Politics

Bill Richardson On Science, Politics and Energy

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In the presence of recently nominated new Obama Administration energy secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz, MIT Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, former Governor Bill Richardson stated that science should play an important role in politics.

The country needs scientists to be more involved in politics and find ways to collaborate in the policy making and review process. Richardson also recognized the path started by Obama in this direction by appointing Dr. Steven Chu to energy secretary during his first term, but he said more initiatives need to be taken to facilitate scientist involvement. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 8, 2013 at 11:30 AM

Climate Change and the US Strategy

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At a well-attended 2013 MIT Energy Conference, an expert panel explored the “big picture” questions surrounding climate change providing updated insights on pros and cons of available actions.

While Sandy has made clear the critical state of the environment – more so than 4 years worth of IPCC reports, notes Dr. Kerry Emanuel (Professor of Atmospheric Science, MIT) – international and domestic efforts to enact policies against climate change continue to stall. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 6, 2013 at 10:30 AM

State Department Keystone Draft Supplementary EIS Assessment Released

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The State Department released the latest documents in one of the highest-profile and highest-stakes projects in the North American energy sector today.

The Draft Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement was released March 1, 2013, and includes extensive information on the project, which has attracted the ire of a wide swathe the environmental community and been treated by the oil and gas business as a litmus test of the Obama Administration’s commitment to securing energy supply and energy security through increased development. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 1, 2013 at 4:00 PM

Sequestration Could Mean End of Green Jobs Count

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Reports today indicated that the Labor Department is planning to cut release of a number of data sets if the budget cuts required by sequestration go through today (as looks likely).

The green jobs data set “provides data on jobs related to production of green goods and services, jobs related to use of green technologies and practices, and green careers.” Keep reading →

 /  Published March 1, 2013 at 2:05 PM

How Crowdsourcing Could Save the Department of Energy

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Are DOE’s most effective problem solvers outside the Department itself?

In the fall of 2011, the Department of Energy’s Inspector General issued a sobering report calling for a major restructuring of operations. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 1, 2013 at 10:30 AM

Energy Security Trust: Obama Proposal Attracts Confusion, Counterproposals

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In his recent State of the Union speech, President Obama proposed an Energy Security Trust that would rely on the money from increased oil and gas drilling to support research that could move cars and trucks off oil-derived fuels.

From a White House briefing document accompanying the President’s speech: Keep reading →

 /  Published February 28, 2013 at 3:20 PM

Energy Book Review: ‘Private Empire – ExxonMobil and American Power’

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ExxonMobil is the world’s largest international oil company by virtually all operational and financial metrics and Steve Coll’s book offers a fascinating look at the inner workings of this secretive corporate colossus.

A vestige of John D Rockefeller Senior’s Standard Oil, which famously avoided speaking to the press for much of its existence, ExxonMobil is known within the industry for its operational expertise, rigorous financial discipline, project management skills and tight-lipped nature. Coll’s extensive research and unprecedented access to individuals within and outside the company with first-hand knowledge of transformative events is what makes the book stand out. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 28, 2013 at 11:00 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

Natural Gas Market Transparency: What does FERC Want?

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Everyone wants Washington to take action, but when politicians and regulators start moving ahead with reform plans it is a good bet almost no one is going to be happy with the outcome.

The energy sector, as one of the most heavily regulated industries in the country, has some surprisingly freewheeling elements following the piecemeal and incomplete deregulation of energy trading that followed decades of extreme centralization. Efforts to dismantle the old central-planning model of energy markets were halted by the extraordinary complexity of market disruptions in the late 1990s and early 2000s and have been lagging in the decade since. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 15, 2013 at 11:15 AM
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