Infrastructure

Keystone XL Pipeline Wins Senate Support

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With a bipartisan majority vote of 62-37, the Senate demonstrated its support for Keystone XL pipeline construction for the first time.

On March 22, the US Senate voted in favor of an amendment that supports construction of TransCanada’s Keystone XL project, a 1,700-mile pipeline that would transport crude oil from Canada to Texas refineries. The amendment, introduced by Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Max Baucus (D-Montana), passed the Senate by a 62-37 margin, with 17 Democrats joining all Republicans in the vote of support. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) abstained from the vote due to illness. Sens. Hoeven and Baucus also have proposed a separate bill that would facilitate Congressional approval of the project under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, bypassing the decision-making authority of President Obama. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 28, 2013 at 8:30 AM

Muni Bonds Fight Intensifies in the Power Sector

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Municipal bonds are a major source of financing for public power projects, and their tax-exempt status is one of the factors that makes them appealing for investors who might otherwise demand higher returns on their money.

The American Public Power Association has launched an intense campaign to undermine current proposals before Congress that would change the current tax advantages municipal bonds enjoy. As the hunt continues in DC for new revenue that can help plug growing budget deficits that in turn have incurred repeated political crisis, long-held tenets of tax code advantages and exemptions have begun to come under review. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 19, 2013 at 2:40 PM

Pumped Up: Energy News Essentials

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Despite progress, US infrastructure continues to get a near-failing grade from the nation’s engineers, the Keystone debate drags on, climate change policy is back in the headlines and Europeans contending with Cyprus’ financial meltdown are wondering if oil and gas development could help resolve some of the island nation’s issues.

The American Society of Civil Engineers releases its 2013 Report Card for America’s infrastructure today, and the country’s parents wouldn’t exactly be enthusiastic. From deficient bridges to power outages and ever-growing traffic, the country’s score only “inched up” to a D plus, the group says. Find out more here. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 19, 2013 at 9:45 AM

Smart Grid Markets on the Move

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An interesting new report from Pike Research puts a spotlight on virtual power plants (VPPs) which, while not a new concept, appear to be ready for prime time. Pike’s research suggests that after a decade of pilot projects testing and validating VPPs as a smart grid platform, we will see significant growth over the next few years.

Pike is forecasting the total worldwide capacity of VPPs will jump from 3,800 megawatts this year to 15,400 MW by 2020 – a five-fold increase. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 15, 2013 at 9:00 AM

China Surpasses US as World’s Largest Oil Importer

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China recently surpassed the US as the world’s largest net oil importer, as the US produces more and consumes less while Chinese demand steadily increases. US net oil imports have fallen from a peak of 13 million barrels per day in October 2006 to under 6 mmb/d in December 2012, according to a Citi research note issued February 28, titled “Milestones Toward US Energy Independence – Alert: US net Oil Imports Plummet to Second Place Behind China.”

“Meanwhile, since China flipped from a net exporter to a net importer of oil in 1993, its net oil imports have risen steadily to 6.3 mmb/d in January 2013, just under last May’s peak,” the Citi analysts said in the note. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 11, 2013 at 8:30 AM

Dulaney: America Needs to Be ‘Smarter’ About Infrastructure

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Last week, President Obama used his State of the Union speech to address the importance of a robust infrastructure for America. It’s simple: Our country is fighting 21st century global competition with roads, bridges and ports from the early to mid-20th century and pipes and rail lines from the 19th century. It’s one reason the American Society of Civil Engineers graded the US a “D” on its infrastructure and why our country now ranks 25 out of 139 countries in its quality of infrastructure – a drop in years past and a dubious distinction that inspires little confidence.

To read the rest of this article, visit CNBC’s site here. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 20, 2013 at 5:30 PM

Energy News Roundup: President’s Day Weekend Edition

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California has traditionally thought of itself as the leader in US environmental policy; where the state goes, the nation follows. If that’s the case, the next round of clean energy policy promises to be no more decisive or conclusive than the last ten years of lawsuits and countersuits. A 2006 law passed by voters in California’s infamous bottom-up system of interactive democracy requires renewable energy investments by the state’s utilities, but current lawmakers are backpedaling on widely acknowledged goals, according to recent coverage by the Associated Press as featured on the San Francisco Chronicle. Read more about that here, and read some of AOL’s in depth insight on the issue here.

The rise of the energy workforce has been a broader story in the slow economic recovery of the past few years, as demand for qualified workers in oil and gas fields alongside related sectors has proved a unusual bright spot for jobs. The Houston Chronicle notes that the trend has filtered even into internships; while interns in other sectors often go unpaid, energy company interns can early properly grown-up salaries. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 15, 2013 at 4:30 PM

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

Breaking the Oil Monopoly With Renewable Fuel

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The oil industry has taken aim at the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in a self-interested bid to retain dominance over America’s transportation fuel sector. Our dependence on oil is stifling consumer choice and jeopardizing our national security. Fixing those issues means diversifying our fuel supply; that means breaking the oil monopoly.

We are a nation addicted to oil and until the RFS was created in 2005, we had no infrastructure to break that addiction. The RFS increases consumer choice and energy security, while simultaneously decreasing the overall negative impacts that oil dependence has on our economy and environment. That benefit –consumer choice – is exactly why the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, which spent over $1.6 million lobbying in the fourth quarter of 2012 alone, is funding efforts attacking the policy. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 15, 2013 at 4:00 PM

Government Seeing Big Savings From Green Buildings

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The U.S. Treasury has always been a place where people could find something green, but this time the term is not referring to money. The U.S. Treasury building has obtained a green environmental designation, probably the oldest federal building to earn one. It has reduced its operating costs by $3.5 million annually as a result.

 /  Published January 14, 2013 at 9:30 AM
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