Category Archives: Energy Matters
The U.S. Side of the U.S.-China Climate Change Agreement: The Impossible Dream
In November 2014, the Presidents of the U.S. and China agreed to new curbs on the two countries’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, stating that: “The U.S. intends to reduce its emissions by 26%-28% below its 2005 level by 2025 and to make its best efforts to reduce its emissions by 28%.” “China intends [...]
The BIS Speaks Again: The Latest on the Crude Oil and Condensate Export Ban
2014 was a year of intense debate – political, economic, and technical – over repealing or revising the federal law and regulations that essentially ban the export of US crude oil. The issue took an intriguing turn on December 30. While the rest of us were gearing down to celebrate the new year, the [...]
The CBO Finds That Future RFS Volume Mandates Pose “Significant Challenges”
In June 2014, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published an analysis of the feasibility and economic implications of achieving future annual renewable fuel mandate volumes[1] for the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). Here in Regulation City, refining industry advocates praised the CBO analysis; ethanol industry advocates trashed it. Elsewhere, the report attracted little attention. That’s [...]
On Keystone XL, the Facts Speak (and So Does the State Department)
“The first rule of morality is to think clearly.” – Blaise Pascal On January 31st, the U.S. State Department (DoS) issued its Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Keystone XL project. This SEIS, DoS’s third for Keystone XL, refines DoS’s previous analysis in response to nearly 2 million comments submitted following release [...]
Humpty Dumpty and “Renewable Fuels”
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.” — “Alice in Wonderland,” Louis Carroll Some of HD’s most skilled disciples work in public policy. In their efforts to apply to the making of [...]