Environmental activists who have cheered the ongoing power transition in the United Kingdom — which went a record 18 days and 6 hours of powering its electric grid without using coal — are overlooking an inconvenient fact for their cause. The UK was able to maintain its grid stability by increasing its use of natural gas, an energy source that activists have demonized even though it helps redu [ ... ]

Gov. Cuomo keeps raising his renewable-energy goals, but the reality is that New York is actually losing ground when it comes to how much of its power is generated by “clean” plants. The Empire Center’s Ken Girardin recently broke the news that the state last year generated slightly less electricity from renewable sources (wind, hydroelectric and solar) than it did in 2017. Maybe that’s  [ ... ]

Producing at All-Time Records The U.S. shale revolution that started in 2008 has not just transformed our domestic energy outlook but also energy markets around the world. Over this time, U.S. crude oil production has surged 140% to 12.2 million b/d, while gas output is up 55% to 88 Bcf/d. The U.S. is now easily the world's largest oil and gas producer, yielding 20% more oil and 25% more gas th [ ... ]

Regulators denied an application for a $1 billion natural gas pipeline that environmentalists said would set back the fight against climate change. By Vivian Wang and Michael Adno May 15, 2019 In a major victory for environmental activists, New York regulators on Wednesday rejected the construction of a heavily disputed, nearly $1 billion natural gas pipeline, even as business leaders and energ [ ... ]

The increased use of natural gas in electricity generation contributes to long-term “climate stabilization objectives,” according to a new study published in Nature. Notably, the study’s top line finding should address concerns that natural gas is less effective at reducing emissions than initially anticipated: “We found that the coal-to-gas shift is consistent with climate stabili [ ... ]

Map of proposed Williams pipeline extension, which would connect the existing natural gas line. (Courtesy of Williams Companies)   ALBANY — An environmental bill unveiled Monday could block construction on a pipeline that would bring natural gas to the city. The legislature, sponsored by Sen. Jen Metzger (D-Ulster County) and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Queens), would ban t [ ... ]

Below is a rewrite of a Letter to the Editor submitted about a month ago. By the time it was printed I rewrote it to keep it current. It's all factual with sources noted. The Otsego Otsego County Energy Infrastructure Summit group reconvened tonight at the Oneonta Town Hall for a progress report. Most of the members and their "advisors" seem to lean towards renewables only and a few are openly an [ ... ]

Imagine: The biggest, most important city in America, cut off from new supplies of natural gas vital to its growth. Fact is, such a nightmare could be just a couple of weeks off. National Grid has warned that unless Gov. Cuomo OKs a new pipeline through the New York Bay by May 15, it may have to turn away new gas customers in Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island. Con Ed has issued a similar warn [ ... ]

Total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2017 reached their lowest levels since 1992, according to the final Environmental Protection Agency Greenhouse Gas Inventory released this month. As International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol recently stated, “In the last 10 years, the emissions reductions in the United States has been the largest in the history of energy [ ... ]

Mark P. Mills and James B. Meigs join John Stossel to discuss the Green New Deal, the limits of wind and solar power, and the “magical thinking” of an all-renewable energy future. Countries around the world are embracing subsidies to expand the production of renewables, and environmentalists claim that we’re on the cusp of a tech-driven energy revolution that will make oil and gas obsolete. [ ... ]

The following LTE appears inthis week's Hometown Oneonta:     Oneonta needs natural gas. Supply is not meeting demand in downstate's Westchester, Brooklyn, and Queens as well as well as upstate's Oneonta. The cracks are beginning to show. The latest skirmish in Otsego County's Gas Wars is over the deployment of a decompressor station in the old D & H railyard. NYSEG [ ... ]

In January, the overt struggle between New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and natural gas inundated front page news when New York’s major utility, Con Edison, announced plans to implement a moratorium on new natural gas connections in most of Westchester County. Then, just as the moratorium went into effect on March 15, the state offered up a $250 million Hail-Mary funding plan for clean e [ ... ]

resident Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders aimed at speeding up oil and gas pipeline permitting, including limiting the ability of activists and states to block key energy projects. Trump signed the orders Wednesday at an International Union of Operating Engineers’ training center near Houston. Some labor unions have pushed back against Democrats’ anti-fossil fuel agenda, in [ ... ]

President Donald Trump is going to Houston on Wednesday and will announce the pipeline executive order he’s issuing. It’s more than pipelines; it’s justice! UPDATE: The executive order and my explanation of why it’s very good may be found here! We are two days away from an in-your-face Executive Order President Trump is issuing to deliver some justice to states such a [ ... ]

Residential buildings in Yonkers, one of the cities and towns in Westchester County where Con Edison, the main utility, has imposed a moratorium on new natural gas hookups. Credit
John Taggart for The New York Times Across the suburbs north of New York City, clusters of luxury towers are rising around commuter rail stations, designed to lure young workers seeking easy access to Manhattan. In al [ ... ]