US opponents of offshore wind projects form national group in order to combat the project
According to two organizations and the founder of this effort, U.S. opponents to offshore wind developments are creating a coalition to fight projects in California as well as New England.According to Mandy Davis, the president of NOOA, it aims to give a national voice to a movement that is currently fragmented into dozens of groups.Offshore wind in the United States is still a young industry and an important part of President Joe Biden’s climate-change plan. Residents are concerned that the installation of turbines on every U.S.
NOAA: Oregon LNG Pipeline Will Have Minimal Impact
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said its analysis found that the construction and operation of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Coos Bay, Ore. and its associated pipeline will have minimal impact on protected species and their habitats.NOAA Fisheries issued a final biological opinion on construction and operation of the Jordan Cove terminal and the associated 229-mile long Pacific Connector LNG pipeline. After conducting a thorough review…
OP/ED: Offshore Wind
Set to Soar, Taking Offshore Support Industry With it.Offshore energy development is opening a new front in the United States -- the Atlantic seaboard, with strong winds, a shallow continental shelf and a proximity to dense population centers is driving strong interest in offshore wind development. The offshore oil and gas supply chain stands to benefit in a big way from billions in coming investment. In fact, it is already playing a role. Companies in the Gulf of Mexico…
Offshore Wind: Regulatory “Takes” – Take a Close Look
On April 30 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published a notice, requesting public comments, on a proposed “incidental harassment authorization” (IHA). An IHA is a legal and enforceable document presenting the terms and conditions with which a company must adhere in order to protect wildlife. In this case, the draft IHA was for Vineyard Wind, the wind energy company ready to start construction on an 800 MW offshore wind farm in the Atlantic, covering about 675 square kilometers, starting 14 miles from the coastline of Martha’s Vineyard.
July: Earth's Hottest Month Ever Recorded
According to the latest monthly climate report from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), July 2019 was hottest month on record for the planet and Polar sea ice melted to record lows.Much of the planet sweltered in unprecedented heat in July, as temperatures soared to new heights in the hottest month ever recorded. The record warmth also shrank Arctic and Antarctic sea ice to historic lows.The average global temperature in July was 1.71 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 60.4 degrees…
Sea Breeze Study May Aid US Wind Farm Developers
A team of researchers at Rutgers University has used new forecasting methods to predict offshore sea breeze patterns on the Jersey Shore — data that could be useful for companies hoping to build wind farms off Atlantic City."The proposed, multimillion-dollar offshore wind farms industry may benefit from a Rutgers-led study that used sophisticated forecasting to understand sea breezes and make them a more predictable source of energy," said a press release from Rutgers…
US Marine Sanctuary Oil Drilling Report Sent to Trump, Not Public
U.S. Commerce Department Secretary Wilbur Ross sent a report to the White House on Wednesday containing recommendations on whether to change the boundaries of 11 marine sanctuaries to allow more oil and gas drilling, but the report was not made public. Commerce reviewed sanctuaries containing 425 million acres of coral reefs, marine mammal habitats and pristine beaches, as part of an administration strategy to open new areas to oil and gas drilling. The goal was to “put the energy needs of American families and businesses first…
U.S. Heating Costs Could be Higher this Winter
Most U.S. households can expect higher heating expenditures this winter than in the previous two years, according to the government's Winter Fuels Outlook due to be released at 11 a.m. (1500 GMT) on Wednesday. The U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) said in a report the higher expected heating expenditures between October and March are the result of more demand for heating because of colder weather and, to a lesser extent, higher fuel prices. EIA said it based…
Exxon Aims to Curb Methane Emissions from Shale Division
Exxon Mobil Corp said on Monday it would launch a program to curb its methane emissions from its U.S. shale facilities by replacing aging equipment and updating dated technology, part of a plan by the company to reduce its environmental footprint. The program comes as Exxon, the world's largest publicly traded oil producer, fights accusations by environmentalists and others that it misled investors and the public for years about the risks of climate change from fossil fuels.
A Great Lakes Pipeline Stirs New Protest
The growing protest movement against U.S. oil and gas pipelines has so far focused on stopping or delaying new construction, with some high-profile successes. Now, in Michigan, a broad coalition of opponents is entering a new frontier: Pushing to rip out and reroute an existing pipeline - Enbridge Inc.'s aging Line 5, which crosses the Straits of Mackinac. They fear the pipeline will leak into the Great Lakes, which contain about a fifth of the world’s fresh water and sustain the state’s second- and third-largest industries, agriculture and tourism.
U.S. Coal Set for 2017/18 Upturn: Kemp
U.S. coal producers can look forward to an increase in production and jobs during 2017/18 as the industry recovers from the depression of 2015/16. The medium-term outlook remains challenging but some of the short-term problems that tipped the industry into crisis over the last two years are abating. Coal production slumped from 1 billion tons in 2014 to just 739 million tons in 2016, according to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. The average number of operators and contractors employed at the coal mines (excluding office staff) fell from 111…
Hedge Funds Build Bullish U.S. Natural Gas Position
Hedge funds are more bullish about U.S. natural gas prices than at any time for almost three years, according to position records published by regulators and exchanges. By April 4, hedge funds and other money managers had amassed a net long position in the two main futures and options contracts linked to U.S. gas prices equivalent to 3,280 billion cubic feet (http://tmsnrt.rs/2nxfzE0). Fund managers had boosted their net long position for five consecutive weeks by a total of 1,082 billion cubic feet, taking it to the highest level since May 2014 (http://tmsnrt.rs/2nZFHU1).
US Coal Set for an Upturn in 2017/18
U.S. coal producers can look forward to an increase in production and jobs during 2017/18 as the industry recovers from the depression of 2015/16. The medium-term outlook remains challenging but some of the short-term problems that tipped the industry into crisis over the last two years are abating. Coal production slumped from 1 billion tons in 2014 to just 739 million tons in 2016, according to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. The average number of operators and contractors employed at the coal mines (excluding office staff) fell from 111…
Ocean Mapping: Fugro Partner with Shell on X-Prize
Fugro will partner with the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE to support first round testing of the global, three-year competition, which incentivizes development of rapid, unmanned and high resolution ocean mapping technologies. Fugro’s role is to provide high resolution deepwater baseline bathymetry data over a 500 sq. km competition area. The company has recently collected more than 1 million sq. km of high resolution bathymetry data per year globally, predominantly in water depths greater than 750 meters.
U.S. NatGas Prices Caught in Crossfire: Kemp
U.S. natural gas prices are caught in the crossfire between warmer-than-normal weather and a structurally tightening supply-and-demand balance. Working gas stocks in underground storage rose by 73 billion cubic feet to 3,909 billion cubic feet last week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (http://tmsnrt.rs/2eCrFWF). Stocks have increased by less than the five-year average for 25 consecutive weeks, which has eliminated the huge overhang inherited from the warm winter of 2015/16 (http://tmsnrt.rs/2eCqaaV).
La Nina Forecast Downgraded: Kemp
Sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific have been significantly below the seasonal average for the last 10 weeks, consistent with the formation of mild La Nina conditions. But U.S. government forecasters have cut the probability of La Nina occurring this winter to 36%, down from an estimated probability of 76% at the time of their May forecast. The U.S. government now predicts conditions this winter are likely to be neutral, with neither La Nina or El Nino evident, and puts this probability at 56%, up from 21% in May.
US Natural Gas Market Rebalancing Underway: Kemp
The U.S. natural gas market is well on the way to rebalancing as unusually high airconditioning demand coupled with strong underlying consumption growth absorbs the record inventories left at the end of last winter. Anticipating a tighter market in 2017, hedge funds and other money managers amassed the largest net long position in natural gas futures and options for more than two years by the end of August. Despite some recent profit-taking and fresh short selling, the hedge funds' net long position in natural gas futures and options on Sept.
Colder 2016-17 Winter to Boost U.S. oil and gas Demand
The U.S. summer driving season ends with Labor Day on Sep 5, and the attention of the energy markets is already switching to the forthcoming winter heating season. The winter of 2015/16 was the warmest on record, which sharply reduced consumption of both natural gas and heating oil (http://tmsnrt.rs/2bhIGoL). Average winter temperatures are very variable, but the winter of 2016/17 will almost certainly be colder, which should lead to a significant increase in gas and heating oil demand.
Oil Demand Likely Up in Sweltering Middle East
Saudi Arabia raised its oil production to a record last month while much of the kingdom sweltered in record temperatures that have also hit neighbouring countries across the Middle East. There is not enough statistical data to draw a direct connection between the two but it is likely most if not all the extra oil production was burned in the kingdom's power plants to meet electricity demand. Saudi Arabia's power generators rely heavily on burning unrefined crude as well as residual fuel oil and diesel to meet electricity demand.
Earth On Track For Hottest Year as Warming Speeds Up
The earth is on track for its hottest year on record and warming at a faster rate than expected, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday. Temperatures recorded mainly in the northern hemisphere in the first six months of the year, coupled with an early and fast Arctic sea ice melt and "new highs" in heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels, point to quickening climate change, it said. June marked the 14th straight month of record heat, the United Nations agency said.
