SHALE NEWS
TOM SHEPSTONE, PRESIDENT
Shepstone Management Co.
www.NaturalGasNow.org
Are the RUSSKIES Funding Fractivists?
Are the Russkies funding fractivistis to protect their own natural
gas market from competition? It
sure looks like it!
There has been a lot of speculation over the last several months about
Vladimir Putin underwriting, either directly or indirectly, fractivist campaigns around the world, but particularly in Europe, which is a big customer for Russia’s state-owned gas company, Gazprom. Our friend Nick
Grealy talked about it in this post. He noted how very strange indeed it was
that Gazprom paid its US public relations firm a lot of money to for things
such as “correspondence with Tribeca Film Festival on future sponsorship
options.” That festival, of course, is a favorite of the one and only Josh Fox,
so Nick’s ears and our’s both went up at that one.
Moreover, call me cynical, but it’s not readily obvious why a gas company
that sells nothing to the US market needs a PR firm here. The Russkies
have a clear interest in influencing what’s happening in Europe, of course,
but the only apparent reason to spend money here is to help slow down
fracking advances before things migrate to Europe. It’s too late to stop it,
but any delay is clearly valuable to them, especially if they’re looking for an
opportunity to get their own shale gas development program going before
Europe fully develops alternatives to Russian gas.
Therefore, it’s no surprise evidence of Russian involvement in fractivist
causes keeps building.
NATO Head Says Russkies Funding Fractivists
What caught Nick Grealy’s eye to write his post was this paragraph from a
Foreign Affairs article (emphasis added):
It should not be surprising that the Southern Gas Corridor has caught
Moscow’s ire. Russian-run Gazprom is attempting to buy up gas transit and
transmission infrastructure along the pipeline route to try to undermine the
project. Even more insidious, it has paid environmental movements to try to
stymie construction with environmental claims. This is not the first time that
Gazprom has used bogus environmental movements to promote its interests.
It has also funded anti-fracking campaigns in Europe, including in Ukraine
and Bulgaria, to slow Europe’s development of local gas supplies. If public
watchdogs in Europe do not monitor and publicize Russia’s manipulation of
environmental causes, distinguishing its claims from those of legitimate environmental organizations, it will find itself increasingly dependent on Russian
gas imports.
It’s also worth noting Phelim McAleer was ahead of the curve on this in
Fracknation, when he interviewed James Delingpole of Breitbart London
and Neil Buckley of the Financial Times about this very issue. Here’s the
video link: http://youtu.be/AAafjfeIsCU
20
Now, Breitbart London (a conservative blog) has come out with still
more on the subject, reporting on a remarkable article in the Guardian (a center-left UK paper) that includes the following:
Russia ‘secretly working with environmentalists to oppose fracking’
The head of one of the world’s leading groups of democratic nations
has accused Russia of undermining projects using hydraulic fracturing
technology in Europe.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (Nato), and former premier of Denmark, told the Chatham House thinktank in London on Thursday that Vladimir Putin’s
government was behind attempts to discredit fracking, according to
reports.
Rasmussen said: “I have met allies who can report that Russia, as
part of their sophisticated information and disinformation operations,
engaged actively with so-called non-governmental organisations –
environmental organisations working against shale gas – to maintain
European dependence on imported Russian gas.”
Rasmussen made clear that fracking should be used, in his view, to
increase Europe’s energy security, by providing a new source of gas and
oil supply.
Nato was originally formed at the start of the cold war as an alliance
of western states, including the US and many European nations, and
historically has often opposed Russia. Rasmussen himself has spoken out
previously against Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
A Nato official told the Guardian that Russia’s influence on energy supplies was causing problems for Europe. The official said: “We don’t go
into the details of discussions among allied leaders, but Russia has been
using a mix of hard and soft power in its attempt to recreate a sphere
of influence, including through a campaign of disinformation on many
issues, including energy. In general, the potential for Russia using energy
supplies as a means of putting pressure on European nations is a matter
of concern. No country should use supply and pricing terms as tools of
coercion.
“As energy supplies and routes are an issue mostly for the EU, we count
on the EU to take into account the new security realities in Europe and
look at whether there is a need to review diversifying energy sources and
expanding energy infrastructure. Clearly, it is in the interest of all Nato
allies to be able to have adequate energy supplies. This is critical to our
economies, our security and our prosperity. We share a concern by some
allies that Russia could try to obstruct possible projects on s [H