Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz suggested a “new workable long-term goal” to manage nuclear waste at a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Environment and the Economy Subcommittee on the grounds that disputes over Yucca Mountain – site of a proposed nuclear waste repository – are likely to persist for some time. “Moniz pushed back on the… Keep reading →
Norway, Alaska and Alberta are broadly recognized as having managed their oil resource wealth relatively effectively, particularly in regards to having avoided the “resource curse” – a seemingly counterintuitive situation in which the economies of countries with substantial natural resource endowments fare worse than those of their non-resource-rich counterparts. Each of the three has established… Keep reading →
With all the great speakers and presentations at the USAEE /IAEE North American Conference in Anchorage this week, it’s hard to pick and choose among so many well-expressed ideas. Our USAEE updates represent just a few of our favorite quotes from the ongoing events. Oil and gas operations always come with risk. When accidents happen,… Keep reading →
Five people will make a decision soon that will have an outsized impact on the future of renewable energy in America. I’m not talking about big shots like Obama, Koch, Boehner, Bloomberg, or Steyer. I’m talking about names many have never heard of: Moeller, Norris, LaFleur, Clark, and Binz (if he is confirmed). These are the chief… Keep reading →
The tight oil revolution in the Lower 48 United States has upended previous assumptions about the trajectory of the country’s oil production trends, with some forecasts now suggesting that the US could temporarily overtake Saudi Arabia in total production volume. There is no shortage of skeptics about these optimistic forecasts, but US tight oil will… Keep reading →
The steady upward march of oil prices over time is putting increasing pressure on remote communities in Alaska that rely on diesel-fueled generators for much of their power supply, but displacing diesel with other electricity sources, such as renewables, is often an even higher-cost option. Alaska’s rural communities pay some of the highest prices for… Keep reading →
Ford is going to offer a natural gas option for its 2014 F-150 truck. “‘We may look back on this launch as when natural gas really became a mass-market fuel for retail customers as well as fleet customers,’ said Jon Coleman, sustainability and technology manager for Ford.” [Fuel Fix] Ineos Bio, Indian River BioEnergy Center… Keep reading →
Add Spain to the list of countries that have offshore wind power before the United States. And on this one the U.S. really missed an opportunity. (That’s right, cool though it is, I have decided not to count that scaled-down 20-kilowatt floating turbine demo off Maine as establishment of U.S. offshore wind power.) This is the real thing… Keep reading →
State level regulators, like politicians, read the newspaper headlines, notice what is in their in-box and have a good sense of what their constituents like and dislike. This, more than anything else, explains why they seem reluctant to modify or nullify prevailing net energy metering (NEM) laws even when they realize that the status quo may be unsustainable… Keep reading →
With all the great speakers and presentations at the USAEE /IAEE North American Conference in Anchorage this week, it’s hard to pick and choose among so many well-expressed ideas. Our USAEE updates represent just a few of our favorite quotes from the ongoing events. The US oil and natural gas production increase that’s taken place… Keep reading →
