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New Member Spotlight: U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV)

Background: U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford is Nevada’s first African American Congressman. He was chief executive officer of the Culinary Training Institute, a joint management-labor initiative to provide trained workers for Las Vegas’s casinos and hotels, and served as state Senate majority leader.  His district includes the northern part of Clark County, where most of its population resides, and all or part of several rural counties around Las Vegas.

Notable: as a member of the Natural Resources Committee from a state that could soon become a significant oil and gas producer, Congressman Horsford is in a position to advocate for greater access while ensuring sufficient environmental stewardship.

Committee Assignments: Natural Resources and Homeland Security

Staff:

Chief of Staff: Rodney Emery

Executive Administrator: DeBorah Lynn Posey

 

Lee Terry Makes His Case

Congressman Lee Terry makes his case to President Obama why he should sign off on Keystone XL

The Washington Times:

President Obama has a decision to make. With the swift approval of one project that science has proved time and time again to be safe, our country has the opportunity to put more than 20,000 unemployed Americans back to work, pour hundreds of millions of dollars into our economy annually, and safely transport 830,000 barrels of North American oil daily from Alberta, Canada, through Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska to refineries located on the Gulf Coast. The Keystone XL pipeline has the potential to change the direction of our economy.

 

Full article.  

Holt: RFS Should Be Closely Examined

CEA President David Holt comments to E&E News on renewable fuel standards:

The Consumer Energy Alliance, a broad group that represents agricultural, transportation, refining and manufacturing interests, said the report highlighted ongoing concerns that the federal renewable fuel standard, which mandates certain levels of biofuel production a year, was not working as intended.

“This is yet another data point that shows that the renewable fuel standard should be more closely examined to make sure it’s not putting undue pressure on motor fuels markets and different industries from agriculture to transportation,” said David Holt, the group’s president.

Full article, subscription required.  

Labor and Pro Job Politicians Look to Obama to Approve Keystone XL

A coalition as strong as a pipe-liners welding joint is backing President Obama’s approval of Keystone XL.  Laborers who will build the pipeline and pro-jobs politicians are actively calling for the President to approve the cross border permit that would give way to pipeline construction.

In Congress, fifty-one pro-job Republicans and Democrats are urging swift State Department review.  The group includes five Democrat Senators facing tough reelection campaigns in 2014.

From The Hill:

Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), joined 44 of their Republican colleagues in signing a letter last week urging Obama to expedite the pipeline’s approval.

Although Democrats say the controversial pipeline may not linger as an issue at the ballot box in 2014, the senators’ full-throated support for the controversial project could shield them from GOP attacks over the economic impact if construction is denied.

All five of the Democratic senators who signed the Keystone letter face difficult reelection battles in red states that Obama lost in 2012, most by double-digit margins.

Critics of the president see Keystone XL as an opportunity for President Obama to bolster the U.S. economy and create jobs.  The Washington Times editorial page notes:

Keystone XL would transport 830,000 barrels of black gold daily from the oil sands of Alberta, Canada, southward to refineries on the Gulf Coast, supporting 20,000 jobs and billions of dollars for state economies along a 1,700-mile route. Reducing our dependence on the Middle East while simultaneously reducing our unemployment problem ought to be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, some on the left have declared war on carbon dioxide, the by-product both of a gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine and of the human respiratory process.

In addition to the bipartisan band of politicians behind pipeline construction, Keystone XL is also supported by the Laborers’ International Union, the  International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Teamsters, the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO and others strongly back construction of Keystone.

Consumer Energy Alliance Welcomes New Member: Safety on Demand, LLC

HOUSTON–Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is pleased to welcome Safety on Demand, LLC as its newest affiliate member. Safety on Demand, LLC has introduced a game-changing mobile app for the oil and gas industry designed to revolutionize the reporting process for safety protocols, processes and procedures for those in the field. SafetyKick™ is the only mobile safety and data collection app of its kind on the market. Simple, efficient and customizable, SafetyKick™ makes the safety reporting process more timely, cost-effective, and useful – contributing to healthier bottom lines.

The mobile app creates safer working environments, resulting in fewer work-related injuries and potentially lower insurance premiums. Additional benefits of the application include: improved project timeliness, increased data accuracy, risk mitigation, cost savings, and resource efficiencies.

“It is really cool to be in a position to save lives and improve workplace safety. We are offering direct communication between field and office workers, thus shortening the work flow process. At its core, the app takes a technology device that we are all carrying around in our back pockets each and every day, and uses it for a highly productive purpose,” said James Ehrlich, President of Safety on Demand. “Safety on Demand is pleased to work with CEA in their efforts to create a balanced energy policy for America and implement smart and safe policies that will help advance discussion and legislation around these important topics,” Ehrlich continued.

“Consumer Energy Alliance is excited to welcome Safety on Demand, LLC and looks forward to working with them on energy and safety issues at the local and national level,” said CEA President David Holt. “The primary goal of CEA is to unite energy consumers and producers in an effort to build a balanced energy policy. Safety on Demand and SafetyKick™ accomplishes this by pursuing safe practices that will benefit the energy industry and all consumers and producers across the country. CEA looks forward to providing Safety on Demand with credible industry information and learning first-hand the concerns its users have about safety issues.”

New Member Spotlight: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI)

Experience: Brian Schatz attended Punahou School in Honolulu, the same school as President Obama. He served in the Hawaii State House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006 and as head of the Democratic Party of Hawaii from 2008 through 2010. Most recently, he was the Lieutenant Governor of the state from 2010 to 2012, when he was appointed by Governor Abercrombie to fill the remainder of Sen. Daniel Inouye’s term following the Senator’s passing. The appointment came as a surprise to many who had expected Abercrombie to honor the late Senator’s deathbed request to appoint Rep. Colleen Hanabusa as his replacement. The Senator was an early supporter of President Obama and led an effort to draft him into the presidential election of 2008.

Impact: Senator Schatz has been a supporter of clean, sustainable energy and has stated that climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing policy makers. He also comes from a state that imports 94 percent of it energy and has the highest energy prices in the United States. Hawaii is the most petroleum dependent state in the United States as well importing close to $4 billion in oil per year, much of which is used for electricity generation. To address this challenge the State’s energy plan aims for an agricultural biofuels industry that, by 2025, can provide 350 million gallons of biofuels. Hawaii is one of eight States with installed geothermal capacity; in 2011, 25 percent of its renewable net electricity generation came from geothermal energy. With positions on both the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Commerce Committee he is in a unique position to speak for constituents facing high energy costs and could be a very interesting member with regards to LNG and climate change.

Committee Assignments: Energy and Natural Resources, Commerce, and Indian Affairs

Contacts:

Chief of Staff: Andrew Winer
Deputy COS: Malia Paul
Senior Policy Advisor: Dale Hahn

New Member Spotlight: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI)

Experience: Brian Schatz attended Punahou School in Honolulu, the same school as President Obama. He served in the Hawaii State House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006 and as head of the Democratic Party of Hawaii from 2008 through 2010. Most recently, he was the Lieutenant Governor of the state from 2010 to 2012, when he was appointed by Governor Abercrombie to fill the remainder of Sen. Daniel Inouye’s term following the Senator’s passing. The appointment came as a surprise to many who had expected Abercrombie to honor the late Senator’s deathbed request to appoint Rep. Colleen Hanabusa as his replacement. The Senator was an early supporter of President Obama and led an effort to draft him into the presidential election of 2008.

Impact: Senator Schatz has been a supporter of clean, sustainable energy and has stated that climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing policy makers. He also comes from a state that imports 94 percent of it energy and has the highest energy prices in the United States. Hawaii is the most petroleum dependent state in the United States as well importing close to $4 billion in oil per year, much of which is used for electricity generation. To address this challenge the State’s energy plan aims for an agricultural biofuels industry that, by 2025, can provide 350 million gallons of biofuels. Hawaii is one of eight States with installed geothermal capacity; in 2011, 25 percent of its renewable net electricity generation came from geothermal energy. With positions on both the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Commerce Committee he is in a unique position to speak for constituents facing high energy costs and could be a very interesting member with regards to LNG and climate change.

Committee Assignments: Energy and Natural Resources, Commerce, and Indian Affairs

Contacts:

Chief of Staff: Andrew Winer
Deputy COS: Malia Paul
Senior Policy Advisor: Dale Hahn

U.S. State Dept. Next to Review Keystone XL Route

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman approved Tuesday a re-route of the Keystone XL pipeline through his state that will avoid environmentally sensitive Ogallala aquifer.  The decision sets the stage for the U.S. Department of State to give final approval before construction can move ahead.

CEA Executive Vice-President, Michael Whatley pointed out a new pipeline would be a boost to not just jobs but also to the manufacturing and agrarian sectors:

“This decision is welcome news for Nebraska’s citizens and consumers. As a recent study noted, the Keystone XL project will provide $1.8 billion in overall economic activity and thousands of jobs for Nebraska’s economy. At the same time, the pipeline will help provide Nebraskans with a source of affordable energy that is greatly needed by the state’s agrarian and manufacturing economy.”

“For months project opponents have tried to convince the public that moving forward with the pipeline would sacrifice the state’s natural resources. This is a false choice refuted by two assessments conducted by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and a study conducted by the U.S. State Department. All of these reviews found the project will result in ‘minimal environmental impacts’ and the State Department noted the pipeline will be one of the safest constructed in our nation’s history.”

“It’s well past time for this project to be approved as it will improve the quality of life for all Nebraskans and the nation as a whole. Our communities and economy are best served by responsible energy policies implemented after pragmatic and responsible reviews. That is exactly what has happened with this project. Given this history we urge the U.S. State Department to approve the new route as expeditiously as possible.”

Nebraska based economist Ernie Goss estimates construction will bring $1.8 billion in new economic investment to Nebraska and create over 5,000 jobs.

 

U.S. on Pace to Lead Globe in Oil Production

With the United States on its way to displace Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest oil producer by the year 2020, Consumer Energy Alliance President David Holt argues in The Washington Times that energy is giving the United States new heft in global politics:

There is an energy revolution under way in the United States. Booming oil and natural gas production is transforming our economic outlook, ushering newfound wealth to our rural areas and providing high-paying jobs for middle-class workers across the country. This revolution is largely responsible for the resurrection of entire industries — like steel and manufacturing — that once defined our national character. While this is good news, it may be just the beginning, as this resurgence could reshape the geopolitical world.

Many credible experts agree. For example, according to the International Energy Agency, the global energy map “is being redrawn by the resurgence in oil and gas production in the United States.” The report also notes that by 2020, the United States will displace Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest oil producer.

The energy agency also projects by 2035 the United States may reach self-sufficiency in terms of oil production. In other words, as Consumer Energy Alliance noted last year, we may meet our energy needs within our lifetimes. The last time that happened was before the end of World War II, when exhausted domestic supplies and growing demand required the United States to secure oil from outside its borders for the first time.

What geopolitical ramifications could all of this bring?

Read more

 

 

 

David Holt in National Journal: “Arctic Energy Vital”

Responding to a prompt by National Journal’s Amy Harder about the importance of Arctic energy, CEA President David Holt wrote the following, posted in the Journal’s Energy Experts Blog:

Arctic Energy Vital to Our Future

The Obama Administration must remain steadfast in its support for Arctic offshore energy exploration while continuing to enforce strict safety standards over drilling operations. Recent calls to end Arctic exploration are overly reactionary, short-sighted and based on hyperbolic fears. The Obama Administration should ensure that the regulations in place can effectively minimize the risks of drilling without discouraging the most-capable operators from moving forward in this vital energy frontier. In undertaking this 60-day review, the Administration must understand that its actions could have sweeping, generational impacts for the future of Arctic energy. Its decision not only affects the prospects for Shell’s venture, but also efforts by other operators invested in the region, and America’s role as a global leader in Arctic development and Arctic policy.

The Alaskan Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) holds significant influence on the future of U.S. economic and energy security as well as global geopolitical relations. The U.S. Chukchi and Beaufort Seas could well be one of the most prolific energy reserves in North America, holding an estimated 27 billion barrels of oil and 132 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Given its immense natural resource potential as well as strategic importance, it’s clear why the U.S. government declared that our nation has “broad and fundamental national security interests in the Arctic.”

Failure to increase Arctic oil production could force the premature closure of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. TAPS – one of the most critical energy infrastructures in the United States – is averaging less than 600,000 barrels of throughput a day, down from a high of nearly 2 million barrels a day in 1988. Low throughput increases the likelihood of inoperability due to the hazards that compound with low volumes of warm oil in the pipeline. Closing the pipeline would strand Alaskan oil, which currently accounts for nearly 10 percent of U.S. production, and cause a supply crisis for consumers on the West Coast who consume over half a million barrels daily of Alaskan crude.

Additionally, the United States needs to be a leader in Arctic, particularly a leader in how to face environmental challenges with science, technology and thoughtful regulation. Premature calls to end exploration because the Arctic is too harsh, too unpredictable, or too risky for any type of economic activity will put the United States on the sidelines. Greenland and Norway, both of which have already established oil and gas programs, demonstrate that Arctic exploration, while challenging, can be accomplished safely. In fact, Norway’s even laid out a 20-year plan to expand its development of Arctic resources, noting it’s “a project of a generation.” This is the kind of determination and vision the United States projected when it launched its space program. One would only hope will still possess these attributes today.

The economics, technology and outlook all point to the viability of Arctic OCS development and the need for it. While it may be years before any meaningful production of oil comes online, the United States should be taking steps now to expand exploration and production in order to meet future demand – not to discourage it.

Energy security, economic growth, and scientific understanding and leadership are reasons to “do big things” in the Arctic. No one is trying to abdicate the responsibility for protecting the environment. But now is not the time to let fear drive public policy. Let’s take a leading role and make the Arctic with all of its economic and energy security benefits, a resource for all Americans.

Source:  Energy Experts Blog.

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