The severe drought in California, water-intensive drilling programs needed to increase oil and gas production from shale plays and focus on the energy-water nexus are motivating companies to reduce their water requirements and re-use water needed to hydraulically fracture wells. A new Rice University study conducted detailed analysis into produced water from 3 major US… Keep reading →
China quietly cut its 2020 goals for shale gas, a goal that was so ambitious that few took the number seriously. The goal – to ramp up from zero commercial production of shale gas to 60-80 billion cubic meters by 2020 – was met with skepticism both inside and outside China when first announced. Now,… Keep reading →
Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces and Iraq military personnel reportedly took control of a key dam in the northern part of the country. The dam that supplies water and 1 GW of electricity to local populations had been seized by Islamic State militants. There were still conflicting reports Monday morning about which side controlled the strategic… Keep reading →
U.S. Trade Deficit Narrows in June – Thanks to Oil and Natural Gas Exports The Christian Science Monitor: WASHINGTON — An oil and gas boom helped drive the US trade deficit to a five-month low in June, according to federal data released Wednesday. Increased domestic energy production means Americans are buying less foreign oil and gas, and selling… Keep reading →
Elite Oil Fields Redefine Meaning of Crude’s ‘Big Three’ CNBC: Move over ExxonMobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips—there’s a new “Big Three” in U.S. energy production. And they’re not companies. In a new update to its drilling productivity report from last week, the Energy Information Agency said North Dakota’s Bakken and Texas’ Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale are quietly generating… Keep reading →
EPA Chief Gina McCarthy took umbrage with a New York Times article published earlier this week – and featured in one of our News Roundups – that claimed powerful environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council played “an influential role” in designing the agency’s high-profile carbon rule for existing power plants. In an internal memo McCarthy… Keep reading →
Germany is drafting strict anti-fracking regulations, but fracking opponents say the current plan doesn’t go far enough, citing loopholes regarding depth and fracking fluid chemistry. “Although the proposed policy has the protection of public health and drinking water as its highest priority, the fracking ban only applies at a depth shallower than 3000 meters. Additionally,… Keep reading →
Allowing Exports of Crude Oil Would Boost the Economy Washington Post Editorial: Quietly but wisely, the Commerce Department has decided to allow the first exports of U.S. crude oil since Congress imposed a ban on such sales (except to Canada) in the 1970s. To be sure, the agency’s ruling amounts to redefining crude in a way that applies… Keep reading →
The American Bird Conservancy is suing the Obama Administration over a rule that would allow wind farm operators to kill a certain number of federally protected eagles for a period of 30 years without threat of prosecution. The group says the rule is illegal because the US Fish & Wildlife Service never had an opportunity… Keep reading →
Energy industry stakeholders from across the globe are preparing to descend on New York City for New York Energy Week – the innovative event series launched by Energy Solutions Forum – and the mix of diverse participants brings a breath of fresh air to the energy conference format. Participants include representatives from the environmental community,… Keep reading →
