While many are breathlessly waiting for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the United States to begin in 2015, there’s a natural gas export boom already happening right under the noses of most investors. I’m talking about rapidly growing gas exports from the United States to our southern neighbor, Mexico. LNG exports, which are travelling via pipeline, are at their highest levels ever and growing.
Our rank: Oregon’s gas prices are third most expensive in the nation for the second week in a row. Only Hawaii ($4.30) and Alaska ($4.06) are more expensive, making Oregon’s prices the most expensive in the 48 contiguous states.
It doesn’t take an international studies scholar to realize that the chaos level in the world is surging upwards. Sectarian violence in Iraq is on the rise once again. Syria is still mired in a bloody civil war with no end in sight. Russia continues to inflame tensions in Ukraine, even after its annexation of Crimea. And Israel and Hamas are once again clashing in Gaza.
France currently grants new car buyers a credit of 6,300 euros ($8,400) if they purchase an electric vehicle. But if a new bill submitted to Parliament by France’s Minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy is approved, customers will be eligible for an additional bonus of 10,000 euros if they switch from a diesel powered vehicle to an electric one. That’s a total of 16,300 Euros or about $22,000.
China is considering a massive government program to build more charging stations for electric vehicles and boost demand for the eco-friendly cars. The policy, which could provide as much as 100 billion yuan ($16 billion) in funding, will be announced soon, two people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News this week.
The Galveston County Economic Alliance announced on Tuesday that Fund Connell USA Energy and Chemical Investment Corp. is exploring plans to build a large methanol production and export facility at Shoal Point, Texas City.
Kansas City is now home to the largest fast-fill compressed natural gas facility in Missouri.
Simple-Fill Inc., which is developing technology to allow vehicles running on compressed natural gas to fill up at home, has raised $170,000 through convertible notes offered to three investors, the company disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Runaway growth in the emission of greenhouse gases is swamping all political efforts to deal with the problem, raising the risk of “severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts” over the coming decades, according to a draft of a major new United Nations report.
The US Environmental Protection Agency has extended the public comment period by 60 days for its proposed rule that would force petroleum refiners to implement additional controls on toxic air emissions from their refineries (OGJ Online, May 15, 2014).
