Backing the Front

When Gloria Flora took the helm of Lewis & Clark National Forest in Montana in 1995, she found priceless wildlands threatened by oil and gas speculators. Defying convention, she declared the area off-limits to oil and gas development, adding a definitive new twist to the interplay between community groups, the fossil fuel industry,and the government that is playing out in surprising ways.

Oil, gas and fracking – headlines

•Chevron granted access to environmental activists’ email accounts •Peak Oil and Energy Independence: Myth and Reality •As Fracking Rises, Peak Oil Theory Slowly Dies •Polish minister denies shale gas exodus by US firms •French President insists shale gas ban is staying put •US to begin exporting ‘fracked’ gas •Shale Skeptics Take On Pickens as Gas Fuels Policies •Interior chief defends ‘fracking’ rules amid GOP, industry attacks