FOSSIL FUELS
Key Takeaways: Royal Dutch Shell will close its Arctic drilling activities, demonstrating the increasing complexity of Arctic operational conditions Declining oil prices create unfavorable environment for capital-intensive offshore drilling projects Finalized regulations and revised timelines that reflect challenging Arctic conditions are needed to foster Arctic oil and gas development in the future Insight for…...
Key Takeaways: Light tight oil production from unconventional resources has prompted industry to seek export avenues Approval of U.S.-Mexico crude oil swaps provides an additional market for light crude and increases its value given the current limitations in U.S. refinery capability Oil exchange transactions will potentially enhance refinery utilization in the United States and Mexico…...
Key Takeaways: The Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015 contains comprehensive reforms with impacts to gas, electric, and renewables, and it is likely to pass after the August recess The bill would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to issue final decisions on applications to export natural gas to countries that do not have a…...
Key Takeaways: Mexico’s July 15 opening Round One close-to-shore oil and gas auction fell short of expectations with only 2 of 14 blocks auctioned and a number of major international players sitting out Subsequent Round One auctions for deepwater oil fields will attract more interest from major players, but Mexico will be forced to revisit…...
Key Takeaways: BP agreed to settle all federal, state and local claims for $18.7 billion, with payments to be spread over 18 years The agreement increases BP’s financial certainty, but its reduced cashflow could lead the company to become a takeover target in the current low oil price environment New draft regulations would establish design…...
Key Takeaways: The Mercury and Air Toxics (MATS) rule represented one of the most significant air pollution regulations in U.S. history when it was announced in 2011 The Supreme Court rejected the rule, ruling that the EPA should have considered costs initially when assessing whether the rule was “appropriate and necessary” The specific nature of…...
Key Takeaways: The 2013 Climate Action Plan called for new standards to advance fuel economy and emissions reductions in the transportation sector Proposed Phase 2 standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles aim to achieve 24 percent improvement in fuel efficiency by 2027 The new standards will spur advancements in trucking technology, resulting in substantial costs…...
During the 2000s, many companies positioned themselves for a prolonged period of U.S. natural gas import dependence and constructed multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals across the Gulf Coast. However, the shale revolution transformed the domestic energy landscape, with natural gas production increasing from 19 trillion cubic feet (tcf) in 2005 to 27…...
Insight for Industry – FERC’s Push to Incorporate Reliability Safety Mechanism in the Clean Power Plan Increases Certainty for State Compliance Efforts On May 15, 2015, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) provided the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a letter signed by all five Commissioners that details its role in implementing a Reliability Safety…...
Insight for Industry – Energy Efficiency Improvement Act Will Reduce Energy Demand The Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015, which President Obama signed into law on April 30, will add momentum to falling energy consumption per capita in the United States by reducing energy demand from commercial buildings, manufacturing plants, and homes. The relatively uncontroversial…...
Coal has long reigned as the leading energy source for U.S. electricity generation, but structural changes in U.S. energy markets, brought on by technological innovations and new regulatory initiatives, have called into question the future of the coal industry. For over a century, the coal industry has provided the lifeblood for American progress, fueling the…...
Trans-Pacific Partnership would Open New Markets for U.S. LNG Export Projects Key Takeaways: U.S. shale gas boom created opportunities to export surplus natural gas to high price markets in Asia, but lengthy regulatory processes have weakened U.S. natural gas producers’ ability to compete with global markets The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) could facilitate western LNG…...