Recent Gas News/GasBuddy Blog

The Denver Post -- The prospect of large oil reserves in Rocky Mountain shale and tight-sands formations generated nearly $10 billion in merger- and-acquisition deals in the region in 2011, according to two studies released Wednesday.

The $9.9 billion in deals represents a 32 percent increase over 2010, according to a study by accounting and consulting firm De- loitte LLP.

"It is clear people are really focused on these oil-rich plays," said Roger Ihne, Deloitte's Mid-Americas portfolio leader.

The biggest draw in the region is the Niobrara shale formation, which stretches from El Paso County into Wyoming, said Pete Stark, a vice president with consultant IHS.

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MISH'S Global Economic Trend Analysis -- As I have been telling you recently, there is some unprecedented data coming out in petroleum distillates, and they slap me in the face and tell me we have some very bad economic trends going on, totally out of line with such things as the hopium market - I mean stock market.

This past week I actually had to reformat my graphs as the drop off peak exceeded my bottom number for reporting off peak - a drop of ALMOST 4,000,000 BARRELS PER DAY off the peak usage in our past for this week of the year.
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AOL.com -- In order for the Chevy Volt to really be a success, the car needs to be affordable for the masses.

But for now, the car is mostly the province of the wealthy. General Motors, which makes the Volt, said Monday that the average income of Volt buyers is a whopping $175,000 a year. That rarefied space is usually reserved for buyers of German luxury cars.

"The Volt appeals to an affluent, progressive demographic," says Bill Visnic, senior editor for Edmunds.com "It's rare. It's hard to get one. ... It's the same reason that people buy the really rare exotic cars: Because other people can't have one."

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CNET -- Stanford researches may have solved the problem of range anxiety by wireless charging technology that could one day create an electric highway.

Wireless recharging already is used by some electric vehicle charging stations to fill up batteries without cords or plugging into an outlet. MIT helped pioneer this technology and spun it off into a wireless charging startup, WiTricity. However, Stanford researchers improved on this concept and devised a way to transmit 10 kilowatts of electric power across a 6.5-foot distance with minimal energy loss. By overcoming transmitting electricity across a significant distance, researchers will make it possible to pave a highway with wireless conduits that can provide addition power to EVs and let them operate indefinitely.

Theoretically, coils b  (go to article)

Pike Research -- Lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles and the grid are often spoken of in the same breath. Undoubtedly, there will be synergies between these markets for lithium ion battery technology. However, the costs, market opportunities, and business models for each are distinct. The firm’s lead analysts in these areas, research director John Gartner and research analyst Anissa Dehamna, will discuss the congruities and distinctions between the lithium ion battery EV and grid storage markets.

This webinar will quantify the market opportunities for lithium ion in the EV and grid storage market as well as compare and contrast key aspects of these markets including: pricing, suppliers, key trends in individual markets, manufacturing, business models, and end users.  (go to article)

Bloomberg.com -- Oil rose for a third day as the number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims unexpectedly declined and Greek political leaders struck a deal on a package of austerity measures.

Futures advanced as much as 1.5 percent after the Labor Department said applications for jobless benefits decreased 15,000 in the week ended Feb. 4 to 358,000. The Greek government has reached the agreement required for a 130 billion-euro ($173 billion) financing package, according to an e-mailed statement from Prime Minister Lucas Papademos’s office in Athens.

“The jobs data showed the U.S. economy is definitely looking better than it was, and it’s providing some strength to oil,” said Kyle Cooper, director of research for IAF Advisors in Houston. “Greece is probably the driving factor for the  (go to article)

The Washington Post -- NEW YORK — The price of natural gas is climbing after a major producer said it may increase U.S. production cuts this year.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. said Thursday that it may cut production by up to a billion cubic feet per day, twice the amount that the company announced in January.

Natural gas futures jumped by 6 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $2.51 per 1,000 cubic feet in New York.

Benchmark crude prices also rose, by $1.26 to $99.97 per barrel in New York. Brent crude rose by 88 cents to $118.08 per barrel in London.

Retail gasoline prices rose by less than a penny to a national average of $3.49 per 1,000 cubic feet.  (go to article)

Washington Examiner -- Everyone knows that if you take the bacon off a greasy cheeseburger, it’s still packed with tons of calories and saturated fat. So why do members of Congress think cutting pork from the 2012 Highway Bill should suddenly make it appetizing to fiscal conservatives?

The Highway Bill — the last one expires at the end of March — traditionally uses gas tax receipts to fund highway construction and maintenance, but it also finances “enhancement projects” like bike paths, transportation museums, and the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere.” Just over the past seven years, reckless spending on pork projects like these have caused the federal government to bail out the Highway Trust Fund three times to the tune of nearly $30 billion, according to the Heritage Foundation.  (go to article)

The Parkersburg News and Sentinel -- ST. MARYS - The Willow Island Power Station in Pleasants County is one of three aging coal-fired power plants in West Virginia that will be shut down later this year, FirstEnergy Corp. announced Wednesday.

Its subsidiary Monongahela Power will be retiring Willow island, the Albright Power Station in Preston County and the Rivesville Power Station in Marion County by Sept. 1. The company said 105 employees will be affected.

The decision was based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which were recently finalized, and other environmental regulations.

"The high cost to implement M.A.T.S. and other environmental rules is the reason these Mon Power plants are being retired," said James R. Haney, regional president of Mon Power and president  (go to article)

GasBuddy Blog -- When the Dept. of Energy released its weekly report yesterday refinery utilization rates by region showed the East Coast refineries operating at 55.8%, by far the lowest rate in the country.

The east coast's low output is directly tied to the closings of several Sunoco and Conoco-Phillips refineries...And we reported earlier on these and also that Colonial Pipeline has taken steps to increase capacity there. But Colonial's efforts may not be enough...

Colonial Pipeline spokesman Steve Baker said this morning that he could not speculate on whether Colonial's expansion in the northeast will be enough by itself to sufficiently compensate for the lost refinery capacity. "Colonial's role is to transport the fuel from...  (go to article)

The Heritage Foundation -- The U.S. coal industry is facing a grim outlook in 2012, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) pollution rules are one big reason.
The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule have contributed to the premature shutdown of several coal plants and the idling of coal mines across the country. The EPA’s attack on coal is sending electricity bills skyrocketing as more expensive sources of energy take coal’s place. While anti-coal protestors cheer, American families are paying the price.
Alpha Natural Resources, a major Appalachian coal producer, announced plans to lower coal production last Friday as demand for coal by electric utilities is dropping:  (go to article)

OilPrice.com -- Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, is currently on a visit to China in order to boost cooperation in many key areas between the two countries. The first step towards this goal was made on Tuesday when an agreement was signed between himself and his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jinbao, to increase bilateral investment and promote energy exports to China.

"Diversifying our markets is a key priority for Canada," Harper said in his opening remarks to Wen. "We look forward to expanding our cooperation in many important areas, including energy, natural resources, tourism and education."
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Popular Science -- They found at temperatures greater than 2,240 degrees F and pressures 50,000 times greater than those at the Earth’s surface, methane molecules can fuse to form hydrocarbons with multiple carbon atoms. Interactions with metal or carbon sped up the fusion process, the researchers said. These conditions are present about 70 miles down, according to an LLNL news release.  (go to article)

Anchorage Daily News online -- 'SLAP ON THE WRIST': Critics say fines for infractions amounted to little.

By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

Published: February 8th, 2012 09:12 PM
Last Modified: February 8th, 2012 09:12 PM

WASHINGTON -- Federal policing of oil and natural gas on public lands is lax and inconsistent, with only 6 percent of violations resulting in monetary fines over 13 years, U.S House Democrats said in a report Wednesday.

Fines over that time totaled less than $275,000, an amount that the Democratic staff of the House Natural Resources Committee characterized as little more than "pocket change" for oil and gas companies. The report said federal regulators issued no fines in the period studied, February 1998 to February 2011, in eight of the drilling states, including Alaska.  (go to article)

CNET -- SolarReserve has completed the central point of a solar project that uses molten salt storage to deliver power to the grid well after the sun has gone down.

The startup company today said it has completed the 540-foot tower of the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project near Tonopah, Nev., which is expected to start delivering 110 megawatts by the end of 2013. When it comes online, it's projected to have 10 hours of storage, the longest full-load storage capacity for a solar plant.

Adding storage turns solar into a continuous power source and allows project developers to earn more money for their electricity. As a result, solar projects that use heat to make electricity have added molten salt storage to their facilities.  (go to article)

Bloomberg -- China, the world’s second-biggest oil consumer, raised domestic fuel prices for the first time in 10 months to spur production by refiners including China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (386) and PetroChina Co. (857)

Retail gasoline and diesel cost 300 yuan ($47.58) a metric ton more starting today, the National Development and Reform Commission said on its website yesterday. The increase is equivalent to 0.22 yuan a liter on average nationwide for gasoline and 0.26 yuan a liter for diesel, China’s top economic planning agency said.

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Bloomberg --
Oil in New York climbed to the highest level this month after the U.S. Energy Department reported that supplies increased less than analysts forecast and refineries bolstered fuel production.

Futures rose 0.3 percent after the report showed crude stockpiles gained 304,000 barrels, less than the 2.5 million barrels estimated in a Bloomberg News survey. Refiners ramped up gasoline output on the East Coast, and Brent crude traded in London jumped more than West Texas Intermediate oil in New York.  (go to article)

Design News -- Smith Electric Vehicles has teamed with Trans Tech Bus to roll out a 42-passenger, 26,000lb electric bus, called the Newton eTrans, which it hopes will change the way children get to school every morning.

"Speed and predictability of route is important," Bryan Hansel, CEO of Smith Electric Vehicles, told us. "School buses tend to have very dedicated routes. You know the exact distance that you drive every day, so you don't have to have any concerns about range anxiety."

Click Link to Read Complete Article
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Forbes -- To determine our list we started with new vehicles listed as Consumer Reports "Recommended Picks" for this year. Recommended Picks are models that have average or better predicted reliability and that meet Consumer Reports' safety standards; they also had to have performed well in accelerating, braking, handling, comfort and other user-oriented tests.

Then we selected from that group those vehicles that earned the "Most Reliable" distinction for this year—and crosschecked them with CR's "Most Fuel-Efficient" winners as well. Nine vehicles, including hybrids, sedans and even a couple SUVs, made the final cut.  (go to article)

CNN Money -- Several automakers are moving toward small, shared electric cars that will radically change the way people drive in big cities.

Driving in the city is a mess. Especially if that city happens to be somewhere in densely populated Asia or if one of the of the huge Western mega-cities like London, New York or Los Angeles.

Many, but but not all, big cities are already served by mass transit systems but even the best transit systems lack the inherent flexibility of cars. Unfortunately, that flexibility comes at a high cost, both to the car owner and to the environment.

The plans laid out by various automakers aim to reduce vehicle emissions and to do away with the need for urban dwellers to even own the car they drive. And as technology improves, city slickers may not even need to drive  (go to article)

Courier Post Online -- WEST DEPTFORD — Before the first shovel of ceremonial dirt tossed by dignitaries hit the ground Wednesday, word came that the long-delayed LS Power project will have its production capacity expanded.

The West Deptford Energy Station, scheduled to go online two years from now, is designed as a combined-cycle electric generation facility, fueled by natural gas.

“We’ve commenced activities permitting an expansion of this power plant to add another unit and increase the output by approximately 50 percent, another 400 megawatts,” LS Power CEO Paul Segal said. “Executing the expansion won’t be easy, but were dedicated to giving it our all.”

The plant, on a 35-acre plot of land on the border with Paulsboro off Crown Point Road, will be operated by Segal’s New Jersey-based firm out of Eas  (go to article)

Bloomberg -- Oil rose for a eighth day in London on optimism Greece will receive a second bailout and as freezing weather in Europe boosted demand for heating.

Brent crude climbed as much as 0.8 percent, headed for the longest rising streak since October 2009. Oil in New York rose a third day, gaining as much as 0.8 percent. Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said he hoped for a “positive decision” on a loan package when he meets European policy makers in Brussels today. The euro rose against the dollar, making commodities priced in the U.S. currency more attractive.  (go to article)

USA Today -- The activist group Judicial Watch says it has sued the Department of Energy to obtain records detailing the DOE's $529 million loan promise to Fisker Automotive, maker of luxury electrified vehicles.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton says it appears that the government "shelled out over half-a-billion dollars to a failing and incompetent green energy company."

Earlier post about Fisker layoffs is here.

Judicial Watch previously sought the records under the Freedom of Information Act, but hadn't received them by Feb. 1, so sued to get the records. The group disclosed the suit late Wednesday.

DOE should "turn off the government spigot to Fisker," Fitton says.

The Energy Department already did, in fact, as of last May.

Fisker failed to meet certain, undisclosed production ...  (go to article)

Dow Jones Newswires -- LONDON – OPEC Thursday scissored its demand numbers for 2012 again as Asian growth slows, but the group still pumped at levels not seen in three years as Iranian disruptions fears continues.

In its closely-watched monthly report, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries knocked off about 120,000 barrels a day out of its global oil growth demand estimate for 2012, to about 940,000 barrels a day.

So far, OPEC has slashed near a third of the amount it initially expected consumers to add to their 2012 needs.

"Waning [developed] economies are negatively affecting the oil market and imposing a considerable range of uncertainty over the short term," the group said. It cited question marks over Europe's ability to survive its debt crisis and fizzling appetite for gasoline among  (go to article)

Reuters -- Brent crude held near six-month highs above $117 on Thursday amid worries of further supply disruptions due to tension in the Middle East, while hopes Greece is inching closer to a debt deal and expectations of further easing from the European Central Bank gave support.

Front-month Brent [LCOCV1 117.69 0.49 (+0.42%) ] gained 61 cents to $117.81 a barrel, rising for an eighth straight day. U.S. light, sweet crude [CLCV1 99.31 0.60 (+0.61%) ] added 52 cents to reach $99.23 a barrel in its third day of increases.

“Instability in the (Middle East) region would see choppy Brent trading through 2012 as supply side fears continue to grab investors’ attention,” Andrey Kryuchenkov from VTB Capital said in a note. “Importantly though, it is exactly supply fears that underpin pri  (go to article)

Washington Post -- Federal policing of oil and natural gas drilling on public lands is lax and inconsistent, with only 6 percent of violations resulting in monetary fines over 13 years, House Democrats said in a report Wednesday.

Fines over that time totaled less than $275,000, an amount that the Democratic staff of the House Natural Resources Committee characterized as little more than “pocket change” for oil and gas companies. The report said federal regulators issued no fines in the period studied, February 1998 to February 2011, in eight of the drilling states.

The report released Wednesday, said the government does little to ensure accountability or protect the environment, even as drilling on federal land has increased in recent years. The increase is driven in part by hydraulic fracturing, ...  (go to article)

MSNBC -- There are plenty of bargain-priced cars, trucks and crossovers, but that doesn’t always mean they add up to a good deal. Smart shoppers know there are lots of ways costs can quickly get out of control when you own a car, from insurance to fuel economy to maintenance and repairs.

And that’s why a new study from Kelly Blue Book is focusing on what really matters: the total cost of ownership. And there, the data-tracking website concludes, Kia is the clear standout as the top brand among all manufacturers when the entire ownership experience is tallied up. Audi was the No. 1 luxury brand when measured by total cost of ownership.  (go to article)

Dow Jones -- U.K. energy firm BG Group (BG.LN) proposes to scale back 80% of its planned U.S. shale gas drilling activity for this year in response to a sharp fall in prices, the company's chief executive said Thursday.

We now plan to have eight rigs in operation this year from 35," said Chief Executive Frank Chapman, who added that the move was directly related to the sharp fall in U.S. natural gas prices. New extraction techniques that allow producers to unlock previously untouched shale gas fields have led to abundant supply, pushing down prices to a decade low.

Natural gas for March delivery was recently 0.5 cent lower at $2.467 a million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. U.S. natural gas stockpiles stood at 2.966 trillion cubic feet last week, more than 25% above the  (go to article)

MLIVE -- State senators will hear testimony on a bill to ban cellphone use by new Michigan drivers later this month.

There will be a hearing for the bill on Feb. 21 in front of the Senate Energy and Technology Committee, said state Sen. Howard Walker, R-Traverse City. Walker introduced the bill and sits on the committee.

"There seems to be a lot of interest in it," he said Wednesday.  (go to article)

NY Times -- WASHINGTON — For the first time in over three decades, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to decide to grant a license to build a nuclear reactor — a milestone for an industry whose long-hoped-for renaissance is smaller and later than anticipated.  (go to article)

Fox News --
WASHINGTON – House Republicans cleared a hurdle Tuesday in their efforts to push through approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, after a House committee passed a bill mandating federal approval of the project within 30 days of receiving a proposal for it.

The pro-Keystone legislation now heads to the full House, where it will be attached to a $260 billion transportation bill backed by House Speaker John Boehner (Ohio). It then moves to the Senate, where its fate becomes less clear given the Democrat majority in that chamber.

The Obama administration opposes the bill. In a recent congressional hearing, a top State Department official said the legislation is irresponsible and legally questionable because it bypasses a final review of the pipeline route.  (go to article)

southernstudies.org -- The oil and gas industry's lobbying organization held a workshop in North Carolina last week to promote its own standards as models for how the state might regulate the controversial gas drilling technique known as "fracking"

But nowhere in their presentations did officials with the American Petroleum Institute acknowledge the environmental damage done in other states despite the industry's standards. Nor did they mention the serious shortcomings documented in API's standards-setting program following the BP oil-spill disaster.

..an industry which is a master of denial

..lawmakers are considering whether to overturn the state's fracking ban

Exxon Mobil doesn't care about geology, it doesn't care about chemistry, it doesn't care about physics" he said. "Exxon cares about profit  (go to article)

Dow Jones Newswires --
Crude-oil futures finished slightly higher Wednesday after a government report showed U.S. crude-oil stockpiles rose less than expected last week, although oil demand overall was weak.

Light, sweet crude oil for March delivery settled up 30 cents, or 0.3%, to $98.71 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude oil on the ICE futures exchange settled 97 cents per barrel, or 0.8%, higher at $117.20.

U.S. oil inventories last week rose 300,000 barrels, the Department of Energy reported, well below the 2.7-million-barrel increase forecast by analysts surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires.

Despite the modest increase, weak demand continues to keep prices restrained. Nymex futures actually declined from highs of $100.09 a barrel following the weekly survey from the DOE's Energy  (go to article)

TruthOut -- Washington - A barrage of industry-led advertising and lobbying urging President Obama to "put jobs ahead of politics" has fueled the impression that labor unions universally champion the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

But that myth was blown apart just minutes after the president rejected the project on Jan. 18.

That's when five labor unions that had kept low profiles on the pipeline—including the 2 million-member strong Service Employees International Union—issued a joint statement backing Obama's decision.

Since then, a more nuanced snapshot has emerged of where labor unions stand on Keystone XL. That newer picture weakens industry's argument that the pipeline has broad union support. The handful of unions that praised the president and questioned the project’s merits represent ....  (go to article)

ThinkProgress -- In hearings to mark up Republican legislation to expedite the Keystone XL pipeline, Rep. Mike Doyle accused TransCanada of misleading the American public that the pipeline would be built with American steel.

Doyle submitted an amendment that challenged TransCanada to certify its claim that 75 percent of the pipe comes from North America. Discussing his amendment, Doyle expressed his frustration in attempts to get a straight answer from the company about where the steel for the 1700-mile pipe was made. Doyle found that Indian company Welspun Corp appears to be the pipeline supplier.

Doyle revealed he found that 148 miles of pipe have already been constructed in India and shipped to Welspun’s subsidiary Welspun Tubular in Little Rock, AR.

The steel comes from the same Indian manufa  (go to article)

Reuters -- BP Plc won a court order keeping several potentially damaging emails out of a scheduled trial to determine responsibility for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Wednesday's ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Shushan in New Orleans came a day after U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier rejected the oil company's effort to keep evidence about settlements it had already reached out of the trial.

The rulings came as Barbier prepares to preside on February 27 over a non-jury trial to assign blame for the April 20, 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig, which killed 11 people and caused the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.  (go to article)

By MICHAEL WARREN - Associated Press -- SANTIAGO, Chile -- Repsol YPF on Wednesday raised the estimate for potentially recoverable oil and gas in its part of Argentina's "Vaca Muerta" (Dead Cow) basin to the equivalent of nearly 23 billion barrels, indicating a total shale deposit big enough to enable Argentina to challenge the United States in non-conventional petroleum production.

But it cautioned that exploiting the formation would need a huge expansion in Argentina's oil and gas industry, requiring thousands of wells, hundreds of drilling rigs and a national push to attract the necessary talent, equipment and investment at a time when other countries are competing to increase energy resources.

The company's shares traded on the Buenos Aires stock exchange jumped 8 percent after the announcement.  (go to article)

Road & Track -- A curb weight of 3355 lb. is listed on the 427’s spec sheet, as are expected performance numbers of 3.8 sec. from 0 to 60 mph and 11.8 sec. for the quarter mile. Lateral acceleration is estimated at 1.04g and its top speed is rated at a hairdo-destroying 190 mph.  (go to article)

The Street -- In a turn of events that could prove disastrous for Iran, it has found its largest exporter, China, recently reducing the amount of oil it buys and looking for other sources, such as Saudi Arabia. China normally accounts for 20% of Iran’s exports, but has reduced the quantity of oil purchased by about 250,000 barrels per day (bpd), just over half of original supplies. It has nothing to do with current US and European sanctions but is more of a negotiating ploy to help increase the bargaining power of China.

They are trying to take advantage of the pressure exerted upon Iran by the West’s sanctions and negotiate lower prices for the oil it purchases from Tehran.

China has bought its new oil from Saudi Arabia, West Africa, Russia and Australia over the last few months. According to OPEC, S  (go to article)

CPBJ -- The state House this afternoon passed a bill rewriting the state's regulations for Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling and imposing an impact fee.

The vote on the legislation, House Bill 1950, was 101-90. The state Senate passed it Tuesday night by a vote of 31-19. The bill now goes to Gov. Tom Corbett’s desk for his signature.

The bill imposes an impact fee based on the average yearly price of natural gas. The bill’s backers said the fee works out to roughly a 3 percent effective rate; opponents said it was closer to 1 percent.

The bill also limits municipalities’ ability to regulate the drilling industry, which has long argued it needs uniform statewide rules rather than a patchwork of local ordinances.

A statement on the bill’s passage from the Marcellus Shale Coalition was not imm  (go to article)

Autoweek - Car News -- Michigan-based Gibbs Technologies has released two new high-speed, commercial-grade amphibian vehicles, named the Phibian and the Humdinga.

The Phibian is a 30-foot-long, nearly 12-foot-tall craft capable of highway speeds on land and more than 30 mph (26 knots) in the water. Constructed mainly of carbon fiber, the Phibian can hold up to 15 people, including a crew of three.

Designed for first-responder and rescue operations, the Phibian can go from the road to the water in less than 10 seconds with the push of a button. A twin-turbocharged diesel engine puts 500 hp to the ground through selectable four-wheel drive and twin jet drives in the water.

The smaller Humdinga, at 21 feet long, holds five to seven occupants for light-duty patrol and rapid-response situations. It has a superc  (go to article)

Autoweek- Car News -- People, hear me--you don't need a $2,000 charging dock to recharge your electric car!

Building owners, listen to my words--you don't need to go through some charging-infrastructure contractor to provide electricity for your tenants and customers who have EVs!

Municipalities currently being sweet-talked by various entities, lend me your ears! Save everybody money!

Electricity is electricity. It comes out of the wall and goes into your car. It is not complicated and it doesn't need a box with five different-colored lights that blink, and you don't need anything that makes a bleep sound at different times. All you need is a plug, and you get one with your car when you buy it.

I just bought a Mitsubishi i, the least expensive, freeway-ready EV in America. It came with a charge cable th  (go to article)

Politico -- Last week's revelations about the organization’s hushed financial marriage to the natural gas industry — and its just-as-secretive divorce — have left some long-time supporters feeling angry, betrayed or misled. The news cut especially deep for activists who have spent years fighting the spread of shale gas drilling in states like New York and Pennsylvania.

The Sierra Club quietly accepted $26 million in donations from gas industry interests from 2007 to 2010 — years when the group’s national leaders were talking up gas as a cleaner, greener “bridge fuel” alternative to coal.

“The Sierra Club is saying we cannot go down the road of a gas-powered future,” Fox said. He added, “It would be great if our government followed suit & politicians stopped taking money from gas companies"  (go to article)

MSNBC -- Experts expect record prices in the coming months. NBC's Jay Gray reports.  (go to article)

Environmental Leader -- The Mitsubishi i-MIEV has unseated the Honda Civic Natural Gas from its throne and become the first electric car in 12 years to top environmental rankings from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

This is the first time in eight years that the Civic Natural Gas hasn’t topped the ACEEE “Greenest” list, which have been going for 14 years. The Honda Civic Natural Gas did improve its fuel economy this year, and ties for second place with the Nissan Leaf. They are followed by the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight, and the Smart ForTwo.

With a combined city and highway fuel economy of 112 miles per gallon equivalent, the i-MIEV outperforms all other vehicles sold in the U.S., ACEEE says. It earned a score of 58, the highest since the rankings began.  (go to article)

Truthout -- Victims of contaminated water have sued Cabot and fought for more than two years for clean water, and, until about two months ago, Cabot was under state orders to deliver fresh water in giant vessels to several of the affected residences.  (go to article)

McClatchy -- Penn State climate scientist Michael Mann's upcoming talk at the university has been the target of a coal and gas interest group that would like the university to "disinvite" him.
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JSOnline -- Efforts to increase the amount of ethanol in gasoline were dealt a blow Tuesday by legislation that would block a 15% biofuel blend until more studies are done on whether it harms engines.

A bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) would require a comprehensive review of fuels containing more than 10% ethanol before they're allowed in the marketplace.

By a vote of 19-7, the bill was approved by a House committee on science, space and technology. Sensenbrenner chairs the committee.

Makers of small engines, especially, have said scores of their products could be ruined if consumers use a fuel mix that contains more than 10% ethanol - a corn-based fuel additive used in most gasoline.

A 15% blend could cause premature engine failure, lower fuel efficiency and void...  (go to article)

The Financial Post -- Federal rules for fracking on public lands, set to be released in a few weeks, may serve as a model for states to get companies to disclose the chemicals used in the drilling process, an Obama administration official said.

The proposed federal standards will be compatible with rules already in place in states such as Wyoming and Texas, and will allow limited exemptions for “legitimate trade secrets,” David Hayes, the deputy Interior secretary, said today.

“What we expect is that the momentum that you already see in states for disclosure will be reinforced by what we do,” Hayes said in an interview at the Washington office of Bloomberg News. “Most folks would like to see an across-the-board approach to deal with these issues.”  (go to article)

The Financial Post -- Canadian crude oil is being sold at a steep discount over concerns that pipelines and refineries are unable to keep up with rising production.

Western Canada Select has fallen steadily over the last month, closing on Monday at its lowest level in a year at just US$61.41 a barrel. Even after recovering on Tuesday to US$65.91, Canadian crude was trading at little more than half of the global benchmark.

“A barrel of Western Canadian Select crude is one of the cheapest barrels of heavy, sour crude available in the world, as the Canadian market grapples with increases in production, pipeline constraints and lack of adequate refinery demand,” said a report by Platts, an energy market news service based in New York.  (go to article)

PRI -- In a Texas town of 1,100 people, the well has run dry. Now all the water needed for drinking, washing and bathing must be trucked in from other areas. But a new report has discovered that up until just weeks before the well went dry, the local water provider was selling off water up until the last weeks before the well ran out.

Spicewood Beach, Texas, has been enduring a drought so bad they've had to start trucking in drinking water on a regular basis.

Spicewood is the first place in what is a drought-stricken state to deplete its aquifer to the point that it can no longer draw enough ground water for its 1100 residents. But in an ironic twist, the Lower Colorado River Authority, the public agency that manages the water, was selling the city's water and trucking it out of town...  (go to article)