The Green Grok Blogs on oil

Peak Oil Flip Flop

The debate has focused on a peak in oil supply. Some argue it’s peak oil demand that’s relevant. And that demand, some experts say, is on the wane. (Flickr / raindog)

by Bill Chameides
Apr 10, 2013

There's a new twist in the "peak oil" debate. Is it good news for the climate?

read the full post >> | 0 comments

Keystone Pipeline: Environmental Impact Statement Revisited

by Bill Chameides
Apr 4, 2013

Officials at TransCanada insist that their proposed Keystone XL pipeline is environmentally safe. Current events suggest otherwise.

read the full post >> | 1 comment

Congress’s Affair With Ethanol: Love Gone Wrong?

Corn stover, an agricultural residue, is one feedstock being used to produce cellulosic ethanol. So far, the production of cellulosic ethanol has been far lower than federal mandates, which is creating some problems. (Pat Corkery / NREL)

by Bill Chameides
Mar 28, 2013

The ethanol mandate in gasoline is starting to sting.

read the full post >> | 2 comments

Shale Gas and Tight Oil: Boom? Bust? Or Just a Petering Out?

$Thanks in large part to fracking, the production of shale gas and oil in tight formations like the Bakken in North Dakota (pictured here) has been on the rise. But will such production rates continue apace or sputter out? (Dana Schagunn/iStockphoto)$

by Bill Chameides
Feb 27, 2013

The oil and gas industry promises "a few days of fracking" for "decades of ... production.” But is it true?

read the full post >> | 3 comments

In State of the Union Speech Obama Straddles the Climate-Energy Fence

Obama's State of the Union address, February 2013 (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

by Bill Chameides
Feb 13, 2013

Can we lower carbon emissions and also push more and more oil and gas production?

read the full post >> | Comments Off

Obama and Keystone XL: The Moment of Truth?

Mining tar sands to generate oil* is already decimating Canadian landscapes. Now the U.S. is weighing whether to approve a pipeline that would allow this fuel to flow to Gulf Coast refineries along a path that could imperil important Midwest water sources. On top of all that is what the project would mean for the climate. NWFblogs on Flickr

by Bill Chameides
Jan 30, 2013

President Obama will soon have to decide whether he will be the “all of the above” president or the “respond to climate change” president.

read the full post >> | 3 comments

John Sununu: We don’t need no stinkin’ energy policy

by Bill Chameides
Dec 12, 2012

History suggests he’s wrong.

read the full post >> | Comments Off

On U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and cognitive dissonance

Burning less coal but exporting more simply shifts what would be our greenhouse gas emissions to someone else. (Photograph of coal plant in China by ishmatt/Flickr)

by Bill Chameides
Nov 14, 2012

United States predicted to be world's leading oil producer. Warning: Claiming lower carbon emissions while exporting fossil fuels can lead to cognitive dissonance.

read the full post >> | 2 comments