A new report from Brattle Group released on October 1, 2012 projects that as much as 77 GW of coal power could retire in the next five years, driven mainly by lower natural gas prices, despite a less restrictive regulatory atmosphere than previously envisioned. The report, which is an update on Brattle Group’s 2010 study,…...
The Canadian National Railway announced the launch of a natural gas-fueled locomotive test on September 28, 2012. The locomotive test aims at exploring the viability of using cheaper and cleaner natural gas as fuel instead of diesel. The key challenges of the endeavor pertain to engine conversion costs and addition of a liquefied natural gas…...
On September 26, 2012, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) released reports from tests of a drinking water aquifer near Pavillion, Wyoming, which has been the center of a debate linking hydraulic fracturing to groundwater contamination. The reports contain the results of re-testing water samples in the area in response to questions raised over the…...
On September 21, the House approved H.R. 3409, the Coal Miner Employment and Domestic Energy Infrastructure Protection Act by a 233-175 vote. The “Stop the War on Coal Act,” sponsored by Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), is a package of five proposals that had either already been approved by the Republican-controlled House or reported out of…...
Shell began exploratory operations in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea on September 9, 2012, after six years of efforts to explore the potentially significant petroleum reserves under the state’s outer continental shelf. Operations began after Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) gave its approval on August 30, 2012, permitting Shell to carry out preparatory activities off…...
The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced funding for 14 new projects to widen its research in methane hydrates, a potential source of natural gas. The announcement, which came on August 31, 2012, aims at advancing the study of methane hydrates in deepwater and arctic formations and develop production technologies that are economically viable and…...
According to a report released by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on August 27, 2012, applying a carbon tax at the rate of $20 per ton in 2013 and increasing it by four percent per year can raise $1.5 trillion over a span of 10 years. The report, which comes at a time when Congress…...
The Gulf of Mexico, where oil drilling activities were dulled by the catastrophic BP oil spill in 2010, is set for a drilling boom according research firms. Bentek Energy, in its report released on September 20, 2012, states that Gulf oil production will rise almost 28% by 2022, as major energy companies are investing in…...
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) on August 14, 2012 released new growth estimates of conventional onshore petroleum reserves in the U.S. The estimates show a potential increase in reserve growth in 70 discovered reserves of the country, excluding unconventional and offshore resources. The mean potential additions depict a significant rise in reserve growth and…...
A group of 44 lawmakers sent a letter to the Energy Secretary Steven Chu on August 7, 2012, requesting his department to expedite the approval procedure for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities across the country. Delays in the approval may stifle domestic gas production, in view of the low natural gas prices that will…...
Enbridge resumed oil transportation along Line 14, a 318,000 barrel-per-day pipeline in Wisconsin, after receiving approval from the Department of Transportation (DOT) on August 6, 2012. The approval, which was issued after the company met the requirements in the agency’s corrective action order, would resolve the brief spike in gasoline prices on the Gulf Coast…...
According to an announcement from the Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Secretary Steven Chu convened a group of technical experts on August 2, 2012 to review the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) at Hanford Site, in order to assess its capability to detect and rectify equipment failure inside the plant’s black cells. Due to high levels…...