Natural gas speed-bump: hydraulic fracturing may be polluting groundwater

By Money Matters Editors

Not so fast regarding shale gas or ‘unconventional gas.’ Accessing the potentially plentiful, domestic energy source has encountered a obstacle: it may be contaminating wells and groundwater, The New York Times reported.

The new techniques used to access the gas – one major techniques is called hydraulic fracturing – are causing environmental problems, The Times said. So far, the incidence of groundwater contamination is thin, but more-thorough government checks may turn up many more problems.

Natural gas companies acknowledge the validity of some concerns, The Times added, but they argue that their technology remains fundamentally safe. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is investigating various contaminated wells and sites.

President Obama's jobs bill will jump-start hiring

By Money Matters Editors

President Obama Tuesday proposed using a portion of the surplus TARP bank bailout money to fund infrastructure spending, tax credits, and related small business credits, all aimed at creating jobs, Bloomberg News reported.

We at Money Matters heartily agree. There is an enormous amount of work that needs to be done in these United States, and millions of skilled professionals and semi-skilled workers who are willing to do it: more than 7.6 million Americans have lost their jobs in the recession that started in December 2007.

For solid stock gains, consider Potash, Mosaic, and Agrium

By Money Matters Editors

Fertilizer plays are ‘in,’ and that’s no bull.

Money Matters is Reiterating its Buy rating for Potash (POT), Mosaic (MOS), and Agrium (AGU).

All three will perform well in 2010 and 2011 as the U.S. and global economic expansions strengthen.

Headline: ‘Cheap oil is here to stay’ – when did it arrive?

By Money Matters Editors

CNNMoney.com published a story Thursday entitled “Cheap Oil Is Here To Stay.”

Question - Oil closed at about $75 per barrel Thursday: Money Matters Editors want to know, when exactly did cheap oil arrive?

The CNNMoney. com article goes on to say that a combination of conservation, increased engine efficiency, and an existing glut of oil will keep the price of oil “well below $100 a barrel.”  How comforting.

New York City is testing hybrid garbage trucks

By Money Matters Editors

Sometimes the answers to difficult, complex problems stem from the least likely of places. Are economies of scale – basically the lowering of the per unit cost of a good through mass production - starting to make themselves felt in the hybrid vehicle sector?

Well, that may very well be the case, if the hybrid truck trend gains momentum, as expected. Right now, the City of New York is testing a series of hybrid garbage trucks – those big, diesel-spewing trucks that haul away garbage, lots of garbage  – with the hope of lowering long-term fuel and maintenance costs, The New York Times reported.

The EPA should ban E15

By Money Matters Editors

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has sent the E15 proposal – gasoline with 15% ethanol – back for more study.

Money Matters Editors argues E15 from should be abandoned outright. Here’s why:

Ethanol from corn is not achieving its environmental, energy or conservation goals.

First, the scientific community is divided as to whether corn-based ethanol results in less or more greenhouse gas emissions. Some studies have shown that when one considers the energy to grow corn, harvest it, load the trucks, and process it, corn-based ethanol emits more greenhouse gases than it, in theory, would save from not drilling for oil.

Good deal: U.S. Treasury borrows $44 billion for 1%

By Money Matters Editors

The inflation hawks continue to circle, but for the duration of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s unprecedented quantitative easing and credit market intervention, they’ve been circling in vain.

Case in point: With more than $23 trillion pumped into the financial system via monetary and fiscal policy in the last 12 months, there’s good reason to fear a rise in inflation, particularly if the U.S. Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing is not withdrawn in time.