Ten US Senators yesterday released a bill to cut the corn ethanol mandate from the Renewable Fuel Standard. The high-profile political battle, which has been called a “fight between Big Corn and Big Oil,” entered a new phase with the introduction of this bi-partisan bill. “I strongly support requiring a shift to low-carbon advanced biofuel,… Keep reading →
The US Defense Logistics Agency yesterday announced a slew of major contracts for the purchase of jet fuel. The contracts are valid through April 30th 2015 and the money will come from fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds. Fifteen different companies – ranging from the world’s largest international oil companies including supermajors ExxonMobil and Shell… Keep reading →
“When I consider this checklist, we’re pretty close.” The U.S. solar industry has come a long way in a very short timeframe. After decades of slow but steady growth, the last 2.5 years have brought an explosion of new installations in America — with two-thirds of all total distributed solar installed since just 2011. By… Keep reading →
Apparently Leonardo DiCaprio is gearing up to race electric cars in a new circuit starting up next September in Beijing. The races hope to draw hundreds of thousands of potential electric car buyers who could help alleviate China’s chronic air pollution problems with their environmentally-friendly vehicle purchases. “The glitz and glam surrounding the electric Formula… Keep reading →
Is the Renewable Fuel Standard broken beyond repair? It depends who you ask, but it’s certainly problematic. The RFS enforced by the EPA was originally envisioned as a way to get more biofuel into the US transportation fuel market, but changing technology and consumption patterns have required continual adjustments to the law. The EPA recently… Keep reading →
An article in The New Yorker features an interview with John Podesta, a newly appointed White House Advisor on energy and climate issues, who claims Republican lobbying efforts against the Keystone XL Pipeline backfired. Podesta said the pipeline was “rolling toward approval,” but strong-arm tactics led by API slowed the approval process long enough for… Keep reading →
With the announcement today of continued growth in residential and utility-scale installations in the third quarter and a forecast of a robust fourth quarter, the leading American solar industry group said new capacity additions in the U.S. in 2013 will likely exceed those in Germany for the first time in 15 years. In a way, this isn’t… Keep reading →
The global oil market is a strange place indeed and the surge in US crude production coupled with outdated regulations are creating counterintuitive trade dynamics. A majority of US crude imports come from Canada – 2.5 million barrels per day in September according to EIA data – but now the US also exports more crude… Keep reading →
This November, committees in Colorado and Massachusetts moved closer to banning hydraulic fracturing in all or parts of their states. These moves have coincided with a 3.6 magnitude earthquake in Northern Texas, the most powerful in five years and one of a startling 16 in the area during the month. The safety of fracking has… Keep reading →
Opinion: Shale Gas A Boon to Public Health
By Dana BohanYou’ve probably heard that the United States is experiencing an unprecedented energy boom that is transforming our economy, enhancing our energy security, and creating a manufacturing renaissance — all thanks to hydraulic fracturing and the development of America’s massive oil and natural gas resources. But what you probably haven’t heard is that shale development has… Keep reading →