DOE will provide $1B financial assistance for the FutureGen 2.0 Project, the world’s first commercial-scale, oxy-combustion electric generation project with CCS technology. On January 15, 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced its decision to provide approximately $1B in cost-shared funding to FutureGen Industrial Alliance for its $1.68B FutureGen 2.0 Project, a private-public partnership established… Keep reading →
With pipeline infrastructure lagging the rapid increase in US crude oil production, railroads have been the preferred option for moving product to market, but a number of high-profile accidents involving crude oil tank cars are raising concerns. [New York Times] The recent UN Investor Summit on Climate Risk highlights the growth in sustainable investing and… Keep reading →
Corporate social responsibility and ESG – environment, social and governance – issues are playing a more prominent role in corporate strategies as investors push the agenda through shareholder resolutions and other means. It’s no longer enough for companies to simply publish glossy sustainability reports, while continuing to chart a business as usual course. First Energy,… Keep reading →
Rising energy costs are increasingly dominating political agendas in many countries around the world both developed and developing. The U.S. shale revolution with domestic cheap natural gas has started to bite into coal’s U.S. power generation market share, which can be attributed to the coal-to-gas switch of power utilities. Note, that any change in U.S.… Keep reading →
The Audubon Society is upset with a US Department of Interior decision to allow wind farm operators to obtain permit extensions allowing accidental bird death or injury for up to 30 years. Interior says the permit extensions provide regulatory certainty to wind developers, but Audubon thinks the move fails to balance “the need for conservation… Keep reading →
US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz addressed the most prominent energy-related security issues facing the country during remarks made today at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Here are the 4 main challenges Moniz highlighted: 1) US vulnerability to oil price volatility – “We are not disconnecting from oil price volatility,” said… Keep reading →
The Saudis are unhappy with several recent US foreign policy decisions in the Middle East and North Africa, and some fear cooler relations with Riyadh would weaken the US’ regional footing. Secretary of State John Kerry has been meeting with Prince Saud al-Faisal in London and Paris over the past few days trying to iron… Keep reading →
California Air Resources Board has announced issuance of the first carbon offset credits for cap-and-trade program compliance. On September 17, 2013, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced issuance of 600,000 compliance-grade carbon offset credits for use in the cap-and-trade program. The offset credits will be issued through the Compliance Instrument Tracking System for state-issued carbon… Keep reading →
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz gave a speech at Columbia University yesterday, in which he highlighted the multiple facets of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan. And he stressed the progress on one of the plan’s main priorities – lowering the cost of alternative forms of energy – has made tremendous strides in the past few years.… Keep reading →
Presidential Permit for Keystone XL Not a Foregone Conclusion
By Roman KilisekLast Friday the U.S. Department of State released its Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Keystone XL pipeline project. Instantly, many media outlets were only too eager to suggest that with this report the Keystone decision to be made by President Obama is a foregone conclusion; namely, in favor of the controversial project.… Keep reading →