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Can the US Military Afford More Biofuels?

Last week the US House of Representatives passed the fiscal 2013 National Defense Authorization Act by a wide, bi-partisan margin. It included two controversial provisions relating to energy that will presumably be debated when the Senate Armed...
Posted May 24, 2012 with 102 views     
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E15's Problems Are Symptomatic of A Failing Biofuels Policy

A new report on automobile engine durability casts further doubt on the compatibility of mid-level ethanol blends such as E15 (15% ethanol, 85% gasoline) with the existing US light-duty vehicle fleet. The report was issued...
Posted May 22, 2012 with 360 views     
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Are Chesapeake's Problems A Red Flag For Shale Gas?

Chesapeake Energy has been in the news a lot, lately, concerning both the significant challenges it faces in financing its ambitious development program, and its high-profile CEO, who was recently forced to relinquish his role as Chairman....
Posted May 17, 2012 with 550 views     
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Where Gas is Already $10 per Gallon

I've just returned from a business trip to Norway.  One of the first things I noticed upon my arrival there, on the way into town from the airport, was the price of gasoline.  Since Norway still uses its own currency rather than the...
Posted May 9, 2012 with 720 views     
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Resources from Space?

Last week a company called Planetary Resources, Inc. announced its intention to develop the means of exploiting minerals from near-earth asteroids on a for-profit basis.  This news got some attention for its novelty, particularly at a time...
Posted May 4, 2012 with 252 views     
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US Natural Gas Price Nears $10 per Barrel Equivalence

While the average pump price of gasoline has held the attention of most Americans for much of this year, the price trend for natural gas has been equally dramatic in the opposite direction. Gasoline prices flirted with the psychologically...
Posted April 30, 2012 with 750 views     
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A World Without Oil Price Speculators

The quality of media reporting on energy has improved significantly since I started this blog in 2004.  However, one subject on which I think the state of energy reporting still leaves much to be desired concerns the role of market...
Posted April 25, 2012 with 729 views     
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How Green Is My Electric Vehicle?

One of the biggest challenges in assessing the environmental benefits of electric vehicles is that electricity is generated in so many different ways, with differing costs and consequences, and that patterns of generation vary by region, season, and...
Posted April 18, 2012 with 272 views     
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Could Solar Power Boost Saudi Oil Exports?

How often have we heard that installing renewable energy sources like wind and solar power will improve US energy security and reduce oil imports? There are other reasons for promoting these technologies, but this one has little substance, because...
Posted April 12, 2012 with 638 views     
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Buying Your Own Refinery

Has the high cost of fuel got you down? Why not buy your own oil refinery? That's apparently what Delta Air Lines is considering. With jet fuel purchases constituting one of the largest operating costs for carriers like Delta, and with several...
Posted April 9, 2012 with 274 views     
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The Beginning of the End for Coal?

I saw in Tuesday's Washington Post that the EPA was ready to issue its proposed rules for CO2 emissions from new power plants. When finalized, these rules would apply to facilities larger than 25 MW that begin construction more than a year hence. As...
Posted March 28, 2012 with 261 views     
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Is North America the New Middle East for Oil?

With the President of the United States currently playing the role of pessimist-in-chief with regard to US energy independence, it's refreshing to see that goal raised as a serious possibility by someone whose experience and position give him deeper...
Posted March 22, 2012 with 805 views     
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