The Environmental Protection Agency is tasked with providing the data used to calculate the average fuel economy of new cars and trucks. With innovative new vehicle models hitting the market, the standard metrics the EPA uses to measure vehicle fuel efficiency are proving ill-equipped to offer accurate comparisons in some cases. The EPA announced yesterday… Keep reading →
The price of West Texas Intermediate crude had risen for five consecutive days as of yesterday afternoon – “the longest stretch of gains since April” – on news of escalating unrest in Egypt, as Brent hit a four-month high. A police crackdown on protests in Egypt has left more than 500 dead. [Bloomberg] Iran has… Keep reading →
8. Distributed wind power is used at or near where it is generated, as opposed to wind power from wholesale generation, where power is sent to consumers via transmission lines and substations. Employed by households, schools, farms, industrial facilities, and municipalities alike, distributed wind doesn’t only refer to small-scale turbines; it includes any size turbine or array of… Keep reading →
The damage already done will take its toll US Department of Energy (DOE), like energy bureaucracies elsewhere, prefers to avoid unpleasant subjects whenever possible. But occasionally, the bad news cannot be avoided. A report released by the DOE in July 2013 warns that the nation’s entire energy system is vulnerable to increasingly severe and costly… Keep reading →
The proposed 6 million ton per annum (mtpa) Jordan Cove LNG export facility in Coos Bay, Oregon has completed the front-end engineering and design and pre-construction phases, but if and when the project clears federal regulatory hurdles, it may still face political opposition at the state level. Infrastructure firm Black & Veatch and construction and… Keep reading →
Persistently low natural gas prices and a search for stable cash flows helped drive a large year-over-year increase in power and utilities mergers and acquisitions in 2Q 2013, according to accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers. The value of North American power and utilities M&A deals worth $50 million or more rose sharply year-over-year, reaching $12.5 billion, up… Keep reading →
EPA’s revised 2012 VOC emissions standards for oil and natural gas storage tanks provides phased-in emission control deadlines, addressing higher-emitting tanks first and providing sufficient time to install controls. On August 5, 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released final revisions to its 2012 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions… Keep reading →
The House Natural Resources Committee has advanced a bill aimed to protect states’ rights in regulating hydraulic fracturing and prevent duplicative federal regulations. On July 31, 2013, the House Natural Resources Committee approved the Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act (H.R. 2728) aimed to prevent duplicative hydraulic fracturing regulations on federal lands… Keep reading →
Investment bank Simmons & Co’s commentary on the International Energy Agency’s August Oil Market Report highlights geopolitical risk facing global oil supply. The report shows that Opec supply fell by 165,000 barrels per day from the previous month, even as Saudi Arabia lifted output to a 12-month high. “Domestic developments in member countries has taken… Keep reading →
US energy policy is on hold for now, but several top-tier energy issues issues will be front and center when the House and Senate return to Capitol Hill after the August recess, according to Frank Maisano, Senior principal in law firm Bracewell Giuliani’s Government Relations and Strategic Communications Practice. Energy watchers should be on the… Keep reading →
