Bloomberg – Crude Output Exceeds Imports for First Time in 16 Years

The surge in U.S. shale development through hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling in North Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas has boosted domestic oil production – 7.3 million barrels a day  last week alone – to the highest level since 1986, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Fuel Fix Blog – Feds Give More Time To Study Proposed Drilling Rule

Last month API asked for an additional 90 days to study  BLM’s proposed rule governing hydraulic fracturing. Today, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said that she would allow an additional 60 days for stakeholders to review the proposed regulations.

The Daily Beast – U.S. Closing Trade Deficit With Better Oil numbers

The Daily Beast takes a look at how... more »

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is no friend of its biggest customer, the U.S. oil and natural gas industry. That’s clear from the ethanol lobby’s attacks on our industry for raising questions about E15 gasoline (up to 15 percent ethanol) and the ethanol “blend wall,” addressed here, here and here. So, we were pleasantly surprised with last week’s RFA whitepaper showing that, yes – the high price of federal ethanol credits is increasing the cost of gasoline.

Quick review. Another study released last week, from NERA Economic Consulting, found that the fuel market is nearing the point where refiners no longer can satisfy ethanol blending mandates under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) without elevating the ethanol content in gasoline to higher than 10 percent. According to NERA, t... more »

There’s new research showing E15 (15 percent ethanol) fuel could damage vehicles, potentially stranding motorists and/or saddling them with expensive repair bills – one of a number of reasons the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) should be scrapped.

Following on a report last spring that said E15 could damage engines and cars and trucks, the Coordinating Research Council (CRC) has a new study that found E15 can mess up fuel pump systems and fuel measurement systems, potentially affecting “millions and millions” of vehicles, Bob Greco, API downstream and industry operations director, said in a conference call with reporters. Greco:

“This additional E15 testing, completed this month, has identified an elevated incidence of fuel pump failures, fuel system component swelling and impairmen... more »

AAA says the EPA and retailers should stop the sale of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol, known as E15, because it could damage vehicle engines and void car manufacturers’ warranties. AAA’s statement:

"A recent survey by AAA finds a strong likelihood of consumer confusion and the potential for voided warranties and vehicle damage as a result of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent approval of E15 gasoline. An overwhelming 95 percent of consumers surveyed have not heard of E15, a newly approved gasoline blend that contains up to 15 percent ethanol. With little consumer knowledge about E15 and less than five percent of cars on the road approved by automakers to use the fuel, AAA is urging regulators and the industry to stop the sale of E15 until motorists are better... more »

Supporters of continuing ethanol subsidies are once again using a study out of Iowa State to bolster their case, and once again, it doesn’t.  This year’s study, “The Impact of Ethanol Production on U.S. and Regional Gasoline Markets: An Update to 2012,” is an update to their previous work. In reviewing that work, here’s what the Institute for Energy Research concluded:

"The recent Iowa State study claiming that ethanol production has suppressed the growth in gasoline prices is very misleading. It takes for granted the current refinery capacity and other infrastructure that industry uses to deliver gasoline to motorists, without realizing that federal policies over the years have distorted the development of these markets. Ethanol only survives in the market place at its current leve... more »