In a world where diplomacy seems to be lacking, it’s nice to learn that Israel and Lebanon have reached an agreement on their maritime boundary, and that both countries are satisfied. Based on press reports, it appears that the Qana gas field will fall under the control of Lebanon and that Israel will control the Karish field. Good for Lebanon, good for Israel, and good for energy!
Posted in energy, natural gas, Offshore Energy - General | Tagged Eastern Mediterranean, Israel, Karish, Lebanon, natural gas, Qana | Leave a Comment »
➡ Zero 2022 YTD well starts on the California OCS (per BSEE data the only well activity has been for plugging and abandonment purposes)
➡ Many law suits including these cases:
Posted in California, Offshore Energy - General | Tagged California OCS, fracking, litigation, pipelines, plans, well starts | Leave a Comment »
Newfoundlander Howard Pike’s excellent tribute to my former colleague Charles Smith can be viewed from minutes 26 to 36 of this video.
Posted in Canada, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized | Tagged Charles E. Smith, Newfoundland, offshore safety | Leave a Comment »
Louisiana treasurer John Schroder said Wednesday he would pull $794 million of state money from BlackRock Inc. funds.
“Your blatantly anti-fossil fuel policies would destroy Louisiana’s economy,” Mr. Schroder wrote.
WSJ
Here is the pertinent guidance from Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry:
Posted in climate, energy policy | Tagged BlackRock, Jeff Landry, John Schroder, Louisiana | Leave a Comment »
Planned obsolescence, as justification for the minimalist leasing program (see below), is neither prudent nor consistent with the OCS Lands Act.
“The long-term nature of OCS oil and gas development, such that production on a lease can continue for decades makes consideration of future climate pathways relevant to the Secretary’s determinations with respect to how the OCS leasing program best meets the Nation’s energy needs.“
5 Year Leasing Program, p.3
Basing offshore leasing decisions on “future climate pathways” is a high risk strategy that may be inconsistent with the recent SCOTUS decision in West Virginia vs. EPA. A planned or phased shutdown of the offshore oil and gas program would dramatically increase economic and security risks, and has not been authorized by legislation.
Posted in climate, energy policy, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General | Tagged 5 year leasing plan, OCSLA, OPEC | Leave a Comment »
Posted in energy policy | Tagged decrease, oil production, OPEC+ | Leave a Comment »
Posted in energy policy | Tagged dubious milestones, SPR depletion, Strategic Petroleum Reserve | Leave a Comment »
“The American people have moved on. The President himself has declared ‘the Pandemic is over.’ Yet, we continue holding fast to an outdated mandate, purging hundreds of dedicated sailors, even though we struggle to meet our recruiting goals. It is now time to take a pause, reevaluate, and assess what this is costing readiness, the taxpayer, and the public perception of how we treat our people,” he wrote in the letter.
Retired Coast Guard Vice Admiral William “Dean” Lee
Meanwhile, a Coast Guard hero during Hurricane Ian is about to be discharged for refusing the vaccine. He is one of 2632 Coast Guard members who refused the shots.
As previously noted, the Coast Guard expelled 7 cadets from the Academy over their Covid vaccination status.
Posted in Florida, hurricanes | Tagged Admiral William Lee, Coast Guard, hurricane hero, vaccine mandate, Zach Loesch | Leave a Comment »
Sept 30 (Reuters) – The ruptures on the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline system under the Baltic Sea have led to what is likely the biggest single release of climate-damaging methane ever recorded, the United Nations Environment Programme said on Friday.
“This is really bad, most likely the largest emission event ever detected,” Manfredi Caltagirone, head of the IMEO for UNEP, told Reuters. “This is not helpful in a moment when we absolutely need to reduce emissions.”
Researchers at GHGSat, which uses satellites to monitor methane emissions, estimated the leak rate from one of four rupture points was 22,920 kilograms per hour. That is equivalent to burning about 630,000 pounds of coal every hour, GHGSat said in a statement.
The Nord Stream methane release, while puzzling and rather frightening given the potential for escalating international tensions, was not an environmental disaster or even a major environmental setback.
Some perspective:
Posted in climate, pipelines, seeps | Tagged methane inputs, NordStream, Oil in the Sea, pipeline leaks | Leave a Comment »
Well Control Rule comments
October 11, 2022 by offshoreenergy
Hopefully, the attached response is indicative of the quality of comments BSEE will receive on their proposed WCR revisions.
The comments, which were submitted by a retired engineer (always the best commenters 😉), express the opinion that BSEE should not remove the option for submitting failure data to BTS. While my comments will express a somewhat different opinion, I thought he made good arguments in support of his position.
The chart below is excerpted from the SafeOCS Dashboard cited in the comment letter:
Posted in drilling, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation | Tagged BOP failure data, BSEE, comments, Well Control Rule | Leave a Comment »