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September 8, 2010 Lead Stories Houston Chronicle September 8, 2010 BP SAYS NO SINGLE FACTOR CAUSED DEEPWATER HORIZON BLAST BP says it was not its own well design but a failed cement job, the failure of BP and Transocean employees to properly interpret test results and spot signs of gas flow that led to the deadly blowout on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20. Known as the Bly Report — for Mark Bly, BP’s head of safety — the four-month investigation found that “multiple companies and work teams” contributed to the accident which it says arose from “a complex and interlinked series of mechanical failures, human judgments, engineering design, operational implementation and team interfaces.” Full Analysis, Subscribers Only San Antonio Express-News September 5, 2010 $6.1 MILLION SPENT TO END NUCLEAR DEAL CPS Energy spent $6.1 million on litigation and related expenses to get out of its nuclear partnership with NRG Energy earlier this year, according to records it provided to the San Antonio Express-News. Of that, $4.2 million went to a Chicago-based law firm recommended by a supporter of the mayor and vetted by the city attorney. Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal is still billing CPS for work related to the deal, CPS’ general counsel said last week. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only San Antonio Current September 8, 2010 CPS SUNSHINE Now that CPS Energy is dishing so much sunshine to the Express-News (telling them, for instance, that the City-owned utility spent $6.1 million extracting itself from 50-percent ownership in two planned nuclear reactors at the South Texas Project in Matagorda County to today’s 7.6-percent status; confirming a range upper-management sorts are paid pro-sports-type figures; and admitting to ambitions for Future-Is-Now spider robots to serve espresso syrup to its executive staff through fiber-optic wires), the QueQue is left wondering about all our OUR denied past open records requests. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Texas Tribune September 8, 2010 TEXAS' WIND TRANSMISSION PROJECT KEEPS ROLLING Last week, to cheers from a crowded courtroom, commissioners in Denton County unanimously passed a resolution opposing the construction of a big new transmission line through their county — even though it would carry clean, renewable wind power. Later today, the company that wants to build the line will file a stack of paperwork refuting some of the objections and asking Texas regulators for permission to proceed anyway. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Oil & Gas Stories BP September 8, 2010 BP: NO SINGLE FACTOR CAUSED GULF SPILL No single factor caused the Macondo well tragedy. Rather, a sequence of failures involving a number of different parties led to the explosion and fire which killed 11 people and caused widespread pollution in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year. A report released by BP today concludes that decisions made by “multiple companies and work teams” contributed to the accident which it says arose from “a complex and interlinked series of mechanical failures, human judgments, engineering design, operational implementation and team interfaces.” This is BP's actual press release Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 7, 2010 NO SIGN OF BAN ENDING EARLY Federal drilling regulators offered no assurance to oil and gas professionals at a hearing Tuesday in Houston that a six-month ban on deep-water drilling will be lifted or modified before it expires at the end of November. Instead, Michael Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, offered wisps of encouragement to the audience of more than 300 energy representatives and a few others at the downtown Crowne Plaza Hotel. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Weatherford Democrat September 7, 2010 RESIDENTS VOICE CONCERNS ABOUT PARKER COUNTY WELL ODOR The odor, lights and noise from a gas well near their homes has Parker County residents in the 2500 block of Old Mineral Wells Highway worried about their health and property values and dissatisfied with what they say is an inadequate response from XTO Energy, the company that operates the well. “XTO has not helped in any way to solve these problems,” resident Enrico Barone said. “What they call a timely manner is not 30 to 60 days. We need them to fix something today, so we can breathe tomorrow.” Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 8, 2010 BP TAKES SOME BLAME IN GULF DISASTER BP PLC's report on its investigation into the Deepwater Horizon disaster will assign some of the blame to itself but also hold other companies responsible for the various decisions that led to the explosion, according to a person familiar with the matter. It remains unclear how much of the blame will be shouldered by BP in the report, which will be released Wednesday. The company has positioned the report as an objective assessment of events leading up to the April 20 explosion of a drilling rig that killed 11 workers and damaged a well, which unleashed nearly five million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only CNBC September 8, 2010 OIL FALLS FOR THIRD SESSION ON SHARE PRICE DROP Oil fell for a third straight session on Wednesday, with the U.S. benchmark hit by weakness in equity markets. U.S. light, sweet crude for October fell. London Brent crude was down on the day. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 8, 2010 BP: MULTIPLE COMPANIES, TEAMS CONTRIBUTED TO SPILL BP spread the blame around, and even was critical of its own workers' conduct, but it defended the design of its well and it was careful in its assessments. It already faces hundreds of lawsuits and billions of dollars of liabilities. In public hearings, it had already tried to shift some of the blame to rig owner Transocean Ltd. and cement contractor Halliburton. BP was leasing the rig from Transocean and owned the well that blew out. The report was generated by a BP team led by Mark Bly, BP's head of safety and operations. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only CNBC September 8, 2010 DANA REBUTS KNOC BID, SAYS WORTH MUCH MORE Dana Petroleum rejected a hostile 1.67 billion pound ($2.57 billion) bid from Korea National Oil (KNOC) on Wednesday, citing an independent valuation that said the UK explorer was worth considerably more. Dana also unveiled the acquisition of North Sea assets from Canada's Suncor for 240 million pounds, saying this supported the case for KNOC raising its bid as the independent experts said the assets were really worth 368 million pounds. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only CNBC September 7, 2010 BLAST RIPS THROUGH MEXICO OIL REFINERY, KILLS ONE An explosion ripped through a major Mexican refinery Tuesday, killing one worker and pushing gasoline prices higher on market talk that Mexico's state oil company Pemex might have to import more fuel. Pemex, the world's seventh largest oil producer, said a 32-year-old engineer was killed and two workers were severely burned when a compressor leak at the Cadereyta refinery's gasoil hydrotreater unit triggered an explosion and a fire. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 8, 2010 CHEVRON, DEVON IN DEAL Chevron Corp. acquired operating interests in three oil-and-gas exploration blocks in the South China Sea, and China's government has given approval for BP PLC to take a stake in part of the deep-water acreage, Chevron and China's Cnooc Ltd. said Tuesday. Financial terms weren't released. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 8, 2010 BP SHARES GAIN AFTER GULF REPORT Shares in BP PLC have extended gains after the release of an internal report on the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that deflects much of the blame onto contractor Transocean. The stock was up 2 percent at 414.95 pence ($6.41) shortly after the report was made public on Wednesday. BP fulfils analysts' expectations by taking some of the blame for April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig that killed 11 workers and started off the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 7, 2010 ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS, ENTERPRISE GP STRIKE DEAL Oil-and-gas pipeline companies Enterprise Products Partners LP and Enterprise GP Holdings LP announced a unit-based merger that values Enterprise GP at about $8 billion and would make it a subsidiary of Enterprise Products. The move—the latest by a master limited partnership to simplify its corporate structure—would make Houston-based Enterprise Products Partners more competitive by lowering the partnership's cost to raise money, according to analysts. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only New York Times September 5, 2010 A VOICE FROM THE NEXT OFFSHORE OIL FRONTIER On Thursday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar had a meeting with the only people outside the gulf region whose waters had been opened to offshore oil exploration. He was in Barrow, Alaska, the capital of the North Slope Borough, where people have the same conflicted feelings about the oil industry as residents of the gulf states do. The energy industry centered in Prudhoe Bay is the economic engine of the North Slope, helping preserve the Inupiat culture, but it also presents a potential threat to that culture. Mayor Edward Itta of the North Slope Borough e-mailed answers to our questions about these conflicts. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 7, 2010 CHINA HINTS AT TIGHTER REGULATION ON GAS SECTOR China's push for cleaner fuels has kept urban gas distributors in a sweet spot, but an industry regulation being tested in the northern province of Hebei suggests they face a bumpy road ahead. Hebei's government wants to cap gas companies' return on equity at 8% in a bid to keep natural-gas prices in check, especially for households. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Utilities Stories Sustainable Business September 7, 2010 SIERRA CLUB SUES OVER TEXAS POWER PLANT The Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice and Environmental Integrity Project, filed a lawsuit last Thursday against the owner of a Texas power plant that the group says has had more than 50,000 air pollution violations. The massive Martin Lake coal-fired power plant, located near Longview, Texas, is owned by Luminant (formerly TXU). It is one of the dirtiest coal plants in the nation and the worst power plant for mercury pollution among all U.S. coal plants with 1,764 pounds of mercury emissions in 2008, as listed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only San Antonio Current September 8, 2010 TREATING CPS ENERGY'S ADDICTION TO THE SEVEN-PERCENT SOLUTION Sherlock Holmes used a “7-percent solution” of cocaine to get through life when he wasn’t solving mysteries. When Conan Doyle wrote of his addicted detective in the 1880s cocaine was considered perfectly harmless. As its deadly properties became known, Doyle tried to wean his hero off the drug. The Doyle in San Antonio’s own tale of obsession is Doyle Beneby, the newly hired CEO of City-owned CPS Energy. He has inherited the CPS 7-percent solution; more precisely: a 7.6-percent investment in two reactors planned for the South Texas Project nuclear site. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only WOAI September 7, 2010 HERMINE KNOCKS OUT POWER TO 30,000-PLUS IN TEXAS CPS Energy is confirming 95,000 homes are without power in San Antonio after Tropical Storm Hermine moved through our area. A spokesman tells News 4 WOAI a combination of downed trees onto power lines, blown transponders and cars hitting poles led to the massive outage. The outages are all over the city, but are concentrated heavily on the Southeast and Northeast sides of town. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only CNBC September 7, 2010 CHINA TO LEND RUSSIA $6 BILLION FOR COAL SUPPLIES China agreed last month to lend Russia about $6 billion in exchange for increased coal supplies over the next quarter century, the Russian energy ministry said in a statement on its website. Russian coal supplies to China skyrocketed last year to 12 million tons from 0.76 million tons in 2008. Under the terms of the agreement, it will boost annual shipments to 15 million tons within the next five years and to 20 million tons thereafter. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only New York Times September 6, 2010 TURKEY JOINS EUROPE, ELECTRICALLY SPEAKING Turkey may be frustrated in its bid to become part of the European Union, but by the end of September, it will join Europe’s electric grid. Most electric systems in continental Europe — including those in countries like Poland and Romania — have synchronized currents, allowing electricity to flow easily from country to country. But other nations, including Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Finland and until now, Turkey, have remained separate. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Marketwatch September 8, 2010 U.S. GEOTHERMAL ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC INVESTMENT BY ENBRIDGE IN NEAL HOT SPRINGS U.S. Geothermal Inc., a leading renewable energy company focused on the development, production and sale of electricity from geothermal energy, announced today that it has entered into a strategic and financial partnership with Enbridge (U.S.) Inc. ("Enbridge"), a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc, a NYSE and TSX-listed company with a market capitalization of $18.75 billion. The partnership involves Enbridge investing up to US$23.8 million in the 35 megawatt ("MW") Neal Hot Springs geothermal project in eastern Oregon. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only iStockAnalyst September 8, 2010 'CLEAN' COAL ADVOCATES TOUR REGION Representatives from the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity stopped in St. Joseph Tuesday to talk about alternative energy. "We want to educate people of the advantages of clean coal technology and how to have a comprehensive energy plan," said Scott Howard with the coal advocacy group. Six teams with the organization plan to visit with communities in 12 states during the course of a month. The team visiting St. Joseph began its quest Sept. 1 with stops at festivals and events throughout Missouri and as far south as Texas and west to Colorado. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only New York Times September 2, 2010 REPORT SAYS HEAT, NOT SMART METERS, HIKED BILLS After Pacific Gas & Electric, the giant California utility, began installing smart meters in the state’s Central Valley, the company was swamped with complaints from residents that their utility bills had increased. But an independent review of the smart meters released Thursday found that the devices were functioning properly and attributed the high charges to a heat wave last year that coincided with their installation as well as poor customer service by P.G.&.E. “They are accurately recording usage and throughout our evaluation we found no systemic issues,” Stacey Wood, an executive with the Structure Group, a Houston consulting company, said on Thursday at a meeting of the California Public Utilities Commission. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Trading Markets September 7, 2010 ENTERGY RATES INCREASE, BUT BILLS DECREASE Entergy Texas got a rate increase and its customers now will pay less for power through at least next February. How is this possible? In July 2009, for example, Entergy Texas customers were paying $104 for 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, an amount of power considered about average for monthly consumption. That, of course, varies widely from customer to customer. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 5, 2010 WHERE ALL ROADS LEAD TO A NODE The state's main electricity grid operator soon will switch on a half-billion-dollar system to relieve congested power lines as part of a plan it says will save consumers money. Proponents of the nodal system say it will help lower electricity costs by moving power more efficiently. But critics say consumers, who are ultimately footing the bill, won't see much benefit from the project. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Alternatives & Renewables Stories New York Times September 6, 2010 WHEN IT COMES TO CAR BATTERIES, MOORE’S LAW DOES NOT COMPUTE Silicon Valley may be an epicenter of the nascent electric car industry, but don’t expect the battery revolution to mimic the computer revolution, one of I.B.M.’s top energy storage scientists advises. “Forget Moore’s Law — it’s nothing like that,” said Winfried Wilcke, senior manager for I.B.M.’s Battery 500 project, referring to the maxim put forward by Gordon Moore, an Intel founder, that computer processing power doubles roughly every two years. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only San Antonio Express-News September 8, 2010 INSTALLING SOLAR POWER NOW CHEAPER After factoring in rebates and tax credits, a homeowner's loan payments could be less than $100 a month for installing 5 kilowatts of solar power — power that would knock nearly $60 off a monthly utility bill, according to figures Tuesday provided by Solar San Antonio and the San Antonio Federal Credit Union. That's affordable for a lot of people who want to go solar, and it's the message San Antonians will see and hear as part of Solar San Antonio's Bring Solar Home campaign, which launched Tuesday. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Texas Tribune September 8, 2010 IN MARFA, ARTISTS CHEER STALL IN SOLAR PROJECT In the tiny artists' outpost of Marfa, residents who opposed the build-out of a massive solar power plant can thank the languishing national economy for putting the project on hold. Citing a lack of investors, Houston-based Tessera Solar has scotched plans to erect at least 1,000 three-story mirrored satellite dishes — designed to convert the blisteringly bright desert sun into electricity — until further notice. The solar project had created a chasm in the community, dividing those who embraced the potential for new jobs and tax revenue and those who worried the silvery sun catchers would blight the barren desert landscape. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only San Antonio Express-News September 6, 2010 THERE'S TIME TO PLAN FOR PLUG-INS, ELECTRIC VEHICLES As plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles become more popular, they'll be added to households already stuffed with power-hungry devices ranging from big-screen TVs to electric dryers. Are the nation's utilities ready to handle the load? “Time is on our side,” said Sunil Chhaya, senior project manager at the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only San Antonio Express-News September 6, 2010 SOLAR CAMPAIGN TO WORK WITH LENDERS The two biggest barriers for people who might want to install a solar energy system on their home are lack of information and high upfront costs. That's true across the country, and especially in San Antonio, a city of more than 1 million people that can claim just 133 approved solar photovoltaic systems and 55 awaiting approval, according to Solar San Antonio. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Discovery News September 8, 2010 FLYING IN SUNSHINE No matter how you look at it, flying around the world is a big deal. Especially in a solar airplane. Engineers in Switzerland are getting ready for the first flight around the world in an solar-powered airplane. It’s pretty much the last word in high technology. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Discovery News September 7, 2010 LOOKING TO LEAVES FOR SOLAR TECHNOLOGY A new technique may one day lead to solar cells that bring themselves together like a molecular flash mob and repair damage they sustain during the rough business of turning light into electricity. The research lays the groundwork for cheap, self-repairing solar cells with an indefinite lifetime, a team reports Sept. 5 in Nature Chemist. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Regulatory Stories Wall Street Journal September 7, 2010 NYSE EURONEXT TO EXPAND CARBON TRADING TO US, ASIA . NYSE Euronext (NYX) plans to expand its carbon-trading business from Europe to the U.S. and Asia through a joint venture that sets up a three-way battle among exchanges to expand a once-promising market whose fortunes have waned in recent months. The exchange operator is fusing its Paris-based BlueNext unit with APX Inc., a U.S.-based provider of trading technology, to broaden market offerings tied to renewable energy and emissions. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 7, 2010 LAWMAKER: BETTER OFFSHORE SAFETY NOT ENOUGH The government is already beefing up its enforcement of offshore drilling in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, but according to one lawmaker, that’s not nearly enough. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., today insisted the government needs to step up (and consolidate) regulation of the entire petrochemical industry. Murray directed her advice at the national commission investigating the oil spill, which has been considering whether the oil and gas industry needs a new overseer be modeled after the Institute of Nuclear Power Operators. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Los Angeles Times September 6, 2010 BID TO SUSPEND CALIFORNIA GLOBAL-WARMING LAW GETS $1 MILLION FROM BILLIONAIRE BROTHERS' FIRM The fight over a November ballot initiative to suspend California's global warming law has escalated sharply with the Koch brothers, oil billionaires and "tea party" backers, making a million-dollar entry into the fray. The contribution to the campaign for Proposition 23 came Thursday from a subsidiary of Wichita, Kan.-based Koch Industries, the nation's second-largest private company (after the agribusiness giant Cargill). A spokeswoman for the subsidiary, Flint Hills Resources, said the company "may consider additional support." The Kochs' company has estimated annual revenues of $100 billion, owns refineries in Alaska, Texas and Minnesota, and controls about 4,000 miles of oil pipelines. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Victoria Times Colonist September 8, 2010 PELOSI COMES TO BURY OILSANDS, NOT PRAISE THEM When a top politician in the Obama administration comes to Canada with her energy sidekick, oilsands producers and royalty-addicted premiers rush into line for the chance to do some arm-twisting. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as the third-ranking politician in the administration, qualifies. But her voting record, iffy re-election prospects and scheduled meetings with aboriginal and environmental delegations -- along with her choice of political tagalong -- suggest oilsand advocates aren't going to get very far. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Dallas Morning News September 8, 2010 PUBLIC INVITED TO TESTIFY AT DALLAS HEARING ON COAL ASH THIS MORNING The Environmental Protection Agency has invited the public to testify at a hearing in Dallas this morning on possible new rules for handling coal ash. The ash is left over from burning coal for electricity and is full of concentrated toxic metals. Coal-firing power companies generally bury it at the plant or in nearby landfills. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only September 7, 2010 Lead Stories Houston Chronicle September 6, 2010 CHALLENGE HEIGHTENED ON EPA AIR QUALITY RULES New information shows that it may be more challenging than expected to meet tough new air pollution standards that the federal government is proposing . It's the latest twist in the run-up to new federal rules on ozone, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce at the end of October. Regulators at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, who are in charge of writing the ozone-control plan, questioned some of the results, but agreed with parts of it. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Fort Worth Star Telegram September 4, 2010 THE BARNETT SHALE SEARCH FOR FACTS ON FRACKING Tarrant County Commissioner J.D. Johnson recalls precisely when the 260-foot-deep water well at his rural home became polluted in August 2005. "It occurred when they fractured the wells," he said, referring to two Barnett Shale natural gas wells drilled on his 15 acres in northwest Tarrant County. "Immediately after they fracked those wells, the water turned everything in our house that it came into contact with a dark gold color, like a mineral color." Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Austin American Statesman September 5, 2010 ERCOT'S $661 MILLION SYSTEM TO CHANGE HOW POWER IS PRICED IN TEXAS After years of cost overruns and delays, Texas is assured of having the most complicated wholesale market for electricity in the country by the end of the year. It remains to be seen whether it is the most efficient. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, commonly called ERCOT, is planning to launch its new market management system Dec. 1, amid criticism from consumers and second-guessing by the Texas Legislature. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only CNBC September 7, 2010 TRANSOCEAN BULLIED NORTH SEA STAFF: UK AUTHORITIES Britain's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has compiled a report on Transocean, the company that drilled BP's blown out Gulf of Mexico well, that includes allegations the company bullied staff to deter them from reporting safety concerns. The regulator sent Transocean a report earlier this year that included allegations from employees that they had been intimidated, British Members of Parliament grilling a senior Transocean executive at a parliamentary committee said on Tuesday. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Oil & Gas Stories Houston Chronicle September 6, 2010 VALERO IS EXPANDING THE AVAILABILITY OF E85 Taxi driver Dwight "Barron" Jones zipped into a Valero Corner Store in San Antonio last week when he saw fuel was selling for $2.199 a gallon. The startling price — 27 cents cheaper than regular gasoline - was for E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent conventional gasoline. Jones has used the blend in the past at other E85 pumps in San Antonio, and said he was glad to see a new one. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 7, 2010 CHEVRON BUYS SOUTH CHINA SEA STAKE FROM DEVON Chevron Corp. has acquired operating interests in three exploration blocks in the South China Sea, and China's government has given approval for BP PLC to take a stake in part of the deep-water acreage despite its Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a statement by Cnooc Ltd. said Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not released. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Dallas Morning News September 4, 2010 LATEST GULF OF MEXICO OIL FIRE MAY COMPLICATE DEBATE OVER DRILLING News of another oil rig fire in the Gulf of Mexico , so soon after the BP oil spill, has set off a wave of anxiety along the Gulf Coast and prompted calls for the government to extend its six-month ban on deepwater drilling. Just when it seemed the Obama administration might be ready to lift the unpopular ban, the fire raises new questions about the dangers of offshore drilling, leaving the industry wondering when it can get back to work. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 6, 2010 FEDERAL OFFICIALS WON'T TALK ABOUT BLOWOUT PREVENTER The Justice Department won't say if the blowout preventer that failed to stop oil from gushing from BP's undersea well into the Gulf of Mexico is on its way to shore. Spokeswoman Hannah August declined to comment today. The 50-foot, 300-ton device, which was lifted to the surface Saturday, is expected to be analyzed at a NASA facility in Louisiana. It is unclear, meanwhile, exactly when the final plugging of the well will take place. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 7, 2010 OIL TYCOON SAYS PWC CAVED TO PRESSURE Defense lawyers for jailed Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky are turning their legal guns on one of their client's former allies: auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers. The attorneys for Mr. Khodorkovsky—once the main shareholder and chief executive of petroleum producer OAO Yukos and now on trial for allegedly embezzling tens of billions of dollars from the company—say PWC acted improperly when it withdrew its seal of approval from ten years of Yukos's financial statements. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Fort Worth Star Telegram September 6, 2010 'FRACKING' TAKES STARRING ROLE IN RECENT FILMS Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," of oil and natural gas wells began more than 60 years ago, at a time when most Americans hadn't bought their first television set. But it's only now that the widely used procedure has become such a high-profile and controversial national issue that it's a subject of four recent documentaries. Two that take critical views of the industry, Gasland and Split Estate, zero in on areas with substantial gas production where some residents blame drilling and fracking for problems including contaminated water wells, polluted air, heavy truck traffic, visual blight and health problems. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Washington Times September 4, 2010 KEY OIL SPILL EVIDENCE RAISED TO SURFACE A crane hoisted a key piece of oil spill evidence to the surface of the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, giving investigators their first chance to personally scrutinize the blowout preventer, the massive piece of equipment that failed to stop the gusher four months ago. It took 29½ hours to lift the 50-foot, 300-ton blowout preventer from a mile beneath the sea to the surface. The five-story high device breached the water's surface at 6:54 p.m. CDT, and looked largely intact with black stains on the yellow metal. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 6, 2010 PIPELINE TO AUSTRIA WINS FINANCIAL SUPPORT Three international financial institutions have thrown their weight behind an international pipeline aimed at helping Europe reduce its dependence on Russian natural gas. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank and an affiliate of the World Bank Group are getting behind the Nabucco pipeline. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only CNBC September 7, 2010 OIL EXTENDS DROP AS DOLLAR GAINS, EYES STORMS Oil fell by over $1 to near $73 a barrel on Tuesday as the dollar strengthened and Tropical Storm Hermine showed no signs of disruption to crude or refining output as it came ashore near the Mexico-Texas border. "There's a quiet week ahead in terms of fundamental news, so keep an ear to equities and the dollar," said Stephen Schork of energy consultants Schork Group, in a report. U.S. light, sweet crude fell. London Brent crude was also down. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only San Antonio Express-News September 3, 2010 TEXAS FIRM TEMPORARILY PLUGS LEAKING ND OIL WELL A ruptured oil well in western North Dakota was temporarily plugged on Friday after leaking more than 2,400 barrels of crude and water, company officials said. Bob Cornelius, a spokesman for Denbury Onshore LLC of Plano, Texas, said the company had done a successful static kill by pumping heavy mud in the well that began leaking early Wednesday morning about 2 1/2 miles southwest of Killdeer. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle August 29, 2010 STEFFY: PROTECTING THAT PEACEFUL, EASY FEELING The midmorning sun spills across Pam Walker's farm. Birds chirp in a lilting chorus of tranquillity. A bumblebee darts under one of the towering pecan trees near her house, lingers for a moment, then zips away, leaving Walker to wonder how long the peaceful milieu will last. These rolling hills are being swept up in the drilling boom for the Eagle Ford Shale, a geologic formation that runs as deep as 11,000 feet under Walker's pecan trees and that's rich in oil and natural gas. Energy companies are eager to get to it using hydraulic fracturing, a process of injecting water and chemicals into the shale to split open the rock and release the hydrocarbons. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 5, 2010 BP MOVES FORWARD WITH FINAL PLANS FOR OIL WELL The runaway well at the origin of the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history is no longer considered a menace by U.S. authorities, now that BP PLC has placed a new blowout preventer at its top and is moving forward with a procedure to bring about its final demise, the head of the federal response effort said Saturday. "This well does not constitute a threat to the Gulf of Mexico at this point," said retired U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen in a teleconference. An attempt to inject mud and cement from the bottom, which responders had insisted was necessary before the well was officially declared dead, is to be carried out next week, Adm. Allen said. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 5, 2010 HC: A PROPOSAL TO DRILL IN CITY PARKS COULD PROVIDE A CASH GUSHER You know fiscal times are hard when parks supporters and elected officials support drilling for gas deposits under some of Houston's public green spaces. On Wednesday, Houston City Council approved a three-year, $200,000 lease allowing Southern Star Exploration to conduct a year-long study of possible energy deposits below three northeast city parks, Herman Brown, Brock and Maxey, as well as a public works facility in the area. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Fort Worth Star Telegram September 5, 2010 FOR DRILLING, HOW MUCH OVERSIGHT IS ENOUGH? More than 10,000 times in the 12 months ending Aug. 31, oil and gas operators in Texas sank steel pipe into the ground and cemented it in place -- a critical process aimed at preventing groundwater contamination before and after a well goes into production. Texas Railroad Commission inspectors personally witnessed 1,561 of those surface casings, according to agency records. That represents only 15.4 percent of the 10,140 surface-casings at well sites. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Fort Worth Star Telegram September 4, 2010 HOW FRACKING WORKS: SAND AND WATER GO IN; NATURAL GAS COMES OUT A customarily tranquil spot in rural northeast Johnson County was transformed into a noisy, massive industrial operation for several days in April. It involved 150 workers, 10 oil field contractors and a plethora of equipment that included 24 large pressure-pumping trucks, equipment to mix millions of gallons of water and sand, and a crane to lower a device into two natural gas wells to blast holes in rock. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Utilities Stories Wall Street Journal September 7, 2010 PROBES FIND ENERGY METERS ACCURATE, SERVICE LACKING A four-month investigation spurred by a surge in energy-bill complaints found new smart meters installed in Northern California by PG&E Corp. are accurately measuring energy use. But the probe found that some utilities are falling down in the way they handle customer complaints and monitor data transmitted by the new digital meters. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 7, 2010 RELIANCE STEPS UP INFRASTRUCTURE BET Indian conglomerate Reliance ADA Group plans to make an ambitious move into financing infrastructure projects in an effort to alleviate one of the main bottlenecks to improving India's creaky roads and electrical grid. Reliance Capital Ltd., the financial arm of the conglomerate, which is backed by billionaire Anil Ambani and operates India's largest mutual fund, plans to target infrastructure firms as it ramps up its lending business from a current book value of about $2 billion to as much as $10 billion within about three years, company officials said. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 5, 2010 GDF-SUEZ'S MESTRALLET GAINING SCALE, FLEXIBILITY IN NATURAL GAS Gérard Mestrallet has just created a colossus: the world's biggest utility by revenue. Last month's agreement to buy a majority stake in International Power PLC will put him at the helm of a greatly enlarged GDF-Suez SA, with its army of power stations, charging ahead of rivals such as E.ON AG, the German utility, or domestic competitor Électricité de France SA. Gérard Mestrallet has just created a colossus: the world's biggest utility by revenue. Last month's agreement to buy a majority stake in International Power PLC will put him at the helm of a greatly enlarged GDF-Suez SA, with its army of power stations, charging ahead of rivals such as E.ON AG, the German utility, or domestic competitor Électricité de France SA. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 7, 2010 CHALLENGES CLOUD GERMAN REACTOR PLAN Germany's government and energy utilities ended months of wrangling and agreed to extend the life of the country's nuclear-power plants, but popular resistance and possible legal challenges cloud the fate of the deal. Germany's government and energy utilities ended months of wrangling and agreed to extend the life of the country's nuclear-power plants, but popular resistance and possible legal challenges cloud the fate of the deal. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 6, 2010 GRID SYSTEM HOPES TO GET POWER TO THE PEOPLE CHEAPER The state’s main electricity grid operator soon will switch on a half-billion-dollar system to relieve congested power lines as part of a plan it says will save consumers money. Proponents of the nodal system say it will help lower electricity costs by moving power more efficiently. But critics say consumers, who are ultimately footing the bill, won’t see much benefit from the project. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Yubanet September 2, 2010 TEXAS COAL PLANT’S 50,000 AIR POLLUTION VIOLATIONS LEAD TO LEGAL CHALLENGE More than 50,000 air pollution violations at the massive Martin Lake coal-fired power plant led the Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice and Environmental Integrity Project, to file a lawsuit today in federal court against plant owner Luminant (formerly TXU). The Martin Lake plant, located near Longview, Texas, is one of the dirtiest coal plants in the nation. It is the worst power plant for mercury pollution among all U.S. coal plants, emitting 1,764 pounds in 2008, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory. In Texas, Martin Lake ranked third for asthma-causing soot pollution and was responsible for 13 percent of all industrial air pollution in the state. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Brownsville Herald September 6, 2010 HERMINE BRINGS TORRENTIAL RAIN, WIND AND POWER OUTAGES TO THE VALLEY Powerful winds and torrential rain are hitting parts of the Valley as Tropical Storm Hermine moves northward. The National Weather Service in Brownsville says up to three inches of rain an hour can be expected as the main spiral band of the center of Tropical Storm Hermine moves over the Valley. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Alternatives & Renewables Stories New York Times September 7, 2010 FRESH CAPITAL IN THE URANIUM FUEL RACE For decades, the business of enriching uranium for use in nuclear reactors was simple: companies bought the uranium and sent it to one of the plants built by the federal government as part of its nuclear weapons program. The government increased the proportion of uranium 235, the kind that splits easily in reactors. But in the 1990s, the government sold the plants to the United States Enrichment Company, now called USEC. Meanwhile, other companies started looking at the American market. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 5, 2010 THE NEW GENERATION OF ELECTRIC CARS MAY SEEM CRAMPED AND UNDERPOWERED, BUT THEY HAVE TRUE BELIEVERS CHARGED UP The new lines of plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles coming out this year from major auto manufacturers aren't exactly luxury cars. They have cramped interiors and even with their 100-mile-plus ranges, there's a lack of infrastructure to quickly charge their batteries. Still, they're a huge step up from what early adopters of the electric car have had to contend with: The short battery life means tedious planning before each trip to map out routes that are as short as possible and avoid highways. Worst of all, there's not always enough power for such "extras" as radio or air conditioning — a huge drawback in Texas summers. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 7, 2010 GT SOLAR STAKEHOLDER SELLING 10 SHARES GT Solar International Inc. said Tuesday a shareholder is offering 10 million shares of common stock. The selling stockholder has also granted the underwriters an option to buy up to 1.5 million additional shares to cover excess demand. Concurrently with the offering, the selling stockholder has entered into agreements to sell up to 15 million additional shares of stock to UBS Securities LLC and one of its affiliates in connection with an offering by UBS AG of its Mandatory Exchangeable Notes due 2013. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only New York Times September 7, 2010 DANISH SHIPPING GIANT TO SWITCH TO CLEANER FUEL WHEN IN HONG KONG Aiming to reduce noxious fumes in one of the most densely populated parts of Asia, the Danish shipping giant Maersk Line said Tuesday that its ships would switch to low-sulfur fuel when at berth in Hong Kong — a move it hopes will help speed up much-needed regulation in Asia. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Austin American Statesman September 6, 2010 STIMULUS HELPS SMALL BUSINESSES WITH CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS The dogs at DogBoy's Dog Ranch appear to be relatively happy. The canines at the 15-acre facility can gaze at gently rolling rural land when they're not gnawing at balls, splayed out for a doggie massage or getting an adjustment the facility offers dog chiropractic services. And, thanks to an extensive solar panel system partly paid for by the federal government, the 75 or so dogs can sleep in air-conditioned comfort in the kennels that board them. Over the past year, the Department of Energy has showered billions of stimulus dollars on clean energy efforts, mostly to large-scale wind and solar projects nationally and in Texas. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Fort Worth Star Telegram September 6, 2010 SOME DEALERS MAY ADD THOUSANDS TO PRICE OF NEW ELECTRIC CARS When the first Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf electric vehicles finally trickle into area dealerships early next year, consumer interest is expected to be strong. It will also be interesting to see whether some dealers try to capitalize on small supplies and strong demand by adding thousands of dollars to the prices. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Regulatory Stories Politico September 3, 2010 MORE DEMOCRATS CALL FOR OIL DRILLING INVESTIGATION The House is beginning to ratchet up its investigatory power in the wake of the second offshore drilling accident this year. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) on Friday sent Interior Secretary Ken Salazar a letter requesting a slew of documents, saying he is “alarmed” by the disaster aboard the Mariner Energy rig in the Gulf of Mexico. This follows on the heels of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s request that Mariner brief committee members. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 6, 2010 WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TELL BROMWICH (THAT DOESN’T INVOLVE CURSING)? Michael Bromwich, the head of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (dang, that’s a mouthful) will be in Houston on Tuesday to hear from oil and gas industry experts, environmental leaders and academics as part of a series of nationwide forums on offshore drilling. The sessions are for gathering information about offshore safety before the BOEMRE recommends whether the moratorium on deep-water drilling — set to expire Nov. 30 — should be modified. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only CNBC September 3, 2010 U.S. REITERATES COMMITMENT TO 2020 CLIMATE GOAL The United States reiterated on Friday that it was committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 even though the Senate has failed to pass legislation. "I am in no sense writing off legislation over time. And I'm quite sure the president isn't," U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern told a news conference during two days of talks in Geneva among about 45 nations reviewing climate finance. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Galveston County Daily News September 6, 2010 RETIREES GIVE ‘OTHER SIDE’ OF EMISSIONS STORY They’ve read the media reports, seen the long lines of people wanting to meet with lawyers, and they’ve seen the barrage of ads from plaintiffs’ attorneys. What Texas City residents Jose Boix and Jack Cross claim is that the community hasn’t really seen or heard the other side of the story about air quality and industry emissions. “We feel that based on the news reports and what these law firms are saying a lot of the people joining these lawsuits truly feel that they may have been exposed to unsafe concentrations of benzene,” the two men said in a joint statement. “Our reason for speaking out is that these lawsuits are unprincipled and do much harm to the image of a good community.” Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Galveston County Daily News September 5, 2010 GROUP DOUBTS CLAIMS BY BP An environmental consulting group investigating a 40-day emissions event at BP’s Texas City refinery that sent 536,000 pounds of chemicals into the air calls the company’s assertion the incident posed no risk to the community a fallacy. “Every piece of evidence we find gets us closer to the bigger picture, and we can say to BP, ‘Yeah, you guys are lying to us,’” said Chris Waller, a civil engineer with the Soil Water Air Protection Enterprise group in California. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Denton Record-Chronicle September 4, 2010 NEW TOXINS REPORT RELEASED State environmental inspectors returned to Dish in mid-June after Mayor Calvin Tillman disclosed to the public that both his young sons recently woke in the night with heavy nosebleeds. Inspectors sampled the air for compounds they didn’t test for in previous visits, including formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, along with 16 other carbonyl compounds that are byproducts of combustion. Formaldehyde is not one of the toxic compounds regularly measured by permanent air monitors, such as the one installed in April at Clark Airport in Dish. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Fort Worth Star Telegram September 6, 2010 'BAD ACTORS' MAKE REST OF INDUSTRY LOOK BAD, ENERGY FIRMS AND OTHERS SAY As the U.S. oil and gas industry seeks to fend off new federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing -- a technology vital to the nation's shale-gas drilling boom -- a two-word phrase increasingly crops up in the national conversation on the issue. Bad actors. Energy companies and others say a relatively small number of "bad actors," guilty of incompetent, unsafe or unethical actions, are giving the entire industry a black eye. The potential result, they say, could be costly regulations that mean higher prices for energy consumers. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only September 3, 2010 Lead Stories Dallas Morning News September 2, 2010 TXU BONDS TUMBLE AS NATURAL GAS DROP IMPERILS BIGGEST LBO: CREDIT MARKETS Bonds of the former TXU Corp., the largest leveraged buyout in history, are tumbling as a plunge in natural gas prices raises concern the company may have a harder time meeting its debt payments. Notes of Energy Future Holdings Corp., renamed after KKR & Co. and TPG Capital paid $43.2 billion for the electricity provider in 2007, lost 10.1 percent last month, the largest decline among the 50 biggest issuers of junk-rated corporate debentures in the U.S., according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch data. That followed a 3.66 percent drop in the second half of July. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 3, 2010 BLAZE SHAKES OIL INDUSTRY The fire that engulfed an oil and gas platform Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico heightened pressure on the energy industry, which is battling greater regulation and a deep-water drilling ban. The accident on Mariner Energy Inc.'s shallow-water platform sent 13 workers tumbling into the ocean, but there were no casualties and little or no oil appears to have been spilled. But the towering column of smoke in the Gulf, 245 miles from where the Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, provoked an outcry from environmental groups and politicians in Washington already skeptical of offshore drilling. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Daily Finance September 3, 2010 CISCO GOES SHOPPING: NETWORKING GIANT TO BUY SMART-GRID STARTUP ARCH ROCK Cisco Systems (CSCO) is expanding its foray into smart-grid technology, which helps utilities and consumers manage their electricity supply and consumption by providing realtime information about power usage, generation, and pricing. The company Thursday said it plans to buy a startup, San Francisco-based Arch Rock, which is developing wireless-networking equipment based on Internet Protocol for the electrical grid. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 2, 2010 BP SAYS SPILL BATTLE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY BP officials told federal regulators on Thursday that the four-month battle against its Gulf of Mexico oil spill unleashed major innovations in unmanned submarines, relief wells and other technologies that could help combat future offshore disasters. Even the failures were informative, BP said in a 74-page report it delivered to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. From the containment dome to the capping stack, BP's repeated attempts to capture the oil flowing out of the Macondo well demonstrated what didn't work and what did. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Oil & Gas Stories Bloomberg September 3, 2010 MARINER PLATFORM BLAST MAY EXTEND DEEP-WATER DRILLING BAN Mariner Energy Inc. has dealt with a history of fires, injuries and safety violations, including on the platform that caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday. The Houston-based company has had 16 fires on its Gulf platforms since 2007, including two in 2009. In one incident last year, workers aboard a Mariner platform 45 miles south of Louisiana were welding a piece of equipment near a tank holding methanol when the tank exploded, injuring one worker. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 3, 2010 RIGS DRILL FOR OIL; PLATFORMS PUMP IT The Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20 and Thursday's Mariner Energy Inc. fire both took place on oil facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. Beyond that, the two types of equipment don't have much in common. The now-defunct Deepwater Horizon was a deep-sea drilling rig, a huge piece of equipment that floated in thousands of feet of water while it bored into the ocean floor. After drilling for a few weeks or months, the rig would disconnect and move on to its next project. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only New York Times September 3, 2010 BP SAYS LIMITS ON DRILLING IMPERIL OIL SPILL PAYOUTS BP is warning Congress that if lawmakers pass legislation that bars the company from getting new offshore drilling permits, it may not have the money to pay for all the damages caused by its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The company says a ban would also imperil the ambitious Gulf Coast restoration efforts that officials want the company to voluntarily support. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only New Orleans Times Picayune September 2, 2010 GOV. BOBBY JINDAL SAYS COMPANY REPORTS NO OIL IS LEAKING Gov. Bobby Jindal said Mariner Energy officials told him this afternoon that all seven wells that were operating at Vermilion Block 380 at the time of the fire today have been shut in, which would mean no oil is leaking. "If that's true it's a very important step," Jindal said, adding that state officials are still seeking independent verification of the company's claim Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 3, 2010 MARINER RESCUE BRINGS FEARFUL FLASHBACKS OF BP BLAST A day that started with fearful flashbacks to April’s deadly explosion and oil spill ended in relief Thursday, as an early-morning blaze aboard a production platform in the Gulf of Mexico caused no serious injuries and no signs of a new oil slick. U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Peter Troedsson said the fire that erupted on a Mariner Energy production platform about 100 miles south of Louisiana’s Vermilion Bay Thursday morning had been extinguished by evening and that all 13 crew members were safe. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only New Orleans Times Picayune September 2, 2010 OIL PLATFORM EXPLOSION IS IN MARKED CONTRAST WITH BP DISASTER IN GULF OF MEXICO An oil and natural gas production platform exploded in flames Thursday morning, sending 13 workers on board plunging into the Gulf of Mexico and touching raw nerves about the safety of offshore energy operations in the wake of the BP spill. An oil and natural gas production platform exploded in flames Thursday morning, sending 13 workers on board plunging into the Gulf of Mexico and touching raw nerves about the safety of offshore energy operations in the wake of the BP spill. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 3, 2010 BP SAYS COST OF SPILL HAS HIT $8 BILLION Oil major BP PLC said Friday it has spent around $8 billion to date in response to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and expects to resume its relief-well drilling shortly. The sum includes the cost of the spill response; containment; relief-well drilling; the "static kill" operation of providing mud and cementing; grants to the Gulf states; compensation claims paid; and federal costs. No new oil has flowed into the Gulf of Mexico from the Macondo well since July 15, the company said in a statement. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 2, 2010 CREWS REMOVE TEMPORARY CAP ON BP WELL Engineers removed a temporary cap on Thursday that stopped oil from gushing into the Gulf of Mexico from BP's blown-out well in mid-July. No more oil was expected to leak into the sea, but crews were standing by with collection vessels just in case. The cap was removed as a prelude to raising the massive piece of equipment underneath that failed to prevent the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only New York Times September 3, 2010 AN OIL PLATFORM BURNS, BLANKETING THE GULF WITH ANGST An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire on Thursday morning, forcing its 13 crew members overboard and sending waves of anxiety along a coast that has just begun to recover from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. By early evening, the workers had been rescued with no serious injuries reported and the fire had been put out. Coast Guard officials said that no oil could be seen on the water near the platform, contradicting an earlier report. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only San Antonio Express-News September 3, 2010 GAZPROM TO DOUBLE GAS IMPORTS FROM AZERBAIJAN Russia's Gazprom on Friday clinched a deal to double supplies from Azerbaijan in a bid to expand its control over gas produced by former Soviet republics. Gazprom and the State Oil and Gas Company of Azerbaijan signed an agreement to boost Azerbaijan's gas supplies to Russia to 2 million cubic meters next year, Gazprom said in a statement. The Azeri company also committed to sell over 2 million cubic meters of gas in 2012, Gazprom said. This will be four times as much as the amount Russia contracted in the first big gas deal with Azerbaijan in June last year. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 3, 2010 IEA PREDICTS GREATER RELIANCE ON OPEC OIL The global dependency on the members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries for oil will rise in the next five to 10 years as production by non-OPEC nations declines, the chief of the International Energy Agency said Friday. "We have seen an increase in non-OPEC supplies. But in the mid-term, non-OPEC production will decline," Nobuo Tanaka, the agency's executive director, told reporters on the sidelines of a conference. "So, dependency on OPEC oil will increase." Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 2, 2010 MARINER SHED TAINT, NOW AWAITS APACHE PURCHASE Before Thursday's accident in the Gulf of Mexico, Mariner Energy was little-known outside the industry. The Houston-based exploration and production firm formerly was owned by Enron Corp., and was one of the many oil and gas assets Enron held as it soared in the late 1990s and into 2001. After Enron's bankruptcy in December 2001, investigators discovered that its internal accounting team inflated the value of Mariner on Enron's books. Criminal charges against former Enron Chief Accounting Officer Rick Causey mentioned the Mariner stake specifically. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 3, 2010 ENERGY INDUSTRY’S CRITICS POUNCE ON MARINER BLAST Mariner Energy’s platform fire Thursday could prove a costly setback for a U.S. oil and gas industry trying to reassure policymakers already shaken by the BP oil spill that offshore drilling and production is safe. While Thursday’s accident took no lives and may not have spilled any oil, it provided fresh fodder to critics who contend the industry has systemic safety problems requiring a sweeping overhaul. “It seems that everyone is content to let another oil rig explode every few months rather than taking concrete steps to clean up the industry,” said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz, joining a chorus of lawmakers and interest groups that pounced on the event Thursday. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only CNBC September 3, 2010 U.S. CRUDE FUTURES TURN POSITIVE AFTER JOBS REPORT U.S. crude oil futures prices bounced to higher ground Friday on a less-than-expected drop in U.S. payroll jobs. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, U.S. light, sweet crude for October delivery crude rose, while London Brent crude also climbed. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 3, 2010 OIL SOFTENS AS EARL WEAKENS Oil futures softened ahead of the key U.S. jobs report and a weakening Hurricane Earl. Prices had rallied Thursday afternoon after Hurricane Earl swirled toward the U.S. eastern seaboard, prompting concerns that refineries will shut, and crude and gasoline imports will be hindered. Tropical storms Fiona and Gaston aren't far behind. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Business Week September 2, 2010 TEXAS COMPANY WORKING TO PLUG LEAKING ND OIL WELL A Texas company worked Thursday to seal the underground piping of a faulty oil well that has leaked more than 1,100 barrels of crude and water at a drill site in western North Dakota. The spill happened about 2 1/2 miles southwest of Killdeer and was reported early Wednesday morning, said Lynn Helms, director of the state Department of Mineral Resources. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 3, 2010 GREENPEACE ENDS GREENLAND OIL PROTEST Cairn Energy PLC said Thursday it has restarted operations on the oil drilling rig it has under contract offshore Greenland following the end of a protest by Greenpeace. "Operations have started again on the Stena Don where safety remains Cairn's priority in this drilling exploration activity," the company said in a statement. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Fort Worth Star Telegram September 2, 2010 PERMIAN BASIN, EAGLE FORD SHALE ARE HOT DRILLING CENTERS IN TEXAS Two Texas geological provinces -- the venerable Permian Basin of West Texas and a young upstart, the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas -- are red-hot centers of drilling for oil and other petroleum liquids, investment bankers said here Thursday. The Permian Basin, where operators are centered in the Midland-Odessa area, is thriving as a result of steady, respectable oil prices in the range of $70 to $80 per barrel, said Sylvia Barnes, head of energy investment banking and a managing director for Madison, Williams and Co. Barnes said energy producers there are also successfully employing technological advancements such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing that became staples of pioneering U.S. shale-gas plays. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Fort Worth Star Telegram September 2, 2010 XTO IS BUSINESS AS USUAL, FORMER PRESIDENT SAYS It's business as usual at XTO Energy's headquarters in downtown Fort Worth, with little change in the natural gas and oil producer's operations since it was acquired by Irving-based oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. in June. That was the message given by former XTO President Vaughn Vennerberg at an energy conference Thursday. XTO is "still running around 70 [drilling] rigs," he said. "We're still on the same path we were before the merger took place." The company, now an Exxon Mobil subsidiary, is focused on major U.S. shale gas regions and looking for acquisitions to complement existing holdings, he said. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 2, 2010 TEXAS' DRILLING BAN CASE HEADS EAST A federal judge in Houston agreed Thursday to move the state's case challenging a federal moratorium on deep-water drilling to New Orleans. The Department of Interior, which the state of Texas sued in August, requested that the case be switched to the Eastern District of Louisiana, where related cases are pending. Judge Lynn Hughes granted the request at a hearing in Houston. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Malta Business Weekly September 3, 2010 BP’S LIFE ON FRONTIERS OF ENERGY INDUSTRY AT RISK At a celebration of BP’s centennial last October, chief executive officer, Tony Hayward, boasted to guests that the oil company “lives on the frontiers of the energy industry”. But this week, in the first major sign that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill may have caused lasting damage to the company’s long-term strategy of embracing projects with high risks, BP was frozen out of a potentially lucrative license to drill for oil off the coast of Greenland. The Arctic setback comes as BP’s plans to begin deep-water drilling in Libya and the North Sea have been delayed, and its vast offshore US operations remain under a cloud. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Bloomberg September 3, 2010 PETROBRAS MAY RAISE UP TO $75 BILLION IN SALE OF SHARES Petroleo Brasileiro SA, Latin America’s largest company by market value, will sell as much as 129 billion reais ($75 billion) of new voting and preferred shares to investors and the government. Petrobras, as the state-controlled oil producer is known, will offer as many as 1.59 billion new preferred shares and 2.17 billion new voting shares, according to a regulatory filing today. The company may sell an additional 564 million preferred or voting shares depending on demand. The estimated value of the sale is based on yesterday’s closing price. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Utilities Stories Dallas Morning News September 2, 2010 EFH BONDS FOLLOW NATURAL GAS MARKETS DOWN Bonds of Energy Future Holdings Corp., the largest leveraged buyout in history, are tumbling as a drop in natural gas prices could make it harder for the company to meet debt payments. According to a Bloomberg story, notes of the Dallas power company lost 10.1 percent last month, the largest decline among the 50 biggest issuers of junk-rated corporate debentures in the U.S., according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch data. That followed a 3.66 percent drop in the second half of July. Investors are speculating the 22 percent decline in natural gas prices in August, the most since July 2008, will curb EFH revenue. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only San Antonio Business Journal September 2, 2010 CPS ENERGY GETS NOD FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CPS Energy won an honorable mention by a leading magazine for its role in attracting new or expanding companies to San Antonio. The designation means that magazine recognizes CPS Energy’s willingness to work with local officials and prospective firms interested in scouting out land for a company relocation or expansion. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Dallas Morning News September 2, 2010 DOES A UNIVERSITY DONATION BELONG ON YOUR LIGHT BILL? Several retail electric providers lately have announced pricing plans that rely on major university branding. Reliant and Champion are offering products that promise a donation to the Longhorns, Aggies, or anybody else. Kate Galbraith over at the Texas Tribune makes a good point: Why not just sign up for a cheaper power plan and donate separately to your favorite school? Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 2, 2010 IT'S APPLIANCE REBATES, ROUND 2 Who says the stimulus is over? Texans who didn't snare rebates last spring for buying an energy-efficient appliance will get another chance this winter. The state comptroller's office is gearing up to offer a second rebate program, and there will be ample federal stimulus money — $10 million - in the pot. Applicants will apply for rebates by mail, a plan different from the state's much-criticized rebate program launched April 7. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Austin American Statesman September 2, 2010 MASON: TENSION COMES DOWN TO THE WIRE A conflict is brewing in the Texas Hill Country. On its face, it pits transmission lines, which are needed to bring wind power from West Texas to the state's power grid, against communities of Central Texas. In reality, it's a conflict among several competing objectives, all of them important. A meeting was held this week on an LCRA Transmission Services Corporation (LCRA) application for a 345-kilovolt line running from Schleicher County to Kendall County and on to Gillespie County. The State Office of Administrative Hearings held a pre-hearing conference at the Palmer Events Center that was attended by hundreds of people. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only USA Today September 2, 2010 PG&E'S SMART METERS WORK FINE, INDEPENDENT STUDY SAYS Consumer allegations in California that new smart meters measuring household energy use led to unfairly high bills are unfounded and the meters work just fine, an independent research group said Thursday. The finding — that the 6.7 million meters deployed by Pacific Gas & Electric to customers since 2007 work accurately — may help ease concerns nationwide for utilities pressing ahead with the so-called smart electricity grid aimed at conserving energy use and production. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Lubbock Avalanche-Journal September 2, 2010 ELECTRIC COMPANIES SEEK TEXAS' HELP WITH NONPAYERS Switching electric providers in Texas has left some utilities with losses from customers who make a habit of paying a deposit, racking up bills and then opting for a new company and leaving the old debt behind. The Texas Public Utility Commission this month is scheduled to consider preventing some nonpaying customers from switching providers until they pay their previous electric bill. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Fort Worth Star Telegram September 2, 2010 POWER OUTAGES REACH 9,000 IN NORTH TEXAS Repair crews were working Thursday to restore electricity to an estimated 9,000 customers after early-morning storms swept North Texas with lightning, high winds and heavy rain. As of 3:30 p.m., power had been restored to more than half, said Megan Wright, spokeswoman for Oncor Electric Delivery, with 4,400 customers still without electricity. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Alternatives & Renewables Stories Cairns August 10, 2010 ENGINEERS UNVEIL LUTEC 1000 FREE ENERGY MACHINE THE world may soon be able to buy one of the Far North's most controversial yet revolutionary inventions. The Cairns creators of the Lutec 1000 free energy machine have resurfaced after six years of steering clear of the public spotlight, having been granted patents in at least 60 countries around the world, including the US, China and India. Engineers John Christie and Lou Brits, who have endured intense criticism after they first unveiled their invention in The Cairns Post in 2001, are now preparing to construct a prototype of their revolutionary power device they hope to market within the next two years. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Regulatory Stories Corsicana Daily Sun September 2, 2010 POWER PLANT HEARING SET A pre-hearing date has been set for the Navarro Generating water discharge permit, which is necessary to building a proposed power plant in southern Navarro County. The meeting will be at 10 a.m. Oct. 11 at the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH), 300 W. 15th St. in Austin. This is not the final hearing, but is a preparation for that hearing, according to officials from both SOAH and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 3, 2010 FEDS LAUNCH INVESTIGATION OF GULF PLATFORM FIRE The agency that oversees offshore drilling will investigate the fire on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Thursday's fire came less than five months after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that killed 11 people and spurred the worst offshore oil spill in the nation's history. This time no one was killed and the Coast Guard said no crude was leaking. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only CNBC September 2, 2010 EPA TO ISSUE MORE RULES IN CLIMATE FIGHT The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will roll out more regulations on greenhouse gases and other pollution to help fight climate change, but they will not be as strong as action by Congress, a senior administration official said. The agency "has a huge role to play in continuing the work to move from where we are now to lower carbon emissions", said the official, who did not want to be identified as the EPA policies are still being formed. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only PBS September 2, 2010 DOUBLE PLAY FOR GLOBAL WARMING There's a fight brewing on an issue that seemed settled in 2006. That was when California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, flexing his environmental credentials, signed into law a measure that requires a statewide cut in greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. That amounts to about a 15 percent decrease, a move designed to lower the amount of carbon dioxide and other pollutants emitted by manufacturers, power generators, oil companies, ships and any other sources of greenhouse gases. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Dallas Morning News September 2, 2010 MICHIGAN OIL SPILL WORKERS DETAINED IN TEXAS Forty-two suspected illegal immigrants have been detained in Texas after returning from an oil spill cleanup job in Michigan. The Beaumont Enterprise reported that deputies responded to two charter buses blocking a street Wednesday. Chambers County Sheriff Joe LaRive says about 100 workers who had been on the buses fled at the sight of authorities. Workers who couldn't provide U.S. residency papers were detained. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only CNBC August 31, 2010 LEBEAU: GUZZLER GRADE WON'T SCARE OFF BUYERS Once again, many in the auto industry are howling about the latest attempt by the government to push the industry toward better fuel economy. The issue is whether new cars and trucks should come with a "Guzzler Grade" on the new car sticker prices. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only September 2, 2010 Lead Stories Pro Publica September 2, 2010 FEDS WARN RESIDENTS NEAR WYOMING GAS DRILLING SITES NOT TO DRINK THEIR WATER The federal government is warning residents in a small Wyoming town with extensive natural gas development not to drink their water, and to use fans and ventilation when showering or washing clothes in order to avoid the risk of an explosion. The announcement accompanied results from a second round of testing and analysis in the town of Pavillion by Superfund investigators for the Environmental Protection Agency. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 1, 2010 5,000 IN TEXAS CALL FOR CHANGE IN DIRECTION OF ENERGY POLICY More than 5,000 energy sector workers flocked to three Texas rallies Wednesday to protest what they view as an onslaught of punitive measures from Washington that threaten oil and gas jobs and domestic energy supplies. In speeches and videos, speaker after speaker blasted the White House's temporary ban on deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, enacted after the massive BP oil spill, and urged lawmakers to reconsider other proposed measures they say would boost taxes and business costs in coming years. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Consumer Energy Report September 2, 2010 LEAKED STUDY ON PEAK OIL WARNS OF SEVERE GLOBAL ENERGY CRISIS This week a study on peak oil by a German military think tank was leaked on the Internet. The document shows that the German government is closely studying the issue of peak oil, and is aware of the potential for serious consequences as oil production declines. The study is reminiscent of the Hirsch Report, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy, that warned of the risks posed by peak oil. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only CQPolitics September 2, 2010 TEXAS: EDWARDS DEFENDS DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Texas Rep. Chet Edwards (D) on Wednesday criticized his Republican opponent, businessman Bill Flores, for his suggestion earlier this year that the Department of Energy be eliminated. "Maybe Mr. Flores doesn't understand what the Department of Energy does, but that is a very dangerous misunderstanding, and this proposal is one that would have serious consequences both here in Texas and across the nation," Edwards said during a call with reporters Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Oil & Gas Stories Houston Chronicle September 1, 2010 HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL OKS GAS EXPLORATION BENEATH PARKS Despite concerns from some environmental advocates, the city moved ahead Wednesday with plans to allow exploration for natural gas reserves beneath three municipal parks. Under the terms of the three-year, $200,000 lease, Southern Star Exploration will spend about a year trying to determine whether there is any natural gas below Herman Brown, Brock and Maxey parks, as well as a city public works facility. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 2, 2010 GAZPROM'S PROFIT TRIPLES Russia's OAO Gazprom, the world's largest producer of natural gas, said Thursday its first-quarter net profit more than tripled as cold weather in its major export markets drove a pickup in volumes. The world's largest producer of natural gas said net profit for the first three months of the year rose to 324.95 billion rubles ($10.57 billion) from 103.68 billion rubles a year earlier. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 2, 2010 LAND ACQUISITION STARTS FOR AUSTRALIAN LNG PROJECT Western Australia state said Thursday that it has begun a controversial compulsory acquisition process for land planned for the massive Browse liquefied natural gas project, after talks with an indigenous land council failed to reach a deal by the latest deadline. The Browse project is one of around a dozen planned Australian gas export projects slated for startup by 2016 that seek to tap a projected surge in demand for cleaner-burning fuels from Asia. The development, estimated by analysts to cost at least 30 billion Australian dollars (US$27.28 billion) plans to exploit contingent natural gas reserves estimated at 13.3 trillion cubic feet. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Marketwatch September 2, 2010 BRAZIL, PETROBRAS REACH PRICE FOR SHARE-SWAP DEAL Brazilian oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA and the Brazilian government late Wednesday reached an agreement for the company to pay $8.51 a barrel for oil-drilling rights from the government, paving the way for the company's long-anticipated and potentially massive share sale. In exchange for Petrobras' payment, the government will grant the company rights to explore and develop 5 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only San Antonio Express-News September 1, 2010 CHEAPER FUEL AHEAD Taxi driver Dwight “Barron” Jones zipped into the Valero Corner Store at 4801 Walzem Road on Wednesday morning when he saw fuel was selling for $2.19 a gallon. The startling price, 27 cents cheaper than regular unleaded gas, was for E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent conventional gas. Jones has used E85 at other pumps in San Antonio that distribute it and said he was glad to see it available on the Northeast Side. The Valero store on Walzem Road is the San Antonio-based company's first to have an E85 pump. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Fort Worth Star Telegram September 1, 2010 CONTRACTOR INVOLVED IN JOHNSON COUNTY PIPELINE EXPLOSION TO CHALLENGE TEXAS RAILROAD COMMISSION REPORT A contractor involved in a deadly explosion of a natural gas pipeline in Johnson County on June 7 said Wednesday that it will challenge a Texas Railroad Commission report that found that it violated state rules. C&H Power Line Construction Co., based in Dewey, Okla., "is going to contest the [proposed] fine and language" in the report, Fred Haag, chief operations officer, said in an e-mail to the Star-Telegram. "We feel we did everything correctly." Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 2, 2010 BRAZIL, PETROBRAS REACH $42.5 BILLION OIL DEAL Brazil's state-controlled oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA has agreed to pay the federal government $42.5 billion in stock to acquire five billion barrels of deepwater reserves, a controversial price because investors say it is more than the oil is actually worth. Shares of Petrobras, as the company is known, have crumbled this year on investor expectations the oil company would come under government pressure to pay above market price for oil reserves it is acquiring under a recapitalization plan. Petrobras also plans to sell new shares to the public to raise an additional $25 billion in cash under the plan. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Press September 1, 2010 BP AD TALLY: NEARLY $100 MILLION BP spent nearly $100 million on advertising designed to buff up the company's image and share information about the oil spill in the months following the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, lawmakers revealed Wednesday. The advertising tally - $93,429,175 from April through the end of July - was more than three times what BP spent during the same period in 2009 and averaged more than $5 million a week. Lawmakers released the data, drawing on a report BP delivered this week to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only PR Newswire September 1, 2010 CHIEF OIL & GAS ANNOUNCES VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE OF MARCELLUS SHALE HYDRAULIC FRACTURING Chief Oil & Gas LLC ("Chief") today announced a voluntary disclosure initiative of Marcellus Shale hydraulic fracturing additives. Starting on October 1, Chief will voluntarily submit to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) and West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) detailed information about additives used in the completion process of hydraulic fracturing natural gas wells that Chief operates in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. "It is our hope that this voluntary disclosure of the additives used at each well site, along with the volumes, dilution factors and classifications will help alleviate the public's concern and increase the open, honest and transparent communication that has been a Chief value since its start in 1994," said Michael Radler, Chief Operating Officer. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Business Week September 1, 2010 ENTERPRISE TO BUILD PIPELINE FOR EOG’S EAGLE FORD OIL Enterprise Products Partners LP, the largest U.S. pipeline partnership, said it reached an agreement with EOG Resources Inc. to build a pipeline to serve increasing oil production in Texas’s Eagle Ford shale formation. The agreement includes a 10-year commitment by EOG to transport oil on the 140-mile (225-kilometer) pipeline, Houston- based Enterprise said today in a statement. Enterprise also will provide natural-gas processing services for EOG. Terms weren’t disclosed. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 1, 2010 TEXAS FINES PIPELINE FIRM FOR GAS BLAST Texas regulators found that pipeline operator Enterprise Products Partners LP violated state safety rules, contributing to a massive natural gas explosion that killed one worker and injured eight others in June. The Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates natural-gas production, determined that the Houston-based company did not properly mark one of its pipelines in Johnson County, Texas, some 50 miles southwest of Dallas. Unaware of the pipeline's location, a crew of electrical workers pierced it as they were excavating to install power poles, triggering the blast. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only New York Times September 1, 2010 PROTEST SHUTS DOWN OIL RIG OFF GREENLAND Greenpeace halted exploratory drilling by a Scottish oil firm off the coast of Greenland on Tuesday after four protesters scaled an oil rig and suspended tents from its underside. “The drilling rig we’re hanging off could spark an Arctic oil rush, one that would pose a huge threat to the climate and put this fragile environment at risk,” said Sim McKenna, one of the protesters, in a statement from the rig. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only KFDM September 1, 2010 MORE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SERVICE STATION NEAR VIDOR A service station owner near Vidor is under pressure again and accused of selling bad diesel to customers. A month ago, KFDM told you about an ongoing state investigation into complaints about J.R. Conoco near Vidor. Drivers claim diesel from the station ruined their auto engines and state regulators say fuel was pumped into ditches around the station. Now another customer is accusing the station of selling bad diesel. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 1, 2010 MANAGERS SAY $2 BILLION REQUIRED TO HANDLE PREDICTED TRADE INCREASE The Port of Houston Authority needs to spend about $2 billion in the next decade to handle increased trade from Asia, take advantage of the Panama Canal expansion and rehabilitate aging facilities, managers told port commissioners Wednesday. Port executives detailed their suggestions for the direction the organization should take in the next decade — everything from new cranes to new terminals. Board members will mull over those suggestions before discussing them on Sept. 28. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Bloomberg September 2, 2010 HURRICANE EARL STRENGTHENS, BEARS DOWN ON NORTH CAROLINA COAST Hurricane Earl strengthened today, bearing down on North Carolina with winds of 145 miles (230 kilometers) per hour, prompting school closures, coastal evacuations and emergency declarations. Dare, Currituck and Hyde Counties in North Carolina said their schools will close today. Evacuations were ordered for Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands in the Outer Banks yesterday. President Barack Obama and Governor Bev Perdue both declared a state of emergency in North Carolina, and in neighboring Virginia, Governor Bob McDonnell also declared one. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only WTVB September 1, 2010 UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS AT OIL SPILL ARRESTED IN TEXAS Forty-two undocumented aliens, who had been working the oil spill clean up in Michigan, have been arrested after they were found inside a couple of buses parked behind a bank in Winnie Texas. The Buses had been chartered by Phillip Hallmark, the owner of Hallmark Industrial. About 40 others ran off and were not captured. Immigration agents took the 42 to holding cells for eventual deportation. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Utilities Stories Dallas Morning News September 1, 2010 TEXAS PLANS NEW REBATES FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT APPLIANCES Texas is going to try again to hand out appliance rebates. The state still has $10 million left over from April's grueling attempt to give away $23 million in federal energy efficiency money to people who upgraded appliances. Last time, the comptroller asked people to reserve rebates online or over the phone before buying the appliances. The website and call center became overloaded. Then, many of the lucky reservation winners didn't even use the rebates. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Dallas Morning News September 1, 2010 SOUDER: TEXAS IS GOING TO TRY AGAIN TO GIVE AWAY MONEY FOR APPLIANCES Texas is going to try again to hand out appliance rebates. The state still has $10 million left over from April's grueling attempt to give away $23 million in federal energy efficiency money to people who upgraded certain appliances. Last time, the comptroller asked people to reserve rebates online or over the phone before buying the appliances. The website and call center became overloaded. Then, many of the lucky reservation winners didn't even use the rebates. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Texas Tribune September 1, 2010 AN INTERVIEW WITH FORMER DALLAS MAYOR LAURA MILLER "I’m really working hard to capture CO2. I’ve been [with Summit] since January of 2008. I am helping them develop an IGCC [integrated gasification combined cycle], a clean coal power plant that captures 90 percent of its CO2. It’s going to be in Odessa. We’re currently doing the front-end engineering design with Siemens, with Linde out of Germany — they’re doing all of our gas separation work — [and] Fluor, in Irving. Those three companies are doing the exact engineering and design of the project. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Texas Tribune September 2, 2010 IS LONGHORN ELECTRICITY WORTH IT? When Longhorn football kicks off at home a week from Saturday, so will a brand-new marketing effort aimed at peddling, of all things, green electricity. Texas Longhorns Energy promises customers 100 percent power from Texas wind. "Let your power power the Texas Longhorns," says former star quarterback Colt McCoy, whose family has signed up, in a promotional video. Coach Mack Brown offers potential customers the chance to submit a pep-talk video that he might even show the team. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Alternatives & Renewables Stories New York Times August 31, 2010 HOMEOWNERS MUST PAY OFF ENERGY IMPROVEMENT LOANS Many homeowners who participated in a program that let them repay the cost of solar panels and other energy improvements through an annual surcharge on their property taxes must pay off the loans before they can refinance their mortgages, two government-chartered mortgage companies said on Tuesday. The guidance came from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as efforts to resolve a dispute over the program — called Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE — have failed. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only KVUE September 1, 2010 AUSTIN GETTING TOUGHER ON ILLEGAL DUMPERS "We want the message to get out that it's cheaper and more prudent to go to the landfill,” said Austin Code Compliance Officer Ron Potts. Potts is getting ready to drive the message home. He spent Wednesday morning unpacking eight new surveillance cameras. All were purchased with a grant from the TCEQ and the Capital Area Council of Governments. The cameras are solar powered and can even snap clear pictures in the dark. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Gas2.0 August 31, 2010 SHELL SIGNS ON FOR $12B ALT-FUEL PROJECT Energy giant Shell International has signed binding Agreements with Brazilian company Cosan to begin forming a new, $12 billion joint venture project that would see Shell develop sugar can ethanol and new, “next-generation” alternative fuels. With annual production projections, the Shell/Cosan project aims to be one of the largest ethanol producing firms in the world, and—considering Shell’s equity in logistics firms Iogen Energy and Codexis—enjoy enviable access to infrastructure that will allow easy distribution of the newly-produced ethanol, as well. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only San Antonio Express-News September 2, 2010 CPS SOLAR INITIATIVE ENCOUNTERS A SETBACK CPS Energy's goal of obtaining 100 megawatts of solar power took a hit Wednesday when it learned the company contracted to sell it 27 megawatts from West Texas withdrew from the agreement. Tessera Solar was unable to obtain financing, it told the San Antonio utility, and has put on hold plans to build the project near Marfa. The plant was supposed to break ground this summer. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Nevada Business September 2, 2010 ALTERNATIVE ENERGY: NEVADA'S FUTURE As Nevada’s construction and gaming industries persistently remain on the ropes, its financial and political leaders look more and more to alternative energy as the economic redeemer that can help propel the state out of the current recession. Reeling from the highest unemployment rate in the nation, Nevada’s future is on the line as the need for economic diversification has reached a critical point. “There’s been a lot of fluff talking about it,” says Jim Goth, director of the Nevada State Office of Energy. “We need the economic development now.” Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Regulatory Stories Dallas Morning News September 1, 2010 EDWARDS KNOCKS FLORES FOR ANTI-DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY COMMENTS Rep. Chet Edwards dinged Republican challenger Bill Flores today for suggesting earlier this year that the Department of Energy be eliminated. "Maybe Mr. Flores doesn't understand what the Department of Energy does, but that is a very dangerous misunderstanding," said Edwards, D-Waco, in a call with reporters. "This proposal would have serious consequences, both here in Texas and across our nation." The criticism derives from comments that Flores made at a radio candidates' forum in March, where he suggested cutting funds for the department. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Wall Street Journal September 1, 2010 GERMANY APPROVES BUDGET CUTS Germany's Cabinet Wednesday approved budget cuts valued at almost €80 billion ($100 billion) through to 2014, but postponed a decision on a planned tax on nuclear-fuel rods until later this month. The bill ties many of the austerity measures Chancellor Angela Merkel announced in June to the 2011 budget, when €11 billion of the cuts are set to take effect. The measures include a new tax on passenger air travel. "We're doing what we need to do in line with the European Stability and Growth Pact," Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble told reporters after the cabinet meeting. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only News 8 Austin September 1, 2010 EPA REJECTS TCEQ’S REGULATIONS ON NEW INDUSTRIAL PLANTS The Environmental Protection Agency has rejected another aspect of the permitting system regulated by the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality. Companies must receive a permit to expand or add a new industrial plant in Texas. EPA officials say the TCEQ’s current "New Source Review" program for those permits does not meet the federal requirements laid out in the Clean Air Act. Specifically, the plan does not go far enough to review a new plant’s impact on total air pollution levels. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Press September 1, 2010 TCEQ & THE EPA: FEDS AGAIN SLAM TEXAS' POLLUTION-CONTROL EFFORTS The EPA took yet another bite out of the Texas air-pollution regulatory system on Tuesday when it decreed that some of state's rules violate federal clean air law. At issue is what's called the New Source Review Program. It deals with the permitting of new or expanding facilities and requires, among many things, that the best pollution-control technology is implemented, that total new pollution is considered and that the government and public can tell what pollutants are being emitted. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Dallas Morning News September 1, 2010 LATE SUMMER OFFERS RECIPE FOR SMOG "Temperature is just one of the keys that drive ozone formation," said David Brymer, director of air quality for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Other factors are wind speeds and the amount of ozone that's in the air entering the region from elsewhere. "If you have strong winds, everything gets diluted," said Bryan Lambeth, senior meteorologist with the TCEQ. "All the emissions get diluted. It spreads it out over a much larger area downwind, typically outside the metro area." Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Houston Chronicle September 1, 2010 FOWLER: JUDGE REJECTS GOVERNMENT'S BID TO TOSS DRILL BAN SUIT ... YET AGAIN Heard this one before? A federal judge in New Orleans has rejected the Interior Department's motion to throw out a lawsuit challenging a ban on deep-water drilling. The government contended that since the ban at the center of the lawsuit has been replaced by a modified version, the original lawsuit is moot. But U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman ruled that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's second moratorium order "is substantially the same as the first one" and "applies to the exact same rigs, to the exact same deepwater drilling, for the exact same time period." Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Los Angeles Times September 2, 2010 MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA: 'GO HOME, TEXAS OIL COMPANIES!' Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday rebuked Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp., which operate refineries in Wilmington, for bankrolling a measure that would effectively scuttle the state's efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. "Go home, Texas oil companies," Villaraigosa urged at a news conference aimed at encouraging voters to oppose Proposition 23, a November ballot initiative to suspend California's 2006 climate change law until the state's unemployment rate drops. "We won't compromise our environmental and health standards so you can make more money," he said. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Politico September 1, 2010 BP SPENT $94M ON ADS DURING SPILL BP spent $93.4 million on advertising over four months as oil from its well gushed into the Gulf of Mexico, according to data provided to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The amount spent between April 1 and July 31 is more than triple the level the company spent on advertising in the same period last year. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Fort Worth Star Telegram September 1, 2010 AGENCY FAULTS PIPELINE OPERATOR IN JOHNSON COUNTY EXPLOSION The Texas Railroad Commission issued an investigative report Tuesday in which it concluded that the operator of a large natural gas pipeline that exploded June 7 in Johnson County -- killing one person and injuring eight -- committed numerous violations of state regulations. Among the violations, the commission said, was the failure by Enterprise Products Operating Llc. of Houston to adequately mark the path of the buried 36-inch pipeline to ensure that no excavator would damage it and risk triggering an explosion. Full Analysis, Subscribers Only Copyright September 09, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.texasenergyreport.com, All rights are reserved
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