Post and Courier: Tim Scott, Mark Sanford wade into offshore drilling debate in South Carolina 

The OCS Governors Coalition, chaired this year by Alaska's Governor, Sean Parnell, sent a letter to Members of Congress last week, urging support for OCS energy exploration and development–and revenue sharing.  In addition to Parnell, others signing the letter included: Governor Rick Perry (Tx), Governor Bobby Jindal (La), Governor Phil Bryant (Ms), Governor Robert Bentley (Al), Governor Nikki Haley (SC), Governor Robert McDonnell (Va) and Governor Pat McCrory (NC).  See the letter here.

Wall Street Journal, by DANIEL MCGROARTY – Activists are pushing the Environmental Protection Agency to take a drastic regulatory step that could have significant repercussions for the U.S. economy. I'm not referring to the Keystone XL pipeline or taxing carbon emissions. At issue is the Pebble Mine—a natural-resource project in Alaska that could yield more copper than has ever been found in one place anywhere in the world.​

Arctic Sounder by Cary Restino.  In his keynote address to the Ice-Diminished Arctic Conference in Washington, D.C. (last) week, Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell told those gathered to discuss the changing state of Arctic waters that early theories by Bloggers were that talk about the Arctic was happening behind closed doors – that secret plans were being laid out to dominate the region.

On Wednesday in Washington, the House Natural Resources Committee will conduct a Full Committee Markup on fifteen bills, some of which impact Alaska:

  • H.R. 555(Johnson, OH), To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct onshore oil and gas lease sales through Internet-based live lease sales, and for other purposes, “BLM Live Internet Auctions Act.”​
  • H.R. 586 (Young, AK), To provide for certain improvements to the Denali National Park and Preserve in the State of Alaska, and for other purposes, “Denali National Park Improvement Act.”
  • H.R. 638 (Fleming), To amend the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to require that any new national wildlife refuge may not be established except as expressly authorized by statute,“National Wildlife Refuge Review Act of 2013.”
  • H.R. 1394 (Tipton), To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish goals for an all-of-the-above energy production plan strategy on a 4-year basis on all onshore Federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service, “Planning for American Energy Act of 2013.
  • H.R. 1410 (Franks), To prohibit gaming activities on certain Indian lands in Arizona until the expiration of certain gaming compacts, “Keep the Promise Act 2013.”
  • H.R. 1459 (Bishop), To ensure that the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 applies to the declaration of national monuments, and for other purposes, “Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act.”
  • H.R. 1513 (Perry), To revise the boundaries of the Gettysburg National Military Park to include the Gettysburg Train Station and certain land along Plum Run in Cumberland Township, to limit the means by which property within such revised boundaries may be acquired, and for other purposes.
  • H.R. 1965 (Lamborn), To streamline and ensure onshore energy permitting, provide for onshore leasing certainty, and give certainty to oil shale development for American energy security, economic development, and job creation, and for other purposes, “PIONEERS Act.”
  • H.R. 2197 (Pingree), To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the York River and associated tributaries for study for potential inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System,“York River Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2013.”
  • H.R. 2337 (Polis) To provide for the conveyance of the Forest Service Lake Hill Administrative Site in Summit County, Colorado, “Lake Hills Administrative Site Affordable Housing Act.”
  • H.R. 2640 (Walden), To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to adjust the Crooked River boundary, to provide water certainty for the City of Prineville, Oregon, and for other purposes, “Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act.”
  • S. 130 (Enzi), A bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain Federal land to the Powell Recreation District in the State of Wyoming, “Powell Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act.”
  • S. 157 (Murkowski), A bill to provide for certain improvements to the Denali National Park and Preserve in the State of Alaska, and for other purposes, “Denali National Park Improvement Act.”
  • S. 304 (Cochran), A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the State of Mississippi 2 parcels of surplus land within the boundary of the Natchez Trace Parkway, and for other purposes, “Natchez Trace Parkway Land Conveyance Act of 2013.”
  • S. 459 (Johnson, SD), A bill to modify the boundary of the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in the State of South Dakota, and for other purposes, “Minuteman Missile National Historic Site Boundary Modification Act.”

​​Visit the Committee Calendar for additional information, once it is made available.  The meeting is open to the public and a live video stream will be broadcast athttp://naturalresources.house.gov/live.​

Today's Consumer Energy Alliance Links:

Fuel Fix: Wanted: An Honest Dialogue on Shale Gas *Op-Ed by David Holt – According to a recent estimate by the Energy Information Administration,  energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas that is widely believed to contribute to global warming, have fallen 12% between 2005 and 2012 and are at their lowest level since 1994. While there is more than one factor contributing to this reduction, it has been reported that U.S. natural gas production has greatly contributed to a dramatic reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions.

Businessweek: WTI Crude Exceeds Brent for First Time in Almost Three Years (1) – West Texas Intermediate crude became more expensive than Brent for the first time in almost three years as pipeline and rail shipments helped clear a bottleneck that reduced the price of the U.S. benchmark.

Washington Post: New EPA chief has an ambitious to-do list – Now that Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy has been confirmed, she faces a lengthy to-do list.

The Hill: White House climate advisor tells House Dems what's coming – President Obama’s chief climate and energy adviser made the rounds Friday to brief House Democrats on the administration's climate agenda.  Heather Zichal had sit-downs with Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce and Natural Resources committees, and nine members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) on Capitol Hill.

E & E News: Deal-making past will serve McCarthy well with controversial issues ahead, lawmakers and interest groups agree – Having made it through a 136-day wait in the Senate — the longest for any U.S. EPA administrator nominee — Gina McCarthy has a tough stacked agenda that will include highly controversial climate regulations.

Businessweek: News Summary: DOE says fracking didn't taint water – FRACK FINDINGS: A landmark federal study on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, shows no evidence that chemicals from the natural gas drilling process contaminated drinking water at a western Pennsylvania drilling site. 

Wall Street Journal: Fracking films reflect twists in drilling debate – The boom in natural gas drilling has cast two opposing documentary filmmakers in unlikely roles. Josh Fox, a liberal environmental activist, finds himself at odds with President Barack Obama. Phelim McAleer, a free-market conservative, is echoing the Democratic president's support for natural gas.

E & E News: NATURAL GAS: Gulf Coast ethane 'crackers' may face air quality hurdles – A cluster of multibillion-dollar petrochemical plant projects proposed for the U.S. Gulf Coast are counted on to absorb a glut of ethane and other natural gas liquids from expanding shale gas production.  But some projects may be delayed or blocked by tight air quality restrictions in the Houston-Galveston-Beaumont chemical industry corridor, already burdened by high ozone and other hazardous plant emissions, experts predict.

The Hill: House GOP bill would thwart Interior’s ‘fracking’ regs – House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) and other GOP lawmakers are pushing legislation to block looming Interior Department regulations that govern the oil-and-gas “fracking” on public lands.  The bill is highly unlikely to become law but it signals ongoing GOP political pushback against the rules, which critics say are not needed and will create costly red tape.

Rigzone: South Central Texas Cashes In on Eagle Ford – In south central Texas, the prolific Eagle Ford shale has created an oil and gas boom that is directly affecting San Antonio and the counties that lie in the surrounding area. In just five short years, the Eagle Ford play has progressed at a rapid pace.

Denver Post: Reassuring news on fracking front – Given the controversy over oil and gas drilling in Colorado and its impact on the environment, it's worth highlighting a new federal study that looked at one of the biggest bones of contention: the potential for groundwater contamination through hydraulic fracturing.  The study's preliminary verdict is decidedly good news.

San Francisco Chronicle: Demand for frac sand falls in Wis., Minn. – Short-term demand for frac sand in western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota has fallen because there's more available than the industry currently needs.  Demand had exploded several years ago, spurring companies to open mines and processing facilities and ship across the country for fracking operations.

Bloomberg: TransCanada Rebuffs EPA’s Call for Keystone Clean Energy – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says TransCanada Corp. (TRP) should be required to buy renewable power to run pumps along the route of its proposed Keystone XL pipeline, a measure the company said is unworkable and unnecessary.

Fuel Fix: Keystone risk worries U.S. oil sands investors – U.S. investors cut stakes in oil-sands stocks, including Suncor Energy Inc. (SU) and Cenovus Energy Inc., as delays to the Keystone XL project and the lack of pipeline capacity depressed Canadian crude prices.  U.S. ownership of Calgary-based Suncor, Canada’s largest energy company fell 8.2 percentage points in the past three years while Cenovus saw its U.S. shareholder base fall 5.9 percentage points, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

 KOTA Radio 1380: Keystone XL Pipeline Resolution – A revised resolution objecting to the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline has been submitted to York County Commissioners. The board is expected to discuss the resolution and vote on it at Tuesday's meeting.  On July 9 the board tabled the issue after discussing an earlier submission from a group of residents calling themselves the Good Life Alliance. The new version says: "The York County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of its citizens, realizes the risks of tar sand and crude oil pipelines to our resources in York County and oppose any pipelines of this nature."  

ShopFloor: Poll Shows Over Two-Thirds of Americans Support Keystone Pipeline – While the Administration continues to stall on approval of the Keystone pipeline, a new poll released this week shows that more than two-thirds of Americans support building the project. The poll, published by United Technologies and National Journal, found that 67 percent of Americans support construction of the pipeline while only 24 percent oppose the project. 

Bismarck Tribune: N.D. ethane will flow north – Approval of the U.S.-Canadian Vantage pipeline, which connects a gas plant near Tioga with petrochemical industries in the Canadian province of Alberta, heralds good news on multiple fronts.  Like the much-delayed Keystone XL pipeline, the Vantage crosses the U.S.-Canadian border and, therefore, needed U.S. State Department approval. If Vantage got approval, and it did after just three years, it gives people hope that Keystone XL will be permitted soon. 

Argus Leader: Nebraska county objects to Keystone XL oil pipeline – A revised resolution objecting to the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline has been submitted to York County Commissioners.  The York News-Times says the board is expected to discuss the resolution and vote on it at Tuesday’s meeting. On July 9 the board tabled the issue after discussing an earlier submission from a group of residents calling themselves the Good Life Alliance. 

Sioux City Journal: Keystone XL pipeline showdown set for Sept. 27 – A trial date of Sept. 27 has been set for a challenge to the state law that approved the Nebraska portion of the route for the Keystone XL pipeline.  Lancaster County District Judge Stephanie Stacy set the date Friday after conferring in chambers with attorneys for three landowner plaintiffs and the Nebraska Attorney General’s office. 

Contra Costa Times: CARB is again crippling the California trucking industry – Just when it seems California's economy is turning around, the California Air Resources Board has found another way to cripple our fragile recovery.  This unelected agency is determined to proceed with enforcing a regulation — the Low Carbon Fuel Standard — that could make fuel costs skyrocket and cause severe supply shortages. 

Washington Examiner: Showdown in the Arctic: Alaska challenges Obama – Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell sent a letter in May to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell pledging $50 million in state funding for advanced technology 3-D seismic oil exploration — not drilling — in the promising coastal plain's "1002 Area" of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an area set aside by Congress for the study of its huge oil and gas potential. 

Alaska Dispatch: EPA won't stop with Pebble if we allow it to reinterpret the law – Activists are pushing the Environmental Protection Agency to take a drastic regulatory step that could have significant repercussions for the U.S. economy. I'm not referring to the Keystone XL pipeline or taxing carbon emissions. At issue is the Pebble Mine — a natural — resource project in Alaska that could yield more copper than has ever been found in one place anywhere in the world.

Post and Courier: Tim Scott, Mark Sanford wade into offshore drilling debate in South Carolina – Five years after “Drill, baby, drill!” entered the United States' political lexicon, there's a new push for offshore exploring and drilling, led in part by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott.  The South Carolina Republican is working on legislation to give companies a green light to survey the South Atlantic coast for oil and gas deposits — and to tap into them.