OIL
President Obama’s proposed Energy Security Trust would divert revenue from federal oil and gas development to fund research and development of alternative transportation fuel technologies. During a speech at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois on March 15, President Barack Obama revealed a proposal to set aside $2 billion for the Energy Security Trust, a…...
Two new House bills would address health impacts of drilling operations by reversing industry exemptions, putting them on the same environmental regulatory framework as other industries. On March 14, two bills – “Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydraulic Environmental Regulation (FRESHER) Act” and “Bringing Reductions to Energy’s Airborne Toxic Health Effects (BREATHE)…...
A Department of Interior (DOI) report on Shell’s 2012 Arctic operations reveals inadequate management oversight and details key recommendations for conduct and oversight of future exploration projects. On March 14, 2013, DOI released its 2012 assessment of Shell’s Arctic operations. The review identifies inadequacies that led to a series of problems related to containment system deployment, marine transport,…...
Department of Energy (DOE) study examines opportunities to attain significant reductions in emissions and petroleum use, revealing that the U.S. transportation sector has the potential to achieve 80% reductions by 2050. On March 14, the Department of Energy (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) released a study examining opportunities to…...
The NY State Assembly voted to enact legislation that would extend the moratorium on high volume hydraulic fracturing until 2015, aiming to facilitate additional health and environmental impact assessments. On March 6, 2013, the New York State Assembly passed a bill to further suspend issuance of permits for high volume hydraulic fracturing until May 15,…...
On Friday, March 1st, 2013, NRG Energy President & CEO David Crane took the stage at the MIT Energy Conference to offer the Friday Keynote Address to a packed theater. MIT Energy Initiative Executive Director Melanie Kenderdine moderated the Friday Keynote in a one-on-one Davos-style conversational interview. In it, she asked Crane to offer his…...
The U.S. State Department’s draft environmental assessment report finds that the development rate of Canadian oil sands and the extent of crude oil refining in the Gulf Coast region would not be affected by rejection of the Keystone XL project, while contribution to a substantive change in global greenhouse gas emissions from project implementation is unlikely…....
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a new study challenging EPA’s optimistic projections regarding air regulations and job creation. The data revealed EPA’s flawed analysis methods and emphasized the need for regulatory reform, showing evidence of potential negative economic impacts from regulations. On February 27, 2013, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a study evaluating the employment impacts of EPA’s regulations…....
The Energy Production and Project Delivery Act of 2013 aims at opening more federal acreage for energy development and expediting permitting processes for energy projects to create millions of jobs and add trillions of dollars to the economy. On February 27, 2013, Senator David Vitter (R-La.) and Congressman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) introduced the Energy Production…...
A recent report from the Bipartisan Policy Center outlines common ground energy policy recommendations that build on energy abundance and efficiency accomplishments of the U.S. On February 27, 2013, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) released a report proposing a set of recommendations intended to serve as a blueprint for establishing strong and diverse energy resource portfolios…....
Chief executives of leading U.S. companies released a report outlining recommendations for a comprehensive energy policy framework that would capitalize on the nation’s strengths to enhance self-sufficiency, economic growth, and environmental stewardship. On February 25, 2013, Business Roundtable, a national association of corporate executives, released a report outlining recommendations to devise a comprehensive energy policy…...
A finalized management plan for National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) opens approximately half of the 23 million acreage for oil and gas development and allows construction of an oil and gas pipeline through the reserve. On February 21, 2013, Secretary of the Department of Interior (DOI) Ken Salazar signed the Record of Decision (ROD) for NPR-A,…...