"Hyperloop" Development Underway: Forbes
The next phase of transportation technology, which could eventually replace the entire shipping industry, is under development, Forbes reported today. In a 3,500 word feature that will appear in the March 2nd issue, Forbes staff writer Bruce Upbin examines two companies that are racing to design and test a "Hyperloop," an 800 mph vacuum tube transport system concept proposed in a 2013 white paper by Tesla and Space-X founder Elon Musk. "It’s hard to overstate how early this all is," writes Upbin. "Yet it’s equally hard to overstate how dramatically the hyperloop could change the world.
Refiners Seek Jones Act Workarounds as Crude Export Debate Heats Up
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.
Republicans Block Energy Bill, Forfeit A Keystone Vote
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)
U.S. Senate Moves To Debate Energy Savings Bill; Keystone Bid Stalls
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…
Senate Democrats Want Inspection of All Rigs
According to a May 20 report from RTTNews, Senate Democrats are urging President Barack Obama to order inspections of all offshore oil rigs. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was joined by Senators Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Robert Menendez, D-N.J., in sending a letter to Obama asking him to order the inspections. (Source: RTTNews)
