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Resilience System


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This working group is focused on discussions about energy.

The mission of this working group is to focus on discussions about energy.

Members

Kathy Gilbeaux mdmcdonald MDMcDonald_me_com

Email address for group

energy-tx@m.resiliencesystem.org

Obama Vetoes Keystone XL Pipeline, Leaving it in Limbo

         

A depot used to store pipes for Transcanada Corp's planned Keystone XL oil pipeline is seen in Gascoyne, North Dakota November 14, 2014.  Credit: Reuters/Andrew Cullen

reuters.com - By Jeff Mason and Timothy Gardner - February 24, 2015

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday, as promised, swiftly vetoed a Republican bill approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline, leaving the long-debated project in limbo for another indefinite period.

The U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, after receiving Obama's veto message, immediately countered by announcing the Republican-led chamber would attempt to override it by March 3.

That is unlikely. Despite their majority, Republicans are four votes short of being able to overturn Obama's veto.

They have vowed to attach language approving the pipeline to a spending bill or other legislation later in the year that the president would find difficult to veto.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

 

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U.S. Refinery Strike Affects One-Fifth of National Capacity

      

Workers from the United Steelworkers (USW) union walk a picket line outside the Lyondell-Basell refinery in Houston, Texas February 1, 2015. REUTERS/Richard Carson

reuters.com - by Erwin Seba - February 22, 2015

(Reuters) - The largest U.S. refinery strike in 35 years entered its fourth week on Sunday as workers at 12 refineries accounting for one-fifth of national production capacity were walking picket lines.

Sources familiar with the negotiations said talks may resume by mid-week to end the walkout by 6,550 members of the United Steelworkers union (USW) at 15 plants, including the 12 refineries.

Representatives of both sides said no date has been set to restart negotiations, however.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

 

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White House Moves to Rein In Methane Emissions

       

New EPA standards will aim to significantly cut methane emissions from oil and gas sites in the U.S.

The Obama administration makes its latest move to take on climate change.

usnews.com - by Alan Neuhauser - January 14, 2015

In the Obama administration’s latest use of executive authority to address climate change, the White House announced plans Wednesday to impose new regulations on the oil and gas industry that would nearly halve methane emissions from wells, drill sites and pipelines in 10 years.

The new standards, to be developed by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act, would aim by 2025 to cut methane emissions by up to 45 percent from levels recorded in 2012. They would also slash the spread of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, key components of ground-level smog that have been linked to cancer, neurological conditions and other illnesses.

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U.S. Oil Producers Cut Rigs as Price Declines

      

Oil pump jacks at work at a drilling site in North Dakota. Producers have been cutting back.
Credit Eric Gay/Associated Press

nytimes.com - by Clifford Krauss - January 7, 2015

HOUSTON — With oil prices plunging at an ever-quickening rate, producers are beginning to slash the number of drilling rigs around the country.

The national rig count had remained surprisingly resilient over recent months even as oil prices dropped by more than 50 percent since June, and it still tops the count of a year ago as domestic production continues to surge.

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Texas Is Wired for Wind Power, and More Farms Plug In

A wind farm in the Texas panhandle. Credit David Bowser for The New York TimesImage: A wind farm in the Texas panhandle. Credit David Bowser for The New York Times

nytimes.com - July 23rd, 2014 - Matthew L. Wald

The wind is so relentless that a week can go by before it is calm enough for a crane operator to install the 30-ton blades atop the 260-foot towers at the Panhandle 2 wind farm here. It’s worth the wait; a single turbine at the farm can produce 40 percent more energy than an average one.

But turning wind into electricity is one thing; moving the energy to a profitable market is another.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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North Texas City Rejects Partial Fracking Ban

      

A vote projected on a large video screen above the city council shows unanimous approval to send a citizen-led petition to a public ballot scheduled for November, Wednesday, in Denton, Texas. TONY GUTIERREZ — AP

abcnews.go.com - AP - by Emily Schmall - July 16, 2014

The council governing a North Texas city that sits atop a large natural gas reserve rejected a bid early Wednesday that would have made it the first city in the state to ban further permitting of hydraulic fracturing in the community.

Denton City Council members voted down the petition 5-2 after eight hours of public testimony, sending the proposal to a public ballot in November.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

(ALSO SEE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN RELATED ARTICLES WITHIN THE LINKS BELOW)

http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/07/15/5973163/denton-fracking-ban-hearing-draws.html?rh=1

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Of Mice and Microgrids: A Profile of the US’ Largest Microgrid

Photo Credit: Kumar Appaiah

submitted by Albert Gomez

energyefficiencymarkets.com - by Elisa Wood - July 10, 2014

The University of Texas at Austin houses what is often described as the most integrated and largest microgrid in the US,  a  model for saving energy and money.

Built in 1929 as a steam plant, the facility has evolved to provide 100 percent of the power, heat and cooling for a 20-million square-foot campus with 150 buildings.

The university is known for its premiere research facilities, which demand high quality, reliable power.  And its microgrid has delivered with 99.9998 percent reliability over the last 40 years.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Port Arthur Citizens Oppose Construction of New Plant Near Their Homes

12 News KBMT and K-JAC. News, Weather and Sports for SE Texas

12newsnow.com - by Angel San Juan - July 3, 2014

PORT ARTHUR - ZeoGas is a start-up company that wants to convert natural gas into methanol, which will then be turned into gasoline. It's interested in building a plant in Port Arthur along Highway 73 near the city's water plant, but families living nearby, in the El Vista area, don't want it. . .

. . . They say they've been promised job opportunities before and have just gotten industry that's harmed their health.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Texas Clean-Energy Projects Created 6,400 Jobs Last Year

submitted by Margery Schab  

      

Texas is among the leaders nationally in the creation of clean-energy jobs.  OCI Solar

bizjournals.com - by Sanford Nowlin - March 14, 2014

Clean-energy production and energy-efficient transportation projects created nearly 6,400 jobs in Texas last year, according to a new report by nonpartisan business group Environmental Entrepreneurs, or E2. 

The Lone Star State ranked No. 2 behind California, which generated around 15,400 clean-energy jobs in 2013.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

REPORT - E2 - Clean Energy Jobs: 2013 Year in Review and Q4 Report (12 page .PDF report)

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Some Orange County Residents Evacuated Due to Gas Leak

12newsnow.com - KBMT - June 25, 2014

. . . Around 8:45 a.m. Wednesday the Sheriff’s Office received a call from an oil well company representative in reference to a natural gas leak at a well site at the end of Gulf Road off FM 408 in the Orangefield area of Orange County.

. . . As the leak continued for several hours, the gas was not dissipating rapidly due to the weather conditions.  The oil well company could not control the leak and it was necessary for a special response team from Houston, Texas to be contacted.  Once the team arrived, it was recommended that homes in the vicinity of the well site be evacuated.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE AND VIEW NEWS VIDEO)

CLICK HERE - KBMT-12 - video and audio of gas leak

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