Secretary of State designate Rex Tillerson pauses during a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 4, 2017. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson , who previously served as the CEO of oil and gas giant ExxonMobil , has recused himself from any decisions regarding the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Category: Energy
Is advancing human rights a priority for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson?
The State Department released its annual human rights report Friday, an exhaustive encyclopedia produced by its employees around the world after thousands of work-hours that details the worst abuses and crimes by state and non-state actors. But there was one thing noticeably absent from the roll-out this year — the secretary of state himself.
Can Alberta maintain its carbon pricing with a Trump administration?
On January 24, President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing TransCanada to reapply for a permit to build Keystone XL By approving Keystone XL, President Donald Trump may have salvaged the $2.9-billion writedown TransCanada Corp. took after former President Barack Obama rejected the company’s application in 2015, but that doesn’t mean he fixed the system. The method by which pipelines are reviewed and regulated remains dysfunctional, subject to the same forces of environmental obstructionism and political whim that led to Keystone’s rejection in the first place, to the same forces that led Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reject Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline.
EU calls on Canada to defend Paris climate accord against global ‘uncertainties’
The European Union’s environment commissioner is making a noisy pitch about joining forces with Canada to fight to preserve the Paris climate change accord in the face of “geopolitical uncertainties.” EU Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete didn’t mention Donald Trump by name, but his statement Thursday prior to his arrival in Ottawa seemed squarely aimed at the U.S. president.
White House Debates Icahn Plan Revamping Ethanol Rule
White House officials have spent the past two days in deliberations with billionaire refinery owner Carl Icahn about his proposal to modify federal policy on renewable fuels and with ethanol producers who oppose it, according to three people familiar with the talks. reported Monday that Icahn had helped broker a compromise with a leading biofuel group on reworking the program.
Massachusetts AG urges US House chairman to pull subpoena
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is urging Republican Congressman Lamar Smith to withdraw his committee’s subpoena for documents related to her Exxon Mobil investigation. Healey sent a 10-page letter to Smith Wednesday arguing the House Committee on Science , Space and Technology has no authority over her probe into whether Exxon Mobil misled Massachusetts consumers and investors about the impact of burning fossil fuels on the environment and the impact of climate change on the company’s business.
TID Closes Controlled Spillway At Don Pedro
The Turlock Irrigation District closed the controlled spillway at Don Pedro Reservoir this morning, one week after it opened. While the emergency spillway is closed, there will still be a heavy amount of water traveling along the Tuolumne River.
Will U.K Tidal Project Start Global Energy Revolution?
The proposed tidal lagoon would enclose Swansea Bay with a rock wall incorporating 16 turbines and generating 320MW of electricity. LONDON – Ambitious plans have been drawn up for a network of “tidal lagoons” around the UK coast that could provide up to a quarter of the country’s electricity – and there is potential to roll out the technology in many parts of the world.
Big Corn courts old foe Big Oil to combat electric car threat
A U.S. biofuels lobbying group on Tuesday said it is seeking to work with longtime rival the oil industry to fight the threat to both from subsidies for electric vehicles. The two industries have been at loggerheads for years as they seek sway with Washington over how much biofuel should be included in gasoline and diesel.
NAT: A Note from Herbjorn Hansson
Herbjrn Hansson, Chairman & CEO, Nordic American Tankers Limited has issued a statement about his company which is headquartered in Bermuda and listed on NYSE, with offices and representatives in several other countries. “Our office in Sandefjord, Norway, deals with corporate management, including communication with the NAT board, IR matters, quality assurance, cost control, accounting, macroeconomics and any issues related to US capital markets.
Germany Pretty Much Bans All Fracking Until 2021
The laws ban a “particularly controversial” form of fracking and impose strict regulations on all other methods. Germany’s parliament and 16 German states approved the laws in June and July of 2016.
Governors of Red, Blue States Urge Trump to Back Wind, Solar
A group of governors from both ends of the political spectrum are urging President Donald Trump to support renewable energy, saying the wind and solar industries are crucial economic engines for impoverished rural regions. The Governor’s Wind & Solar Energy Coalition is seeking increased federal funding to modernize local power grids and boost clean energy research, according to a letter submitted to the White House Monday.
[Other View] A Republican carbon tax
Some Republicans have grown tired of fighting the rest of the world on climate change. As economists, religious and military leaders, ordinary Americans and even oil companies have joined the push to lower greenhouse gas emissions, Republicans have, for the most part, resisted.
Mexico gets Trump’s trade ire. Japan and Germany, a pass
The focus on China is understandable: The U.S. trade deficit in goods with China is five times bigger than any other. The U.S. trade gap with Mexico , though, is smaller than the ones with Japan and Germany .
Big utilities try to tilt solar energy market in their favor
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana’s energy utilities want state lawmakers to pass a law that critics say would muscle out smaller companies from the emerging solar energy market.Solar power provides only about 1 percent of the country’s energy, but it is growing rapidly, with U.S. Energy Department figures showing solar industry employment grew 125 percent … (more)
Press release distribution, EDGAR filing, XBRL, regulatory filings
The corrected release reads: FALCON.IO NEARLY DOUBLES U.S. BUSINESS IN 2016 Demand for enhancing customer e… )–Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. today announced that Dakota Access, LLC has received an easement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers –UnitedHealthcare delivered 150 NERF ENERGY Game Kits, a limited-release game that tracks physical activity and rewards kids for being active, to the Boys & Girls Clu… )–Packaging Corporation of America : At approximately 11:10 am CST, Wednesday, February 8th, there was an explosion at our DeRidder, LA paper mill.
Watch out: Notorious climate denier Lamar Smith is fixated on “Making EPA Great Again.”
That’s the title he’s given to a hearing that will happen on Tuesday in the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, which Smith chairs. The hearing is likely to focus in part on Smith’s Secret Science Reform Act , which passed the House in 2015 but didn’t make it through the Senate.
States expected to continue course toward clean energy future
In Wyoming, Republican Gov. Matt Mead is counting on a state-funded research center set to open this year to find a way to produce energy from coal without releasing carbon dioxide into the environment. In Kansas, Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is eyeing new wind farms to bring jobs and economic growth.
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Political polling around the world is often accurate, despite the victory of US President Donald Trump who was widely predicted to lose the 2016 election to Hillary Clinton, researchers said Thursday. Polls correctly predict elections nine out of 10 times, said the findings by the University of Houston published in the journal Science.
Senate confirms ex-Exxon CEO Tillerson as top US diplomat
The US Senate confirmed Rex Tillerson as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state on Wednesday, filling a key spot on the Republican’s national security team despite concerns about the former Exxon Mobil chief executive officer’s ties to Russia. In the vote, 56 senators backed Tillerson, and 43 voted no.
White House aims tough talk at foreign leaders
President Donald Trump’s administration sent the same unyielding diplomatic message on multiple fronts Wednesday, making it clear that the president and his team are using the same blunt talk with world leaders that he used last year to rally crowds on the campaign trail. Sharp words for Iranian and Mexican leaders stood as early manifestations of Trump’s promise of a tougher American approach to nations who don’t align with U.S. goals and values.
Tensions flare as Koch promises to hold Trump accountable
In this photo May 22, 2012 file photo, Charles Koch speaks in his office at Koch Industries in Wichita, Kan. Koch, the billionaire industrialist, and his chief lieutenants offered a more delicate response this weekend when asked about President Donald Trump’s plan to block immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Study: Residential Solar Power Crosses Party Lines
In this series we’ll take a fresh look at resources and how they are used. We’ll go beyond natural resources like air and water to look at how efficiency in raw materials can boost the bottom line and help the environment.
TransCanada makes new application for Keystone XL
TransCanada Corp. has submitted a new presidential permit application to the U.S. Department of State for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. The project would move oil 1,180 miles from Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would connect with other lines for refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast.
TransCanada CEO vows to ‘diligently’ work on permit application for Keystone XL
The CEO of TransCanada says the company will work “diligently” to complete an application for a presidential permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would support its construction. In his first remarks since Trump’s endorsement, Russ Girling says he believes the project makes “imminent sense” for both Canada and the United States.
A timeline of the Keystone XL oil pipeline
Notable events in the dispute over the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which is slated to run from Canada to U.S. refineries in the Gulf Coast. March 2008 – The U.S. State Department issues a presidential permit for a $5.2 billion Keystone pipeline to transport crude oil.
President Trump’s first days in office: Highlights
As US President Donald Trump begins his four-year term in the White House, here’s a look at the key meetings he chaired, decisions he took and promises he made since taking the oath of office on January 20: The US Senate confirmed Trump appointee Mike Pompeo as the director of CIA. Trump’s choice for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil Corp Chairman Rex Tillerson, narrowly won the Senate committee approval is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate.
Senate panel narrowly backs Trump’s choice for top diplomat
In this Jan. 11, 2107 file photo, Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
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The panel voted along party lines, 11-10, to recommend Rex Tillerson’s nomination to the full Senate, where the former chief executive of Exxon Mobil is almost certain to be confirmed by the Republican-led chamber. Sen. Bob Corker, the committee’s Republican chairman, says he has “no doubt” Tillerson is well-qualified, citing his leadership of the energy giant.
‘Hostile Takeover’: Oil & Gas Industry Now In Charge of US Foreign Policy
Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, January 11, 2017, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The committee voted to approve his nomination on Monday.
With Rubio’s support, Tillerson’sa
Former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson is almost certain to become the next Secretary of State, thanks to a lukewarm endorsement from the most pivotal senator in the confirmation process. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, announced on Monday that he would back the native Texan for the post as the chief American diplomat.
Tillerson Probably Has The Votes For Confirmation
ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson speaks during the IHS CERAWeek 2015 energy conference in Houston, Texas April 21, 2015. REUTERS/Daniel Kramer/File President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, will likely be confirmed by the Senate, after Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham announced their intentions to vote for him.
Will Trump echo JFK’s moonshot and vow to send humans to Mars?
For drive-by readers we offer this immediate answer to the question posed in our headline: Almost certainly not, at least in the inaugural address. Maybe later.
Marco Rubio Faces a Moment of Truth in Rex Tillerson’s Confirmation Vote
In this Jan. 11, 2017 photo, Senator Marco Rubio questions Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson during Tillerson’s confirmation hearing before the committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. of Florida as a Senate committee is poised to vote on President Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of state.
Trump nominee wins key Senate support
Two senior Republican lawmakers have said they would vote to approve Rex Tillerson, President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state. Senators John McCain of Arizona, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said they would support the former ExxonMobil chief’s nomination, despite their concerns over his relationship with Russia’s president.
Trump’s pick for Secretary of State gets key backing
Former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, talk to Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson on Capitol Hill in Washington during the inaugural luncheon. Photo / AP Former ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson’s bid to be the next secretary of state received a major boost when a pair of Republican senators who had expressed consternation about him announced they will vote to confirm him, a move that effectively clears the way for him to win confirmation.
Republicans step up push for Arctic drilling in wildlife refuge
Buoyed by Donald Trump’s election, Republicans are pushing to allow oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an area in northern Alaska that’s been a political battleground for drillers and conservationists for decades. This month, two Alaska Republicans introduced legislation to allow development of as many as 2,000 acres in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
In opening act, Trump’s light side on display with lawmakers
Seated at a desk in an ornate room steps from the Senate floor, Trump the showman emerged, giving running commentary as he went. He joshed about his proposed repeal of President Barack Obama’s health care law as he signed legislation granting a special waiver so James Mattis can become Pentagon chief despite having recently served as a general in the Marines.
Perry regrets call to eliminate Energy Department
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to head the Energy Department, said Thursday he regrets his infamous statement about abolishing the federal agency and insisted it performs a critical function. Perry told a Senate committee that if confirmed, he will be a passionate advocate for the department’s core missions and will seek to draw “greater attention to the vital role played by the agency,” especially in protecting and modernizing the nation’s nuclear stockpile.
Virginia Senate panel spikes bill that would restore utility rate reviews
Sen. J. Chapman Petersen, D-Fairfax City, waits to present a bill Monday during a meeting of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee in the General Assembly Building in Richmond.