Recent actions by the administration of US President George W. Bush raise industry concerns about the future of federal funding for oil and gas research and development.
Fallacy plus propaganda can equal irresistible politics and expensive mistakes. In a tantrum over gasoline prices, the US House has passed a bill that makes “price-gouging” a federal crime.
Crude futures prices waffled during trading sessions prior to the extended Memorial Day weekend May 26-28 that marked the start of the US summer driving season.
US House Natural Resources Committee (NRC) Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-W.Va.) said on May 23 he is committed to an open and deliberate process in considering federal energy reforms contained in a bill that he introduced a week earlier.
US Senate Democrats said they will soon bring an energy bill to the floor that will make oil product price manipulation a federal crime, mandate more efficient government offices and motor fleets, increase biofuel supplies, and accelerate market entry of other alternative fuels.
The e-mail message arrived the morning of May 23. Blaming “unforeseen logistical reasons,” it said US Reps. John E. Peterson (R-Pa.) and Neil Abercrombie (D-Ha.) would not hold a scheduled press conference on reintroduction of their National Environment and Energy Development (NEED) Act the next day.
Cost-cutting efforts created a culture at BP America Inc. that led to compromises of systems integrity at its Alaska North Slope oil-gathering pipelines and of workplace safety at its Texas City, Tex., refinery, witnesses and federal lawmakers agreed on May 16.
New procedures are being implemented to better protect Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operations during the coming hurricane season, federal government and industry officials said.
Shell Canada drilled a well using managed pressure drilling (MPD) and an unweighted fluid system to improve drilling rate of penetration in the Bullmoose area, northeastern British Columbia.
Saudi Aramco recently converted its semi-regenerative platformer unit in its Yanbú refinery to a UOP-licensed continuous catalytic regenerative (CCR) process.
Iran’s government actively supports building the country’s natural gas liquefaction capacity as a means of commercializing production from its South Pars Phase 11-13 developments.
