Trump appoints US Oil Advocate to Lead Public Land Bureau
Kathleen Sgamma is a vocal advocate of oil and gas for Western States. She will be heading the Interior Department Bureau of Land Management which oversees the use of nearly 250 million acres of country's public lands. Sgamma is the head of Western Energy Alliance which represents oil companies operating on federal land. He had criticized Biden's and Obama's efforts to reserve public land for conservation rather than open more acres for energy developments. Sgamma, as the head of BLM, will be responsible for overseeing federal leasing programs in oil and gas, mining and grazing, and renewable energy.
Trump appoints US Oil Advocate to Lead Public Land Bureau
Kathleen Sgamma is a vocal advocate of oil and gas for Western States. She will be heading the Interior Department Bureau of Land Management which oversees the use of nearly 250 million acres of country public lands. Sgamma is the head of Western Energy Alliance which represents oil companies operating on federal land. He had criticized Biden's and Obama's efforts to reserve public lands for conservation rather than open more acres for energy developments. The administration nominated Brian Nesvik as the new director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Nesvik was critical of Biden's decision not to remove grizzlys and other species on the endangered species list.
US Energy Secretary criticizes net-zero policy in new order
According to a Wednesday order by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the U.S. Department of Energy prioritizes expanding energy production above achieving net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases. The secretarial orders are meant to align the Department with President Donald Trump's priorities. Trump has called climate changes a hoax, and has pledged to maximize oil and gas production which is already at record levels. According to the order, "Net-zero policy raises energy costs for American households and businesses. It said that the Department would…
Senators introduce resolution to repeal Biden methane fees rule
The U.S. Senate Republicans introduced a resolution on Tuesday to overturn Biden's administration's proposed methane emission fee, which was one of the last measures taken by the former Environmental Protection Agency to force oil and gas companies to reduce emissions of this powerful greenhouse gas. The resolution, introduced by Republican Senators John Kennedy from Louisiana and John Hoeven from North Dakota under Congressional Review Act(CRA), allows Congress to overturn new federal rules by a simple majority. It would reverse the escalating charges set by the agency that they have called a "tax". The Americans want us to "drill baby drill" to reduce their energy costs.
Senate confirms Chris Wright, a fracking executive, as Trump's Energy Secretary
The U.S. Senate confirmed Chris Wright as President Donald Trump's Energy Secretary on Monday. Wright is a fracking executive. Seven Democrats and an Independent who caucuses alongside Democrats crossed the aisle. Wright, 60 years old, has been the CEO of Liberty Energy, since 2011. He announced that he would step down as soon as the confirmation was received. In a Liberty Energy report published last year, he wrote that he believed climate change caused by humans is real but its dangers are "distant" and "uncertain." He also stated that government policies to combat climate change are doomed to failure. Wright will oversee an agency with a budget of around $50 billion.
Chevron will build gas plants for data centers in the AI boom
The oil and gas company Chevron announced on Tuesday that it will build natural gas power plants near data centers in the U.S. as the energy demand for artificial intelligence growth is expected to grow. The second largest U.S. oil and gas producer has partnered with Engine No. The project is a partnership between Engine No. 1 and electric service company GE Vernova. Chevron announced the project a day after Chinese startup DeepSeek revealed an AI model it claims uses much less computing power than leading models in the United States. This prompted investors to question billions of dollars invested in AI infrastructure…
Senate Democrats ask Republicans to delay the hearing on Trump's Energy Secretary nominee
Democratic members of the U.S. Senate Energy Committee asked the Republican chairman of the panel to postpone Tuesday's confirmation hearing of Donald Trump's nominee to head the Department of Energy. They cited a delay in the paperwork. The hearing for Chris Wright will be held on Wednesday. Wright intends to step down from his position as Liberty Energy's CEO and Chairman once he has been confirmed as Energy Secretary. It is expected that he will help Trump's energy dominance policy by increasing the production of U.S. gas and oil. Senator Martin Heinrich and his Democratic colleagues…
What are the differences between Trump and Harris' energy policies?
Both Donald Trump, a Republican, and Kamala Harrias are Democrats. They both want to increase production while keeping prices low for consumers. The main difference is that Harris wants to favor clean energy technologies that are crucial in fighting climate change. Trump, on the other hand, would roll back green regulations which hinder oil and coal drilling. Next Tuesday, voters in the United States will have to face the same contrast as they head to the polls to elect their next president. Scientists say that global climate efforts are failing to address the speed and magnitude of global warming.
US Interior Dept Revokes Trump Energy Policies, Focuses on Climate
The U.S. Interior Department on Friday sought to erase the Trump administration's pro-fossil fuels legacy from the nation's public lands by revoking a suite of policies that boosted drilling and mining and ordering that climate change be put at the forefront in future agency decisions.The moves come as the Democratic Biden administration moves rapidly to implement policies aimed at decarbonizing the U.S. economy by 2050.Republican former President Donald Trump, a vocal climate change skeptic, pushed policies to maximize fossil fuel development on federal lands and waters with a mantra of "energy dominance."In a statement…
US Axes Environmental Reviews of LNG Marine Transport
The U.S. Department of Energy on Thursday issued a rule to exclude environmental reviews for marine transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG), as the Trump administration unleashes last minute rules supporting the fossil fuel industry.The rule, which the Energy Department issued in a pre-publication notice in the Federal Register, frees LNG transport license applications from including environmental reviews that have been required under a bedrock environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act.The requirement has only been on LNG shipments to countries with which the Washington does not have a free trade agreement…
U.S. Offshore Oil Lease Sale Weakest Since 2016
A major sale of oil and gas leases in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday generated $93 million in high bids, the lowest total for any U.S. offshore auction since 2016, reflecting caution in the drilling industry amid a steep slide in oil prices.Firing up offshore drilling is a crucial part of U.S. President Donald Trump's "energy dominance" agenda to maximize domestic production of crude oil, natural gas, and coal. But the energy industry is in crisis as the coronavirus outbreak decimates world demand for fuel and crushes prices."While bidding did take a tough hit…
U.S. FERC Approves Two New LNG Export Terminals
The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Thursday approved construction of two proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals, Tellurian Inc's Driftwood in Louisiana and Sempra Energy's Port Arthur in Texas.Tellurian said in a release it planned to make a final investment decision on its $30 billion Driftwood project, which includes pipelines and production fields in addition to the liquefaction plant, in 2019 with first LNG production expected in 2023.Sempra has said it planned to make a final investment decision on Port…
US Lease Sale a Test for Drilling Demand
The Trump administration will hold its fourth major auction for oil and gas leases in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, in a fresh test of demand from drillers that have lately been shying away from the region.The outcome of the lease sale will provide the last big signal from the industry about their interest in U.S. waters before President Donald Trump's Interior Department releases a long-awaited proposal to expand offshore drilling, possibly to new areas of the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic.Wednesday's sale will include all available unleased areas in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico…
NOIA Statement on Trump’s SOTU Address
Increase Access to All Offshore Energy Sources for American Energy Greatness.National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Randall Luthi issued this statement following President Trump’s State of the Union address:“In his second State of the Union address, President Trump reiterated his bold vision for American energy dominance in conjunction with facilitating new energy infrastructure. NOIA applauds the Administration’s efforts to date toward achieving American Energy Dominance and supports the hard work that remains to be done to continue our American energy revolution. “The Administration initiated regulatory and tax reforms that are allowing more U.S.
Shutdown Risks Delays to US Energy Initiatives
The partial government shutdown is increasing the chances of delays in U.S. energy initiatives from the release of President Donald Trump's proposed offshore drilling plan to allowing higher levels of ethanol in gasoline during summer months, energy industry groups said on Friday.The U.S. Department of Interior had been expected to release its highly anticipated 2019 to 2024 offshore oil and gas drilling plan in early January.The Trump administration has made opening up greater areas to offshore drilling, and holding more frequent lease sales, part of its energy dominance agenda to boost fossil fuel output for both domestic use and exports.
DOE Streamlines LNG Export Requirements
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) would now only require U.S. LNG exporters to report the country or countries of LNG deliveries, not country of end-use, to satisfy the DOE’s destination reporting requirement.Further, DOE announced additional efforts to streamline the reporting requirements for LNG export supply sales and contracts.“With the United States now being the world’s top producer of oil and natural gas, it is imperative that U.S. LNG companies have all the tools they need to get their American product into the international market,” said U.S.
New U.S. LNG Projects, Enough to Double Exports, on Verge of Launch
New U.S. liquefied natural gas terminals with enough capacity to double U.S. exports have either begun commissioning their facilities or are waiting for approval from the energy regulator, a review of their documents showed this week.Although long planned, the actual commissioning of plants has been a moving target in the past.Yet the process not only kicks off a new era for the global industry as the United States turns into a significant exporter. It also opens the taps for large volumes to hit the spot market before long-term commercial contracts are formerly triggered.The ramp up of U.S. LNG production comes just as U.S.
Signs of Recovery in the US Gulf of Mexico
Today's U.S. auction of Gulf of Mexico exploration leases drew tepid response from oil companies, but marked notable progress for an industry still in a state of recovery.“While not a barn burner, Lease Sale 251 tops the previous Gulf sale in terms of increased participation, increased competition for offerings, and bid amounts,” said Randall Luthi, president of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA). “In addition, bidding activity demonstrates both continued interest in deepwater tracts and renewed interest in shallow water tracts.”Luthi continued, “The operating environment in the U.S.
Chinese Tariffs on LNG, Oil May Threaten US Energy Dominance
China's targeting of U.S. liquefied natural gas and crude oil exports opens a new front in the trade war between the two countries, at a time when the White House is trumpeting growing U.S. energy export prowess.China included LNG for the first time in its list of proposed tariffs on Friday, the same day that its biggest U.S. crude oil buyer, Sinopec, suspended U.S. crude oil imports due to the dispute, according to three sources familiar with the situation.On Friday, China announced retaliatory tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods, and warned of further measures…
A Promising Future for U.S. Shale
Natural gas production from U.S. shale fields can keep growing for decades, giving Washington a powerful diplomatic tool to counter the geopolitical influence of other energy exporters such as Russia, according to industry executives and government officials. The United States can expand shale gas output another 60 percent in the coming decades, according to at least one estimate. So far, liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been spared from retaliatory tariffs in U.S. President Donald Trump's intensifying trade conflicts with China and other countries. "We see a century of natural gas supply in U.S.
