Let America’s Gas Industry Boom

New York Post Op/ED By DONALD J. BOUDREAUX Last Updated: 10:47 PM, December 16, 2012 Posted: 10:47 PM, December 16, 2012

Researchers at the Energy Department just released a comprehensive economic analysis, finding that the United States can reap massive economic benefits from allowing the export of natural gas. Will the Obama administration go for the gold — or continue yielding to anti-export hysteria?

In recent years, the nation has seen astonishing technological innovation in the natural-gas sector. Companies have discovered vast, gas-rich shale deposits under US soil. And they’ve developed new, high-tech means of extraction. The estimated reserves of recoverable domestic gas are now over 2.2 trillion cubic feet.

The expansion in supply has already brought a dramatic drop in natural-gas prices, now at a 10-year low. Other countries, mostly in Asia, are eager to buy some of America’s low-cost gas. So 17 US energy companies have applied to export gas. And two proposals for new gas-export terminals — at Coos Bay and the Port of Astoria, both in Oregon — now await federal approval.

But these efforts have met with concerted and growing opposition. The chief complaint is that exporting natural gas will shrink domestic supply and drive up prices paid by American customers. The Energy Department put a hold all the pending applications for natural-gas exports until the now-released study could be completed. But will that clear green light be overruled?

The leader of the anti-export crusade, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), has introduced two bills to choke off exports. His allies include Sen. Ron Wyden...

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Who Needs Kyoto? Cheap Natural Gas Is the Answer

By Joel Kurtzman, Executive Director, Center for Accelerating Energy Solutions, Milken Institute

Last week's global climate talks in Doha, Qatar ended without any further deal to curb greenhouse gas emissions. That leaves the 1997 Kyoto Protocol in place, which it extended. The only trouble is the United States never ratified the accords, which call for reducing national emissions of CO2 and related gases to 1990 levels by 2020. To make matters worse, in the intervening years, Canada and Japan opted out of the accords. With Doha a failure, and Kyoto in tatters, the environmental community was in a funk.

But before the Doha meeting even began, a bright spot emerged that no one saw coming. According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA), America's greenhouse gas emissions are now at 1992 levels, down from their peak in 2008. Despite refusing to ratify Kyoto, the United States could be the first developed nation to reach the target.

Who would have thought?

The United States has become one of the cleanest, greenest countries on earth, relative to the size of its gross domestic product. In 2008, CO2 emissions were about 1,600 million metric tons a year, according to the EIA. Today, they are 1,300 metric tons, a drop of nearly 20 percent.

Price Wins

The reason for the change is price, not...

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Norse Energy successor plans new pipeline starting in Madison County

By Glenn Coin, The Post-Standard on December 07, 2012 at 12:30 PM, updated

A spinoff from the bankrupt Norse Energy Corp. has proposed building a new natural gas pipeline from Morrisville in Madison County to central Broome County.

Details of the pipeline, including a map and a slide show given by the company, EmKey Resources, can be found on New York Shale Gas Now blog.

The 75-mile line would "transport gas from newly developed shale exploration," the company's presentation says. It would require approval from a variety of public agencies from counties to the federal government.

Gas drillers, including Norse, have applied for permits to begin hydrofracking in New York. Hydrofracking is on hold in the state while the Department of Environmental Conservation studies its environmental impacts.

Norse Energy Corp. filed bankruptcy today in Buffalo, saying it had $32.6 million in debt and less than $50,000 in assets.

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NY, 6 other states suing EPA over drilling methane

Well folks herein is a bit of information about your tax dollars at work. Our esteemed attorney general feels very comfortable tossing your hard earned dollars down the drain. Based on old false claims and charges of disregard for the environment with regard to this constantly evolving technology make this law suit look like an extortion action rather than an effort to get relief from some offence.This is particularly true since it looks like the EPA is and has been bringing about change in the processes. Incidentally there are no shale plays of any consequence in the party states except NY and you all know New York has little to no participation in shale plays because of the moratorium. One could easily come to the conclusion that we would all be better off spending our money finding ways to increase use of natural gas rather than dirty fuel oil, or have natural gas replace coal therefore reducing acid rain and bad air emissions. I would suggest that you remember this egregious and totally political miss use of your money and our state reputation when election time rolls around, however I doubt there will be much state wide support for a repeat of wasted opportunity anyway.JLCpulse

Posted: Dec 11, 2012 2:43 PM EST Updated: Dec 11, 2012 6:44 PM EST By By KEVIN BEGOS of Associated Press on KOAM TV web site

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Seven Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states announced plans Tuesday to sue the Environmental Protection Agency, saying it is violating the Clean Air Act by failing to address methane emissions from oil and gas drilling, which...

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United States: New Research Finds Shale Natural Gas Production Emits Less Fugitive Methane that Previously Reported

12 December 2012 by James A. Pardo and Brandon H. Barnes in McDermott,Will and Emery

Shale natural gas production emits significantly less fugitive methane than previously thought, concluded researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in a November 26, 2012, study published in Environmental Research Letters. According to the researchers, "it is incorrect to suggest that shale gas-related hydraulic fracturing has substantially altered the overall [greenhouse gas] intensity of natural gas production."

Methane has been singled out as one of the most powerful greenhouse gases (GHG) because of its "global warming potential" - or the relative heat trapped in the atmosphere by a gas - which is 20 times greater than that of carbon dioxide. Fugitive methane emissions are losses of methane gas that may occur during flowback (the return of fluids), during drill-out following fracturing, and during well-venting to alleviate well-head pressure. Fugitive emissions can also occur as a result of equipment leaks, transportation or storage losses, and processing losses, but in much smaller quantities.

An earlier study by Cornell University professor Robert Howarth, which garnered much media attention, reported that shale gas production had a lifetime carbon footprint greater than coal production...

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Britain Approves Fracking for Shale Gas Exploration

By STANLEY REED Published: December 13, 2012 New York Times

LONDON — The British government gave the go-ahead Thursday for exploratory hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for shale gas, subject to stringent controls — a decision that potentially opens the way for a shale gas industry to begin developing in Western Europe.

“Shale gas represents a promising new potential resource for the U.K.,” Edward Davey, the energy and climate change secretary, said in a statement. He added: “We are still in the very early stages of shale gas exploration in the U.K. and it is likely to develop slowly.”

With the economy flagging, the government is under pressure from business to encourage the use of natural gas in power generation along with its large recent commitment to energy sources like offshore wind and nuclear, which are low carbon emitters but costly.

The gas industry and other interests argue that gas, which burns cleaner than coal, is a logical transition fuel until low carbon energy sources are sufficiently developed to take over the load decades in the future.

Substantial amounts of shale gas could also help compensate for the decline of

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Big Idea 2013: Governors Take Energy Into Their Own Hands

This is true in every state but New York. In New York we have wine, yogurt and a "robust" financial district to carry the day. In addition, every upstate municipality is a vacation land anticipating a huge influx of eager recreation, view and thrill seekers. To top it all off we have a governor with an insightful global view looking out for our interests. JLCpulse

T. Boone Pickens December 11, 2012 in Linked-In

The development of new sources of energy – at the state level – will be the big idea for 2013.

Whether there is a grand bargain, a petite bargain, or no bargain at all on ways to decrease the national debt and avoid the fiscal cliff, one thing is clear: The American spirit will not be dampened by the inability of elected and appointed officials in Washington to get the economy moving.

Power, in the form of innovation and ideas, will shift from the nation’s capital to the capitals of the 50 states. Governors do not have the authority to print money and 43 states have laws that require Governors to submit budgets that are in balance, so states are looking for ways to generate revenue without raising taxes which would only serve to drive businesses out.

The 21st century gold rush is shale containing oil or natural gas. Huge deposits have been discovered around the nation,

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NY taking comment on revised gas drilling rules

December 9, 2012, 11:30 a.m. ET.

Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York regulators will begin taking public comments on revised gas-drilling rules this week, though an extensive environmental review outlining the basis for those rules remains incomplete, and neither drillers nor environmentalists are happy lately with the state's work on the issue.

Health and environmental groups have criticized Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Department of Environmental Conservation for issuing the revised regulations before completing a health review or releasing the final version of a massive environmental impact study initiated in 2008. The state has had a moratorium on shale gas development since the study began.

"The governor insisted that he was going to let science dictate his decision, but instead we get regulations that have nothing to do with science," said Sandra Steingraber, a leader of New Yorkers Against Fracking.

Gas industry representatives say the revised regulations are stricter than those proposed in September 2011 and ignore numerous industry requests for changes to provisions they consider arbitrary and inflexible.

Even the revision process itself has come under fire. DEC posted the voluminous revised regulatory document on its website the day before a deadline last month and filed for a 90-day extension to finalize rules for the controversial drilling technology known as fracking. The highly technical document was not accompanied by any summary of changes. The agency will take public comment from Dec. 12 through Jan. 11, and the new deadline to finalize...

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NEIL VITALE: Leave farming to the farmers

By Neil Vitale in Messenger Post Posted Dec 11, 2012 @ 07:39 PM

MPNnow.com —

In “Food Production, Not Fracking”, Sander Diamond offers a litany of unsupported assertions in arguing New York should pass on natural gas. Given his assertions, it appears Mr. Diamond may not be as knowledgeable about history as we might expect from someone who teaches the subject.

New York State for over 100 years has had a harmonious relationship between agriculture and the petroleum industry. Because former Governor Paterson’s anti-fossil advocate instituted a moratorium for the last five years, New York has lost more farmers than any state in America!

Mr. Diamond and I agree on one point, portions of our nation are facing serious drought conditions. That said, pinning the fate of our water supply on the approval of hydraulic fracturing is beyond a misguided leap of logic.

Need proof? Look to the arid west. In September, the New York Times reported, “Oil and gas companies estimate that they will use about 6.5 billion gallons of water in Colorado this year, and that figure makes up only 0.1 percent of overall water use, according to state data.” In Pennsylvania, natural gas production used 5.6 billion gallons over five years; for comparison the Susquehanna River moves nearly 20 billion gallons per day.

Regardless...

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Fracking Companies Find Greener Solutions

By Swagato Chakravorty Tuesday, December 11th, 2012 in Energy and Capital

How’s this for irony? Fracking champions are looking toward solar power to try and cut down on pollution.

Most of the hydraulic equipment currently in use rely on ‘dirty’ diesel-guzzling engines. But companies are looking for a way to clean up this already controversial process.

Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), for example, is quite heavily invested in fracking. The company has come out with a fracking machine that uses gravitational and solar power to function.

The so-called SandCastle is about two years old now, and it has already been implemented across dozens of sites within the U.S., Businessweek reports.

Big Oil has tried to clean up its act recently, smarting from sustained and harsh criticism from environmentally-conscious entities. Halliburton and three other major oil-field service providers collectively invested some $2.04 billion in 2011 to try and make their services more environmentally-friendly.

It’s a big change—32 percent—from what they were spending two years previously. Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK), General Electric (NYSE: GE), and Verenium Corp. (NASDAQ: VRNM) have also come up with “alternative” technologies for their operations.

Should these companies develop greener solutions, it will not only earn them some leniency and good publicity from eco-groups, but it will also help rein in the price of cleanup, which can reach...

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Let America’s Gas Industry Boom

Who Needs Kyoto? Cheap Natural Gas Is the Answer

Norse Energy successor plans new pipeline starting in Madison County

NY, 6 other states suing EPA over drilling methane

United States: New Research Finds Shale Natural Gas Production Emits Less Fugitive Methane that Previously Reported

Britain Approves Fracking for Shale Gas Exploration

By STANLEY REED Published: December 13, 2012 New York Times

Big Idea 2013: Governors Take Energy Into Their Own Hands

NY taking comment on revised gas drilling rules

NEIL VITALE: Leave farming to the farmers

Fracking Companies Find Greener Solutions

More Articles...