International news for oil and gas professionals
As an old newspaper reporter, I acknowledge my prejudice against television news with its "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality.
Anyone bothered by scale and wanting to be taken seriously should avoid talking about energy.
Abundant shale gas resources in the US that have turned the natural gas supply outlook from a shortage to a surplus also are stimulating proposals to export—instead of import—LNG.
In a move that will delay a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline until at least the first quarter of 2013, the US Department of State will study an alternate route for the important project to connect the oil sands region of Alberta with high-conversion refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast.
The US Department of State's Nov. 10 decision to delay a final recommendation on the proposed Keystone XL crude oil pipeline's cross-border permit application so alternative routes can be considered will create new uncertainties for Canadian heavy oil producers as well as US refiners, an IHS CERA specialist said.
Nebraska's unicameral legislature gave first-round approval to a bill that would establish authority for the state to regulate oil pipeline routes within its borders, but the measure would not apply to TransCanada Corp.'s proposed Keystone XL crude oil pipeline project if it becomes law.
Some federal lawmakers still want the US Environmental Protection Agency to take a bigger role in regulating surface activities connected with onshore oil and gas exploration and development.
Interim US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Director Michael R. Bromwich said enforcement will be careful and measured as he defended extending the US Department of the Interior's offshore oil and gas regulatory reach to drilling contractors and service and supply companies.
The US Department of the Interior's latest proposed 5-year US Outer Continental Shelf program misses an important opportunity because it would greatly limit where offshore oil and gas development could take place from 2012 through 2017, an American Petroleum Institute official said.
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said his country, which currently leads world oil producers in output, plans to work closely with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
The Iranians, long known for advocating the use of the oil weapon, are now dangling the nuclear carrot in front of their neighbors in Turkey.
The US natural gas industry is working to ensure shale gas is produced in an environmentally safe manner and is working to disclose information that can help minimize public opposition toward shale development, an advisory committee to government said.
By definition, only one item in a list of bad attributes can be the worst. Much about a setback to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline is bad. So what's the worst?
