The Obama administration interrupted Washington’s Keystone XL focus on Wednesday with an announcement that could have more profound long-term impact than the controversial pipeline – a regulatory push to cut methane emissions from the surging U.S. oil and gas industry. The administration said the Environmental Protection Agency would craft a new rule to set standards… Keep reading →
Tesla and SolarCity’s Elon Musk told utility executives at the Detroit auto show that utilities and solar power can get along just fine. “Rive’s cousin and SolarCity investor Elon Musk sought to assuage such fears further at the Detroit auto show. Speaking about utilities’ role in the future of the energy mix, he said: ‘Long-term,… Keep reading →
New York’s statewide ban on fracking is a vindication for communities around the country that have been hit hard by unconventional natural gas production, writes Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense Fund’s president, in a Dec. 22 op-ed piece in The Washington Post. It demonstrates what can happen when oil and gas producers erode public trust by brushing… Keep reading →
ARPA-E Invests $60 Million to Detect and Measure Methane Emissions and Develop Local Thermal Management Systems WASHINGTON – The Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) today announced $60 million in funding for 22 innovative new projects aimed at detecting and measuring methane emissions and developing localized thermal management systems that reduce the energy needed… Keep reading →
Well, that’s actually a hybrid quote from opposite ends of the fracking spectrum that came alive today when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state would move to ban hydraulic fracturing. “Today Governor Cuomo did the right thing for New Yorkers by listening to experts and issuing a ban on fracking. This victory for… Keep reading →
U.S.-based energy companies are mostly failing to disclose their management of hydraulic fracturing operations that could have negative environmental impacts, according to a survey published last Thursday. The survey, by a group of investment advisers and shareholder advocacy organizations, found about three-quarters of 30 oil & gas companies surveyed are not fully disclosing their practices… Keep reading →
A new study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin in conjunction with the Environmental Defense Fund and 10 oil companies pinpointed methane emissions sources at natural gas production operations. “Researchers found 19% of pneumatic devices accounted for 95% of the emissions from those devices. Meanwhile, 20% of the wells that vent emissions to… Keep reading →
How much does the design of America’s energy market affect the environment? More than one might expect. Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the agency responsible for regulating the wholesale natural gas and electricity markets, issued a proposed policy statement designed to encourage pipeline operators to replace their leakiest equipment: compressor stations. Reciprocating compressors are… Keep reading →
The UN Environment Program released a report ahead of the upcoming international climate meetings in Lima, Peru that finds global carbon neutrality should be attained by mid-to-late century. “Countries are giving increasing attention to where they realistically need to be by 2025, 2030 and beyond in order to limit a global temperature rise to below… Keep reading →
Scientists using satellite data discovered a major source of methane emissions in the Four Corners region of the US Southwest that comprises Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado. The methane appears to be coming from coal-bed methane mining operations. “The hotspot, which predates the current hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, boom in the region, is over… Keep reading →
