587 item(s) were returned.
Activists and policy stakeholders often put forward a single policy action that, they argue, would have broad and beneficial cascading effects, essentially acting as a fix-all for America’s energy troubles. Examples of these include unfettered domestic oil and gas development (“drill, baby, drill”), a price on carbon, a flex-fuel mandate, a clean energy standard, etc. Last week, we asked what a comprehensive national energy policy might look like. Absent a comprehensive national energy policy, what single policy action, if enacted and implemented, would have the biggest impact on America’s energy landscape? What single policy action would improve America’s energy landscape most? What… [more]
View InsightGasoline prices have fluctuated dramatically in recent months, due in large part to political and economic events around the globe, such as the conflict in Libya and economic sanctions against Iran. This interplay of domestic gasoline prices and international events calls into question the relationship of the gas prices consumers face and America’s national security. OurEnergyPolicy.org is hosting an expert panel discussion to answer these questions today, Thursday, June 14th. Find more information about our event here. How have national security and gasoline prices impacted each other historically? How might they in the future? Is the interaction of gas prices and… [more]
View Insight
New England is facing a potential shortage of liquid natural gas (LNG) after terrorist attacks on a Yemenese pipeline cancelled shipments to a Massachusetts terminal. Domestic gas could make up the shortfall, but a gas pipeline or export terminals would be needed. Currently, area power and gas companies are working to establish financing for construction of a pipeline expansion, and proposed LNG export facilities are being held up by DOE. New England’s electricity market is a complicating factor in pipeline negotiations. New pipeline capacity would require long-term contracts between suppliers and utilities, and inchoate gas and electric power market rules make it… [more]
View Insight
A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals (D.C. Circuit) will require the U.S. to reevaluate the environmental impacts of disposal and storage of nuclear waste. The decision vacated the NRC’s Waste Confidence Decision Update and Temporary Storage Rule, which will essentially require the NRC to restart the process of evaluating the safety and potential consequences of producing, accumulating, and storing spent nuclear fuel. Explaining the decision, the Court writes that “the Commission’s evaluation of the risks of spent nuclear fuel is deficient in two ways: First, in concluding that permanent storage will be available ‘when necessary,’ the Commission… [more]
View InsightOver the past several years individuals and organizations across the political spectrum have called for a comprehensive national energy policy. For example, the CEO of American Electric Power (AEP) recently called for a comprehensive, multi-decade policy, citing the power sector’s desire for regulatory certainty. “One of the biggest challenges [for AEP], certainly from a regulatory perspective,” he said, “[is that] regulations tend to change based upon what administration is in place. Really we do need an element of consistency there.” Robert Rapier, author of the R-Squared column at Consumer Energy Report, also supports the need for more stable energy policies.… [more]
View Insight
As Arctic ice recedes in the summer months, nations, including the U.S., are eying the region’s mineral and fossil fuel resources. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic holds 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered conventional oil and 30 percent of its undiscovered natural gas. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton was in Tromso, Norway, last week telling reporters“A lot of countries are looking at what will be the potential for exploration and extraction of natural resources as well as new sea lanes,” but that it was important that countries “agree on ‘rules of the road’ in the Arctic so… [more]
View InsightIn a recent research note, Swiss bank UBS AG expressed uncertainty about the economic impacts of surging U.S. oil and gas production. While the domestic energy boom is widely thought of as an unequivocal economic driver, UBS analysts suggest that it may not be that straightforward. [E&E News (Sub. Req’d.)] If the current U.S. oil and gas boom – which is driving domestic supply up and prices down – is sustained, UBS projects, it could spur marginal economic growth of around 0.8% annually over the next five years. However, increased U.S. oil supply would reduce the need for imported oil,… [more]
View Insight
Massachusetts-based solar panel developer Konarka Technologies Inc. has filed for bankruptcy. The company received $1.5 million in grants from the state while Mitt Romney was governor. President Obama’s reelection campaign is casting this development as “Romney’s Solyndra,” even as Romney’s campaign continues to attack the president for his role in the Solyndra scandal. Konarka and Solyndra are two high profile U.S. solar firms that have filed for bankruptcy or otherwise collapsed since 2011, but there are a number of others: Evergreen, SpectraWatt, Energy Conversion Devices Inc. Meanwhile, other firms, such as First Solar, have forecast weak market demand for 2012, as European nations reduce solar incentives and… [more]
View InsightThe House is planning to vote on the 2013 Energy and Water spending bill, which would authorize $32.1 billion for next year, $87.5 million more than current-year levels, according to The Hill. The bill would increase funding for oil, gas, and coal research, including $25 million for a shale oil research program, and provide $25 million for the controversial Yucca mountain nuclear waste facility program. The exact allocation of funds has yet to be finalized, and the House has introduced and voted to reject many amendments that would have cut spending. One of the largest proposed cuts would have come… [more]
View InsightThe Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has released a report titled “Keystone XL: A Tar Sands Pipeline to Increase Oil Prices,” arguing that the Keystone XL pipeline will increase gas prices in the United States. The report argues that the pipeline would take Canadian crude oil that has historically gone to Midwest refineries – which produce gasoline sold to U.S. consumers – and divert it to refineries in the Gulf Coast of Texas, which historically have produced diesel that is exported internationally. Diesel fuel has over the past few years become more expensive in non-U.S. markets, providing an incentive for… [more]
View Insight