Amaranth future in doubt, may hit larger funds

Fund manager Amaranth Advisors may not survive the billions of dollars in natural gas losses it disclosed this week, and larger institutional energy funds may see some investors flee in the aftermath, industry experts said on Tuesday.

Scientists tell Exxon to stop anti-climate change campaign

Scientists shocked as Arctic polar route emerges

European scientists voiced shock as they showed pictures which showed Arctic ice cover had disappeared so much last month that a ship could sail unhindered from Europe's most northerly outpost to the North Pole itself.

Global warming and peak oil

The Kremlin Activates Coal

The Russian presidential administration has developed fuel strategy for Russian electricity. Kommersant has learned that it will not emphasize growing gas supplies, of which, experts say, there is already a 30-percent deficit, but coal. Thus, Russian authorities will convert domestic consumers to coal and heating oil, which will unavoidably lead to higher electricity prices, but guarantee that Gazprom meets its export plans.

Russia tries to rein in foreign oil firms

Bolivia issues ultimatum for oil companies to renegotiate contracts

La Paz - The Bolivian government on Tuesday issued an ultimatum to oil companies, setting an October 31 deadline for them to sign new contracts following the nationalization of the country's energy resources.

Rudi on Thursday

Maybe Roubini is right and the US housing market will come down as Icarus falling from the sky, dragging everything else with it, including the demand for commodities. Under such a scenario it doesn't really matter whether oil costs a few cents more or less at the pump – it will by definition cost less over time. If US consumers stop spending the world will (be forced to) take notice and US interest rates will go down regardless whether short term gloom and doom can be avoided or not.

Economists wary of falling energy prices

Meeting ‘peak-oil threat’ will cost $20tn: US

LONDON: The world needs to spend $1tn a year in alternative fuels, starting 20 years before the peak in conventional oil production, in order to mitigate fuel shortages, a US Energy Department study showed.

Production peaks in Texas, the UK and Norway were examined as part of two studies for the department that advised on “crash course’’ efforts to cope with an eventual shortage of gasoline and other liquid fuels.

The study, led by Robert Hirsch, didn’t predict when world production will peak, though Hirsch told reporters his guess is “within the next five to 10 years.’’

Oil is a finite resource, but is a topic that draws out seemingly infinite opinions

More Companies May Dig Deeper in Search for Oil

Safety fears force two-year delay to giant BP platform

Iowa company turns to ammonia for fuel

An Iowa alternative fuel engine manufacturer has reached an agreement with an irrigation pump maker in California to make the world's first ammonia-powered irrigation pump system.

Air Force Flight Test of Syntroleum Gas-to-Liquids Fuel Successful

Syntroleum announced that its Fischer-Tropsch (FT) jet fuel has been successfully tested in a United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress Bomber aircraft.

[Update by Leanan on 09/20/06 at 10:44 AM EDT]

Summary of Weekly Petroleum Data for the Week Ending September 15, 2006: Oil little changed after lower-than-expected crude inventory.