natural gas

Someone asked me why the North American Oil and Shale Gas Revolution didn't stall given declining oil and natural gas prices. What came to emy mind was resilency and seven other factors which taken together can explain why OPEC and Russia did not get their wish.

The most important factor is that Oil and Natural Gas can't just be looked at as a single commodity. The fact is, depending on where you drill a hole in North America's onshore shale basins, you will probably get oil and associated natural gas, natural gas and natura gas liquids (NGLs) or just natural gas. So a producer can rely on multiple revenue streams from all or a combination of these commodities or a portfolio of assets. Fortunately, each commodity's price is different and not exactly related. It also helps to have th infrastructure to process and refine these commodities and move them to markets in North America and abroad.  Read more

Several friends and colleagues recently asked me for suggestions on what energy books to read this summer. They were planning vacations at the beach, the mountains and a few were venturing overseas. Two books came to mind that I thought would fascinate them and at the same time give them an edge in engaging new friends who always seem to want to discuss U.S. energy policy and environmental matters. Should you read both books? Given that the power sector is becoming a large consumer of gas it would be wise to read The Green and the Black first and then follow it with The Domino Effect. Reading both books is like eating "Mac and Cheeze." They are an unbeatable combination.  Read more

Tom Russo, who founded energy consultancy Russo on Energy after spending 30 years at FERC, spoke to Bloomberg's Christopher Long about the state of pipeline build-out in the U.S, and the future of the U.S. natural gas market. The interview also appears in Bloomberg Brief- Power & Gas. Read more

I recently commented on an article in Energy Risk Magazine entitled "Citadel builds physical gas trading business." However, I realized that I had missed the mark and that Citadel's move could possible inject some creativity into natural gas marketing. Read more

I know that declining oil prices are in the news. However, the one bright spot is oil's role in electricity markets, especially during winter. Here’s a short summary of work that Devin Hartman [now the Electricity Policy Manager at the R Street Institute] and I did previously when we were trying to determine dual-fuel oil fired power generation’s role in ensuring the electric reliability in organized electricity markets.  Read more

Federal regulators at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commisson issued proposed regulations that would help to modernize the interstate natural gas pipelines in the U.S. Rumor has it that the Department of Energy pressured FERC to do so in an effort to reduce natural gas (methane) leaks from aging pipelines. Methane is a green house gas that makes significant contributions to global warming. Read more