Energy Tomorrow Blog
The Administration’s Misstep on Eastern Gulf, South Atlantic Offshore Policy
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Mark Green
Posted September 14, 2020
A national policy that puts U.S. energy off-limits to development would have serious negative impacts for our nation’s security, jobs, the economy and household budgets. As argued in this post, proponents of policies that ban new natural gas and oil development on federal lands and waters have a lot of explaining to do.
This includes former Vice President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party Platform, which both pledge to effectively end new federal natural gas and oil development.
Unfortunately, it also includes the White House, which announced this week that there will be no offshore oil and natural gas development in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic going forward, into the year 2032.
This is wrong for U.S. energy, wrong for American security, wrong for jobs and wrong for economic growth.
U.S. Energy Empowers American Progress, Not Partisanship
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Sam Winstel
Posted September 19, 2019
Borrowing from a line from a presidential campaign gone by, we’ll point out that Democrats were for natural gas and oil before they were against it. See the clips below of President Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Our homegrown energy revolution is delivering abundant, affordable and reliable energy for American consumers and strengthening an industry that supports 10.3 million well-paying U.S. jobs. As the world’s No. 1 producer of natural gas and oil, the U.S. is increasingly energy self-sufficient, which reinforces our domestic economy, national security and climate leadership.
Offshore Energy and a Strategic Vision for U.S. Security
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Sam Winstel
Posted July 17, 2019
Legislation in Congress that could cripple future U.S. offshore energy development needs to be seen for the longer-term damage it could do to America’s strategic energy and national security.
One House bill would permanently extend a moratorium on development in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico; another would permanently bar leasing in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Given projected growth in America’s energy needs, such shortsighted legislation fails the test of leadership in setting energy policy that will enhance and protect our nation’s strategic interests.
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.
Safe Seismic Testing is Key to Atlantic Energy Development
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Mark Green
Posted July 21, 2017
Energizing Florida
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Mark Green
Posted August 15, 2016
Florida is a tale of two energy stories. On the consumption side, only Texas generates more net electricity from natural gas than Florida – which makes sense given Florida’s use of electricity to run air conditioners during the summer and home heating units during the winter. Production-wise, Florida is in the second tier of states in output (about 2 million barrels of oil in 2015, compared to Texas’ 1.26 billion barrels) – yet geologists believe there may be large oil and natural gas reserves on the outer continental shelf off Florida’s western coast.
Energy Policy Year in Review
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Jack Gerard
Posted December 29, 2015
2015 ends on a high note for U.S. energy policy as Congress voted to repeal the obsolete, ‘70s-era ban on crude exports. Dozens of studies agree that lifting the restrictions will put downward pressure on gas prices, reduce the trade deficit, and provide a boost to economic growth and U.S. energy production.
Throughout the year, our status as the world’s leading producer of oil and natural gas continued to provide savings to American families and businesses while significantly enhancing our energy security. A review of the year’s energy developments shows how the American energy renaissance is paying off for consumers while also demonstrating that policymakers have some work to do in 2016.
Energizing Hawaii
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Reid Porter
Posted August 17, 2015
Our series highlighting the economic and jobs impact of energy in each of the 50 states continues today with Hawaii. We started the series with Virginia on June 29 and continued with Montana, Iowa, Alabama, Arizona and Nebraska last week. All information covered in this series can be found online here, arranged on an interactive map of the United States. State-specific information across the country will be populated on this map as the series continues.
As we can see with Hawaii, the energy impacts of the states individually combine to form energy’s national economic and jobs picture: 9.8 million jobs supported and $1.2 trillion in value added.
Energizing South Carolina
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Reid Porter
Posted July 16, 2015
Our series highlighting the economic and jobs impact of energy in each of the 50 states continues today with South Carolina. We started our focus on the state level with Virginia on June 29 and continued this week with Wisconsin, Connecticut and Delaware. The energy impacts of the states individually combine to form energy’s national economic and jobs picture: 9.8 million jobs supported and $1.2 trillion in value added.
Information covered in this series can be found online here, arranged on an interactive map of the United States. State-specific information will be populated on this map as the series continues.
Strengthen the Draft Offshore Leasing Plan
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Mark Green
Posted March 31, 2015
There are a number of main points in official comments submitted by API and seven other energy industry groups to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on its draft offshore oil and natural gas leasing program for the 2017-2022 time period.
Given how much offshore acreage was excluded from the proposed draft, BOEM should not remove any areas proposed in the draft from the final lease plan, the associations write. The government is missing key opportunities to harness U.S. offshore energy in the Atlantic, eastern Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska, as other countries are implementing robust offshore development programs. Energy development on the outer continental shelf (OCS) would generate significant job and economic benefits to the U.S., and industry continues to press ahead with technological, safety and environmental protection improvements – all designed to foster increased safety in offshore operations.
The comments are among those being collected by BOEM before it finalizes the five-year leasing program later this year. The leasing plan is a blueprint for offshore development; areas not listed in it won’t be offered for lease 2017 to 2022. Given the 10 to 15 years needed to develop offshore oil and natural gas – from the time the lease is sold to production – the federal plan is critically important.