2/22/2013: Nuclear power a casualty of fracking boom; EPA agrees to closer study of fracking emissions
How the shale boom is impacting nuclear power - "Cheap natural gas is dominating. Wind and solar are growing. Coal is dwindling. Now we can add another trend to the list: Nuclear power is starting to decline. Since 2010, the amount of electricity generated from America’s nuclear reactors has fallen about 3 percent, or 29 billion kilowatt-hours. That’s a sizable drop: As John Hanger points out, we’d need to quadruple the number of solar installations in the United States just to make up the loss of that carbon-free electricity....This month, Duke Energydecided to close its Crystal River nuclear plant in Florida, offline since 2009, rather than pay $1.5 billion to repair a cracked dome. The reason? It was easier to build new natural-gas turbines to replace the lost electricity than repair the reactor. Last fall, Dominion Power announced that it would close its Kewaunee reactor in Wisconsin, also citing pressures from cheap gas. And that’s just the start: One energy analyst told Bloomberg that at least 4 of the 102 remaining U.S. reactors are now at risk of early retirement “due to new power market economics.” Perhaps more significantly, the cheap gas boom may be killing off future reactors, too: Back in 2011, NRG scrapped plans for two new nuclear units in Texas. Why? There were cheaper options available, including gas and wind." (Washington Post)
Oil industry and environmentalists praise new bill in Springfield, Illinois - "According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the bill before legislators would unleash a number of requirements on the oil and gas industry that currently don’t exist, including: - A requirement that chemical-laced water that flows back after being pumped into the ground be store in closed tanks, rather than in open pits. - Restrictions on venting and flaring of natural gas - A requirement that all fracking chemicals we disclosed to the public before fracking begins - The right for citizens to appeal permits granted to oil and gas drillers by the Department of Natural Resources and to hold public hearings regarding proposed permits. - The right to deny a permit during drought conditions - A state web site where detailed drilling applications will be posted and available to the public - The presumption that oil and gas drillers are liable for any environmental contamination near fracking operations unless proven otherwise...The 60,000-square-mile area encompasses parts of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates New Albany holds 11 trillion cubic feet of shale gas, approximately enough to meet the needs of about 5 million households for 30 years, according to the American Gas Association. The 94-page House Bill 2615, introduced Thursday by Rep. John Bradley and Rep. David Reis, is the result of weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations between legislators, the attorney general’s office environmental groups and lobbyists for the oil and gas industry." (Chicago Tribune)
Fracking emissions under review by EPA - "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreed to more closely study air emissions from hydraulic fracturing after the agency’s auditor concluded its current data is insufficient to make policy decisions. The EPA has already begun an inter-agency study of methane, air toxins and other pollutants released when oil and gas are tapped using the process, called fracking, Gina McCarthy, the head of the agency’s air office, said in a letter to the Inspector General’s office that was released yesterday. “We have identified emissions information for oil and natural gas production as a critical need,” McCarthy said in her letter, which was dated Nov. 16. McCarthy is the leading candidate to be nominated by President Barack Obama to head the EPA, according to people briefed on the plans." (Bloomberg)