Just a few days shy of five years after the Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 people and spilled nearly 5 million barrels of oil in to the Gulf of Mexico, the Obama administration has proposed safety regulations. The activist group Public Citizen called the long wait “an indictment of our regulatory process,” but U.S.… Keep reading →
BOEM Lease Sale 246 to Offer all Available Acreage in Western GOM for Oil and Gas Activity The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) accounts for the majority of oil and gas production on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). On March 2, 2015, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that its proposed Gulf of Mexico… Keep reading →
The DOI has proposed additional regulations for exploratory drilling in the Alaska OCS to ensure that operators implement necessary measures – including integrated operations and spill-response plans – through all phases of offshore exploration. The oil and gas resource potential of the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) has received considerable attention from industry. On February… Keep reading →
The Obama administration has released plans to open up the US Atlantic coast to offshore oil drilling for the first time. Drilling in the Atlantic had been banned for decades, but the ban expired in 2008. The Obama administration declined to issue leases in the Atlantic after the ban expired, and clamped down even tighter… Keep reading →
Christopher A. Smith Confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy WASHINGTON – Christopher A. Smith was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, December 16th, 2014, as the Department of Energy’s Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy. “Chris Smith’s depth of expertise and experience in the fossil energy field make him extremely well qualified for this position.… Keep reading →
BP is preparing for a legal decision in January regarding the company’s penalty under the Clean Water Act for oil spilled as a result of the Macondo well blowout and tragic Deepwater Horizon accident that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico 2010. BP is seeking to cap the amount of the civil penalty at $12.3… Keep reading →
An exciting new research initiative has amassed over 18 terabytes of data from more than 200 scientific studies covering Gulf of Mexico ecosystems. The program called the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information & Data Cooperative (GRIIDC) allows scientific researchers to share information and data through an easily accessible web-based platform. “We have research on… Keep reading →
New York Governor Cuomo yesterday announced awards totaling $4.3 million to 17 businesses that are helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation while increasing energy efficiency. “Transportation is responsible for three-fourths of the State’s fossil fuel use and 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Since 1996, NYSERDA has provided $93 million to 246 businesses performing… Keep reading →
The EU Commission has intervened in construction of the South Stream gas pipeline on the grounds that deals signed between Russia’s Gazprom and seven European countries violate an EU law forbidding a company from acting as both pipeline operator and monopoly gas supplier. The EU energy commissioner will go to Moscow next month for talks… Keep reading →
What can cost a billion dollars more each week before it even exists? At the end of September, the Louisiana governor’s office projected that a new gas to liquids project announced by Royal Dutch Shell would cost an estimated $12.5 billion. Less than a week into December, the multinational energy giant cancelled its plans amid… Keep reading →
