An award-winning energy journalist known for his compelling news interviews in print and on the air. A thought-provoking moderator of high-level public events addressing leading energy and environmental issues. An insider with extensive connections with prominent lawmakers, policymakers and business executives. A perceptive writer providing critical insight on issues.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated North Dakota’s recently-set monthly record for natural gas production. The state produced 1.6 billion cubic feet a day in June. North Dakota is holding its own when it comes to producing oil, despite the stubborn slump in oil prices and predictions that the U.S. shale boom is about to fade. (Read more)
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The nuclear agreement between Tehran and western powers promises to unleash an enormous wave of new investment opportunities in Iran for foreign companies, including oil producers. But closing deals to help Iran revive its oil sector won’t be as easy as it may seem, cautions a former member of the Obama administration team who participated in the nuclear talks. (Read more)
Continue readingWhat exactly does the nuclear agreement that the U.S. and other global powers struck with Iran mean for world oil markets? And do the sanctions imposed on Iran offer insight for the U.S. and other nations as they seek to punish Russia for its actions in Ukraine? In the latest installment of a new podcast series at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, Bill Loveless sits down with the center’s Richard Nephew, who until recently was a member of the U.S. team negotiating with Iran. (Listen Here)
Continue readingThe slump in oil prices is more than a year old now, with bad news continuing for producers around the world, including those responsible for the shale revolution in the U.S. Just look at second-quarter earnings, which largely show disappointing results again for oil companies and their shareholders. But while there may be no end in sight for the industry’s dilemma, there may be a silver lining for producers, especially those using the downturn to hone drilling techniques, like hydraulic fracturing, to reinforce their output and profits later. (Read More)
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With its newfound abundance of oil and natural gas, the U.S. is producing enough to meet most of its own needs and supply some to other nations. So, why hasn’t Washington done more to promote exports of oil and gas to Europe, Asia and other regions and taken other steps to bolster energy security around the world?James Jones, a former national security adviser to President Obama, raised that question the other day before a business audience in Washington, and laid much of the blame on his ex-boss. (Read more)
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Plans for offshore wind farms have fallen flat for years in the U.S.But a Rhode Island-based company is about to begin installation of what promises to be the first such venture in the nation. (Read more)
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When Peter Davidson was hired as executive director of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office two years ago, his was not an enviable position. The controversial program had been operating without a full-time director for more than a year, had made no financial commitments in some two years, and was still reeling from the fallout of a major fiasco: the bankruptcy of one of its major clients, the solar-panel maker Solyndra. Now, Davidson, who resigned in June to return home to New York, is claiming success for a controversial loan program that supports technologies with the potential to transform the ways we use and produce energy, but with risks that can scare off commercial lenders. (Read more)
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Uranium mining was once a big business in the U.S., leading the world in production and fueling a growing nuclear power establishment. But recent decades have been difficult ones for both industries, as construction of new reactors all but halted after the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, and the U.S. uranium business lost out to foreign competition. Now, a Colorado-based company is looking for a change of fortune. (Read More)
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When you think about disruption in the U.S. electric power industry, one of the first companies that comes to mind is SolarCity. Since its founding in 2006, the San Mateo, Calif.-based business has become the number-one installer of solar panels on residential roofs, and a villain in the eyes of some utility executives who see SolarCity and its competitors potentially cutting deeply into their electricity sales. So, it may come as a surprise that SolarCity is reaching out to utility companies and grid operators to form partnerships. (Read more)
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Consumer choices in light bulbs for their homes have changed significantly over the past few years, and they appear to be doing so again. Compact fluorescent lamp bulbs, the market leader since most incandescent bulbs were phased out in 2014, are gradually giving way to LED lights, those semiconductor devices best known for their use in traffic signals and electronic appliances. (Read more)
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