A lawyer that represents utilities argues in an editorial the EPA’s Cross-state Air Pollution Rule enacted in 2011 causes lesser polluting states to subsidize some of the pollution reduction in states that emit greater volumes of harmful pollutants. The lesser polluting states also tend to have higher electricity costs and would thus be unfairly impacted… Keep reading →
An article in The New Yorker features an interview with John Podesta, a newly appointed White House Advisor on energy and climate issues, who claims Republican lobbying efforts against the Keystone XL Pipeline backfired. Podesta said the pipeline was “rolling toward approval,” but strong-arm tactics led by API slowed the approval process long enough for… Keep reading →
Senator Shaheen: “If we can’t do this, it’s going to be very difficult to do anything else on energy policy.” It’s been more than five years since Congress passed a national energy bill. But that doesn’t mean legislators stopped trying. There have been four attempts from Democrats to introduce a national renewable energy standard, with no traction… Keep reading →
TransCanada’s CEO Russ Girling says they are not giving up on the Keystone XL Pipeline project and neither are producers seeking to ship their product through the line. The economic rationale of transporting oil via pipe rather than rail underpins the project and Girling is confident “the oil market transcends politics.” [The Hill] Eike Batista’s… Keep reading →
Architectural firm SWA Group has proposed building a bike lane along the Keystone XL pipeline, which “could turn what is now a source of rancor into a tourist attraction”. Project costs could reach $400 million, factoring in designers, cultural experts, economists, engineers and “interpretive elements” along the route. [Bloomberg] Consol Energy’s sale of five coal mines… Keep reading →
Jellyfish in the cooling water intake have forced the shutdown of Sweden’s largest nuclear reactor, which generates about 10% of the country’s electricity. As bizarre as this sounds, jellyfish have caused problems at power plants in several countries, including the US. [CNN] Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that state-controlled energy company Petronas is going… Keep reading →
Billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer and his political action committee have taken to the airwaves attempting to urge president Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. The situation was detailed in a recent New Yorker article and you can read Breaking Energy’s view of the issue here. And here is US Senator Jon Tester’s… Keep reading →
Head of TransCanada’s Keystone XL project Les Cherwenuk has faulted Republicans for delaying the completion of the Keystone XL pipeline. A Republicans mandate in 2012 requiring President Obama to make a decision on the pipeline was issued before materials needed for approval were complete, he said. “He couldn’t [approve the project] fundamentally , since the work… Keep reading →
The Obama Administration issued a statement yesterday in support of Senate Bill 1392, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013. The Washington Post described the bill as “timid” and “politically palatable”. That’s a good thing. The goal of the legislation is to codify and beef up existing federal government programs that seek to reduce energy… Keep reading →
The first visible chink in the oil and gas sector’s stance on the Keystone XL pipeline project’s inevitability turned up this week in that house journal of capitalism, the Wall Street Journal. In his provocatively titled article, “U.S. Refiners Don’t Care if Keystone Gets Built,” Ben Lefebvre lists the host of ways that the sector… Keep reading →
