Energy bill passes 12/23/2007
Delegation herds legislation into law; includes Alaska-friendly provisions
President George W. Bush signed into law Dec. 19 bipartisan legislation sponsored by Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, to increase fuel economy for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon, or 40 percen...

President likely to veto OPEC lawsuit bill 11/25/2007
U.S. President George W. Bush is still likely to veto legislation allowing U.S. institutions to sue the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries over its alleged actions in pushing up oil prices,...

ARCTIC ENERGY SUMMIT: High Arctic: industry's last oil and gas frontier 10/14/2007
There's one thing industry hopefully can look to when the Earth's offshore oil and gas resources south of the giant Arctic icecap are exhausted. Many geologists now believe this vast and frigid region...

Oil Patch Insider 10/14/2007
Danny is The Man to people of Newfoundland, Labrador
Whatever Big Oil may think of Danny Williams there's no doubt where he stands among the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. The pit-bull premier led his Conservative government in a re-election romp...

Arctic claims chillier than free trade tiffs 10/07/2007
More than free trade irritants, the greatest likelihood of a rift in Canada-U.S. relations over the next few years involves sovereignty over Arctic waterways. Regardless of Russian incursions, includ...

Milestone or a millstone? 10/07/2007
North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, shakes off final tariffs in 2008; Canada, unwilling to play the energy card in trade disputes, frets it 'can't get no respect'
The North American Free Trade Agreement reaches a milestone in 2008. That's when the pact will be fully implemented with the phasing out of final tariffs which were kept in place to allow an orderly a...

NPR-A in limbo 08/26/2007
Draft EIS for Northeast NPR-A out, earliest lease sale after 2008 election
The federal government's plan to open the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska to oil and gas development has officially been derailed for at least two years, starting with a September 2006 court order t...

Arctic claims heat up 08/19/2007
Russian expedition poses challenge to United States, Canada and other northern nations; Canada steps up fight with plans for deepwater port, military outposts, and an increase of 900 members in the Canadian Ranger patrol
Forget about "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming" - the Cold War comedy about the grounding of a Russian submarine off a small New England town. They're here. More accurately, they're th...

House moves tax bill on oil firms 08/12/2007
Two bills impose $16B tax on oil companies, provide tax breaks, incentives for renewable energy, conservation; opponents say bills ignore need for more U.S. oil, gas, coal production
Declaring a new direction in energy policy, the U.S. House of Representatives approved US$16 billion in taxes on oil companies, while providing billions of dollars in tax breaks and incentives for ren...

Chavez vows to broaden Russian investment 07/08/2007
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called on Russian business leaders June 29 to boost their energy investment in his country, calling U.S. companies "vampires" and U.S. President George W. Bush a devil...

St. John refinery plans collide with Bush 02/11/2007
There might have been a better week for privately held Irving Oil to set the regulatory ball rolling on its plans to double refinery capacity at its Saint John, New Brunswick, complex. It announced Ja...

GOM energy act passes 12/17/2006
8.3M exploration acres opened in eastern Gulf of Mexico; industry reaction mixed
The Republican-led Congress, before turning over the reins to the Democrats, passed 11th hour legislation opening an additional 8.3 million acres in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas explorati...

Venezuelan firm to provide fuel oil for villagers 09/24/2006
Rural Alaska homes will stay warm this winter with help from a gift from a Venezuelan-owned oil refiner and a leader who has been a thorn in the side of President George W. Bush. A roughly $5 million...

Oil Patch Insider 07/23/2006
Canada's leader spreads the energy gospel in Europe
Canada, a superpower? Prime Minister Stephen Harper thinks so and that's the message he spread on his first official visit to Europe, including a stop at the G8 summit in Russia. To be more accurate,...

A sticky time for Alberta oil sands 07/16/2006
Bodman visits Alberta amid growing debate over frantic pace of expansion; two former political leaders call for reality check
When former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed speaks, he is guaranteed an audience. When former U.S. Vice President Al Gore speaks, the same applies. When the two of them, coming as they do from opposite...

Willie's way on the highway 06/18/2006
Ethanol sparks interest across North America, boosted by environmental concerns and Bush's drive to lower Middle East oil imports
If you want to stay on the road you might consider hitching your wagon to Willie Nelson's promotion of biofuels. The country crooner is putting his money where his mouth is by manufacturing and sellin...

Bush nominates Pearce as Alaska natural gas pipeline coordinator 06/18/2006
Former state Senate President Drue Pearce has been nominated by President George W. Bush to be federal coordinator of an Alaska natural gas pipeline project. Congress ordered the creation of the job i...

Kyoto has Canada in knots 05/14/2006
New regime pulls back from Kyoto spending; confusion on made-in-Canada policy
Less than four months into its mandate, the new Canadian government appears to be on an environmental collision course of its own making. Openly dubious about the Kyoto Protocol, to which it is legall...

Bush nominates Myers for top USGS slot 05/07/2006
On May 3, U.S. President George W. Bush nominated former Alaska Division of Oil and Gas Division Director Mark Myers to head the prestigious U.S. Geological Survey. Myers replaces Charles Groat, who r...