Category: News

Alaska jobs report shows some growth in oil, gas industry
Associated Press, January 23, 2019

Alaska’s oil and gas industry experienced modest growth last month as some sectors of the economy have continued shedding jobs, according to a state jobs report. December employment numbers released Friday by the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development show some losses from the recession are slowing, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported. “The negatives have, generally speaking, gotten considerably smaller, especially in negatives like oil and gas, which was a big, big loser,” said state economist Neal Fried.

Our Take:   It’s been a long time, four years to be exact, since we’ve seen a headline like this. #wereback

Related:

                  State says North Slope oil and gas activity is at its highest level in 20 years

Major producers building carbon pricing into future plans
Elwood Brehmer, Alaska Journal of Commerce, January 22, 2019

The list of oil and gas companies with global influence that support some form of carbon pricing continues to grow. Alaska’s “big three” producers — BP, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil — are all now a part of that group. ExxonMobil announced in October that it would be donating $1 million to Americans for Carbon Dividends, a campaign led by former U.S. Sens. John Breaux, a Democrat, and Trent Lott, a Republican. ConocoPhillips doubled down on that donation in December with a $2 million pledge to Americans for Carbon Dividends over the next two years. BP executives have been trumpeting the expression “dual challenge” for several years, referencing the company’s belief that worldwide energy production will need to continually increase at the same time global carbon emissions must be drastically reduced. “In decades to come there needs to be 2.5 billion people lifted out of poverty and there’s going to be another 2 billion added to our planet, so there is a deep need for energy, and we need to do it better with less emissions,” BP Alaska President Janet Weiss said during a Jan. 18 speech at the Meet Alaska contractor trade show in Anchorage.

Our Take: This is a very well written piece that highlights differing views on carbon tax and other issues related to climate change policy.   It also highlights the difference between those who are doing something about the issue with their own money (private sector companies) and those who want to tax them to get funding to subsidize their projects and policies that don’t work (Rose colored glasses at REAP).

 

State of Alaska issues two key permits for Donlin mine
Ravenna Koenig, Alaska’s Energy Desk, January 21, 2019

On Friday the state of Alaska issued two key permits for the proposed Donlin Gold mine in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. One is the reclamation plan approval, which outlines how Donlin Gold would clean up the mine site after the project is over. The other is a waste management permit, detailing how the company plans to deal with tailings, waste rock and wastewater related to the mine. Along with the reclamation plan, the state also increased the amount of money Donlin Gold will be required to put down ahead of time for the mine’s cleanup. That figure — which appeared in an earlier draft as $317 million — has been bumped up to $322 million. The state says the revision was made to cover the cost of maintenance for a permanent road that would be built to access to the mine.

Our Take: Great news for Donlin!   This is just one example of the level of commitment this company has to responsibly develop Alaska’s resources for the benefit of all Alaskans – more than 20 years and hundreds of millions of dollars spent just to get to a final investment decision.

BP CEO Bob Dudley sees solid oil demand growth despite fears over global economy
Tom DiChristopher, CNBC, January 22, 2019

BP is expecting solid growth in oil demand this year despite growing concerns about a global economic slowdown, CEO Bob Dudley said Tuesday. The British energy giant forecasts the world’s appetite for oil will grow by another 1.4 million barrels per day in 2019. That compares with demand growth of 1.3 million bpd last year, according to the International Energy Agency, a policy advisor to developed nations. The 2019 projection puts BP’s view in line with the latest forecast from the Paris-based IEA, but ahead of OPEC, which sees demand growing at a more tepid 1.29 million bpd. “We’re not actually seeing this worrying thought that it’s all going to start falling,” Dudley told CNBC in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Our Take:   The world needs, and wants, more oil. #deathoffossilfuelsisgreatlyexaggerated

Billionaire investor David Rubenstein says US-China trade talks are likely to end in months and the government should reopen in days
Brian Schwartz, CNBC, January 22, 2019

Carlyle Group founder David Rubenstein said Tuesday that U.S.-China trade negotiations are likely to end in months and the U.S. government shutdown will probably conclude in the next few days. “My view on the China negotiations is that it is likely something will come to pass in the next few months. I think both sides recognize that’s it’s not in either sides interest to have this go on,” Rubenstein said in an exclusive interview with CNBC on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Our Take:   Rubenstein is the former husband of former ADN owner Alice Rogoff – you know – the one who came to town to interfere in Alaska elections and failed to pay her debts to Alaska businesses?    

Enviros granted legal status to fight proposed LNG project at Port of Brownsville
Sergio Chap, The Houston Chronicle, January 21, 2019

Federal regulators have granted environmental activists’ legal status to challenge Texas LNG, one of three liquefied natural gas projects proposed at the Port of Brownsville. In a Friday notice, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Deputy Secretary Nathaniel Davis granted Save RGV From LNG a motion to intervene in a permit application filed by Houston liquefied natural company Texas LNG. “SaveRGV states that it has an interest in the proceeding because SaveRGV and its members have environmental, aesthetic, and economic interests that are directly affected by the project,” Davis wrote in the notice. “SaveRGV’s motion is unopposed.”

Our Take: This is a disturbing decision. At a time when there is record private investment in resource development allowing ENGO’s to intervene in projects adds an element of instability that is the enemy of investment.

 

“Cowardice asks the question – is it safe? Expediency asks the question – is it politic? Vanity asks the question – is it popular? But conscience asks the question – is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Alaska House remains disorganized as Senate prepares for session ahead
Sean Maguire, KTUU, January 15, 2019

The Alaska House of Representatives gaveled into session Tuesday afternoon, but members were unable to organize a functional coalition or elect a House Speaker. For weeks, members from both parties have been working behind the scenes to establish a majority in the House without a result. Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer gaveled the House into session and began swearing lawmakers in after the pledge of allegiance and state song. A controversy erupted when Meyer tried to deliver a note from Gov. Mike Dunleavy to House Republicans regarding the vacant seat for House District 13.

Our Take: Representative Gary Knopp must have an incredible plan in mind to allow this to continue. Thank goodness the Senate is organized and working.

U.S.-Qatar Energy Partnership Has Russia On Edge
Tim Daiss, OilPrice.Com, January 15, 2019

It’s been well noted on my OilPrice.com posts over the past year that President Donald Trump isn’t happy with where and even how much of Europe procures its natural gas. It’s still been less than a year when Trump shocked media both at home and abroad with his tongue lashing of EU members and more poignantly Germany over its continued reliance on geopolitically charged Russian natural gas. As a refresher, in early July Trump lashed out at long-time, strategic ally Germany for supporting the Russian-backed Nordstream 2 gas pipeline, stating that Berlin had become “a captive to Russia”, while he criticized German leaders for failing to raise defense spending more. In fact, Trump unashamedly jabbed Germany in front of an international audience and a host of media just before a NATO summit in Brussels, adding that it was “very inappropriate” that the U.S. was paying for European defense against Russia.

Related:

                  Russia Looks to Build ‘LNG Island’ To Supply Booming Asian Market

First U.S. crude cargoes head to China since trade breakthrough: sources
Collin Eaton, Reuters, January 15, 2018

The vessels left Galveston, Texas, last month and are scheduled to arrive at Chinese ports between late January and early March, according to shipbrokers and vessel tracking data. The shipments mark a change since Chinese buyers largely began avoiding U.S. oil during the trade dispute that flared last summer. “It looks like China has resumed purchasing U.S. crude,” one U.S.-based shipbroking source said. The person, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, said the destination data could yet change. China is the world’s biggest crude importer and became a top buyer of U.S. crude after Washington lifted a 40-year ban on shipments in late 2015. It imported 325,000 barrels per day (bpd) of U.S. crude in the first nine months of 2018, customs data showed.

Colorado Supreme Court rules in favor of oil and gas regulators in Martinez environmental case
Blair Miller, KMGH-TV, January 14, 2019

The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday overturned a lower court’s decision that said the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission was required to weigh the impact of oil and gas development on public health and the environment in deciding whether to approve new drilling permits and rules pertaining to the oil and gas industry in Colorado. Colorado Supreme Court Justice Richard Gabriel wrote the unanimous 7-0 decision that was released Monday, which found that the COGCC “properly declined to engage in rulemaking to consider a rule” proposed in 2013 by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez and a group of Boulder teenagers.

Gas board moving ‘one step at a time’ after shake-up
Margaret Kriz Hobson, E & E News, January 15, 2019

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) last week shook up the Alaska Gasline Development Corp. leadership by appointing four new members to the agency’s seven-person board of directors. Days later, the new agency board held its first meeting, electing Dunleavy appointee Doug Smith as board chairman. Then the new team promptly fired AGDC President Keith Meyer, who had been hired by Dunleavy’s predecessor, Bill Walker (I). In Meyer’s place, the board named Joe Dubler as interim president beginning Feb. 1. AGDC isn’t planning to hire a new, full-time president for the immediate future, according to board President Smith (Energywire, Jan. 11).

OPEC Weighs a First-Ever Influence Campaign in the U.S.
Benoit Faucon and Timothy Puko, January 11, 2019

OPEC is debating an aggressive public-influence campaign aimed at U.S. lawmakers and the White House, a first in its six-decade history, according to officials at the organization. The proposed message is simple: OPEC plays a vital role in helping the U.S. economy. Although officials at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries don’t plan to meet directly with politicians and policy makers, the case for a lobbying effort has taken on new urgency. Members fear OPEC could fall under U.S. antitrust laws amid threats from the Trump administration and a barrage of tweets from President Trump accusing the group of inflating oil prices.

Oil at $60 on concerns of China slowdown
Reuters, January 14, 2019

Oil slipped to around $60 a barrel on Monday after data showed weakening imports and exports in China, the world’s second-largest oil consumer, raising the prospect of a slowdown in fuel demand. China’s exports fell by the most in two years in December while imports contracted, official figures showed, pointing to further weakness in what is also the world’s second-largest economy.

Memo: Staff would be affected by unorganized Alaska House
Associated Press, January 11, 2019

The Alaska Legislature’s human resources manager says legislative staff will be affected if the House does not organize a majority. Legislative Affairs Agency Human Resource Manager Skiff Lobaugh, in a memo, says the current speaker, Democrat Bryce Edgmon, temporarily approved staff using interim funding that extends through Tuesday, when the new session begins. But Lobaugh says if the House does not organize, session staff would not be considered authorized starting Wednesday, and having them work could raise liability issues.

Our Take:   #leadershipnow. Not paying staff who moved to Juneau is a bad way to start the session, not to mention the impact this will have on the ability of the Governor to advance his priorities – like strengthening public safety.

What’s Happening to Alberta’s Oil?
Petro Industry News, January 2, 2019

It’s no secret that the state of Alberta’s oil economy is turbulent, with a recent price collapse triggering fears of economic contagion. In the face of a downturn the Liberals aren’t holding back on scaling down operations, launching a series of strategic moves designed to curb production. This includes the introduction of new regulations and energy-hostile bills, as well as the withdrawal of tax incentives and abandonment of pipeline options.

Our Take:   Policy matters.   As Senator Wielechowski, once again, introduces legislation that is meant to reduce production, and thereby reduce income to the state, Alaska can learn from Alberta. Their “hostile” policies could cost Alberta $5 billion. Let’s not go there Alaska.

Alaskan gift that just keeps on giving
Katherine Schmidt, Upstream Online, January 10, 2019

There is a saying in oil and gas exploration — Big fields get bigger. That maxim has held true for Alaska’s BP-operated giant Prudhoe Bay, where more than 40 years after first oil the UK supermajor and its partners continue to turn over new chapters at what remains the most productive US oilfield in history. Those horizons include pioneering enhanced oil recovery techniques, consistent well work and an increasing focus on natural gas liquids, as well as potential gas sales through a proposed liquefied natural gas project. Prudhoe Bay was initially projected to produce 9.6 billion barrels of oil. But since then about 3 billion barrels more of fluid hydrocarbons have been extracted, when natural gas liquids are included, according to BP figures. “We’re at 12.6 billion [barrels] now, and I would say around 14 billion is looking like its potential,” says Scott Digert, BP’s resource development area manager for Greater Prudhoe Bay. That projection takes into consideration oil price economics and a production horizon through 2050.

Our Take: The work plan for Prudhoe Bay in 2019 means work for Alaska contractors: 35 wells and sidetracks, eight rig workovers and up to 500 “rate-adding well work jobs.”

Meyer out as president of Alaska gas line agency
Elwood Brehmer, Alaska Journal of Commerce, January 10, 2019

Keith Meyer is out as the president of the Alaska Gasline Development Corp. Meyer was dismissed from his position on Thursday and replaced on an interim basis by Joe Dubler, who is currently the executive vice president of finance and administration for the Cook Inlet Housing Authority. Dubler worked for AGDC as vice president of commercial operations under former President Dan Fauske, who resigned from the position at former Gov. Bill Walker’s request in November 2015 after the Legislature approved a buyout of TransCanada Corp.’s interest in the $43 billion Alaska LNG Project.

Our Take: Doug Smith’s election to Chairman of the Board is exciting. Alaskans were concerned about the lack of private sector involvement and China as a financing partner. Headlamp predicts that Smith will work to strengthen the links between AGDC, the private sector and the state departments working on the project. The expertise of the private sector companies in negotiating financial terms with China could go a long way in easing the fears of Alaskans.

Related:

Alaska shakes up LNG project leadership

Department of Interior’s Job: Trash Collection and Toilet Cleaning, or Lands Oversight and Energy Dominance?
Power the Future, January 9, 2019

As the stalemate over federal government funding and how to keep Americans safe from illegal immigration enters its third week, environmental extremists are erupting over the Department of Interior doing one of the essential items it is tasked with implementing. Environmental zealots are outraged that the Bureau of Land Management is moving ahead with public hearings on opening Alaska’s 1002 coastal plain inside of ANWR to drilling and development, even though many other activities of the Department are shut down. They beat their collective heads against the wall of reason, wondering why national parks garbage overflowing and a lack of rangers can have, service areas and tourist shops closed, while these hearings continue. The answer is simple: the people working through the shutdown to advance America’s energy priorities in Alaska are paid for by fees associated with the very jobs and processes they’re currently working on.

Related:

Trump administration responds to criticism about continued work on Arctic drilling during shutdown

Russian and Chinese Close Ties to US Environmental Groups

BREAKING NEWS:  Former Alliance board member Doug Smith elected new chair of  Alaska Gasline Development Corporation

 

China’s Gas Pivot Is Starting To Pay Off
Tim Daiss, OilPrice.Com, January 9, 2019

Environmental authorities in China said on Friday that Beijing and its surrounding industrial province of Hebei cut smog emissions by at least 12 percent in 2018 after a long crackdown on polluters as well as campaigns to reduce household coal use. Beijing’s local government said that the city’s emissions of small, hazardous breathable particles known as PM2.5 fell 12 percent to 51 micrograms per cubic meter (mcg) over the whole of 2018. The government said that average emissions are still significantly higher than China’s official air quality standard of 35 micrograms. It added that 656 polluting enterprises were forced to relocate last year, with firms and individuals fined a total of 230 million yuan ($33.50 million) for violations, up 22.5 percent from last year.

From the Washington Examiner Daily on Energy:

INDUSTRY GROUPS TOUT LNG EXPORTS TO LOWER EMISSIONS IN 2019: Oil industry trade groups announced Thursday that the U.S. becoming the third largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter in 2019 will lead to significant emissions reductions.

The new joint assessment, led by the American Petroleum Institute, Center for LNG, and the group LNG Allies, is meant to underscore the job creation, emissions reductions and reliable energy supplies that U.S. LNG will provide in the new year.

“With LNG export capacity set to nearly double in 2019, the United States is poised to become a leading global supplier,” said Todd Snitchler, API’s vice president for market development.

He said LNG cargoes have been delivered to nearly 30 countries around the globe, stating that as LNG demand continues to grow, the industry expects even more countries to reap the benefits of reduced emissions from U.S. LNG.

The statement follows a report by the Rhodium Group earlier this week that showed U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose last year due to the rapid uptick in natural gas and despite the continued retirement of coal-fired power plants.