There’s always a risk in being the first – in forging ahead without following someone else’s footsteps. California took on that challenge six years ago, adopting the country’s first low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). Today, however, the risks are receding and the rewards are becoming increasingly clear – for consumers, businesses, and the climate. That… Keep reading →
Recent energy news points to the potential for some big changes for major energy producers, and for global energy markets. After an arbitration court ruled that Gazprom was overcharging a German utility for gas, and mandated the addition of market price links to its pricing formula, members of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum might find… Keep reading →
President Obama’s June 25 Climate Action Plan speech has cast a pall over prospects for the Keystone XL oil pipeline project to deliver Canadian oil to US Gulf Coast refineries. Environmentalists cheered both the subject matter of the President’s speech and the possibilities it raised for blocking the controversial pipeline. But some in industry were… Keep reading →
Importing Canadian heavy oil via the Keystone XL pipeline may represent a more environmentally friendly option than crude from other sources, according to panelists at the New York Energy Week Oil and Gas Market Perspectives breakfast on Tuesday, hosted by CME Group. Environmentalists frequently cite the environmental footprint of Canada’s “tar sands” as a primary… Keep reading →
Can BP successfully challenge $blns in settlement payouts related to the Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent Gulf of Mexico oil spill? The company is accusing “trial lawyers and some politicians” of submitting thousands of inflated or false claims. [New York Times] Can biomass really challenge Gazprom’s supremacy as an energy supplier to Eastern Europe and… Keep reading →
US President Barack Obama today unveiled a wide-ranging climate change action plan that, among other measures, seeks to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. The plan has provoked responses that see the plan as praiseworthy, sensible, misguided, and even hostile to affordable energy. Below is a selection of responses, and you can read the… Keep reading →
The following is an excerpt from an Energy Solutions Forum Policy Primer for the New York Energy Week Energy Asset Management Forum. Green buildings and sustainability projects include daylighting, landscape water use reduction, indoor water use reduction, and on-site/off-site green power with the aim to reduce environmental problems and provide long-term health benefits. Federal laws and executive orders require… Keep reading →
From a greenhouse gas emissions standpoint, it’s not the fuel that we put in our car that matters – it’s the system that produced the fuel. Based on this simple formulation, University of Michigan energy researcher John DeCicco argues forcefully in a new paper that policies that emphasize rapid deployment of electric vehicles are misguided. “While the rush to get alternative… Keep reading →
Air pollution increased rapidly along with industrial growth during the last century. Major pollutants include SO2, NOX, suspended particulate matter, and carbon. Recently, CO2 has been suspected of being a major greenhouse gas that may contribute to what some call the climate change phenomenon. The relationship between CO2 and climate change remains unclear. Fossil-fuel burning… Keep reading →
There are a few potential demand growth opportunities for electricity; not all are bad. Every now and then a new electricity-guzzling device comes around and gives a boost to what would otherwise be a saturated electricity business. Central air conditioning, which is now considered a standard feature in nearly all new buildings virtually all over the world,… Keep reading →
