Fossil fuels

Recipe for Change

Like chefs who periodically change their favorite recipes to improve a dish or make use of ingredients that are most readily available and affordable in the current marketplace, petroleum refiners have been changing the recipe, or the component blendstock, of the motor gasoline pool since early 2006.

One of the primary reasons for this change stemmed from petroleum refiners’ decision to replace the gasoline blending component, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), with ethanol prior to the start of the 2006 summer driving season.    » read more »

12 November 2007 -- As the price of oil soars on world markets and demand for energy grows, energy companies are looking at so-called unconventional sources such as Canada's oil sands and the vast deposits of oil shale in the Rocky Mountain states. Geologists say half of the world's known oil shale lies deep underground in western Colorado, eastern Utah and southern Wyoming, amounting to more than one trillion barrels of potential oil. But this is rock, not liquid, and the very expensive trick is to convert it to useable liquid fuel.    » read more »

12 November 2007 -- U.S. Coard Guard investigators say they are looking at human error as the cause of a Chinese cargo ship's collision with a bridge in San Francisco.

Last week's accident did not damage the bridge, but the impact opened a 30-meter gash in the vessel's hull, puncturing two fuel tanks and spilling more than 200,000 liters of thick bunker oil into San Francisco Bay.

California has ordered an emergency cleanup of the bay and its oil-coated shoreline, and nearly 800 people are working to rescue birds, fish and other wildlife from potentially deadly pollution.    » read more »

Why Are Oil Prices So High?

November 7, 2007 -- One of the most discussed topics in the media today, besides the 2008 Presidential races, is the high price of oil. Crude oil prices have increased dramatically this year, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices climbing from an average of nearly $55 per barrel in January to over $95 per barrel at the beginning of this month.    » read more »

11/06/2007 -- Increased roadway pollution produced by diesel fuel in vehicles is leading to a cascade of conditions that could result in heart attack or stroke, researchers suggested in the report of a small study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2007.

United Kingdom and Swedish researchers found that diesel exhaust increased clot formation and blood platelet activity in healthy volunteers — which could lead to heart attack and stroke.    » read more »

Nov. 5, 2007 -- U.S. natural gas proved reserves increased 3 percent in 2006, rising to over 211 trillion cubic feet, the highest level since 1976 according to estimates released today by the Energy Information Administration. Additions to reserves replaced 136 percent of the dry natural gas produced in 2006. This was the eighth year in a row that U.S. natural gas proved reserves have increased.    » read more »

Grant will also bring alternative fuels to Corridor X and Corridor V

VESTAVIA HILLS – Motorists traveling on Interstate 65 in Alabama will soon have the opportunity to fill up their vehicles on cleaner burning fuels produced in America, Alabama Governor Bob Riley announced at a gas station in Vestavia Hills.

And with a new federal grant, the same opportunity will come to motorists traveling along Corridor X and Corridor V, Governor Riley said.    » read more »

What Do We Really Know About College Football or Crude Oil Imports?

Unlike other prominent college football polls, which started issuing weekly polls before the first snap of the college football season, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) waited for about half the season to play out before issuing their inaugural rankings in mid-October. A comparison of the earlier polls and current rankings shows that some major changes have occurred as the season has unfolded.    » read more »

31 October 2007 -- As oil prices reach record levels, industry observers ponder a future of increased demand and a possible peak in production. A European group announced last week that world production peaked last year and will decrease steadily in the years ahead, even as demand continues to grow.

On hand for the Association of Peak Oil Studies conference were industry representatives, engineers, analysts and investors all expressing concern about what the world will do when production reaches its peak.    » read more »

October 25, 2007 -- Handy new tools on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) redesigned Web sites for the Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center (AFDC) and the Clean Cities Program allow fleet managers and communities to make informed choices among strategies for reducing petroleum use.

The resources are located on the AFDC and Clean Cities Web sites, which are developed and managed by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.    » read more »

Defining Records

With oil prices recently reaching new nominal highs, some are interested in knowing how current prices for crude oil stand in relation to all-time record prices on an inflation-adjusted basis. A wide variety of measurements suggests that “record” inflation-adjusted prices for crude oil occurred in the early 1980s. However, there are two major issues when trying to arrive at an inflation-adjusted record crude oil price: 1) what historical price you use for crude oil, and 2) the price index used to adjust for inflation.    » read more »

Consumer Advocate urges company to evaluate more cost-effective and environmentally sound supply resources.

October 23, 2007 -- The Iowa Consumer Advocate has filed testimony with the Iowa Utilities Board, recommending that the IUB reject Interstate Power and Light’s application for authority to site a 630-megawatt coal-fired generating unit (SGS Unit 4) adjacent to Interstate’s existing Sutherland Generating Station in Marshalltown, Iowa. Interstate is a subsidiary of Alliant Energy of Madison, Wisconsin.    » read more »

17 October 2007 -- Energy experts from around the world have gathered in Houston for a three-day conference on the issue of peak oil, which involves predictions that world oil production will soon reach its peak and then go into decline. This could cause a global economic crisis since demand for energy is not expected to slow, but, in fact, is expanding rapidly.    » read more »

16 October 2007 -- Oil prices hit new record highs Tuesday on heightened concerns about a potential Turkish incursion into northern Iraq to pursue Kurdish rebels.

The price of U.S. crude for November delivery settled up $1.48 at a record $87.61 per barrel. Earlier, the price climbed as high as $88.20.

Dealers say there is concern that an escalation of fighting along the Turkish-Iraqi border could affect oil production and pipelines in northern Iraq. They say another factor driving up the prices is low supplies of oil in the United States and other consumer nations heading into winter.    » read more »

October Is Just the Beginning

The Major League Baseball playoffs are now well underway. While fans may hold differing opinions on the fundamental strengths of the remaining teams, all recognize that how hot or cold each team is over the coming weeks will play a critical role in determining the identity of the World Series winner. The New York Yankees and some other teams that hit a cold spell are already home, hoping the winter will be over quickly as they look forward to spring training.    » read more »