Century

Last year was the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States, with an average temperature of 55.3 degrees, 3.2 degrees above the 20th Century average and 1.0 degree above 1998, the previous warmest year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Every state in the Lower 48 recorded an above-average annual temperature for 2012, NOAA said. Nineteen states had a record warm year, and an another 26 states had one of their 10 warmest years. Nationally, 2012 began with the fourth warmest winter (December 2011-February 2012) on record, followed by the warmest spring on record, which included the warmest March on record. July was the warmest month ever observed in the contiguous United States, with an average temperature of 76.9 degrees, 3.6 degrees above average. The summer months were the second hottest on record and both Autumn and December temperatures were warmer than average, although not of the same magnitude as the rest of the year, NOAA said.

After more than a century of production from conventional pools, astronomical volumes still await new methods of extracting natural gas and oil from Alberta’s shale, according to provincial earth scientists.

After more than a century of production from conventional pools, astronomical volumes still await the new methods of extracting natural gas and oil from Alberta’s shale, according to provincial earth scientists.

Energy in all of its complexity will continue to be “one of the defining issues” of the 21st Century, both domestically and globally, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a packed crowd at Georgetown University Thursday.

Energy in all of its complexity will continue to be “one of the defining issues” of the 21st Century, both domestically and globally, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a packed crowd at Georgetown University Thursday.

Ten years ago the Permian Basin, first drilled nearly a century ago, was considered passe for oil and gas exploration. Today, however, a new generation of explorers and midstream operators has made the basin one of the hottest tickets on the reservoir circuit and there are no signs that the lights will be dimming anytime soon.

Ten years ago the Permian Basin, first drilled nearly a century ago, was considered passe for oil and gas exploration. Today, however, a new generation of explorers and midstream operators has made the basin one of the hottest tickets on the reservoir circuit and there are no signs that the lights will be dimming anytime soon.

After half a century as a mainstay of markets across Canada and the United States, Alberta’s role in North American natural gas will wane rapidly, says the province’s Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB).

After half a century as a mainstay of markets across Canada and the United States, Alberta’s role in North American natural gas will wane rapidly, says the province’s Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB).