Yesterday, we reported on the LNG export application filed by Alaska LNG project sponsors with the Department of Energy; today, we link you to reports from two of Alaska's most prolific oil industry reporters (-dh):
Peninsula Clarion by Tim Bradner (NGP Photo). An application was filed Friday for the U.S. Department of Energy export permit for the project. North Slope producers, TransCanada Corp. and the state of Alaska asked for permission to export up to 20 million metric tons yearly of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, from Alaska, the group announced in a press release.
Alaska Dispatch by Alex DeMarban (NGP Photo). The Alaska gasline mega-project took a step forward on Friday with the state’s major oil companies filing an application with the Department of Energy to export liquefied natural gas.
TODAY'S ENERGY IN DEPTH ENERGY LINKS:
NATIONAL
Rep. Jared Polis’ anti-HF crusade riles Colorado. Washington Times. “If he goes ahead and puts these measures on the ballot, he will be the standard-bearer of far-left green groups, clueless celebrity activists and ultrarich environmental donors who want to effectively wipe out domestic oil and gas production across Colorado and the rest of the nation,” said Simon Lomax, Denver-based spokesman for Energy in Depth.
Halliburton Names New President, Profit Rises 20%. Wall Street Journal. Halliburton Co. gave Chief Operating Officer Jeff Miller the added title of president and said he would join the oil-field services giant's board as part of its succession-planning process. The company, which also reported its second-quarter profit rose 20%, said Mr. Miller will complement the leadership of Chief Executive Dave Lesar.
GOP Senators Question IG’s Right To Probe HF. Forbes. “The Obama Administration’s insistent attempt to link hydraulic fracturing to groundwater contamination in an effort to satisfy radical activists and justify greater federal regulations on the oil and gas industry is not only improperly motivated, but it is an example of the waste and abuse of government resources that is the OIG’s very mission to expose and protect against,” the senators wrote.
The Shale Surge: $80 Billion Boom Is Reshaping North America. Market Wired. Shale zone communities have discovered yet another benefit from their surging economic growth: more of everything. Small towns like Williston, North Dakota, which has relatively little retail, are now catching the eye of major brands like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.
How shale development fractures the Democratic Party. Washington Examiner, Editorial. The fight in Colorado could be repeated in many states with energy resources. Some voters will choose a technologically advanced nation in which each generation improves its economic lot over the last. Others will side with radical environmentalists who obsess about ridding America of all fossil fuels and even repealing the industrial revolution.
Energy infrastructure has to catch up with the shale boom. Pittsburgh Business Times. As producers continue to develop Pennsylvania's shale-gas fields, the challenge will be to develop the infrastructure necessary for moving the gas to the markets, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said Monday.
Natural gas emits half the GHGs of coal over its lifetime – analysis. E&E News (sub. req’d). When it comes to life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, natural gas — whether or not it was extracted using conventional methods — has about half the climate impact of coal, according to an analysis published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Shale plays reduce political risk: Kemp. Reuters, Column. Unlike a conventional oil field, shale plays can be scaled up or down more quickly in response to changing perceptions about risk and return. If the political environment becomes less favourable, the drilling programme can be halted or scaled back. In that sense, the capital commitment required by a shale play is less "lumpy" and therefore less risky.
Shale's social license. Oil & Gas Journal. The newfound abundance of oil and gas unlocked by the shale revolution has yielded increased public scrutiny of the oil and gas industry in the US, bringing with it a host of new challenges and opportunities for constructive collaboration.
Corralling Carbon. New York Times. Even the abundant natural gas unleashed by fracking, while cleaner than coal, is a major source of greenhouse gases. Ultimately, many scientists say, those emissions will need to be trapped and stored, too.
INTERNATIONAL
Shale reserves in the North West 'worth £10bn'. BBC. Shale gas reserves in part of the North West could be worth £10bn to the economy and support up to 3,500 jobs, a report has claimed. The figures are based on extracting five trillion cubic feet of gas at 30 sites in Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire between 2017 and 2031.
Is Russia funding Europe's anti-fracking Green protests? Washington Examiner, Op-Ed. That’s the conclusion NATO Secretary General Fogh Anders Rasmussen drew in an explosive speech in London last month, where he said Russia “engages actively with … environmental organizations working against shale gas, obviously to maintain European dependence on imported Russian gas.”
Opponents Renew Call for South African Shale Halt. Bloomberg. A South African environmental group renewed its call for a moratorium on shale-gas fracking, as the government moves closer to a decision on whether to allow the process opponents say imperils water quality.
Questions raised over viability of shale. Belfast Telegraph. Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health reviewed evidence across several issues linked with shale gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing.
CALIFORNIA
La Habra Heights residents form group to fight drilling proposal. Whittier Daily News. McCaskey also said that oil drilling is not new in La Habra Heights. Oil production on the Southern California Gas Co. property dates back to 1912, according to city records. And there are 180 Occidental Petroleum Corp. active wells in the city, according to state records, he said.
COLORADO
Drill into facts in debate over HF. Loveland Reporter-Herald, Editorial. This debate should focus on facts that can be independently verified. That way, voters are more likely to have the best opportunity to study any proposals and reach informed decisions.
HF initiatives are unnecessary. Sterling Journal-Advocate, Column. I'll be the first say that fracking has its dangers. But the same can be said for any industrialized process that creates jobs and makes modern life possible. But the proposed anti-fracking initiatives do nothing to change that and are completely unnecessary. Just vote no.
LOUISIANA
Corps of Engineers raises questions about St. Tammany HF permit. New Orleans Times-Picayune. The Army Corps of Engineers has raised concerns about a proposal to frack for oil near Mandeville, stating among other things that steps to avoid wetlands impacts have not been taken and noting other possibly less problematic drilling sites have not been considered.
NORTH DAKOTA
Race for North Dakota's ag commissioner is all about oil. Reuters. With a legislature that meets only every two years, North Dakota has given an unusual amount of power to the agriculture commissioner and two other members of the state's Industrial Commission, charging the triumvirate with oversight of permitting and other issues critical to the oil industry.
In N.D., oil and gas transformation runs deep. E&E News (sub. req’d). Since 2010, oil production has quadrupled in North Dakota, with more than 8,000 wells drilled. The state collected $4 billion in oil taxes from July 2011 to June 2013, projects a $1 billion surplus for the current biennium and is looking to bring in workers for an abundance of industry-related jobs.
NORTHEAST
Energy secretary faces questions. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Prolific natural gas production from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and oil from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota has upended the traditional flow of oil and gas as new areas become hubs for fuel supplies, U.S. energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said Monday at Carnegie Mellon University.
Corbett touts long-lasting effects of drilling. Washington Observer-Reporter. “Engineers have figured out how to (drill for gas) and do it safely,” Tom Corbett said Monday morning. “Marcellus Shale has had an impact, and the young engineers will someday look back and see what they did. This is important not just for us, but for generations – plural.”
DEP: Operations can impact water supplies. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Before our members begin well development activities, exhaustive baseline water sampling is conducted by certified third parties, which frequently extends beyond state requirements,” Mr. Creighton said, adding that the baseline testing gives homeowners important water quality and public health-related information.
Still Even Split. Associated Press. New Yorkers appear solidly entrenched — and nearly evenly divided — over whether natural gas hydraulic fracturing ought to be allowed in the state, according to an opinion poll released Monday by the Siena College Research Institute.
Gas pipeline issues challenge for producers, users. Tribune Live. A decade into the “shale gas revolution,” the pipeline issues remain as surging production makes distribution a challenge.
Group seeks full disclosure of chemicals. Associated Press. A group of doctors is demanding full public disclosure of chemicals that would be used to drill for natural gas by hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland.
Furor over gas pipeline not unique to Lancaster County. Lancaster Newspapers. The issues that have surfaced since a proposed 35-mile natural gas pipeline was announced in March in Lancaster County are hardly unique. Take Nelson County, Virginia, a largely rural area in central Virginia where residents and public officials learned in late May of a planned 450-mile natural gas pipeline that would run through their properties.
OHIO
Businesses Benefit From Shale Boom. Columbus CEO. It may seem like a stretch to say Honda is part of Ohio’s shale-gas boom. But a close look shows that the automaker is using the steady supply and low price of natural gas to improve its bottom line at plants in Marysville and East Liberty.
Think regionally to link energy policy with economic development, report urges. Columbus Business First. The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission is advocating the 12-county Columbus region work together to more efficiently handle energy policy, from infrastructure to job training. “We view this plan as a way to connect energy to the economic success of the region,” said Christina O’Keeffe, director of energy and air quality at MORPC.
TEXAS
Denton HF ban won't solve the problem, mayor says. Dallas Business Journal. Regardless of whether Denton voters decide to ban hydraulic fracturing within city limits on Nov. 4, that won’t solve the real problem: Vested rights of oil and gas companies to re-drill old wells, Mayor Chris Watts said.
New oil train rules likely to have wide reach. Houston Chronicle. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx suggested Monday that coming mandates to boost the safety of hauling oil by train will take a comprehensive approach, going beyond requiring changes to the tank cars that carry crude across the country.
Eagle Ford task force to meet in San Antonio. San Antonio Express-News. The meeting will focus on local and statewide water issues. It will include a panel discussion and talks by SAWS President and CEO Robert Puente and State Rep. Doug Miller, R- New Braunfels.
WYOMING
Don't let delay derail needed air actions in Pinedale. Casper Star-Tribune, Column. The state has an opportunity here to show its leadership on a critical air quality issue. Solving the Pinedale problem will show that state government is the home of strong, smart rules, and once again put the state regulators in the driver’s seat, not EPA.
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