January 21, 2010
posted on: Jan 21, 2010
IPAMS Meetings and Announcements
Make Your Voice Heard at IPAMS 2010 Washington Call-up
March 1-3, 2010 (beginning at 4:00 pm on March 1st)
The IPAMS 2010 Washington Call-Up is less than six weeks away!
If you have not yet registered to attend IPAMS 10th Annual Washington, DC Call-Up, please consider doing so. It’s a great way to ensure that your voice is heard in our nation’s capital. This year’s Call-Up is only a few weeks away, and more than 40 representatives of our industry are already planning to attend. No matter what position you hold in your company, IPAMS can use you in DC. This year’s trip is expected to have meetings with over 100 Members of Congress and their staffs, we also have plenty of social events planned, including a joint reception with IPAA at the new Capitol Visitor’s Center. Click here for the draft agenda.
If you have any questions about the 2010 Call-Up, please contact IPAMS Director of Public Affairs Jon Bargas. 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.
If you are registered to attend this year’s Call-Up, please plan on attending one of the following briefings: February 18th or February 22nd, 1:30 p.m. Please RSVP to Becca Ness and indicate which briefing you plan on attending.
Get More Value From Your IPAMS Membership
Each year, professional trade organizations like IPAMS ask you for financial support. This year, we also encourage you to get more value from your membership.
IPAMS volunteer leaders and professional staff were able to save the natural gas and oil industry here in the Intermountain West over $9 billion during 2009. Even so, we know we could do more if we were able to better leverage the voices of the 260,000 natural gas and oil employees in our region. Our future success depends on an actively involved and deeply informed membership. Likewise, the greatest challenge we face is effectively communicating with our members’ employees across our region.
Click here to learn how you and your employees can best maximize the value of IPAMS.
IPAMS Vote From Home/Voter Education 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 we were able register and request absentee ballots for over 1,000 industry employees. Because of the success of this program, we have decided to expand it 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 our 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 many of the major Colorado producers, but we need more support in order to get working on the program as soon as possible. If your company would like to be part of this important effort, please contact IPAMS Director of Public Affairs Jon Bargas.
2010 Wildcatter of the Year Nominations
The 29th Annual IPAMS Wildcatter of the Year Gala will take place on May 15, 2010 at the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, in Denver, Colorado. The IPAMS Wildcatter of the Year is a lifetime achievement award for distinguished service to our industry and the community. Members of the natural gas and oil industry in the Intermountain West are encouraged to nominate deserving colleagues for this prestigious award.
Nominations should be made according to the unique contributions and accomplishments of the individual, particularly regarding: 1) successful longtime Rocky Mountain exploration and production, 2) community service and philanthropy and 3) support of oil and natural gas industry activities and organizations. Invitations to this black tie cocktail reception and award dinner will be mailed closer to the event, but please mark your calendars now. Last year there were over 700 attendees at this festive event. We hope you’ll make plans to join us this year.
The IPAMS Wildcatter of the Year Award is a valuable, limited edition bronze sculpture by renowned wildlife sculptor Veryl Goodnight. Generous sponsors of this year’s award include U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of Oklahoma and American National Bank. Sponsors of this event include Black Hills Exploration and Production, Inc.,EnCap Investments, M.J. England & Associates, Saga Petroleum, Samson Resources, Shell E & P Company, St. Mary Land & Exploration Company and Whiting Petroleum Corporation.
Click here to access the nomination form. The deadline for nominations is February 19, 2010.
Nomination forms maybe submitted by mail or fax to:
IPAMS
410 17th Street, Ste 700
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 893-0709 -fax
Please contact Becca Ness or call (303) 623-097 for more information.
Stepping Up!
Special thanks to IPAMS members who have recently upgraded their membership!
- Pure Energy Services (USA), Inc.
- Pioneer Natural Resources
- Jonah Gas Company, LLC
- Mesa Energy Partners
- BENTEK Energy LLC
- Tall Grass Energy Company
- Macquarie Tristone
- Denver Mineral & Royalty Company
- Petros Environmental Group, Inc.
- NVI-Nondestructive & Visual Inspection
- Albrecht & Associates
Other Upcoming Meetings
• Department of Interior Advocacy – January 28th, 10:00 a.m.
• Uinta Basin Air Quality Meeting – January 29th, 9:00 a.m.
• Montana Basin Advisors Network – February 17th, 1:00 p.m.
• IPAMS Washington DC Call-Up Briefing – If you are registered to attend this year’s Call-Up, please plan on attending one of the following briefings: February 18th or February 22nd, 1:30 p.m. Please RSVP to Becca Ness and indicate which briefing you plan on attending.
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
Federal policy, tax proposals create worries IPAMS Quoted
published in: Denver Post on: 01/18/2010 by: Mark Jaffe
Three Questions for IPAMS Executive Director Marc Smith: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar recently announced a change in federal oil and gas leasing policy, putting the emphasis on government oversight and planning. What impact will that have?
Dems’ glory fading in West
published in: Chicago Tribune on: 01/17/2010 by: Nicholas Riccardi
It was less than 18 months ago that the Democratic Party declared this region its new base. Barack Obama claimed the party’s presidential nomination at a football stadium here, in a state where Democrats had won the governorship and both houses of the state Legislature, and were about to pick up both U.S. Senate seats. Now Obama and his party’s approval ratings in the West are lower than elsewhere in the country. Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. abruptly announced recently that he would not seek re-election. The state’s junior senator is trailing badly in the polls. Analysts think Democrats could even lose their majorities in the Legislature.
Sprague’s Pipit ESA Listing Determination
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a positive 90-day finding that the Sprague’s Pipit, a small bird native to Great Plains grasslands with breeding habitat in Montana and North Dakota, warrants further consideration for listing as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. States that would be impacted by a listing include Montana, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The petition, submitted by WildEarth Guardians, claims that oil and gas development has resulted in habitat losses and disturbed the species throughout its range. Public Lands Advocacy (PLA) has contracted with a wildlife consulting firm to review and provide comments and is seeking funding from companies with activities in the affected areas to cover costs associated with this project. Contact Spencer Kimball at 303-623-0987 for more information or if you would like to contribute. Click here to view the listing petition and click here to view the Federal Register Notice.
Colorado
Veteran BLM employee to lead Colorado office
published in: Denver Business Journal on: 01/19/2010 by: Staff
Helen Hankins has been named Colorado state director of the Bureau of Land Management, which administers 8.3 million acres of federal lands in the state and some of its richest energy resources. Hankins, 58, a career BLM employee, is currently the associate state director for the BLM in Arizona. She assumes her new role Feb. 1.
Production holds up, but revenue hit by low prices
published in: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on: 01/19/2010 by: Dennis Webb
A big drop in natural gas drilling in Colorado last year shouldn’t mean a decrease in production levels, state regulators say. But the same factor driving that drilling drop — lower natural gas prices — will mean reduced revenues to the state and local governments. That’s because of taxes that are based on production value.
Denver mayor: Gas rules flawed
published in: Durango Herald on: 01/18/2010 by: Joe Hanel
The newly minted Democratic candidate for governor thinks Gov. Bill Ritter’s environmental rules for the natural-gas industry are “excessive.” Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper told reporters Friday he doesn’t support all of the rules adopted in 2008 by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. “I think the biggest problem wasn’t necessarily where we ended up with the rules. It was how we got there,” said Hickenlooper, who announced Thursday he is running to replace Ritter. He would have preferred a less adversarial process, he said.
Garfield to industry: Remote fracking regs to be left to state
published in: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on: 01/18/2010 by: Dennis Webb
Garfield County commissioners on Monday reassured natural gas developers Monday that they don’t plan to regulate the growing practices of remote and centralized well fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves sending fluids at high pressure down wells to crack open formations and promote flow of natural gas. With remote fracturing, the operations are conducted via pipelines from a site away from a well pad. Centralized fracking entails doing fracturing on multiple well pads from one remote location.
Talks yield no resolution in Roan Plateau lawsuit
published in: Associated Press on: 01/17/2010 by: Judith Kohler
Western Colorado’s Roan Plateau is the kind of place that should be declared off-limits under new federal energy leasing policies, said an attorney for environmental groups suing to limit drilling on the landmark. A coalition of groups is suing the federal government, claiming a 2007 plan by the Bureau of Land Management for natural gas development on the plateau’s public land didn’t adequately analyze the potential impact. Mike Freeman, an attorney for Earthjustice, said Bill Barrett Corp.’s recent statements that there are a potential of up to 3,200 drilling sites on the plateau makes the situation even more dire.
Montana
Return of Mont. leases could end 28-year dispute over Badger-Two Medicine
published in: E&E Land Letter (Subscription Required) on: 01/21/2010 by: Daniel Cusick
Last week’s decision by five oil and gas firms to relinquish drilling leases on nearly 29,000 acres of northern Rocky Mountain wildlands could be the last gasp for what was once considered a potentially lucrative development site for domestic fossil fuels.
Industry, unions work to backfill exodus of aging ‘boomer’ workers
published in: Great Falls Tribune on: 01/17/2010 by: Peter Johnson
Montana industry and labor unions are bracing for an exodus of skilled workers as members of the baby-boom generation begin to retire. Concerned about the graying of its work force, three Billings area oil refineries persuaded MSU-Billings College of Technology to create a two-year program in process-plant technology. Almost 50 students are starting the concentrated, two-year program this semester, hoping to take advantage of median Montana wages of $51,200 in the industry.
Governor wants TransCanada oil pipeline to include “on-ramp” for Montana fuel
published in: Associated Press on: 01/20/2010 by: Staff
Gov. Brian Schweitzer wants Montana oil producers to be able to tap into TransCanada’s proposed US$5-billion pipeline that would run from Alberta to the Gulf Coast. The 3,200-kilometre Keystone XL pipeline would include a 450-kilometre section through eastern Montana, where most of the state’s oil is produced.
New Mexico
NM: Local legislators see budget deficit as top priority
published in: Farmington Daily Times on: 01/19/2010 by: James Monteleone
Elected legislators from San Juan County agree that a looming state budget shortfall might allow little else to be accomplished during the 2010 legislative session beginning today in Santa Fe. The January session traditionally is reserved to finalize the budget for the state’s fiscal year beginning each July. This year, however, legislators have added to the agenda resolving the $500 million shortfall unresolved from last year.
Farmington to consider joining lawsuit
published in: Farmington Daily Times on: 01/18/2010 by: Steve Lynn
City councilors could discuss privately Tuesday whether the city should join a lawsuit filed last week that challenges state regulators’ authority to cap greenhouse gas emissions. City Attorney Jay Burnham said he scheduled the closed meeting between city officials and councilors to discuss a lawsuit aimed at stopping a proposal by New Energy Economy to limit the emissions. New Energy Economy, a Santa Fe environmental group, has petitioned the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board to cap greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2020 to limit global warming pollution.
Pete Domenici Jr. running for NM governor
published in: Associated Press on: 01/18/2010 by: Staff
A well-known name in New Mexico politics has joined the race for governor. Pete Domenici Jr., a lawyer and the son of longtime U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, announced his candidacy Sunday, adding his name to an already crowded GOP field. The younger Domenici, who was flanked by his parents, called himself an ordinary citizen who has developed his own roots “in common sense conservatism.”
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
Gary Herbert-Peter Corroon contest shaping up to be a good one
published in: Deseret News on: 01/17/2010 by: Pignanelli & Webb
It’s not often that Utah has a competitive gubernatorial race, but the matchup between Gov. Gary Herbert and Peter Corroon is shaping up as a pretty good contest. Here are some questions swirling around the race: ?It has been 30 years since a Democrat was elected governor of Utah. Is 2010 the year a Democrat might win?
The County Seat
The County Seat is a half hour television program about relevant issues facing Utah’s counties. The program will address two important issues facing Utah’s counties per half hour program. The County Seat is designed to educate the public about important issues as well as foster debate and dialogue so that the public, legislators, state and federal regulators can better understand the depth of issues and the impacts of those issues facing Utah’s county level government. Click here to view the pilot.
Uintah County Commissioner Mike McKee approached IPAMS about the program, since he would like to see an oil and gas show. The rates for commercials spots are extremely reasonable, and translate into a good opportunity to educate the public about our industry. Please contact Chad Booth for more information.
Wyoming
Wyoming gas, oil drilling permits decline
published in: Associated Press on: 01/15/2010 by: Mead Gruver
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management processed fewer oil and gas drilling permits in Wyoming last year than in any year since 2003, the agency’s Wyoming office reports. The BLM’s Wyoming office says it processed 2,162 oil and gas drilling permits last year, down from 3,681 in 2008.
Washington Watch
Hydraulic fracing dominates ExxonMobil-XTO merger hearing
published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 01/21/2010 by: Nick Snow
A congressional hearing that ostensibly was supposed to consider a proposed merger’s market impacts quickly became a forum for debating whether to federally regulate hydraulic fracturing. Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) convened the Jan. 20 hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Energy and Environment Subcommittee to examine energy market impacts of ExxonMobil Corp.’s proposed $41 billion purchase of XTO Energy Corp. “This merger heralds a fundamental long-term shift in US energy markets, and one that deserves our close attention,” he said in his opening statement.
Court decision opens floodgates for corporate political spending
published in: Politico on: 01/21/2010 by: Kenneth P. Vogel
The Supreme Court on Thursday opened wide new avenues for big-moneyed interests to pour money into politics in a decision that could have a major influence on the 2010 midterm elections and President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. The long-awaited decision overruled all or parts of two prior rulings by the court that allowed governments to restrict corporations and unions from spending their general funds on ads expressly urging a candidate’s election or defeat. But the decision upheld disclosure requirements for groups like the one that brought the case.
Industry feels chill from a new administration in Washington IPAMS Quoted
published in: The Barrel/Platts on: 01/20/2010 by: Gerald Karey
The Bush administration had to be a golden age for the oil and gas industry. The president, although a scion of New England Brahmins and a Yale-man, spoke like a Texan and once ran an oil company, albeit with only middling success. President Bush’s administration was sprinkled with officials with ties to the industry. Next door to the White House, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Vice President Dick Cheney, who headed Halliburton between government jobs, invited oil and gas and other energy company executives to secret meetings to help formulate US energy policies.
DeGette says her natural gas bill won’t block production
published in: The Hill on: 01/20/2010 by: Ben Geman
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) said Wednesday that her legislation to bring a controversial natural gas drilling technique under EPA regulation would not halt the practice. She spoke at an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the proposed the $41 billion merger of Exxon Mobil Corp. and XTO Energy Inc.
Sen.-Elect Brown’s win adds more question marks to Senate cap-and-trade debate
published in: E&E News/New York Times on: 01/20/2010 by: Darren Samuelsohn
An already tough climb to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation in the Senate just got a bit tougher with Republican Scott Brown’s upset victory yesterday in Massachusetts. Brown’s win takes a guaranteed “yes” vote off the board for advocates of setting up a mandatory cap on greenhouse gas emissions. It also could serve as a warning shot for moderate senators nervous about voting for a sweeping new government program headed into their own tough re-election campaigns.
Green Jobs Success Will Take Major, Long-Term Commitment
published in: CNBC on: 01/19/2010 by: Trevor Curwin
The Obama administration may be tempted to wage a two-front war on climate change and joblessness by pushing for green jobs in the renewable energy sector, but such a strategy will mean committing to a long campaign. Looking for the green equivalent of an atomic bomb to obliterate ten percent unemployment, energy price volatility and carbon emissions all at once may not be the right approach, says Jesse Jenkins, director of energy and climate policy at The Breakthrough Institute, a clean energy research group.
Who is Harris Sherman?
published in: AllGov on: 01/18/2010 by: Noel Brinkerhoff
Having had his first pick (Homer Wilkes) back out as Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, President Barack Obama turned to Harris Sherman, Colorado’s longtime natural resources chief. Sherman was confirmed by the Senate October 9, 2010. Although some environmentalists expressed concern about Sherman over the state’s industry-friendly “roadless rule,” the new overseer of the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service would be hard pressed to provoke the kind of controversy that came with Mark Rey, a former timber industry lobbyist, who held the post during the Bush administration.
Chu steps into gas drilling debate
published in: The Hill on: 01/15/2010 by: Ben Geman
Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Friday said a controversial natural gas drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing, which energy companies are increasingly using to access abundant U.S. shale gas reserves, can be performed safely. The comments come amid a major lobbying effort by oil-and-gas companies to prevent Congress from increasing regulation of the practice. Environmentalists fear that “fracking” will pollute water supplies while industry contends the practice is safe.
OTC Derivatives
IPAMS has signed-on to a letter asking the Senate to preserve access to OTC derivatives as a risk management tool. A similar letter sent by the Coalition for Derivatives End Users in September 2009 included about 200 associations and companies and was a very effective tool in our lobbying effort to preserve access to affordable OTC derivatives for end-users in the House. Please feel free to forward this email to any other company or association that has an interest in this issue. To read the letter and electronically add your company name to the letter, click here.
DOE Office of Fossil Energy Appointment Announcement
U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy is now soliciting applications from persons interested in appointment as members of one of two Federal advisory committees chartered under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT), Subtitle J, Section 999D. These advisory committees advise the Secretary of Energy on research programs related to ultra-deepwater and unconventional petroleum resources technology. The objectives of these programs are to develop and implement research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of technologies for ultra-deepwater and unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resource exploration and production. Applications for either of these committees must be received by March 1, 2010.
For more information about these committees, their duties, past activities, current members and how to apply online or via fax, please visit the committee websites: http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/oilgas/advisorycommittees/UltraDeepwater.html
and
http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/oilgas/advisorycommittees/UnconventionalResources.html.
Media Watch
Guest Commentary: Producing clean energy and providing good jobs
published in: Denver Post on: 01/19/2010 by: Phyllis Cuttino and Mark Chen
A sun that shines more than 300 days a year and breezes humming from the peaks to the plains hallmark Colorado’s seasons — and thanks to new technologies they now signal job growth in our state. But Colorado’s leaders, at the state and federal level, must push for smart energy policies if we’re to maintain our edge. In September, Colorado’s unemployment rate stood at 7 percent, better than the national average of more than 10 percent but still a difficult job market. The recession’s pain didn’t spread evenly to all industries, though — because one sector has and continues to promise a bright future for people across Colorado.
Carroll: Is Hickenlooper really pro-business?
published in: Denver Post on: 01/17/2010 by: Vincent Carroll
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is a “pro-business Democrat,” pundits keep telling us since the news that he’s running for governor. Yet what exactly does that mean? That he’s popular at the local chamber of commerce? That he made a fortune selling beer? Here’s what it should mean: That he’d work as governor to defend and strengthen free enterprise in this state. But whether he actually would remains an open question. Nearly all politicians claim to be pro-business, even when they’re saddling it with regulations that undermine its health.
Op-ed: When it comes to cap-and-trade, give federalism a chance
published in: The DC on: 01/15/2010 by: Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT)
Supporters of cap-and-trade often make bold claims about climate change legislation. Rapturous-sounding rhetoric such as “this legislation will create jobs by the millions, save money by the billions and unleash investment in clean energy by the trillions,” is common in the cap-and-trade debate. Indeed, proponents typically describe cap-and-trade as the equivalent of a giant magic job Pez dispenser. I am convinced they are wrong. Cap-and-trade legislation will only cap our economy and trade American jobs overseas. There are many devastating analyses of the costs and effectiveness of cap-and-trade legislation. Let me share just one.
Environment and Wildlife
Report says drilling threatens Colo. wildlife IPAMS Quoted
published in: Associated Press on: 01/20/2010 by: Judith Kohler
The leasing of public land for oil and gas drilling on large tracts of wildlife-rich northwest Colorado is a growing threat to the state’s heritage and an important part of the economy, the Colorado Wildlife Federation said in a report released this week. The data show that 41 percent of the 4.9 million-acre Piceance Basin has been leased. The report was compiled from state oil and gas records, information from the state Division of Wildlife and peer-reviewed research.
Judge upholds oil, gas waste rules
published in: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on: 01/20/2010 by: Dennis Webb
A Denver District Court judge has rejected a legal challenge to new state rules for disposal of oil and gas brine waste at commercial sites. Judge William W. Hood III issued the ruling Tuesday in the case brought by Fourmile Recycling Facility Inc. of Moffat County, and a second operation there.
Study links Asia to smog component in Western US
published in: Washington Post on: 01/20/2010 by: Jeff Barnard
Ozone blowing over from Asia is raising background levels of a major ingredient of smog in the skies over California, Oregon, Washington and other Western states, according to a new study appearing in Thursday’s edition of the journal Nature. The amounts are small and, so far, only found in a region of the atmosphere known as the free troposphere, at an altitude of two to five miles, but the development could complicate U.S. efforts to control air pollution.
Report asserts ‘fracking’ contaminates water supplies
published in: Deseret News on: 01/20/2010 by: Amy Joi O’Donoghue
A new report by an environmental watchdog organization highlights problems posed to drinking water supplies by hydraulic fracturing, a technique used by the oil and gas industry to extract resources from deep below the earth’s surface. Called “Drilling Around the Law,” the report tracked six months worth of chemical disclosure records filed by several of the largest drilling corporations and includes information provided by some state or federal regulators, who concede they do not track fluids used in the process.
Think shale drilling uses the most water? Guess again.
published in: Houston Chronicle on: 01/19/2010 by: Tom Fowler
The boom in natural gas drilling in recent years has been both praised and pilloried; lauded for the surge in production for the cleaner-than-coal-or-oil fuel and denigrated for the massive amounts of water required and the potential for drinking water contamination. The folks at the newly launched GreeningOfOil.com took a closer look at the water use issue, however, and found natural gas shale actually uses less water per unit of energy produced.
Wyoming’s environmental Hobson’s choice: Killing wind energy or endangering birds?
published in: Scientific American on: 01/19/2010 by: John Platt
Which is more important, an endangered bird or sustainable energy? That has become the question in Wyoming, where a recent ruling by the state’s governor has blocked future wind-turbine development in about 20 percent of the state in a move to protect the greater sage grouse.
Technology, Alternative & Renewables
Using high efficiency to get down deep
published in: Glenwood Springs Post Independent on: 01/18/2010 by: John Colson
The gas drilling rig is right off Interstate 70 to the west of the Rulison exit, near enough to the highway for the workers to hear the hum of passing cars and trucks if the noise from the drilling equipment itself were ever to stop. But it doesn’t — at least, not at what are known as “high-efficiency” rigs, the most technologically advanced set-up in use in this area.
Request for Emissions Reduction Credits
If your company has emissions reduction credits for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or nitrogen oxides (NOx) available to sell, please contact Jennifer Biever, Hogan & Hartson LP, 303-454-2410. Your company may be eligible to claim and sell emissions reduction credits if you voluntarily install controls on air pollution sources.
Markets
Williams combines affiliates to create large player in natural gas sector
published in: Associated Press on: 01/19/2010 by: Staff
Williams Cos. said Tuesday it will create one of the largest natural gas partnerships in the nation by combining its pipeline and processing units. The deal provides Williams with more money to explore for natural gas. Many energy companies are manuevering to get a bigger portion of the huge natural gas reserves in the U.S. that have been discovered due to advances in drilling technology.
Fossil Fuel Use in 2034? Not Much Different.
published in: New Your Times Green Inc. on: 01/15/2010 by: Tom Woody
A quarter century from now the United States’ reliance on fossil fuels will have declined only marginally, according to a projection from Black & Veatch, the engineering and energy consulting firm. In 2034, a mix of coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels will supply 68 percent of the nation’s energy needs, compared to 76 percent today. The share of energy production from renewable sources, including solar and wind, in 2034 will rise to 13 percent from 5 percent. Nuclear power will supply only 2 percent more electricity than it does in 2010, the firm said.
API: US oil demand showed signs of recovery late in 2009
published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 01/15/2010 by: Nick Snow
US oil demand fell during 2009 but began to recover as the year concluded, the American Petroleum Institute said. Gasoline, kerosene, and all other oils were strongest, but distillate fuel oil lagged, especially for on-highway uses, API’s yearend 2009 and December statistics showed. “Clearly, petroleum demand is mirroring the economic recovery,” said John C. Felmy, API chief economist, on Jan. 15. “We are seeing December demand figures stronger than fourth-quarter figures and fourth-quarter figures stronger than full-year figures. But the data also indicate that the recovery still has a distance to go, particularly if you look at ultralow-sulfur diesel fuel.”
Industry News and Events
Gas Drilling Techniques Under Fire … Again
published in: New York Times on: 01/20/2010 by: John Collins Rudolf
Federal government oversight of hydraulic fracturing – a drilling technique that boosts natural gas extraction by blasting water, sand and chemicals underground at high pressure – is sorely lacking, putting drinking water supplies at risk, an environmental policy group claimed in a report released Tuesday. According to the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy group based in Washington, drilling companies are side-stepping a permitting requirement for the use of diesel fuel in their fracturing fluids by using similar petroleum distillates that contain the same toxins as diesel, but require no permitting.
Thinking Beyond Petroleum
published in: Forbes on: 01/19/2010 by: Ian Berman
The funny thing about windows of opportunity is that they have a way of closing. Over the past year, spurred by mounting worries over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Congress has taken up the issue of economic pressure against the Islamic Republic in earnest. The result is a series of sanctions bills aimed at targeting what is commonly viewed as the regime’s economic Achilles’ Heel: its deep dependence on foreign refined petroleum.
New Report Highlights Benefits of Natural Gas in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
published in: OilVoice on: 01/18/2010 by: Staff
Australia’s natural gas industry has welcomed the Climate Group’s 2009 Greenhouse Indicator Annual Report, highlighting the benefits of natural gas in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. ‘Without government assistance and without special policy treatment, natural gas has already proven its benefits to the environment,’ Chief Executive of the Australian Pipeline Industry Association (APIA), Cheryl Cartwright, said today.
Habitat and Anadarko Brave the Elements to Launch New Community Project, Construction Begins on First-of-its-Kind Town Home Community site in Denver
Snow and single-digit temperatures did not chill the hearts of Anadarko employees, as approximately 40 volunteers from the energy company worked throughout the day to launch construction of the Metro Denver Habitat for Humanity’s Bails Town Home Community project. Click here to read the news release.
2010 Colorado Business Hall of Fame inducts Merle Chambers and James Wallace
February 4, 2010 at the Hyatt Convention Center (650 15th Street, Denver, CO)
Join Junior Achievement and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce will induct five new Laureates at Colorado’s premier business black-tie gala event, the 21st Annual Colorado Business Hall of Fame. Over the past 21 years more than 100 of Colorado’s more prominent business leaders have been inducted into the Hall of Fame and this year is no different as Hank Bosco, Merle Chambers, The Gart Brothers, Fred Hamilton and James Wallace join this group. Proceeds from the event support the programs of Junior Achievement and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. A reception for the event begins at 6:00 p.m. with program to follow.
Tables for this event start at $2,750 with individual tickets for $275. For more information or to purchase tables contact Shawna Robbins, at Junior Achievement, at 303-260-6286 or srobbins@jacolorado.org.
For more information visit: http://www.jacolorado.org/content/view/78/90/
16th Annual Great Balls of Fire 9-Ball Billiards Challenge
February 16, 2009 in Denver, CO
The Great Balls of Fire 9-Ball Billiards Challenge is all about the goodness in people who want to make a difference in the lives of children and their families. Hosted by the Colorado Professional Firefighters, Denver Firefighters Local 858 and Wynkoop Brewing Company.
Several IPAMS members have chosen to sponsor this worthy charity event.
Click here to learn more and how to become a sponsor.
Colorado Energy Jobs Summit
February 19, 2010 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.
