A recent analysis in “Today in Energy” looked at oil production in Alaska and concluded that oil exploration in the US Arctic continues despite the current low price environment. No surprise there given that the energy industry requires long lead times for new projects and new production in order to replace ‘extracted reserves’ and meet… Keep reading →
The Federal Gulf of Mexico is one of the fastest-growing offshore markets with yet-to-be-discovered potential of about 48 billion barrels of oil, according to various US data. The latest EIA data allocate 17% of US crude oil production in 2013 to the federal offshore Gulf of Mexico. Could the future of the US oil industry… Keep reading →
One emerging theme at CERA Week, currently underway in Houston, is the need for major oil companies to reduce capital expenditure amid range-bound oil prices and escalating costs. Chevron CEO John Watson reportedly said “One hundred dollars per barrel is becoming the new $20, in our business.” So ostensibly oil prices need to increase by… Keep reading →
BLM has released a draft environmental analysis of the first proposed commercial oil production project in the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve. On February 21, 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a notice seeking public input on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the proposed Greater Mooses Tooth Unit 1 (GMT1),… Keep reading →
The US Department of Interior released today an Environmental Impact Statement regarding US East Coast offshore seismic surveys, which constitute early-stage oil & gas exploration. The east coast has been off limits to oil companies for 30 years, but a favorable EIS could presage permitting activity. A Record of Decision would be the next step… Keep reading →
Shell spent billions of dollars and significant political capital to obtain the licenses and approvals required to explore for oil and gas off the coast of Alaska. A US appeals court recently ruled the original lease sale flawed, which threw new obstacles in the company’s path toward offshore Alaskan oil and gas development. The recent… Keep reading →
Energy and climate stakeholders were surprised by news Thursday that Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif. will retire at the end of the year after 40 years in Congress. “Waxman was also a champion of environmental causes. He was one of the chief architects behind a 1990 upgrade to air pollution laws, and in 2009, along with… Keep reading →
A music video of the 80’s classic song “Africa” by Toto reportedly made by oil field workers aboard the “Bourbon Peridot” vessel in Equatorial Guinea is making the internet rounds, and while it’s very entertaining, little information about the operation is available. The You Tube post states, “Our own version of the music video for… Keep reading →
Like something out of a Bacigalupi novel, a crop disease that attacks corn – known as Goss’s wilt – is blighting crops across the US. While bioengineered seeds are believed to be the main culprit, crop rotation helps limit the disease’s ability to spread, but demand for corn used in ethanol production disincentivizes such rotation.… Keep reading →
