Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
04/27/12
IN CONGRESS
Two Republican Senators introduced a small omnibus bill this week that bundles several energy-related anti-regulatory measures that passed in the House but stalled in the Senate, including a provision that bars the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases emitted from coal-fired power plants. The “Western Economic Security Today (WEST) Act,” combines eight energy and environment-related measures that passed the House over the last year, including the “Energy Tax Prevention Act,” which bars EPA from promulgating any rulemakings that regulate or “take into consideration” greenhouse gas emissions as a way of addressing climate change under the Clean Air Act. It also encompasses provisions that prompt the Obama Administration to move forward on offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and lift bans on new offshore drilling in the area. Sponsors Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said the measure would help create jobs and strengthen the economy in the West.“Through the WEST Act, western Republicans have laid out a clear path to energy security and job creation. By removing harmful EPA and public lands regulations, our legislation encourages American energy production and economic growth. It will also help decrease energy prices for Americans,” Barrasso said in a statement. The measure likely has little chance of being considered in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
The Senate Energy and National Resources Committee reported three high-level energy nominations this week, including nominees for two Federal Energy Regulatory Commission positions. The panel approved John Norris for a second term as a Democratic Commissioner at FERC. It also unanimously greenlighted North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Tony Clark to fill a Republican FERC slot. Clark had recently served as president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. The Senate Energy Committee also approved Adam Sieminski to be administrator of the Department of Energy’s Information Administration by voice vote, all senators but Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) voting in favor of his nomination.
IN DOE
The Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy said this week that it has developed a technique for enhanced oil recovery that has tripled the oil production of a depleted well in Illinois. DOE said the technique, known as alkaline surfactant polymer (ASP) flooding, has helped the Lawrence oil field in southeast Illinois—which has been in operation for more than a century—increase production from 16 barrels a day to 65 to 75 barrels per diem. “The [Illinois State Geological Survey] hopes that ASP flooding proves successful in realizing the additional 130 million barrels of oil it has estimated to be technically recoverable from Lawrence. If successful in the Lawrence field, the technology could be used in similar fields throughout the United States, increasing domestic oil production and realizing the associated benefits of job creation and expanded economic activity,” DOE said in a release. Project operator Rex Energy Corp. said it will be expanding the project using the flooding technology next year.
IN THE NPS
The National Park Service unveiled plans to lower greenhouse gases emitted from national parks 35 percent by 2020 under its new “Green Parks Plan.” NPS said that in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it will aim to increase the share of electricity produced for the parks from renewable sources, adopt cleaner transport methods and improve water use and energy efficiency efforts. “The Green Parks Plan is a comprehensive approach to sustainability that will reduce the National Park Service’s carbon footprint through actions taken in every park and office,” NPS Diector Jonathan Jarvis said at a news conference this week.
IN THE STATES
A former coal company owner won the Republican primary this week in Pennsylvania and will now face incumbent Bob Casey (D) in November’s election for a spot in the U.S. Senate. Tom Smith, a millionaire from western Pennsylvania, spent more than $4 million of his own money to decisively garner a win in a crowded Republican field on April 24. He beat four other candidates—including the picks of the state’s Republican Party, Gov. Tom Corbett (R) and local Tea Party groups—and won almost twice as many votes as his closest competitor, a former state legislator. A high school graduate, Smith is a relative newcomer to state politics who spent most of his career as a registered Democrat.
IN THE U.K.
The United Kingdom’s Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said this week that the country is allocating up to £60 million ($97 million) to help develop carbon capture and storage technologies in industrializing countries. The announcement came at the sidelines of the Clean Energy Ministerial meeting held this week in London (see related story). The Ministerial’s Carbon Capture, Use and Storage Action Group recommended at the meeting that $200 million be allocated internationally to accelerate CCS deployment in developing countries. “We recognize that it is important to ensure CCS is deployed in developing as well as developed countries. The funding that the UK has committed today will support the development of new partnerships and capacity building activities in emerging markets,” Barker said in a statement. The announcement comes several weeks after the U.K. relaunched its own CCS program, committing £1 billion for large-scale demonstration projects and £125 million for R&D work.
The United Kingdom is on track to meeting its 2020 CO2 reduction targets, the country’s energy secretary said this week. Ahead of the Clean Energy Ministerial meeting, Ed Davey said he expects that the U.K. will meet its renewable electricity standard of 30 percent by the end of the decade as pledged. “We started off from a very low base. When we came to government, we were right at the bottom of the league,” Davey said. “But we really have now begun to turn that round and we are moving fast. If you look at the progress we are making and look at our plans, I think we will hit that target.” Great Britain was recently joined by Mexico last week as being one of two countries with unilateral legally-binding emissions reduction standards (see related story).
