Federal support of early-stage energy research and development in the 1980s and ‘90s led to technologies responsible for today’s US oil and gas renaissance, witnesses reminded a US House Science, Space, and Technology subcommittee.

The US Department of the Interior plans to sell leases for wind farms offshore Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Virginia, marking the first lease sale for wind energy on the Outer Continental Shelf, officials said from Washington, DC, on Nov. 30.

Reliance Industries Ltd., Mumbai, has sought arbitration in its dispute with the Indian government over oil and gas fields in the deepwater KG-D6 block offshore eastern India after the government imposed a fine of $1.005 billion (OGJ Online, Aug. 13, 2012).

A coalition of 33 national, regional, and state oil and gas associations expressed concern to leaders of two key congressional committees over the possible elimination or restriction of the federal tax deduction for intangible drilling costs.

Policies to restrict carbon emissions potentially could inhibit significant production growth from US shale gas formations, an expert warned.

The American Petroleum Institute sued the US Environmental Protection Agency on Nov. 26 over its final rule raising the biomass-based diesel fuel minimum for 2013 to 1.28 billion gal. EPA increased the requirement by 28% from 2012’s 1 billion gal minimum on Sept. 14.

The US Environmental Protection Agency temporarily suspended BP Exploration & Production Inc., BP PLC, and BP affiliates from new contracts with the federal government, citing what EPA called BP’s lack of business integrity regarding the Macondo deepwater well blowout and resulting oil spill.

Fourteen US oil and gas trade associations asked US congressional leaders to resist proposals to increase oil and gas taxes during the 2012 yearend lame duck session as an early step to address the looming federal fiscal crisis.

The Bipartisan Policy Center urged President Barack Obama’s administration to make energy a top policy priority in its second term.

Public support of low-carbon energy in the UK will increase to £9.8 billion in 2020 from £2.35 billion at present under energy-policy changes announced Nov. 23 by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

The Australian federal government proposes to reintroduce cash bidding as a basis for awarding offshore exploration acreage in some areas around the country.

Regulation of oil and gas development in Alberta will be consolidated under legislation passed Nov. 22.