Investment bank Simmons & Co is forecasting a tightening of the spread between the price of US crude benchmark West Texas Intermediate and global benchmark Brent over the course of the next year, lifted by a robust pace of infrastructure development that can for efficiently move domestically produced oil to market. And with production challenges… Keep reading →
Hurricane Sandy’s wounds remain fresh along the US East Coast, particularly in and around New York City where cleanup costs stretched into the billions of dollars. The storm caused government and private industry to reconsider critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, especially with regard to energy production, transport and distribution, in both the power and liquid fuels sectors.… Keep reading →
A White House and DOE report calls for investments to increase the nation’s electric grid resilience and outlines strategies for grid modernization. On August 12, 2013, the White House Council of Economic Advisors and the Department of Energy (DOE) released a report emphasizing the importance of grid resilience for climate adaptation. The report, titled “Economic… Keep reading →
Governments of resource-rich countries commonly fill their coffers via royalties, taxes and other fiscal mechanisms that allow them to benefit from their national endowments. But while a well-designed fiscal regime can benefit both producers and residents, excessive government take can force producers to look elsewhere for returns, stifling investment. When governments establish fiscal terms for… Keep reading →
The tight oil being developed in North America is certainly not the lowest-cost oil in the world. But of the opportunities available to major oil companies, relatively low cost is just one of many advantages it offers over other sources of production. “The shale revolution has changed the competitive landscape, because every investment decision we… Keep reading →
New large-scale solar projects earmarked for funding under the NY-Sun initiative will potentially increase New York’s solar capacity by 64 MW, bringing the state to the forefront of solar energy development. On July 9, 2013, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced $54 million in funding for large-scale solar projects having a combined capacity of… Keep reading →
DOE released a report examining the impacts of climate change on the nation’s energy and electricity infrastructure, including an assessment of ongoing efforts and potential opportunities to improve the energy sector’s climate resilience. On July 11, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) released a report examining current and future impacts of climate change on… Keep reading →
Nonprofit organization Consumer Watchdog released a report this week claiming that the Keystone XL Pipeline project would significantly increase gasoline prices for US consumers, particularly in the Midwest, where the per gallon price could rise by as much as 40 cents. But some question these findings. The report’s main thesis states that companies producing Canadian… Keep reading →
Utility customers often don’t know how their power is priced and who makes the decisions that impact price, delivery, reliability and other important factors. “Decisions made by PUCs [Public Utility Commissions] will influence the $100 billion in utility infrastructure investments expected each year between now and 2020, ranging from smart meters to transmission lines to… Keep reading →
A combination of policy and market impediments to diversification of US transportation fuels has prompted the free market-focused Fuel Freedom Foundation to team up with policy-focused environmentalist and former Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope to pursue coordinated efforts to wean the US off its oil dependency. Pope and Fuel Freedom Foundation co-founder Eyal Aronoff… Keep reading →
