Category

Organizations

Article, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Organizations, People

Big Oil takes message to the Super Bowl

February 5, 2017

“This is not your father’s Oldsmobile.” With that commercial pitch in 1988, one of General Motors’ iconic brands targeted younger motorists in a bid to breathe new life into the Cutlass and other Oldsmobile models. Instead, sales declined and GM shut down Olds in 2004. On Sunday, the American Petroleum Institute will air its first-ever Super Bowl ad with a similar opening line: “This ain’t your daddy’s oil.” (read more)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Climate, Government and Politics, Organizations, People, Podcast

Columbia Energy Exchange: Carl Pope

November 21, 2016

Following COP22 in Marrakech where global leaders were overcome with uncertainty about the United States’ commitment to greenhouse gas reduction under a new Trump Administration, host Bill Loveless speaks with Carl Pope, former executive director and chairman of The Sierra Club, about the path forward against climate change through both international and local initiatives. Pope is also a senior climate adviser to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the U.N. Secretary General’s special envoy for cities and climate change. They discuss: Reactions to Donald Trump’s election and other challenges and opportunities coming out of the Marrakech Climate Summit; The heightened roles for cities, states, investors and business in providing U.S. direction for climate initiatives; A sneak peek at the upcoming book by Carl and Michael Bloomberg called, “Overheated: How Cooler Heads Can Cool the World” that seeks to reset the conversation about…

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Corporations, Organizations, Podcast

Columbia Energy Exchange: Hosnia Hashim

November 7, 2016

For many years, the petroleum industry has had the reputation of being a male club. With far more men than women occupying jobs and running the business, the sector faces the challenge of bridging the gender gap. On this episode of the Columbia Energy Exchange, host Bill Loveless speaks with Hosnia Hashim, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait’s Petrochemical Industries Company, who has more than 25 years of experience in the sector. Their conversation followed a Women in Energy event at the Center on Global Energy Policy in New York where Hashim was a guest speaker. Among the topics they discussed include: How Hashim arrived in Kuwait’s petroleum industry and her path through the ranks; Opportunities for women in Kuwait’s petroleum sector compared to other Middle East nations; Steps taken by Kuwait’s government to promote education of women in science,  technology, engineering and…

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Economy / Finance, Energy, International, Organizations

OPEC meets this week as oil optimism builds

September 25, 2016

The OPEC oil cartel plans to hold an informal meeting in Algeria this week to consider whether steps should be taken to stabilize oil prices following a slump of more than two years. Ministers of the 14 OPEC nations flirted with a similar notion earlier this year in a meeting with Russia in Qatar, but the prospect of a freeze in oil output failed because rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran refused to back off on their drives to increase market share, regardless of price. (Read more)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Energy, Organizations, Technology, Utilities and Providers

Loveless: Solar power’s future bright but has a way to go

September 12, 2016

The largest solar trade show in North America opens in Las Vegas on Monday with another round of good news for the tiny but growing component of the U.S. electric power supply. Among the announcements planned for the Solar Power International 2016 is a report by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association that more than 2 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems were installed in the second quarter of 2016 – the 11th straight quarter that solar connections to the grid exceeded 1 gigawatt. (Read more)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Energy, Organizations

‘World’s energy superpower’ fights OPEC obsession

August 10, 2016

Although OPEC’s influence over world oil prices has declined in recent years, the mere mention of a meeting by the cartel’s member countries is still enough to trigger speculation and move the market. We saw that Monday when oil prices jumped 3% in New York after news broke that OPEC planned to assemble unofficially in Algeria in September in response to the latest setback in the market. (Read more.)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Organizations, Technology, Utilities and Providers

Green energy funding falls from 2015’s record levels

July 17, 2016

The year 2015 is turning out to be a tough act to follow for new investments in clean energy in the U.S. and around the world. A report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance reveals that financing for solar, wind and other alternatives to fossil fuels in 2016 is down substantially from last year, when a record $348.5 billion was dedicated to projects. (Read More)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Organizations

Offshore drilling prospects dim amid productivity focus

May 8, 2016

The annual Offshore Technology Conference in Houston is one of the premier expositions of breakthroughs that enable oil and natural gas producers to reach deeper into the ocean faster, cheaper and safer. Unfortunately for the vendors displaying new implements at NRG Park this past week, the prolonged downturn in oil and gas prices makes it difficult for producers to expand their tool kits when they’re cutting investments and personnel. Bernard Looney, the chief executive for BP’ s global upstream operations, acknowledged as much in his presentation at the event. (Read more)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Energy, Organizations

Clean energy guru touts the power of diversity

April 10, 2016

For the makers of solar, wind and other forms of clean energy, the future looks bright, with all-time-high investments and expanding markets throughout the world. That was evident at a conference in New York held by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, where more than 1,000 producers, investors and others involved in cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels met to discuss the progress that has taken place so far and the opportunities that continue to unfold. No one is more bullish about the industry than Michael Liebreich, the chairman of BNEF, who founded the energy information and research company in 2004 and sold it to the media giant Bloomberg in 2009. (Read more)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless