CBO – “Recent advances in combining two drilling techniques, hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, have allowed access to large deposits of shale resources—that is, crude oil and natural gas trapped in shale and certain other dense rock formations. As a result, the cost of that “tight oil” and “shale gas” has become competitive with the… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Energy
California drought, visualized with open data
USGS News release: ” A newly released interactive California Drought visualization website aims to provide the public with atlas-like, state-wide coverage of the drought and a timeline of its impacts on water resources. The U.S. Geological Survey developed the interactive website as part of the federal government’s Open Water Data Initiative. The drought visualization page features high-tech… Continue Reading
Almost all U.S. nuclear plants require life extension past 60 years to operate beyond 2050
“When nuclear power plants are built, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has the authority to issue initial operating licenses for a period of 40 years. Beyond that, the reactors need license renewals, and the NRC has granted 20-year license renewals to 74 of the 100 operating reactors in the United States. These reactors may now operate… Continue Reading
U.S. oil reserves continue rising, surpass 36 billion barrels for first time since 1975
“U.S. crude oil and lease condensate proved reserves rose for the fifth consecutive year in 2013, increasing by 9% from the 2012 level to 36.5 billion barrels, according to the U.S. Crude Oil and Natural Gas Proved Reserves, 2013 report released yesterday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). U.S. crude oil and lease condensate proved… Continue Reading
Pennsylvania’s natural gas production has more than quadrupled since 2009
EIA QUICK FACTS “Pennsylvania was the fourth largest coal-producing state in the nation in 2012, and the only state producing anthracite coal, which has a higher heat value than other kinds of coal. Pennsylvania’s annual gross natural gas production, primarily from the Marcellus Shale, exceeded 2 trillion cubic feet in 2012, a 72% increase over… Continue Reading
What Do Banks Do with All that “Fracking” Money?
Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Matthew Plosser: “Banks play a crucial role in the economy by channeling funds from savers to borrowers. The ability of banks to accomplish this intermediation has become an important element in understanding the causes and consequences of business cycles. In a recent staff report, I investigate how a positive deposit… Continue Reading
A User’s Guide to the Shale Gas Drilling Boom
Smith, James L., The Option to Hold a Petroleum Lease by Production: A User’s Guide to the Shale Gas Drilling Boom (November 28, 2014). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2531997 “Most oil and gas leases allow the operator to extend possession for an indefinite period by establishing production in paying quantities. We show how this… Continue Reading
Reducing aerodynamic drag on tractor trailer trucks results in major fuel savings
American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics. “Small modifications to tractor-trailers could save billions of gallons of gasoline each year.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 November 2014. “Each year, the more than 2 million tractor-trailer trucks that cruise America’s highways consume about 36 billion gallons of diesel fuel, representing more than 10 percent of the nation’s entire… Continue Reading
U.S. gasoline prices this Thanksgiving are the lowest since 2009
EIA: “U.S. retail regular-grade gasoline prices continue to decline, averaging $2.82 per gallon (gal) as of November 24. This average is 47 cents lower than a year ago, and the lowest price heading into a Thanksgiving holiday since 2009. Traditionally, the Thanksgiving holiday is one of the most traveled times of the year in the… Continue Reading
Climate Change Indicators in the United States
“The Earth’s climate is changing. Temperatures are rising, snow and rainfall patterns are shifting, and more extreme climate events—like heavy rainstorms and record high temperatures—are already taking place. Scientists are highly confident that many of these observed changes can be linked to the climbing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere,… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – DOE Cost Estimating, Veteran’s Reemployment Rights
Project and Program Management: DOE Needs to Revise Requirements and Guidance for Cost Estimating and Related Reviews, GAO-15-29: Published: Nov 25, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 25, 2014. Veterans’ Reemployment Rights: Department of Labor Has Higher Performance Than the Office of Special Counsel on More Demonstration Project Measures, GAO-15-77: Published: Nov 25, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 25, 2014. Continue Reading
North Dakota’s Oil Industry Has Grown, Spills and Leaks Have Soared
The Downside of the Boom: As North Dakota’s Oil Industry Has Grown, Spills and Leaks Have Soared,” by Deborah Sontag and Robert Gebeloff: “[A]s the [North Dakota fracking] boom … exploded, the number of reported spills, leaks, fires and blowouts has soared, with an increase in spillage that outpaces the increase in oil production …… Continue Reading
