Summary:  A spirited debate, presented by Intelligence Squared, took place in Aspen on July 1st challenging the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing. The debate weighed the environmental, health, economic, and national security benefits of natural gas drilling against the costs. On the panel, arguing against fracking, was Earthjustice’s Managing Attorney Deborah Goldberg alongside Riverkeeper’s Watershed Program Director Kate Hudson. On the opposing team were industry’s avid supporters Joe Nocera, Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times and Sue Tierney, a former Assistant Secretary for Policy at U.S. Dept. of Energy.

Deborah Goldberg said “We need to scale back, slow down, and resist the boom mentality. We do not have to drill hundreds of thousands of wells just because we can. Finally, we have to ignore the advertising slogans on both sides and stop living in a fantasy world of endless fossil fuel consumption without consequences.”

  Full Article:  http://www.npr.org/2012/07/02/156158754/the-natural-gas-boom-doing-more-harm-than-good?ft=1&f=1007"

  Summary:  Environmental groups filed a lawsuit last week against the U.S. Interior Department for prematurely approving Shell’s plan to drill in the Arctic this summer, notwithstanding the inadequate and overly optimistic spill response program proposed by the company. The legal challenge seeks to ensure that the government establishes sufficient safeguards for long-term protection of endangered species and fragile Arctic habitat and enforces rigorous guidelines for regulating future drilling projects.

Earthjustice is representing the plaintiffs who are challenging the Interior Department’s decision to giving Shell permission to drill this summer.

  Full Article:  http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-arctic-drilling-suit-20120709,0,2335160.story"

  Summary:  The Arctic Challenger – the 37-year-old barge that was designated to clean up any oil spills that could occur during Shell’s impending oil exploration in the Arctic – has failed to meet the U.S. Coast Guard certification standards. The barge is undergoing a multi-million dollar retrofit and cannot set sail for Alaska until it receives approval from the Coast Guard officials. Shell engineers contend that the company should be held to less rigorous standards for mobile offshore drilling, suggesting that a 10-year storm standard is more appropriate than a 100-year storm standard for the historical conditions in the Arctic.

The ship must pass the rigorous inspection before it can be deployed for oil operations in the harsh, unpredictable weather conditions of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas during the summer months. "Of any place in the world where you don't want to be hoping for the best, it's the Arctic Ocean," said Holly Harris, an attorney for Earthjustice, the environmental legal group that has filed a lawsuit challenging offshore Arctic oil operations. "The folks in Barrow, Alaska, have temperatures below freezing 320 days a year. The average temperature in September is roughly 30 degrees. And the storms are so unpredictable that to sort of...hope the big storm doesn't come is frankly irresponsible," she said.

  Full Article:  http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-arctic-drilling-shell-barge-20120705,0,4632140.story"

  Summary:  Shell is expected to receive permits from the U.S Department of the Interior to drill for oil in the Arctic and hopes to begin as soon as next month. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar admitted that there are immense environmental safety risks associated with drilling in the Arctic, but proceeded to say that he does not anticipate an oil spill. In the event of a blowout, the company originally claimed that it could collect at least 90 percent of any oil spilled. In a more recent statement Shell Alaska spokesman Curtis Smith backtracked. “We say in our plan we expect to 'encounter' 90 percent of any discharge on site—very close to the drilling rig,” he said.

The possibility of an oil spill is a disaster for marine life, polar bears, ice seals and walrus, as well as the local communities who depend on the ocean’s biological stability. "Secretary Salazar says there's not going to be an oil spill. That's astonishing," said Holly Harris, a staff attorney with Earthjustice based in Juneau, Alaska. "No oil company has ever come close to cleaning up 90 percent of spilled oil in the open ocean. The administration is hoping for the best but not preparing for the worst."

  Full Article:  http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120702/NATION/207020364/Arctic-drilling-creeps-forward-now-5-years"