this is a bubble not a panacea.
Our full report and supplemental articles can be found here: www.postcarbon.org/naturalgas