US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm Laughs When Asked About Lowering Gas Prices

 

WNU Editor: I am old enough to remember when politicians were laughing at President Trump's plan to boost oil and energy production when he ran for the Presidency in 2016. 

Within a year of his Presidency US production increased substantially, the US was self-sufficient AND it had become the world's largest oil producer, and prices crashed to levels not seen for generations.

It also neutered the OPEC cartel. 

The Biden administration's policies of cancelling major infrastructure projects like pipelines, limiting fracking and other energy extraction projects, coupled with an increase in tax and regulatory measures .... all of this is going to damage energy production and will limit supplies resulting in higher prices. 

The political problem for the Biden administration is that many Americans know this, and I am willing to bet that there is going to be a political price for this in 2022. 

The above video of US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm laughing is a campaign ad in itself.

U.S. Air Force Has A Plan To Beam Solar Power Down To Remote Military Bases

The Space Solar Power Incremental Demonstration and Research project will develop a network of satellites with enormous solar panels to harvest energy from the sun and beam it down to earth in the form of radio waves

Daily Mail: Air Force develops new system to harvest solar energy IN SPACE and then beam it down to military bases in remote parts of the world

* The new $100million project will develop a network of solar satellites into orbit
* Energy from the sun will be collected by giant 10,000 square-meter solar panels
* The solar energy will be converted to radio frequencies and then sent to Earth

The Air Force has announced a radical new plan to deliver power to military bases in remote locations or areas that lack stable power sources.

Through a new $100million partnership between with defense contractor Northrop Grumman, the Air Force Research Laboratory will develop a system of satellites with solar panels to harvest solar energy while in orbit around the Earth.

The energy gathered by the satellites will then be converted into radio waves and transmitted to the surface of the Earth where they will be converted back into usable energy.

Read more ....

Update #1: The Air Force Wants To Beam Solar Power From Space Back to Earth (Popular Mechanics)
Update #2: The Air Force Is Trying to Beam Solar Power Down to Earth (Futurism)

WNU Editor: This technology is actually very old. I knew someone who was involved in researching this 25 years ago. The problem is that you lose a lot of energy when you transmit it thereby making it economically not feasible. Maybe they have overcome that hurdle?

Here Is A Reminder Of The World’s Staggering Demand For All Energy Sources

Traffic jam in New Dehli. Ravi Choudhary/Hindustan Times

Public Energy Number One: India’s infrastructure requirements – an eye-opening reminder of the world’s staggering demand for all energy sources

I’ve recently succumbed to an infatuation, much like a grade-school crush. Mind you, what is appealing at my current age is markedly different than what was back then; having traversed a generation’s worth of the realities of adulthood, and with the prospect of hoping to retire someday, the subject matter of my admiration has shifted. Monumentally.

Sadly, and weirdly, my current crush is on a company, or more specifically their stock: Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. This is disturbing in more than one way. Normally, my public admiration of a company’s stock has the effect of destroying the business as surely as if I used dynamite, however it is reasonably probable that BIP will survive even my proven ability to lethally infect that which I invest in. Furthermore, to admit that one is smitten with a business could be a sign of some sort of looming mental issue, and it might be, but check out their dividend growth history for yourself before calling me nuts.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: To build an infrastructure. Any infrastructure. Requires an enormous amount of energy. Bottom line. Demand for fossil fuels are going to be with us for a very long time.

Hat tip SmallDeadAnimals.

U.S. Will Surpass Saudi Arabia Later This Year In Exports Of Oil, Natural Gas Liquids And Petroleum Products

CNN: America is set to surpass Saudi Arabia in a 'remarkable' oil milestone

Move over, Saudi Arabia. America is about to steal the kingdom's energy exporting crown.

The United States will surpass Saudi Arabia later this year in exports of oil, natural gas liquids and petroleum products, like gasoline, according to energy research firm Rystad Energy.

That milestone, driven by the transformative shale boom, would make the United States the world's leading exporter of oil and liquids. That has never happened since Saudi Arabia began selling oil overseas in the 1950s, Rystad said in a report Thursday.

"It's nothing short of remarkable," said Ryan Fitzmaurice, energy strategist at Rabobank. "Ten years ago, no one thought it could happen."

Read more ....

WNU Editor: And this U.S. growth shows no signs of slowing down .... U.S. Oil Production To Surpass Russia And Saudi Arabia By 2025 (February 3, 2019).

Can The U.S. Use Its Growing Energy Clout To Pressure China And Russia?

An oil derrick is seen at a fracking site for extracting oil outside of Williston, North Dakota, in this file photo taken March 11, 2013. REUTERS/SHANNON STAPLETON/FILES

Washington Free Beacon: Report: U.S. Can Use Energy Clout to Pressure Russia, Ease Tensions With China

Experts say America can use status as global energy power to advance national security goals.

The United States has been slow to recognize how its emergence as a leading energy producer can be used as leverage to build cooperation with China and apply pressure to Russia, according to a new report.

The U.S. government could take advantage of the modern energy market to reduce tensions with China by boosting cooperation in energy trade and also deal a blow to Russia by providing increased competition in the energy sector, a panel of experts from the Center for a New American Security write in a report released this month.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The U.S. government does not control the global oil market .... free markets and emerging technologies do .... especially now.

On a side note, here is an excellent article that summaries how revolutionary frackng technology is, why the age of multi-billion oil projects will be deferred for years to come, and why oil prices will stay where they are for the foreseeable future and why OPEC nations dependent on oil revenues are screwed (hint Venezuela).... The Power Of Technical Disruption (The Arts Mechanical). Hat Tip to James for this link.

The High Cost Of Renewable Energy Regulations For The U.S. Military

Solar power was tested in May in Morocco. A Marine company brought some renewable energy equipment to Afghanistan. Major Paul Greenberg/U.S.M.C.

Rachel Zissimos, Daily Signal: Costly Renewable Energy Regulations Prevent Our Military From Doing Its Job

The Obama administration is aggressively defending costly renewable energy initiatives for the Department of Defense.

These requirements mandate that the Department of Defense produce or procure “not less than 25 percent” of its facility energy from renewable energy sources by fiscal year 2025.

By forcing its political agenda onto the military, the Obama administration prioritizes inefficient renewable energy initiatives at the expense of U.S. military strength and taxpayers.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I can see some value in these energy projects .... solar stations in remote FOBs as an example .... but I have to wonder if it is the role of the military to accommodate government energy mandates. For the moment .... it is.

Exxon Chief: US Will Be Energy 'Secure' By 2020

 

My Comment: The only thing that will change this will be government policy and interference.

The Remarkable Story On How Fracking Changed The World's Energy Outlook

Reuters

Breakthrough: The Accidental Discovery That Revolutionized American Energy -- Gregory Zuckerman, The Atlantic

One day in 1997, while supervising a well in north Texas, a group of geologists made a small mistake that would help change the future of fracking.

The dramatic changes to the nation’s energy outlook are as surprising as they are clear. Seven years ago, oil production was in steep decline and natural gas nearly as hard to find. Today, the United States produces over 7.7 million barrels of oil a day, up over 50% since 2006 and the most in nearly 25 years. The nation could pump more than eleven million barrels a day by 2020. The U.S. is on track to pass Russia as the world’s largest energy producer and should have enough gas to last generations.

The wildcatters responsible for the transformation are as unexpected as the energy surge they produced. These men, operating on the fringes of the oil industry and often without backgrounds in geology or engineering, met success drilling and hydraulic fracturing extremely dense shale, a process that’s become known as fracking.

Read more ....

My Comment: Yup ..... it's always the outsiders who change the world or see where the world is changing to.

Hat Tip: Prairie Pundit for both stories.

Fracking Is A Game Changer In The World's Energy Markets

Shale Gas Boom At 'Tip Of Iceberg' -- Ken Silverstein, Forbes

Despite warnings that the shale gas boom would wither, industry is getting pumped in certain areas as their numbers are only headed higher. That’s according to government analysts, who are drawing special attention to the Marcellus Shale region in the eastern states where production is skyrocketing.

The region is beating its forecasts, which is made possible by the advancement in drilling technologies. In fact, the U.S. Energy Information Administration is saying in a new report that breaks down productivity levels according to region that the gains in new gas wells are more than offsetting the declines from the existing ones. The Marcellus Shale, it adds, accounts for three-fourths of growth in the nation’s production.

Read more ....

My Comment: The dream has always been to undermine the power of OPEC .... that is now becoming possible through developments of technology and engineering.

The U.S. Gas Revolution Will Threaten Russian Economic Growth

Expert: U.S. Gas Revolution Threatens Russian Economic Growth -- Washington Free Beacon

Fracking is a ‘remarkable story of entrepreneurship’.

The burgeoning natural gas revolution in the United States threatens the central economic strategy of Russia and leaves its autocratic leaders with few alternatives to combat anemic economic growth, one expert said Wednesday.

Dr. Thane Gustafson, a political science at Georgetown University at Georgetown University and one of the world’s foremost experts on Russian energy, said the surge in U.S. natural gas production has undercut Russian gas exports to Europe and prompted executives to scuttle their plan for shipping liquefied natural gas (LNG) to America.

Read more ....

My Comment: Energy development has been the driving force of the Russian economy for the past two decades .... and the source of revenues for the government. Any disruption will have consequences .... not only on Russia but also on OPEC.

Why The U.S. Army Wants To Develop Solar Power

Solar panels sit atop dirt-filled barriers Sept. 30, 2011, at Patrol Base Boldak, Afghanistan. Boldak was designated an experimental forward operating base, an installation used to implement the Marine Corps latest efficient and alternative energy technologies. (Cpl. Bryan Nygaard/U.S Marine Corps/Defense Imagery)

Exploding Fuel Tankers Driving U.S. Army To Solar Power -- Fuel Fix

The U.S. Army is spending billions of dollars shifting toward solar energy, recycled water and better-insulated tents. The effort isn’t about saving the Earth.

Instead, commanders have found they can save lives through energy conservation. It’s especially true in Afghanistan, where protecting fuel convoys is one of the most dangerous jobs, with one casualty for every 24 missions in some years.

With renewable energy, “there is no supply chain vulnerability, there are no commodity costs and there’s a lower chance of disruption,” Richard Kidd, the deputy assistant secretary of the Army in charge of energy security, said in an interview. “A fuel tanker can be shot at and blown up. The sun’s rays will still be there.”

Read more ....

My Comment: The cost benefits of most green projects never materialize .... but on this project for the military it does make sense. Fuel and energy are the forces that drive a military .... developing technologies that diversifies this requirement is smart on many levels.

Why Saudi Arabia Is Starting To Panic Over Recent Oil And Energy Trends

Pacifica Partners

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

15 Charts That Should Terrify Saudi Arabia -- Business Insider

Billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed has sounded the alarm about the threat shale oil and gas development poses to the petro-kingdom's barely diversified economy.

It's taken awhile for such a prominent Saudi to acknowledge this fact.

But it's been pretty clear to the rest of the world.

In March, for instance, Norway's foreign minister said America's shale boom could rearrange the Middle East's balance of power.

Read more ....

Previous Post: Fracking Technology Is A Threat To Saudi Arabia

My Comment: A sobering collection of graphs and tables (for someone from Saudi Arabia).

Breaking Our Dependence On OPEC Oil

World Shale Gas Resources: An Initial Assessment of 14 Regions Outside the United States. EIA

Thought We Were Running Out Of Fossil Fuels? New Technology Means Britain And The U.S. Could Tap Undreamed Reserves Of Gas And Oil -- Daily Mail

Thirty years ago, I was Secretary of State for Energy in Margaret Thatcher’s government, and one way and another I have been a close observer of the energy scene ever since.

In all that time, I have never known a technological revolution as momentous as the breakthrough that has now made it economic to extract gas from shale.

Geologists have long known that shale — a finely grained rock created from compressed mud, which sits in layers — contains, trapped in it, massive amounts of gas, and in some cases, oil.

But getting it out of the ground is a tricky business. Below the North Sea, natural gas forms in sandstone and when a drill reaches the gas, it flows out.

But shale gas is locked in dense rock. Energy companies must drill a well hundreds or thousands of feet deep to reach the layer of shale — which can be just 50ft thick — and then turn the drill sideways to bore horizontally.

Read more ....

My Comment: I look forward to the day when we can all collectively give a middle finger to OPEC .... but i suspect that they will only drop their prices to compete with the revolution that fracking has brought about .... which is still a very good thing.

U.S. Dependence On Oil From Saudi Arabia Approaching 20 Percent

Source: Energy Information Administration

U.S. Reliance On Oil From Saudi Arabia Is Growing Again -- New York Times

HOUSTON — The United States is increasing its dependence on oil from Saudi Arabia, raising its imports from the kingdom by more than 20 percent this year, even as fears of military conflict in the tinderbox Persian Gulf region grow.

The increase in Saudi oil exports to the United States began slowly last summer and has picked up pace this year. Until then, the United States had decreased its dependence on foreign oil and from the Gulf in particular.

Read more ....

My Comment: One can only imagine what would then happen if the Arab Spring arrives in Saudi Arabia .... a prospect that will probably happen one day.

The American Energy Boom (Maybe)

Think Again: The American Energy Boom -- Michael Levi, Foreign Policy

Yes, oil and gas made in the USA is surging. But does that really liberate us from the Middle East?

"The United States Is the Next Saudi Arabia of Energy."

Yes and no. American oil production, once thought to be in terminal decline, is up strongly for the first time in a quarter-century. Natural gas output, largely flat since the mid-1990s, has grown rapidly for the last five years. These trends look poised to continue, and observers are predicting major geopolitical consequences to follow. Ed Morse, an influential Citigroup analyst and former U.S. official, asserts, "North America is becoming the new Middle East." Robin West, another perceptive industry observer, predicts that by 2020, the United States will become the world's largest producer of oil and gas -- "the energy equivalent of the Berlin Wall coming down."

Read more ....

My Comment: New technologies and the high price of energy is bringing about a new boom in the industry .... a boom that I expect will continue for along time. As to it's impact on geopolitics .... an less dependent U.S. on Middle Eastern energy supplies will result in a more independent foreign policy.

Alex Epstein writes a convincing piece on why we should love the oil companies. The link is here (Hat Tip: Prairie Pundit)

We May Be A Lot More "Energy Independent" Than What Most People Believe

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Another Large U.S. Natural Gas Discovery? -- Eagle Speak

Geology.com asks, "Utica Shale - The Natural Gas Giant Below the Marcellus?":

The Utica Shale is a rock unit located a few thousand feet below the Marcellus Shale. It also has the potential to become an enormous natural gas resource. The Utica Shale is thicker than the Marcellus, it is more geographically extensive and it has already proven its ability to support commercial production.

It is impossible to say at this time how large the Utica Shale resource might be because it has not been thoroughly evaluated and little public information is available about its organic content, the thickness of organic-rich intervals and how it will respond to horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. However, the results of early testing indicate that the Utica Shale will be a very significant resource.

Read more ....

My Comment: Eagle Speak may be right .... we are more energy independent than what we think. If true .... the impact on national security and our dependency on unstable foreign energy supplies may profoundly change how we conduct ourselves in international relations and how we prioritize our national security needs.

U.S. Shale Gas Can Change Energy Geopolitics

Study Says U.S. Shale May Weaken Iran, Russia -- Houston Chronicle

The natural gas boom in the U.S. has weakened Russia's influence on European energy supplies and could keep Iran's influence in check for years to come, according to a new study from the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.

The study, "Shale Gas and U.S. National Security," says the surge of drilling in shale formations will have an impact on global supply for years to come and limit the need for the U.S. to import liquefied natural gas, or LNG, for at least 20 to 30 years.

Read more ....

My Comment: On paper this looks impressive .... but .... my prediction is that environmental concerns will trump natural gas development, especially with this administration.

Pentagon Unveils Its Energy Strategy

Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III and Sharon Burke, assistant secretary of defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs, brief the Pentagon press corps on the department's Operational Energy Strategy at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., June 14, 2011. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey

Pentagon's First Energy Plan -- Wall Street Journal

In a bid to save lives and money, the Department of Defense on Tuesday presented its first plan to change how it uses energy on the battlefield.

The strategy, which will be fleshed out this summer with a more detailed implementation plan, constitutes the Pentagon's promise to develop more energy-efficient weapons, embrace non-oil energy sources and demand more energy-conscious behavior from the troops.

The plan is the Pentagon's broadest effort yet to come to grips with its huge and growing reliance on energy to carry out military operations. That energy dependence has proved especially costly in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, leading to soaring fuel bills and a dangerous reliance on vulnerable fuel convoys.

Read more ....

More News On The Pentagon's Energy Plan

Energy for the War Fighter: The Department of Defense Operational Energy Strategy -- White House Blog
Lynn: Energy Strategy Will Help Forces Adapt for Future -- U.S. Department of Defense
Ambushes prompt military to cut energy use -- CNN
Renewable energy sources a priority for military, says report -- UPI
Pentagon To Prioritize Energy Use in Acquisition -- Defense News
Pentagon Unveils Sweeping Energy Strategy -- National Journal
Pentagon Unveils Campaign Plan to Reduce Fuel Use -- National Defense
Energy Strategy Improves Capabilities, Savings -- U.S. Department of Defense
New Study Confirms US Military is Preparing for the End of Oil -- Clean Technica
Pentagon will prioritize energy use in acquisition process -- Federal Times
U.S. Military Use of Renewable Energy to Grow by $25 Billion within 20 Years, Says Pike Research -- Green Technology
Pentagon unveils sweeping Energy strategy -- Government Executive
Global Military To Spend Billions On Renewable Energy -- Energy Matters
Energy for the War Fighter: the DOD’s Operational Energy Strategy (VIDEO) -- Armed With Science

U.S. Military Aims to Use 50 Percent Renewable Energy Within Ten Years

Solar Panel in Afghanistan Major Paul Greenberg/U.S.M.C.

From Popular Science:

Of all places, the U.S. military has proven one of the fiercest proponents of renewable energy, and for totally practical reasons -- most importantly cost and safety. Now, military higher-ups plan to rely on renewable energy sources for 50 percent of their power by 2020, which could help the worldwide advancement of those technologies immeasurably. One company of Marines, saddled with tons of solar power tech, is kickstarting this revolution.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is an update on a story that I posted a few days ago.

Making The U.S. Military Go Green

Solar power was tested in May in Morocco. A Marine company brought some renewable energy equipment to Afghanistan. Major Paul Greenberg/U.S.M.C.

U.S. Military Orders Less Dependence on Fossil Fuels -- New York Times

With insurgents increasingly attacking the American fuel supply convoys that lumber across the Khyber Pass into Afghanistan, the military is pushing aggressively to develop, test and deploy renewable energy to decrease its need to transport fossil fuels.

Last week, a Marine company from California arrived in the rugged outback of Helmand Province bearing novel equipment: portable solar panels that fold up into boxes; energy-conserving lights; solar tent shields that provide shade and electricity; solar chargers for computers and communications equipment.

Read more ....

My Comment: I suspect that the 150 Marines of Company I, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines .... who are being used as guinea pigs to evaluate the effectiveness of renewable energy in a war zone .... are praying for sunlight to power their computers and communications gear.

Joking aside, the military is a hungry beast when it comes to using energy, and any success is lessening this dependence should be encouraged and promoted.