Notes From the Road
5-17-13 On The Road...From Seattle
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ADN by Lisa Demer. The group "We Are Alaska" is coming out against the referendum with radio ads, a Facebook page and Twitter feed. It is being funded by the Alaska Support Industry Alliance. The Alliance is a trade organization with some 500 member groups that support the oil industry and employ people such as engineers, drillers and electricians, but also bankers, caterers and educators. The career and technical education department of the Anchorage School District is listed as an Alliance member, for instance. There are now organized efforts on both sides of the emerging ballot battle. "It's to provide the other side of the story," Alliance general manager Rebecca Logan (NGP Photo) said -- that many jobs and much government spending in Alaska stems from oil revenue. (We respect and support both the courage of this organization and its investment climate position. -dh)
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Gitga'at Evict Pipeliners, Canadian Press. Members of the Gitga'at Nation say they have evicted a Northern Gateway Pipelines crew from their territory on the north coast of British Columbia as it tried to conduct oil spill response surveys. The small First Nation of Hartley Bay says the crew showed up to carry out work on the project that has not been approved, and that the Gitga'at continue to oppose. Coun. Marven Robinson said the band received a fax informing them that the crew would be coming to conduct an oil spill response survey. |
Respect is Key to Aboriginal Support for Gateway Pipeline, Globe and Mail
by Brian Lee Crowley.
Contrary to what regular readers of newspapers might believe, aboriginal communities in Canada are not knee-jerk opponents of development. On the contrary, a careful reading of their recent responses to development proposals gives reason for optimism. Perhaps the highest-profile example of a major natural resource project facing roadblocks in large part because of aboriginal opposition is the Northern Gateway pipeline to link Alberta’s oil sands to Asian markets through the West Coast. While other players (such as the B.C. government) matter too, without aboriginal support, Northern Gateway (or its equivalent) almost certainly will not succeed. With that support, it has a fighting chance. Can that support be achieved?
4-30-13
(Your author is in China. While updates have been sporatic, we will resume normal operations in a few days upon our return to Alaska. The gracious patience of our readers is appreciated. -dh)
Petroleum News. 
Cathy Foerster (NGP Photo) and Norm Rokeberg were among Gov. Sean Parnell’s appointments approved by the Alaska Legislature April 8. Foerster, who holds the petroleum engineer seat on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and is serving as the commission’s chair, was appointed 2005 and reappointed in 2007. Her current reappointment was effective March 1; the term expires March 1, 2019. Rokeberg was confirmed to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska. He was named to the seat March 1, replacing Kate Giard, who resigned as a commissioner Jan. 4. Rokeberg’s term expires March 1, 2019.
4-22-13 - Notes From The Shangri-La In Amazing Shanghai!
Today's dispatch comes via Shangri-La Hotel in Shanghai, China. -dh
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From NGP Reader, Pedro van Meurs (NGP Photo)Today's Energy Links From The Office of the Federal Coordinator:
- Analyst says Asia LNG trading hub unlikely to succeed
- India struggles with new pricing formula for natural gas
- BP suggests new natural gas pricing system to Indian government
- Japan-Korea LNG price for June deliveries falls to $14.85
- National oil companies not as dominant in LNG as in oil
- Rosneft, Marubeni agree to consider LNG plant
- Energy Department working through comments on LNG exports
- Canadian regulators adopt new pipeline safety rules
- Western Canadian oil not guaranteed to lower pump prices
2-16-13
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privilege: My son, Billy, and I remember our wonderful voyage in Mid-March 2012 on the Carnival Triumph (More Carnival Triumph Photos Here). Stuff happens in any pursuit, hence the Triumph's accident a year later--last week. There are no iron-clad guarantees of perfection in life. That said, I can't wait for our next cruise. One TV talking head yesterday said, "I didn't like my cruise...felt too closed in." However. my walks on the decks at sunrise and sunset, quiet time in the cabin or ship library reading and writing, our shore trips to Aztec ruins and sunny islands, and wonderful meals together all contributed to a relaxing time that is truly unique. Whereas some may feel hemmed in onboard, more of us feel blissfully separated from the daily on-shore pressures, incessant advertising, and constant digital messaging. If you haven't cruised before, I highly recommend the Carnival experience from a price-quality viewpoint -- as well as various river cruises. Enjoy! Go here for more of our Carnival Triumph photos. -dh
2-1-13
(Preparing for NARUC Meeting, Washington, D.C.)
American Energy Alliance
Morning Energy News - February 1, 2013
The good news is that this keeps her from “singing”.MasterResource (1/30/13) reports: “It was an utterly bizarre day, as might be expected when the star of the event is the woman who made “bed-ins” famous, supposedly broke up the Beatles, and has launched a crazy clothing line conceivable only by someone with $500 million of inherited wealth to throw around. (Also of note: these two Beatles beneficiaries live in the famous Dakota building in Manhattan, which is heated by three new natural gas boilers. Apparently, the product is only snake-like if you develop it, not if you consume it – an interesting paradox to be sure.)…It was like that all day.”
Next up: curfew! Because how else will they deal with dark street corners and rising crime rates? The Guardian (1/30/13) reports: “Shops and offices throughout France will be forced to turn off their lights overnight in a bid to fight light pollution, the country's environment ministry has announced… Under the new law, which comes into effect on 1 July, lights in shop window displays will be turned off at 1am. Interior lights in offices and other non-residential buildings will have to be switched off an hour after the last employee leaves. Local councils will be able to make exceptions for Christmas and other special occasions, and in certain tourist or cultural areas.”
In case anyone’s forgetting, your morning routine typically doesn’t involve chopping wood to start a fire, boil water, and make coffee. Free Enterprise (1/28/13) reports: “EPA Turns Lights Off on Texas Power Plant Project.”
When will FWS list the beleaguered lice? Bloomberg (1/14/13) reports: “Pubic lice, the crab-shaped insects that have dwelled in human groins since the beginning of history, are disappearing. Doctors say bikini waxing may be the reason... Waning infestations of the bloodsuckers have been linked by doctors to pubic depilation, especially a technique popularized in the 1990s by a Manhattan salon run by seven Brazilian sisters. More than 80 percent of college students in the U.S. remove all or some of their pubic hair -- part of a trend that’s increasing in western countries.”
The following think tank chiefs are opposed to a carbon tax. The list to date follows. If your guy is not on the list, it is because he either favors a carbon tax, wants to retain the option of favoring a carbon tax at some point in the future, or has yet to contact us.
Tom Pyle, American Energy Alliance / Institute for Energy Research
Myron Ebell, Freedom Action
Phil Kerpen, American Commitment
William O’Keefe, George C. Marshall Institute
Lawson Bader, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Andrew Quinlan, Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Tim Phillips, Americans for Prosperity
Joe Bast, Heartland Institute
David Ridenour, National Center for Public Policy Research
Michael Needham, Heritage Action for America
Tom Schatz, Citizens Against Government Waste
Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform
Sabrina Schaeffer, Independent Women's Forum
Barrett E. Kidner, Caesar Rodney Institute
George Landrith, Frontiers of Freedom
1-31-13
(In route, Cuenca to Washington, D.C.)
American Energy Alliance News Briefs:
His Majesty has a difficult decision to make, so please extend him every courtesy. He must choose between placating the ecothugs in his Royal Court (like Bill McKibben) or providing his already suffering subjects with low cost energy and jobs. ABC News (1/23/13) reports: “But Obama faces significant pressure from an engaged environmental lobby to block the plan, particularly in light of his groundbreaking comments on climate change in his second inaugural address… ‘You cannot say the words the president did in his inaugural address, and then turn around and approve the pipeline,’ said Jane Kleeb with BOLD Nebraska, an advocacy group opposed to the plan. ‘This much is as crystal clear as the Ogallala Aquifer is without this risky export tar sands pipeline.’”
Although it was great for Bruce’s creative juices, it’s a good sign that Americans will no longer have to be born down in a dead man town.Barron's (1/26/13) reports: “As the only industrialized superpower not decimated by World War II, the United States once made nearly 40% of the planet's goods. These days, that number has shrunk to 18%. We make American Girl dolls in China, Levi's jeans in Mexico, and enough movies in Vancouver to nickname it Hollywood North… Chemical makers guzzle energy and also rely on byproducts from oil and gas purification -- stuff like ethane, butane, and propane -- for raw materials. So the shale boom delivers a double blessing of cheap feedstock and energy. In fact, PwC thinks that we might start seeing more plastic-based substitutes for materials like metal, glass, or wood. That's good news for diversified specialty-chemical giants like DuPont (DD), and also Dow Chemical (DOW), which is investing $4 billion to boost production and build an ethylene plant in Texas that could hire 2,000 workers.”
The gummint ought to stop this pronto. ABC News (1/27/13) reports: “Private landowners are reaping billions of dollars in royalties each year from the boom in natural gas drilling, transforming lives and livelihoods even as the windfall provides only a modest boost to the broader economy… ‘We used to have to put stuff on credit cards. It was basically living from paycheck to paycheck,’ said Shawn Georgetti, who runs a family dairy farm in Avella, about 30 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.”
This guy ran a utility? Poverty, Climate Change and Social Justice is an odd name for a charitable fund. Unless of course J. Wayne is funding organizations that are against Socially Unjust Climate Change policies that will do nothing other than keep people in Poverty. I'm sure this woman can't wait to hear who gets the first grant. Entergy (1/25/13) reports: “Entergy Corporation today announced the creation of a $5 million endowment to honor retiring Chairman and Chief Executive Officer J. Wayne Leonard and continue efforts to address the issues of climate change, poverty and social justice.”
Too bad the eco-scamsters will have to wait four years before they try and "Pombo" Vitter. In the meantime, sit back, relax, and enjoy the fight. Senator Vitter (1/22/13) reports: “U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) is warning of more secret “sue and settle” deals with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and environmental groups. In a letter today, Vitter encourages Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell to join the 13 states’ AGs who recently filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with EPA asking for any and all correspondence between EPA and a list of 80 environmental, labor union and public interest organizations that had been party to litigation since the start of the Obama Administration.”
