Canadian Natural Resources eyes Rail Contracts
Canadian Natural Resources, the country's biggest oil and gas producer, is looking at taking on the Alberta provincial government's contracts to move crude by rail, a senior company executive said on Thursday.Shipping more crude by rail is seen as critical for Canadian oil producers due to…
Canada Ready to Cover Kinder Morgan Loss
Canada is prepared to cover some losses Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd might suffer if a proposed oil pipeline expansion is delayed and thinks other investors are ready to step in if need be, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said on Wednesday. The company has given Ottawa a deadline of May 31 to provide…
KeystoneXL Opponents Vow Long Fight as Nebraska Hearing Concludes
Opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline vowed on Thursday to block construction of the controversial project if Nebraska regulators approve the proposed route later this year. Nebraska regulators wrapped up a final public hearing a day early on Thursday on TransCanada Corp's proposed Keystone…
Petronas Scraps $29 bln Canada LNG Project
Decision widely expected after long delay, weak prices. Malaysian oil company Petronas has scrapped a proposed C$36 billion ($29 billion) liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in western Canada due to weak prices, in a blow to both its global ambitions and Canada's hopes of becoming a major LNG player.
California Approves Fuel Tax Hike
California lawmakers on Thursday approved legislation to increase gasoline taxes and other transportation-related fees for the first time in decades, to fund an ambitious $52 billion plan to repair the state's sagging infrastructure. The legislation heads to the desk of Democratic Governor Jerry Brown…
Iraq Blacklists Tankers Lifting Kurdish Crude
Iraqi state oil firm SOMO has blacklisted three tankers involved in shipping crude from Kurdistan, stepping up pressure on the semi-autonomous region amid tense talks on sharing oil revenue. Kurdistan has been exporting crude independently via Turkey since mid-2015 after saying Baghdad had…
Italians Go to polls for Drilling Referendum
Italy went to the polls on Sunday for a referendum on off-shore oil and gas drilling rights, a complex issue that the government hopes voters will shun. For the ballot to be valid, more than 50 percent of the Italian electorate must vote and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has urged people to stay away…
Oil Price War Threatens US Sense of Energy Security
The political economy of oil prices in the United States is complicated. The United States is the world's largest oil consumer and one of its biggest importers. But it is also a substantial producer with large oil and gas resources. And its oil is medium-cost, more expensive to produce than…
Clinton's Pledge to Curtail Fracking Falls on Deaf Ears
Hillary Clinton's vow to regulate oil and gas fracking almost out of existence was met with skepticism Monday, failing to convince either industry or environment groups that she would - or could - end the controversial drilling practice if she becomes president. The front-runner for the Democratic party nomination used a debate in Flint…
Canada to Aid Developing Nations Fight Climate Change
Canada will provide aid to developing countries to combat climate change, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Friday ahead of talks on global warming, which he has promised will show the country is serious about tackling the issue. Canada will give C$2.65 billion ($1.98 billion) over the next five years…
Keystone XL Pipeline Prospects Dimming
Faced with dimming prospects for approval, the Canadian company behind the proposed Keystone XL pipeline chose to plead with the U.S. government for a delay on its fate, signaling that prolonged uncertainty is preferable to rejection of the $8 billion project. Monday's appeal by Calgary-based…
US Senate Democrats Unveil Climate-focused Energy Bill
Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled energy legislation focused on cleaner energy production, manufacturing and vehicles that they say would slash U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by at least 34 percent by 2025, surpassing the goal pledged by the Obama administration for U.N. climate talks.
Alberta Panel to Review Climate-change Policy
The Canadian province of Alberta, the biggest source of U.S. oil imports, announced the members of its climate change policy review panel on Friday, part of its pledge to implement new rules on greenhouse gas reductions. Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said the panel would offer recommendations to the government by early November…
Alberta Mulls Splitting Energy Regulator from Promoter Role
The Canadian province of Alberta, the largest source of U.S. oil imports, is considering splitting its energy regulator to avoid a potential conflict with its role as promoter of the oil and gas industry, a spokeswoman for the premier said on Tuesday. Notley's left-wing New Democratic Party…
Alberta Energy Minister Inexperience Concerns Industry
Canada's oil and gas industry is concerned about the inexperience of Alberta's new energy minister, but is ready to give her the benefit of the doubt for now as she takes on the closely watched role, analysts and executives said on Monday. Marg McCauig-Boyd, a one-time teacher with a master's…
Alberta's NDP Rookies Scramble to Govern
The election victory by the New Democratic Party (NDP) on Tuesday will deliver one of the most inexperienced parties ever to take office in Canada. The party previously held just four of 87 seats in the legislature and only a few of its 53 new lawmakers have ever held public office. Among resumes that list experience as union workers…
Alberta's Possible Pivot to Left Alarms Oil Sector
CALGARY, Alberta, May 4 (Reuters) - Canada's oil-rich province of Alberta is on the cusp of electing a left-wing government that can make life harder for the energy industry with its plans to raise taxes, end support for key pipeline projects and seek a bigger cut of oil revenues. Polls suggest…
Japan wants 20% Nuclear Power in Energy Mix
Japan's ruling party wants a revived nuclear power sector to eventually make up a fifth of electricity generation, local media said, a controversial move for a public opposed to nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. A panel of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic…
Albania to Sell State Oil Firm, Offer Oil Blocks
Albania wants to try again to privatise its state oil company this year, and will soon begin offering its blocks for oil and gas exploration, Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Tuesday. The previous Democratic Party government, which Rama's Socialist-led coalition ousted in June 2013, cancelled the sale two years ago to a private buyer.
Canada Passed on U.S.-Mexico Climate Announcement
Canada declined a U.S. invitation last week to jointly announce climate policy cooperation with Mexico, with Ottawa saying it has not yet finalized its own domestic strategy, sources from both countries familiar with the discussions said on Thursday. On March 24, three days before the United…
