Washington

Washington energy news with a Texas accent
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. With more than 20 projects to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) under review by the Energy Department, Wyden, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said officials should seek a "sweet spot" for LNG exports, allowing enough to spur drilling and increase gas supplies, but not enough to create export-driven price hikes. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg, File)

Natural gas forum brings environmentalists and industry together

Environmentalists and energy producers shared the microphones at a Senate forum on Thursday, aimed at discussing ways to reduce the environmental footprint of natural gas development.  More »
A utility worker makes repairs on power lines in North Carolina. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

US power grid vulnerable to enemy attack, lawmakers say

Several major U.S. utilities are under “constant” cyberattack and haven’t taken precautions to protect critical systems from Iran, North Korea and other adversaries, according to a congressional survey of more than 100 companies accounting for much of the nation’s power system.  More »
Power demand reached a three-year low in April.(Steve Hockstein/Bloomberg)

Grid reliability bill heads to Senate in time for summer heat

The House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday that would shield electric utilities from environmental fines and lawsuits if they keep power flowing in emergencies.  More »
Crewmen work a site where a pipe for TransCanada's Keystone XL project is lowered into the ground in Wood County, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012, in Winnsboro. (Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle)

House passes bill to speed up Keystone XL

The House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday that would speed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline — a largely symbolic measure with probably no chance of clearing the Democratic Senate and overcoming a presidential veto.  More »
Crewmen work a site for TransCanada's Keystone XL project in Wood County, Texas. (Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle)

Climate change, trade policy enter debate over Keystone XL

Wednesday’s congressional debate on the Keystone XL pipeline will be a forum for a host of other controversial topics, including climate change, oil spills and protectionist policy.  More »
An aerial view of some wetland areas and caribou on Lake Teshekpuk, Alaska, in July 2006. The lake is inside the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. (AP Photo/Subhankar Banerjee via the Alaska Wilderness League, File)

Republicans aim to overturn Obama’s plan for Alaskan oil

House Republicans on Wednesday took the first steps toward overturning a new Obama administration plan for managing wildlife and oil development in the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.  More »
Christopher Smith, acting assistant secretary for fossil energy at the Department of Energy, speaks on current government research on oil and gas during the Offshore Technology Conference at Reliant Park Thursday, May 9, 2013, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle )

Feds float 2-month timeline for new LNG export approvals

A top Energy Department official on Tuesday hinted that the Obama administration could issue natural gas exports licenses about every two months.  More »
House Natural Resources Committee chairman Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash, leads a committee hearing in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

Unlikely alliance: Political foes plea for more time on fracturing rule

The decision by the two lawmakers to join forces is a sign of the deep and varied opposition to the Obama administration’s proposed hydraulic fracturing mandates.  More »
Dr. Ernest Moniz speaks at the Energy Department in Washington, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, after being sworn in as Energy Secretary. Moniz, 68, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, replaces Steven Chu, who served as energy secretary in President Barack Obama's first term. Moniz served as an energy undersecretary in the Clinton administration. (Susan Walsh/AP)

Moniz sworn in as energy secretary

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who was sworn in Tuesday as the nation’s new energy secretary, said he will put on hold about 20 applications to export liquefied natural gas until he reviews studies on what impact the exports would have on domestic natural gas supplies and prices.  More »
tea leaves (Fotolia)

Senate forum sheds light on natural gas exports

Energy analysts will be reading the tea leaves Tuesday as Obama administration officials field questions about their approach to exporting U.S natural gas during a Senate forum on the issue. Follow live as we tweet from the forum.  More »
(shankool007/Flickr)

Alaska pushes to study Arctic refuge oil amid US reluctance

By Mark Drajem Bloomberg News Alaska’s government proposed investing its own cash in an assessment of oil reserves in the U.S. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, seeking to prod the federal government to consider drilling in the protected area. With the Interior Department working on a management plan for the area, Republican Governor Sean Parnell’s administration [...]  More »
A deal signed in May 2013 between Exxon Mobil Corp. and Qatar Petroleum International would add a liquefied natural gas export terminal to the existing Golden Pass import terminal in the Port Arthur community of Sabine Pass.

Report: Abundant natural gas means no big price increases

The United States has more than enough natural gas to meet the needs of domestic customers and simultaneously sell the fossil fuel overseas without causing big price increases, according to a report issued Monday. Inside U.S. borders, demand for natural gas is expected to be driven by power utilities, the conversion of heavy-duty vehicle fleets and the industrial sector, as manufacturers transform the fossil fuel into other products.  More »
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