Black & Veatch’s Strategic Directions in the U.S. Natural Gas Industry Report shows optimism across the industry for future growth is as plentiful as domestic shale gas reserves. The report is based on a comprehensive survey of natural gas industry leaders and includes analysis from Black & Veatch industry experts. When asked about their view of the industry’s future growth, 92 percent of respondents stated they were either “optimistic” or “very optimistic”. “We are witnessing a rapid change in the industry,” said Greg Hopper, Managing Director of Black & Veatch’s Natural Gas and Power Generation Fuels Advisory Services. “In just ...
Southern Company recognized the first graduates of the transmission line and substation construction apprentice training program the company helped establish at Fort Stewart near Savannah, Ga. This program is one example of outreach by the energy industry to veterans of the military. Careers related to energy are among the best jobs for veterans . As a longtime supporter of the military, Southern Company is proud to enhance our recruitment efforts through this innovative partnership with the U.S. Army," said Southern Company Chief Operating Officer Kimberly S. Greene. "By bringing this specialized training to Fort Stewart, we are helping veterans successfully ...
Wind turbines are the most visible symbols of the quest for renewable electricity generation. And yet, although they exploit the wind, which is as free and as green as energy can be, the machines themselves are pure embodiments of fossil fuels. Large trucks bring steel and other raw materials to the site, earth-moving equipment beats a path to otherwise inaccessible high ground, large cranes erect the structures, and all these machines burn diesel fuel. So do the freight trains and cargo ships that convey the materials needed for the production of cement, steel, and plastics. For a 5-megawatt turbine, the ...
The US Bureau of Land Management announced expanded best management practices (BMP) for oil and gas producers operating on onshore federal lands. The additional BMP aim to increase wildlife protection during exploration and production of onshore federal leases, the US Department of the Interior agency said late last month. The policies also cover geothermal resources, it added. It said industry leaders and the agency have actively cooperated in recent years to significantly decrease the number of wildlife deaths associated with fluid mineral operations. The new BMP build on this cooperation by establishing a consistent policy approach and set of practices, ...
Good oil and gas talent is in short supply. Combine the so-called “Big Shift Change” with the reduced number of students applying for and completing STEM courses in college, and there is a serious concern about where the next generation of industry talent will come from. As oil and gas companies bring in new talent to meet staffing demands, CEB research shows that five-in-six hiring managers believe their new graduate hires lack the skills and knowledge they need to be successful. But rather than changing their hiring strategies to find candidates with the potential to learn and develop those skills ...
Mary Miller, chief administrative officer for Edison Electric Institute, an industry association of shareholder-owned electric companies that includes NV Energy, pointed to a recent study from the Center for Energy Workforce Development. The study noted that about one-third of the roughly 200,000 energy industry jobs around the country will become vacant because of retirement. Miller estimated it will be between 35 and 45 percent of the industry and says the movements should occur in the next five or six years. "There's no room for error. These are people we're going to have to grow," Miller added. "There was a time ...
Plunging oil prices have hurt American companies in the short run, but increased U.S. production means that the country is on the path to become a global leader in oil production, the head of the U.S. oil and gas industry's top lobbying arm said. Falling oil prices have empowered the United States and weakened OPEC and Russia, said Jack Gerard, the CEO of the American Petroleum Institute. The result is that increased U.S. production in North Dakota and elsewhere has "fundamentally reordered the world's energy markets," he said. Stocks in energy companies have tumbled as oil prices have dropped in ...
The US Bureau of Land Management withdrew its proposed hydraulic fracturing regulations and announced that a new draft will be prepared during 2013’s first quarter. BLM is preparing a new version in response to the more than 170,000 comments it received to the original proposal, the US Department of the Interior said on Jan. 18. “In response to comments from stakeholders and the public, BLM is making improvements to the draft proposal in order to maximize flexibility, facilitate coordination with state practices and ensure that operators on public lands implement best practices,” a DOI spokesman said. Additional comments will be ...
A Colorado task force on oil and gas drilling is trying to find agreement on proposals to resolve disputes over local control and landowner rights. The 21-member panel meets again Tuesday as it whittles down a list of 56 suggestions. Gov. John Hickenlooper formed the task force last year and set a Feb. 27 deadline for its recommendations. The panel hasn't taken any final votes. The task force is made up of oil and gas industry representatives, local government officials and civic leaders. READ MORE AT PENN ENERGY
A jump in energy-related exports and a steep decline in oil imports lowered the U.S. trade deficit in December to nearly a three-year low. The improvement suggests the economy grew in the October-December quarter instead of shrinking as the government estimated last week. And the brighter picture for trade illustrates how a boom in oil and gas production is making the U.S. a leader in exporting low-cost energy, while higher domestic sales of fuel-efficient cars are lowering dependence on overseas oil. The trade gap fell nearly 21 percent in December from November to $38.6 billion, the Commerce Department said Friday. ...