April 29th, 2013 
Eric Wilson 
Although written in 2008, Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent feels like something that could’ve been written yesterday. Extremely biased and one-sided, at times bordering on vitriolic, Andrew Nikiforuk, Tar Sands’ author, makes a strong argument against the development of the Athabaskan tar sands. While this is a losing battle if [...]
Posted in Eric Wilson, Policy, Reviews, Sustainable Development 
Tags: Book Review, Carbon Sequestration, Fracking, Natural Gas, Tar Sands 
No Comments » February 26th, 2013 Luke Jackson With Steven Chu’s impending departure as the Energy Secretary, talk about his replacement for the Department of Energy has centered on one possible nominee for the job. Ernest Moniz is President Obama’s likely nomination as the next Secretary of Energy, but like Chuck Hagel, some controversy is sure to accompany his nomination. Moniz, 67, has been on [...]
January 23rd, 2013 Noelle Phares 
A recent article in the UK’s The Guardian outlines statements made by BP chief executive Bob Dudley regarding the company’s study on oil production projections. BP aligns with the common stances taken by oil companies in the defense of oil supplies, and this statement is no exception. The study suggests that no end is in [...]
Posted in 2nd Green, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy Tags: Alternative Energy, Fracking, Noelle Phares, Peak Oil, Renewable Energy No Comments » November 24th, 2012 Nick Grue The recent news coming from the International Energy Agency predicting that United States oil production will top that of Saudi Arabia and Russia by 2017 should be met with excitement, and concern. The abundance of oil now available to the US as a result of fracking and horizontal drilling brings positive impacts including less dependence [...]
Posted in Renewable Energy, Sustainability Tags: Fracking, Horizontal Drilling, IEA 2012, Nick Grue, Oil, Oil Boom, Renewable Energy No Comments » October 28th, 2012 Eric Wilson 
As part of the debates last week and the energy policies of the two candidates for president, the notion of energy independence has crept into the discussion once dominated by the economy. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney vows energy independence by 2020. As pointed out in a recent article by NPR, President Obama also touts [...]
July 24th, 2012 John Basalla With natural gas prices near historic lows I have been wondering if this will lead to an increase in the number of natural gas powered vehicles on the road. While the numbers have increased, as noted in a recent article, will this lead to a new paradigm in motor vehicle transportation? Natural gas is the [...]
Posted in 2nd Green, Clean Technology, Transportation Tags: 2nd Green Revolution, Alternative Energy, Cars, Fracking, John Basalla, Natural Gas No Comments » June 12th, 2012 Eric Wilson As part of their Earth Day programming, PBS premiered two programs, Energy Quest USA and Powering the Planet. These one-hour documentaries followed up last year’s EARTH: The Operators’ Manual. Energy Quest USA features five areas throughout the USA and the strides they are taking to move toward sustainable energy. Two of these are in the [...]
May 30th, 2012 Eric Wilson The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that in order for so-called unconventional sources of natural gas, such as shale gas, to play a a major role in the world’s energy future, “governments, industry and other stakeholders must work together to address legitimate public concerns about the associated environmental and social impacts.” The IEA released a [...]
Posted in Business, Eric Wilson, News, Policy Tags: Energy, Environment, Fracking, IEA, Natural Gas, Shale Gas No Comments » May 1st, 2012 Justin Manger How is it possible to drill through 10,000 feet of impermeable rock, turn 90 degrees and continue drilling horizontally all that way under the surface, then blast chemical water and sand at high pressure to crack open rocks, and then – if that weren’t enough – capture the gas once it has come back up [...]
April 15th, 2012 Eric Wilson Both NPR and the New York Times ran stories last week that highlighted the role of natural gas in the U.S. energy economy. NPR interviewed Amy Myers Jaffe, director of Rice University’s Baker Institute Energy Forum. Jaffe predicted that natural gas prices would remain low for the foreseeable future, specifically 5-10 years. The New York [...]
Posted in Eric Wilson, Featured Posts, Op-Ed, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, Transportation Tags: Biomimicry, Fracking, Natural Gas, Solar Energy, Wastewater No Comments »
