Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

By ROD WALTON 5/20/2009

Alternative energy is everything.

If any consensus was reached Tuesday during the OSU Energy Conference, it’s that all fuel sources have their place in the American future. That includes standbys like oil, coal and natural gas along with newer technologies involving wind, biofuels and geothermal pumps.

“There’s no question that the opportunities are unlimited,” said former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles, executive director of the Tulsa-based National Energy Policy Institute.

Hundreds of industry professionals came to the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Convention Center to hear experts extol the virtues of almost every conceivable kind of fuel, whether it comes out of the ground, through the air, by splitting an atom or crushing a seed. And, except for two protestors outside dressed in animal costumes and waving signs about fossil fuels killing the planet, those inside the complex were careful to respect every source.

Full Story

BY CHRIS CASTEEL

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama’s first budget would cut payments to some farmers and raise taxes on oil and gas companies.The proposals — most of which would have to be approved by Congress — drew swift reaction from members of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation and industry groups.

Rep. Frank Lucas, the top Republican on the House Agriculture Committee, fired off a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack protesting the proposed cuts in direct payments to farmers that have more than $500,000 in annual revenue.

Full Story

“After rising more than 20 cents in the past month, gas prices seem to be stabilizing,” AAA Oregon spokeswoman Marie Dodds said. Oregon’s average for regular unleaded dropped four-tenths of a cent in the past week to $1.96 while the national average fell three-tenths of a cent to $1.84, she said.

In Eugene-Springfield, the average fell a little less than a cent, to $1.98.

Full Story

Although retail gasoline prices have fallen 55% since mid-July, wholesale prices have plunged even more sharply — 68%, according to the Oil Price Information Service. As a result, retailers have enjoyed record profit margins since mid-September.

“Guess what? They’re making substantially more money at $1.89 (a gallon) than they were at $4.29,” says OPIS chief oil analyst Tom Kloza.

Full Story

By SANDY SHORE

DENVER (AP) — In the push toward more energy independence, massive infrastructure projects that will help to deliver it have clashed with cherished rights of land ownership.

Proven natural gas reserves have jumped 10 of the past 11 years, according to the Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration, and thousands of miles of new pipelines have snaked in every direction.

Full Story