View this email in your browser
MORNING ENERGY NEWS  |  07/09/2020
Subscribe Now

Some 1st Nations are making NEPA reform their #1 priority.


Bloomberg (7/8/20) reports: "The National Environmental Policy Act can be an obstacle when it comes to expediting energy production on Indian land, some tribal leaders told House lawmakers Wednesday. 'NEPA hinders on-reservation development and construction,' and not just with respect to energy projects, said Christine Sage, chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in southwestern Colorado. 'Every time a major federal action is pending, NEPA is triggered.' Sage was responding to a question from Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing. Sage also said 'inconsistent requirements' across various federal agencies make it difficult to comply with the law, adding that she would 'definitely' support current efforts to clarify NEPA. The White House any day now will unveil its final rule to streamline the landmark environmental statute,whose implementing regulations haven’t been updated in more than four decades. Democrats have strongly opposed the NEPA rewrite."

"Replacing machines fueled by hydrocarbons with green machines entails, on average, using ten times more primary materials for the same energy output."

 

– Mark P. Mills,
The Manhattan Institute

"But, but, but...we drive Teslas! "


E&E News (7/9/20) reports: "In many ways, the challenge of addressing climate change is playing out in one Arctic nation that says it wants a low-carbon future but lives off oil money. Norway recently announced plans that it would expand oil and gas offerings in formerly off-limit areas of the Arctic, a move that's angered climate advocates and highlights the challenge of reducing reliance on the industry. Surplus oil revenue over the last few decades has fed the country's now $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund — similar to Alaska's oil fund — which Norway invests in thousands of companies and real estate worldwide. Norway is largely powered by hydroelectricity and ranks low on the list of direct emitters of greenhouse gases worldwide, but its exported oil and gas that's later combusted accounts for about 2% of the world's oil supply and the sector represents about half the value of the country's annual exports, according to the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. The country also has committed to carbon neutrality by 2030, was an early signer of the Paris climate accord, and offers citizens generous subsidies and perks for electric cars."

"You mean our Teslas run on mining and not fairy dust?"


E&E News (7/9/20) reports: "As the world plans for the growing use of electric vehicles in the next decade, companies in one state say they may have an answer to a potential squeeze on lithium supplies used in EV batteries. In Nevada, a handful of companies are eyeing lithium clay deposits that they say may yield the mineral — which is used in battery cathodes — through a new extraction process. 'The relatively newer exploration of clay is going to face challenges in terms of commercializing the process,' said Andrew Miller, product director of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. 'But we've seen some incredibly positive feasibility studies. It seems to have a very viable production cost and a feasible route to production.' Nevada is in the spotlight as the Bureau of Land Management is expected to release a draft environmental impact statement this month on Thacker Pass, a 5,545-acre area in Humboldt County that would attempt clay mining at the largest known lithium clay deposit in the country."

One scam we're hoping doesn't make a comeback post-pandemic.


Reuters (7/1/20) reports: "The booming rooftop solar panel industry nosedived overnight when the coronavirus forced homeowners to rein in spending and keep their distance from would-be installers. Now, in their struggle to survive, companies on both sides of the Atlantic are turning to online marketing rather than knocking on doors, using drones to inspect roofs, arranging digital permits and coming up with attractive new financing plans, according to interviews with 12 executives. At stake is the future of a key driver of the global transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy: solar power was the second-fastest growing renewable source after wind in 2019, according to the International Energy Agency. And rooftop installations, which generate electricity used by homes or businesses rather than feeding into the grid, made up more than 40% of the market before COVID-19 struck. Energy research firm Wood Mackenzie has slashed its rooftop solar installation forecasts for Europe and the United States by a whopping 30% this year, while lifting its forecast by 3% in Asia, where China provides strong government support.

Energy Markets

 
WTI Crude Oil: ↓ $40.58
Natural Gas: ↑ $1.87
Gasoline: ↑ $2.18
Diesel: ↑ $2.43
Heating Oil: ↑ $123.73
Brent Crude Oil: ↓ $43.20
US Rig Count: ↑ 276

 
Friend on Facebook Friend on Facebook
Follow on Twitter Follow on Twitter
Forward to a Friend Forward to a Friend
Our mailing address is:
1155 15th Street NW
Suite 900
Washington, DC xxxxxx
Want to change how you receive these emails?
update your preferences
unsubscribe from this list