The number wasn’t a big reveal – the Obama administration signaled last November, in a joint announcement with China, that it wanted to commit the U.S. to greenhouse-gas emissions cuts of 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. Still, advocates for bold U.S. action, like Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union… Keep reading →
On Thursday, March 26, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published in the Federal Register the Final Rule on hydraulic fracturing on federal and Indian lands.
It’s been a big news day in the U.S. Senate, with Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid announcing he won’t run for another term. But that’s not the only news. We have had our eyes on the Senate’s marathon “Vote-a-Rama” budget process that wrapped up around three-thirty this morning. A number of environmental and energy votes… Keep reading →
Insight for Industry – U.S. Crude Oil Export Restrictions Cause Refining Mismatch and Light Oil Price Discount The dramatic increase in domestic oil production over the past decade – facilitated by drilling technology improvements – has rekindled the crude oil export debate. Allowing crude oil exports would provide an additional market for light crude derived… Keep reading →
Amid the continuing public discussion over improving the safety of crude oil delivered by rail, it’s important that everyone – the energy industry, railroads, regulators, policymakers – stay focused on the facts and the science. This is key to making meaningful improvements to freight rail transportation – which already delivers 99.998 percent of materials like… Keep reading →
A state-owned Chinese oil major has been caught violating provincial and local environmental laws. The size of the fine incurred however, points to evidence that these mega energy companies still have more sway within the country than local laws and government officials tasked to enforce those laws. Late last week, Chinese media reported that… Keep reading →
Saudi Arabia’s oil minister, Ali al-Naimi, recently said again that OPEC will not take sole responsibility for supporting global oil prices. Since the collapse in oil prices this past year, OPEC has attempted to convince non-OPEC oil producers to cooperate on production and prices, but with little success. “Today the situation is hard. We tried, we… Keep reading →
The Bureau of Land Management contends that its new rules are consistent with state regulations and industry standards, but stakeholders believe that the rules are unnecessary or simply miss the mark.
Senator Lindsey Graham is among the few Republicans in Congress who are willing to admit that climate change is real and must be addressed. He is encouraging his fellow Republicans to have an open debate on the issue. “When it comes to climate change being real, people in my party are all over the board,”… Keep reading →
