Energy Today - February 3, 2011
Rayola Dougher
Posted February 3, 2011
Oil & Gas Journal: API guidance document discusses fracing's surface impacts: The American Petroleum Institute released a third guidance document for hydraulic fracturing, covering practices to minimize associated surface environmental impacts. Two earlier guidance documents present well construction and integrity guidelines, and describe best practices for water management. The latest document, HF-3, deals with recommended practices at the surface of wells which use fracing to produce oil and gas from tight shales. "We're trying to prevent runoff of materials from the site," explained Stephanie Meadows, a senior policy advisor at API. "The idea is to keep materials there in a properly constructed containment area," she told reporters during a Feb. 2 teleconference. "There also is a big push for producers to speak with local authorities and landowners about what's going on. HF-3 also deals with handling any materials which leave the site." Hot Air: Getting Ready for Oil Sands: A new report prepared for the Dept. of Energy is catching the attention of domestic energy advocates this week. With an eye toward the future it examines the potential of bituminous sands (or oil sands) from Canada to virtually replace US dependence on remaining Middle Eastern oil supplies in the decades to come, eventually providing a significant portion of US requirements...This report should make clear that a decision will need to be made now in order to prepare for future demand, and sitting on their hands will only allow China to lock this market up before we can get a toe in the door.
ShopFloor.org: Message to EPA: Jobs are at Stake: Just two years after the Environmental Protection Agency last imposed new, more costly regulations to limit economic activities that might contribute to ground-level ozone, the EPA is at it again. We can understand the political impetus: The Bush Administration was weak on the environment, and the Obama Administration is strong, so we're going to double down. But in the case of new ground-level ozone limits, the Bush Administration was neither weak nor strong, it was just wrong. The scientific basis for new National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) was thin and the economic consequences serious. So the current EPA is making doubly bad policy at a time when President Obama is elevating obs and reasonable regulation Administration priorities. Unfortunately, the proposed NAAQS is slipping below the radar amid all the other regulating the agency is forcing onto the economy. Therefore, the National Association of Manufacturers has developed a website with the message, "Tell the EPA to Stop Putting Jobs at Stake." It features an online petition and a sample letter to express one's views to the agency.
The Wall Street Journal: Administration's Drill Ban Draws Blast From Judge: A federal judge Wednesday blasted the Obama administration for "determined disregard" of his order to lift a ban on offshore oil and gas drilling last year, giving fresh ammunition to the oil industry and its allies on Capitol Hill who want the Interior Department to speed approvals of new offshore drilling projects. The ruling by Judge Martin Feldman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana means the Interior Department could have to reimburse Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC, a Louisiana drilling company, for the costs of litigation that the firm brought last year challenging the legality of the drilling moratorium. The drilling halt was first ordered last May after the April 20 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, in which 11 workers died, and the resulting oil spill. Judge Feldman struck down the initial ban in June, and the Interior Department quickly ordered a second one. In his ruling, Judge Feldman said Hornbeck was owed the money because the government's conduct amounted to contempt of court.
Additional Resources
The Washington Times: Congress to rewrite rules on emissions
Yahoo Finance: Crude oil stockpiles rise by 2.6 million barrels
The New York Times: Report Foresees Quick Gulf of Mexico Recovery