Beware the Oil Industry’s Voldemort

April 10, 2012By Andy RowellBlog Post

And so it goes on. Any regular reader of this blog will know that the good old boys at the American Petroleum Institute (API) often pluck magic figures out of the air to over-inflate the importance of the oil and gas industry to the economy. They also often distort key debates on offshore drilling and … Read More

Keystone XL Becoming Key Election Issue

February 1, 2012By Andy RowellBlog Post, Featured 1 Comment

November may still seem a long way off, but increasingly it is looking like the the controversial Keystone XL pipeline is going to become a key Presidential election issue. David Wilkins, who was George Bush’s ambassador to Canada from 2005 to 2009, is one of the many people who think this is the case. “It’s … Read More

TransCanada “Violating Laws” Over KXL Jobs Claim

January 30, 2012By Andy RowellBlog Post

Later today the Republican Senator John Hoeven will try to introduce legislation seeking to bypass President Barack Obama and empower Congress to approve the highly controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Hoeven’s bill, that would seek to take control of the Keystone decision, looks like a political non-starter.  To become law it would have to be approved … Read More

Shale Oil Jobs “Vastly Exaggerated”

November 16, 2011By Andy RowellBlog Post, Featured

The headline in yesterday’s Financial Times said it all “Surge in shale oil output fuels US jobs bonanza”. According to the FT: “The boom in shale oil and gas production has created one bright spot in the otherwise grim US labour market.” “The rate of job growth is noteworthy,” Brian Davidson, an economist with the … Read More