To pretty much no one’s surprise, EPA announced Friday that it is denying a petition that it reconsider its 2011 advanced cellulosic mandate. The petition was filed by API and the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (now American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers).

The reason it’s not surprising is that the decision came more than a year after the petition was filed and five months after the end of 2011. Refiners really had no recourse even if EPA had granted the petition.

The rejection is symptomatic of a larger problem: EPA’s continued improper use of its waiver authority.  We now know that no cellulosic biofuels were produced in 2010, 2011 or in the first three months of 2012 (see API’s chart, based on EPA data, below). Yet EPA continues to assert that aggressive mandat... more »

Common sense should be applied to a federal transparency proposal – the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s pending Section 1504 rule that would make U.S. energy companies disclose what they pay foreign governments and the U.S. government for projects in those countries. The rule also should be consistent with administration policy … as in a directive from the president himself.

The president’s May 1, 2012, executive order, promoting international regulatory harmony and reducing unnecessary business costs by aligning U.S. regulations with those in other nations, appears applicable to Section 1504 – which looks like a harmony wrecker and more.

In written comments to the commission, API Vice President and General Counsel Harry Ng argues Section 1504 could bring U.S. companies int... more »

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) added to the pile of conflicting well-to-wheels analyses with its report released this week, “The Life Cycle Assessment of Canadian Oil Sands,” written in the context of the Keystone XL project. Just like its predecessors, CRS wades into the world of assessment comparisons, choosing previously-published reports with seemingly common variables to come up with an emissions calculation slightly different from the rest. The problem, however, is that more often than not, apples are compared to oranges and policymakers are misled.

The report concludes that the Canadian oil sands emit 14 to 20 percent more greenhouse gases (GHGs) in a well-to-wheels (WTW) comparison with other crude oils imported into the United States “despite differences and input as... more »

Scroll down a bit in this wrap-up of last weekend’s G8 Summit from The Hill newspaper, and you’ll see that the president and other G8 leaders hinted that they might ask for a draw on the world’s oil reserves to offset disruptions in supply from Iran. Their statement:

“There have been increasing disruptions in the supply of oil to the global market over the past several months, which pose a substantial risk to global economic growth. … Looking ahead to the likelihood of further disruptions in oil sales and the expected increased demand over the coming months, we are monitoring the situation closely and stand ready to call upon the International Energy Agency to take appropriate action to ensure that the market is fully and timely supplied."

The Hill says the White House was mum on... more »

American-made energy. With the Energy Information Administration projecting that the United States will need more than 16 percent additional energy by 2035, the idea that we could, before then, see 100 percent of our liquid fuel needs met domestically and from Canada is huge. Make that gigantic.

Increased access to American energy resources is the key. API’s recent report to the two political parties’ platform committees marks the way – offshore:

• Open the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural gas exploration and development
• Open the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf
• Open the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf

And onshore:

• Open the 1002 Area within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska
• Open portions of the Rocky Mountains
• Lift New York state’s drilli... more »