NOIA Weighs in on The COASTAL Act
National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) Vice President for Government and Political Affairs Tim Charters issued the following statement after the introduction of the Conservation of America’s Shoreline Terrain and Aquatic Life (COASTAL) Act:“It is vital that American offshore energy production promote equity for the states immediately adjacent to these offshore areas.
NOIA Applauds Confirmation of Interior Secretary
National Ocean Industries Association President Randall Luthi has issued the following statement on the Senate confirmation of David Bernhardt as Secretary of the Interior:“I congratulate David Bernhardt on his confirmation as Secretary of the Department of the Interior. Highlighted through his bipartisan confirmation,…
Seismic Surveys Delayed in US Arctic
There will be no seismic exploration this winter on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Interior Department said on Friday, after the company seeking permission to conduct the tests ran out of time to get the required permit."We can confirm that seismic surveys will not take place until December 2019," said Alex Hinson, U.S.
Trump Administration Mulls Opening Alaska Refuge to Drilling
The Trump administration this week will begin the environmental review process for oil and gas drilling on a section of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a region in northern Alaska rich in crude but prized by conservationists.In a notice from the U.S. Department of the Interior seen by Reuters, which the agency will post on Friday…
Alaska Requests Limits on US Offshore Drilling
Alaska Governor Bill Walker said on Tuesday he has asked U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to pare back a Trump administration plan for oil and gas leasing off the state's coast. While Walker supports offshore oil development, he said the Interior Department should focus on the most prospective areas off Alaska – the Beaufort…
Fight over Alaska Arctic Drilling has Just Begun
Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, won a decades-long battle on Wednesday to open part of an Arctic wildlife reserve in her state to oil and gas drilling, but Democratic senators and conservationists vow the war has only begun. The tax bill passed by Congress contains language pushed by Murkowski and supported…
Arctic Drilling Hits Speed Bumps in U.S. Tax Bill
A quest by Republicans to open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Reserve was slowed after a nonpartisan Senate official ruled late on Wednesday that the exploration was subject to environmental assessments by the Interior Department. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska and the head of the Senate energy panel, has been pushing a measure in the U.S.
Senate Panel Set to Advance Quest for Oil in Alaska Refuge
Oil drilling in a vast Alaskan wildlife refuge could move a step closer to reality on Wednesday as a Senate panel votes to open part of the reserve coveted by conservationists. Republicans, who control Congress and the White House, have long wanted to prise open a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the north coast known as the 1002 area.
Arctic Oil Expansion Panned by Scientists
A group of 37 U.S.-based scientists whose research focuses on Arctic wildlife asked two U.S. senators in a letter on Thursday not to open the National Arctic Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration, according to a copy seen by Reuters. The scientists, including several retired former officials from the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S.
Arctic Drilling Ban Gives Canada Leg Up -US Lawmakers
U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday slammed an agreement made with Canada to ban offshore Arctic drilling, saying Ottawa's plan to review its ban every five years gives Canada a leg up on energy exploration. U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced a ban on new oil and gas drilling federal waters in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, while Canada instituted a similar ban in its Arctic waters.
U.S. Advances Oil Reserve Revamp Plan, Potential Crude Sale
The Obama administration has sent Congress a plan to modernize the country's emergency oil reserve, a step that could set in motion a sale of about 8 million barrels from the stash later this year to help pay for the revamp, the Energy Department said on Wednesday. Under the $1.5-$2 billion revamp plan, three dedicated marine terminals would be added to the Strategic Petroleum (SPR)…
Obama's Call for $10 Oil Tax is DOA
President Barack Obama's final budget will propose a $10 per barrel oil tax, investing the proceeds in mass transit, high-speed rail, urban planning, highway upgrades and self-driving cars, among other programmes. "President Obama's 21st Century Clean Transportation System", outlined by the White House to reporters on Thursday…
U.S. Senate Starts Debate on Broad Energy Bill
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday began debate on the country's first major energy bill in over eight years, featuring measures aimed at protecting the electric power grid against cyber attacks and speeding the export of liquefied natural gas. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican chair of the Senate energy committee and Washington Senator Maria Cantwell…
Senator Urges Obama Admin to Detail Oil Swaps with Mexico
One of the U.S. Senate's top advocates for lifting the ban on domestic crude exports urged the Commerce Department on Thursday to disclose whether any oil swaps with Mexico have actually been finalized after the agency approved the transactions in August. Administration officials told Reuters in August that the Commerce Department was "acting favorably on a number of applications" to export U.S.
U.S. Oil Export Ban Repeal Seeks Direction
U.S. senators who want to reverse the ban on oil exports are struggling to find wide legislation to attach their bill to, a sign that their effort to overturn the trade restriction could face difficulties. Senator John Hoeven, a Republican of North Dakota, the top U.S. oil-producing state besides Texas, said on Tuesday…
US House Panel Passes Bill to Repeal Oil Export Ban
A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee passed a bill on Thursday to repeal the U.S. ban on oil exports, providing momentum in the chamber for overturning the 40-year old trade restriction. The House Energy and Power subcommittee passed the bill by a voice count. The legislation, sponsored by Republican Representative Joe Barton of Texas…
Oil Exports Could Push US Gasoline Prices Lower
The price of U.S. gasoline could fall if Washington were to allow crude oil exports, an independent government report on Tuesday concluded, adding political firepower for those who want to change the law to expand such trade. Exports would put more crude on global markets and push down prices for international Brent oil "which in turn results in lower petroleum product prices for U.S.
US Senate Energy Panel Votes to Lift Oil Export Ban
The U.S. Senate Energy Committee on Thursday passed a bill that would lift a decades-old ban on the export of crude oil. The 22-member panel passed the bill to allow the United States to export oil and boost state revenue-sharing for offshore oil and gas drilling by a vote of 12-10. Senate Energy Committee chair Lisa Murkowski…
Senators ask Spy Chief to Advise on Energy Boom
Four Republican senators on Tuesday urged the director of national intelligence to keep policymakers informed of the global security implications of booming U.S. energy output as Congress considers repealing the ban on domestic oil exports. "We agree that energy independence within North America and, perhaps, the Western Hemisphere is not only an attainable goal…
US Crude Export Would Help Europe -Czech Republic
Lifting the U.S. ban on oil exports would bolster energy security in Europe by allowing countries to find alternative sources, the Czech Republic ambassador to the United States told lawmakers considering a bill to do away with the trade restriction. "The larger the number of stable democracies among the world's exporters…
