Should the United States Become a Natural Gas Exporter?
April 23, 2012 | Christian Science Monitor
The United States has an new abundance of natural gas – so much that prices have fallen dramatically. However, natural gas prices in other parts of the world are still relatively high. Should the United States respond by exporting natural gas? What would happen to prices and supplies if enormous quantities of natural gas were exported?
Related: What is LNG? |
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You Don’t Have Earthquake Coverage
February 5, 2012 | Daily Progress
Out of nearly 6000 homes damaged by the August 23 earthquake in Virginia, only a few percent will be covered by earthquake insurance. A bill in the Virginia legislature, if passed, will require insurance companies to notify all homeowners who have purchased a homeowners insurance policy that does not cover earthquakes. |
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H.R. 1904: Southeast Arizona Land Exchange
November 9, 2011 | House of Representatives
H.R. 1904 is a proposal that will authorize an exchange of Federal land for non-Federal land… to facilitate development of a world class domestic copper deposit capable of meeting a significant portion of the annual United States demand. |
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Another Natural Gas Severance Tax Proposal for Pennsylvania?
September 25, 2011 | PhillyBurbs.com
The Pennsylvania State Legislature has another potential bill that is designed to apply a 4.9 percent severance tax on natural gas extracted from Marcellus Shale wells in Pennsylvania. |
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Italian Seismologists on Trial for Manslaughter
September 21, 2011 | TheStar.com
Although an overwhelming number of worldwide seismologists agree that earthquakes can not be predicted, earthquake scientists in Italy are tried for manslaughter because they did not provide warnings in advance of a 2009 earthquake. |
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Drilling in ANWR and OCS to Cut Deficit
September 12, 2011 | FuelFix.com
Some members of Congress recommend opening portions of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the outer continental shelf for oil and natural gas drilling as a way to create jobs and cut the deficit. |
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National Flood Insurance Program is $17 Billion in Debt
August 8, 2011 | 112th Congress
An act to extend the authorization of the National Flood Insurance Program, to achieve reforms to improve the financial integrity and stability of the program, and to increase the role of private markets in the management of flood insurance risk, and for other purposes.
Note: The National Flood Insurance Program is over $17 billion in debt because it pays out more than it collects. |
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Water Banking in the West
July 29, 2011 | New York Times
Water banking is a system in which water-rights holders store water underground, outside of the aquifer, for their own future use during droughts or to sell to others. This practice is resulting in law suits as small communities in these areas are running out of water. |
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Shale Gas and U.S. National Security
July 22, 2011 | Baker Institute for Public Policy
The Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University has published a report titled: “Shale Gas and U.S. National Security”. “This study assesses the impact of U.S. domestic shale gas development on energy security and U.S. national security, with emphasis on the geopolitical consequences of rising supplies of U.S. natural gas from shale and the implications for U.S. foreign policy.” Quoted from the report summary. |
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Critical Minerals Policy Act of 2011
June 5, 2011 | Library of Congress
“A bill to facilitate the reestablishment of domestic, critical mineral designation, assessment, production, manufacturing, recycling, analysis, forecasting, workforce, education, research, and international capabilities in the United States.” Quoted from the Senate bill summary. |
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ExxonMobil on Tax Deductions
May 17, 2011 | ExxonMobil Perspectives
Ken Cohen, vice president of public and government affairs for Exxon Mobil Corporation, writes about a recent New York Times editorial…. “The New York Times continues the campaign to eliminate – only for the U.S. oil industry – standard deductions that are available to all industries and manufacturers. This is arbitrary, discriminatory and misinformed.” |
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Oil Industry Tax Credit Hearings
May 15, 2011 | FuelFix.com
An article on the FuelFix.com website summarizes oil industry tax credit hearings that took place last week in Washington. |
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Regulating the Use of Ground Water in Sri Lanka
May 8, 2011 | Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
In Sri Lanka the government is considering legislation that will regulate the use of ground water from commercial wells. Some view this as an attempt to privatize the ground water resource. |
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Exporting Shale Gas From the United States
April 28, 2011 | Platts.com
The United States has either a short-term glut or a long-term supply of shale gas. An article on Platts.com explores the idea of exporting shale gas from the United States. There are political and commercial perspectives.
Related: What is LNG? |
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Keystone XL Pipeline Debate
April 3, 2011 | Canada.com
An article on the Canada.com website explores points-of-view associated with the Keystone XL Pipeline that would transport 500,000 barrels per day of crude oil produced from Alberta, Canada’s oil sands to refineries in the United States. |
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EPA vs Texas Railroad Commission
March 22, 2011 | Washington Post
The Railroad Commission has jurisdiction of natural gas drilling in Texas and the commission disagrees with the United States Environmental Protection Agency on the cause of domestic water well contamination in North Texas. EPA claims that Barnett Shale drilling has caused the problem. |
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Federal Government Sued Over Polar Bear Preserve
March 7, 2011 | Star-Telegram.com
The Alaska Oil and Gas Association sued the Federal Government after 187,000 square miles were designated as a “critical habitat” for the polar bear, limiting oil and gas exploration in the area. |
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Washington: A Coal-Free State?
March 6, 2011 | Lewis County - The Chronicle
In the State of Washington, the Senate passed a bill that would close the State’s coal-fired power plants by 2025 and make Washington the first state to eliminate coal-fired power plants. |
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Federal Funding of Geoscience Research is Declining
March 4, 2011 | American Geological Institute
The March issue of Geoscience Currents graphs federal funding for the geosciences. “The percentage of all federal funding for research and development applied to the geosciences decreased from
nearly 11% in 1996 to 6% in 2007, where it has held steady ever since.” Quoted from the AGI Geoscience Currents. |
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Recent Oil Price Increases and Inflation
March 1, 2011 | Seattle Times
Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve Chairman, does not expect recent oil price increases to trigger a level of inflation that will cause significant damage to the economy. However, the Federal Reserve might respond if oil prices continue to rise. |
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Severance Taxes and Mineral Development in Tanzania
February 27, 2011 | East African Business Week
An article on the East African Business Week website explores how a lack of severance taxes has positive and negative impacts on the development of mineral properties in Tanzania. |
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Oil and Gas Tax Breaks
February 16, 2011 | Houston Chronicle
Should the oil and gas industry receive special tax considerations? Some say that it supports our economy, others say that it puts government money into the pockets of rich investors. |
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Local Government Groups Want to Cash in on Gas Shales
February 2, 2011 | Business Journal Daily
An article in the Business Journal Daily explains why many state, county and community governments are interested in offering their land for natural gas drilling. This article focuses on county governments in northeastern Ohio who consider leasing their Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale acreages. |
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Lower Taxes on Oil & Gas in Alaska?
January 19, 2011 | KTUU
Alaska Governor, Sean Parnell, is proposing reduced taxes on energy companies. He would like to see lower taxes on all oil and gas production and even lower taxes when those resources are produced from newly discovered fields. He wants to encourage investment and job creation. |
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Rare Earths Act of 2010
January 15, 2011 | Library of Congress
The “Rare Earths Supply-Chain Technology and Resources Transformation Act of 2010″ or the “RESTART Act”….
“It is the policy of the United States to take any and all actions necessary to ensure the reestablishment of a competitive supply chain for rare earth materials in the United States and in countries that are allies of the United States; and that such a supply chain should include the capacity to conduct mining, refining, processing, alloying, and manufacturing operations using suppliers in the United States and countries that are allies of the United States to provide a secure source of rare earth materials as a vital component of national security and economic policy.”
Senate Bill …. House Bill |
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Local Governments Ban Natural Gas Drilling
January 10, 2011 | Bloomberg.com
Local governments are starting to ban natural gas drilling within their areas of jurisdiction. Here’s another example of banning the drilling of Marcellus Shale gas from Maryland. Some people believe this is a “protection” and others believe it is a “taking”… but it will probably produce horizontal drilling on the outskirts of town.
Related: Mineral Rights |
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