What America's Decline in Economic Freedom Means for Entrepreneurship and Prosperity  Why did the U.S. economy recover so slowly from the 2008 recession? What lessons have economists learned that can encourage economic growth in the future? A new book, comprised of five essays by noted U.S. economists, connects the dots between the role entrepreneurs and small businesses play in growing an economy, how high levels of economic freedom increase both the quantity and quality of entrepreneurship, the decline of economic freedom in the United States since 2000, and how the [...]

TransCanada reaches deals with three more BC First Nations forpipeline CBC.ca According to the project website, the 900-kilometre pipeline is expected to deliver natural gas from Hudson's Hope to the proposed Pacific NorthWest ... Majority Leader, Chairmen Bishop, Chaffetz, Calvert Urge President to Nominate Permanent Inspector General at Interior     WASHINGTON, D.C. – For more than six years the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has been without a permanent Inspector General which has “reduced the Department’s efficiency and deprived taxpayers from fully realizing the benefits of a strong inspector general,” according to key lawmakers in [...]

An Ecuadorian Story by Dave Harbour Like you, the Harbours love to travel.  This is a 6-7-12 NYT article written about our Casa San Sebastian home in Cuenca.  The featured apartment belongs to our neighbor across the hall. NBC News, Posted 5-8-15 ABC News, Posted 5-15-13 House Hunters International, Posted 5-15-15 Like most Americans, we usually make travel plans around points East and West and have spent time in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. But having been born in Texas and attended elementary and Junior High School in New Mexico, [...]

This weekend, It's All About Shell! ADN.  Greenpeace protesters must stay away from Royal Dutch Shell’s drill ships and support vessels, the anchor lines and buoys attached to them and the Barrow airport hangar and terminal that Shell is seeking to use to support its planned oil-exploration operations in the Chukchi Sea, a federal judge ruled Friday. Greenpeace activists are even prohibited from flying drones this summer and fall over the offshore Arctic area where Shell plans to drill, according to the injunction issued by U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason. MORE [...]

Featuring Eugene Gholz, Associate Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin; with comments by Philip Auerswald, Associate Professor, George Mason University; and Keith Crane, Director, Environment, Energy, and Economic Development Program, RAND Corporation; moderated by Christopher Preble, Vice President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute. In a 2013 address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Barack Obama announced that the United States would continue to safeguard the “free flow of energy… to the world,” even as the shale revolution ushers in an unprecedented increase in oil and [...]

​ Shell, BG Group Merger Signals Huge Changes in Energy The $70 billion acquisition of BG Group by Royal Dutch Shell will set off some huge, and profitable, changes in energy... Full Story. FROM ALASKANOMICS: SEATTLE BENEFITTED BY ALASKA.  Earlier this year, the Seattle Metro Chamber released a study that shows continued growth to the Puget Sound region due to Alaska’s economic impact. The report shows that Alaska’s impact can be seen in a number of sectors including freight/cargo, seafood, passenger transportation and tourism, maritime support, refining, health care, and education. [...]

Today's Relevant Energy Links Courtesy of Consumer Energy Alliance: The Register-Guard: A roundup of local news  Fifth Street Public Market owner Brian Obie says the Eugene City Council’s planned changes to its Multi-Unit Property Tax Exemption program could derail his plans for a $54 million mixed-use project downtown. Obie signed an option on a 99-year lease with Lane County in 2013 on two acres of land on Sixth Street, in hopes of building a mixture of apartments and condominiums, shops and restaurants, and possible amenities ranging from perhaps a grocery store [...]

ADN.  A storm shut down the Dalton Highway and stranded truckers for two nights on the only road to the Prudhoe Bay oil fields on Alaska's North Slope this week as crews battled water from a river flowing over the road. For three weeks, crews have been trying to divert overflow from the Sagavanirktok River, commonly known as the Sag River, said Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities spokesperson Meadow Bailey. The Sag River runs parallel to the Dalton Highway as it approaches Prudhoe Bay. The water has been running over roughly [...]

Shell rigs head to Alaska prior to possible federal permit -  Royal Dutch Shell is bringing oil rigs Noble Discoverer and Polar Pioneer to Alaska as it anticipates possible federal approval to resume drilling activity in the Arctic waters, a spokeswoman said last week. "Any final decision to go forward with a 2015 season will depend on successful permitting, clearing any legal obstacles and our own assessment that we are prepared to explore safely and successfully," she added. Reuters (3/27) Barents Observer.   Lukoil might be about to get the Kremlin’s blessing for [...]

Today's Energy In Depth Energy Links.  (More coming) NATIONAL New HF rules coming in ‘days’. Houston Chronicle. The Obama administration is poised to impose new rules for hydraulic fracturing on public lands. The mandates are aimed at boosting the integrity of wells on public lands to ensure oil, gas and other fluids are contained within them. The rules will also require recovered water and other fluids to be safely stored at the sites. The Bureau of Land Management is set to release the final regulation “in the next few days,” Interior [...]

Petroleum News by Kristen Nelson: The Regulatory Commission of Alaska and the House Energy Committee are struggling with overlapping issues related to the ability of independent power producers to sell electric power to existing utilities and to access transmission lines. The committee has held a number of hearings on House Bill 78.... Happy Saint Patrick's Day: What A Man! WND News.  St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints. An icon of the Irish and the reason we wear green on St. Patrick's day, this influential saint [...]

Here's a Happy Valentine's Day Message from Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin.  Keystone XL: Be My Valentine! -dh