Shell leads big oil in clean energy shift
Amy Harder, Axios, February 19, 2019
Royal Dutch Shell, one of the most aggressive global oil and gas producers on clean-energy and climate change, faces big tests on how serious it is with its pursuit. The big picture: Shell, the world’s second-largest publicly traded oil company after ExxonMobil, has over the past year ramped up enough investments and commitments in this area to surpass any other producer similar in size. CEO Ben Van Beurden is far more forceful than most other oil executives about positioning his company to profit off a world drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions as envisioned in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
Getting the facts on the upstream carbon impact of ANWR development
Liam Zsolt, Peninsula Clarion, February 19, 2019
On Monday, Feb. 11, I had the privilege of watching democracy in action, right here in Anchorage. The draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) was released, and public comments were taken at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) furnished us with maps of the different development scenarios, impacts on the indigenous people and animal species, and a strong education on the process. Hats off to the agency for sitting through six straight hours of public comment by stakeholders from both inside as well as outside of the protected region, with a wide spectrum of coherence.
Our Take: A sad but true comment “opponents of the leasing program did not allow a lack of education on the issue to stand in the way of holding the microphone hostage.” They filibustered themselves.
Alaska House’s new organization means an uphill climb for governor’s priorities, legislators say
James Brooks, Anchorage Daily News, February 20, 2019
The fate of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposals to roll back a controversial overhaul of Alaska’s criminal justice system will be determined in part by one of the state Legislature’s most prominent advocates of data-based reform. Rep. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, has been named chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which is expected to consider the governor’s anti-crime bills if they receive the approval of the Alaska Senate. Claman is the chairman of the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission. The recommendations of that commission — before Claman joined — formed the basis of the criminal justice reform legislation known as Senate Bill 91. Subsequent recommendations contributed to legislative efforts to fix problems with SB 91.
Drilling Productivity Report
Energy Information Administration, February 19, 2019
The Drilling Productivity Report uses recent data on the total number of drilling rigs in operation along with estimates of drilling productivity and estimated changes in production from existing oil and natural gas wells to provide estimated changes in oil and natural gas production for seven key regions. EIA’s approach does not distinguish between oil-directed rigs and gas-directed rigs because once a well is completed it may produce both oil and gas; more than half of the wells produce both.
