At year’s end it’s customary to put together “best of” lists – sometimes because there’s not much else to talk about. Not so with energy. In fact, there’s so much good news on the energy front we didn’t even have to go beyond the past 30 days to assemble a good list of information-delivering charts and graphs (and the blog posts that featured them). So here it is: “Best Energy Charts – (December) 2012.”

1. Lease Auction: There’s More Where That Came From

Following the federal government’s November lease sale in the western Gulf of Mexico that generated more than $133 million, we pointed out that the revenue stream for government could be so much larger if there was access to the more than 80 percent of our available offshore acreage that’s closed to energy development.
  
2. Lea... more »

The continuing debate over America’s shale energy wealth – both natural gas and oil – boils down to this: Will we safely and responsibly develop those resources with cutting-edge fracking technology or fumble away an historic chance to take greater control over our energy future by leaving those resources in the ground?

The answer to that question will be seen in individual policy discussions – such as whether exports of U.S. natural gas will be allowed. Two articles this week keep the focus on that issue.

The Washington Post’s Robert Samuelson writes that limiting or blocking exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) will hurt job creation, limit the positive environmental impact of a clean-burning fuel and possibly more:

"Limiting LNG exports might initially cut prices, but the... more »

The Washington Times has an article that focuses on the connection between increased domestic energy production, a U.S. manufacturing resurgence and an improved trade balance:

A recent wave of “re-shoring” of overseas manufacturing plants by U.S. chemical, auto and other companies signals the revival of U.S. competitiveness in many industries vis-a-vis Europe, Japan, China and other major trade partners. The trend got a big push recently from a dramatic drop in American natural gas prices, making the U.S. a highly desirable location for manufacturers relying on gas for energy and as a component in plastics, chemicals and other essential materials. Rising U.S. competitiveness has stoked a major export revival since 2009, helping pull the economy out of recession. “The secular trend o... more »

The numbers themselves are stop-and-stare huge:

• $127 billion in additional revenues for governments by 2020 from increased domestic oil and natural gas activity.
• $2.5 trillion in cumulative federal, state and local tax receipts to be generated between now and 2035 by America’s shale energy revolution – oil and natural gas from fracking.
• $5.1 trillion in cumulative capital spending by America’s oil and gas companies on unconventional development by 2035 – an energy stimulus lifting the core of the U.S. economy.

We bring these numbers up because as Washington wrestles with its budget problems, America’s oil and natural gas companies can be the solution – adding jobs, economic value and energy to drive the long-term economic and general prosperity of our country. So, what ar... more »

Nearing the end of the 2012 it’s worth noting that some things about the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) haven’t changed: Commercially available cellulosic biofuel still isn’t being produced, and the nation’s refiners still don’t know how much biofuel they’ll have to blend next year under the RFS mandate. Other than that, no worries, right?

In all seriousness the future for advanced biofuels is bright, and API members are some of the largest investors in ongoing efforts to develop them. But overoptimistic assumptions about the pace of biofuels’ commercialization have left us with unworkable mandates – in fact, mandates to use something that doesn’t exist.

That said, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has touted progress being made toward cellulosic biofuel production, citing this report... more »