In response to the rise in renewable energy and natural gas, Energy Secretary Rick Perry asked FERC to “guarantee financial payments” to struggling coal and nuclear power plants. In a unanimous decision, FERC rejected Perry’s proposal and set forth a 60-day deadline for regional grid operators to report on their ability “to judge ‘naturally occurring and man-made threats’ to their systems.” FERC commissioner Cheryl LaFleur found that Perry’s proposal failed to demonstrate “a threat to grid resilience.” LaFleur accused Perry of attempting to “freeze yesterday's resources in place indefinitely.” With regard to energy resources, LaFleur indicated the focus should be on the transition to the fut
New York City files suit against several major oil companies for their contribution to global warmin
NYC Mayor de Blasio announced a lawsuit which seeks to hold “the world’s five largest publicly traded oil companies” (BP, Chevron, Conoco-Phillips, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell) responsible for their purported share of “global-warming gases.” In his announcement, de Blasio also blasted the fossil fuel industry for their “complicity,” claiming the oil companies knew and sought to hide the fact that their activity and products had a negative effect on the climate. The suit seeks an unspecified amount of compensatory damages, claiming NYC has been forced to (and will be forced to) spend billions to protect the NYC coastline, infrastructure and citizens from the repercussions of global warmi
The U.S. Department of Energy and the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported this month that oil output from U.S. shale oil drillers is continuing to grow, and will reach over 6.5 million barrels of output per day in February. The agencies stated that Shale drilling, commonly referred to as fracking, is “driving the recovery in U.S. oil production following a prolonged slump in oil prices.” The EIA predicts that 2018 will be the highest annual average on record of U.S. oil output; in 2019, the EIA “expects American [oil] production… [to be] on par with Saudi Arabia and Russia’s output.” https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/16/us-shale-oil-drilling-poised-to-surge-in-february.html
Coastal areas up to be auctioned off for oil drilling, while proposed Rule relaxes oil drilling safe
Heeding calls from President Trump to increase domestic energy production, the Interior Department proposed a “five-year continental shelf plan” which would auction off the rights to drill for oil in federal coastal areas in the Artic, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The plan received immediate pushback from state lawmakers who opposed drilling off their respective state coasts not only on aesthetic grounds, but also because of spill risk fears and potential economic harms (including those related to tourism). The Interior Department also issued a proposed rule to reverse offshore drilling safety regulations put in place in 2016 by the Well Safety Rule; the p