Tag

natural gas

Blog, Climate, Sustainable Energy

With void in Washington, energy policy shifts to states

May 17, 2017

As the late U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill said, “All politics is local,” and that pertains to energy as much as any issue. Take the Metro section in the May 17 Washington Post where three stories remind us that battles over climate change are increasingly shifting from Washington to the states and local communities, as the Trump administration puts the kibosh on Obama-era environmental policies. The lead story reports that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has ordered state officials to develop regulations to reduce carbon emissions from power plants and encourage solar and other clean energy sources. McAuliffe wants the plan, which is consistent with the Obama strategy for climate change and energy, implemented by the time he leaves office in January, a tall order given the resistance he will face from the Republican-controlled legislature in Virginia. Nonetheless, his bid…

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by Bill Loveless
Podcast, Policy, Sustainable Energy

Columbia Energy Exchange: Bloomberg’s Ethan Zindler

April 25, 2017

Sustainable energy in the form of natural gas, renewable energy and energy efficiency, is gaining ground in the U.S. and around the world, as concerns over climate change increase. And sustainable energy isn’t just cleaner, it’s cheaper, as well, as Ethan Zindler, the head of policy analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, tells host Bill Loveless in this episode of the “Columbia Energy Exchange.” Their conversation took place just after BNEF and the Business Council for Sustainability released their 2017 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook.

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Climate, Energy, Government and Politics

Coal’s decline may continue even under Trump

November 21, 2016

During his campaign for the White House, President-elect Donald Trump promised to eliminate regulations that target coal-fired power plants, one of the primary causes of carbon emissions responsible for climate change. For Trump, a climate-change skeptic, getting rid of the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, which would curb carbon emissions from power plants by 32% by 2030, would give a boost to the declining U.S. coal industry and its decimated workforce across Appalachia. Even if the next president were to succeed, he would probably not reverse a years-long movement away from coal in the U.S. electric power industry, the biggest consumer of the black rock, according to the head of one of the nation’s leading electric utilities. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Climate, Corporations, Energy, Government and Politics

What Trump’s pro-drilling stance means for oil, gas industry

November 13, 2016

The election of Donald Trump as president raises the  hopes of oil and natural gas producers, thanks to his full-throated support for the removal of regulations that many say hamper the industry. Only time will tell if the Republican’s policies will provide much more of a boost to U.S. oil and gas, which has rallied in recent years thanks to technologies that enable production from previously untapped shale reserves. Moreover, it’s price, not government regulation, that really determines the extent of oil and gas exploration and production, as Thomas Watters, a managing director with S&P Global Ratings, observed the other day. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Energy

Oil companies slip in new list of leading energy firms

October 2, 2016

Integrated oil majors like ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell once dominated the standings of the world’s leading energy companies, with assets, revenue and earnings far outpacing just about everyone else. That’s not the case anymore, as companies that sell electricity and refine crude oil into fuel are gaining ground, as seen in a new survey by S&P Global Platts, a provider of energy information and benchmark prices. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Energy, Utilities and Providers

Utility deal spurs gas-to-grid momentum

July 14, 2016

A $1.5 billion deal between Southern Company and Kinder Morgan this week is one more sign of the growing importance of natural gas to electric power generation in the U.S. Atlanta-based Southern Company, the second-largest utility company in the U.S. in terms of customer base, agreed to pay cash to Kinder Morgan for a 50% equity interest in the Southern Natural Gas (SNG) pipeline system. (Read More)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Climate, Economy / Finance, Energy, Technology

Turbine industry aims to keep tailwind blowing

July 6, 2016

The U.S. wind energy industry is the fastest-growing new source of electricity in the country. But it’s not resting on its laurels, especially in an election year. Hence the launch of American Wind Action, a group that will promote the benefits of wind energy to the public as voters consider whom to elect for the White House, Congress, state legislatures and other offices where public policy is made. (Read more)

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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)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Economy / Finance, Energy, Government and Politics

Oil, gas production ramping up in the Gulf: Here’s why

March 2, 2016

The U.S. government will open nearly 45 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural gas development later this month, at a time when low prices are forcing producers to cut back sharply on their exploration budgets. But the industry’s troubles have had little impact so far on oil output in the region. In fact, unlike onshore production, which has been tapering off as oil prices decline, Gulf of Mexico production is on its way to setting a record in 2017. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless