Category: Energy

O&G Proposal Worries Industry

The Department of Interior’s (DOI) most recent and perhaps most consequential responses to the catastrophic April 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico are proposed regulations for blowout preventer (BOP) systems and well control, which were published in the April 17, 2015, Federal Register.

Next on the GHG Hit List: Refrigerants

Back in June 2013, President Obama announced his Climate Action Plan, a major component of which is to cut carbon pollution in the United States. The outline to accomplish this focuses on renewable energy, clean energy innovation, energy efficiency, and a cleaner transportation sector, but it also specifically addresses cutting carbon emissions from power plants, […]

Two Court Cases Find in Favor of the EPA

EPA’s nonattainment designations of two counties—one in Montana and one in Michigan—under the Agency’s 2010 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for sulfur dioxide (SO2) were challenged in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in two separate petitions that the court consolidated. According to the court, the two claims had “virtually nothing […]

House Passes Joint Resolution to Block CPP

The U.S. House welcomed President Obama’s return from the Paris climate change conference by passing a joint resolution to block the EPA from implementing its Clean Power Plan (CPP) to regulate carbon emissions from existing power plants.

News: Life-cycle of RFS to be Reviewed

In an announcement that was welcomed by both the supporters and critics of ethanol as a renewable fuel, EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said it intends to “begin preliminary research on lifecycle impacts of the EPA’s renewable fuel standard (RFS).”

Let the Sun Shine on Unemployment—Does Renewable Energy Create Jobs?

Although it might seem obvious what renewable energy is, there is some debate about how renewable energy is defined, which has a definite effect on policy and regulation. What seems clear from various readings is that renewable energy does not include resources from fossil fuels or waste products from fossil fuel sources. According to the […]