Energy writer Andrew Nikiforuk talks with SEJournal's Between the Lines editor about his book “Slick Water: Fracking and One Insider’s Stand Against the World’s Most Powerful Industry.” The SEJ award-winning text follows the seven-year saga of a longtime oil patch consultant-turned-whistleblower.
"In March, the Arctic sea ice pack is supposed to reach its greatest extent - but this year it's far below average, off by an area about the size of Texas and New Mexico combined. Satellite observations currently reveal how much of the ocean surface is covered by ice, but there is another critical measurement to make. Researchers are already anticipating using NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, to measure sea ice in the third dimension."
"Imagine a future when solar cells can be sprayed or printed onto the windows of skyscrapers or atop sports utility vehicles -- and at prices potentially far cheaper than today’s silicon-based panels."
"Among dozens of federal programs proposed for elimination in the Trump administration’s newly revealed budget proposal is the federal Weatherization Assistance Program, or WAP, a grant program housed under the Department of Energy that helps states improve the energy efficiency of the homes of low-income families. It’s one of several climate and energy-related initiatives that, if erased, could actually hurt consumers in ways that seem inconsistent with the economy-boosting action the administration claims to seek."
"President Donald Trump's outspoken doubts about climate change and his administration's efforts to roll back regulation to combat it have stirred a sleepy faction in U.S. politics: the Republican environmental movement."
"Lawyers for a group of teenagers suing the U.S. government in a climate change case have asked the government and the oil industry's leading trade group to turn over emails sent and received by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson using an alias address while he was running Exxon Mobil."
"The U.S. would have had to ramp up its climate ambitions to help slow global warming to the 2 degrees C goal, but under Trump, it's going in the opposite direction."
"White House political appointees are clashing with U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Staffers installed on the Trump administration's 'beachhead team' at EPA have been at odds with the agency's new chief since Pruitt and his aides arrived at headquarters last month."
"The GOP’s effort to roll back contentious Obama-era regulations is hitting a snag. Some Republican senators are coming out against a resolution that would repeal an Interior Department regulation governing oil and natural gas drilling on federal land. The rule is designed to cut down on the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas."
In this President's Report, SEJ's Bobby Magill outlines plans for the organization amid political tumult. In the works: a rebranding, a website revamp and a new strategic vision under the guidance of Executive Director Melisa Klem. Find out more, plus how you can share your perspective, such as at SEJ's member-led meetups.
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