News of the Day:
Alaska by the Numbers – September 2020
Ed King, King Economics, October 1, 2020
Resource development will remain a critical cornerstone of Alaska’s economy. Hardrock mining and oil extraction jobs, plus the jobs that support those industries, will grow (if projects move forward).
OIL
Climate Change Reaches Supreme Court in Jurisdiction Clash
Bloomberg Law, October 2, 2020
- Baltimore case seeks damages from oil companies
- Technical legal question affects more than a dozen suits
Climate change is officially on the docket at the U.S. Supreme Court, which has agreed to review a procedural question that affects more than a dozen cases against Big Oil.
The justices on Friday granted a petition for review from BP Plc, Chevron Corp., and other companies that want climate cases kicked out of state courts and heard by federal judges instead. The high court’s interest in the issue is good news for oil and gas companies, which have tried for years to push climate liability cases to federal courts, and ultimately defeat them.
GAS
Vietnam Approves Exxon’s $5-Billion LNG-To-Power Project
Charles Kennedy, OILPRICE.COM, October 2, 2020
The port city of Hai Phong in Vietnam has approved a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project for power generation, expected to be developed by U.S. supermajor ExxonMobil and to cost US$5.09 billion. The people’s committee of the city of Hai Phong approved the project which is expected start electricity generation in 2026 or 2027, Reuters reported on Friday, citing a statement from the Vietnamese city.
MINING
Executive Order on Addressing the Threat to the Domestic Supply Chain from Reliance on Critical Minerals from Foreign Adversaries
September 30, 2020
I, President Trump, determine that our Nation’s undue reliance on critical minerals, in processed or unprocessed form, from foreign adversaries constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in substantial part outside the United States, to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat.
In addition, I find that the United States must broadly enhance its mining and processing capacity, including for minerals not identified as critical minerals and not included within the national emergency declared in this order. By expanding and strengthening domestic mining and processing capacity today, we guard against the possibility of supply chain disruptions and future attempts by our adversaries or strategic competitors to harm our economy and military readiness. Moreover, additional domestic capacity will reduce United States and global dependence on minerals produced in countries that do not endorse and pursue appropriate minerals supply chain standards, leading to human rights violations, forced and child labor, violent conflict, and health and environmental damage. Finally, a stronger domestic mining and processing industry fosters a healthier and faster-growing economy for the United States. Mining and mineral processing provide jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans whose daily work allows our country and the world to “Buy American” for critical technology.
POLITICS
From the Washington Examiner, Daily on Energy:
CLIMATE ACTIVISTS CREDIT BIDEN FOR BANNING FOSSIL FUEL REPS FROM TRANSITION: Liberal climate change activists are claiming victory after Joe Biden’s campaign released a transition team ethics plan this week that includes a ban on lobbyists that seems to apply to people with ties to the oil and gas industry.
“The Biden-Harris campaign is clearly listening to its potential allies, and this willingness to listen and adapt will be critical in the months ahead,” said Collin Rees, a senior campaigner with Oil Change U.S., an environmental group that has led the charge demanding Biden pledge to not employ people with ties to the oil and gas industry.