February 18, 2010
posted on: Feb 18, 2010
IPAMS Meetings and Announcements
The IPAMS 2010 Washington Call-Up is almost here!
March 1-3, 2010 (beginning at 4:00 pm on March 1st)
Space is filling up fast for IPAMS 10th Annual Washington, D.C. Call-Up.
The western natural gas and oil industry has answers for many of America’s most pressing economic, environmental and energy challenges. Unfortunately, not everyone in Congress is aware of the solutions our industry provides. Please consider joining the 50+ IPAMS members already committed to attending so you too can speak directly to the policymakers who are shaping the future of our industry. No matter what position you hold in your company, IPAMS can use you in Washington D.C.
This year’s trip will include meetings with over 100 Members of Congress and their staffs, the media and affiliate trade associations. We also have plenty of social events planned, including a joint reception for Congress with IPAA at the new Capitol Visitor’s Center. Click here for the 2010 Washington DC Call-Up draft agenda. (Please note that this year’s Call-Up will begin with a Board Meeting and Member Briefing at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, March 1, so please make your travel arrangements accordingly.)
IPAMS would like to thank the following companies for sponsoring this year’s Washington DC Call-Up:
Banko Petroleum
Mercator Energy, LLC
Mesa Energy Partners, LLC
Tracker Resource Development, LLC
If you would like to help sponsor the Call-Up, please contact Becca Ness.
Click here to register for IPAMS 10th Annual Washington, D.C. Call-Up March 1-3, 2010.
Already registered? Don’t forget about the pre-trip briefing… Due to the popularity of this trip, IPAMS has added a third Denver briefing prior to the Call-Up to ensure you are fully prepared to speak on behalf of industry. If you are registered to attend this year’s Call-Up, please plan on attending one of the following briefings: February 18th, February 22nd, or February 25th at 11:30 a.m. (lunch will be served). Please RSVP to Becca Ness and indicate which briefing you plan on attending.nd holds a BA in English and Philosophy.
Natural Gas: More Solutions to the Biggest Challenges Facing Our Country
In the past month, two more important institutions have recognized the solutions that natural gas can provide to help create jobs, lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our dependence on foreign energy.
Click here to read the Weekly Message from Marc W. Smith
IPAMS Ozone Meeting
February 24th, 10:00 a.m.
Ozone is a big issue for natural gas and oil producers across the West, as industry has often been blamed for elevated levels, despite often providing only a small fraction of ozone in an area. For example, although flash emissions in the D-J basin account for about 22% of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions in the Denver early action compact region, the low photoreactivity of natural gas and oil sources mean that less than 1% of actual ozone is actually caused by industry. In rural areas across the West, high levels of background ozone may be attributable to stratospheric transport from Asia.
Air quality expert Doug Blewitt will give a forty-five minute presentation about the different types of ozone events we are seeing in the West and lead a discussion on how to address them. We will then discuss commenting on EPA’s proposed lowering of the ozone standard to between 60 and 70 ppb. The comment period ends March 22nd. All interested IPAMS members are encourage to attend at the IPAMS office or call in. Please contact Kathleen Sgamma for more information, the teleconference number, and the slides.
IPAMS Vote From Home Program
As part of our Voter Education Initiative, IPAMS partnered with West Slope COGA during the 2008 election year and executed a successful “Vote from Home” pilot program in Mesa and Garfield Counties in Western Colorado. In these two counties alone, this voter drive program was able to register and request absentee ballots for over 1,000 industry employees. Because of the success of this program, IPAMS has decided to expand the program to include the entire state of Colorado for the 2010 elections. With critically important state and federal races to be decided next year, it is more crucial than ever that industry educate and empower the tens of thousands of Colorado workers who depend on a healthy energy industry for their livelihoods. We already have financial commitments from several Colorado producers, but we need more support in order to get working on the program as soon as possible. For more information, contact Jon Bargas.
IPAMS in the News
Protection decision near for sage grouse
published in: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on: 02/17/2010 by: Dennis Webb
Wes McStay remembers the greater sage grouse being so common when he grew up that he’d see their leks, or mating grounds, right on county roads on the way to school. Cars had to swerve to avoid the birds, known for the males’ strutting courtship dance. Now, the Moffat County rancher fears the bird soon could become extinct.
“We work very hard to ensure sage grouse are protected while still enabling economic activity and jobs, so we’ll have to see what happens later this month,” she said. -Kathleen Sgamma, IPAMS Director of Government Affairs
Other Upcoming Meetings
• IPAMS Washington DC Call-Up Briefings - February 22nd and 25th, 11:30 a.m. If you are registered to attend this year’s Call-Up, please plan on attending one of the following briefings: February 18th, February 22nd, or February 25th at 11:30 a.m. (lunch will be served.) Please RSVP to Becca Ness and indicate which briefing you plan on attending.
• Dept. of the Interior Advocacy – February 23rd, 1:30 p.m.
Agendas are available for upcoming meetings at http://www.westernenergyalliance.org/advocacy/. All meetings unless otherwise indicated are Mountain time, and at IPAMS and via teleconference.
Visit westernenergyalliance.org for the latest news affecting the Intermountain West’s oil and natural gas industry. Headlines are updated daily from local, national and international news sources. You may also sign up for daily newsbrief emails under the Manage Account section of the “Members Only” page.
The West
Intermountain West loosens its embrace of Democrats
published in: Denver Post on: 02/18/2010 by: Michael Riley
When Barack Obama accepted his party’s presidential nomination 18 months ago in a floodlighted football stadium in Denver, he pinned the hopes of a new Democratic ascendancy on the Intermountain West. Helped along by demographic shifts in the region, Democrats looked as if they had done everything right over several election cycles, catching a wave of new voters and showcasing a bevy of bright-light politicians who included Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter.
Congressional Western Caucus: The West is Proof the Stimulus Failed
February 17, 2010
Today, on the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Stimulus Bill, Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), expressed disappointment that, during his remarks yesterday before a crowd in Lanham, Maryland, President Obama only recognized clean energy as a source of job creation, selectively leaving out the overwhelming number of opportunities for job creation made possible by the development of all domestic natural energy resources.
Colorado
Gas operators decry ‘toxic atmosphere’ of Energy Advisory Board
published in: Glenwood Springs Post Independent on: 02/18/2010 by: John Colson
A letter from seven different gas drilling companies, all of them operating in Garfield County, expressed “sincere concern and frustration” concerning “several serious issues we have struggled with for some time” about how the county interacts with the industry. The letter, to county manager Ed Green, included dissatisfaction with what the letter terms a “toxic atmosphere” of the county’s Energy Advisory Board, and with the performance of the county’s Oil and Gas Liaison official, Judy Jordan.
Weld oil discovery has officials bracing for drilling-lease rush
published in: Associated Press on: 02/18/2010 by: Staff
High-quality sweet crude oil has been found in a formation in northern Weld County that until now has had little activity, sparking interest from oil companies and causing officials to brace for a rush of drilling leases. Ed Holloway, chief executive of Synergy Resource, described a new production well in an area known as the Niobrara Formation as a gusher. During a 24-hour test, the well produced 1,770 barrels of oil with 367,875 cubic feet of gas. A typical well in the area produces 100 to 150 barrels a day.
Slowdown allows time for infrastructure construction
published in: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on: 02/17/2010 by: Staff
Western Colorado has a long boom and bust history, with uranium and oil shale creating both booms and busts. The natural gas activity generated a boom a few years ago, with high real estate prices and appreciation, low unemployment, and government agencies in a panic, wondering how to catch up with growth. Now, falling home prices and rising unemployment may cause some people to consider this period another bust. “To characterize it as a bust is not accurate,” says John Harpole, president of Mercatur Energy, a natural gas brokerage company. “There is too much infrastructure, too many processing plants; drilling still makes money. There are still a lot of people working here.”
Commissioner Craig Meis blames industry decline on local politicians
published in: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on: 02/16/2010 by: Bill Grant
In the famous words of Walt Kelly’s Pogo, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Or at least so says Mesa County Commissioner Craig Meis, who blames the natural gas drilling bust in Mesa County on “counties that asked Denver to intercede when they had difficulty with some drillers,” according to a recent Daily Sentinel story. “And they are now suffering because of it,” Meis told the Sentinel.
Colorado Energy Jobs Summit
February 19, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
U.S. Senator Mark Udall, the Keystone Center, Third Way and the University of Colorado will host an Energy Jobs Summitt. Energy Secretary Steven Chu is confirmed to deliver the Keynote address for the summit. Official invitation with specific registration information coming shortly. Registration is based on limited seating; please make sure to register early.
Due to limited availability, registration will be nontransferable, and the RSVP deadline is February 10th. Please complete the registration form and email to: ColoradoEnergyJobsSummit@gmail.com.
Exhibitors will have an opportunity for an educational exhibit of technology/organization to present to event attendees for a fee. Availability is very limited. For more information, please complete form and email to Jeremy Kranowitz.
BLM’s Northwest Resource Advisory Council
February 25, 2010 in Silt, CO
The Bureau of Land Management’s Northwest Colorado Resource Advisory Council will meet Feb. 25 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the BLM office in Silt, Colo., which is located at 2300 River Frontage Road. The meeting is open to the public, with public comment periods scheduled for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Agenda topics include:
• White River Field Office Oil and Gas Amendment
• Wild Horse and Burro update
• Updates from local offices
The Northwest Colorado RAC is one of three advisory councils to the BLM in Colorado. RACs are composed of 15 citizens appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. Individuals serving in each RAC represent a broad range of public land interests, including environmental, local government, and commercial activity. The Northwest RAC advises the Grand Junction, White River, Little Snake, Kremmling and Colorado River Valley BLM field offices.
For more information on Colorado RACs, go to www.blm.gov/co and select Resources, then Resource Advisory Councils.
Montana
MT: Study shows state would suffer from cap-and-trade
published in: Sidney Herald on: 02/16/2010 by: Louisa Barber
Montana’s future looks grim if federal climate change legislation is enacted. On Thursday, the Bozeman-based think tank Montana Policy Institute and the American Council for Capital Formation released a study that revealed Montana could lose between 4,964 and 6,761 jobs by 2030. Carl Graham, president of the institute, told the Herald earlier this week the economy would falter sharply due to the state’s heavy dependence on manufacturing plants and energy development, a couple prime targets of cap-and-trade.
Well Control Training Opportunity
February 26-28, 2010 in Butte, MT
Montana Tech and the School of Mines and Engineering is pleased to announce a special Well Control training class that will be held on the Montana Tech campus in Butte, Montana. This IADC/API certified course is designed for engineers and company representatives. Click here to learn more.
New Mexico
House passes bill to fund projects around NM
published in: New Mexico Independent on: 02/18/2010 by: Trip Jennings
A bill to authorize $40 million for projects around the state cleared the House early Thursday morning. Lawmakers voted 37 to 31 to fund everything from a Hewlett Packard center in Rio Rancho to a technical support center at Mesa Del Sol in Albuquerque. The proposal now goes to the Senate. The projects were in SB 112, which authorizes projects funded by severance tax bonds. The bonds are sold based on future tax proceeds based on the taking of minerals, such as natural gas, from New Mexico land.
North Dakota
Bakken and Beyond!
May 2 – 4, 2010 in Bismarck, North Dakota
The 18th Williston Basin Petroleum Conference & Expo will be held May 2 – 4, 2010 in Bismarck, North Dakota.Technical presentations will be the highlight of the Conference, as industry experts from across North America cover all the “Hot Plays” in the Williston Basin including the Bakken, Three Forks, and Lodgepole, along with talks on deep and shallow gas plays and CO2-EOR opportunities in the Basin. In addition, crude oil transportation issues and a panel on Bakken fracture stimulation techniques will be of great interest to attendees. Keynote speakers include North Dakota Governor John Hoeven, Clarence Cazalot of Marathon Oil Company, and Jim Volker of Whiting Oil and Gas. Click here to learn more.
Utah
SUWA now part of oil lease lawsuit
published in: Salt Lake Tribune on: 02/17/2010 by: Patty Henetz
A federal judge has decided the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance will be allowed to defend its own interests in a lawsuit filed by three oil companies and three Utah counties over a hotly disputed 2008 oil and gas lease sale in Salt Lake City. U.S. District Judge Dee Benson ruled Wednesday that SUWA may intervene as a defendant in lawsuits, now consolidated, which the companies and Uintah, Carbon and Duchesne counties filed in May against Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the Utah office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
Bogus bidder’s trial pushed back
published in: Salt Lake Tribune on: 02/17/2010 by: Patty Henetz
A trial scheduled for Tim DeChristopher, accused of defrauding the government during a federal oil and gas lease sale, has been delayed indefinitely while a judge considers whether the government’s prosecution is unfair. DeChristopher, 28, acknowledged he made bogus bids Dec. 19, 2008, as an act of civil disobedience to protest Bush administration policies he said worsened the global climate crisis and threatened the health of everyone on the planet. He was indicted April 1, 2009, on two felony counts and later pleaded not guilty.
Natural Gas STAR Tech Transfer Workshop
March 23-24, 2010 in Vernal, UT
EPA’s Natural Gas Star Program in conjunction with Anadarko, Newfield, IOGCC and IPAMS will be hosting a Producer Technology Transfer Workshop in Vernal on March 23rd from 9:30 – 4:15, with a field trip of Newfield’s operations on March 24th. Click here for more information about this free workshop.
Wyoming
St. Mary Land sells off Wyoming oil properties for $119M
published in: Denver Business Journal on: 02/18/2010 by: Staff
St. Mary Land & Exploration Co. said Thursday it has sold off oil properties in Wyoming for $118.7 million to help pay down debt. The divestiture of the “non-core properties” by the Denver-based oil and gas company (NYSE: SM) was to Legacy Reserves Operating LP, a unit of Legacy Reserves LP (NASDAQ: LGCY).
University of Wyoming Energy Resources and Produced Waters Conference
May 25-26 2010 in Laramie, WY
Final call for Presentations and Registration is still open. The Energy Resources Produced Water Conference, convened by the University of Wyoming’s Ruckelshaus Institute and the School of Energy Resources, is intended to advance the understanding of current research and monitoring projects related to the management, treatment, protection, and use of water associated with energy development in Wyoming and the West. The conference will cover produced water issues from various types of energy development, including, oil, gas, coalbed natural gas, coal mining, uranium, and carbon sequestration.
The format for the two-day conference will consist of oral presentations in concurrent sessions as well as a display of posters.
Washington Watch
Hastings, Bishop Send Letter to President Over Potential Plans to Lock-Up Millions of Acres of Western Land
Internal Document Reveals Administration Looking to Designate over a Dozen New National Monuments in the West
February 18, 2009
A recently obtained internal document from the U.S. Department of the Interior shows the Obama Administration is covertly considering designating up to 17 new National Monuments under the Antiquities Act. In addition, it shows that the Administration is also targeting thousands of acres of private land for potential acquisition by the federal government.
US House committee investigates drilling practice
published in: Reuters on: 02/18/2010 by: Ayesha Rascoe
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee said on Thursday it was investigating the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on the environment and human health. Some members of Congress want to pass legislation giving the Environmental Protection Agency authority to regulate fracking. “As we use this technology in more parts of the country on a much larger scale, we must ensure that we are not creating new environmental and public health problems,” said committee chairman, Representative Henry Waxman.
Click here to read the response from Energy In Depth.
U.S. to boost royalty audits of energy companies
published in: Reuters on: 02/17/2010 by: Tom Doggett
The U.S. Interior Department said on Wednesday it will add more staff this year to ensure energy companies are properly paying royalties owed on the oil and natural gas drilled on federal and Native American lands. The department’s Minerals Management Service will add about 19 auditors and continue “to target companies that have been identified as high risk,” said MMS Director Liz Birnbaum. She did not name the companies.
Environmental Advocates Are Cooling on Obama
published in: New York Times on: 02/17/2010 by: John M. Broder
There has been no more reliable cheerleader for President Obama’s energy and climate change policies than Daniel J. Weiss of the left-leaning Center for American Progress. But Mr. Obama’s recent enthusiasm for nuclear power, including his budget proposal to triple federal loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors to $54 billion, was too much for Mr. Weiss.
ConocoPhillips, BP and Caterpillar quit USCAP
published in: Washington Post on: 02/17/2010 by: Steven Mufson
ConocoPhillips, BP and Caterpillar have dropped out of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), the coalition of corporations and environmental groups that has been most prominent in pushing Congress to pass cap-and-trade legislation. The loss of three major companies has dealt a blow to the now 28-member group and further dims prospects for the cap-and-trade bill that passed the House last summer and is awaiting action in the Senate.
EPA Official: Sate Regulators Doing Fine On Hydrofracking
published in: Fox News/Dow Jones Newswires on: 02/15/2010 by: Ian Talley
State regulators are doing a good job overseeing a key natural gas production technique called hydrofracking and there’s no evidence the process causes water contamination, a senior federal environment official said Monday. Environmentalists and some lawmakers are pressing to give the Environmental Protection Agency federal oversight of the process, concerned that the drilling technique is contaminating water suppliers.
Lack of Direction on Climate Change Hobbles Carbon Trading
published in: New York Times on: 02/15/2010 by: Beth Gardiner
Touted by its supporters as the best and cheapest way to fight global warming, carbon trading is losing momentum amid the uncertainty created by the failure of the Copenhagen summit meeting and President Barack Obama’s political troubles in the United States. Investors are steering clear of energy-saving projects meant to generate carbon credits, and traders in Europe are hunkering down through a period of consolidation that is disappointing to those who had hoped carbon markets would grow quickly into a $2 trillion-a-year business.
Media Watch
Editorial: Cap-and-Tax Escape
published in: Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required) on: 02/17/2010 by: Editorial Staff
Yesterday’s corporate defections from the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) won’t be greeted with the same hosannas as last year’s departures of Nike and Apple from the Chamber of Commerce over its global warming stance, but they’re undoubtedly more important. This scales-from-eyes moment shows that some big American businesses are putting shareholders and consumers ahead of politics.
Littwin: It’s Obama vs. a hated Congress
published in: Denver Post on: 02/17/2010 by: Mike Littwin
When Barack Obama comes to town Thursday for the Michael Bennet fundraisathon, you’ll get the chance — if you have the dough — to see the new Obama. Don’t worry, though, if you can’t make it. My guess is that the new Obama will look a lot like the old Obama, which, strangely, seems to be the point. Here’s the bet Obama and the Democrats are making: Although Americans officially dislike virtually everyone in Washington — Scott Brown not having been there long enough to qualify — they seem to dislike Obama somewhat less.
Op-ed: Stop the war on oil and gas
published in: New York Daily News on: 02/17/2010 by: Mackubin T. Owens
With the release of its budget for the next fiscal year, the Obama administration is continuing its assault on the U.S. domestic oil and gas industry. Under cover of beginning to transition America to a cleaner, greener, more sustainable energy future, the administration in fact is hitting our top domestic energy producers hard – a hit that will hurt American consumers at the worst possible time.
Editorial: Drilling Ban To Cost Trillions
published in: Investors.com on: 02/16/2010 by: Editorial Staff
A new study shows that our reluctance to develop domestic energy will cost the beleaguered U.S. economy trillions in opportunity costs, reduce our gross domestic product and increase our trade deficit. From trying to stimulate jobs in nonexistent ZIP codes at great expense to worshiping the false gods of climate change, our biggest deficit these days may be in the area of common sense. A new study shows that many of our wounds are self-inflicted as we forgo the wealth and jobs to be found in our waters and under our feet.
Editorial: The Continuing Climate Meltdown
published in: Wall Street Journal on: 02/16/2010 by: Editorial Board
It has been a bad—make that dreadful—few weeks for what used to be called the “settled science” of global warming, and especially for the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that is supposed to be its gold standard. First it turns out that the Himalayan glaciers are not going to melt anytime soon, notwithstanding dire U.N. predictions. Next came news that an IPCC claim that global warming could destroy 40% of the Amazon was based on a report by an environmental pressure group. Other IPCC sources of scholarly note have included a mountaineering magazine and a student paper.
Environment and Wildlife
16 ‘Endangerment’ Lawsuits Filed Against EPA Before Deadline
published in: E&E News/New York Times on: 02/18/2010 by: Robin Bravender
Industry groups, conservative think tanks, lawmakers and three states filed 16 court challenges to U.S. EPA’s “endangerment” finding for greenhouse gases before yesterday’s deadline, setting the stage for a legal battle over federal climate policies. Filing petitions yesterday were the Ohio Coal Association, the Utility Air Regulatory Group, the Portland Cement Association, the state of Texas and the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Another was filed by a coalition that includes the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the American Petroleum Institute, the Corn Refiners Association, the National Association of Home Builders, the National Oilseed Processors Association, the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association, and the Western States Petroleum Association.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service T&E Species Training Opportunities
March 2010
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is holding free training for those involved with Threatened and Endangered wildlife surveys in Utah. Click here for more information, registration, contacts and deadlines.
Technology, Alternative & Renewables
Wind tax passes first test
published in: Casper Star-Tribune on: 02/17/2010 by: Jeremy Pelzer
A proposed tax on wind energy cleared another legislative hurdle Tuesday afternoon, though not before several Wyoming House members urged more time to study how best to tax the state’s growing wind industry. The legislation, which would impose a $1-per-megawatt-hour tax on wind-powered electricity generated in the state, passed the House on first reading. Under the legislation, House Bill 101, the tax wouldn’t take effect until 2012; wind turbines would also be exempt from taxation during their first three years of production.
Natural gas vehicles cut dependence on foreign oil
published in: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on: 02/17/2010 by: Staff
There’s a common misconception that improving the energy efficiency of homes or adding a solar panel to commercial buildings will help curb the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. It’s a misconception because homes here aren’t heated or cooled with foreign oil, nor is electricity generated by foreign oil in Colorado. While improving energy efficiency will improve the bottom line and may decrease pollution, it won’t do much to change the balance of trade with the Middle East.
Markets
EIA may underestimate gas demand
published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 02/15/2010 by: Sam Fletcher
The US Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration may be underestimating natural gas demand with much of the US South and Northeast enveloped in yet another round of cold weather that boosted gas and electricity demand in January through early February, said Adam Sieminski, chief energy economist, Deutsche Bank, Washington, DC.
Drillers cautiously optimistic about climbing oil prices
published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 02/15/2010 by: Paula Dittrick
Drilling contractors expressed cautious optimism early this year upon strengthening oil prices while many exploration and drilling companies announced 2010 budgets calling for more exploration and development than in 2009. At least a few independent natural gas producers said they are leaning toward putting more rigs to work drilling for oil because of the gap between oil and gas prices in late 2009 and early 2010.
Industry News and Events
Energy Company Mergers Are Expected to Rise
published in: New York Times on: 02/17/2010 by: Jad Mouawad
After a two-year slowdown in mergers and acquisitions in the industry, companies are once again looking for ways to use their checkbooks to expand their reserves, buy new technology or snap up promising oil and gas fields. Unlike the round of mergers that created today’s behemoths in the late 1990s, the current round is not expected to form new giant companies like Exxon Mobil or ConocoPhillips. This time, companies are focused on buying fast-growing small companies, or on acquisitions that expand their reserves in an era when it is hard for them to find new places to drill.
Exxon Adds Two Billion Barrels to Reserves
published in: Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required) on: 02/17/2010 by: Angel Gonzalez
Exxon Mobil Corp., led by natural-gas projects, added two billion barrels of oil equivalent to its proved reserves in 2009, replacing 133% of its production that year. The oil giant, however, found fewer new oil deposits than it depleted last year. The Irving, Texas-based company said Tuesday that its reserve additions last year were the highest in the decade. About one billion barrels came from two giant liquefied natural gas projects in Australia and Papua New Guinea, Exxon said in a statement, helping the company replace 192% of the natural gas it produced in 2009.
Drilling Bans to Cost U.S. $2.36 Trillion, Industry Study Says
published in: Bloomberg on: 02/15/2010 by: Dan Whitten
Restrictions on oil and gas drilling will cost the U.S. economy $2.36 trillion through 2029, according to a study requested by state utility regulators and paid for in part by industry-sponsored groups. Drilling restrictions in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and off the U.S. coastline are blocking access to about nine years’ worth of U.S. oil and gas consumption, according to the report. Among sponsors are the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the industry-funded Gas Technology Institute, of Des Plaines, Illinois.
Wildlife Habitat Council’s Western Summit – March 17
Please join the Wildlife Habitat Council for the first-annual Western Summit on March 17th in Missoula, Montana to recognize the outstanding job corporate sites in the western US have done to enhance wildlife habitat and promote conservation education in their communities. Learn about the challenges Council members have overcome to implement successful habitat and outreach projects and discuss strategies to improve your own programs. Opening remarks will be delivered by Ms Melissa Simpson, the Vice President for Policy and Regulatory Affairs at the Pac/West. Ms. Simpson is the former Deputy Under Secretary for Forestry at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Bush Administration. Register by March 1 at: www.wildlifehc.org.
Click here for more information or contact Kristin Salamack, Intermountain West Region Biologist, at 303.376.7549.
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