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New research questions climate benefits of natural gas

Methane may be leaking from some natural gas operations at roughly three times the limit deemed acceptable for the climate, suggests new research from several top-ranked U.S. scientists.

If preliminary results from a field study in the Uinta Basin of Utah are representative of the broader “fracking” industry, they could seriously undercut B.C. Premier Christy Clark’s claim that natural gas is a “clean energy.” Read more…

 

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'This is our future we have to fight for': Idle No More movement launches weekend of protests

Warrior flags, hand drums and a round dance in the middle of the street marked the solstice today in downtown Vancouver, where Indigenous people and supporters rallied as part of cross-country Idle No More events. Read more…

Government exempts 'low-impact' mining activities from permit process

The B.C. government has proposed to change what activities would be regulated by the Mines Act, in what the province characterizes as an attempt to cut "unnecessary red tape," by exempting certain "low-impact" activities. Read more…

Stop bragging about protecting BC species enviro group tells Forest Products Association

The Wilderness Committee has blasted a timber industry group for claiming a strong record on protecting endangered species and seeking a voice in revising the legislation. Read more…

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Minister Lake says a Pembina LNG policy prescription 'does not make sense'

British Columbia Minister of Environment Terry Lake says Pembina Institute analyst Matt Horne got it right two out of three times when, writing in The Tyee, he listed his "musts" for the province regarding developing and shipping liquefied natural gas. Read more…

Government announces ban on gas extraction in Sacred Headwaters

The B.C. government announced Tuesday that an agreement had been reached to ban gas extraction in the Sacred Headwaters. The ban will take effect on the day that a four-year moratorium on all activity related to coalbed methane extraction was set to expire. Read more…

Days after Nexen approval, PetroChina invests big in AB natural gas

Prime Minister Stephen Harper declared last week he didn’t want to see Canada’s economy “bought and controlled by foreign governments.” But he apparently has no problem with PetroChina’s $2.18 billion entry into Alberta’s natural gas sector. Read more…

Fracking ban in Sacred Headwaters set to expire Dec. 18

A moratorium on a large coal bed methane project in northern B.C. is about to expire. The moratorium has prevented Shell Canada from conducting "any oil and gas activity or related activity" in the Sacred Headwaters project since December 2008, according to the original Order in Council. Read more…

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Lower Mainland dikes need major upgrades to fend off rising sea: BC report

VANCOUVER - Renewing southern British Columbia's flood-defence network to protect against rising sea levels will cost up to $9.5 billion over the next 90 to 100 years, says a provincial government report. Read more…

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More BCers oppose Gateway pipeline after map controversy, ad blitz: poll

A new poll suggests that 60 per cent of British Columbians now oppose the proposed Northern Gateway bitumen pipeline. And according to the results, controversy over Enbridge's tanker route map -- which omitted 1,000 square kilometres of islands in the Douglas Channel -- didn't help: 58 per cent of respondents who saw the map said that it worsened their opinion of the project. Read more…

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Harper OKs Nexen deal; says takeover marks 'end of a trend'

The Canadian government has approved CNOOC’s $15.1 billion bid to acquire Alberta oil sands producer Nexen, the largest foreign takeover in Canada's history. Read more…

EU gives OK to CNOOC-Nexen deal

The European Commission has given its OK to China National Offshore Oil Co.'s $15.1-billion bid for Calgary's Nexen Inc. Read more…

Facing growing energy demands, Middle East embracing solar energy

With its vast deserts and long stretches of sunny days, the Middle East would seem to be an ideal place to harness solar energy. But until now, the region has largely shunned solar because it has cost about three times more than heavily-subsidized fossil fuels. Read more…

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UN chief says rich countries must take lead in fixing climate

Rich countries are to blame for climate change and should take the lead in forging a global climate pact by 2015, a deadline that "must be met," the head of the United Nations said Wednesday. Read more…

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2013 could be rough year for cleantech, insider predicts

The amount of venture capital available for clean technology, a key indicator of the industry's health, will seriously decline in 2013, predicts an international cleantech consultancy with offices in Vancouver. Read more…

Nebraska gets final say in new Keystone XL route

A tiny town in rural Nebraska is expected to draw a big crowd on Tuesday for a public hearing into TransCanada's new Keystone XL pipeline route. Read more…

Report ranks Canada 3rd on planet for 'sustainable energy'

Canada is better equipped than almost every other country on the planet to address the twin challenges of a warming climate and strained global energy supplies, a new World Energy Council report has decided. Read more…

Crown to consider charges related to two sawmill fires

Having completed investigation reports into sawmill fires earlier this year in Prince George and Burns Lake, WorkSafe BC has referred both matters to Crown counsel for further consideration. Read more…

TransCanada to ambassador Doer: 'Thank you'

The Canadian government has worked so hard to promote the Keystone XL pipeline in Washington, DC, that TransCanada, the company proposing to build it, sent a "thank you" note last year to Canada's U.S. ambassador, Gary Doer.

That exchange was included in several pages of email correspondence between Doer and a TransCanada official (whose name was blacked out), obtained by The Tyee through an Access to Information request. Read more…

CFIA questions accuracy of lab that tests for salmon anemia

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has called into question one of the world's top reference laboratories over its detection of infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAv) in B.C. farmed salmon. Read more…