Aftermath of the Attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya

Updated 23 SEPT 2012 | This Case Study will be following the developments involving widespread protests across the Middle East and Norther Africa, originating on 11 September 2012. Protests first started in Cairo, Egypt a the United States Embassy, where crowds stormed the compound and replaced the American Flag with a “black flag”. But later that evening in Benghazi, Libya, while similar protests were taking place at the U.S. Consulate, a breakout of violence resulted in the death of United States Ambassador Christopher Stevens, and three other U.S. personnel. In the following days, protests have continued in Libya and Egypt, while spreading and demonstrations reach across the region – many being of an Anti-American nature, with protestors claiming a film offensive to Islam was supported by the United States. There also have been demonstrations of support for the United States, such as Libyan citizens proclaiming their respect for Ambassador Stevens, and that terrorist actions are not part of Islam.

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News Cycles

~18 SEPT: Take 3: The Latest on Islamic Protests, the Film, and News following attack on US Diplomatic Missions | Learnist

~14SEPT: Libya Take 2: Beyond the Video – the next wave of understanding what happened on the attack on the US Consulate in Libya and ensuing spread of protests | Learnist

~11SEPT: First Take: Protest in Benghazi, Libya – Attack of U.S. Consulate | Learnist

Auxiliary Material

Muslim Rage – A political force *and* a hashtag? #muslimrage | Learnist

“Innocence of Muslims” & Nakoula Basseley Nakoula – What Do We Know About The Film and its Producer? | Learnist

Building Background on Libya – Understanding after Violence on the US Consulate | Learnist

[INFLUENCE] Commentary

NEWS: Take 2 – Beyond the Video, Protests in Libya Spread | Jesse Parent [INFLUENCE]

This will be a brief update on the story and the introduction of a new Case Study concerning this latest string of events. Here are some quick notes:

• There appears to be growing evidence that the attack on the US Consulate in Libya, which took the life of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other personnel, was not simply a spill over from protests regarding an offensive film or anti-US sentiment. The attack appears to be carefully orchestrated and planned, involving four cars entering the embassy during the haze of the protests. However, some accounts say that at this time, the protest was minimal.
• Protests have swelled in at least 11 countries, (some late accounts up to 17 countries),  largely citing the film, and with many protestors saying the US is responsible for insulting Islam. Attempts by the US government to distance itself from the film appear to have no effect. At the time of this posting, there have been no new, significant attacks upon US diplomatic personnel, although the protests are widespread.
• Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has made statements condemning the film while expressing some legitimacy in protests and defending Islam, but encouraging obedience to law and respect towards guests: “I call on everyone to take that into consideration, to not violate Egyptian law … to not assault embassies,” Morsi said on Thursday. “I condemn and oppose all who … insult our prophet. [But] it is our duty to protect our guests and visitors from abroad.”

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Stay tuned to Learnist and Twitter @jpinfluence for more updates.

Jesse Parent is an analyst, editor, researcher, and writer focusing on energy & resources, technology, and global affairs. For more of Jesse’s thoughts throughout the week and to see what news he’s following, you are invited to join the conversation via Twitter and Facebook. Visit Jesse Parent [INFLUENCE] to view Case Studies, Commentary and more.

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CASE STUDY: Hydraulic Fracturing in New York

Last Update: 11 AUG 2012 | Currently, there is a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in the state of New York. However, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo has been waiting indefinitely to make a decision about the duration of the moratorium, and the final verdict on whether or not New York state will allow hydraulic fracturing. The ‘rumor’ is that it will be allowed, in some form, at some time. “Rumors”, which are now essentially developing, indicate there are plans to open up fracking activities in the Southern Tier of New York.

Introduction

Image used with permission, Karen Eldestein

Wikipedia: The New York City watershed includes a large area of the Marcellus shale formation. The NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection’s position: “While DEP is mindful of the potential economic opportunity that this represents for the State, hydraulic fracturing poses an unacceptable threat to the unfiltered water supply of nine million New Yorkers and cannot safely be permitted with the New York City watershed.”

State Level: The New York State assembly voted 93 to 43, Nov. 30, 2010, to place a moratorium or freeze on hydraulic fracturing to give the state more time to undertake safety and environmental concerns.

Municipal Level: At the municipal level, some towns and cities in central New York state have moved to regulate drilling by hydraulic fracturing and its attendant effects, either by banning it within municipal limits, maintaining the option to do so in the future, or banning wastewater from the drilling process from municipal water treatment plants.

Official Reports and Studies

There are obviously many such reports to sift through, and there is quite a bit of controversy about who funds what reports, and whether or not product is biased. I endeavor to find quality reports and will, time permitting, try to review them.

• Final Impact Assessment Report: Impact Assessment of Natural Gas Production in the New York City Water Supply Watershed (23 DEC 2009)
  This is one of the widely cited studies that has to do with why New York City has rejected fracking that may contaminate its water supply.
• COMMENTS ON THE NY DEC DRAFT OF SUPPLEMENTAL GENERIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (DSGEIS) FOR GAS DRILLING By the Otsego Lake Watershed Supervisory Committee October 2009
  “The  bottom-line conclusion of DEP is that gas drilling, as currently defined in the dSGEIS, is incompatible with the operation of the NYC watershed and should be prohibited. In addition, the DEP is recommending to DEC that the dSGEIS be rescinded because it failsto adequately address the risks to the watershed. The DEP has also requested the NYSDOH to conduct a study of the public health threat posed by long-term exposure to low levels of toxic chemicals.”

Other Links

• Natural Gas Drilling in Marcellus Shale – New York City Department of Environmental Protection - NYC DEP’s homepage for information fracking in NY/C
• Hydraulic Fracturing in New York | Vox Pop : Fracking : 8/8/12 (Audio) | Learnist - Great discussion on WAMC, North East Public Radio. Many good leads to follow.
• Details Emerge on Cuomo’s Plan to Allow Limited Fracking in New York | www.ithacaindy.com (9 AUG 2012)

Background/Personal

After much considering, I’ve decided to make an effort to turn this very specific situation into an actual case study on my website. What happens in New York, I believe, will set a certain amount of precedence for the rest of the United States of America, and potentially the world. At the very least, it will affect my life…

For those of you who don’t know, I was born in raised in New York state. I take this issues seriously, and I can openly say that I have not taken a side yet on this issue. I have been and will be highly critical of natural gas companies, because I know that unless there is severe regulatory pressure, bad things can happen, whatever the industry.

If I can determine that hydraulic fracturing is something worth supporting – I will do it. I have no illusions about its benefits in terms of domestic energy creation and the economy, and potential environmental benefits as per carbon emissions. But there are many related issues, in terms of the economic potential of the gas, and the overall environmental damage (that I believe would extend beyond simply carbon emissions). I’m going to be very frank and document how I’m leaning and why, which, as far as I know, is something most people don’t do – especially people trying to be experts. But I’m personally fed up with the only stories we hear coming from very obvious backgrounds – if it’s from the industry, it’s in favor of shale gas development. If it’s from an environmentalist group, it’s anti-gas. Maybe there is no in between. But how can someone who is ‘neither’, or an average person, actually make a real decision about this?

That’s what I’ll try to foster.

The Page, which will be set up after this one becomes too large, is in the works, and will contain as many relevant articles as I can. I will also be using the new platform over at Learnist (see here) to help me document and collect articles, and hopefully further discussion.

I welcome all comments and hope we can learn and make the best possible decision for the future of New York, the USA, and the world.

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Jesse Parent is a researcher, analyst, and editor focusing on energy & resources, technology, and global affairs. For more of Jesse’s thoughts throughout the week and to see what news he’s following, you are invited to join the conversation via Twitter and Facebook. Visit Jesse Parent [INFLUENCE] to view Case Studies, Commentary and more.

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• CASE STUDY: Fukushima I (Dai-ichi) Nuclear Power Plant (jpinfluence.com)
• Hinchey Urges New York to Take Stronger Steps on Fracking (thecatskillchronicle.com)
• Opponents Want Fracking Draft Regulations Withdrawn (theepochtimes.com)
• NY anti-fracking movement gets star-studded boost (troyrecord.com)
• Fracking in New York: Is It Worth The Risk? (huffingtonpost.com)
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• “The Sky is Pink” a video warning about hydrofracking in NY (nyaltnews.com)
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• Op-Ed Contributor: The Wise Way to Regulate Hydraulic Fracturing (nytimes.com)
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http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/news/natural_gas_drilling.shtml

CASE STUDY: Keystone XL Pipeline

Last Update: JULY 30, 2012 | The Keystone XL Pipeline  is a proposed extension of the Keystone Pipeline, a system to transport synthetic crude oil and diluted bitumen from the Athabasca Oil Sands in northeastern Alberta, Canada to various locations in the United States, reaching south down to the Gulf of Mexico. The final say in the matter goes to the President of The United States, as the pipeline would be a transnational affair, crosses the northern border of the US in both Montana and North Dakota. There have been numerous deadlines regarding various stages of the decision-making process – to this date the project is indefinitely under review.

• In June,  State Department formally invited public comment on the issues it should consider in a new environmental assessment of the Keystone XL
• As of March 22 2012, there are now plans to proceed with the southern portion of the original KXL (extension) pipeline. Part of this recent resurgence in completing the pipeline has to do with rising gas prices and pressure from GOP and oil companies to make KXL an election-year issue.
• As of May 25, 2012, the issue remains deadlocked. New concerns about Iran and the potential of the International Energy Agency to encourage the release of global strategic petroleum reserves only further complicates the KXL situation.

CASE STUDY: Fukushima I (Dai-ichi) Nuclear Power Plant

Last Update: 12 JULY, 2012 | The developing legacy of the Fukushima nuclear plant continues to shape international energy discussion. The literal and figurative fallout from the disaster has raised concerns about health risks and put Japan in a complicated position in general, yet it has also stoked discussion about nuclear energy’s viability in meeting ever-expanding global energy needs.

CASE STUDY: Subsidizing Energy [Debate]

So much discussion in the energy analyst community lately is about the use of subsidies and their impact on the energy industry. Who should do what, how much is too much, governments with various plans, industries with various tactics – what works and what doesn’t? I have not found much coherency at this point in my understanding, but, I will continue to search, and I invite you to do the same.

This “debate” is going to mostly be a case study looking at the USA (particularly because that is where I am currently based and have more in depth access to discussion), but I also will try to incorporate various other countries or examples. I intend to look deeply at Germany’s solar subsidies (and why the had to cut back), as well as China’s various state-driven endeavors.

As with all of my case studies, I intend to move the main page of that study to a “page” on this website, and will put a navigation link in the bar at the top of the page – this helps keeps a centered location for various updates that come up along the way.

CASE STUDY: US Military & Energy Innovation

I’m pleased to announce the development of a new Case Study – one which focuses on the United States’ military, and its own endeavors for using energy wisely. The military perspectiveon energy usage is valuable for its pragmatism and security focus – whatever your concerns about the environment, Wall Street speculation, or politics, maintaining a nation’s defense and supplying troops presents its own challenges and opportunities.

Note: This Case Study is currently in a Data Collection phase. Examples of the US Military’s energy innovations are being collected.