NATURAL GAS
With the election over, President Obama’s energy priorities will emerge as new rules and regulations are finalized under existing law. The balance of power in Washington is the same as it was prior to the elections– President Barack Obama will serve another four years and Congress will continue to be divided with a Democrat-controlled Senate…...
Under President Obama’s second term, energy industry officials and analysts are keen on the Administration’s priorities for the energy sector, envisioning regulatory reforms and policies to advance the nation’s energy and economic security. Key areas to watch include Keystone XL Pipeline talks, recognizing the primacy of states in regulating oil and natural gas development, and…...
Sequestration refers to a package of automatic $1.2 trillion across-the-board spending cuts that is a part of the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA), passed in August 2011. The spending cuts would affect some 1200 government programs, including those that fund energy research and development initiatives. The cuts are scheduled to begin on January 2, 2013…...
The finalized details for the Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 229, released on October 25, 2012 open all available unleased areas in the region for energy development. According to the details released by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM), over 20 million acres offshore of Texas will be offered for oil…...
Findings from a study by Plains Exploration & Production Co (PXP) released on October 10, 2012 show that hydraulic fracturing in the Inglewood Oil Field, Los Angeles does not add to the risk of seismic activity or environmental pollution in the region. The study, being the first of its kind in California, is important for…...
Schlumberger Limited expanded its Scanner Family by adding a new high-definition spectroscopy service, which is capable of measuring a bigger array of elements in real time. Announcing the expansion on October 8, 2012, the company stated that the new service provides critical reservoir data that previously required lengthy and complex lab testing methods. Schlumberger, a…...
A report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released on October 4, 2012 states that the Utica Shale holds about 38 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The report, which is the first assessment of the Utica Shale play, pertains to technically recoverable resources. The Utica contains an average of 940 million barrels of oil…...
The North Slope’s three energy giants and TransCanada sent a letter to Alaskan Governor Sean Parnell on October 1, 2012 describing their progress in a proposed Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Export Project. The proposal includes a gas pipeline, a treatment plant to remove impurities, a liquefaction facility, LNG storage facilities and marine terminals, which…...
A new report from Brattle Group released on October 1, 2012 projects that as much as 77 GW of coal power could retire in the next five years, driven mainly by lower natural gas prices, despite a less restrictive regulatory atmosphere than previously envisioned. The report, which is an update on Brattle Group’s 2010 study,…...
The Canadian National Railway announced the launch of a natural gas-fueled locomotive test on September 28, 2012. The locomotive test aims at exploring the viability of using cheaper and cleaner natural gas as fuel instead of diesel. The key challenges of the endeavor pertain to engine conversion costs and addition of a liquefied natural gas…...
On September 26, 2012, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) released reports from tests of a drinking water aquifer near Pavillion, Wyoming, which has been the center of a debate linking hydraulic fracturing to groundwater contamination. The reports contain the results of re-testing water samples in the area in response to questions raised over the…...
Shell began exploratory operations in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea on September 9, 2012, after six years of efforts to explore the potentially significant petroleum reserves under the state’s outer continental shelf. Operations began after Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) gave its approval on August 30, 2012, permitting Shell to carry out preparatory activities off…...