Dept. of the Interior https://www.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/5251/42462/45213/NPR-A_FINAL_ROD_2-21-13.pdf [Environment News Service] Exploration and development of lands containing about three-quarters of the economically recoverable oil in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska will be permitted, under a Record of Decision signed today by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar… At the same time, the decision protects natural resources in the 23-million-acre … Continue reading »
Tagged with Oil …
Arctic Oil and Gas
Ernst and Young http://bit.ly/12IGXgP [Oil and Gas Journal article by Glen Clock] The quest for Arctic oil and gas resources “is not for the faint of heart, nor for those with less-than-deep pockets,” Ernst & Young said in a special report, adding operators confront a harsh climate, limited infrastructure, exceptionally long lead times, and … Continue reading »
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Recent Activities and Ongoing Developments
Congressional Research Service http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42942.pdf [PEN-e] Summary: In the wake of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, the federal government, state governments, and responsible parties faced an unprecedented challenge. An oil discharge continued for 84 days, resulting in the largest oil spill in U.S. … Continue reading »
Keystone XL Pipeline Project: Key Issues
Congressional Research Service http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41668.pdf …The 112th Congress debated numerous legislative options addressing the Keystone XL pipeline. The North American Energy Access Act (H.R. 3548) would have transferred permitting authority for the Keystone XL pipeline project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, requiring issuance of a permit within 30 days of enactment. Several other bills (H.R. … Continue reading »
Using Oil Taxes to Improve Fiscal Reform
Council on Foreign Relations / by Daniel P. Ahn and Michael Levi http://www.cfr.org/energy/using-oil-taxes-improve-fiscal-reform/p29713 In this Energy Brief, Daniel Ahn and Michael Levi model the potential consequences of substituting taxes on oil consumption for either higher nonoil taxes or reduced government spending, both as part of a larger deficit reduction package, and argue that doing so … Continue reading »
BP Energy Outlook 2030
British Petroleum http://bit.ly/Vlms4w [Oil and Gas Journal] The North American shale gas and tight oil revolution will reshape global markets, changing economic expectations and rebalancing trade flows, BP PLC said in its BP Energy Outlook 2030. “As the US becomes 99% self-sufficient by 2030, oil imports’ share of its trade and services deficit will approach zero,” said … Continue reading »
Beyond the Congressional Budget Office: The Additional Economic Effects of Immediately Opening Federal Lands to Oil and Gas Leasing
Institute for Energy Research / by Joseph R. Mason http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/beyond-the-congressional-budget-office/ The Institute for Energy Research released today a groundbreaking study that assesses the recent Congressional Budget Office analysis of revenues gained by opening federal lands and waters for oil and gas development. The study, conducted by Dr. Joseph Mason, a professor at the Louisiana State … Continue reading »
Inventory of Estimated Budgetary Support and Tax Expenditures for Fossil Fuels, 2013
OECD (RFFers may access this for free through OECD iLibrary; if prompted for a password, see the library’s landing page — left side) http://bit.ly/14AyElq This Inventory is concerned with direct budgetary transfers and tax expenditures that relate to fossil fuels, regardless of their impact or of the purpose for which the measures were first put … Continue reading »
Law and Order in the Oil and Gas Fields: A Review Of the Inspection and Enforcement Programs in Five Western States — 2012 Update
Western Organization of Resource Councils http://bit.ly/WdGEql [From an Energy Line article by Scott Streater, sub. req'd] There are not enough government inspectors to ensure that increased oil and natural gas drilling operations on federal and state lands across the West are operating correctly, according to an analysis of inspection and enforcement records by a conservation … Continue reading »
A Complex Constellation: Displacement, Climate Change and Arctic People
Brookings / by Elizabeth Ferris http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2013/01/30-arctic-ferris What will be the impact and potential impact of climate change on the mobility of indigenous communities in the Arctic region. Will indigenous populations be forced to move elsewhere because of the effects of climate change? Will they be relocated by governments to protect them from an increasingly unstable … Continue reading »
