As Chinese citizens demand cleaner air, but put more cars on the road, Beijing is retooling its policies towards fuel standards and pricing, while Chinese refiners adjust company strategy. Watch for these forces to play out in the next few years, with the potential for ripple affects throughout Asia, especially in the gasoline and diesel… Keep reading →
Breaking Energy has followed the US oil export issue since it first became a realistic question, as domestic production surprisingly surged. The issue steadily gained traction and there is currently a wealth of views on the topic. A series on Forbes called “The Weekly Oil & Gas Follies,” rounds up interesting, thought-provoking and silly industry-related… Keep reading →
Time and again when the prospect of exporting US crude oil is discussed, the issue of domestic gasoline price impacts surfaces. Will consumers pay more or less at the pump? There is no shortage of debate on the topic, but some analysts contend the increased volumes of light sweet crude US exports would feed into… Keep reading →
The importance of energy to modern society cannot be overstated and energy-related products are virtually ubiquitous in our homes, workplaces and modes of transport. “Chemical engineering is a remarkable profession. It can take the smallest of discoveries in laboratories – from all fields of science and technology – and replicate them on a mass scale,… 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 →
This piece argues the US should not export crude oil and instead moderate production volumes in an effort to preserve the country’s natural resource endowment over the longer term. It also contends exports would increase domestic crude and product prices. “The real question for the United States is not about optimal trade policy or economic… 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 →
Scotland will vote on a referendum to secede from the UK this September. A major component of that decision involves the future of the massive Grangemouth refining and petrochemical complex and oil reserves located in the Scottish portion of the North Sea. “Mr. Salmond, Scotland’s first minister, is banking on North Sea oil to underpin… Keep reading →
Ethanol requirements for U.S. gasoline appear to be losing friends and influencing the wrong people, with calls growing to reform or scrap the government mandates altogether. The Environmental Protection Agency in November proposed reducing the amount of renewable fuels, including corn-based ethanol, that oil refiners must blend with gasoline. The rule is a centerpiece of… Keep reading →
Opinion: Lifting the Crude Export Ban; Real Discourse Gains Traction
By Chris FaulknerThe possibility of the Obama administration lifting the crude oil export embargo, to allow U.S. energy companies access to the world market, is finally a reality. Alaska Republican, and head of the Senate energy committee, Lisa Murkowski, drove the discussion this month when she called the ban “antiquated, and at times, absurd.” I couldn’t agree… Keep reading →