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Energy Policy Blog

As of May 1, over 3,000 bills and resolutions have been introduced in the 113rd Congress, and nine measures have become law. This is about the same pace as in the 112th Congress. It is impossible to predict whether this Congress will eventually be more productive than the last.

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Energy Policy Blog

Everyone seems to know about the across-the-board, federal spending cuts, known as sequester, that took effect March 1. In addition, the law passed last week to rescind the sequester-driven furloughs of air-traffic controllers was in virtually every newspaper in the country.

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Energy Policy Blog

There is now evidence to contradict the widely held belief that there is a shortage of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workers.

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Energy Policy Blog

At the end of March, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule that requires gasoline to have only 10 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur by 2017. This is a 60 percent cut from the current requirement of 30 ppm. The reduction would bring all gasoline in the nation into conformity with California standards.

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Energy Policy Blog

As reported in the GEO-DC blog of December 11, 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued its study concluding that liquified natural gas (LNG) exports to non-free trade countries were consistent with the public interest and asked for comments by January 24, 2013.

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Energy Policy Blog

A recent National Academy of Science report, Transitions to Alternative Fuels and Vehicles, looked at options to meet the President’s goal of reducing petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

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Energy Policy Blog

Extracting methane, the essential component of natural gas,from methane hydrate has been the topic of research in the U.S., Japan and several other countries for about 15 years. Now Japan has announced success in extracting methane from hydrate deposits below the seafloor off the coast of Japan.

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Energy Policy Blog

The U.S. State Department released its draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta, Canada to Steele City, Nebraska. The draft is now available for public comment. Comments should be sent to the State Department Keystone XL mailbox before April 15.

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Energy Policy Blog

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) just released the executive summary of its report, Realizing the Potential of U.S. Unconventional Natural Gas. The report notes that the U.S. unconventional gas resource is huge, and its production is stimulating economic growth and environmental concern. These messages are certainly familiar, but the report adds several new insights.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Energy Policy Blog

Last week Senator Lisa Murkowski, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released Energy 20/20. It is a detailed analysis of ways in which the government can assure that the United States has “abundant, affordable, clean, diverse and secure” energy. The Senator states that the document is intended to be a starting point for discussion not a draft for potential legislation.

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