Water wars in the western US and around the world are predicted with increasing frequency as climate fears grow, debilitating droughts persist and human population growth climbs steadily higher. Concerns about fresh water supplies coming under pressure and the increasing cost of supplying fresh water to people, crops and livestock seem to grow more urgent… Keep reading →
A regulatory framework that penalizes carbon dioxide emissions would improve nuclear’s competitiveness in the US, but greater policy clarity may be required for new nuclear investments to replace shuttered facilities like San Onofre and Yankee. Nuclear is not without its detractors, which have a laundry list of concerns, ranging from potential for terrorist attacks to… Keep reading →
As global natural gas fundamentals shift – with Asian demand expected to significantly increase, the US importing less and exporting more – European countries seek secure and reliable long-term supply from a diverse group of producers. An ambitious pipeline project dubbed the Southern Gas Corridor is part of that vision. European utilities have successfully renegotiated… Keep reading →
Without stop-gap funding from congress by October 1st, the EPA could ‘Effectively Shut Down,’ leaving it with just a skeleton crew needed in case of emergency. The EPA has reportedly not shut down due to lack of funding since 1996. [AP] French oil major Total could sell its stake in giant Russian gas field Shtokman.… Keep reading →
The US energy landscape today compared with 10 years ago is virtually unrecognizable, as the script with regard to import-dependent demand has been flipped to a potential export story. The seemingly moribund US natural gas industry characterized by decreasing reserves and production is now the apple of the world’s eye, with governments and private companies… Keep reading →
Only in Russia can state-controlled oil company executives buy stock in the firm with money borrowed from a bank whose capital is largely generated by the country’s state-controlled natural gas company. That would never fly in the US. Remember the controversy about former Vice President Dick Cheney’s Halliburton relationship? The Moscow Times reports: A recent 3.1… Keep reading →
In recent weeks, debate between between utilities and the residential solar industry has reached fever pitch and escalated to a full-throated public standoff in several states. Across the country, utilities are renewing efforts to roll back or address net metering (NEM) policies; in particular, APS in Arizona and Xcel Energy in Colorado both submitted plans… 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 →
The Mexican government’s announcement with respect to opening the country’s energy sector to outside investment made its way into some of our recent Energy News Roundups, but this is such an important story – with roughly 1 million barrels per day or more oil production at stake – today’s roundup features 3 stories detailing the decision’s… Keep reading →
Expectations that we are on the verge of a global transition from fossil fuels to clean energy sources may be mistaken. “Humanity is not entering a period that will be dominated by renewables… investment in unconventional fossil-fuel extraction and distribution is now expected to outpace spending on renewables by a ratio of at least three-to-one in the… Keep reading →
