The safety regime at Britain’s North Sea oil operators has been condemned after a report found almost 60% of oil platforms had problems that oil companies should have addressed. The report, by the Health and Safety Executive, argues the industry had lost the trust of the regulator as a result of the failings uncovered by … Read More
Month: November 2007
Oz: Opposition Leader Says Climate is Top Priority
Australia’s opposition leader, Labour Party leader Kevin Rudd, who is the front-runner in this weekend’s elections, has said that climate change is his top priority. In his last major address of the six-week campaign, Kevin Rudd accused Prime Minister John Howard’s 11-year-old government of being tired, out-of-touch and ill-equipped to cope with a new generation … Read More
“God is Brazilian!”
“God is Brazilian,” declared the country’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after his government’s announcement earlier this month that massive new oil reserves had been discovered offshore. Brazil’s government and the state-run oil company Petrobras announced two weeks ago that exploration of its Tupi offshore field showed it had enough to increase national oil … Read More
Nigeria to Invest $75bn in Oil, Gas Sector
Nigeria is to invest $75 billion over the next five years in the oil and gas sector through joint venture partnership with oil companies and third party investment. Minister of State for Petroleum, Odein Ajumogobia made this known in Saudi Arabia after the OPEC Ministerial Symposium.
Oil for Climate Protection?
Well done, Greenpeace Switzerland. The Swiss oil lobby had the cheek to claim in an advert that heating with oil is a contribution to climate protection. They now had their fingers slapped by the Swiss advertising board, which has prohibited the further use of these ads as they are – you guessed it – misleading. … Read More
Pelosi Expands Probe of San Francisco spill
The American Speaker of the House of Representatives has announced she will request a new investigation by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security into the November 7th oil spill in San Francisco Bay. Central to the investigation will be the questionable Coast Guard response. “One way or another soonner or later, we … Read More
Oil May Hit $200 if US Attacks Iran
Just getting used to oil prices around $100 a barrel. Well Thailand’s Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand has said that global oil prices could surge to US$200 per barrel if the United States goes to war with Iran. Speaking at a seminar on “The Promotion of Bio-Technology,” he said he shared a view in common with … Read More
Presidential Hopefuls Outline Climate Plans
As the world gears up for the Bali Climate Summit in December, last week-end saw three US presidential candidates present plans to combat climate change. Dennis Kucinich, John Edwards and front runner Hillary Clinton appeared before an audience of about 1,000 as part of the event Global Warming and America’s Energy Future. Kucinich, the first … Read More
Saudis Embark on PR Exercise to Show World They Have Enough Oil
Slowly but surely the unthinkable is becoming thinkable. The days of “peak” are fast approaching, and such is the shortage of new areas coming on stream that there is a “production ceiling” to the amount of oil that can be pumped per day to an ever thirsty world. Take the Wall Street Journal this morning. … Read More
Brazil Considers Joining OPEC After “Monstrous” Find
Brazil is to consider joining OPEC after it has gauged the impact on its oil exports from its newly discovered giant offshore Tupi oil field. Isnard Penha Brasil said that “a membership decision will come after we know what our export capacity will be and we think this will be good.” Last week, Brazil confirmed … Read More