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Mayor Bloomberg Speaks at Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy Launch

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New York City – the world’s energy finance capital and one of the world’s largest commodity trading marketplaces – is a fitting location for the Center on Global Energy Policy. As part of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, the center will seek to “provide independent, balanced, data-driven analysis to help policymakers navigate the complex world of energy.”

At Wednesday’s launch event, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was joined by energy experts and US government officials, who helped officially inaugurate the new energy policy initiative. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 25, 2013 at 11:15 AM

FY 2014 Budget Proposal: Significant Investment in Clean Energy Development

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In his FY 2014 budget proposal, President Obama increases spending on clean energy development, seeking to expedite R&D and boost cost-competitiveness and deployment of clean energy technologies.

President Barack Obama’s FY2014 budget plan released on April 10, 2013, proposes increases in spending for clean energy production and deployment. The budget aims to support cost-competitiveness and deployment of renewable power, electric vehicles, advanced biofuels, innovative manufacturing processes, and energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 19, 2013 at 1:00 PM

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Plans Natural Gas Forums

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The Senate Energy Committee’s natural gas forums, scheduled for May 2013, will assess several issues surrounding natural gas development to ensure that upcoming policies will maximize economic benefits while maintaining environmental safety.

On April 3, 2013, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore) and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced the committee’s plan to hold three natural gas forums in May. The forums will address topics including a scrutiny of estimates of domestic supply, and potential benefits and consequences resulting from expansion of exports. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 11, 2013 at 12:30 PM

AFPM Says EPA Fuel Standard ‘Divorced from Reality’

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The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers filed comments opposing the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“I have long asserted that the RFS is broken and is harmful to countless parties, but nothing has been done to address the problems it has created,” said AFPM President Charles T. Drevna in a statement. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 10, 2013 at 10:30 AM

It’s On! EPA’s Proposed Cleaner Fuels and Cars Standards Applauded by Some, Hated by Others

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Last week the US EPA proposed regulations known as Tier 3 rulemaking that would increase fuel efficiency and tighten controls on sulfur in gasoline. The EPA described the new rules as “sensible standards for cars and gasoline that will significantly reduce harmful pollution, prevent thousands of premature deaths and illnesses, while also enabling efficiency improvements in the cars and trucks we drive.”

The environmental community, many politicians and some business associations are strongly in favor of the regulations, while the refining industry is bitterly opposed. Both sides claim the regulations will save money and have very different views on how the rules will affect gasoline prices. The following is a collection of statements EPA sent in an email from prominent environmental, political and trade group voices speaking in favor of the regulations: Keep reading →

 /  Published April 2, 2013 at 11:15 AM

DOI Releases Assessment Report on Shell’s Arctic Drilling Operations

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A Department of Interior (DOI) report on Shell’s 2012 Arctic operations reveals inadequate management oversight and details key recommendations for conduct and oversight of future exploration projects.

On March 14, 2013, DOI released its 2012 assessment of Shell’s Arctic operations. The review identifies inadequacies that led to a series of problems related to containment system deployment, marine transport, and grounding of drilling rigs. DOI also provides key recommendations to recommencement of Shell’s drilling program and future exploratory activities in the Arctic. The U.S. Coast Guard is currently conducting a separate marine casualty probe to assess the currently grounded Kulluk drilling rig. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 22, 2013 at 2:30 PM

Experts Call on DOE to Speed up LNG Export Approvals

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The US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing on the approval process for exporting LNG to non-free trade agreement countries on Tuesday. One approval has thus far been granted to export LNG to non-free trade agreement nations and several are currently pending. Proponents of LNG exports are anxious to get projects running before the global LNG market tightens as major LNG export projects come on stream in other parts of the world, particularly Australia.

Here are a few highlight from the hearing courtesy of the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas: Keep reading →

 /  Published March 21, 2013 at 8:30 AM

Natural Gas Market Transparency: What does FERC Want?

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Everyone wants Washington to take action, but when politicians and regulators start moving ahead with reform plans it is a good bet almost no one is going to be happy with the outcome.

The energy sector, as one of the most heavily regulated industries in the country, has some surprisingly freewheeling elements following the piecemeal and incomplete deregulation of energy trading that followed decades of extreme centralization. Efforts to dismantle the old central-planning model of energy markets were halted by the extraordinary complexity of market disruptions in the late 1990s and early 2000s and have been lagging in the decade since. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 15, 2013 at 11:15 AM

Interior Secretary Appointment Seen as ‘Tipping Point in Second-Term Energy Agenda’

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When Ken Salazar announced he would step down as Secretary of the US Department of the Interior it created a difficult decision for President Obama and brought a campaign issue back to the fore. Regulating development on federally-owned lands – particularly for oil and gas drilling – is one of the most polarizing energy issues of the day and because this is a primary function at the Interior Department, the issue and the department’s role has exploded into the political arena.

The department’s mission: “The US Department of the Interior protects America’s natural resources and heritage, honors our cultures and tribal communities, and supplies the energy to power our future.” The onshore and offshore acreage managed by Interior account for 30 percent of US natural gas output, 30 percent of the country’s oil production and up to 40 percent of US coal production. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 4, 2013 at 8:30 AM

Engineers Highlight US Infrastructure Investment Gaps: The $3.1 Trillion Problem

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Without adequate investment on infrastructure the US could face a $2.4 trillion drop in consumer spending by 2020, a $1.1 trillion loss in total trade and experience the loss of 3.5 million jobs in 2020 alone.

This is just a sliver of the doom and gloom the American Society of Civil Engineers predicted this week with the release of their final report in the “Failure to Act” series that focuses on the impacts associated with continued infrastructure deterioration. The latest installment of the ASCE reports focuses on specifically on economic impacts. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 16, 2013 at 2:00 PM
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