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For the third year in a row energy played a central role in President Obama's State of the Union address, with the president leaning hard this year on the twin themes of increased domestic oil and gas production and the need to invest more in renewable sources.
A map speaks volumes: "The truth of the matter is that there are pipelines all over this country that function each and every day without any environmental impact at all..." according to Congressman Mick Mulvaney (SC-05).
500 business leaders, elected officials and GOP stalwarts attended the South Carolina Energy Forum's breakfast to discuss the "State of American Energy." Speaker's included API president Jack Gerard, US Congressmen, a former ambassador, and more.
Senate Republicans introduced a bill that would require the Secretary of State to issue a U.S. permit for the Keystone XL pipeline within 60 days. This still "provides adequate time for Nebraska to shift the route of the pipeline" while allowing construction to begin elsewhere.
I visited Canadas oil sands early on in my service as U.S. ambassador to Canada, and I have been privileged to return several times over the past six years. I remain awed by the ingenuity at work there, from the massive 12-foot-high tires made by Michelin in Lexington County, to the dedication of both the private and public sectors to leaving the smallest environmental footprint possible.
The State Department on Thursday announced that it's punting a decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline until at least the first quarter of 2013. House Speaker John Boehner responded: "More than 20,000 new American jobs have just been sacrificed in the name of political expediency".
The Administration's newly proposed offshore leasing plan draws mixed reviews from leaders, industry and environmental groups.
According to the Assessment of Offshore Energy, South Carolina ranks 5th among those on the Atlantic Seaboard in terms of wind energy resource. North Carolina, Massachusetts, Maine, and New York are the top four.
Six GOP governors from coastal states - Alaska, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Virginia- are making an eleventh-hour appeal to Senate Energy Committee lawmakers to back plans that provide coastal states a significant share of revenues from oil-and-gas development in federal waters off their shores.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will vote next week on legislation aimed at improving offshore drilling safety (i.e. stiffen penalties, strengthen well blowout-prevention standards and increase offshore inspections). Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said Thursday she would offer an amendment that provides coastal states a significant share of revenues from offshore energy development in federal waters.
