Big news from the Commerce Department this week is that U.S. exports rose to a new high in 2013 and imports dropped to their lowest level since 2009 for the smallest U.S. trade deficit since 2009 – thanks largely to reduced oil imports due to growing domestic production and record exports of products made from petroleum. The Wall Street Journal (subscription… Keep reading →
The folks at the Energy Collective hosted an interesting webchat discussion of the Keystone XL pipeline the other day, a good part of which focused on greenhouse gas emissions from the project and oil sands development – identified by President Obama as a key basis for his pipeline decision. The big takeaway here: Even at the high end of… Keep reading →
We’ve written quite a bit about bad things that could occur because of the Renewable Fuel Standard’s (RFS) mandates for ever-increasing ethanol use in the fuel supply – from potential damage to vehicle engines and small power equipment engines to broader impacts in the economy. A study by NERA Economic Consulting warned that RFS mandates could lead to fuel rationing and supply… Keep reading →
With the State of the Union address scheduled tomorrow night, let’s look at how policy goals in President Obama’s past annual speeches to Congress fit with oil and natural gas development. It turns out the fit is good – very good. For example, in the 2010 State of the Union the president called jobs his… Keep reading →
The U.S. energy revolution continues to reshape America’s energy outlook for the better. Thanks largely to shale energy reserves and advanced hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2014 Annual Energy Outlook estimates domestic oil production will approach 9.6 million barrels per day by 2016 – a level of output not seen since 1970.… Keep reading →
The Washington Post had an interesting article last week on a letter sent by 18 environmental groups to the White House. Interesting because it shows the extreme disconnect between their acknowledgement of reality and their demands. First the reality, from their letter: “We understand that the U.S. cannot immediately end its use of fossil fuels and we… Keep reading →
Some eye-popping numbers from a new report by API and the Association of Oil Pipe Lines: Liquid pipeline operators delivered 14.1 billion barrels of crude oil and petroleum products by interstate pipeline in 2012 Liquid pipeline operators operated 185,599 miles of pipeline in 2012 including 57,051 miles of crude oil, 64,024 miles of petroleum product, and 59,853… Keep reading →
During Tuesday’s State of American Energy address, API President and CEO Jack Gerard sketched out a more secure energy future for the United States – based on increased access to domestic oil and natural gas reserves, industry technology and ingenuity and a business/investment climate that allows development to go forward. Let’s focus on that last part,… Keep reading →
There were a handful high-profile hydraulic fracturing bans announced in Colorado and New Jersey communities in late 2013, and earlier in the year Vermont banned the controversial oil and gas well completion technique, the first US state to do so. However, Vermont and New Jersey don’t have significant natural gas resources, which makes the announcements… Keep reading →
API President and CEO Jack Gerard’s annual State of American Energy address put surging U.S. oil and natural gas production into context, saying that it has created a generational opportunity to secure this country’s energy future – an opportunity that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Gerard: “Our future is ultimately of our own… Keep reading →
