Romney oil adviser also a big super PAC donor
Oklahoma oil billionaire Harold Hamm didn’t wait long to make a nearly $1 million donation to a group supporting Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney after he became one of Romney’s top energy advisers in March. Just weeks after Hamm joined the Romney campaign, he gave $985,000 to a pro-Romney super PAC, according to campaign reports. More »
Feds lay out plans for new blowout preventer mandates
Obama administration officials today outlined their plans for new regulations designed to boost the reliability of crucial emergency equipment safeguarding offshore wells. Fundamentally, said Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes, blowout preventers “need to be able to cut whatever is in their way and completely sell off the well.” More »
Guest Column: Vehicle emissions standards are a regulatory success story
Recent estimates from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) show that emissions of air pollutants that harm human health in the Houston region are falling dramatically. More »
Reviewing the Case for Electric Cars
In 2010, my paper “Electric Cars: Not Ready for Prime Time” examined the case being made for electric cars and the technical and economic hurdles to be overcome to enable them to have more than niche role in the market. Recently representatives of the organization Secure America’s Energy Future (SAFE) visited Washington to promote the [...] More »
ND oil tax ‘Legacy Fund’ tops $350M in 9 months
A newly created North Dakota trust fund for oil taxes now has about $353 million. More »
House bill aims to curb Pentagon’s power to buy alternative fuels
The White House is threatening to veto a defense spending bill after complaining the measure would limit the military’s ability to power its planes, ships and tanks with alternative fuels. More »
Report casts doubt on E15 use in cars & trucks
Automakers and the oil industry released a report today that casts doubt on the safety of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol and shows that at least some engines running the fuel suffered damage during recent testing. More »
Inhofe distances himself from aide’s comments about industry, Republicans
Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe distanced himself from comments by his top aide that referred to Republicans as partners with oil and natural gas lobbyists, according a story published on TheHill.com. More »
Alaska group to evaluate how to advance tax debate
Supporters of changes to Alaska’s oil production tax structure have called for a meeting to discuss how best to advance the debate after another legislative defeat. More »
Obama challenges oil companies to drill existing leases
The White House on Tuesday pushed back against the oil and gas industry’s claims that the Obama administration is blocking domestic energy development, releasing a new analysis showing that 46 million acres of federal lands and waters leased for drilling are sitting idle. More »
API pitches agenda for political parties: More drilling, more access
The oil and gas industry’s largest trade group on Tuesday implored the Democratic and Republican parties to embrace policies for boosting domestic energy development and streamlining environmental regulations. Not surprisingly, API is urging “pro-development policies” that it says can “create new jobs throughout all parts of the country,” not just in the oil patch. More »
Obama administration speaks with energy industry about gas drilling regulations
A top White House adviser on Monday said the Obama administration made a concerted effort to reach out to the oil and gas industry while crafting regulations governing natural gas drilling but insists the effort isn’t an election-year ploy. More »
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