Author Archives: fred

Celtique borehole deception in Sussex

Posted on May 31, 2013 by fred

Sussex Driller Celtique Energie is preparing to test for shale gas and oil at two new sites in Sussex, even as it tells the public it’s not doing so. Thousands of wells, hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling and massive volumes of water, chemicals and sand (silica) are inevitably required to extract oil and gas from shale. […]

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Cuadrilla boss gave $30m bribe to Azerbaijan strongman

Posted on May 15, 2013 by fred

Lord Browne, president of UK fracker Cuadrilla Resources, paid an illegal $30m “sweetener” to an Azerbaijani oil company in the early 1990s, according to the Guardian’s investigative journalist Greg Palast. In his book, Vulture’s Picnic, Palast documents how an associate of Lord Browne accompanied ex-prime minister Margaret Thatcher on a “business trip” to Azerbaijan (see […]

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44 percent of wells leaking at UK Treasury director’s gasfield: Australian government

Posted on April 20, 2013 by fred

Over 44 percent of wells are leaking in an Australian gasfield overseen by UK Treasury director Baroness Hogg, according to the Queensland government (see p4 of linked pdf). Almost half the wells tested at the Tara field in Queensland show some sign of leakage, reports the Queensland Mines Department. Over 5,000 coal bed methane (CBM) […]

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First UK fracking leak as Dart Energy wells fail

Posted on April 14, 2013 by fred

The Scottish Herald today reported the UK’s first fracking leak – at Coal Bed Methane (CBM) wells near Canonbie in Scotland. The leak – at wells owned by Dart Energy – confirm anecdotal evidence from locals who have – over the last two years – periodically noticed gas in their water supply. The leak is […]

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Browne waves willy: but can Cuadrilla progress with just one borehole?

Posted on March 20, 2013 by fred

Cuadrilla Chairman and government employee John Browne has been out in public recently. In an interview with the UK’s Guardian, the Cabinet Office non-executive said he would invest “as much as it takes” to launch shale gas in the UK. Unsurprisingly, the Fracking Czar began blowing his trumpet just as Cuadrilla entered final negotiations with […]

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Driller’s share price crashes as Australia direct actions continue

Posted on March 3, 2013 by fred

Investors have taken flight from an Australian Coal Bed Methane operator as community Direct Action escalated at its site in Doubtful Creek, New South Wales. The action are ongoing – see here for details. The share price of driller Metgasco has fallen by nearly 50% since the start of the February, due to efforts of […]

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Civil Disobedience will be outcome of Dash for Gas

Posted on February 18, 2013 by fred

The growing anti-fracking movement has become a major headache for the gas industry. Rising from nowhere eighteen months ago the movement has become so large that these days gas drilling is rarely mentioned without a second word: “controversial”. This is not simply a UK phenomenon. In the US thousands of people regularly protest against gas […]

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New document shows fracking at Airth for six years

Posted on February 14, 2013 by fred

Residents of Airth have been exposed to fracking for nearly 6 years, an internal government document reveals. The document, recently discovered by Frack Off Scotland, shows that wells at Airth were fracked as early as 1997. In December the owner of the Airth site, Dart Energy, refused to answer when locals asked if the driller […]

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