Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Elizabeth Ames Coleman, Jack Coleman, Rosedale Distilling Company, Rosedale MS on December 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Former Dept. of the Interior and House Natural Resources Committee attorney, Jack Coleman, has been elected Mayor of his hometown, Rosedale, Mississippi. Jack is also restoring a historic distillery in Rosedale.
It’s great to see a former colleague making such important social and economic contributions following his “retirement.”
Posted in climate, energy policy, Uncategorized, tagged coal companies, ESG, Ken Paxton, sues asset managers, Texas on November 29, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton:
“Blackrock, Vanguard, and State Street utilized the Climate Action 100 and the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative to signal their mutual intent to reduce the output of thermal coal, which predictably increased the cost of electricity for Americans across the United States.
These firms also deceived thousands of investors who elected to invest in non-ESG funds to maximize their profits. Yet these funds pursued ESG strategies notwithstanding the defendants’ representations to the contrary.”
Note that this litigation may also have implications for the oil and gas industry. The complete filing is attached.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged offshore workers, Thanksgiving on November 28, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Happy Thanksgiving from BOE. Special thanks to those who are working on this holiday to discover and produce the energy needed to power our economy!
Posted in hurricanes, Uncategorized, tagged Asheville, FEMA, Hurricane Helene on October 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »
In a previous post, I mentioned the plight of my wife’s 80 year old friend who lost her home and car in the Asheville area. She was rescued by her brother Jim, who lives in Franklin, NC, and was taken in by some good folks who live in the upper hills. She is now living with her brother until she can find a rental.
Her most recent update (below) discusses her frustrations in dealing with FEMA. This is not intended as a broad indictment of FEMA, but as a reflection of the challenges individuals, particularly the elderly, can face in trying to recover from a natural disaster like Hurricane Helene.
Hello-
It’s almost 5am Saturday. Yesterday was a disaster! Some early morning calls to insurance and that sort of thing. Those followed by tying to reach FEMA helpline by phone. Was on hold waiting for an agent for more than an hour before giving up. Jim looked up the locations for face to face FEMA: none within 25 miles or 50 miles and only 3 in 100 miles. The closest being in Asheville about 4/5 miles from my house. Off we went with documents that needed correcting from the ones originally submitted. Their internet was down when we got there and remained down until leaving at 4:30ish. It was hot, no shade, no where to sit. I got over-heated and feeling faint; almost hit the ground before getting to a picnic area where i could lie down on a bench. Medical people were there; 2 doctors and several nurses. Eventually I was moved to an ambulance to be monitored for a good while. Given a IV drip then allowed to leave. They really, really wanted to take me to the hospital but I refused. I said the Franklin hospital was close to Jim’s if needed. So, that is the big thing to end the week.
I am sure other stuff was accomplished but don’t remember.
Love and many thanks to everyone for the support, cards and packages. So very grateful. ♥♥
Posted in climate, energy policy, Norway, Offshore Wind, Uncategorized, tagged acquisition, Equinor, Norway, Offshore Wind, Orsted, renewable energy targets on October 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Equinor, which is 2/3 owned by the Norwegian government, has purchased a nearly 10% stake in offshore wind giant Orsted (50.1% Danish govt ownership).
With bp and Shell reducing their wind energy investments, Equinor’s Orsted acquisition is a contrarian move. Equinor is also the only major oil company that is still in the market for new US offshore wind leases.
While the Orsted acquisition does not appear to have been directed by the Norwegian government, the State’s 2/3 ownership of the company no doubt influences renewable energy targets and broader corporate strategy.
The initial market reaction to the Orsted purchase was negative (see chart below). On a day when most oil companies’ share prices rose in response to the jump in oil prices, Equinor shares opened sharply lower.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Asheville, Helene, North Carolina, tragedy on October 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »
This text message from a close friend of my wife gives you a sense of the enormous challenges being experienced by so many in the wake of the flooding. As background, she lives in the Asheville area. Her home and car were completely destroyed. She was rescued by her brother (subject of the update below), who lived an hour away.
“Thank you. I am at ER. My brother began getting chest pains. Emt came and carted him out on a stretcher. Changed from emergency vehicle to ambulance a few miles down the road. He hasn’t even got here yet. I’ll be called when he is checked in. Fireman drove me here in his truck. Ushered me through the hospital p-lot maze then the long winding path to ER. Thanx for letting the others know. The hospital has a good signal. Even a few blinking traffic lights. The area where I live is devastated. We evacuated to the upper hills where the folks living there took us in. We were completely stranded 2 days until the younger, stronger people devised a path and bushwhacked a way out for cars already on the hill the first car got out this morning. More later…love and thanks to all.♥♥♥“
“
Posted in Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged drone attack, Eastern Mediterranean, IDF report, Israel, Karish gas field on September 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Below is IDF video of a drone intercept by an Israeli naval vessel offshore northern Israel.
Initial assessments suggest that the drone was headed for offshore infrastructure at the Karish gas field, presumably the FPSO pictured above.
Posted in Canada, climate, energy policy, Uncategorized, tagged ads, Canada Action, free speech, Toronto transit on September 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »
… when you seek to restrict speech because you don’t like the speaker or disagree with the message.
A Toronto politician wants to ban “misleading fossil fuel ads” on public transit. The pictured ad presents a straightforward message that is reasonable for an organization like Canada Action to convey. Opposing views are well represented in government and the media.
Posted in energy, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged Labor Day, offshore workers on September 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »
On Labor Day 2024, BOE is proud to salute the thousands of dedicated offshore professionals, in the US and around the world, who work in remote locations under challenging conditions to support economic growth and prosperity.
The overwhelming majority of offshore workers do their jobs skillfully and conscientiously, and are committed to protecting their colleagues and the environment. It is their lives that are threatened, their “back yard” that is polluted, and their jobs that are at stake if accidents occur.
Fortunately for us, energy exploration and production doesn’t stop on holidays. BOE wants offshore workers to know that their important contributions to society are greatly appreciated, on Labor Day and throughout the year.
Happy Labor Day!
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged BSEE, Kati Kovacs, Kevin Sligh, new Director, US Dept. of the Interior on August 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Excerpts from US Dept. of the Interior Announcement
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior today announced that Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Kevin M. Sligh will depart his position effective September 6, after serving in the role for the past two and a half years. Kathryn (Kati) E. Kovacs, who serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, will assume leadership of the bureau.
A cornerstone of Director Sligh’s tenure was a focus on the enhancement of BSEE’s emergency response capabilities. This included the first capping stack exercises in a decade, critical high-stakes operations designed to demonstrate the bureau’s readiness to rapidly seal off uncontrolled well blowouts on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). In addition, BSEE implemented improvements to its capabilities at its National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility (Ohmsett), where new technologies and training are helping the United States and the international community better plan for and respond to oil spills and advance new renewable energy science and technologies. These efforts were essential in testing and proving BSEE’s ability to manage potential offshore incidents effectively, ensuring that the bureau and industry responders are equipped to act swiftly and efficiently if needed.
In her current role, Kovacs has had oversight over BSEE, focusing on their regulatory agenda. Thanks to both Kovacs’ and Sligh’s leadership during the Biden-Harris administration, the Department made significant progress in expanding its oversight of renewable energy sources, including the enactment of a final rule that transferred safety and environmental compliance responsibilities for offshore renewable energy from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to BSEE. The rule recognized that the scopes of the bureaus’ roles and responsibilities had matured since they were created more than a decade ago following the Deepwater Horizon tragedy and supports the Department’s commitment to independent regulatory oversight and enforcement in the renewable energy program.
Prior to joining the Department in April 2022, Kovacs was a professor of law at Rutgers University. Kovacs’ public service career also includes 12 years in the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Appellate Section and service as a senior advisor to the director of the Bureau of Land Management in 2016. Kovacs also served in the Baltimore City Law Department as an attorney and clerked for former Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals Robert C. Murphy. She is a graduate of Yale University and the Georgetown University Law Center.
Interestingly, on 18 Sept., Ms. Kovacs will be making a presentation at the Case Western Reserve School of Law entitled Regulating Energy and Land Management at the Department of the Interior. There is no charge to register.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 