** Hundreds of protesters vowing do whatever it takes to stop a Canadian-based company’s push to replace an aging pipeline blocked a pump station Monday in northern Minnesota, with some people chaining themselves to construction equipment before police began making arrests. ** The U.S. became a net exporter of oil in 2020 following an Obama-era policy, complicating efforts to …
Category: EPA
Energy news in brief
** Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm unveiled new efforts aimed at massively cutting the cost of producing hydrogen with climate-friendly processes. The “Hydrogen Shot” program will breathe life into the DOE’s goal, first announced in April, to drive the costs of clean hydrogen down from about $5 per kilogram today to $1 per kilogram by 2030. ** President …
Rep. Lucas says EPA ignores oversight requests
Oklahoma congressman Frank Lucas says the EPA Administrator isn’t responding to the requests of a House Committee and is preventing the committee from conducting its oversight responsibilities. In a letter this week to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, Rep. Lucas, the Ranking member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee repeated an oversight …
Energy news in brief
** A Louisiana natural gas well explodes, injuring four, following an oil well blowout. ** President Biden plans to rely on ally countries to supply the bulk of the metals needed to build electric vehicles while focusing on processing the materials into battery parts domestically. ** Michigan lawmakers consider a preemptive ban on local ordinances that limit the use of natural …
Energy news in brief
** Mexico said Monday it will buy Shell’s 50% share in the jointly owned Deer Park refinery near Houston for about $600 million. ** Enbridge Inc. along with its two partners in a consortium has put forward a non-binding offer for the largest natural gas import pipeline in Brazil, per Reuters. ** U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on …
Energy news in brief
** A federal judge rules that the Dakota Access pipeline can continue operating during an updated environmental review. Attention now turns to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as it completes the court-ordered environmental impact statement. ** The world’s largest microchip maker is buying tanker trucks full of water to keep its plant going as farmers struggle to make ends meet …
Energy news in brief
** Ford plans to temporarily shut eight factories due to a global shortage of semiconductor chips, according to an internal memo viewed by CNBC. The automaker told CNBC that it plans to cut production due to the chip shortage, including its Ford Mustang, Bronco Sport SUV, and F-150 pickup models. ** Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoes a bill …
Energy news in brief
** The Colonial Pipeline confirms it paid $4.4 million to hackers after a ransomware attack on its computer systems. ** U.S. lawmakers plan to introduce a bill that would create a tax credit for lower-carbon sustainable aviation fuel, which they hope will slash emissions of greenhouse gases from the aviation industry. ** Houston’s Ranger Energy Services announced …
Kansas Senator accuses EPA of inaction
A state senator in Kansas and former mayor of El Dorado, home to one of the state’s three oil refineries contends the state is positioned to make a strong economic comeback after the pandemic, but claims refineries are still facing headwinds because of inaction by the EPA. Sen. Michael Fagg, writing in the Wichita …
Energy news in brief
** The Biden administration will waive sanctions on the corporate entity and CEO overseeing the construction of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline into Germany, according to two sources briefed on the decision. The decision indicates the Biden administration is not willing to compromise its relationship with Germany over this pipeline and contradict’s Biden’s campaign rhetoric in which …