Oil

Washington, DC - 09/17/2009 - More than 400 scientists from the U.S. and 20 other countries have signed a strongly worded letter urging the Obama administration to defer offshore oil and gas development in the U.S. Arctic Ocean until research can adequately assess potential risks to fragile marine ecosystems.

"The Arctic Ocean is our last opportunity to prevent damage to a pristine environment that will be a legacy to our children," said Henry Huntington, science director for the Pew Environment Group's Arctic program. "We must stop and do the thorough research that is needed to protect this special place that is already stressed by climate change."    » read more »

September 16, 2009 -- There's a good chance you've been hearing more about biodiesel lately. This article, the first of several short discussions about biodiesel that will appear in the next few months, lays out some of the basic terminology and qualities associated with this fuel. It also begins to illustrate important factors that vary among biodiesel fuels and fuel blends with petroleum diesel - variations that require fuel suppliers to make adjustments in order to ensure that these fuels perform well.    » read more »

New Interagency Program to Address Climate Change and Energy Security

September 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson today jointly proposed a rule establishing an historic national program that would improve vehicle fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gases.    » read more »

Clean Car Standards Would Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Cut Oil Dependence and Save Americans Money at the Pump

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (September 15, 2009) – The U.S. EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today announced a joint proposal for national standards for greenhouse gas pollution from cars and trucks, along with strengthened fuel economy standards.

According to EPA and NHTSA, the new proposed standards will cut global warming pollution from vehicles by 30 percent, improve fuel economy to an average of about 35.5 miles per gallon, and save drivers thousand of dollars over the life of the vehicles – all while adopting a “size-based” standard favored by domestic automakers.    » read more »

Rules will reduce oil usage and global warming pollution

September 15, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today announced new fuel economy and greenhouse gas rules for vehicles, calling for a fleet average fuel economy of 35.5 miles per gallon and emissions of 250 grams per mile of CO2-equivalent-emissions by the 2016 model year.

Statement of Ann Mesnikoff, Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign    » read more »

President to Meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper

September 15, 2009 -- Washington, D.C - As President Barack Obama prepares to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on September 16, an international network of environmental groups is sending a strong message to the president that Canada's dirty tar sands oil threatens America's clean energy future.

Obama is under pressure from the Canadian government to accept dirty oil from Alberta's tar sands via a sprawling network of pipelines and refineries in the U.S. Producing oil from tar sands emits three to five times the global warming pollution as conventional oil, requires excessive amounts of energy and fresh water, and destroys huge swaths of boreal forest.    » read more »

Statement of Lena Pons, Policy Analyst, Public Citizen’s Congress Watch Division

Sept. 15, 2009 -- The Obama administration proposed a historic step forward today that would reduce our nation’s oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed standards it announced for fuel economy and emissions would save 1.3 million barrels of oil per day in 2020 and save drivers about $26 billion per year in 2020, based on the current price of gas.

Under the proposal, automakers would have to raise the average gas mileage across their fleets to 35.5 miles per gallon and reduce carbon dioxide to 250 grams per mile by 2016.    » read more »

August 28, 2009, Homer, Alaska – Alaska Governor Sean Parnell welcomed the news that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Beaufort Sea 2007 oil and gas lease sale did not violate environmental laws.

The decision means that Shell Alaska can continue with its plans to explore and develop its Beaufort Sea leases.

“This is good news for the State of Alaska,” Governor Parnell said. “Outer Continental Shelf development is critical to the state’s long-term economic future. The OCS offers the greatest opportunity for new oil discoveries in the Arctic, and barriers against exploration and development there continue to fall.”

The decision comes on the heels of two favorable federal court decisions.    » read more »

Find Demonstrates Chevron's Ongoing Exploration Success in Prolific Block 0

SAN RAMON, Calif., August 7, 2009 - Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) announced today that its affiliate, Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Limited (CABGOC) and its partners, had made a successful discovery in Block 0 located adjacent to the Cabinda coastline in Angola.

The 79-3XST1 discovery well, drilled in March 2009 in 397 feet (120 meters) of water to a total vertical depth of 13,000 feet (3965 meters), encountered over 225 feet of net hydrocarbon pay in the Upper Pinda formation. The well was tested from a single 150 ft. perforated interval and flowed at a rate of 11.6 million cubic feet of natural gas and 2,550 barrels of liquid hydrocarbons per day.    » read more »

A column by United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La.

06/23/2009 -- WASHINGTON -- Last summer, Americans were reeling from the largest oil price spike the nation ever experienced. Oil prices had increased from $51 per barrel in January 2007 to nearly $150 in July 2008 — a nearly 200 percent increase in 18 months.

Skyrocketing energy prices led millions of hardworking families to demand that Congress change our policies to allow for more domestic oil and gas production. Americans from coast to coast were ready to cut ties with unfriendly foreign governments and produce our own energy right here at home.    » read more »

Project is Chevron's First Major Upstream Development in Brazil

SAN RAMON, Calif., June 23, 2009 - Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) announced today that its subsidiary Chevron Brasil Upstream Frade Ltda. has commenced crude oil production from the Frade Field, the company's first operated deepwater development in Brazil.

The estimated $3 billion project, with continuing development drilling, is expected to achieve peak production of 90,000 barrels of crude oil and natural gas liquids per day in 2011.
Frade

This schematic drawing depicts the Frade subsea system. Oil from the field is produced through a floating production storate and offloading vessel (FPSO). The crude is stored in the FPSO and offloaded to crude oil tankers.    » read more »

Sanders Warning on Speculators: ‘They’re Back!’

WASHINGTON, June 22 – Senate Republicans today blocked consideration of an amendment by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to require federal regulators to use emergency powers to curb oil price speculation.

“What are they afraid of? Who are they trying to protect?” Sanders asked.

“There is mounting evidence that the run-up in oil prices has little to do with the fundamentals of supply and demand and everything to do with excessive speculation by some of the same Wall Street firms that received the largest taxpayer bailout in the history of the world,” Sanders said. “They're back,” he warned.    » read more »

Presses for Alaska gas line, balanced OCS leasing

June 18, 2009 -- At a time of increasing tension around the world, the U.S. should be doing everything possible to encourage domestic energy production, including continuing incentives for oil and gas development and building Alaska's natural gas pipeline. That was the message today from U.S. Senator Mark Begich, speaking to the leaders of more than two dozen of the world's largest oil and gas companies.

Sen. Begich was the noon guest speaker at the American Petroleum Institute (API) Policy Committee meeting in Washington, D.C.    » read more »

Jun. 18, 2009 -- Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Company (SATORP) finalized the awarding plan for Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts that constitute the thirteen different process packages of their Jubail joint venture refinery, following a meeting of the SATORP Board of Directors. The awarding of these contracts marks an important step in the execution of this 400,000 barrel per day world-class, full-conversion refinery in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, which plans to be fully operational by the second half of 2013.    » read more »

June 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, this evening issued the following statement after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Exxon Mobil Corporation to pay $507.5 million in punitive damages from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil disaster.

In addition, the Court also ordered Exxon Mobil to pay 5.9 percent interest accrued from the 1996 trial judgment:

“I am gratified by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to award interest to the plaintiffs of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.    » read more »