the hill posts, articles, and infographics

Turning to Energy for Jobs

September 9, 2011 by Geoffrey Styles
with 437 views

Turning to Energy for Jobs Yesterday's Energy Jobs Summit at the US Capitol, hosted by The Hill and API, focused on the potential of the energy sector to add large numbers of new jobs to help alleviate the national jobs crisis that President Obama will discuss in tonight's speech. The figures presented by API and others were impressive,... [read more]

How Small Is That Revised Marcellus Estimate?

September 2, 2011 by Geoffrey Styles
with 393 views

I see in The Hill that some critics of shale gas drilling are pointing to a revised estimate of the shale gas resources in the Marcellus formation as evidence that there's not enough gas to justify any risk from hydraulic fracturing. Earlier this week the US Geological Survey updated its previous estimate to 84 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas, a figure substantially less than the estimate of 410 TCF from the Department of Energy. Now, I'd have thought that even without doing the math on this, 84 TCF would still sound like a heck of a lot of gas, even if trillions have become the new billions in another context. [read more]

Energy news and outlook: 2011 will look very similar to 2010

January 3, 2011 by Michael Giberson
with 633 views

A handful of energy news stories and commentary on the energy outlook: John Tierney’s energy resource optimism and James Hamilton’s response at Econbrowser. I like the response of the first commenter, Ricardo, to Hamilton: “It is not that crude oil will be with us forever but that energy sources will always give us more and better... [read more]

NOAA reports 2010 hottest year on record so far, while Arctic sea ice extent hits a stunning December low

December 29, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 1,765 views

Following fast on the heels of NASA reporting the hottest January to November on record — despite the deepest solar minimum in a century — NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center has released its State of the Climate: Global Analysis for November. It finds this was the second warmest November on record (after 2004) and For the 2010... [read more]

Senator Kerry explains the strategy and substance of the American Power Act: “It strengthens the Clean Air Act by expanding the authority of the EPA and making that authority permanent.”

May 12, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 151 views

… our planet can’t wait for the perfect bill. We need to get a really good bill now, one that reduces carbon pollution and puts us on a path to a clean energy future. And if we do this, I know we can get a tough international agreement to deal with this global problem. Those are the two things I remind myself of every day when it... [read more]

I’m testifying before House Ways and Means with Pickens, Sachs, GE, U.S. Chamber on Wednesday

April 13, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 88 views

The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday on energy tax incentives and the green job economy. It will be webcast here. I’m on the 1 pm panel, the one The Hill says “will likely be a media circus because of the attention [T. Boone] Pickens usually draws.” Here’s the full witness list for my panel: T... [read more]

Chu compares climate disinformation campaign to tobacco industry’s efforts - Energy Sec also says "we will not be economically competitive" if we don't price carbon in a comprehensive clean energy bill

March 15, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 124 views

Here is our Nobel prize-winning physicist Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, in a San Jose Mercury News interview: SJMN: Are you worried that the political will to enact a national policy or somehow tax or price carbon emissions is gone now? If you look at recent polls, the number of Americans who believe that global warming is real... [read more]

Obama meets with (too many) swing Senators on bipartisan climate and clean energy jobs bill

March 9, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 293 views

What I think Obama needs to be doing now is hard lobbying one-on-one with key swing senators. That way he can focus on a targeted pitch for each one and have a frank discussion. He needs to start moving people one-by-one from the “fence sitter” to the “probably yes” category. Instead, he (and Energy Secretary Chu,... [read more]

Chu: Proposed renewable standard is too weak

February 21, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 173 views

Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Saturday that major Capitol Hill renewable electricity proposals would not prompt additional generation from sources like wind and solar power beyond the increases expected under existing programs. The Hill report is not really big new. I wrote back in May that EIA projects wind at 5% of U.S.... [read more]

Reid aide: Carbon pollution cap remains in 2010 mix

January 13, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 99 views

“We intend to consider comprehensive clean energy-climate legislation that will cap global warming pollution and create jobs,” said Regan Lachapelle, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), on Wednesday. The Hill seems to be doing some of the most even-handed political reporting on the bipartisan climate, clean... [read more]