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Scottish householders rights to object to fracking to be removed. UK announces decision to drill under homes without consent.

September 26, 2014 in Climate Change, EV News, Oil, Politics, Pollution

Image courtesy of Scottish Government

Image courtesy of Scottish Government

UK Government have announced that they are to remove the rights of householders to object to oil and gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing beneath their homes. This will include householders in Scotland, and comes despite 99 per cent of respondents to the UK Government consultation on the proposals objecting to them.

It will mean that companies will be allowed to drill below people’s land without first negotiating a right of access.

Scotland’s Energy Minister Fergus Ewing officially objected to the proposals and has condemned the decision, and has called for the key powers relating to this issue to be devolved to Scotland as part of the current devolution process. This would allow unconventional oil and gas exploration in Scotland to be considered in a cautious, considered and evidence-based way, as opposed to the “gung-ho” approach of the UK Government.

Commenting Mr Ewing said:

“The UK Government failure to listen to our concerns is of great worry. That they have also failed to listen to 99 per cent of respondents to their own consultation just emphasises their “gung-ho” approach to the whole issue of fracking. We strongly believe that decisions on oil and gas drilling should be made by the people who live in Scotland, through the Parliament and Government they elected.

“UK Government proposals to remove the right of Scottish householders to object to drilling under their homes, without so much as debate in the Scottish Parliament, flies in the face of Scotland’s cautious, considered and evidence based approach on this issue. It is also fundamentally an issue affecting land ownership rights.

“Whatever your view on the issue of unconventional oil and gas – and it is clear that there are both opportunities and concerns – there is only one way that the people of Scotland can determine the approach in Scotland – including beneath their homes and land. That is with the devolution of the necessary powers to Scotland and the current devolution process for the “extensive new powers” promised in the vow should include these powers.

“Unconventional oil & gas developments should only ever happen under a robust regulatory regime, and the Scottish Government takes this issue particularly seriously.

“We are still to see precisely how DECC plan to implement the proposals in their consultation document and will review further when we see the clauses for inclusion in the Infrastructure Bill.”

The UK Government decision is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-remove-barriers-to-onshore-oil-and-gas-and-deep-geothermal-exploration.

This article is a repost, credit: SG Communications.

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Saudi Arabia uses largest amount of crude oil for power generation since 2010

September 24, 2014 in EIA, EV News, Oil

By EIA (Principal contributor: Rebecca George)

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI) Courtesy of EIA

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI)
Courtesy of EIA

Saudi Arabia is one of a handful of countries that burn crude oil directly for power generation, according to the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI). During the summer, Saudi Arabia typically experiences an increase in electricity consumption as domestic demand for air conditioning rises. Saudi Arabia burned 0.9 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of crude oil in July, the highest ever recorded in JODI data for the month of July and the highest overall since August 2010.

Saudi Arabia used an average of 0.7 million bbl/d of crude oil for power generation during the summers from 2009 to 2013. During that same period, Iraq and Kuwait, the next two largest users of crude oil for power generation in the Middle East, each averaged roughly 0.08 million bbl/d of crude burn.

Generally, countries are more likely to consume natural gas or coal to meet higher summer electricity demands. But Saudi Arabia has no domestic coal production, and most of its natural gas is associated gas, which is produced along with oil from the same wellbore. Efforts in Saudi Arabia to expand onshore nonassociated gas production have experienced difficulties in finding and extracting natural gas because of the high sulfur content of the natural gas and low domestic natural gas prices. As a result, investing in natural gas projects remains unattractive to foreign companies.

At the same time, net electricity consumption in Saudi Arabia has more than doubled since 2000, reaching an estimated 232 billion kilowatthours (kWh) in 2012 (the latest data available). Saudi Arabia’s economy also continues to grow. The gross domestic product (GDP) growth in Saudi Arabia in the first quarter of 2014 was 4.7% year-over-year compared to 3.8% growth in the first quarter of 2013. In addition, Saudi Arabia’s Central Department of Statistics & Information estimates that the country’s population will grow 2.6% in 2014 to more than 30 million residents, further increasing electricity demand.

Saudi Arabia plans to diversify its power generation sources and improve overall energy efficiency. By 2032, Saudi Arabia is planning to more than double its available generating capacity from 58 gigawatts (GW) to 120 GW by developing solar and nuclear power generation. New and planned petroleum refineries are expected to be customized to produce larger amounts of diesel, a portion of which may be allocated for power generation to replace crude oil. The Wasit Gas Program is an initiative to develop two offshore natural gas fields and construct a plant capable of processing 2.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas, increasing the amount of natural gas available for electricity generation. Finally, the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center was created in 2010 and is responsible for developing energy efficiency policies.

More information is available from EIA’s recently updated Saudi Arabia Country Analysis Brief.

This article is a repost, credit: EIA.

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Fossil Fuel Divestment Hits $50 Billion Mark

September 22, 2014 in Climate Change, EV News, Oil, Pollution

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with bicameral leadership of Congress regarding foreign policy, in the Oval Office, Sept. 9, 2014. Participants include: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio and Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.  Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with bicameral leadership of Congress regarding foreign policy, in the Oval Office, Sept. 9, 2014. Participants include: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio and Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

NEW YORK CITY – The growing movement to divest from the fossil fuels causing climate change and invest instead in clean, sustainable energy reached an historic milestone today: $50B.

Over 800 global investors have now committed to divest their holdings in fossil fuels. New signatories encompass a broad diversity of sectors and regions— including foundations, individuals, faith groups, health care organizations, cities and universities around the world. Their pledge was revealed at a news conference in New York today, and will be presented tomorrow at the United Nations Climate Summit where over 120 world leaders will gather.

A leading advocate of the movement, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, called on institutions and people of conscience to divest in a video recorded for the announcement: “Climate change is the human rights challenge of our time. We can no longer continue feeding our addiction to fossil fuels as if there is no tomorrow, for there will be no tomorrow.” He called for a freeze on all new fossil fuel exploration as the companies cannot safely burn 75% of known reserves.

The fossil free Divest-Invest movement has grown explosively since its launch three years ago. Today’s announcement includes over 650 individuals and 180 institutions, including 50 new foundations added to the 17 who pledged in January. Together these institutions hold over $50 billion in total assets. Signers pledge to divest from fossil fuels over five years, taking a variety of approaches.

The foundations announced today include the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, whose original endowment comes from wealth generated in the Standard Oil Company. The Fund will be divested first from coal and tar sands by the end of this year, with more to come thereafter.

“John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil, moved America out of whale oil and into petroleum,” explained Stephen Heintz, President of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

This article is a repost, credit: Divest-Invest.

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A solar project on top of an old oil field in California’s Kern County

September 10, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Oil, Solar

Photo courtesy of Google

Photo courtesy of Google

By Nick Coons

We recently finalized an investment that will put a 82MW solar power plant on top of an old oil and gas field in Kern County, Calif. The new deal with SunEdison will generate enough energy to power 10,000 homes.

Our investment in the Regulus solar project will give new life to a long-valued piece of land, and there’s something a little poetic about creating a renewable resource on land that once creaked with oil wells. Over the years, this particular site in California has gone from 30 oil wells to five as it was exhausted of profitable fossil fuel reserves. The land sat for some time and today we’re ready to spiff things up. With the help of our $145 million equity commitment, SunEdison is draping it in high-tech, sleek panels that collect energy from the sun, while bringing 650 jobs to the Kern County area and 82MW of clean energy to the grid.

Like many states, California has a goal of increasing the amount of energy procured from renewable sources. This project helps support that quest and marks 17 renewable energy investments for Google since 2010, including five here in the Golden State.

We’re continually looking for newer, bigger and better projects that help us create a clean energy future. The more than $1.5 billion we’ve brought to these projects to date not only helps provide renewable energy to the grid and to the public, but as they perform, they allow us to invest in more renewable energy projects. This cycle makes financial sense for Google and our partners while supporting construction jobs in local communities and clean energy for the planet we share.

This article is a repost, credit: Google.

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Introducing Petrolify®: The Power of Petroleum in One Little Pill

September 3, 2014 in EV News, Oil

By Asher Miller, Post Carbon Institute

Imagine there was a pill you could take every day that would provide you with wealth, freedom, and luxuries beyond the imagination of even the wealthiest kings of yesteryear. Taking this pill would give you the equivalent of hundreds of slaves, working for you 24/7, to grow your food, cool and heat your home, entertain you, carry you however far you wanted to travel, fill your bath with hot water, you name it… That’d be amazing!

Image courtesy of Post Carbon Institute

Image courtesy of Post Carbon Institute

Well, guess what? You’re already taking it. And it’s called Petrolify®.

You’re ingesting Petrolify® with nearly every breath and every footstep you take. Most of us don’t realize that Petrolify® is being pumped into our water and injected into our food. But we reap its magical benefits regardless. Did you sleep indoors last night? You can thank Petrolify®. Did you eat breakfast today? Again, that was thanks to Petrolify®. Are you reading this message on your mobile phone or computer? The miracle of Petrolify® never ends!

Except that miracle comes with some deadly side effects, and an expiration date.

That is why we created the above parody commercial, to remind as many people as possible that the dream we’re living—a dream fueled by a one-time, finite fossil fuel bonanza—is far darker than they might suspect.

When we open our eyes to the hidden costs of Petrolify®, it’s easy to blame the ‘corporate bad guys’—the manufacturers, the drug reps, the doctors—who are pushing their product on an unwilling populace. But we’re not quite so unwilling, are we? No, we want what they’re selling. And, there is no “they”. They are us.

Thankfully, our wellbeing doesn’t have to depend on Petrolify®. We can choose for our energy needs to be met with renewable, and more ecological and socially just, sources. More important, we can learn to live well with less. Conservation doesn’t have to be the “c” word.

The first step is recognizing our pill-popping addiction for what it is. Please help spread the word that Petrolify® may not be right for us.

This article is a repost, credit: Post Carbon Institute.