oil

Iran Rejects Iraqi Incursion Claim

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:24:53 -0500

Iran has rejected Iraqi demands that it withdraw its soldiers from an oil well, the ownership of which is disputed by Baghdad.

Iran's Armed Forces Command issued a statement on Saturday making clear that, in Tehran's view, there had been no incursion into Iraq as the oil well is within Iranian borders.

"Our forces are on our own soil and, based on the known international borders, this well belongs to Iran," the statement said.

Six Reasons Why Earth Won't Cope for Long

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:44:35 -0500

by John Gibbons

As world leaders arrive in Copenhagen for the crunch phase of the climate conference, the focus turns to what kind of deal is likely to emerge. Pre-eminent climate scientist Prof James Hansen of the Nasa Goddard Institute has already given the entire process the kiss of death. Any political deal cobbled together is, he believes, likely to be so profoundly flawed as to lock humanity on to “a disaster track.”

Chevron and Cultural Genocide in Ecuador

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:49:00 -0500

by Kerry Kennedy

LAGO AGRIO, Ecuador - Traces of paradise are still visible. From the air, the rainforest region in northern Ecuador – known as the Oriente – appears as silvery mist and swaths of verdant green.

But beneath the cloud cover and canopy, the jungle is a tangle of oil slicks, festering sludge, and rusted pipeline. Smokestacks sprout from the ground, spewing throat-burning fumes into the air. Wastewater from unlined pits seeps into the groundwater and flows into the rivers and streams.

Drill, Baby, Drill: Obama Administration OKs Oil Drilling in Arctic off Alaska

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:31:59 -0500

by Erika Bolstad

WASHINGTON -- The Interior Department today gave the go-ahead for Shell Oil to begin drilling three exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea, a move that opens the door for production in a new region of the Arctic.

"This is progress," said Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "Today's announcement from the MMS is an encouraging sign that Alaska's oil and natural gas resources can continue to play a major role in America's energy security."

Neither Canada Nor the World Can Afford Growth of Dirty Oil

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:58:46 -0500

by Matt Price

Today in Copenhagen, the Harper government will walk into the UN climate summit not with the intention of transitioning Canada into a clean energy economy, but instead with the agenda of prolonging the oil industry frenzy in the tar sands in northern Alberta.

Shell Must Clean up Its Act in Nigeria

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:57:58 -0500

by Chima Williams

A court in The Hague is considering whether Shell can be held liable for alleged pollution in Nigeria, and a ruling is expected on 30 December.

Oil Companies Look to the Future in Iraq

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:41:59 -0500

by Timothy Williams

BAGHDAD - More than six and a half years after the United States-led invasion here that many believed was about oil, the major oil companies are finally gaining access to Iraq's petroleum reserves. But they are doing so at far less advantageous terms than they once envisioned.

Oil Giant Chevron Accused of 'Extortion' on Capitol Hill

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:45:24 -0500

by Han Shan

Chevron is piling on the lobbyists and PR firms in an extraordinary effort to evade responsibility for its massive toxic contamination of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

The Pentagon Garrisons the Gulf

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:13:22 -0500

by Nick Turse

Despite recent large-scale insurgent suicide bombings that have killed scores of civilians and the fact that well over 100,000 U.S. troops are still deployed in that country, coverage of the U.S. war in Iraq has been largely replaced in the mainstream press by the (previously) "forgotten war" in Afghanistan.

Canada's Tar Sands Are the Future of Oil Production: Oil Exec.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:40:56 -0500

by Michel Viatteau

MONTREAL - The era of oil gushing from ground wells is over and can only be replaced by costly and complex refining of deposits such as Canada's oil sands to satisfy rising global energy needs, said a senior oil executive.

Pressed about the high cost of oil sands extraction and attacks by environmentalists worried about its contribution to global warming, Jean-Michel Gires, president of French-based Total's Canadian subsidiary, told AFP he is optimistic specifically about the future of Canada's oil sands development.