In recent years we’ve regularly disagreed with the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) because its ethanol mandates could harm consumers and the broader economy. The conversation with Big Ethanol has been, well, spirited. That said, hats off to RFA for including an oil and natural gas industry executive as one of the keynote… Keep reading →
The US Department of Interior released today an Environmental Impact Statement regarding US East Coast offshore seismic surveys, which constitute early-stage oil & gas exploration. The east coast has been off limits to oil companies for 30 years, but a favorable EIS could presage permitting activity. A Record of Decision would be the next step… Keep reading →
Various authorities have been playing regulatory catchup in the wake of unanticipated oil transport by rail increases and several associated accidents. Today’s big news is a US Transportation Department announcement that crude oil moving by rail will be subject to extensive testing for characteristics like vapor pressure and other properties that impact flammability. The testing… Keep reading →
The outlook for U.S. energy from shale and other tight-rock formations just keeps improving. Two new assessments underscore this. First, a panel hosted this week by CSIS revisited the National Petroleum Council (NPC) report on U.S. unconventional natural gas issued in 2011 and concluded that new discoveries and technologies paint an even brighter picture than NPC did… Keep reading →
High vapor pressures can increase the flammability of crude oil and Bakken grades were determined to have higher pressures than several other common international grades refined in the US, which raises rail transport safety questions. “Given the recent derailments and subsequent reaction of the Bakken crude in those incidents, not enough is known about this… Keep reading →
The oil and natural gas industry is committed to the safety of highly trained workers who are helping lead America’s energy renaissance. That’s why – while questioning some of the analysis underlying proposed new limits on breathable crystalline silica in the workplace – industry will work with government officials on a final rule that’s workable,… Keep reading →
The energy industry – oil & gas sector in particular – is bracing itself for a massive wave of retirements over the short to medium term, which has been dubbed “The Great Shift Change.” As the industry prepares for this turnover, companies are looking to the next generation of candidates with skills ranging from finance,… Keep reading →
Mounting scientific evidence underscores the crucial importance of reducing methane emissions in the U.S. The latest study, published today in the journal Science, reviewed available data from the past 20 years and found that methane emissions from the U.S. natural gas supply chain are almost two times greater than current official estimates – flagging once again that methane emissions are a… Keep reading →
We featured it in today’s “News Roundup,” but the articulate and impassioned Financial Times editorial calling for reform of Nigeria’s national oil company – NNPC – is worth repeating. For a country so well endowed with natural resources, its overall energy situation is arguably in shambles. Despite ample refining capacity, the country is forced to… Keep reading →
The idea that global oil production was nearing its peak, only to plateau and then decline was a common view in the energy world for many years. The geophysicist M. King Hubbert predicted in the 1950’s that US oil production would peak in the 1970’s, a forecast that held true until technology allowed companies to… Keep reading →
