Ten US Senators yesterday released a bill to cut the corn ethanol mandate from the Renewable Fuel Standard. The high-profile political battle, which has been called a “fight between Big Corn and Big Oil,” entered a new phase with the introduction of this bi-partisan bill. “I strongly support requiring a shift to low-carbon advanced biofuel,… Keep reading →
Mexican lawmakers have passed an energy reform bill that will open up the country’s oil and gas resources to foreign investment, ending a 75-year monopoly by state-controlled Pemex. According to the Wall Street Journal, the voting process involved both fistfights and accusations of treason. [Wall Street Journal] Plans for the 99-story Pertamina Energy Tower, to… Keep reading →
Manufacturing is the bedrock of the American economy, representing nearly 12 percent of our gross domestic product and providing good, high-paying jobs for middle class families. Yet, as we transition to a clean energy economy, we need to ensure that American workers are manufacturing the renewable energy technologies of tomorrow. That’s why this past March,… Keep reading →
The US Defense Logistics Agency yesterday announced a slew of major contracts for the purchase of jet fuel. The contracts are valid through April 30th 2015 and the money will come from fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds. Fifteen different companies – ranging from the world’s largest international oil companies including supermajors ExxonMobil and Shell… Keep reading →
Integrating renewables into the oil and gas industry has become more common especially as the industry turns to production from heavy crude. Outside of the United States, natural gas is not cheap and abundant and so the oil industry’s reliance on power generated from natural gas places limitation on growth. GlassPoint, a company with solar… Keep reading →
The US Department of Energy announced $150 million in clean energy tax credits to 12 companies for investment in domestic manufacturing equipment today at the American Energy and Manufacturing Competitiveness Summit, a joint initiative of the DOE and the Council on Competitiveness. The Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit program – with $2.3 billion in total… Keep reading →
Apparently Leonardo DiCaprio is gearing up to race electric cars in a new circuit starting up next September in Beijing. The races hope to draw hundreds of thousands of potential electric car buyers who could help alleviate China’s chronic air pollution problems with their environmentally-friendly vehicle purchases. “The glitz and glam surrounding the electric Formula… Keep reading →
Is the Renewable Fuel Standard broken beyond repair? It depends who you ask, but it’s certainly problematic. The RFS enforced by the EPA was originally envisioned as a way to get more biofuel into the US transportation fuel market, but changing technology and consumption patterns have required continual adjustments to the law. The EPA recently… Keep reading →
An article in The New Yorker features an interview with John Podesta, a newly appointed White House Advisor on energy and climate issues, who claims Republican lobbying efforts against the Keystone XL Pipeline backfired. Podesta said the pipeline was “rolling toward approval,” but strong-arm tactics led by API slowed the approval process long enough for… Keep reading →
Opinion: Shale Gas A Boon to Public Health
By Dana BohanYou’ve probably heard that the United States is experiencing an unprecedented energy boom that is transforming our economy, enhancing our energy security, and creating a manufacturing renaissance — all thanks to hydraulic fracturing and the development of America’s massive oil and natural gas resources. But what you probably haven’t heard is that shale development has… Keep reading →