“The Department of Homeland Security Office of Cyber and Infrastructure Analysis (DHS/OCIA) Homeland Infrastructure Threat and Risk Analysis Center (HITRAC) produces Sector Resilience Reports to improve partner understanding of the interdependencies and resilience of certain sectors. Specifically, this report provides a brief overview of the electric power system, and analysis of key electric power system… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Energy
Improvements Needed in EPA Efforts to Address Methane Emissions From Natural Gas Distribution Pipelines
EPA IG – Report No. 14-P-0324 – July 25, 2014: “We conducted this evaluation to determine what actions the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken to reduce methane emissions from leaking pipelines in the natural gas distribution sector. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 25 times that of carbon dioxide. In… Continue Reading
Recent accident highlights how state fracking laws protect corporate trade secrets over public safety
Mariah Blake – Mother Jones: “On the morning of June 28, a fire broke out at a Halliburton fracking site in Monroe County, Ohio. As flames engulfed the area, trucks began exploding and thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals spilled into a tributary of the Ohio River, which supplies drinking water for millions of residents.… Continue Reading
U.S. petroleum refineries running at record levels
“U.S. refineries have been processing record volumes of oil recently. Refinery inputs hit a record-high 16.8 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in each of the past two weeks, exceeding the previous record from summer 2005. Refineries in the Midwest and Gulf Coast in particular pushed the total U.S. input volume upward, as these refiners’ access… Continue Reading
DOT Proposes Rulemaking for Safe Rail Transportation of Flammable Materials
“The U.S. Department of Transportation today released the details of its comprehensive rulemaking proposal to improve the safe transportation of large quantities of flammable materials by rail – particularly crude oil and ethanol – in the form of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and a companion Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM). The NPRM proposes… Continue Reading
Obama opens East Coast to oil search, sonic cannons – AP
AP: “The Obama administration is reopening the Eastern Seaboard to offshore oil and gas exploration, announcing final approval Friday of sonic cannons that can pinpoint energy deposits deep beneath the ocean floor. The decision promises to create plenty of jobs and thrills the oil industry, but dismays environmentalists worried about the immediate impact as well as… Continue Reading
Germany, Italy, EU, China, and France Top Global Energy Efficiency Rankings
“Germany comes in first in a new energy efficiency ranking of the world’s major economies, followed by Italy, the European Union as a whole, China, and France, according to the 2014 International Energy Efficiency Scorecard published today by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). New to the rankings this year are four nations: India, Mexico,… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Fusion Energy, Security Force Assistance, Private Health Insurance
FUSION ENERGY: Observations on DOE’s Cost and Schedule Estimates for U.S. Contributions to an International Experimental Reactor, GAO-14-750T: Published: Jul 11, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 11, 2014. SECURITY FORCE ASSISTANCE: The Army and Marine Corps Have Ongoing Efforts to Identify and Track Advisors, but the Army Needs a Plan to Capture Advising Experience, GAO-14-482: Published: Jul 11, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul… Continue Reading
The World in 2025 – 10 Predictions of Innovation
“This paper is a compilation of 10 innovation predictions for the world in 2025, based on research done by Thomson Reuters analysts using the company’s patent and scientific literature solutions. In some cases, the analysts found a growing body of work that gave additional credence to the prediction. In others, the topic was still emerging.… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Afghanistan, Bulk Fuel Pricing, E-Health Records, Littoral Combat Ship, Software Licenses
AFGHANISTAN: Kabul Embassy Construction Costs Have Increased and Schedules Have Been Extended, GAO-14-661R: Published: Jul 8, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 8, 2014. BULK FUEL PRICING: DOD Needs to Reevaluate Its Approach to Better Manage the Effect of Market Fluctuations, GAO-14-595: Published: Jul 8, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 8, 2014. ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS: Fiscal Year 2013 Expenditure Plan Lacks Key Information Needed to… Continue Reading
US overtakes Saudi Arabia as world’s largest producer of crude oil
Grant Smith, Bloomberg: ” The U.S. will remain the world’s biggest oil producer this year after overtaking Saudi Arabia and Russia as extraction of energy from shale rock spurs the nation’s economic recovery, Bank of America Corp. said. U.S. production of crude oil, along with liquids separated from natural gas, surpassed all other countries this year with daily output exceeding 11… Continue Reading
Venezuela Country Analysis Brief – Energy
EIA – “Venezuela is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of crude oil. It has consistently been one of the largest exporters of crude oil in the Americas. As a founding member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Venezuela is an important player in the global oil market. While production has… Continue Reading
