Enviro News Wrap: The Sheen Comes off Natural Gas; the True Cost of Oil; At-Risk Species, and more…

GlobalWarmingisReal contributor Anders Hellum-Alexander wraps-up the climate and environmental news headlines for the past week:

• Another oil spill in the ocean threatens endangered species in Australia.
• The anti-fracking movement is gaining momentum as the White House pushes for more natural gas extraction. The natural gas industry is dropping money on politicians to make sure they get their way, $1.34 million in the last four years in New York state is silencing the electorate and suppressing democracy.
• A mild winter in the US has decreased the demand for natural gas, increasing supply and pushing prices down.
• Scientists reveal that natural gas is not “clean” when compared to oil or coal, emitting just as much greenhouse gases as other fossil fuels. This article published in the Wall St. Journal highlight many of the myths promoted by the natural gas industry.
• The Brookings Institute provides commentary on US energy policy. The analysis asserts that the price of renewable energy and dirty energy are what will drive positive change by means of a carbon tax – but what an unpopular word: “tax”.
• Here is an article pushing the environmentalism kills jobs argument (or better characterized as a “myth”.
• The New York Daily News argues that fracking has negative side effects but so do other sources of dirty energy – so we should just “put up with it.”
• Fareed Zakaria comments on the price of oil and how it defies the law of supply and demand, the real driver of the price of oil is OPEC and its member’s financial needs. Those needs include the price of a barrel oil staying above $100. Besides the price of oil being so high – the true cost is above $100/brl – and compared to renewable energy oil is a cost inefficient venture.
• Speaking of the true cost of oil, here is a report on the most at-risk species caused by fossil fuel consumption.
• ExxonMobile pays $1.6 million for spilling 63,000 gallons of oil in the Yellowstone river.
• The oil from the BP Gulf oil spill is drifting back to the site of the spill where microbes are eating the oil.
• Chevron can add yet another oil disaster to its list of atrocities inflicted on the people of Nigeria.
• Bulgaria has said “NO” to Chevron and placed a national ban on fracking.
• The amount of money invested in renewable energy is growing every year, $260 billion was invested last year. President Obama wants to continue supporting renewable energy and has an energy plan that includes nuclear in that category.
• The majority of Ikea’s stores in the US are covered in PV Solar panels.
• The EPA is studying adverse health effects of living next to wind turbines, and they are finding none.
• Home Owner Associations (HOA) like to closely control any alterations to a member’s home, even when it comes to PV Solar  How much control should an HOA have?