Russians spent $95 million to NGOs to feed “shale fear” and anti-fraking campaigns. Most of the West

[Elderberry]

JoNova

Russians spent $95 million to NGOs to feed “shale fear” and anti-fraking campaigns. Most of the West fell for it…

Russia makes about $300 billion in gas and oil exports each year. For a tiny tenth of a billion dollars it fed western activists and successfully stopped fracking development in the UK (and some parts of Australia apparently). It’s what you call a stupendous investment.

Matt Ridley lays out just how game changing the discovery of shale fracking could have been for the UK, and how easily the politicians and system was exploited and fell over:

The Plot against Fracking, The Critic

When the shale gas revolution first came along, some environmentalists welcomed it, and rightly so. …

But then the vested interests got to work. Renewable energy promoters panicked at the thought of cheap and abundant gas.

The Russians also lobbied behind the scenes against shale gas, worried about losing their grip on the world’s gas supplies.

It’s all so predictable…

The Centre for European Studies found that the Russian government has invested $95 million in NGOs campaigning against shale gas. Russia Today television ran endless anti-fracking stories, including one that “frackers are the moral equivalent of paedophiles”. The US Director of National Intelligence stated that “RT runs anti-fracking programming … reflective of the Russian Government’s concern about the impact of fracking and US natural gas production on the global energy market and the potential challenges to Gazprom’s profitability.” Pro-Russian politicians such as Lord Truscott (married to a Russian army colonel’s daughter) made speeches in parliament against fracking.

More: http://joannenova.com.au/2019/12/russians-spent-95-million-to-ngos-to-feed-shale-fear-and-anti-fraking-campaigns-most-of-the-west-fell-for-it/

[PeteS in CA]

The story is much more broad in scope, but I would love to see a Trump-Hater explain how Trump, who has removed obstacles from the US oil/gas industry and cost Russia God knows how many 10s or 100s of millions (so far), is Putin's Puppet.

[Smokin Joe]

Considering the Environmental movement was seeded with KGB funds to hamper western industrial development back in the 70s, that has been consistently one of the most damaging investments the Communists of the USSR made. American Communists have doubled down on that, too, but the energy hegemony that Russia (and the USSR) enjoyed over Eastern Europe might be threatened by cheap sources of exported LNG, and at the very least, reduced prices affect their bottom line.

[ChemEngrMBA]

Elderberry, you are Totally Awesome.  Unbelievable.  A giant among men and women.

JoNova

Russians spent $95 million to NGOs to feed “shale fear” and anti-fraking campaigns. Most of the West fell for it…

Russia makes about $300 billion in gas and oil exports each year. For a tiny tenth of a billion dollars it fed western activists and successfully stopped fracking development in the UK (and some parts of Australia apparently). It’s what you call a stupendous investment.

Matt Ridley lays out just how game changing the discovery of shale fracking could have been for the UK, and how easily the politicians and system was exploited and fell over:

The Plot against Fracking, The Critic

When the shale gas revolution first came along, some environmentalists welcomed it, and rightly so. …

But then the vested interests got to work. Renewable energy promoters panicked at the thought of cheap and abundant gas.

The Russians also lobbied behind the scenes against shale gas, worried about losing their grip on the world’s gas supplies.

It’s all so predictable…

The Centre for European Studies found that the Russian government has invested $95 million in NGOs campaigning against shale gas. Russia Today television ran endless anti-fracking stories, including one that “frackers are the moral equivalent of paedophiles”. The US Director of National Intelligence stated that “RT runs anti-fracking programming … reflective of the Russian Government’s concern about the impact of fracking and US natural gas production on the global energy market and the potential challenges to Gazprom’s profitability.” Pro-Russian politicians such as Lord Truscott (married to a Russian army colonel’s daughter) made speeches in parliament against fracking.

More: http://joannenova.com.au/2019/12/russians-spent-95-million-to-ngos-to-feed-shale-fear-and-anti-fraking-campaigns-most-of-the-west-fell-for-it/