Cheap oil may be history as $100 becomes norm

Don’t expect prices to cool down anytime soon. “There does not seem to be an answer for a return of ‘cheap’ oil,” said Thomas Hartmann, an analyst at Altavest Worldwide Trading.The main culprits behind oil’s record run have been the usual drama in demand figures, ongoing swings in global supplies and changes in the value […]

Airline fuel cuts concern pilots

WASHINGTON Airlines have been flying some planes with less extra fuel as part of a broad effort to cut costs by reducing aircraft weight. But some pilots in the NASA database say less spare fuel increases the likelihood that they will have to divert to other airports. “Not enough fuel was put on the aircraft […]

Some see oil bubble; others see trouble

Many expect prices to head lower, but suppliers have little margin The recent trajectory of oil prices

The Peak Oil Crisis: Diesel

The evidence is mounting that the U.S. might just encounter the first real crisis of the oil depletion age before the year is out. The crisis at first will be one of spiraling prices for diesel and heating oil, followed by actual shortages here in the United States. In the last two weeks, the wholesale […]

U.S. to help Saudi Arabia protect its oil

RIYADH Saudi Arabia pumps over a tenth of global oil output and severe damage to its infrastructure would have far-reaching effects. Al Qaeda has vowed more strikes on oil facilities after a failed attack on the world’s largest oil processing plant at Abqaiq in February 2006. “The United States and Saudi Arabia have agreed to […]

Duke Energy cutting off service more often this year

CHARLOTTE, N.C. The newspaper reported Friday that Duke disconnected 14 percent more North Carolina customers in the first four months of the year, compared with the same period in 2007. That’s an average of more than 500 disconnections every working day among the company’s 1.8 million customers. Duke’s Andy Thompson says the utility tries to […]

Green energy plant gets thumbs down

MINING giant Rio Tinto and oil producer BP have dropped plans to build a coal-fired power generation plant with carbon capture and storage technology in Kwinana, Western Australia. Hydrogen Energy, a joint venture company between the two companies, has spent the past two years investigating a site in Kwinana for the project, which aimed to […]

‘Nitrogen cascade’ called threat to ecosystems

Studies cite compounds in fertilizers, fossil fuels with cascading effects WASHINGTON – While carbon dioxide has been getting lots of publicity in climate change, reactive forms of nitrogen are also building up in the environment, scientists warn in two new studies. “The public does not yet know much about nitrogen, but in many ways it […]

Clean-air rules for national parks may be eased

Scientists, managers oppose plan that may allow for new power plants The Bush administration is on the verge of implementing new air quality rules that will make it easier to build power plants near national parks and wilderness areas, according to rank-and-file agency scientists and park managers who oppose the plan. The new regulations, which […]

Wildlife populations ‘plummeting’

Between a quarter and a third of the world’s wildlife has been lost since 1970, according to data compiled by the Zoological Society of London. Populations of land-based species fell by 25%, marine by 28% and freshwater by 29%, it says. Humans are wiping out about 1% of all other species every year, and one […]

Biofuel bacteria wrecks engines

Biofuel is wreaking havoc with car engines. Due to Government rules, all diesel sold in the UK must be blended with the eco-friendly fuel. But what the authorities didn The AA has already blamed a spate of mechanical breakdowns nation

Expert warns climate change will lead to ‘barbarisation’

Climate change will lead to a “fortress world” in which the rich lock themselves away in gated communities and the poor must fend for themselves in shattered environments, unless governments act quickly to curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to the vice-president of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Prof Mohan Munasinghe was giving a […]

US-Saudi oil axis faces day of truth

When President George Bush went to see Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah in January to plead for higher oil output, he was politely rebuffed. President Bush shares a laugh with Saudi Prince Salman, brother of Saudi King Abdullah The rematch is likely to be a great deal more strained. If the Saudis deny help once again, […]

James Hansen: Clock running out on irreversible climate change – Part I

New York: fifty years ago, Yankee Stadium had about 70,000 seats. It seldom sold out, and almost any kid could afford the cheapest seats. Capacity was reduced to about 57,000 when the stadium was remodeled in the 1970s. Most games sell out now, and prices have gone up. The new stadium, opening next year, will […]

Pakistan advances clock to conserve energy

Islamabad (IANS) Facing a huge energy deficit, Pakistan has drawn up a comprehensive plan for conserving power by advancing clocks by an hour and ordering markets to close by 9 p.m. from June 1. The adjustment in the Pakistan Standard Time (PST) would take it six hours ahead of GMT. Henceforth, sunrise in Islamabad will […]

Memorial Day driving to drop slightly – AAA

Motorist group sees first decrease in holiday travel since 2002, with Americans at a ‘travel tipping point.’ NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — For the first time since just after the Sept. 11 attacks, Americans plan to drive less on Memorial Day weekend than they did the year before, with high gasoline prices in a weak economy […]

Congress looks to close ‘Enron loophole’ in trading

WASHINGTON “We are putting back the cop on the beat,” said Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who sought the legislation along with Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. The provision was included in a $290 billion farm bill that was sent to President Bush with broad support. Both the House and Senate […]

Petrobras Has Drilled Halfway Through Carioca, Minister Says

(Bloomberg) — Petroleo Brasileiro SA, Brazil’s state-controlled oil company, has drilled halfway through its offshore Carioca deposit and will need more time to determine its size, Mines and Energy Minister Edison Lobao said. Carioca is part of Brazil’s new pre-salt region, an oil district beneath as much as 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) of water and […]

Malthus, the false prophet

The pessimistic parson and early political economist remains as wrong as ever AMID an astonishing surge in food prices, which has sparked riots and unrest in many countries and is making even the relatively affluent citizens of America and Europe feel the pinch, faith in the ability of global markets to fill nearly 7 billion […]

No peak: Why oil prices will fall again

Oil prices have climbed to their highest level ever, flirting with $120 per barrel. And consumers are feeling this price spike at the pump, with gasoline averaging $3.61 per gallon in the United States. An analysis released by the investment firm Goldman Sachs suggested that oil prices might soar to $200 per barrel. Does this […]

Norway’s budget surplus soars on oil

The Norwegian government’s budget surplus for 2008, benefiting from record oil prices, is expected to soar more than 23 percent over the original projections, the finance minister said Thursday. Norway is a major oil and natural gas exporter and the government’s regular six-month budget revision projected a surplus for the year of 424.2 billion kroner […]

At least 100 killed in Nigeria oil pipeline fire

At least 100 people have been killed during an oil pipeline fire in Lagos, Nigeria, the Red Cross has said. “We have so far rescued more than 20 people with injuries and taken them to hospital for treatment,” Sky News quotes a Red Cross official at the scene as saying. “About 100 people have so […]

Shell: Crude shortfalls will boost renewables

Royal Dutch Shell said the failure of crude suppliers to keep pace with accelerating demand may prompt the expansion of renewable energy. There’s “plenty of oil in the world,” Shell’s Scenario Team said today on a Webcast led by Global Business Environment Vice President Jeremy Bentham. “The important moment is actually not a possible peak […]

PG&E asks customers to conserve during heat wave

Anticipating triple-digit temperatures in many parts of California this week, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is asking its “Critical Peak Pricing” customers to voluntarily conserve energy. Through PG&E’s Critical Peak Pricing Program (CPP), business customers receive lower rates during the summer season in exchange for a higher rate during designated critical peak day hours on […]

Abqaiq and Eat It Too (or, More Geological Analysis of Potential Saudi Depletion

Abqaiq, an aging super giant Saudi Arabian oil field, has yielded over 11 billion barrels of oil since it was discovered in November of 1940. Its past provides us with the poster child for easy oil. The first well flowed at 9720 barrels per day, a far cry from today’s land finds where multiple horizontal […]

UPS Placed Major Order Of Hybrid, Natural Gas Trucks

FRANKFURT -(Dow Jones)- Daimler AG (DAI) said Wednesday that United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) ordered 200 hybrid electric trucks and 300 compressed natural gas vehicles. In a statement, Daimler said that this represents its largest of alternative- fuel and drive-train commercial vehicles to-date. The vehicles will be used by UPS for daily delivery operations across […]

Why is everyone suddenly gaga over gas?

Crude oil gets all the headlines, but there’s another fossil fuel that’s had an even more impressive run this year. Natural gas has surged 55 per cent in 2008, topping the 29-per-cent rise in crude. And it could go higher still, especially if the summer brings scorching temperatures that prompt homeowners to crank up their […]

Bicycles Pedaling Into the Spotlight

The world produced an estimated 130 million bicycles in 2007 Promoting the bike as a clean and efficient alternative to the personal automobile is a practical way for cities to reduce traffic congestion and smog. To simultaneously confront those problems as well as climate change and an emerging obesity epidemic, government leaders and advocacy groups […]

A City Cooler and Dimmer, and, Oh, Proving a Point

JUNEAU, Alaska …

Adding up business and energy

Can a profit-boosting approach save energy too? Could a business practice usually reserved for boosting profits be used to help turn companies green by reducing their energy use? Writing in the International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage (IJSSCA), researchers in India provide an answer. According to mechanical engineer Prabhakar Kaushik of NC College […]

« Previous Page — Next Page »

LATEST NEWS HEADLINES

• Why the IEA is Wrong About Peak Oil Demand
• Did we inadvertently speed global warming?  
• Venezuela’s Oil Monopoly Eases
• Why Germany is Choosing Natural Gas Over Nuclear Power
• U.S. coal-fired electricity generation decreased in 2022 and 2023

• America Cracks Down on Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Facilities
• Meet America’s Newest Oil Trader Extraordinaire: Joe Biden
• Is It Time To Refill America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
• Oil prices set to end year 10% lower as demand concerns snap winning streak
• What’s Driving America’s New Oil and Gas Boom?
• China’s peak oil demand bombshell eviscerates Danielle Smith’s energy strategy