Energy Tomorrow Blog
Fracking Questions Continue to Follow Biden
Mark Green
Posted October 20, 2020
Vice President Joe Biden’s “No Malarkey Express” keeps hitting a speed bump called fracking.
During his townhall event in Philadelphia last week, Biden repeated that if elected president he wouldn’t ban fracking. It’s not hard to see the importance of fracking in energy-rich Pennsylvania – where lots of eyebrows probably were raised by Biden’s past statements and those of running mate Sen. Kamala Harris that fracking would be halted by a Biden administration (see here, here and here).
So, they’re opposed to banning fracking, which is used to develop about 95% of new wells in this country and key to the U.S. becoming the world’s leading producer of natural gas and oil.
But that’s not the same thing as supporting fracking or U.S. natural gas and oil – made clear by Biden’s proposal to effectively ban new natural gas and oil development on federal lands and waters (see his websiteand the Democratic Party Platform).
‘Joe Biden Will Not Ban Fracking’
Mark Green
Posted October 9, 2020
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris was unequivocal on fracking during the vice presidential debate – declaring the Democratic ticket, if elected, won’t ban hydraulic fracturing in natural gas and oil production.
“Joe Biden will not end fracking, he has been very clear about that,” Harris said. And then: “I will repeat, and the American people know that Joe Biden will not ban fracking. That is a fact. That is a fact.” This was soon underscored on Harris’ Twitter handle.
The clear Biden-Harris pledge on fracking indicates they know that jobs, economic growth, national security and environmental progress are linked to domestic natural gas and oil – largely made possible by hydraulic fracturing (used for 95% of new U.S. wells today).
Make U.S. Gulf Leasing More Competitive
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Mark Green
Posted May 10, 2019
Headlines announcing big oil discoveries in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) – such as the Blacktip deepwater find last month – are something we’ve come to expect. Gulf production long has been strategically important to the United States, accounting for 17 percent of total U.S. crude oil production, and it’s easy to take for granted that the basin will just keep producing and producing.
Yet, two recent analyses, IHS Markit’s report for the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and a Crystol Energy report, caution that the Central and Western Gulf, currently open to oil and natural gas development, are maturing, having been developed for several decades, and production could begin to decline before long. GOM development must compete globally with other offshore and onshore prospects or face declining interest in exploration, falling investment and decommissioning of critical infrastructure.
The Critical Importance of Energy Access in Alaska’s Coastal Plain
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Jessica Lutz
Posted March 18, 2019
In light of last week’s comment deadline for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Alaska’s Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program, it’s important to remember just how critical natural gas and oil development is to the Alaskan economy, the Alaskan people, and the long-term energy security of the United States.
Gulf Lease Sale Good, But We Need to Explore New Areas
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Mark Green
Posted May 2, 2018
The most recent federal Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas lease sale was described in some media reports as “disappointing,” “modest” and “tepid.” But there’s another, more positive way to look at it.
First, every offshore lease sale the federal government holds is welcome by industry, because each represents new opportunity for the market to work as it should – with companies making investment decisions based on the potential for significant natural gas and oil production.
A more important point underscored with the Gulf sale is one we’ve been making for some time – that the federal government needs to make available new offshore areas for study, research, exploration and development.
Let’s Hear It: The Benefits of Safe Offshore Energy
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Mark Green
Posted February 8, 2018
As a nation, we have a tremendous opportunity to safely and efficiently harness our offshore natural gas and oil reserves. Here are three important points that should be prominent during the public hearing phase of the process to develop the next federal offshore leasing plan.
Offshore 101: Energy for America’s Future Security
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Mark Green
Posted December 11, 2017
Soon, the Interior Department is expected to release its draft offshore leasing program that will shape natural gas and oil development on the federal outer continental shelf (OCS) for the next five years, 2019-2024. Recognizing that the leasing program only outlines where lease auctions could be conducted, let’s take a look at some offshore basics to provide full context to a process that’s critically important to our country’s future energy security.
Seismic Needed for Informed Atlantic Offshore Discussion
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Mark Green
Posted November 1, 2017
A sensible, safe and forward-looking offshore energy strategy – one that acknowledges that keeping 94 percent of federal offshore acreage off limits to responsible development risks U.S. energy security – underscores the need for reliable scientific data to establish the size and location of offshore oil and natural gas reserves, through safe seismic testing. Every other discussion about where offshore development may occur in the years ahead is premature until the resource base is known. In this context, a recent claim that U.S. military priorities and offshore energy development in the Atlantic Ocean are mostly incompatible is just plain silly.
Connect Offshore Policy With America's Energy Reality
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Mark Green
Posted October 12, 2017
What we see here are the outlines of a serious disconnect between current U.S. offshore policy and reality – that with the U.S. and the world projected to see significant growth in energy demand, the United States has more than 90 percent of its offshore reserves locked away, unavailable even for the studies and tests needed to determine the potential size and location of those reserves.
Given the long lead times needed to develop the offshore, the United States’ current policy posture needs a course correction.Go For ‘Robust’ in New Offshore Leasing Program
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Mark Green
Posted August 18, 2017
Here’s the case for expanded opportunity within a new offshore oil and natural gas leasing program that federal officials are assembling: Safely developing American oil and natural gas on the outer continental shelf (OCS) is vital to the United States’ long-term energy and national security; we need new access to offshore areas, such as the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Including them in the federal five-year plan will allow surveying to determine the location and size of oil and gas reserves; safe oil and natural gas production on the OCS could significantly boost local, regional and state economies; and advanced technologies, strong industry standards and a robust regulatory system work effectively together to protect workers, communities and the environment.