It’s just one energy sector watcher weighing in, but Lux Research does have pretty good credentials, so we’ll run with it, leading with their headline: “Solar to Become Competitive with Natural Gas by 2025.” So says the Boston-based consultancy in an eyebrow-raising analysis that adopts the view that, for now, cheap natural gas can be a… Keep reading →
In the debate over hydraulic fracturing – as in most debates – the most extreme views do not offer the most viable solutions. But while the oil and gas industry has, by and large, acknowledged that there are risks associated with fracking that must be managed, there are still many in the anti-fracking camp who… Keep reading →
Statoil has been proactively linking the contractual price of natural gas to European gas trading hubs and abandoning oil-linked pricing as Brussels pushes for market liberalization, consumers fight oil-linked prices and regional hubs gain liquidity. The change is slowly taking place in Eastern Europe, but “all of its German contracts and nearly all its UK,… Keep reading →
Several Colorado communities recently made news for placing temporary moratoriums on fracking. Booming oil and gas production and an active environmental community has the state divided on hydrocarbon development issues. The National Journal details the situation with a balanced piece that presents both points of view. When asked if fracking can be done safely, Fort… Keep reading →
Argentina is estimated to hold the world’s 3rd largest shale gas reserves and during a recent visit there, Pope Francis was photographed holding anti-fracking T-shirts. The Pope is reportedly working on an encyclical letter to all Catholic Bishops that will address environmental issues, and perhaps controversial shale gas development technology. The short piece in Grist… Keep reading →
A disrupted planting schedule and unusually wet weather has increased demand for propane used to dry corn, creating shortages exacerbated by transportation bottlnecks. “A lot of guys are being rationed at 300 to 500 gallons a day, and it’s just not enough,” said John Plathe, 49, a corn farmer in west-central Minnesota. “If this were… Keep reading →
Architectural firm SWA Group has proposed building a bike lane along the Keystone XL pipeline, which “could turn what is now a source of rancor into a tourist attraction”. Project costs could reach $400 million, factoring in designers, cultural experts, economists, engineers and “interpretive elements” along the route. [Bloomberg] Consol Energy’s sale of five coal mines… Keep reading →
“Yet another reason to hate fracking: It’s connected with an increase in STDs, car crashes, drug-related crimes, and sexual assault in areas where the oil and gas industry sets up shop.” The article then goes on to explain that it’s actually not hydraulic fracturing that’s linked to these things, it’s working conditions at oil and… Keep reading →
The US is the envy of the rest of the world when it comes to energy these days. This is what Robert Bryce, Senior Fellow with the Manhattan Institute’s Center for Energy Policy and the Environment told the audience during his opening remarks at the American Oil and Gas Renaissance conference held last week in… Keep reading →
Celebrities: Constructive Addition to the Fracking Conversation?
By Jared AndersonThe noise level created by the debate over fracking in the US is reaching unprecedented levels. It seems everyone has a view on the controversial oil and gas development technology, some informed and many less so. A new video series features celebrities asking President Obama and several state leaders to ban the practice outright, but… Keep reading →