QUICK NEWS, December 16: SELF-HELP FOR GAS LEAK RESIDENTS; HISTORIC TAX CREDIT EXTENSIONS FOR WIND, SOLAR?; FRACKING SECRETS

SELF-HELP FOR GAS LEAK RESIDENTS Porter Ranch Residents Seek More Info on Gas Leak; As a gas leak in the area edges toward a second month, residents say they are not getting enough information.

John Cadiz Klemack, December 15, 2015 (NBC News)

“Nearly two months after methane began leaking out of a natural gas storage facility above Porter Ranch, residents are frustrated at the slowness of repairs and what they have described as a lack of communication and information, especially when it comes to health concerns…One of the law firms representing residents against Southern California Gas Company…has arranged for six [air quality sampling canisters to be placed around the community] with another six expected — to share data of what residents have been breathing for the 53 days…[Famed citizen-advocate and environmental advocate Erin Brockovich has been helping with the effort and is consulting with law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, which] may be handling part of the likely legal fallout from the ongoing gas leak…[SoCal Gas said it has already been] using the same canisters as well as other technology — and sharing the twice-daily air samples on its website for residents. The company said those samples continue to show readings the EPA deems not harmful…” click here for more

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HISTORIC TAX CREDIT EXTENSIONS FOR WIND, SOLAR? Congress strikes deal to extend wind, solar tax credits and lift oil export ban

Gavin Bade, December 16, 2015 (Utility Dive)

“House Republicans unveiled a broad spending and tax legislation package…[The tax extenders legislation] includes multi-year extensions for [for wind energy's $0.023/kWh production tax credit (PTC) and solar energy’s 30% federal investment tax credit (ITC) and lifts] the 40-year-old ban on crude oil exports from the U.S…[If passed, the would extend the wind PTC] through 2020 and would decline in value each year after December 2016 until it is phased out entirely. The solar ITC would be drawn down gradually through 2022…

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“…[The] legislation was paired with a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 2016…When Congress failed to extend the wind PTC in 2013, development fell 92% and 30,000 wind industry jobs were lost. The 2014 restoration brought back 23,000 jobs…Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates that [solar] deployment would amount to 73 GW by 2022 without the ITC, but a five-year extension would result in 95 GW of installed capacity in that period…” click here for more

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FRACKING SECRETS Disclosures on fracking lacking, study finds; Firms withholding chemical reports at higher rate

Liz Mineo, December 15, 2015 (Harvard Gazette)

“As the growth of hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking,’ transforms more rural landscapes across the heartland into industrial zones, companies are less willing to disclose the chemicals they inject into the ground…[T]he process of extracting oil and gas from shale beds ― has emerged as a dominant, if controversial, force, bringing jobs and wealth to many communities but also spreading unease about its environmental impacts, notably water contamination. Companies drill into the Earth and inject at extreme pressure a mix of water, sand, and chemicals to fracture rock and release oil or gas…28 states require companies to report the chemicals they use…But the amount of information withheld has increased the past three years…An earlier report by the federal Environmental Protection Agency found that between 2010 and 2012, 11 percent of the chemicals used in fracking were unreported…[Hydraulic fracturing chemicals reporting: Analysis of available data and recommendations for policy makers from Harvard] found that between 2012 and April 2015, that rose to 16.5 percent…” click here for more

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