5-8-13

08 May 2013 7:37am

Today in Washington, House Natural Doc Hastings, Resources, US House, DOI, duplicating state regulations, hydraulic fracturing, Photo by Dave HarbourResources Chairman Doc Hastings (NGP Photo) called the “DOI Hydraulic Fracturing Rule: A Recipe for Government Waste, Duplication and Delay.”  See full text here.

APRN, by  Alexandra Gutierrez.  If this legislative session was all about oil, the next one could be more focused on natural gas. The end goal is a pipeline capable of moving the massive supply of gas on North Slope to market. APRN’s Alexandra Gutierrez reports that the state is looking at the issue of getting a project online from multiple angles.

For Our Early Morning Readers!  Today the Division of Oil and Gas will hold its Bill Barron, Alaska Division of Oil and Gas, Lease Sale, Cook Inlet, Geothermal, Photo by Dave Harbourannual areawide oil and gas lease sales for the Alaska Peninsula and Cook Inlet as well as a geothermal lease sale for Augustine Island. Division Director Bill Barron (NGP Photo) will be available directly after the lease sales for interviews.

 
Bid opening for the three lease sales begins at 9 a.m. at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center, located at 600 West 7th Avenue in Anchorage. The lease sales will be conducted in this order: Alaska Peninsula, Augustine Island, and then Cook Inlet.
 
For background information on the state’s oil and gas lease sale program, go to http://dog.dnr.alaska.gov/Leasing/LeaseSales.htm. For information regarding geothermal lease sales, go to http://dog.dnr.alaska.gov/Leasing/GeothermalLeasing.htm.
Also, yesterday in Washington: House Subcommittee Examines Federal Impediments to Job Creation, Economic Growth, & Recreation on Public Lands 
 
National Ocean Policy
“As many of you are aware, the Obama Administration released an executive order in 2010 that created a National Ocean Policy. The Administration decided to sidestep the legislative process despite the fact that four Congresses had considered legislation to create a very similar ocean policy and created the National Ocean Policy by executive order and without statutory authority. Not only does this Policy add new policy goals and requirements for federal agencies to meet when permitting activities, it creates a new level of bureaucracy that will certainly add more hoops for all Americans to jump through.”
Endangered Species Act
“One of the other laws that is requiring a great deal of focus this Congress is the Endangered Species Act, which was last authorized by Congress nearly 25 years ago. This law has done more to keep environmental lawyers in business than it has to recover species or to balance the needs of average Americans.
Aside from the burdens created by the ESA, to most objective observers, the law is failing to achieve even its primary purpose of species recovery. Federal agencies charged with its implementation every year spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars under the rubric of ‘endangered species recovery.’ Yet, the law, over the past 40 years has only achieved, at best, a one or two percent recovery rate.” 
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5-7-13 Offshore Technology Conference Features Coastal Governors Supporting Energy Development

07 May 2013 7:13am

Senator Lisa Murkowski (NGP Photo) Senator Lisa Murkowski, Legacy Wells, Photo by Dave Harbourtoday criticized the Interior Department’s budget proposal for attempting to make Alaska pay for the decades-old broken promises of the federal government.
Alberta Oil: Could the N.W.T.’s Canol shale be the next Bakken?
CBC News: Enbridge Gas New Brunswick has won its legal challenge of provincial regulations that stipulate how the Energy and Utilities Board sets distribution rates.

Yesterday, at Houston's Offshore Technology Conference, Alaska was a big subject of discussion (See our report yesterday).  From the Houston Chronicle, comes the following commentary by Consumer Energy Alliance President, David Holt (NGP Photo) -dh.  In Alaska, where a vast pool of oil and natural gas resources is not only surveyed but accessible, federal policy is also halting development. Several companies have temporarily suspended exploration offshore Alaska due to regulatory uncertainty. Meanwhile, Russia and Norway are moving to expand their Arctic drilling capabilities, shifting investment and expertise away from American interests and putting us behind the curve in developing our Arctic resources.  Yesterday at OTC, a group of eight coastal governors ... called for an improved dialogue with the federal government to allow ...

Other news media references to the OTC include: Wall Street Journal: “Coastal Governors Want More Offshore Drilling”

 ... expanded access to U.S. waters. They noted that 85 percent of the nation's OCS is currently off limits. They also urged federal policymakers to better manage regulatory standards for offshore development to provide increased certainty and more efficient timelines for operators. Finally, the governors endorsed legislative efforts to expand oil and gas revenue-sharing to all coastal states, underscoring the importance of such revenues to state coastal management and infrastructure development programs.  Policymakers should take their cues from the can-do spirit of OTC and apply that same dynamism to fashioning reasonable offshore regulations. Building on our undeniable success and technological advancement in developing our onshore resources, we should be looking to the sea to help supply our nation with domestic oil and natural gas in a safe, reliable and responsible manner. With a renewed focus on the OCS and the flexibility to allow states to determine their own fate, Washington could help usher in the next energy boom.  The future of American energy production is offshore, just as much as it's onshore, and it's time our federal policymakers enable this growth."

Governor Sean Parnell's office provided the following report: May 6, 2013, Houston, TX – Alaska Governor Sean Parnell, Texas Governor Rick Perry, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory headlined a panel today....   (See Multi Media and Photos Here)

The governors underscored their support for federal legislation mandating revenue sharing from the development of oil, gas and renewable energy resources in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). They also highlighted the importance of efficient, timely, and consistent regulatory approval for offshore development.
 
In his remarks, Governor Parnell cited lower unemployment in more hospitable places like Aberdeen, Scotland, West Texas, Alberta and North Dakota, and the importance of the federal government unlocking resources to enable new energy production to create jobs.
 
“Those places that are allowed to grow create more opportunity for our people,” Governor Parnell said. “We should not accept nearly 12 million Americans out of work.
 
“As chair of the OCS Governors Coalition, we’re advocating to expand revenue sharing to states that host offshore development. Currently, Eastern Seaboard states and Alaska are generally not eligible to share in revenues generated by oil, gas, and renewables in the OCS. These states should be treated equitably with other coastal states.
 
“We continue to urge the Obama administration to provide timely regulatory approval for the development of oil, gas, and renewable energy resources in the OCS. More timely federal decision-making means more jobs sooner for Americans and reduces our nation’s growing debt.
 
“In the U.S. Interior Department’s Five-Year Plan for Oil and Gas Leasing for 2012-2017, the department did not open access to new areas through 2017, including leases in the Atlantic, despite the fact that a lease sale off of Virginia’s coast had been included in a previous five-year plan. What’s more, Interior postponed all Arctic OCS lease sales by one year from the date proposed in the draft plan. As it stands, 85 percent of America’s OCS is effectively closed to oil and natural gas exploration. This is unacceptable.”
 
Since its formation in 2011, the coalition of coastal governors has advocated for energy expansion through safe and responsible resource development and has supported proactive offshore energy production as part of a comprehensive national energy policy. The coalition provides a discussion and policy platform, and includes the governors of Alaska, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
 
“When it comes to the federal government, the states often only see delay,” said Governor Parnell. “We are looking for more coordination by the federal government with the states instead of federal decision-making without them.”
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5-6-13

06 May 2013 9:15am

 Calgary Herald.  Less than five months after his appointment, Bryan Gould is no longer president of Athabasca Oil Corp., the company announced Monday.

Commentary: Today in Houston, the Offshore Governor Sean Parnell, Alaska, OTC Conference, Houston, OCS Governors Coalition, Photo by Dave HarbourTechnology Conference features the Outer Continental Shelf Governors' Coalition -- including Alaska Governor Sean Parnell (NGP Photo) -- discussing the need for better federal-state communication on OCS policymaking and the benefits of OCS development for coastal states and
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energy consumers. We will provide an update on the conference tomorrow.   We compliment Governor Parnell for his leadership in this effort to work with other coastal governors.  Their effort will support Alaska's need to sustain throughput of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) as well as Alaska's economy which is 90% dependent on Alaska North Slope production.  Governor Parnell's efforts also support the country's need for a stronger economy, energy self sufficiency, national security and massive job creation.  -dh

Fuel Fix.  Governors from Alaska and states bordering the Gulf of Mexico are reaching out Governor Rick Perry, Texas, Houston, OTC Conference, OCS Governors Coalition, Photo by Dave HarbourRobert Bentley, Governor, Alabama, IOGCC, OCS Governors Coalition, Doctor, OTC Conference Houston, Photo by Dave Harbourto their counterparts along the West and East Coast today in a bid to get them more involved in decisions about energy production offshore.  The push for a new Outer Continental Shelf Governors Coalition is led by four governors who know a little something about oil and gas production offshore: Rick Perry (NGP Photo-R) of Texas, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Sean Parnell of Alaska (Coalition Chairman).  In an invitation to other coastal state governors, the foursome said they hoped the coalition would “foster an appropriate dialogue between the coastal states and the administrationPhil Bryant, Governor, Mississippi, OCS Governors Coalition, IOGCC, Photo by Dave Harbour” about offshore drilling. The group would give the governors a vehicle to lobby for expanded drilling offshore.  (Note: our sources tell us that other panel members will include: Alabama Governor Robert Bently (NGP Photo-Upper L), Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (NGP Photo-R), South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's Chief of Staff Martin Kent and Louisana Governor Bobby Jindal's Executive Assistant for Coastal Activities, Garret Graves.  -dh)

This week in Washington from Consumer Energy Alliance sources:

Tomorrow:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (F.R. Page 20637) holds a meeting of the Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel to provide an opportunity for independent expert members of the ad hoc panel to provide comment on EPA's study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, May 7-8. The meeting begins at 9:30amET at the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel (801 North Glebe Road) in Arlington, VA. Event available via webcast at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
 
The House Appropriations Committee Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee holds a hearing on the budget for the Bureau of Land Management at9:30am ET in B-308 Rayburn House Office Building.
 
The Natural Resources Committee holds a full committee hearing on H.R.527, the "Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act” at 9:30am ET in 366 Dirken Senate Office Building.
 
The House Science Committee Energy Subcommittee and Environment Subcommittee hold a joint hearing on "Keystone XL Pipeline: Examination of Scientific and Environmental Issues” at10:00am ET in 2318 Rayburn House Office Building.
 
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) holds a discussion on "America's Natural Gas: Should Exports be Restricted?” at 10:00am ET at AEI (1150 17th Street NW, 12th Floor) in Washington, DC. The event can be viewed online here.
 
The House Energy and Commerce Committee Energy and Power Subcommittee will hold ahearing on "U.S. Energy Abundance: Exports and the Changing Global Energy Landscape” at 10:00am ETin 2123 Rayburn House Office Building.
 
The Senate Appropriations Committee Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on "FY2014 Budget Request for the Department of the Interior” at10:30am ET in 124 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
 
Wednesday, May 8
 
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute holds a briefing on "Energy Efficient Infrastructure for More Resilient Local Economies: The Role of District Energy, CHP (combined heat and power), and Microgrids." The briefing begins at 9:30am ETin 562 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Please RSVP here.
 
The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on "DOI Hydraulic Fracturing Rule: A Recipe for Government Waste, Duplication and Delay” at 10:00am ET in 1324 Longworth House Office Building.
 
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a full committee markup of S.306, the "Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act"; S.545, the "Hydropower Improvement Act of 2013"; S.761, the "Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013"; H.R.267, the "Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013"; and H.R.678, the "Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act." The mark-up begins at 11:30am ET in 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
 
The House Appropriations Committee Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hold a hearing on the budget for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at1:00pm ET in 2359 Rayburn House Office Building.
 
Senate Appropriations Committee Energy and Water Development Subcommittee will hold ahearing on "The FY2014 funding request and budget justification for the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation” at2:30pm ET in 192 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
 
The Center for Strategic and International Studies' (CSIS) Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy and Nuclear Energy Program hold a "College Champions Debate Nuclear Energy," panel discussion on the future of nuclear energy in the United States with student teams from Georgetown University and Northwestern University. The event begins at 5:45pm ET at CSIS (1800 K Street NW) in Washington, DC.
 
Thursday, May 9
 
Senate Environment and Public Works will hold a full committee hearing on the nomination of Gina McCarthy to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The hearing will begin at 9:15am ET in 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
 
The House Energy and Commerce Committee Energy and Power Subcommittee hold ahearing on "American Energy Security and Innovation: Grid Reliability Challenges in a Shifting Energy Resource Landscape” at 9:30am ET in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building.
 
Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) and Synapse Energy Economics will hold a news conference to release a new report, "Doubling Wind in PJM Will Save Consumers Billions," that details how "changes in energy generation within the Mid-Atlantic region (PJM) that could save consumers billions and require little new infrastructure." The press conference begins at 1:30pm ET at the UN Foundation Office (1615 M Street NW, 7thFloor) in Washington, DC.

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5-5-13: In Memoriam, Ken Stout

05 May 2013 10:54am

Point of personal privilege.  Today we honor ourKen Stout, Retired USAF Lt Col, Retired Anchorage Assembly, Photo by Dave Harbour friend Ken Stout (NGP Photo-R), a great American veteran, a public servant, father and husband who acquitted himself well, and, like Paul of old, served Our Lord wherever he went, consistently.  This good and faithful servant made a difference, was loved by many and will be missed by all who knew him.  -dh

ADN by Tim Bradner (NGP Photo).Tim Bradner, Alternative Energy, former BP Lobbyist  Last week was energy week in Anchorage. There were two important conferences back to back. The first was the Alaska Energy Authority's annual Rural Energy Conference.  

For gadget and technology buffs, cruising the two trade shows was sheer bliss. And I was struck by a sense of inspiration and even hope -- in these meetings there might actually be solutions for small rural communities hit hard by diesel and heating oil costing up to $8 and $10 a gallon.
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5-3-13

03 May 2013 5:20am

North of 60 Mining News: The minerals industry of Northwest Territories April 30 congratulated the Tłı̨chǫ Government for the release of their long-awaited Tłı̨chǫ Wene’ke, or Tłı̨chǫ Land Use Plan.

Note to Readers: We think the "Jobs" link above is among the most useful anywhere. Check it frequently for updates and feel free to suggest additions/corrections for the benefit of other NGP readers!  -dh

Action Alert!

Resource Development Council

Our return from China occurred too late for us to update our stock photos of  the Kentucky Derby for the fourth year in a row.  However, we note with pleasure that there is a new kid on the block: Frac Daddy!

Alaska's constitutional mandate to reasonably develop natural resources is again subject to debate.  Our Friends at the Resource Development Council for Alaska have urged us to provide a comment to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) by MONDAY'S May 6 deadline.

Here is a link to RDC's analysis and recommendation.

Here is a link to a comment delivered by Alaska State Senator Cathy Giessel (NGPCathy Giessel, Alaska State Senate, Resources Committee, Nondalton Tribal et al v. State of Alaska Photo) to the Department of Natural Resources wherein she cautions DNR, "Our state government is directed, by Article VIII, Section 1 of the Alaska Constitution, 'to encourage the settlement of its land and the development of its resources by making them available for maximum use consistent with the public interest.'  

"Our lands are rich in resources," she writes, "which create wealth and economy, supporting healthy people and communities. Alaska is not a massive park. Alaska is a land which has supported multiple-use resource development for generations.  Please stand firm and reject narrow proposals that seek to restrict access by our people to our lands and its resources."    -dh

Today's Consumer Energy Alliance Energy Links:

 

LNG 13 Conference Report Here

Bloomberg: Keystone foes seek climate measures in case they lose - President Barack Obama is being pressed by opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline to tie any approval to measures that would curb climate change, reflecting mounting pressure on the administration to mitigate the project’s impact if it goes forward.

 

POLITICO Pro: Dip in gas prices prompts GOP to shift tactics - The threat of $4 a gallon gasoline is a fast-fading memory, forcing House Republicans to shift tactics as they continue to blame President Barack Obama’s policies for driving up Americans’ energy prices. Republicans' broad agenda is largely unchanged, anchored by the Keystone XL pipeline, expanded offshore drilling, a rollback of EPA regulations and other steps they say would offer relief for consumers. But unlike the past two years, the price on the pump isn’t cooperating this time around.

 

Houston Chronicle: Environmental groups sue EPA over refinery emissions - Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit to force federal regulators to review the way they calculate emissions from petrochemical plants, oil refineries and other large industrial facilities. In the suit filed on Thursday, Air Alliance Houston and three other groups accuse the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of using outdated and inaccurate formulas to estimate levels of air pollution.

 

Associated Press: Oil drilling technology leaps, clean energy lags - Technology created an energy revolution over the past decade — just not the one we expected. By now, cars were supposed to be running on fuel made from plant waste or algae — or powered by hydrogen or cheap batteries that burned nothing at all. Electricity would be generated with solar panels and wind turbines. When the sun didn’t shine or the wind didn’t blow, power would flow out of batteries the size of tractor-trailers.

 

Bloomberg: Anti-fracking laws in New York towns upheld on appeal - Anti-fracking laws passed in two New York towns were upheld by an appeals court, which rejected arguments by a dairy farm and a Norwegian energy company that the bans are superseded by state law. An appellate panel of the New York State Supreme Court in Albany today ruled that drilling bans in the towns of Dryden and Middlefield don’t conflict with state regulations for the oil and natural-gas industry.

 

U.S. News & World Report: Fight Over Fracking Continues as Counties Begin to Ban Practice - While the nation's so-called "Shale Gale" might be benefiting some communities in the United States, one county in New Mexico has said "no thanks" to a stronger oil and gas industry presence in its region. Mora County, N.M. voted to ban all oil and gas extraction this week, after commissioners decided federal and state laws did not adequately protect communities from the impacts of hydraulic fracturing, a common practice used to extract oil and gas from shale rock.

 

Bloomberg: Natural gas tumbles most in nine months after stockpile increase - Natural gas futures dropped the most in nine months in New York after a government report showed that U.S. stockpiles expanded by more than forecast. Gas slid 7 percent, the biggest one-day decline since Aug. 2, after the Energy Information Administration said inventories rose 43 billion cubic feet in the week ended April 26 to 1.777 trillion cubic feet. Analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg showed a gain of 29 billion. Unusually cold weather into early spring helped eliminate a supply glut that emerged in late 2011.

 

 

Categories:

5-2-13

01 May 2013 1:05pm

Petroleum News byEric Lidji, Photo by Dave Harbour Eric Lidji (NGP Photo).  Repsol has announced three “new good quality hydrocarbon discoveries” from its recently completed North Slope exploration program, the company said on April 23.  The Qugruk No. 1 and Qugruk No. 6 wells produced two hydrocarbon shows with “encouraging results during production tests,” and the Qugruk No. 3 well identified hydrocarbons “at multiple levels,” according to the Spanish supermajor. Repsol drilled Q1 to around 8,179 feet, Q3 to around 10,544 feet and Q6 to around 8,651 feet.

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