Well, if you have a 401 (k), IRA or pension, then chances are US oil and gas company stock is part of that investment strategy. According to a study released today, 65.5% of US-based oil and gas company shares are owned by individual investors mostly as part of pension funds or retirement accounts. The study… Keep reading →
As oil production volumes from the Bakken Shale formation zoomed past 1 million barrels, farmers watched their grain inventories pile up because they have not been able to book rail shipping capacity fast enough. This article highlights shifting commodity production, pricing and transportation dynamics as the US oil output renaissance coincides with record grain production.… Keep reading →
This week is shaping up to be rough for the US coal industry. The EPA is holding hearings on plans to dramatically cut carbon-dioxide emissions released from US power plants and the Obama administration just published a report on the economic consequences of waiting to act on climate change. It’s enough to make one wonder… Keep reading →
As pressure to get institutional investors to divest holdings in fossil fuel-related companies increases, pension funds appear to be reacting slower than several college endowments. The logic advanced by climate activists is that as carbon pricing policies proliferate globally, companies that generate significant portions of their revenue from oil production or coal mining, for example,… Keep reading →
Chinese national oil company CNOOC built its own offshore oil drilling rig so as not to rely on western firms that could refuse to lease equipment used in disputed territorial waters in the South China Sea. CNOOC over the weekend moved that rig into to Vietnam’s 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone to begin drilling.… Keep reading →
The push to get institutional investors like pension funds and university endowments to divest holdings in fossil fuel-related businesses is reaching a fever pitch with a Harvard student getting arrested today during a 300-student-strong protest on the esteemed institution’s campus. The activist campaign has reportedly persuaded 11 US colleges to scale back investments in oil,… Keep reading →
Coal consumption has been increasing in past months as natural gas prices pushed upwards and coal stocks dipped lower. With natural gas the peak-load fuel of choice for many utilities, base load summer cooling could be powered by lots of comparatively cheaper coal – with gas peaker plants firing up when demand surges and thus… Keep reading →
The “our” in this case refers to ExxonMobil. Often considered the face of “Big Oil,” the company is the largest intact remnant of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil empire and the world’s largest US-based oil company in terms of reserves, production and revenue. Love or hate them, Exxon is a well-run company with strict investment… Keep reading →
These days, a $40 million dollar equity financing deal might not seem groundbreaking in America’s power markets. But for the keen analyst of distributed solar energy, that same investment may just herald a shift toward the future of project financing. Count our team among the latter after John Hancock Life Insurance announced it would partner… Keep reading →
Editorial: Fossil Fuel Divestment is a Diversion from Real Solutions
By Dr. Roger MeinersMany people believe fossil fuels cause climate change. The science of that issue is not settled and, as an economist, I am not qualified to address multi-decade climatology. However, for those who believe public policy should address the matter, the strategy of attacking fossil fuel companies is profoundly wrong. As a part of the campaign,… Keep reading →