The Next Attack

Terrorists in Iraq are becoming proficient at blowing up oil refineries. Similar plants in a handful of American cities represent our greatest vulnerability. We could easily be making them less dangerous. But we’re not.

Rural Maine Scrambles in Midst of a Propane Shortage

Propane dealers are scrambling for supplies, with some driving to Detroit and Ontario to restock. Gov. John Baldacci has increased the hours to deliver propane and is urging conservation and priority shipments for hospitals and nursing homes.

Eni Confirms Fears about Kashagan Oil Field Problems

Italian oil and gas giant Eni SpA (E) confirmed investors' fears about delays and cost overruns at its mammoth Kashagan oil project in Kazakhstan, but insisted its strong position in the growing European gas market and its alliance with Russia's OAO Gazprom will power the company forward.

Tony Juniper: Peak oil, climate change and the role of local communities

It was very interesting to hear his take on peak oil and climate change, the dangers he identifies of linking the two refers more to what I call ‘old paradigm peak oilers’ such as Robert Hirsch with their plans for the tar sands and coal to liquids, than to those of us seeing peak oil and climate change as the Two Great Oversights of Our Times which signify a complete rethink of many aspects of our lives. It was also interesting to hear his vision for a world beyond oil…

Climate Change, Peak Oil And Nuclear War

Damocles had one life threatening sword hanging by a thread over his head. We have three...

A Fighting Chance

After decades of resistance and delay in responding to the world’s most pressing twin challenges - peak oil and climate change - it’s hard to believe, but governments the world over, from federal to local, are finally starting to take serious action.

Venezuela offers to cure Nicaragua's oil ills

President Hugo Chavez met Friday with President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua to discuss an array of Venezuelan assistance programs, capping an unusually frenetic week for this country's efforts to enhance its political and economic influence in parts of Latin America.

PDVSA: 7B Barrels Certified in Orinico Belt

Some 7 billion barrels of crude oil have now been certified in Venezuela's Orinoco Petroliferos Strip, the state oil company Petioles de Venezuela (PDVSA) said Thursday.

Another 235 billion barrels of heavy crude are expected to be certified across the strip, however, only 20 percent can be extracted due to technological limits, PDVSA vice president Luis Verma said.

Somalia: An Oily Cliché

While undoubtedly, the U.S. and its Ethiopian proxy conqured Somalia and “liberated” it from the clutches of Al-Qaeda primarily for geostrategic reasons (possible launching point to attack Iran, more friendly territory close to Arabic Sudan, more ports under their control, a possible regional base for the AFRICOM command post, potential launching points to protect the Strait of Hormuz [the primary shipping point of Middle Eastern oil], etc), Somalia is awash in unspoken oil and provides a tantalizing business opportunity.

Qatar launches $18bn gas project

Qatar yesterday launched a mega gas-to-liquids (GTL) project in partnership with Royal Dutch/Shell that will cost up to $18 billion, $10bn of which have already been earmarked.

ConocoPhillips: Corocoro Field Output May Start Mid-2007

ConocoPhillips (COP) said Friday that its Corocoro field in Venezuela could start producing oil in mid-2007, later than originally expected.

EPA: Hybrids Not As Fuel-Efficient As Thought

"I feel we got ripped off. I bought the truck and they said I would get 33 mpg -- I'm only getting 22.6," said Ray Terilli, who drives a hybrid.

"The engineering that created those statistics is joke. It is way outdated," said motorist Joe Cohen.

Solar World: China becomes a growing force

'Thin film will be the future,' solar energy markets expert J. Peter Lynch told United Press International, referring to an emerging type of solar technology that relies on much thinner solar panels than the traditional black panels on many rooftops today. 'As more and more Chinese (thin film) companies (go) public, they will drive prices down and shrink margins.'

PG&E eyes power grid plan to boost electric cars

California's biggest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., is considering a plan to charge fleets of battery-powered cars overnight with wind energy and let consumers sell back some of the stored electricity during the day.

The perilous fantasy of energy independence

The paradox of today’s quest for energy independence is that pursuing it actually increases energy insecurity. However much politicians who call for energy independence might prefer it otherwise, the market has chosen oil as a staple energy source. So governments should ignore neither the valid interests of oil exporters, on whom consumers in their countries depend, nor exporters’ reaction to the rhetoric of energy independence or to steps taken to achieve it. Isolationist politicians may not care about other countries, but they should think twice lest they harm their own.

Regulatory adviser speaks about nuclear power, weapons

The world is heading toward another atomic age, a nuclear regulatory adviser for Argentina said Thursday.

Abel Julio Gonzalez said countries have to develop nuclear power to deal with the global fossil fuel shortage.

Oil prices reach a new high for the year

Oil prices reached a new high for the year during a volatile session Friday, driven by tensions with oil-producing Iran and expectations of continued pressure on U.S. petroleum product supplies

California and colorless green ideas

Aside from a few dead-enders on the political right, climate change skeptics seem to be making a seamless transition from denial to fatalism. In the past, they rejected the science. Now, with the scientific evidence pretty much irrefutable, they insist that it doesn't matter because any serious attempt to curb greenhouse gas emissions is politically and economically impossible.

Give up chocolate or desserts for Lent? No, give up your car! Try auto-fasting. (In German only, alas.)

Saudi Arabia to Hike Gas Exploration on Demand Surge

Saudi Arabia is gearing up to meet surging domestic demand for natural gas that is key to sustaining its industrialization drive, experts say.

Amid rapid industrial expansion, Saudi Arabia is seeing a record surge in gas demand. Between 2005 and 2030, consumption is forecast to rise threefold to 14.5 billion cubic feet a day, according to recent data from the country's Petroleum & Mineral Resources Ministry.

Shell delays decision on oil shale production

A decision by Royal Dutch Shell on whether to begin commercial oil shale development won’t happen by the end of this decade as planned because the permit process has taken longer than expected.

Oil worker shot dead in Nigeria

Unknown gunmen have killed a Lebanese construction worker on his way to work in Nigeria's oil-rich city of Port Harcourt, say security sources.

Electric cars get White House showcase

President Bush peered under the hood of an all-electric sport utility truck parked at the White House Friday and said his goal of reducing gasoline use by 20 percent over the next decade is realistic.

"I firmly believe that the goal I laid out — that Americans will use 20 percent less gasoline over the next 10 years — is going to be achieved, and here's living proof of how we're going to get there," Bush said on the South Lawn after examining the truck and a car that had a battery tucked in its trunk.

Where Bush would steer energy R&D

Overall federal spending on energy research in real dollars is only one-third what it was at its 1978 peak, according to a Harvard University analysis. Some also question the administration's emphasis on nuclear research, saying other promising technologies could be applied sooner to climate and energy-security issues.