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Head of American Petroleum Institute doesn’t see a need to regulate carbon anymore

by pedzacastrzala87 Posted on February 21, 2013

Head of American Petroleum Institute doesn’t see a need to regulate carbon anymore

By Philip Bump

Last week, Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced that they will soon introduce comprehensive climate change legislation. It would make for an interesting debate in the Senate; it would be light years better than policy that exists currently. It also has literally no chance of passing either chamber.

Which has prompted the American Petroleum Institute’s Jack Gerard to dig the bill a grave for the purposes of offering a dancefloor. From The Hill:

American Petroleum Institute CEO Jack Gerard said he did not expect the Senate to vote on the bill …

“I think no, it will not get to the floor, and I think the reason it won’t get to the floor is the dynamics surrounding carbon has changed,” Gerard told E&E TV.

Specifically, Gerard cited increased use of natural gas, which has helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. over the past several years. However, don’t worry: Gerard is still spectacularly wrong.

philipmatarese

Jack Gerard (file photo).

The reason the bill may not/probably won’t get to the Senate floor is that the “dynamics surrounding carbon” haven’t changed one fucking bit. There’s still no political will to act on the issue, just as there has been no will to act on the issue for years. And that is solely a function of the work done by people like Jack Gerard, the Wayne LaPierre of oil production, who has built his empire on the back of the status quo. Gerard’s reason for existence, the reason he earned a reported $6.4 million in 2010, is to keep the dynamics surrounding carbon exactly where they are.

If the dynamics surrounding carbon pollution had actually changed, so would policies affecting carbon pollution. This bill is doomed to failure not because the climate problem has been solved; it’s because the political problem hasn’t been. Which is exactly how Jack Gerard wants it.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Head of American Petroleum Institute doesn’t see a need to regulate carbon anymore

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Gas prices are spiking, and it’s not clear why

by Obeey99 Posted on February 21, 2013

Gas prices are spiking, and it’s not clear why

By Philip Bump

Here’s what gas prices have done over the last month:

GasBuddy

This isn’t an unprecedented rise; prices went up last February, too.

GasBuddy

What’s odd, though, is that the recent rise isn’t tied to rising crude oil prices, the traditional reason prices fluctuate.

GasBuddy

So what’s happening? The Washington Post dug into it, noting concerns over Middle East stability, lower production by OPEC, and the continuing high price of oil — though crude prices dropped significantly yesterday.

One key factor is limited refinery capacity.

[S]ome analysts … pointed to refinery issues. Several refineries have been shut down for routine maintenance, and in the eastern United States, several refineries simply went out of business in the past year.

“Atlantic Basin capacity closures have improved refining fundamentals,” the nation’s biggest refiner, Valero, said in a slide presentation at a Credit Suisse conference this month. It estimated that refineries have closed nearly 1 million barrels a day of capacity on the East Coast or in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the past two years, which Valero said allowed it to increase profit margins.

Refinery constraints were a key factor in California’s huge gas price spike last summer. Let’s go back to the law of supply and demand. Less supply means increased demand, which means more profits. Valero’s suggestion that reducing refinery capacity increased profit margins falls squarely in line with that: Less crude oil refined into gasoline means less gasoline, which means a higher price per gallon. Granted, these refineries didn’t all close this month, but combined with other factors, the closures appear to be playing a role — and may help explain why the price of gas is going up independent of the price of crude oil.

Let that be consolation to you next time you go to fill up. It’s just basic supply and demand, manipulated by oil companies. As it always has and always will, the system works.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Gas prices are spiking, and it’s not clear why

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With pipelines at a premium, fossil-fuel companies get creative

by f45 Posted on February 15, 2013

With pipelines at a premium, fossil-fuel companies get creative

By Philip Bump

This is interesting: Pipeline company Enbridge wants to turn a natural-gas pipeline in the Midwest into a crude-oil pipeline. From The Globe and Mail:

The latest proposal would redeploy a variety of existing pipelines, including part of Energy Transfer’s Trunkline natural gas system, as well as Enbridge’s new Southern Access Extension, which is under development. …

The proposal is one of several initiatives being considered to move more crude from the U.S. Midwest and Canadian Prairies to refineries along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Canadian crude is currently being sold at a bigger discount than usual because of a lack of pipeline capacity and growing supplies from North Dakota and other states that are expanding output using advanced drilling methods.

That “lack of pipeline capacity” from the north will also be discussed this Sunday in Washington.

There are all sorts of interesting economic aspects to this, about the glut of oil and gas from North Dakota and rising natural-gas prices. But we mainly want to note that converting a natural-gas pipeline to one that transports oil is a smart move for Enbridge. If the company has a pipe that it knows doesn’t leak, it ought to run with it.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Another sign of the apocalypse: Coal is making a comeback in the U.S.

by kastijoo8753 Posted on February 15, 2013

Another sign of the apocalypse: Coal is making a comeback in the U.S.

By Philip Bump

If there were a war on coal — which, sadly, there isn’t — it appears that the tide of battle has turned. Coal is making a comeback.

In an extensive article entitled “Coal Claws Back,” the Rhodium Group, a think tank that assesses global trends, outlined the fuel’s resurgence in the U.S. In short:

While the decline in coal-fired power generation, driven in large part by cheap natural gas, has helped reduce emissions to levels most policymakers and climate diplomats thought impossible absent economy-wide legislation, it looks as though it has just about run its course. Natural gas prices bottomed out in April of last year at $1.82 per MMBTU at Henry Hub, and have since climbed to above $3. While still low relative to the high gas prices that had become the norm before the shale boom took hold, this rebound has been enough to stop the bleeding for coal-fired power. Coal’s share of electricity generation increased from 33% in April to 42% in November, the most recent month for which public data is available, and industry consultancy GenScape estimates that coal’s share stabilized at these levels through January.

The picture is more clear in graph form.

Last summer, we noted that electricity generation from natural gas had nearly matched that from coal. This is one reason our CO2 emissions plummeted recently. But the coal-versus-natural-gas trend hasn’t held. (Note: All of the data used below is from the Energy Information Administration; November 2012 data is the most recently available.)

In October and November, the gap between coal and natural gas increased. Coal clawed back.

One reason is that the price of natural gas used for electricity generation increased. Below, it’s compared to the always-cyclical price of residential natural gas. Since April 2012, the price has risen steadily — up 58 percent by November.

That uptick correlates with the trend away from natural gas in energy production. Higher natural gas price, less incentive to use it to power electricity generation.

And the Rhodium Group suggests that, at least for the next year or two, the cost difference between coal and natural gas will hold steady.

Rhodium Group

Click to embiggen.

The EIA, meanwhile, projects that coal will hold a consistent if smaller share of the generation market for another 30 years, with natural gas and renewables inching up in the percentage of generation. Overall amount of generation, which had fallen in recent years, will start going back up.

EIA

Click to embiggen.

More coal use and more electricity produced means more greenhouse gas emissions.

Rhodium Group

Click to embiggen.

Welcome back to the fight, coal. You weren’t missed.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Another sign of the apocalypse: Coal is making a comeback in the U.S.

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Bloomberg proposes banning plastic foam containers, probably because they can hold soda

by d2wk58 Posted on February 14, 2013

Bloomberg proposes banning plastic foam containers, probably because they can hold soda

By Philip Bump

When I was a kid, you could come to New York City and buy a big soda in a large styrofoam cup. (You could also get murdered a lot more easily or score some drugs or afford a place in Soho, but that’s not my point here.) Big soda kept cool in a nice big cup — paradise, in its way.

Reuters / Eduardo Munoz

Last year, Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided that the big soda had to go. And this year, according to reports, he’s got his eyes on that cup. From Bloomberg (the media company, not the mayor for whom the company is named) (New York is a complicated place) (the city, not the state from which the city is named):

In his final State of the City address today, the third-term mayor will attempt to cement his legacy as a leader who made the most-populous U.S. city healthier and more environmentally friendly. His office previewed portions of the speech that focused on three initiatives intended to boost air quality, recycling rates and sustainability.

A requirement that 20 percent of all newly constructed public parking spaces be outfitted to charge electric vehicles would create 10,000 such spots within seven years. The plan would need City Council approval. A pilot program to collect curbside food waste from Staten Island homes to use as compost for parks would expand citywide if successful, cutting down on the 1.2 million tons of scraps sent to landfills each year.

(Apparently the city could use more charging stations.)

These are significant initiatives but, as suggested above, it’s the mayor’s proposed ban on Styrofoam cups and containers that’s gotten much of the attention. It fits nicely with the image of Bloomberg as anti-fast-food, but he will note that it’s actually anti-trash. As the Bloomberg article notes, New Yorkers throw away 20,000 tons of plastic foam a year. While the city’s garbage production is in decline, that’s still a lot of waste.

Bloomberg gave his State of the City address on a stage at Brooklyn’s new, leaky Barclays Center under sports-arena-appropriate banners celebrating his accomplishments. “419: Record Low in Homicides in 2012.” “52 Million: Record Visitors in 2012.” And one he’s put specific focus on: “80.9: Record High Life Expectancy.”

Not listed: “7 million: Fewer pounds of garbage a day.” Perhaps because he’s waiting for that number to improve a little more.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Exelon issues dumbest threat in the history of dumb threats

by RubinkJoseph Posted on February 8, 2013

Exelon issues dumbest threat in the history of dumb threats

By Philip Bump

Here’s the stupidest threat ever. From The Hill:

Exelon Corp. CEO Christopher Crane told the Chicago Tribune in comments published Friday that his company might eventually have to close nuclear facilities “if we continue to build an excessive amount of wind and subsidize wind.” …

Crane explained the subsidy reduces the rate Exelon receives from nuclear generation by encouraging wind turbines to rotate when power demand is low. That means the utility sometimes pays customers to take its nuclear power in wind-heavy regions.

Ha ha. Oh no! You’ll have to close nuclear plants if we keep building wind turbines? Oh man what will we do? Everyone, we clearly need to rethink this wind energy thing if it means fewer nuclear facilities like Three Mile Island and Chernobyl and Fukushima. [BIG FUCKIN’ FROWN EMOTICON]

Exelon was last in the news after being kicked off the board of the American Wind Energy Association, presumably for being idiots.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Toppled U.K. wind turbines likely an act of sabotage

by aleidasharrington Posted on February 1, 2013

Toppled U.K. wind turbines likely an act of sabotage

By Philip Bump

Yesterday we had a spot of fun, a larf, talking about a wind turbine that fell over in the U.K. (Hence, “spot of fun,” “larf.” Real Americans don’t talk like that.) We noted that it was weird it fell over, because we are professional journalists™ and we notice when things are weird.

Turns out, it was weird. From the Telegraph:

An investigation into the collapse of the first turbine in Bradworthy, Devon, during a 50mph gale last weekend has revealed that bolts are missing from its base.

The turbine was initially thought to have been brought down by the wind, despite being designed to withstand winds of up to 116mph, but the new evidence could suggest a case of foul play, councillors said.

It came as a second, 60ft turbine was spotted “lying crumpled on the ground” just 18 miles away in Cornwall, on a farm owned by the family of a Lib Dem councillor.

“Lib Dem councillor” is British for “farmer,” I think.

kevinzim

A turbine in Devon, looking a bit nervous.

But this is disconcerting! We knew that opponents of wind farms were sometimes a bit unhinged; we knew that they enjoyed broad support among people to whom they’d given $20 — but actually damaging turbines to undermine the industry? Dangerous, stupid, illegal.

And yet it demonstrates another way in which renewable energy trumps (LOL) other energy sources. You take out a wind turbine, it falls over and maybe hits a gopher. Sabotage a nuke plant? More damaging.

According to reports, the police (“bobbies”) are investigating (“munchy-punching”) the crime (“algumitrium”). A criminal (“trumper”) will no doubt soon be sent to prison (“Wales”).

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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CO2 emissions from energy production drop to 1994 levels in the U.S.

by Larissaiyb Posted on February 1, 2013

CO2 emissions from energy production drop to 1994 levels in the U.S.

By Philip Bump

The headline at The Guardian says almost everything you need to know: U.S. carbon emissions fall to lowest levels since 1994.

Carbon dioxide emissions fell by 13% in the past five years, because of new energy-saving technologies and a doubling in the take-up of renewable energy, the report compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance for the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) [PDF] said.

The reduction in climate pollution — even as Congress failed to act on climate change — brings America more than halfway towards Barack Obama’s target of cutting emissions by 17% from 2005 levels over the next decade, the Bloomberg analysts said.

By the end of last year, America’s emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions had fallen 10.7% from the 2005 baselines.

The caveat:  The carbon emissions discussed are those related to energy production. Energy production isn’t all CO2 emission, but it’s a lot of it.

So here’s what that reduction looks like. Since 1974, levels of energy-related carbon emissions have seen two peaks. As indicated above, we’re on a downward trend, something David Roberts explained last year.

BCSE

Click to embiggen.

Over the past few years, individual energy sources have played a fluctuating role in the reduction. In 2009, the collapsing economy meant lower emissions from all sources. That coal figure in 2012 is remarkable.

BCSE

Click to embiggen.

This morning, the U.S. Energy Information Administration released state-by-state data on CO2 emissions through 2010. We put together this map showing net increase or reducton in CO2 emissions by state between 1994 and 2010. The darker brown a state is, the more its emissions rose; the darker green, the more emissions fell. Most states went up. But go Delaware!

The reduction — particularly the shift to renewables — is good news. Tempered with two caveats: This is only the United States. And the rate of decline is still far too low.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Fox News guy is mad that Obama talked about climate change instead of ‘pressing issues’

by HarralGeidl697 Posted on January 28, 2013

Fox News guy is mad that Obama talked about climate change instead of ‘pressing issues’

By Philip Bump

Over the weekend, Fox News once again allowed its employees to say things on-air, which the media company somehow fails to understand is generally a risky proposition. But Fox seems committed to letting them do so, and therefore you get things like this.

Ario

On “Fox News Watch” (which is not, as you might assume, a weekly catalog of all of the ways in which Fox News has failed), talkers worried that “cheerleading” from the media for Obama’s inaugural address “threatens to overshadow reporting.” And Fox News hates it when cheerleading obscures objective coverage.

From the Washington Post:

Jon Scott, host of “Fox News Watch,” made clear that he wasn’t part of the adoration crowd. Here’s his take on Obama’s speech:

We heard during the inaugural address, we heard about climate change, we heard about gay rights, we heard about lots of issues but nothing much about the deficit and some of the pressing issues, you know, the really pressing issues of our time.

Emphasis added, because if you watch the clip, he really emphasizes that “really.” After all, Jon Scott, formerly the host of A Current Affair, knows what’s an important issue and what isn’t. The deficit or whatever is a hella big issue. Climate change isn’t. (In 2011, Scott asked Bill Nye if moon volcanoes disproved global warming. Nye suggested that they did not.)

The most recent ratings numbers indicate that Fox News is still the most-watched news channel, nearly tripling its next-closest competitor. Because they cover the pressing issues of our time.

Source

Fox News host: Climate change, gay rights not ‘really pressing issues’, Washington Post

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Marcellus, N.Y., namesake of the Marcellus shale formation, bans fracking

by sreg2 Posted on January 17, 2013

Marcellus, N.Y., namesake of the Marcellus shale formation, bans fracking

By Philip Bump

Wikipedia

The eponymous Marcellus shale outcropping.

The ongoing debate over hydraulic fracturing in New York focuses on the Marcellus shale, a geological formation that runs from New York through Pennsylvania to West Virginia. Energy companies are salivating at the prospect of  fracking in the state. But no matter what New York Gov. Cuomo decides on the existing fracking ban, there’s one place that no one will be able to frack: Marcellus, N.Y. — the town for which the formation is named.

From Syracuse.com:

The Marcellus town board voted unanimously Monday to ban the exploration and production of natural gas and petroleum in the town.

By a 5-0 vote, the board passed a local law amending its zoning codes to prevent “ all exploration and production of natural gas and petroleum in the town,” Supervisor Daniel J. Ross said this morning. …

There are still a lot of unanswered environmental questions, as well as concerns about fracking’s effect on public and private water supplies, [Ross] said.

Marcellus also banned the industry based on land use. A 2002 comprehensive plan adopted by the town prohibits all heavy industry, Ross said.

This reminds me of that time Meth, Ky., cracked down on drug abuse.

Hat-tip: Ben Smith.

Source

Marcellus bans gas and petroleum exploration in town, Syracuse.com

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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