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Justin Mikulka

Optical Optical gas imaging showing methane emissions from unlit flare in the Permian. Credit: Oilfield Witness

Our Methane Blindspot

Methane is getting some attention as we learn new information on the severity of the problem of methane emissions in the oil and gas industry but it remains a distant second in the world's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, despite all of the good intentions (e.

Injection Wells Will Haunt Us Forever

Injection Wells Will Haunt Us Forever

In 1971 Orlo Childs was speaking at the annual Underground Waste Management symposium and posed the following question about the practice of using injection wells to dispose of America’s toxic waste. “Where will the waste reside 100 years from now?” Orlo Childs at the 1971 conference Underground Waste Management

U.S. Policy Implications of Global Peak Oil Demand

U.S. Policy Implications of Global Peak Oil Demand

Back in the beginning of the century James Kuntsler published the book The Long Emergency which warned about societal collapse due to declining oil production combined with “climate change, resurgent diseases, water scarcity, global economic instability and warfare to cause major trouble for future generations.” Twenty years ago it was

The Grifters

The Grifters

“Look around the poker table; if you can’t see the sucker, you’re it.”

Zombieland

Zombieland

Here we go again. “Last week, a retired oil and gas worker named Luke Shipp called out Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian for claiming that no wastewater disposal well has contaminated groundwater used by people.” That quote is from a column in the Houston Chronicle about the ongoing problem of toxic

Abandoned oil pumpjack.

Learning from California As It Becomes An Orphan Petrostate

By 1910, California was producing roughly a fifth of the world’s crude oil. Today it is producing roughly a fifth of the oil consumed by the state. Source In addition to experiencing serious oil production decline, California is also a “fuel island” due to the geographical and regulatory constraints

Exxon Fraud Whistleblower Speaks

Exxon Fraud Whistleblower Speaks

I've written about the accusations of fraud at ExxonMobil and about how the company fired the people who called out the fraud. Lindsey was one of those whistleblowers and I highly recommend watching her speech about what happened and why she believes we need to hold these corporations