Tomorrow we'll tell readers more about this week's LNG conferences in Anchorage!
Last week, Gallup Chairman and CEO Jim Clifton (NGP Photo) addressed what must have been close to a thousand community leaders at the Annual Economic Forecast Luncheon of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation. (More Below….)
|
Calgary Herald / CP by Bob Weber. At least three governments and two energy industry groups are leading what they hope will be a "pan-Canadian" approach to find ways to improve the country's pipelines. |
Buccaneer Energy’s Environmental and Stakeholder Relations Manager told Commonwealth North’s Energy Action Coalition on Friday (8-2-13) that the company would soon be announcing results of this year’s exploration program.
With a number of on- and off-shore oil and gas exploration programs ongoing in Alaska’s Cook Inlet area, Christina Anderson (NGP Photo) said the 
company was pleased with results to date.
She added that the company has spent $100 million on its Cook Inlet exploration program and within several weeks the company would be converting estimates of oil and gas reserves to proven reserves status as a result of current exploratory efforts.
Readers may find Anderson’s slides here, including the estimated oil and gas reserves in the different exploratory prospects.
Last week, Gallup Chairman and CEO Jim Clifton (NGP Photo) addressed what must have been close to a thousand community leaders at the Annual Economic Forecast Luncheon of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation.
With Gallup's 40 offices in 30 countries, Clifton has access to a unique stream of public opinion and demographic information that, along with his own intellect, leads to interesting insights about how world civilization evolves.
He spoke of how important the entrepreneurial spirit is to, in this case, making Anchorage a world class city. "We're the best in the world at intellectual development," he said but then went on to say our society has no way to measure and cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit in young people. Anchorage should reach out to young entrepreneurs.
He said that of the world's $60 trillion Gross Domestic Product, the United States' share is $15 trillion, and "25% is a controlling interest in the world". With that amount of control, the U.S. should make sure to 'never, ever ever resort to war'.
He talked about the importance of the thousand people in the room.
"Austin has new jobs and people," he said, "but you could turn out the lights in Albany and no one would care."
"Memphis is falling apart," he added, "but Nashville, in the same state, is vibrant".
He said the successes or failures of cities and countries are based on the thousand people in the room. They either succeed or let their societies down–as Detroit has.
He also observed that the thousand people have to, "get it right". If they don't develop a creative, effective, sustainable model, the harder they work the worse it gets–just because, "they didn't get it right".
More a philosopher than a scientist, Clifton also opined on human nature and how it affected organizational outcome. He said about 30% of the people in a community, for example, tend to be positive while about 20% tend toward negativity. Should the negative voices out shout the positive ones, a community's performance can deteriorate.
"Every conversation I have makes a difference," he said. "Little comments are such game changers!" He gave examples from his own life where a kind and helpful comment led to a life changing decision.
"When you change the community," he said, "you change the country and the whole world, too."
One suspects that Last week's noontime conversation with Clifton last week may have changed many lives in the room–for the better!
Hydraulic fracturing is proven safe technology. Journal Star, EID’s Kyna Legner. Opponents of fracking have tried for years to suggest that the process is inherently dangerous without any proven evidence to support their claims. Hydraulic fracturing is a proven technology that has been in use since the 1940s, in more than 1.2 million applications, with zero confirmed water contamination cases.
HF is not a conspiracy. Big Rapids Pioneer, EID’s John Simaz (sub req’d). The letter dated July 30 attacking oil and gas development in Michigan was interesting, but some of the points need clarification, the first of which is the claim that the issues associated with hydraulic fracturing were not offered up until recently.
How a goat-farming immigrant changed everything. USA TODAY, Column. In the dozens of articles and obituaries written about George Mitchell, who died late last month at 94, the Texas oilman, entrepreneur and philanthropist was remembered mostly as the "father of the fracking boom," whose innovations led to the shale-gas revolution.
HF help makes US top oil producer. Free Beacon. “Opponents of hydraulic fracturing are never forced to answer a simple question: Why do they oppose a process that’s decreasing our reliance on foreign sources of energy?” said Steve Everley, a spokesman for the Independent Petroleum Association of America. The facts highlighted by the most recent EIA data, Everley said, “unquestionably
Study: Well contamination near gas drilling sites not from hydraulic fracturing. UPI. Researchers said they could not pinpoint the cause of the contamination, but they have ruled out fluids from the process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Other possible causes researchers cited include soil disturbance from gas drilling, failures of casings meant to keep gas and production fluids out of aquifers, and surface-level mismanagement of gas drilling wastes.
Labor department monitoring shale issues. Associated Press. The agency began targeting oil and gas firms because the industry has shown a pattern of labor law violations, according to John DuMont, district director for the department's Pittsburgh office.
The rise and rise of American carbon. The Guardian. Shale gas fracking has helped US carbon emissions to fall. But American carbon extraction is still rising, undermining progress and increasing emissions overseas.
The Future of Oil. The Economist. In America, where thanks to Mr Mitchell shale gas already billows from the ground, liquefied or compressed gas is finding its way into the tanks of lorries, buses and local-delivery vehicles. Gas could also replace oil in ships, power stations, petrochemical plants and domestic and industrial heating systems, and thus displace a few million barrels of oil a day by 2020.
US shale gas boom a one-off, says BG. Financial Times. Senior executives at BG Group, a leading supplier of liquefied gas to industrial nations, predict it could be a decade or more before widespread development of shale gas reserves occurs outside the US.
INTERNATIONAL
U.S. producer, government try to reassure on Egypt oil production. E&E News (sub. req’d). As Apache Corp. tries to soothe investors' worries over its projects in strife-ridden Egypt, it could be getting a little help from the federal government.
HF boss Francis Egan receives bomb threat over shale gas. The Telegraph. Francis Egan, the chief executive of Cuadrilla, said he was sent an email threatening to bomb his company headquarters if he did not cease activities in the UK.
CALIFORNIA
The Buzz: Californians narrowly oppose fracking, support Keystone XL pipeline. Modesto Bee. Residents narrowly oppose hydraulic fracturing, and they narrowly support construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
BLM to pursue HF study of public lands in local area. Hollister Free Lance. The Bureau of Land Management will call in a third party to conduct a science and planning review of oil and gas development practices, including hydraulic fracturing, on public lands overseen by the Hollister field office.
COLORADO
Listen, learn and LEAP forward on hydraulic fracturing. Reporter Herald, Op-Ed. I am one of a growing number of Loveland civic and business leaders who joined the recently formed Loveland Energy Action Project (LEAP). We are dedicated to fostering constructive dialogue and providing accurate information to enhance the debate surrounding Loveland's energy policies.
KANSAS
Kansas segment of oil pipeline to begin. The Wichita Eagle. The vast stack of oil pipe lying in a field north of El Dorado is part of a great race between rising oil production in the middle of North America and the ability to move that oil to market. Construction will start this month on the 260-mile-long Tallgrass Pony Express pipeline connecting an existing pipeline in Lincoln County to the pipeline/storage hub at Cushing, Okla.
NORTH CAROLINA
N.C. governor seeks revenue boost from HF tax. E&E News (sub. req’d). North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) is touting a proposed fracking tax as a way to pad government revenues, while his Republican colleagues aim to lure oil and gas companies to the state.
NORTH DAKOTA
Jewell sets off on first Bakken tour. E&E News (sub. req’d). Jewell is expected to hear about job creation opportunities and energy independence possibilities presented by production in the Bakken Shale. During her visit, she'll focus not only on oil and gas development, but also on technologies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and pollution produced by the process, the Interior Department said in a statement.
Quebec derailment raises questions about Bakken crude safety. E&E News (sub. req’d). Canadian officials have been dispatched to North Dakota to investigate the July 6 oil train derailment and explosion that claimed 47 lives in Quebec.
Lightning strikes drive oil leaks in N.D. E&E News (sub. req’d). "If a spill is going to happen, we would much rather them be from something like lightning, rather than human error," said Department of Mineral Resources spokeswoman Alison Ritter, who acknowledged that "no spill is good news."
NORTHEAST
Natural gas boom a blessing for Pa. Philadelphia Inquirer, Op-Ed. The Marcellus Shale formation – the second-largest natural-gas field in the world – has been a blessing for Pennsylvania's workers and our economy.
Linde industrial gases firm taps into 'shale gas revolution'. Newark Star-Ledger. Linde, the world’s largest industrial gases company whose North American headquarters is in Union County, has also become a major player in the current natural gas boom. Linde rode the U.S. “shale gas revolution,” which has reinvigorated the industry and slashed energy prices.
Panelists: Marcellus growth still in early stages. The Almanac. Panelists at Thursday’s annual energy symposium repeated a common theme: The rise of natural gas production from the Marcellus Shale has been stunningly rapid in its abundance, economic impact and adaptation to environmental challenges.
Profit plunge unlikely to stop Shell plant for cracker plant in W.Pa. Times-Leader. Shell’s plan to sell some North American oil and gas land likely would not affect the company’s proposal to build a petrochemical plant in Beaver County, analysts said Friday.
Flex fuel tax folly costs WV millions. West Virginia MetroNews. In 2011, West Virginia leaders were energized by the possibility of an economic boom based on the Marcellus Shale natural gas deposits. The enthusiasm contributed to passage of the Alternative Fuel Motor Vehicles Tax Credit.
Problems with ‘pooling’. Tribune Live, Editorial. EQT-style use of the law may bolster drillers' bottom lines but will win their industry few friends. Landowners statewide will watch this litigation closely, hoping courts will show more regard for their rights than the Legislature, Gov. Tom Corbett and EQT have.
OHIO
Gas leaks from shale wells rare. Columbus Dispatch. The drinking-water problems in Ohio and Pennsylvania do not stem from fracking, a process that injects millions of tons of water, sand and chemicals underground to shatter shale and free trapped oil and gas. Instead, most involve spills or leaks from drill sites, and shale wells that are not properly cased in cement and steel during drilling.
Utica Shale Play remains part of investor focus. Salem News. While Columbiana County failed to get a specific mention during Chesapeake Energy's second-quarter earnings call on Thursday, the Utica Shale Play was the focus of several investor questions and remarks by company officials.
Oil & Gas Output Showing Increase. The Intelligencer. The Marcellus and Utica shale formations have become known for their untapped reserves of natural gas. The formations also may hold vast amounts of oil – something Chesapeake Energy is learning as it drills in the local area.
After Carrollton visit, author urges broad energy use. New Philadelphia Times-Reporter. In his new book, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations argues that the federal government should encourage development of energy supplies of all kinds — from both old and new sources.
HF interests boost Republican campaign coffers in Ohio. E&E News (sub. req’d). Oil and gas interests added about $830,000 to GOP legislative campaigns during the last two-year election cycle in Ohio, according to an analysis by The Columbus Dispatch.
TEXAS
Shale explorers outperforming international oil titans. Houston Chronicle/Fuel Fix. Oil explorers focused on high-margin shale drilling from Texas to North Dakota are set to outperform Big Oil this year.
Lonestar sells off assets. Upstream Online. Australia-listed Lonestar Resources has sold off its producing assets outside of the US state of Texas so it can continue to focus its operations on the Eagle Ford shale play.
WYOMING
Lummis-supported bills move forward. Billings Gazette. Lummis is co-sponsoring two of the bills, which address hydraulic fracturing and national forests, and is the sole sponsor of one bill – for the historical Ranch A in the Wyoming portion of the Black Hills National Forest.
Leave A Comment