A recent report by consultancy IHS Cera takes aim at common arguments against development of Canadian oil sands, but acknowledges the need for continued – and improved – environmental monitoring and regulation. Groups opposed to construction of the Keystone XL pipeline frequently feature the following claims on their websites: that the pipeline will not enhance… Keep reading →
Luxury electric car manufacturer and Wall Street darling Tesla announced 3rd quarter earnings yesterday that contained mixed results. The company reported a record 5,500 Model S deliveries, which beat its own expectations, but the financials were mixed. “The company’s earnings, excluding special charges, came in at $16 million, or 12 cents a share, just ahead… Keep reading →
The Center for Biological Diversity is accusing the Obama Administration of violating a 19th-century law by allowing oil and gas companies to continue drilling on public lands that are now closed to other visitors during the government shutdown. “Previously permitted oil and gas development on public lands isn’t affected by the shutdown.” [Fuel Fix] An… Keep reading →
The ongoing controversy over the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline linking Alberta’s oil sands to US markets covers a vast amount of factual territory, from refinery configuration to logistics to international crude oil trading to carbon dioxide emissions. But at times, all of these issues take a back seat to the emotional, or symbolic, component of… Keep reading →
Bad day for Venezuela, and for former president Hugo Chavez’s legacy: A massive power outage cut off electricity for almost 70% of the country’s population yesterday. “A lack of investment and training in the electric grid has contributed to more than 500 blackouts registered in Venezuela as of June this year.” [Christian Science Monitor] And… Keep reading →
The trouble with economic booms is that “crazy” is largely a matter of timing. For anyone who was paying attention in the 1980s, the idea that Brazil, with its runaway inflation problems, would emerge as a powerhouse driver of global economic growth while developed economies struggled in the mid to late 2000s would have seemed… Keep reading →
A new study from consultancy IHS Cera has concluded that construction of the Keystone XL pipeline would not have a material impact on US greenhouse gas emissions, in part because the replacement for volumes from Canadian oil sands would most likely have the same carbon footprint. Breaking Energy has reported on comments in the past… Keep reading →
Importing Canadian heavy oil via the Keystone XL pipeline may represent a more environmentally friendly option than crude from other sources, according to panelists at the New York Energy Week Oil and Gas Market Perspectives breakfast on Tuesday, hosted by CME Group. Environmentalists frequently cite the environmental footprint of Canada’s “tar sands” as a primary… Keep reading →
By Javier E David In a country where oil wealth has typically been controlled up by oil companies, the concept of the U.S. harnessing its energy boom to shore up its frayed public finances may be hard to conceive. Although state control of natural resources tends to evoke images of authoritarian countries like Venezuela or… Keep reading →
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s death is not likely to result in near-term changes to the Venezuelan oil industry or global energy landscape, but it could ultimately result in political change that would reopen the country’s energy industry to foreign investment.
As news of Chavez’s death swept through IHS CERAWeek, the world’s largest conference for energy executives, in Houston on Tuesday afternoon, participants flocked to televisions, looking for news on the political future of a country that has the second largest oil reserves in the world. Keep reading →
