NATURAL GAS
On January 28, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing to receive testimony on S. 1600, the Critical Minerals Policy Act of 2013. This Act that would enable domestic production of critical minerals necessary in the manufacturing of many clean energy technologies. Overview Critical minerals play and important role in…...
A Nebraska District Court declared that a 2012 law which authorized Nebraska Governor Heineman to approve the proposed Keystone XL route is unconstitutional. On February 19, 2014, the Lancaster County District Court struck down Legislative Bill (LB) 1161, the 2012 legislation which authorized Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman to approve the proposed Keystone XL pipeline route…...
The EPA has released revised underground injection control guidelines for diesel fuel use in oil and gas hydraulic fracturing activities. On February 11, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released revised guidelines to implement the Safe Drinking Water Act’s Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program Class II requirements, as amended by the 2005 Energy Policy Act,…...
The U.S. Department of Energy continues LNG export terminal approvals with the sixth going to Sempra Energy. On February 11, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) conditionally granted the sixth conditional licence to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to non-free-trade agreement (non-FTA) countries. The license was granted to Sempra Energy, who looks to export LNG from its…...
Drilling operations in Shell’s second Mars field platform are expected to push the Shell’s Mars field oil production levels to 100,000 barrels per day in 2016. On February 4, 2014, Royal Dutch Shell Plc announced it started oil production from the Mars B field through Olympus, the largest deep-water floating platform in the Gulf of…...
The recent domestic oil and gas production boom and industry pressure has re-started U.S. crude oil export ban debate under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975. Overview In 1973, the United States experienced a historic oil crisis in response to the Arab oil embargo and the subsequent 70 percent OPEC oil price increase…...
Shell has decided to halt 2014 Arctic drilling operations following a court ruling that DOI’s Chukchi Sea lease sale was based on arbitrary production estimates. On January 30, 2014, Royal Dutch Shell Plc announced its decision to stop its offshore Alaska exploration program for the second consecutive year. The announcement comes after a January 22…...
The Whitehouse has released guidelines for federal departments and agencies to implement the 2013 Arctic National Strategy On January 30, 2014, the White House released an implementation plan to execute the National Strategy for the Arctic Region issued in May 2013. The plan details specific activities to implement the Arctic Strategy’s three lines of effort:…...
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has advanced legislation that would restrict EPA authority to finalize power plant emissions regulations. On January 28, 2014, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the Electricity Security and Affordability Act (H.R. 3826) designed to provide a reasonable alternative to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) impending carbon dioxide…...
U.S. Commerce Chamber’s new energy advocacy platform proposes actionable recommendations to capitalize on the nation’s energy potential. On January 15, 2014, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy launched its new energy advocacy platform titled “Energy Works for US,” a comprehensive plan with recommendations for 2014 and beyond. The plan, an update…...
EIA estimates a two percent increase in 2013 energy-related emissions over 2012 due to increased coal-fired electricity generation. On January 13, 2014, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report estimating that U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2013 were approximately two percent above 2012 levels mainly due to a slight increase in the use…...
Alaska Governor’s latest plans to advance Alaska’s long-sought natural gas pipeline calls for state ownership share in the state’s LNG export project. On January 10, 2014, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell announced a proposal to establish state equity partnership in the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project. To this end, the state will terminate its 2008…...