This is the latest installment in our Energy Startup Series that gives executives at cutting-edge energy firms an opportunity to share insights and experiences about the energy industry, their careers and their companies. While working for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Olof Hansen was in charge of building public-private partnerships in waste minimization and pollution… Keep reading →
As expected, federal regulators have approved a new physical security standard for the high-voltage electricity grid.
On November 20, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved Reliability Standard CIP-014-1 (Physical Security). The standard, proposed by Commission-certified Electric Reliability Organization North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), is designed to enhance physical security measures for the most critical parts of the nation’s “bulk-power system,” the high-voltage backbone of the nation’s electric grid.
EPA Proposes To Remove 72 Chemicals From Approved Pesticide Inert Ingredients List: On October 22, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requested public comment on a proposal to remove 72 chemicals from its list of substances approved for use as inert ingredients in pesticide products. 79 Fed. Reg. 63120. EPA reportedly is responding to petitions submitted by the Center for Environmental Health, Beyond Pesticides, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and others that have asked EPA to issue a rule requiring disclosure of 371 inert ingredients found in pesticide products. EPA developed an alternative strategy designed to reduce the risks posed by hazardous inert ingredients in pesticide products more effectively than by disclosure rulemaking. EPA outlined its strategy in a May 22, 2014, letter to the petitioners, which is available online. Many of the 72 inert ingredients targeted for removal are on the list of 371 inert ingredients identified by the petitioners as hazardous. The 72 chemicals are not currently being used as inert ingredients in any pesticide product and include:
On September 12 World Resources Institute had an event to unveil their new report on the fresh water impacts of shale gas development. The WRI report examines the availability of freshwater across shale plays globally. Shale resources of natural gas, natural gas liquids and tight oil are extracted using hydrofracking techniques that require substantial quantities… Keep reading →
The latest round of economic sanctions against Russia enacted by the US and European Union are designed to blunt Russia’s ability to tap western technology and expertise needed to develop complex oil deposits and shale resources. “The biggest edge that Western energy companies still have is their technological edge — that’s why these sanctions have… Keep reading →
Future oil and natural gas production as well as exploration is expected to take place in some of the most remote and inaccessible places in the world. Reservoirs with the highest commercial potential are seen to be located offshore in deep waters or in the Arctic. Both “frontier” areas have challenges in common such as… Keep reading →
We recently covered Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Robert Bryce’s most recent book launch event, where he gave an upbeat and provocative synopsis of his latest work “Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper,” which praises technology’s virtues and all the positive things technological innovation has done for society. Bryce also goes head-to-head with climate activist Bill McKibben… Keep reading →
America is in the midst of two booms: one in sensor technology and another in natural gas. Recent innovations—specifically advancements in drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies—have dramatically increased the nation’s access to reserves of natural gas. While this influx of new technology has altered the energy industry, the resulting large-scale development has brought with it… Keep reading →
The QBotix Robotic Tracking System is irresistibly retro-futuristic, like something out of a ’60s-era World Fair, with compact modules zipping around commercial and utility-scale solar installations on a monorail, stopping briefly to adjust the panels and keep them aimed at the sun. It draws crowds when demoed at trade shows, and has landed many an… Keep reading →
Responsible Fracking and Successful Operations: Enabling the Energy Industry to Keep Its Machinery Running
By Brian RobsonHydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is a dynamic source of power – for oil and gas development, job creation and domestic energy independence. Its reach goes far beyond any physical depths in which advanced machinery and innovative means of extraction penetrate thick layers of rock. Its proliferation is a matter of fact, which depends on sophisticated… Keep reading →