The 5th Circuit ruling: http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/10/10-60066-CV0.wpd.pdf
HEK
5th Circuit Vacates FERC Orders 720 and 720-A
October 26th, 2011Is Shale Gas Included in Mineral Rights?
October 16th, 2011Interesting court case in PA on mineral rights and shale gas in the Marcellus field: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/10/11/business-us-gas-drilling-mineral-rights-pennsylvania_8727840.html . What if the drillers really don’t own the mineral rights?
HEK
More on Peak Oil
September 26th, 2011Daniel Yergin has an article in the Wall Street Journal that explains peak oil from the point of view of the naysayers, of which I am one: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904060604576572552998674340.html. I believe I have made my position clear in previous blog posts, so there is no point in belaboring the issue. The article is well worth the time of anyone who is interested in the subject. Even if you disagree with Yergin’s argument, there is some worthwhile history and coverage of M. King Hubbert, the Shell Oil geologist whose “Hubbert’s Peak,” will always be associated with the concept of peak oil.
HEK
Keystone Pipeline Article
September 26th, 2011Don’t you just hate it when your opinion is right in the middle of two opposing forces? That means neither side will hire you to advance their cause. Such is the case with the Keystone Pipeline: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/keystone-pipeline-opponents-pin-hopes-on-nebraska/2011/09/25/gIQAh6qaxK_story.html?hpid=z11. We need the oil, we need the jobs, but we don’t need to put 3rd parties out of business to get the resources, and there is a farmer or three relying upon that water. So maybe going around the Ogallala Aquifer would be the best plan. Or finding a new method of laying the pipe such that inevitable leaks don’t damage the aquifer. Or even building a new refinery, but the products from it would need to be transported at some point… most likely by pipeline.
HEK
Natural Gas Subcommittee Issues Interim Report
August 27th, 2011On August 11, the Natural Gas Subcommittee issued its 90-day interim report of “Improving the Safety & Environmental Performance of Hydraulic Fracturing.” The Subcommittee’s 180-day final report is expected on November 18, 2011. There is still time to comment.
I have not read the report yet. If there is interest, I may do so and post my analysis here. Anybody is welcome to provide their opinions and analyses on this blog either before or after I do so. I stand ready to assist clients file formal comments with DOE or understand the economic and policy implications of this report.
HEK
Happy 150th…
August 21st, 2011To the McClintock No. 1 oil well, still producing after all these years. More details here: http://www.pennenergy.com/index/petroleum/display/0991555867/articles/pennenergy/petroleum/exploration/2011/08/pennsylvania-oil well.html?cmpid=EnlDailyPetroAugust182011. I have visited this site as well as other historically interesting sites in the PA rock oil region, and found them to be fascinating if you are interested in such history.
HEK
The SPR Releases 30 Million Barrels of Oil Over the Next 30 Days
July 3rd, 2011Round up the usual suspects to say the usual self-serving things: http://www.ogj.com/index/article-display/9256985169/articles/oil-gas-journal/general-interest-2/economics-markets/20100/june-2011/us-to_release_30_million.html?cmpid=EnlDailyJune232011. It does seem to have knocked gasoline prices down a bit. Good for the overall economy, which seems to choke at $4.00/gal, not so good for conservation efforts. But we can’t have everything both ways.
HEK
With All Due Respect, Dr. Hazlett…
July 3rd, 2011Surely you are not this ignorant. After all, you were once the chief economist for the FCC, an independent regulatory agency. You understand that the president cannot call a regulatory agency and dictate its policy. You understand that regulatory agencies are “bipartisan” in the sense that they must contain a minority that are not in the president’s own political party. You understand that an investigation is not a lawsuit. So why did you publish this op-ed: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3ab926bc-a2a9-11e0-83fc-00144feabdc0.html? You may be correct that Google has no market power despite its market share, but as you point out, Google has grown by merger as well as its own innovation. Maybe the FTC should sit on its collective hands and not investigate anything because it might stifle innovation, which is basically your argument when you agree with Mr. Munger’s contention that, “We need a simple, improvement-friendly rule that a new feature is always a permissible improvement if there is any plausible argument whatever that product users are in some way better off.” Because there is always a plausible argument that the consumer is better off no matter what an alleged monopolist might do.
But this needs to be accomplished through legislation. You know this. You are merely taking a cheap shot at the Obama Administration (and perhaps other unnamed administrations). If your argument cannot stand on its own legs, maybe you do not believe it is very strong.
HEK
Announcing the Amazing New ThinAire™ Energy Process
April 1st, 2011April 1, 2011: Announcing the amazing new ThinAire™ process for solving all your energy needs!!
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Contact Dr Kilpatrick at hkilpatrick@econpolicy.com for further details. Or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Econpolicy, 301 S Edgewood St, Arlington, VA 22204 to receive instructions on how to obtain your very own ThinAire.
HEK
