North To Alaska!

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MORNING ENERGY NEWS | 01/16/2020

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Go north, the rush is on!

A laska Journal (1/15/20) column: "Turn on the TV. Read the Daily News or other papers. Check out online media. All are inundated with story after story on the current turmoil in the Middle East. Iran. Iraq. Trump. Soleimani. It is hard to find anyone who doesn’t have an opinion on what is happening in the Middle East. However, in Alaska, the silence has been deafening from the radical environmental movement. Why are they so quiet when it comes to an energy situation that is so vital to America’s — and Alaska’s — way of life?...Alaska’s energy workers have historically played a key role in developing the oil and natural gas that continue strengthening the position of the United States against vulnerabilities that have crippled our economy in the past. For the first time in generations, American energy independence is protecting our economy from instability. Which brings us back to the silence from Alaska’s eco left. The ones protesting lease sales in the NPR-A and ANWR. The ones asking for public outcry when an oil producer begins exploration on its leased lands...Alaska’s energy workers help protect our economy and our national security; they deserve all the gratitude we can offer. As those same green groups think about driving to their next protest in gas-powered cars or sit comfortably in their offices warmed by natural gas, I hope they — and all of us — recognize their hypocrisy."

"The binary logic according to which one must either be an environmental villain or support extremist measures such as the Green New Deal must end."

– D avid L. Bahnsen,
National Review

Save the planet: stop flying*
*Unless you are a rich dude or politician who needs to get to Davos to rub elbows with other rich dudes or politicians.

C onsumer Choice Center (1/15/20) blog: "The UK government has apparently just saved the regional carrier Flybe from bankruptcy by delaying over a hundred million pounds of passenger departure tax payments to the UK government and suggesting to lower this tax altogether in the future. Saving a local airline causes these days an outcry not because of government interventionism but the general anti-flying segment also known as flight shaming. Unfortunately, the UK government did not move away from their plan to increase the APD for long haul flights by April 1st...And while thousands of private jets will descend into Switzerland for some collective flight shaming at the World Economic Forum in Davos, it is important to point out that flying is getting more efficient. Consumers have more and more choices and additional direct flights allow them to travel faster. Those demanding less flying and higher taxation on flights are neglecting the fact of ongoing efficiency gains in the aviation industry and at the same time de-democratize flying by making it less affordable for the average consumer. Conventional jetliners becoming more fuel-efficient is an ongoing development and does not need any policy input as it is in the intrinsic interest of airlines to offer more competitive routes and ticket prices."

Meanwhile, we are still fixated on George Jetson's preferred method of transportation.

Smart Cities Dive (1/15/20) reports: "At least six electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft — known as 'flying cars' — are 'well along' in earning type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to Jay Merkle, executive director of the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration program. This means the nascent industry is 'more than just hype' and close to reality, he said. At the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) annual meeting in Washington, DC on Monday, Merkle said the FAA's focus in the industry this year will be on integrating flying cars into existing airspace and writing requirements for pilot operations. He also said the administration will work on engaging the public and finding the infrastructure at which eVTOLs can land, take off and charge. Merkle put the onus on the companies developing flying taxi services to find sustainable business models. He alluded to Uber's efforts in New York City with Uber Copter as a way to test out how to make aerial service financially viable."

What the hell is the world coming to?

Market Watch (1/15/20) reports: "An executive of a San Francisco Bay Area solar energy company pleaded guilty Tuesday to participating in what federal prosecutors said was a massive Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of $1 billion. Ryan Guidry, 43, of Pleasant Hill entered pleas involving the scam and money laundering. He could face up to 15 years in federal prison.Guidry was vice president of operations for DC Solar, based in Benicia, northeast of San Francisco. The now-defunct company made solar generators mounted on trailers and marketed them as able to provide emergency power for cellphone companies or to provide lighting at sporting and other events. However, purportedly to improve tax benefits, the investors never actually took possession of the generators, authorities said. Instead, they would lease the generators back to DC Solar, which would then provide them to other companies for their use...The company’s owners, Jeffrey and Paulette Carpoff of Martinez, have not been charged criminally but they were named in civil lawsuits...Many of their assets have been seized or liquidated. The couple authorized the government to sell more than $75 million of their real estate and other assets. Dozens of cars were auctioned off last year for millions of dollars, including a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am once owned by Burt Reynolds that is a replica of the car he drove in the movie 'Smokey and the Bandit.'"

Energy Markets

WTI Crude Oil: ↓ $57.68
Natural Gas: ↑ $2.13
Gasoline: ↓ $2.56

Diesel: ↓ $3.00
Heating Oil: ↓ $186.32
Brent Crude Oil: ↑ $64.02
US Rig Count: ↓ 819

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