Fossil

The global increase in methane emissions over the past decade has been more the result of naturally occurring biogenic sources in wetlands and landfills than from fossil fuel operations, such as hydraulic fracturing (fracking), according to British-led research published this month in the American Geophysical Union’s journal, Global Biogeochemical Cycles.

A coalition of environmental groups and individuals opposed to fossil fuels is urging the Obama administration to stop leasing public land — both onshore and offshore — for energy development, including for oil and natural gas.

One of the first families of Big Oil — that of Standard Oil Co. Inc. co-founder John D. Rockefeller — on Monday said its philanthropic fund was swearing off fossil fuels.

One of the first families of Big Oil — that of Standard Oil Co. Inc. co-founder John D. Rockefeller — on Monday said its philanthropic fund was swearing off fossil fuels.

The latest estimates from several sources indicate that fossil fuel subsidies globally are growing, ranging from $523 billion to more than $1.9 trillion, according to a Worldwatch Institute research fellow. Subsidy levels have rebounded back to 2008 levels, according to Philipp Tagwerker.

The American Gas Association’s (AGA) Paula Gant has been appointed to join the Office of Fossil Energy at the Department of Energy (DOE), effective Sept. 9.

Responding to multiple questions from a New York audience Monday on issues surrounding natural gas production, Energy Department Secretary Ernest Moniz said the fuel is both “part of the problem” and “part of the solution,” and it has a strong role to play in underpinning the U.S. economy.

Although President Obama and the participants in a town hall meeting at Binghamton University in New York on Friday devoted most of their discourse to education, energy was mentioned once, with the president acknowledging the rise of natural gas but calling for further investment in alternative energy not derived from fossil fuels.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy has authorized a unit of Cambridge Energy Holding LLC to export domestically sourced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to free trade agreement (FTA) parties from a proposed Louisiana terminal under multiple contracts.