10-6-17 Friday’s Much Ado About Energy … And Politics!

The Energy World Under President Trump

For the energy scholars among us, this Reuters article has it all: from oil & gas to coal, Paris climate change accord, and alternative energy. While we respect the research and statistics, we could call into question some of the journalism that leans leftward. With that caveat, it is a piece worth maintaining in our archives and a ready reference for those of you who will be giving speeches in the near future. We say, “near future” because the energy landscape is constantly changing, as our astute readers know, rendering statistics less valuable by the day. -dh

BREAKING NEWS, “Pebble: A New Path Forward: Responding to Stakeholder Input and Demonstrating Benefits for All Alaskans”

Tom Collier, CEO of The Pebble Partnership, presented “Pebble: A New Path Forward” to Alaska’s Resource Development Council on October 5, 2017. We invite you to view a video of the presentation here:

RDC Breakfast 10/5: Featuring Tom Collier, Pebble Partnership from Resource Development Council on Vimeo.

-dh

For our Alaska friends:

Bristol Bay braces for long awaited Pebble Mine plans

Alaska’s Governor Opposes Large Mining Project Before Reviewing Mine Plan

Walker says tax is needed to pay for services

Brutal: Gov. Walker gets creamed on Facebook fail, Must Read Alaska (blog). The governor is spending more than $6 million a year on salaries for AlaskaGasline Development Corporation executives, has opened a gas line …

ANWR advances with GOP budget

Join U.S. Congressman Don Young and the sponsors, below, for lunch on Thursday, October 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Petroleum Club of Anchorage.

Here are the details.

Alaska Delegation Welcomes U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service’s Decision on the Pacific walrus

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and U.S. Rep. Don Young, today issued a statement after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced that the Pacific walrus will not be designated as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

New data shows that the Pacific walrus has adapted to certain threats, including loss of sea ice, and is not experiencing reductions in population. As a result, USFWS concluded that the population is sustainable and healthy.

Here is today’s early morning report from Alaska’s Congressional delegation.

For all of our readers!

…from our much appreciated, anonymous, mid-Atlantic energy analyst friend. We glean from his message how we “predict future energy production and prices at our peril”:

The two articles below underscore some points we have made in recent notes about the slowing of development in the major U.S. shale plays. We would like to think that some degree of rationality has swept over the shale producers, after years of burning through tens of $billions of other people’s money. But a well-placed palm slap to the forehead generally makes the thought go away. These are E&P producers, after all. Serial destroyers of capital. Real estate developers building down instead of up.

We are left with the conclusion that, to the extent that slowing in production is occurring, it is largely due to physical constraints of the basins and the costs involved, rather than some new found collective discipline.

But we will take what we can get.

We are featuring a list of reasons of the various motivations for producers at the bottom of this note. The list was put together by Art Berman and this writer several years ago. It is still relevant to the thought process of (most) producers today. Thus, it is our contention that any change in production is due to physical and financial limitations, not attitude toward the business.

Reference #1

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-shale-juggernaut-shows-signs-of-fatigue-1507195802

U.S. Shale Juggernaut Shows Signs of Fatigue

Forecasts that abundant American oil can permanently meet global needs may be ‘myth,’ company leaders warn….

By Bradley Olson and Lynn Cook … Updated Oct. 5, 2017 8:12 p.m. ET

Reference #2

Drillers choke off dollars to Permian Basin operations

Houston Chronicle, By Collin Eaton

More From Canada & US Feds

TransCanada cancels $15.7B Energy East pipeline project

Energy East’s cause of death: Business, politics or climate?

CBC.ca

On Aug. 1, 2013, the day TransCanada introduced the Energy East

pipeline project, the price of oil was $107 US a barrel. Those

were heady days in .

Interior Reviews Overreaching Obama Sage Grouse Plan

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bishop Reacted To Grouse Plan Review. “These withdrawals were never about Sage Grouse conservation. It was all a ploy to assert more federal power, ignore actual data and best science, and diminish the influence and authority of states. States have proven to be more than capable of managing wildlife and conservation within their borders and will continue to be the best advocate for the species. Secretary Zinke is developing a better policy through input from states and people on the ground with local knowledge and expertise.”

About the Author: wpnorthern

Dave Harbour, publisher of Northern Gas Pipelines, is a former Chairman of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, a Commissioner Emeritus of NARUC, NARUC's Official Representative to IOGCC and Vice Chairman of NARUC's Gas Committee. He served as Gas Committee Chairman of the Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners. He also served as commissioner of the Anchorage Bicentennial Commission and the Anchorage Heritage Land Bank Commission. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree: English, at Colorado State University, a Master of Science Degree: Communications-Journalism at Murray State University and graduated from Utility Regulatory School for Commissioners at Michigan State University. He served as a Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs at Alaska Pacific University, taught bank marketing classes at the University of Alaska and was an English teacher at Los Alamos High School. Harbour served in ranks of Private - Captain during a 4-year assignment with the Army in Korea, Idaho, Georgia and Fort Meade and received the Meritorious Service Medal among other commendations. Harbour is also a past Chairman of the Alaska Council on Economic Education, the Alaska Oil & Gas Association Government Affairs Committee, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, the Export Council of Alaska and the Department of Commerce's District Export Council. He is a past President of the Alaska Press Club, American Bald Eagle Foundation, Consumer Energy Alliance-Alaska and Common Sense for Alaska. Harbour was instrumental in founding the American Bald Eagle Research Institute (UAS), the Alaska Support Industry Alliance, the Downtown Anchorage Business Partnership, and Arctic Power. He also served as CEO of several small Alaska organizations, including the Anchorage Parking Authority and Action Security, Inc. Harbour is also Chairman Emeritus of the Alaska Oil & Gas Congress. Harbour's wife, Nancy, is a professional, performing arts administrator and his three boys, Todd, Benjamin and William work in the fields of environmental management, energy marketing and medicine.