Energy Bill News

Former Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) executive director and Weeks Marine’s corporate and government relations director Mark D. Sickles will serve as Interim CEO and executive director as the organization searches for new staff leadership to succeed outgoing DCA head William P. Doyle, who has been appointed to lead the Maryland Port Administration, and Executive Director of the Port of Baltimore.Sickles was unanimously approved by the DCA board of directors and general membership during its annual meeting on July 9.

Now that the United States finally can envision steady winds blowing from the Atlantic Seaboard due to a pipeline of offshore wind farms on the horizon, the maritime industry can finally step up and earn some of the benefits. This includes shipbuilding, port construction, and worker training. This article reviews the key developments and forecasts the growth in maritime jobs.The federal and state governments share responsibility for developing offshore wind farms and bringing the wind into the power grid and…

Virginia officials have established a well-planned, extensive strategy to build out an offshore wind industry, including wind towers for electricity generation and the supply chain to support that extensive infrastructure and operations. The State’s big picture is ambitious: developing 2,000 MW of offshore wind by 2028.As currently envisioned, VA’s offshore wind development will likely start this year with two 8-megawatt wind turbines 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. This is a Dominion Energy pilot undertaken in partnership with the Danish wind company Orsted.

A new collaborative strategic plan has been published today which aims to continue accelerating the development of offshore wind energy in the United States. Announced by U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, the plan, entitled National Offshore Wind Strategy: Facilitating the Development of the Offshore Wind Industry in the United States, details the current state of offshore wind in the U.S., presents the actions and innovations…

AWO Pushes VIDA as the solution to the confusing patchwork of federal and state regulations that makes compliance unnecessarily complicated and costly. Even as the ballast water treatment issue becomes more and more confusing – both here and abroad – a united coalition of maritime stakeholders has expressed strong support for S.373, also known as amendment number 3170 (for the current energy bill). The law, known simply as the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA), would establish a nationally uniform and environmentally sound standard for ballast water and other vessel discharges, in lieu of the current overlapping patchwork of federal and state regulations that makes compliance complicated, confusing and costly.

A new battery storage solution for offshore wind energy will be piloted in the world’s first floating wind farm, the Hywind pilot park off the coast of Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Batwind will be developed in co-operation with Scottish universities and suppliers, under a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Edinburgh on 18 March between Statoil, the Scottish Government, the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and Scottish Enterprise. Battery storage has the potential to mitigate intermittency and optimise output. This can improve efficiency and lower costs for offshore wind. The pilot in Scotland will provide a technological and commercial foundation for the implementation of Batwind in full-scale offshore wind farms…

The American Waterways Operators (AWO) is continuing an intensive lobbying campaign to bring the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) to a vote in the Senate and working with the American Maritime Partnership to strenuously oppose an anti-Jones Act amendment filed by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). On Februaty 1, Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Robert Casey (D-Pa.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), filed VIDA as an amendment to S.2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday began debate on the country's first major energy bill in over eight years, featuring measures aimed at protecting the electric power grid against cyber attacks and speeding the export of liquefied natural gas. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican chair of the Senate energy committee and Washington Senator Maria Cantwell, its ranking Democrat, urged lawmakers not to thwart passage of the bipartisan bill, which cleared their panel in an 18-4 vote. A handful of senators were preparing to file amendments to the bill later on Wednesday, to address more contentious energy issues. These were expected to include a measure to repeal a moratorium on coal development on federal land introduced this month by the Interior Department. "Let's show the Senate can work.

The U.S. Senate Energy Committee on Thursday passed a bill that would lift a decades-old ban on the export of crude oil. The 22-member panel passed the bill to allow the United States to export oil and boost state revenue-sharing for offshore oil and gas drilling by a vote of 12-10. Senate Energy Committee chair Lisa Murkowski, a Republican senator from Alaska, has been a long-time advocate for lifting the ban, which she said was outdated due to the rise of the United States as an energy power. In addition to unlocking crude oil exports, the bill would also speed up exports of liquefied natural gas and ensure that states that have offshore oil and gas development get their share of federal revenues. The bill will move to the Senate floor for wider debate later this summer.

“Set it and forget it” may work well for rotisserie cookers, but that approach can be disastrous for shipboard HVAC systems. It’s not uncommon to find that the last time an HVAC system’s settings were checked on board is when it is was first set – upon installation. Typically, claims energy advisory firm utiliVisor, the ships’ engineers set the parameters and then go on their merry way. “A lot of marine companies mostly look at engine and generator performance, but no one is taking a look at chilled water…

Reflex Marine has been granted approval by the Mexican Merchant Marines to sell its crane transfer device, the FROG-6, in Mexico. The certification is a result of Reflex Marine working with the Mexican government’s testing agency, the Centro de Normalizacion y Certificacion de Productos (CNCP) for over a year, as well as the national oil operator PEMEX with the help of its local partner GINEMEX. The FROG-6 was also exhibited at the Petroleum Exhibition and Conference of Mexico (PECOM) where it received a huge amount of attention from operators, crew and the media.

As the first U.S. oil condensate exports head to Asia from the Gulf Coast, crude producers and refiners are exploring ways to get around a century-old law that makes it three times more expensive to ship by water between U.S. ports than to sail to a foreign port. The Jones Act, originally passed to protect the U.S. maritime industry, restricts passage between U.S. ports to ships that are U.S.-built, U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed. If oil exports pick up pace while the Jones Act is left in place, U.S.

U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday blocked an energy-efficiency backed by both manufacturers and environmentalists, forfeiting a chance to vote on the long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline. On a vote of 55-36. President Barack Obama's Democrats fell short of the needed 60 votes to advance the bipartisan energy bill. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid had offered a vote on Keystone - if Republicans permitted passage of the bill. (Reporting By Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Sandra Maler)

The U.S. Senate agreed on Tuesday to advance a bipartisan energy efficiency bill, but it could die unless lawmakers end a stalemate on how to proceed with the long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline project. The Senate voted 79-20 to move toward a debate on the energy bill, making it the first big energy legislation to reach the Senate floor since 2007. Sponsored by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, the White House-backed bill would save energy through tougher building codes and by making the federal governmentinstall new technologies. Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat…

1806  - Spring pole cable drilling developed in US. 1844  - Fluid circulating rotary well drilling patented in England. 1845  - Circulated fluid used to remove drill cuttings for first time. 1860  - Fluid circulation rotary diamond coring drill developed in France. 1869 – T homas Fitch Rowland  patents  a “submarine drilling apparatus,” a fixed, working platform for drilling offshore to a depth of almost 50 feet. The anchored tower had telescoping legs, similar to modern offshore platforms. 1878  - First bulk oil tanker begins operation in the Caspian Sea. 1891  - First ocean-going tanker launched. 1897  - Wells drilled off piers in Summerland, Calif. 1905 – Oil discovered in the Caddo Pine Island field in Lousiana. 1911  -  Gulf Refining Co.

Britain on Tuesday warned Scots that voting for independence would put jobs and investment in the Scottish energy industry at risk, threatening the commercial viability of North Sea oil and gas fields and renewable energy projects. In September Scotland will hold an referendum on whether to sever its 307-year tie with England, with Scottish nationalists arguing that a split would give them greater economic freedom. The British government wants to keep the union intact and has produced a series of analysis papers arguing its case on issues such as the currency, security and finance. The latest paper, due to be released on Wednesday, will…

Greater Gabbard wind farm, which is reportedly the second largest offshore wind farm in the world, costing £1.3 billion and generating enough clean electricity to power over half a million homes, was officially opened off the coast of Suffolk by the Energy and Business Minister Michael Fallon. Greater Gabbard has 140 turbines and will double in size once the Galloper wind farm extension is completed in 2017. Offshore wind has the potential to provide enough clean power for 11 million homes in the U.K. by the end of this decade, creating 30,000 jobs and contributing £7 billion to the economy.

“NOIA thanks Senators Murkowski and Landrieu for continuing their visionary leadership on the revenue sharing issue by offering this bill. NOIA has long advocated revenue sharing as fair and equitable treatment for coastal states supporting responsible offshore oil and gas exploration and development. Allowing all coastal states to share in prospective future revenue from both traditional and renewable offshore energy activities is sound public policy. However, steps must be taken…

Alaris Companies last month announced it is working with the U.S. Coast Guard to help it decrease energy use and emissions via its fleet energy management program. Maritime Reporter recently visited with Alaris CEO, Bobbi Wolff, and Executive VP of Engineering, Michael Gaffney, to discuss the company, its system and the global trend to minimize maritime’s carbon footprint. Alaris recently won a contract to help the U.S. Coast Guard decrease energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Can you give us an overview of the vessels studied and the findings?

According to a September 22 report from CNNMoney.com, five miles off the coast of Shanghai, the Chinese recently completed the country's first offshore wind farm. Earlier this month, the accounting firm Ernst & Young named China the most attractive place to invest in renewables, knocking the U.S. out of the top position. The study ranked countries on such things as regulatory risk, access to finance, grid connection and tax climate. It cited the lack of a clear policy promoting demand for renewables in the United States -- a product of Congress' failure to pass an energy bill -- as one of the main factors for the dethroning. (Source: CNNMoney.com)

At its Annual General Meeting in Washington, DC in early April, more than 70 WISTA USA members and guests gathered to discuss issues of concern to the maritime community. Leading authorities from the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Department of Justice, regulatory and trade associations, and the U.S. Congress met with shipping professionals to discuss and debate the current status of environmental and enforcement issues and the impact of the 112th Congress on the industry, and to examine strategies for moving forward.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that expanded oil drilling in federal waters could be included in a broader energy bill if advocates can prove its effectiveness as a solution to 's energy problems. In a television interview yesterday, Pelosi said the oil industry and its allies in Congress also would have to agree to pay royalties on oil profits to fund the development of renewable energy resources. The California Democrat, has previously expressed outright opposition to expanded offshore drilling. Yesterday she said offshore drilling should be discussed but she does not believe it is a workable solution in the short run. Source:  AP

The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) applauds the continued bi-partisan support from Virginia leaders of energy exploration, development, and production offshore the Commonwealth. A bill to require Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to conduct a Lease Sale off Virginia, introduced by Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), is the latest in a series of strong pushes for offshore energy from Virginia leaders. This bill continues the bipartisan effort of leaders including Governor Bob McDonnell, Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) and state leaders in the Virginia General Assembly to move forward with offshore energy production off Virginia.