Without counting the ongoing switch to alternative transportation fuels such as natural gas, nearly 80% of current oil consumption used for transportation worldwide could be eliminated in the next 40 years through aggressive fuel efficiency programs, according to two reports released in Paris by the International Energy Agency (IEA), an autonomous nonprofit organization. The IEA reports conclude that the “right policies and technologies” could improve vehicular fuel efficiency by 50% by the middle of the century. According to the IEA, the transportation sector accounts for 20% of world energy consumption and increased demand in the sector is expected to comprise all future growth in oil use globally. However, the reports contend that there is “massive potential” for fuel efficiency improvements to reduce transport fuel demand. One report, “Technology Roadmap: Fuel Economy for Road Vehicles,” outlines technologies to make vehicles much more efficient by 2030, and the second, “Policy Pathway: Improving the Fuel Economy of Road Vehicles,” outlines policy changes in fuel economy labeling, standards and fiscal policies.
Ongoing
Articles from Ongoing
Energy Facilities Remain Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks
The nation’s energy infrastructure remains vulnerable to ongoing cyber attacks and the government is powerless to do anything about it, FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff said in Washington, DC, Wednesday.
FERC Chief: Govt. Powerless Against Ongoing Cyber Attacks on Energy Facilities
The nation’s energy infrastructure remains vulnerable to ongoing cyber attacks and the government is powerless to do anything about it, FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff said in Washington, DC, Wednesday.
Fitch Cuts U.S. Gas Price Deck for 2012
Fitch Ratings on Wednesday cut its U.S. natural gas price deck for 2012, with the base case Henry Hub (HH) price at $2.75/Mcf, on weak pricing and the prospects of an ongoing oversupply in the domestic markets.
Noble Sheds Liquids-Weighted Permian Assets
Noble Energy Inc. is selling oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin to privately held Sheridan Holding Co. II LLC of Houston for $320 million as part of an ongoing divestiture plan, the company said Tuesday.
Operators Unfazed As Drought Forces SRBC to Suspend Permits Again
In a move anticipated by oil and natural gas producers, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) said Monday it was suspending 64 water withdrawal permits due to ongoing drought conditions in the basin, the highest number of suspensions since it began issuing permits in 2008.
PG&E Fires Back at CPUC Staff Assessment
In one of the three ongoing post-San Bruno natural gas pipeline explosion regulatory cases, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) fired back at one of its strongest critics: the safety staff at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
Devon: EPA Continues to Overestimate Fracked Well Emissions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is operating under a “misperception of initial production from gas wells,” which “has led to a drastic overestimate of methane emissions from hydraulically fractured [fracked] natural gas wells,” according to Darren Smith, environmental manager for Devon Energy Corp.
McMoRan Exploration Results ‘Positive’ — Davy Jones Still Blocked
Despite an ongoing struggle to clear a blockage on its Davy Jones prospect, considered one of the biggest natural gas discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico’s shallow waters, McMoRan Exploration Co.’s exploration results “remain positive,” the New Orleans-based producer said.
Pennsylvania Groups: Break Up the Impact Fee
A coalition of environmental groups is calling on Pennsylvania lawmakers to take a new approach in their ongoing efforts to approve an impact fee on natural gas drilling in the state, either by starting the process over or dividing the omnibus legislation into four separate bills.
