CRS – February 6, 2014 – “North America is experiencing a boom in crude oil supply, primarily due to the growth of heavy crude production in the Canadian oil sands and the recent expansion of shale oil production in North Dakota, Montana, and Texas. North American production now supplies 66% of U.S. crude oil demand, displacing crude from Latin… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Energy
EIA – China is largest energy consumer and producer in the world
“China is the world’s most populous country with a fast-growing economy that has led it to be the largest energy consumer and producer in the world. Rapidly increasing energy demand, especially for liquid fuels, has made China extremely influential in world energy markets. China has quickly risen to the top ranks in global energy demand over… Continue Reading
Bipartisan Policy Center Releases Three Commissioned Papers Related to the Renewable Fuel Standard
[February 4,, 2014] the Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Energy Project published three of five commissioned background papers on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The remaining two, which are two separate law firms’ perspectives on the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to amend the RFS, will be released by the end of February. Throughout the course of this year, BPC… Continue Reading
Report – Fracking is depleting water supplies in America’s driest areas
The Guardian – Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent: “America’s oil and gas rush is depleting water supplies in the driest and most drought-prone areas of the country, from Texas to California, new research has found. Of the nearly 40,000 oil and gas wells drilled since 2011, three-quarters were located in areas where water is scarce, and 55% were in areas experiencing drought, the report by the Ceres investor… Continue Reading
The Consumer Benefits of Increasing the Fuel Economy of Medium and Heavy-Duty Trucks
“In his recent State of the Union speech, President Obama called for improved fuel efficiency in the millions of semi-trucks, large vans, buses, and other large trucks – known as “medium and heavy-duty trucks” – that ply America’s highways. A new report from the Consumer Federation of America finds that new efficiency improvements for big… Continue Reading
EIA – NFL stadiums produce onsite energy with solar PV projects
“On February 2, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will host Super Bowl XLVIII. During the game, aerial footage will likely show 916 external LED fixtures powered by 1,350 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels with a total generating capacity of 276 kilowatts (kW). MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Jets and New York Giants, opened… Continue Reading
State Department Fact Sheet on Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL Pipeline Fact Sheet, Office of the Spokesperson, Washington, DC. January 31, 2014 “On January 31, 2014, the U.S. Department of State (“the Department”) released the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Final Supplemental EIS). The analysis in the Final Supplemental EIS was done consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act and is in response to TransCanada’s application (May… Continue Reading
Report – Enhanced Geothermal Systems
Via Secrecy News: “The potential for new technologies to harvest energy from the Earth’s crust was considered in a new report from the elite JASON science advisory board on Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS).”EGS offers important opportunities for increasing the contribution of geothermal energy to U.S. power production: by a few-fold over the next few years, according to our estimation,… Continue Reading
Mayors from 10 Major Cities Unite to Cut Climate Pollution from Buildings
News release: ” The mayors from 10 major U.S. cities today announced they will undertake a united effort to significantly boost energy efficiency in their buildings, a move that combined could cut as much climate change pollution as generated by 1 million to 1.5 million passenger vehicles every year, and lower energy bills by nearly $1… Continue Reading
Report – Building codes in China tested for energy savings
“China can build its way to a more energy efficient future – one house, apartment and retail store at a time — by improving the rules regulating these structures, according to a study by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. PNNL scientists at the Joint Global Change Research Institute, a partnership with the University of Maryland in… Continue Reading
Market Efficiency and the U.S. Market for Sulfur Dioxide Allowances
Market Efficiency and the U.S. Market for Sulfur Dioxide Allowances – Working Paper Series, Congressional Budget Office, 2014-01, by Claudia Hitaj and Andrew Stocking. January 27, 2014. “Focusing on the U.S. sulfur dioxide (SO2) allowance market from its inception (in 1994) to 2009, we model allowance prices to determine the influence of market fundamentals—such as prices… Continue Reading
Energy-Water Nexus: The Water Sector’s Energy Use
CRS – Energy-Water Nexus: The Water Sector’s Energy Use. Claudia Copeland, Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy, January 3, 2014 “In the United States, more than 400 billion gallons of water is withdrawn daily from surface and ground water sources of freshwater and saline-water to supply domestic uses, agriculture including irrigation, industry, mining, and thermoelectric power. Information about the energy—especially electricity—that is… Continue Reading
