Council

BP plc CEO Tony Hayward recalls a time when energy policy was not front page news. Not any more, he said. Speaking to the World Petroleum Council in Madrid, Spain, Hayward attempted to dispel what he called “three myths” about energy.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is calling on Congress to strike out the loopholes in federal air, water and waste laws that allow oil and natural gas producers operating in the Rocky Mountains to legally emit pollutants and toxic materials into the environment.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) called on Congress Wednesday to strike out the loopholes in federal air, water and waste laws that allow oil and natural gas producers operating in the Rocky Mountains to emit pollutants and toxic materials into the environment legally.

The Gasification Technologies Council (GTC) Thursday blasted the recent findings of Carnegie Mellon University researchers that say liquefied natural gas (LNG) might not be competitive with advanced coal technologies on an emissions basis when regasified LNG is used to fuel power plants.

Lead participants in a major report by the National Petroleum Council (NPC), which was adopted Wednesday, urged Congress and other energy policymakers to use the report’s conclusions and recommendations to guide their future actions.

Even if mother nature plans to be unusually harsh on North America this winter, the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) said power customers can rest easy because power generation capacity margins are “adequate.”

The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) warned in a report last week that U.S. demand for electricity will increase by 19% between now and 2015, while confirmed power capacity will increase by only 6%. Capacity margins are projected to drop below minimum target levels in the next two to three years in Texas, New England, the Mid-Atlantic area, the Midwest and the Rocky Mountains, with many other areas reaching minimum levels later in the 10-year period.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) on Friday blasted the U.S. Minerals Management Service’s (MMS) proposed second draft for a new Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leasing plan for 2007-2012 (see Daily GPI, Aug. 25). The leasing plan would replace one set to expire on June 30, 2007.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) set a new record for power demand of 63,056 MW Thursday afternoon between 4 and 5 p.m. The agency was encouraging power conservation but did not have to institute rolling blackouts.