Gas Developers News

The Biden administration's plan to slash offshore oil and gas leasing drew fire from both the fossil fuel industry and environmentalists on Friday, with energy companies saying it will raise fuel prices and greens saying it undermines efforts to stop global warming. The criticism from both sides reflects the difficulty Biden's White House has had in dealing with U.S. oil extraction policies, as it seeks to balance national energy security with the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change.

Last month, a large cruise ship completed its inaugural cruise through the Northwest Passage. The historic journey brought nearly 1,700 passengers from Seward, Alaska, past the rugged wilderness and isolated villages of the Arctic, to the concrete jungle of New York City. Along the way, passengers and crew were treated to a stunning contrast of climates, geography and culture. While understandable, concerns over passenger safety, wildlife disruptions and water pollution went unrealized during the historic cruise through the passage.

The White House likes to claim a share of the credit for the drilling revolution that has transformed North America's energy production and security. Except the revolution has largely taken place on private rather than public land, and energy producers feel frustrated about the numerous obstacles and long delays in obtaining permission to drill in areas directly controlled by the administration. "Crude oil production has grown each year President Barack Obama has been in office to its highest level in 17 years," the Council of Economic Advisors wrote back in the summer of 2013. "Government-funded research supplemented private industry's work to develop the technology that sparked the boom," the council explained ("Reducing America's dependence on foreign oil", Aug. 29, 2013).

A tumultuous three years for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, starting with the disastrous Macondo Oil Spill in April of 2010, has come full circle, arriving at a buoyant period for Gulf Cost boat builders, oil & gas developers and the maritime professionals who make it all happen. At the center of all of it is the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) and its President and CEO, Jim Adams. OMSA bills itself as the leading national association of, and spokesman for, the offshore marine transportation service industry. As a central tenet of its existence, OMSA vigorously defends the cabotage laws of the United States and encourages and promotes high standards of safety training and environmental protection.

EnerSea Transport LLC (EnerSea) is advancing its efforts into the next phase of two international gas development and import project proposals for the Philippines and New Zealand using EnerSea's compressed natural gas (CNG) marine transport and storage systems and services. The two gas supply projects are being led by Unocal Corporation and Oil Search Limited, respectively. EnerSea along with Oil Search and Itochu Corporation have signed a Pre- Development Agreement to perform a comprehensive feasibility study to establish the viability of a large scale CNG transportation project to ship natural gas from Papua New Guinea (PNG) to New Zealand.