The Silent Side of Oil

Press needs to pump information on peak supply Oil has always been a big story for obvious economic, environmental, political, and technological reasons. For decades, Americans have read about tanker spills, rising oil prices, shortages at the pumps, and delicate trade relations. More recently, the press has swarmed the story of prices topping $100 a […]

First things first

On March 19th, 2008, the Air Force successfully completed another in a series of tests designed to switch their planes over to synthetic fuel blends made partly from a Fisher-Tropsch (F-T) coal-to-liquids (CTL) process. In 2006 the Air Force successfully flew a B-52 using the new fuel mix. The latest demonstration involved a B-1B Lancer, […]

With gas costly, drivers finally cut back

New York – For the first time since 1980, when long lines sprouted at gasoline stations, Americans are beginning to cut down on their driving. The slight decline in total miles driven If Americans are still balking at prices at the pump by Memorial Day, the effect on the economy may be wider

The Philippines: What is peak oil?

THAT exotic phrase The shocking news is that peak oil arrived in 2006 but was announced only a year later, on 22 October 2007 by a body called the Energy Watch Group. This was corroborated by the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell who ventured that by 2015, if not earlier, oil supply may very well […]

Seeking a more stable oil market

Volatility in oil prices has been persistent in the last few years, but the trend has pointed upwards. The reasons have included healthy economic growth and demand, especially in China and India, in addition to limited spare capacity, increased speculation, weak dollar, limitations of the global refining industry and the fear factor created by the […]

Electric Vehicles, Diesel Cars, Peak Oil, Tesla and the Oil Companies.

I started writing this post as a response to a comment left by RandyC, and I decided to make it a new topic instead. RandyC said that the Mitsubishi MiEV is on his list of EVs that he’d buy, and the Tesla Roadster is not. The Tesla Roadster is also not on my list of […]

Familiar Back and Forth With Oil Executives

It’s becoming a rite of spring. Gasoline prices climb. Members of Congress fume. And oil executives make the trek to Capitol Hill to do battle over who’s to blame. Facing unhappy members of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, executives from five giant oil companies yesterday sought to portray their firms […]

Peak Oil May Worsen the Climate Crisis

It’s hard to know whether we should be more worried that consuming oil is killing the planet or that there’s way too little of this killer oil left. Joe Romm of Climate Progress has an article that is getting a lot of attention in Salon, called “Peak Oil. Consider it Solved” (subscription required). His argument […]

Global economy woes cast shadow on climate talks

BANGKOK (AFP) – As more than 160 nations continued talks here Wednesday about what to do after the Kyoto Protocol’s obligations end in 2012, environmentalists say the painstakingly tough negotiations are getting even harder as concerns mount that the global economy is heading into recession. Even when the economic outlook looked brighter, the United States […]

Peak Oil 101

The road could be very much downhill for current cars Q: What Q: Whose fault is it? Who

State Duma backs restrictions on foreign investment in Russia

MOSCOW: Russia’s lower house of Parliament backed new restrictions on foreign investment Wednesday, limiting access to strategic sectors like oil and gas, aerospace and mass media. The legislation – which widens the Russian security services’ power in business transactions – has raised concern among foreign investors. The State Duma passed the bill in its final […]

Two Oil Pipelines Burn for Fourth Day in Southern Nigeria

Two oil pipelines owned by Royal Dutch Shell are burning for a fourth consecutive day in southern Nigeria’s Port Harcourt area. A company spokesman said firefighters have not been able to access the burning pipelines. Both fires started Sunday in the Ogoni region of Rivers State. A company spokesman said it is not clear how […]

Short-term supplies of natural gas

I had thought that the short thread that has run through my last few posts And for that only one alternative fuel is even remotely plausible — carbon-free electricity. And my tiny mind asks, where, with a 20-inch (50 cm) snowstorm does one find this source to supply a city of 1,148,800 inhabitants in the […]

Russian March oil output falls again, exports recover

MOSCOW, April 2 (Reuters) – Russia failed to grow its oil output for a third month in a row in March and closed the first quarter with a one percent production decline year-on-year, confirming gloomy outlook by analysts for the whole of 2008. Energy Ministry data showed on Wednesday March oil production edged down to […]

States suing EPA to move on global warming

Citing Supreme Court ruling, allies want to force rules within 60 days BOSTON – A coalition of states is suing the Bush administration to force it to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that rebuked what justices called inaction on global warming. The Supreme Court said in April 2007 that carbon dioxide from burning fossil […]

There Is No Gas Shortage

But Washington, Wall Street, and ethanol and oil and gas companies want you to think there is, says automotive expert Ed Wallace …Gasoline reserves on hand are at the highest levels since the early 1990s, which is remarkable considering the nation’s refineries have been cutting back on the production of gasoline because their margins have […]

Porsche sues over London plans to charge gas-guzzlers

London – German luxury carmaker Porsche on Wednesday said it was suing the London local authority over plans by the British capital for an extra toll on gas-guzzling cars. The toll envisaged by London Mayor Ken Livingstone was unfair, unproportional and illegally took advantage of his powers, Andy Goss, head of Porsche Cars GB said. […]

Military feels the gouge of fuel costs as Iraq, allies watch oil profits soar

WASHINGTON: Think you’re being gouged by Big Oil? U.S. troops in Iraq are paying almost as much as Americans back home, despite burning fuel at staggering rates in a war to stabilize a country known for its oil reserves. Military units pay an average of $3.23 a gallon for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, some […]

Concern over ‘zero carbon’ homes

UK home-owners are not prepared to make the changes needed to live in “zero carbon” homes, according to a report. People felt the eco-friendly buildings would require extra maintenance and that they would have to cut back on certain appliances, it added. The National House-Building Council (NHBC) Foundation study said buyers also feared the homes […]

Soaring energy costs ‘to change how society operates’

ENERGY costs could increase up to tenfold over the next few years, profoundly changing the way business and society operate, a former Woolworths chief says. Roger Corbett told a Queensland University of Technology business leaders’ forum in Brisbane today that rising energy costs would “no doubt” present challenges for the retailing and business sectors. “Our […]

Auto sector feels pinch of credit crunch

…Rising inflation, high gas prices and a tightening home mortgage market have driven up auto-loan delinquencies, according to Fitch Ratings, the credit-rating agency. The number of Americans who are more than 60 days late on their car-loan payments rose to a 10-year high in January, Fitch recently reported, attributing the rise in late payments to

Iran torpedoes US plans for Iraqi oil

In the highly competitive world of international politics, nation states very rarely miss an opportunity to crow about success stories. The opportunity comes rare, mostly by default, and seldom enduring. By any standards of showmanship, therefore, Tehran has set a new benchmark of reticence. By all accounts, Iran played a decisive role in hammering out […]

Trucks keep rolling…for now

A small protest by truckers over fuel prices has limited impact as relatively few park their rigs. But companies see driver shortage ahead from rising diesel costs. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Despite a threatened strike by some independent truck drivers, many trucks were still on the road Tuesday. But for how much longer? Several industry […]

Credit crunch hits Imperial Energy

LONDON The move is one of the first examples of the credit crunch spilling over into the oil and gas sector. In the past six months many businesses have been shut out of debt markets and even established companies faced higher interest rates and tougher lending conditions. But surging oil prices which hit a record […]

States take detours to fund road repairs

(AP) – Frozen credit markets, sky-high gas prices and a rising federal budget deficit are hurting cash-strapped states as they confront increasing congestion on the nation’s deteriorating roads and bridges. From Texas to Pennsylvania and New Jersey to California, states are more desperate than ever to tap every possible source of funding — tolls on […]

Heavy ice closes White Rose production

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. It had also started towing the GSF Grand Bank rig carrying 109 crew to an ice-free area nearly 40 kilometres southwest of the oil field. The rig had been preparing to drill in the southern portion of the White Rose field. The Canadian Press

Jordan Govt Dismisses Allegations Of ‘Conspiracy’ On Oil Reserves

The government on Sunday dismissed allegations made by some lawmakers that it is involved in “a political conspiracy” to cover up the discovery of half-a-billion barrels of oil in the Dead Sea area. “This is rejected and unacceptable. I hope what was said is a slip of the tongue and not an ideology of thinking,” […]

Fuel or folly?

Ethanol and the law of unintended consequences In the pantheon of well-intentioned governmental policies gone awry, massive ethanol biofuel production may go down as one of the biggest blunders in history. An unholy alliance of environmentalists, agribusiness, biofuel corporations and politicians has been touting ethanol as the cure to all our environmental ills, when in […]

Truckers protest high fuel prices

Independent haulers snarl traffic, idle rigs TRENTON, N.J. – A convoy protesting high diesel prices pulled out of a truck stop south of Atlanta about 30 strong, and got a lot stronger. By the time the truckers reached a section of Interstate 285 east of the city Tuesday morning, there were about three miles of […]

Solar power moves towards grid parity

Frank Haugwitz, EU renewable energy manager of the European Union-China Energy & Environment Programme, gave a presentation which focused on the impressive development of solar power in Germany, the world’s largest market, and Spain, one of the fastest growing at a rate of 200% to 300% a year. Yet, even in Western Europe, governments are […]

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