FOSSIL FUELS
President Obama has directed EPA and DOT to develop fuel efficiency and emissions standards for medium- and heavy duty vehicles beyond model year 2018. On February 18, 2014, President Barack Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop the next phase of…...
President Obama’s 2015 Budget proposal will include a $1B Climate Resilience Fund to enhance climate change preparedness and infrastructure resilience. During a meeting with farmers and ranchers in drought-affected California on February 14, 2014, President Barack Obama announced a $1B Climate Resilience Fund to support climate impact actions. The Fund will be included in the…...
EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2014 projects that 90 percent of coal-fired power plant retirements will occur by 2016, the first year of MATS enforcement. On February 14, 2014, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report showing that more coal-fired power plants are projected to retire by 2016 than previously predicted. The report draws on…...
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…...
EPA’s 2013 enforcement results show violators paid more than $5.6B in fines, civil penalties, restitution, and environmental projects. On February 7, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its FY 2013 enforcement and compliance report detailing results of EPA civil and criminal enforcement programs and estimated environmental benefits. The results highlight that violators paid more…...
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 State Department’s final Keystone XL assessment report indicates the pipeline is unlikely to have significant environmental impact. On January 31, 2014, the U.S. State Department released the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, finding that the pipeline is unlikely to have significant effect on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions…....
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:…...
In last night’s 2014 State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama highlighted energy industry progress as a major job and economic growth driver. The President first mentioned crude oil production outpacing imports for the first time in nearly 20 years, then natural gas production and how if extracted safely, it can serve as a…...