North Dakota’s crude oil output fell by 41.6 percent between December 2019 and May 2020, a much larger decline than it would have been if producers ceased new drilling and allowed production from existing wells to drop naturally, according to an Aug. 20 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The decline is largely attributed…...
The U.S. Interior Department on Aug. 17 issued a decision approving oil and gas leasing activities in the 1.56 million-acre Coastal Plain area in Alaska’s 19.3 million Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The move follows the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which directed the Secretary of the Interior to establish a competitive program for the…...
The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management on Aug. 14 issued a final environmental review for ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc.’s proposed Willow Master Development Plan, an oil and gas development project in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. The project is expected to produce up to 590 million total barrels of oil during its 30-year…...
The Bureau of Land Management on July 29 proposed revisions to three regulations on oil and gas production, measurement, and reporting, in a bid to reduce bureaucracy and provide accurate royalties for ratepayers. The move stems from the bureau’s review of 2016 rules, following a 2017 executive order that directed agencies to ensure that regulations do…...
The U.S. Energy Department on July 29 awarded $100 million for two multi-institutional research initiatives focused on producing fuels from sunlight under a five-year program. The agency also announced another $68 million over the same duration for projects aimed at supporting sustainable bioenergy production. The multi-institutional partnerships under the Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub…...
U.S. petroleum demand is projected to see a widespread dip for the rest of the 2020 calendar year, according to a July 20 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The forecast was the conclusion of successive decreases in demand through March and April 2020 primarily as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The EIA’s…...
The U.S. Interior Department proposed to offer all available unleased areas in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas leasing in November, according to a July 17 press release. The auction marks the seventh offshore sale under the 2017-2022 leasing program. The sale was initially scheduled for August, but was postponed…...
Renewables’ share of Colorado’s electricity generation grew from 10 percent to 25 percent between 2010 and 2019, according to a July 23 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wind generation more than tripled since 2010, providing nearly 20 percent of the state’s electricity generation in 2019. Renewable electricity generation increased by more than double…...
The U.S. Energy Department on July 20 announced an investment of approximately $64 million in 2020 for 18 projects to support hydrogen research and development under the “H2@Scale” initiative. The program is focused on wide-scale hydrogen production and utilization across multiple energy sectors to support resilience in power generation and transmission. The funding will focus…...
A series of setbacks for high-profile oil and gas pipeline projects in the U.S. reveal the difficult climate for midstream projects in the face of growing legal challenges, changing economics, and states’ push to reduce fossil fuels as they embrace clean energy.
The Michigan Public Service Commission on June 30 rejected Enbridge’s request for a declaratory ruling that it has authority to replace a pipeline segment under the Straits of Mackinac under a 1953 order approving the Line 5 pipeline. The commission found that the Line 5 project differs significantly from the pipeline approved in 1953. Different…...
The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management on June 26 released the final environmental review for a new integrated activity plan for the 23-million acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The preferred alternative would open as much as 18.7 million acres, or about 82 percent of the reserve, to oil and gas development, undoing Obama-era protections…...