Four energy analysts provide their views on what energy policy should be adopted by the United States on exporting natural gas.
More at The Motley Fool.Politics and Geology
Canadian and US LNG Export Projects Advance
Royal Dutch Shell received a license [1] to export LNG from a plant in British Columbia and in the United States Pangea LNG received permission [2] to export LNG from a planned location in Texas.
[1] http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/04/shell-lng-idUKL1N0B4D6T20130204
[2] http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/04/pangea-lng-brief-idUSL4N0B46OO20130204
How Much LNG Will be Exported?
Members of congress are split over LNG exports. Republicans are generally supportive and Democrats are generally skeptical. Some experts believe that an export rate of about 6 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day could be sustained.
More at Washington Post.
Federal Helium Reserve to Shut Down?
The Arizona Geology blog has two entries related to the federal helium reserve:
Bill would keep helium reserve open, promote competition [1]
Arizona could help avoid global helium shortage [2]
Related: Helium [3]: A byproduct of the natural gas industry
[1] http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2013/02/bill-would-keep-helium-reserve-open.html
[2] http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2013/02/arizona-could-help-avoid-global-helium.html
[3] http://geology.com/articles/helium/
Expedited LNG for American Allies Act
The idea of exporting United States natural gas as LNG has not obtained unanimous support. Now a bill proposes LNG exports to NATO allies plus Japan.
More at The Hill.
LNG Export Without Natural Gas Price Spike
“The United States can safely export more of its natural gas bounty without causing prices to skyrocket, 110 lawmakers told Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Thursday.” Quoted from the FuelFix article.
More at FuelFix.com.
Reducing Natural Gas Flaring in North Dakota
An enormous amount of natural gas is being flared in western North Dakota [1]. The House Taxation and Finance Committee is considering a plan to incentivize collection or use of natural gas at drilling sites that are waiting on pipeline.
[1] http://geology.com/stories/13/natural-gas-flaring-in-north-dakota/
More at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
Raising Severance Taxes in Ohio
John Kasich, Governor of Ohio, would like to raise severance taxes on extraction of oil and natural gas from the Utica Shale. This article interviews an oil and gas lobbyist about raising severance taxes to fund a state income tax reduction.
More at BizJournal.
Foreign Resource Ownership and Energy Security
Are major acquisitions of North American oil and gas assets by a Chinese state-owned company a threat to the energy security of the United States and Canada? Some members of Congress and the energy industry do not like the potential transaction.
More at Toronto Star.
Taxing Natural Gas at the Wellhead?
A Washington Post essay explores a tax on natural gas at the wellhead instead of allowing the commodity to be exported. The tax money could be used in a large number of ways. The people who will like this idea are those who benefit from the tax – who would that be?
More at Washington Post.
The Mad Rush to Export LNG
Since mid-August, USDOE has received enough natural gas export applications that, if approved, would export the equivalent of 30% of the natural gas consumed in the United States as LNG.
More at Forbes.
Why LNG is Not Moving from Alaska to US Ports
Alaska has a glut of natural gas and an LNG export facility. However, one of the reasons that it can not ship the gas to other ports in the United States is a law that requires the transporting vessel to be built, owned, registered and crewed by U.S. …
More at FuelFix.com.
Debate: Export LNG?
Several companies have applied for permission to export liquefied natural gas (LNG). An article on the New York Times website reports on what supporters and critics have to say on this issue.
More at New York Times.
Pittsburgh and Natural Gas
Although Pittsburgh made headlines [1] in 2010 when city council members banned hydraulic fracturing within city limits the town is now getting lots of economic benefits from the natural gas industry.
[1] http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-7060953.html
More at San Francisco Chronicle.
An Enormous Gas Field that Can’t be Developed?
Noble Energy and Delek Group discovered a natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea in Israel’s territorial waters that contain enough natural gas to supply the country for 150 years. However, real estate, environmental, security and economic problems may prevent its development.
More at Business Week.
Regulating Natural Gas Drilling Through Zoning?
State and local governments in Pennsylvania are at odds over who has the legal authority to control natural gas drilling. State regulations, local zoning and state-wide zoning are all in contention.
More at Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
Federal Fracking Regulations?
This article on Reuters.com explores opinions on the development of federal regulations for hydraulic fracturing use in oil and natural gas development.
More at Reuters.com.
Property Tax Elimination in North Dakota?
North Dakota state government has lots of money flowing in from oil and gas production – so much that a proposal to eliminate property taxes is being considered.
More at New York Times.
Should the United States Become a Natural Gas Exporter?
The United States has an new abundance of natural gas – so much that prices have fallen dramatically. However, natural gas prices in other parts of the world are still relatively high. Should the United States respond by exporting natural gas? What would happen to prices and supplies if enormous quantities of natural gas were exported?
Related: What is LNG [1]?
[1] http://geology.com/articles/lng-liquefied-natural-gas/
More at Christian Science Monitor.
Another Natural Gas Severance Tax Proposal for Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania State Legislature has another potential bill that is designed to apply a 4.9 percent severance tax on natural gas extracted from Marcellus Shale wells in Pennsylvania.
More at PhillyBurbs.com.
Drilling in ANWR and OCS to Cut Deficit
Some members of Congress recommend opening portions of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the outer continental shelf for oil and natural gas drilling as a way to create jobs and cut the deficit.
More at FuelFix.com.
Shale Gas and U.S. National Security
The Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University has published a report titled: “Shale Gas and U.S. National Security”. “This study assesses the impact of U.S. domestic shale gas development on energy security and U.S. national security, with emphasis on the geopolitical consequences of rising supplies of U.S. natural gas from shale and the implications for U.S. foreign policy.” Quoted from the report summary.
