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Parnell declares win with gas line measure

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said the passage of a bill making the state a partner with the private sector on a gas pipeline was an "historic moment" for the state.The state House of Representatives passed a Senate bill by 36-4 that makes the state a partner in the development of a large-diameter natural gas pipeline planned from the North Slope. "This is truly a historic moment for Alaskans," the governor said in a statement Sunday. "By passing Senate Bill 138, the legislature has put Alaska on a path to controlling her own destiny by becoming an owner in the Alaska liquefied natural gas project." Parnell said the bill creates a framework for the state to become a co-owner in the project with BP, Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips and pipeline company TransCanada Corp. The governor’s office said the project now moves to the preliminary engineering and design phase. Construction of the […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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S. Sudan Rebels Killed Hundreds on Ethnic Basis, UN Says

Rebels allied to former Vice President Riek Machar who seized the city of Bentiu last week killed hundreds of civilians seeking shelter there, after determining their ethnicity or nationality, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan said. “These atrocities must be fully investigated and the perpetrators and their commanders shall be held accountable,” Raisedon Zenenga, the officer in charge of the mission, said in a statement on its website late yesterday. Rebel forces said on April 15 that they had gained control of Bentiu, the capital of oil-rich Unity state, after clashes with government forces. The conflict in the world’s newest state, between factions loyal to President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Machar, erupted in December and has left thousands of people dead and driven a million from their homes, according to the UN. The UN mission said opposition forces entered a mosque in Bentiu where hundreds of […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Petrobras hits production record in Santos, Campos basins

Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) recently reached an oil production record of 428,000 b/d in company-operated fields in the Santos and Campos basins. The company said the new mark was a result of the increased output that came with the Mar. 17 launch of operations from the P-58 platform in the Parque das Baleias area of northern Campos. The platform has been producing 50,000 b/d through three presalt wells. Petrobras holds 100% of the rights in the area. Twenty-four production wells have been drilled overall, of which 15 are in the Campos and nine in the Santos. Production from Campos and Santos has reached 222,000 b/d and 206,000 b/d, respectively. Fifteen more production wells are expected to start up by yearend, of which 11 will be in the Santos and 4 in the Campos. Of the 15 wells, two are connected to the Cidade de Sao Paulo floating production, storage, […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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China looks toward greener energy future

Chinese Premier Li Kegiang said it was time for policymakers to "wage a war" against pollution by embracing greener energy policies.Li told members of the National Energy Commission the government needed to develop a low-carbon economy to keep climate issues in check. "China will wage a war against smog weather and step up ecological protection measures by further saving energy and cutting emissions," he said in a statement Sunday. China, with its expanding economy, is the world leader in terms of energy consumption . Li said the Chinese economy needs everything from nuclear power, to wind and solar energy, to move forward responsibly. "These energy projects can ensure stable economic growth and increase China’s capability to safeguard energy security," he said. Chinese officials in February worried the amount of smog blanketing major metropolitan areas like Beijing meant the country’s agricultural future may be at […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Tesla's Delays Upset Some China Customers

A group of disgruntled Tesla Motors Inc. customers in China is protesting delayed deliveries of their cars one day before the electric-vehicle maker is set to make its first China delivery. The furor underscores the challenges facing auto makers in marketing new-energy vehicles in China, which so far hasn’t delivered on the promise of becoming a major new market for electric cars. Tesla’s launch had been heralded as a possible catalyst that could push China farther down the electric-car path. The Palo Alto, Calif., company said in January that it would sell its Model S for $121,000 in China and compete with luxury brands like AG and AG ‘s Audi. Tesla is set on Tuesday to hand over the company’s first Model S to a buyer in China at a high-profile event that is scheduled to feature Tesla Chief Executive . Now, some once-enthused customers like Sam Long are […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Tesla’s Delays Upset Some China Customers

A group of disgruntled Tesla Motors Inc. customers in China is protesting delayed deliveries of their cars one day before the electric-vehicle maker is set to make its first China delivery. The furor underscores the challenges facing auto makers in marketing new-energy vehicles in China, which so far hasn’t delivered on the promise of becoming a major new market for electric cars. Tesla’s launch had been heralded as a possible catalyst that could push China farther down the electric-car path. The Palo Alto, Calif., company said in January that it would sell its Model S for $121,000 in China and compete with luxury brands like AG and AG ‘s Audi. Tesla is set on Tuesday to hand over the company’s first Model S to a buyer in China at a high-profile event that is scheduled to feature Tesla Chief Executive . Now, some once-enthused customers like Sam Long are […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Price of Gas in U.S. Rises as Refiners Export More to Other Countries

Drivers in the U.S. are facing rising gasoline prices ahead of summer-vacation season, just as refiners here are shipping more gas to other countries. A new pipeline, built to release a glut of crude oil that was stuck in the middle of the country, is now feeding oil to refineries on the Gulf Coast that churn out gasoline and diesel. While these fuels still make their way to the Southeast and the East Coast, growing amounts are being sold to Mexico, the Netherlands, Brazil and other countries. The push into these markets has been spurred by the U.S. oil boom. Rising oil output had been flooding the nation’s oil market in recent years, keeping U.S. crude prices low relative to world prices. Facing tepid fuel demand in the U.S., refiners have been ramping up exports, creating more global competition for U.S.-produced fuel. While the construction of pipelines and other […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Study: Fuel from corn waste worse than gasoline

Biofuels made from the leftovers of harvested corn plants are worse than gasoline for global warming in the short term, a study shows, challenging the Obama administration’s conclusions that they are a much cleaner oil alternative and will help combat climate change. A $500,000 study paid for by the federal government and released Sunday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Climate Change concludes that biofuels made with corn residue release 7 percent more greenhouse gases in the early years compared with conventional gasoline. While biofuels are better in the long run, the study says, they won’t meet a standard set in a 2007 energy law to qualify as renewable fuel. The conclusions deal a blow to what are known as cellulosic biofuels, which have received more than a billion dollars in federal support but have struggled to meet volume targets mandated by law. About half the initial market in cellulosics […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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National Energy Boom Blurs Political Battle Lines

The U.S. energy boom is blurring the traditional political battle lines across the country. Democrats are split between environmentalists and business and labor groups, with the proposed Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline a major wedge. Some deeply conservative areas are allying with conservationists against fracking, the drilling technique that’s largely responsible for the boom. The divide is most visible among Democrats in the nation’s capital, where 11 Democratic senators wrote President Barack Obama this month urging him to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, which is opposed by many environmental groups and billionaire activist Tom Steyer. The State Department said Friday that it was extending indefinitely the amount of time that federal agencies have to review the project, likely delaying a pipeline decision until after the November elections. Several senators from energy-producing such as Louisiana and Alaska have distanced themselves from the Obama administration, while environmental groups complain the […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Moscow, Kyiv exchange blame as Ukraine deal falls flat

De-escalation agreed to in Geneva has not materialized in eastern parts of the country, which faces a separatist crisis A deadly shootout in eastern Ukraine on Sunday is proof the country’s interim leaders are “crudely violating” a deal struck in Geneva last week , Russia’s foreign minister said Monday — the latest volley in a war of rhetoric over Ukraine’s separatist crisis, which has continued despite the tentative deal. The Geneva agreement, which called for all armed groups to abandon their occupation of government buildings and public spaces — including pro-Russian separatists in the east and pro-Western demonstrators in Kyiv’s central square — has largely been ignored. Sunday’s attack, which killed at least two and which Russian separatists have blamed on armed far-right nationalists, also broke a truce that was supposed to be honored over the Easter weekend. “The Geneva accord is not only not being fulfilled, but steps […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple