{jb_quote} The current wisdom now in Bermuda is we ought to be moving towards liquefied natural gas as our principal source of fuel for electricity generation in Bermuda.{/jb_quote}
– Ascendant chief, Walt Higgins
Ascendant chief Walt Higgins also stated “The current wisdom now in Bermuda is we ought to be moving towards liquefied natural gas as our principal source of fuel for electricity generation in Bermuda.” [1]. He went on to say that it will take a substantial investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in building LNG infrastructure, facilities and at least two dedicated LNG tankers to bring the liquefied natural gas to the Island from the US.
{jb_quote} Those corporations that continue to invest in new fossil fuel exploration, new fossil fuel exploitation, are really in flagrant breach of their fiduciary duty because the science is abundantly clear that this is something we can no longer do{/jb_quote}
– UN's climate chief, Christiana Figueres
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been converted to liquid form after extraction for ease of storage or transport. LNG takes up about 1/600th the volume of natural gas in the gaseous state. LNG is principally used for transporting natural gas to markets, where it is re-gasified. LNG can be used in natural gas vehicles.
Natural gas is a fossil fuel — a non-renewable source of energy — which burns more cleanly than other fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, and produces 30% less carbon dioxide than oil per unit of energy released. Because its primary component is methane, natural gas has a global warming potential roughly 25 times that of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period, according to research firm IHS. Natural gas is currently considered cheap and plentiful in comparison to other fossil fuels.
Shale gas is the term given to natural gas found trapped within shale formations, and extracted by fracking.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the environmentally controversial method of extracting gas from shale rock formations located deep below the surface of the Earth. According to the US Department of Energy, as of 2013 fracking accounts for 67% of the US natural gas production. Since 2005, the oil and gas industry is exempted from the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act which was established to protect America's drinking water - leaving drinking water unprotected from a host of toxic chemicals used during fracking. [3] In 2011 France banned fracking, followed by Bulgaria and the state of Vermont in 2012. Many other jurisdictions have imposed moratoriums on the practise.
Consider this Bermuda ...
- Is switching from one imported fossil fuel (oil) for another (LNG) the best choice for Bermuda's energy future?
- By permitting Belco to switch to LNG, is Bermuda effectively condoning the controversial extraction method of fracking, and the environmental damage (e.g. water and air contamination) it causes beyond our shores?
- How will the proposed investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in building LNG infrastructure impact Belco's desire or ability to invest in clean and renewable energy solutions in Bermuda over the next 25-30 years?
- Given the required investment for hundreds of millions of dollars in building infrastructure, how credible is Belco's claim that LNG would mean residents could see savings of at least 15 percent on their electricity bills?
Bermuda are not alone in facing this energy dilemma.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of extracting natural gas from shale rock formations located deep below the surface of the Earth.
Fracking: The New Energy Rush (2013)
In a recent British documentary Fracking: The New Energy Rush (2013), BBC Horizon reporter and geologist Iain Stewart investigates the controversial energy rush for the natural gas found deep underground, sometimes right under the places people live in and removed by the process called fracking.
Watch it below or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v02pX-lBp0g
Unearthed: The Fracking Facade (2013)
The South African documentary Unearthed implores viewers to look behind the glitzy commercials and PR campaigns, including claims by the oil and gas industry and utility companies that "With a history of 60 years, after nearly a million wells drilled, there are no documented cases that hydraulic fracturing ('fracking') has led to the contamination of groundwater." Is this statement really true, or just clever semantics designed to deceive?
Watch it below or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPIEzSwPwT0.
GASLAND (2010)
Another 'must watch' for anyone interested in natural gas is Emmy winning and Oscar nominated documentary GasLand (2010).
Watch it below or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96AEzQYangE.
It is happening all across America and now in Europe and Africa as well - rural landowners wake up one day to find a lucrative offer from a multinational energy conglomerate wanting to lease their property. The Reason? In America, the company hopes to tap into a huge natural gas reservoir dubbed the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. Halliburton developed a way to get the gas out of the ground—a hydraulic drilling process called fracking—and suddenly America finds itself on the precipice of becoming an energy superpower.
But what comes out of the ground with that natural gas? How does it affect our air and drinking water? GASLAND is a powerful personal documentary that confronts these questions with spirit, strength, and a sense of humor. When filmmaker Josh Fox receives his cash offer in the mail, he travels across 32 states to meet other rural residents on the front lines of fracking. He discovers toxic streams, ruined aquifers, dying livestock, brutal illnesses, and kitchen sinks that burst into flame. He learns that all water is connected and perhaps some things are more valuable than money.
GASLAND Part II (2013)
GASLAND PART II, which premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, shows how the stakes have been raised on all sides in one of the most important environmental issues facing our nation today. The film argues that the gas industry’s portrayal of natural gas as a clean and safe alternative to oil is a myth and that fracked wells inevitably leak over time, contaminating water and air, hurting families, and endangering the earth’s climate with the potent greenhouse gas, methane. In addition the film looks at how the powerful oil and gas industries are in Fox's words "contaminating our democracy".
Watch the trailer below or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzx7UXzK_z4. For more info, visit www.gaslandthemovie.com
