FOSSIL FUELS
The House has approved two energy bills that would expedite permit issuance for drilling on federal lands and prevent duplicative hydraulic fracturing regulations. On November 20, 2013, the U.S. House of Representatives approved two bills – Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act (H.R. 1965) and Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act…...
President Obama’s Senior Advisors today recommended he veto two new energy bills which respectively seek to block Interior Department regulations on hydraulic fracturing and speed up oil and gas drilling permits. On November 19th, 2013, the White House Administration issued a pair of statements strongly opposing two new energy bills: (1) H.R. 2728 – Protecting…...
An EIA report shows that U.S. monthly crude oil production in October 2013 exceeded net imports for the first time in two decades. On November 13, 2013, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its Short Term Energy Outlook, showing that U.S. monthly estimated crude oil production averaged 7.7 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in October,…...
IEA’s 2013 World Energy Outlook finds technology is opening new oil resources in the U.S., but the Middle East remains key to the longer-term outlook. The International Energy Agency (IEA) today released its annual World Energy Outlook, indicating that “although rising oil output from North America and Brazil reduces the role of OPEC countries in…...
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has announced support for a draft bill aimed to scale back EPA’s proposed emissions rules for new power plants. On November 11, 2013, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce wrote to Congress expressing support for a draft bill that would limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to set greenhouse gas…...
API’s guidelines for SEC’s Dodd-Frank disclosure rule intend to protect energy companies’ competitiveness without undermining the rule’s objectives. In its letter, API pointed out SEC’s flexibility in complying with the disclosure mandate, as outlined in the Court ruling, without undermining the statute’s objectives. Specifically, API suggested a compilation model of disclosure, whereby the Dodd-Frank requirements…...
DOE has announced new research projects to facilitate efficient and cost-effective application of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies in power plants. On November 7, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced $84M in funding to advance CCS technologies. The funding, supplemented by cost-share from industry, university, and research organizations, will support 18 projects…...
The Northern American Energy Infrastructure Act is a bipartisan bill that creates a new approval process for oil and natural gas pipelines and electric transmission facilities crossing U.S. borders. On October 29th, 2013 the Energy and Power Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee (the “Committee”) held a hearing on H.R. 3301, the North…...
On September 23, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated its 2012 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) rule, which indirectly regulates fugitive methane emissions at the production phase of oil and natural gas development. Overview EPA will use outcome data from the NSPS NESHAP rule to determine…...
A new analysis shows that California needs significant policy and technology changes to meet its 2050 GHG reduction target. On November 4, 2013, the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory released a report analyzing the impact of existing policies and technologies on California’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction targets. The state’s GHG reduction initiatives aim to reduce…...
The U.S. Treasury has announced plans to limit funding for new overseas coal projects as part of the nation’s international climate strategy. On October 29, 2013, the U.S. Department of Treasury revised its technical guidance for Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) funding for new overseas coal projects. The revisions, which replace the 2009 Guidance to MDBs…...
NY State’s Strategic Gasoline Reserve will hold three million gallons of fuel to prevent emergency supply gaps. On October 26, 2013, New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo launched the first U.S. state-based Strategic Gasoline Reserve as part of the Fuel NY initiative to prevent potential supply gaps during weather events and emergencies, such as…...
