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Notions of renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gases are nice, but costly energy prices are forcing a shift in Europe’s priorities. Reuters reported this week that two members of the European Union — Greece and Italy — and the UK are loosening their opposition to new oil and gas drilling, even as the continent builds out renewables to slash greenhouse gas emissions and meet climate targets. Greece in November issued its first offshore oil and gas exploration license in more than 40 years to a trio of companies including Exxon…
Energy Costs Prompt Europe To Reconsider Oil, Gas Opposition Europe’s Green Dreams Buckle Under the Weight of Its Power BillsSoaring Energy Costs Push Europe Back Into Oil and Gas’s ArmsEurope’s Transition Stalls as Voters Rebel Against Sky-High Electricity Prices The Most Boring Oil Month in Years Sets the Stage for a High-Stakes December When Germany earlier this year approved an offshore gas drilling project, it raised a lot of eyebrows. An energy transition champion, a record breaker in wind and solar installations, now Germany…
Pro?West Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al?Sudani performed strongly in the 11 November parliamentary elections – the seventh since Saddam Hussein’s fall in 2003. With turnout around 56%, Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition emerged as the largest faction, winning 1.3 million votes out of nearly 11 million cast, beating the pro-Iran State of Law Alliance by 370,000. However, Sudani’s faction still only received 15% of the seats in parliament, totalling 46 out of 329. On the other hand, pro-Iran…
A Texas oil firm is fighting an uphill battle with the state of California to restart crude oil production and sales from three platforms in federal waters offshore Santa Barbara. Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp, led by industry veteran James Flores, is embroiled in contentious legal battles with California’s agencies and attorney general over a project to restore and re-launch a pipeline from the offshore fields to the coast. Faced with California’s opposition and lawsuits, Sable is proposing an alternative plan to ship oil via shuttle…
Several United States environmental policies may be weakened or removed following a week of announcements by various agencies with plans to introduce major changes. This could mark the largest rollback of environmental protections under any administration. In November, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to remove federal protections from millions of acres of wetlands and streams, thereby reducing the power of the 1972 Clean Water Act. The EPA said it planned to more narrowly define “waters of the United States”…
