Category Archives: Energy markets

Oil Price Crash: 50% Of U.S. Shale Could Go Bankrupt

Yesterday’s oil price downdraft, if not meaningfully reversed, will create a world of hurt among US producers, most of all shale gas players.

Is the U.S. Fracking Boom Based on Fraud?

Is the seamy side of fracking the only side?

3 Energy Sectors Most Threatened by the Coronavirus

The coronavirus has already whacked energy prices. But which products are particularly vulnerable?

To Many’s Dismay, Permian Produces More Gas and Condensate Instead of Oil and Profits

Justin Mikula continues to document fracking follies; this installment focuses on the challenges stymieing profitability in the top US oil field, the Permian shale.

How To Roast the Planet with Good Intentions: The Climate Equity Act

A new bill illustrates how not to tackle climate change.

The Potential Climate Consequences of China’s Belt and Roads Initiative

The anticipated heavy use of coal in building out China’s Belt and Road effort is a climate change train wreck.

Russia Is Defeating The U.S. In The Middle East Oil Game

The US made a mess of Iraq, and at considerable cost, and Russia is in the process of picking up the best pieces.

Plastic Watch: Congress Considers Bill to Impose Extended Producer Responsibility, AKA ‘You Break It, You Buy It’

The Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act would impose extended producer responsibility.

Believe It or Not, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Was Even Worse Than Previously Thought

he legacy of Deepwater Horizon lives on, and not in a good way.

Trump Drops Antitrust Probe of Four Automakers Which Adopted Tougher Cal Tailpipe Emissions Standards

Trump drops antitrust investigation of emissions agreeemt between four automakers and state of California.

EU Plans to Measure True Climate Impacts of LNG Imports From US Fracked Gas

With climate impacts comparable to coal, the European Commission is planning to study methane reductions emission, with implications for fracked gas US producers.

The Race For Arctic Oil Is Heating Up

Despite climate concerns and environmentalist backlash against exploration for oil and gas in pristine sensitive regions of the Arctic, companies continue to explore for hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic Circle, in Russia and Norway in particular.

This Philadelphia Refinery Is the Country’s Worst Benzene Polluter. Trump Wants To Keep It Open

Trump-aided behind-the-scenes shenanigans may keep a horrifically toxic refinery in business.

Iraq Is on the Brink of an Energy Crisis

A case study of the struggle for influence in Iraq.

‘Uninsurable and Unhedgeable’: Central Banks Warn of Financial Crisis from Climate Change

The world’s most powerful financial institutions are sounding the alarm that “a new global financial crisis triggered by climate change would render central banks and financial supervisors powerless.”