- FuelFix.com: House passes LNG exports bill
- Bloomberg: Oil prices could recover earlier than observers’ forecast, exec says
- Bloomberg: Kinder Morgan proposes to carry oil, condensate via Texas-to-Calif. pipeline
- The New York Times: Sasol puts off $14B gas-to-diesel plant in La.
- FuelFix.com: Consortium to develop Gulf of Mexico fields
- Platts: Data: Companies export refined products from West Coast to Singapore
- CNN: Senators vote on Keystone XL amendments
Reuters: BIS seeks more details from some potential condensate exporters, sources say - The Hill: Bill is unnecessary for expediting LNG exports, White House official says
- Reuters: N.D. oil producers seek changes in radioactive waste disposal laws
- SNL Financial: Analyst: Gas-focused companies could save, thanks to oil price slump
- Reuters: U.S. to see “fairly flat” shale oil output in 2015
- American City Business Journals: Impact fee rates for Pa. shale gas producers remains the same
- Pittsburgh Post Gazette: M&A surge, drilling reduction expected this year amid price slump, observers say
- Bloomberg: Energy Transfer reaches $11B deal to purchase Regency Energy
- Pittsburgh Tribune Review: Sinking natural gas prices boost demand for pipelines, exec says
- The Baltimore Sun: Md. governor should take “adaptable, flexible” approach to shale regulations
POLITICO
- SENATE PREPS TO CLEAR KXL BILL
- OBAMA’S SPLIT PERSONALITY ON OIL
- DOE OFFICIAL SAYS SENATE LNG EXPORT BILL IS UNNECESSARY
- OFFSHORE WIND AUCTION TODAY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold an auction today of 742,000 acres off the coast of Massachusetts for wind energy development, split into four separate areas.
- NEBRASKA GUV USES OWN MONEY TO HIRE FORMER PRO-KEYSTONE CONSULTANT
QUICK HITS
– Sasol delays its planned $14 billion gas-to-diesel facility in Louisiana amid falling oil prices. New York Times: http://nyti.ms/1DbqPTA
– A federal judge says a CONSOL subsidiary is liable for pollution damages related to conductivity. Law360: http://bit.ly/1y7t0Er
– Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune wants the Transportation Department to hit the brakes on its new oil tank car rules. USA Today: http://argusne.ws/1HfuHcB
– A study in the journal Nature says climate change models do not over-estimate the effects of human activity. Los Angeles Times: http://lat.ms/1Cgrm9Z
– Harold Hamm says U.S. energy producers helped crash the oil market and should stop pumping so much crude. Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1zZNiWb
– Alaska Gov. Bill Walker will invite President Barack Obama and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to visit the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. AP: http://bit.ly/1LiPStL
– Trustees in Erie, Colo., reject a proposed one-year ban on oil and gas drilling. AP: http://bit.ly/1wC2vFz
MORNING CONSULT
Today’s Washington Brief:
- The Senate is close to wrapping up debate on a bill to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline. A final passage vote is expected Thursday, National Journal reports.
- During last-week’s State of the Union, Obama had little to say about Keystone. But he alluded to the project briefly by saying, “let’s set our sights higher than a single oil pipeline.” See how voters reacted to those remarks in real-time via the latest Morning Consult survey.
- For the first time in its history the House Natural Resources Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to include climate change in its agenda for the remainder of the 114th Congress. The Hill reports.
Today’s Business Brief:
- Oil tycoon Harold Hamm said U.S. energy producers are partly to blame for the crash in oil prices and need to stop producing so much crude. Hamm is CEO of Continental Resources, which has cut back drilling this year, but still expects to produce more oil in the first half of 2015. The Wall Street Journal reports.
- Royal Dutch Shell is the first “supermajor” oil company to report its fourth-quarter earnings reports. The oil giant said that while it has plans to scale back on investments, freeze payments and cut spending, it also reported higher profits in Q4 than it did a year earlier. Read more from the New York Times.
- A report from a prominent environmental think tank concludes that Western governments made a wrong turn on energy policy by placing their faith in biofuels. Researchers say biofuels may never be efficient enough to meet America’s energy needs. The New York Times has the story.
- News Articles:National Journal: George W. Bush’s Favorite Green Car Is Making a ComebackNational Journal: Senate Near Finish Line on Keystone XL
Morning Consult: SOTU: Voters’ Real-Time Opinions on Keystone
Wall Street Journal: Harold Hamm Says U.S. Oil Firms Can Help Right the Market
Washington Post: The GOP’s plan to stop environmental protections: attack science
Washington Post: Why people use less energy on Super Bowl Sunday
CNBC: Goldman cuts outlook for whole commodity sector
E&E: Court backs EPA, greens in CAFO privacy lawsuit
The Hill: House panel agrees to prioritize climate change
VOX: Climate coverage on TV is rising. That’s not always a good thing.
Bloomberg: U.S. Index Futures Climb as McDonald’s Advances After Naming CEO
CNBC: Oil holds above $48 a barrel
CNBC: Crude oil bottom seen at $40: CNBC Fed survey
Wall Street Journal: Scrapped: Oil Prices Shelve an $11 Billion Gulf Coast Project
New York Time: Royal Dutch Shell Posts Rise in Earnings Despite Lower Oil Prices
New York Times: Chevron and BP in Deal to Search for Oil Deep Beneath the Gulf of Mexico
Reuters: Shell CEO sees long-term oil price at $90/barrel
National Journal: Finally, an Energy Issue Everybody (Mostly) Likes
Utility Dive: 6 thought leaders on the future of utility business models & regulation
Utility Dive: How the home energy management market is reinventing itself
E&E: Court cites ‘permit shield,’ allows selenium discharges
New York Times: New Report Urges Western Governments to Reconsider Reliance on Biofuels
Washington Post: The best idea in a long time: Covering parking lots with solar panelsy
Platts: US ethanol stocks rise for fifth straight week to two-year high: EIA
The Morning Consult: Walking The Line On Methane: Perspectives On Obama Admin’s Recent Methane Initiatives
U.S. Energy Information Administration: Natural gas prices drop following strong production growth
World Resources Institute: Avoiding Bioenergy Competition for Food Crops and Land
