Podcast appearances and mentions of Noble Energy

I'd love to hear your thoughts, text the show.Blessings, beloved. In this episode, we explore what it means to anchor deeply in spirit, to reclaim your noble frequency, and to live as a beacon of light in this world.Episode SummaryThis week, we delve into the foundation of spiritual embodiment, your awakened connection to source. I reflect on how humanity has grown increasingly disconnected from divinity and how this separation contributes to loneliness, narcissism, and depression.Through stories of ancient traditions, we explore how kings, queens, and spiritual leaders once served as living antennas, holding elevated frequencies to guide and unify humanity. These practices were not about hierarchy but about creating ripple effects of light and truth.This episode is an invitation to reclaim this noble frequency within yourself—not as a position but as a state of consciousness. Together, we consider how embracing your connection to source allows you to live with higher standards, aligned with your higher self. By doing so, you amplify your impact on the world and contribute to the collective awakening of humanity.Key TakeawaysReconnecting to Source: Recognising divinity as an intrinsic part of your being.Lessons from History: How ancient leaders embodied elevated frequencies for collective guidance.The Ripple Effect of Light: Your energy impacts others, even without words or actions.Claiming Your Noble Frequency: Awakening to your role as a messenger of light and truth.Living Beyond Time and Space: Anchoring your higher self into the present moment and future legacy.If this episode resonates with you, please leave a review, like, and subscribe. Share it with those in your life who may benefit from awakening their noble frequency. Together, let's inspire light and transformation in the world.Thank you for being here and stepping into your light. You are a gift to this world. Homaya Resource Links: Website: https://homaya.org/ Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homaya/ Free Light Constitution Quiz: https://homaya-amar.mykajabi.com/light_constitution_quiz Soul Contract Activation Meditations: https://homaya-amar.mykajabi.com/podcast-the-calling

Sub to the Patreon in time for "Paranoiacost" Sermon #3: patreon.com/ParaPowerMapping If you'd like to support our ministry further, you can also make one-time donations at: ⁠Ko-fi.com/parapowermapping⁠ "Smoke goes out of (Leviathan's) nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth." "He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment" (oil in other vers.) —Book of Job, Ch. 41 on LEVIATHAN Welcome back, brothers, sisters, & siblings. It's sus-olalia time once again. Things pick up in a major way in Part B of Sermon #2, as we continue our localized history of Houston oil's influence on the Osteen dynasty & the Prosperity Gospel and begin to lay bare how Christian-Z***ist Wildcatters + oilmen link the Lone Star State to Israel... We talk: how it appears Lakewood "shooter" Genesse Moreno's in-laws were Lakewood congregants; how her father-in-law worked for Houston Lighting & Power on the Texas Nuclear Project (

Sub to the PPM Patreon to hear the entirety of Sermon 2.B: patreon.com/ParaPowerMapping If you'd like to support our ministry further, you can also make one-time donations at: Ko-fi.com/parapowermapping "Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? Can you put a reed through his nose, Or pierce his jaw with a hook?" "Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth." "He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment" ( 'oil' in other versions ) —Book of Job, Ch. 41 on LEVIATHAN Welcome back, brothers, sisters, nonbinary siblings. It's sus-olalia time once again. Things pick up in a major way in Part B of Sermon #2, as we continue our localized history of Houston oil's influence on the Osteen dynasty & the Prosperity Gospel and begin to lay bare how Christian-Z***ist Wildcatters + oilmen link the Lone Star State to Israel... We talk: how it appears Lakewood "shooter" Genesse Moreno's in-laws were Lakewood congregants; how her father-in-law worked for Houston Lighting & Power on the Texas Nuclear Project (

In this interview with David Khani, we discuss pipeline tariff negotiations and how regulatory analytics can help shippers win big. Policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act are reshaping energy infrastructure, along with global events, such as the Ukrainian conflict. Natural gas market dynamics are changing rapidly, and systemically. Dave and EQT leaned heavily on Arbo to help with complex negotiations and understanding the growing demand for natural gas. Dave also covers how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulations influence pipeline operations. Another key factor is decarbonization, which has an impact on pipeline throughput. Companies like EQT Corporation navigate tariff increases and negotiations with shippers, with outside specialized help. The future of energy includes coal and nuclear power within our evolving energy mix, and to succeed, companies have an indispensable need for data science in regulatory negotiations. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for anyone involved or interested in the energy industry. Listen to the end to stay informed about the shifts shaping our energy future. About Dave: Until recently, Dave was the CFO at EQT Corporation, a big US independent gas producer. Prior to joining EQT Corp., Dave served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of CONSOL Energy and as CFO and as a board member of its affiliates, including CNX Midstream Partners LLC and a joint venture with Noble Energy. Dave developed a deep understanding of the commodity markets through almost 2 decades as a financial analyst on Wall Street. He holds a B.A. in biological sciences from State University of New York—Binghamton and an M.B.A. in corporate accounting and finance from the University of Rochester and has been a chartered financial analyst (CFA) for 25 years.

In today's episode, Les talks with Patsy Landaveri, the founder and CEO of Impacto - an enterprise risk management solution to the oil and gas industry. The discussion focuses on Patsy's personal and professional journey, including her background, education, career progression, and her motivation to start Impacto. Patsy shares her story of moving from Peru to the United States for higher education and how her experiences shaped her career choices. She discusses her initial work in the energy sector, her involvement in community and business organizations, and her decision to start Impacto and develop the analytics platform called Lillico, designed to help oil and gas companies reduce regulatory complexities, lower costs, and provide powerful analytics for better decision-making. Here's a closer look at the episode: The decision to move from Peru to the US. Patsy's experience growing up without reliable energy and how it shaped her perspective on energy access. Patsy discussed her interest in energy management and her decision to pursue a master's degree in Global Energy Management at CU, which led to a career in oil and gas with Noble Energy and later Chevron. Being named one of the top women in energy by the Denver Business Journal in 2017. Les and Patsy discuss their passion for innovation and community involvement, with Patsy highlighting their mother's influence on their philanthropic values. The importance of taking risks and trying new things, even if it means failing. Starting your own business after life in the corporate world. Focusing on creating product-market fit through customer feedback and resourcefulness. Upcoming regulations in the industry and how they will be expensive and complex for companies to meet, affecting many industries beyond oil and gas. Patsy emphasizes the interconnectedness of economic factors and their impact on business decisions. Resources: Website: https://www.impactostrategy.com/ Patsy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patsylandaveri/ Impacto LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impactostrategy/

In today's episode, Les talks with Patsy Landaveri, the founder and CEO of Impacto - an enterprise risk management solution to the oil and gas industry. The discussion focuses on Patsy's personal and professional journey, including her background, education, career progression, and her motivation to start Impacto. Patsy shares her story of moving from Peru to the United States for higher education and how her experiences shaped her career choices. She discusses her initial work in the energy sector, her involvement in community and business organizations, and her decision to start Impacto and develop the analytics platform called Lillico, designed to help oil and gas companies reduce regulatory complexities, lower costs, and provide powerful analytics for better decision-making. Here's a closer look at the episode: The decision to move from Peru to the US. Patsy's experience growing up without reliable energy and how it shaped her perspective on energy access. Patsy discussed her interest in energy management and her decision to pursue a master's degree in Global Energy Management at CU, which led to a career in oil and gas with Noble Energy and later Chevron. Being named one of the top women in energy by the Denver Business Journal in 2017. Les and Patsy discuss their passion for innovation and community involvement, with Patsy highlighting their mother's influence on their philanthropic values. The importance of taking risks and trying new things, even if it means failing. Starting your own business after life in the corporate world. Focusing on creating product-market fit through customer feedback and resourcefulness. Upcoming regulations in the industry and how they will be expensive and complex for companies to meet, affecting many industries beyond oil and gas. Patsy emphasizes the interconnectedness of economic factors and their impact on business decisions. Resources: Website: https://www.impactostrategy.com/ Patsy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patsylandaveri/ Impacto LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impactostrategy/

Tisha Schuller welcomes Robin Fielder, executive vice president of low carbon strategy and chief sustainability officer at Talos Energy, to the Energy Thinks podcast. Listeners will hear Robin cover Talos' carbon capture and sequestration efforts along the Gulf Coast. Before her start at Talos at the end of 2021, Robin was president, CEO, and a member of the Noble Midstream Partners board of directors within Chevron, which acquired the parent company Noble Energy in 2020. Robin, who was named one of Hart Energy's 25 Influential Women in Energy last year, also served as CEO, president, and director of Western Midstream Partners. In addition, she held multiple positions—from management to investor relations roles—at Anadarko, where she worked for almost 20 years. Robin currently is a member of multiple boards and organization including the Select Energy Services board and Women Corporate Directors. She received a B.S. in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University. Follow all things Adamantine Energy and subscribe to Tisha's weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter at www.energythinks.com. Thanks to Adán Rubio who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible. [Interview recorded on Sept. 19, 2023]

Discover how Nick Colvin, CEO of the Fast 100 company i.e. Smart Systems, realized the importance of making it fun again for employees to work in the office, how his wife pointed out a delegation blind spot, and what his succession plan entailed (14 minutes). CEO BLINDSPOTS® PODCAST GUEST: Nick Colvin. He is the CEO of i.e. Smart Systems, a technology integration company which was recognized as a "Fast 100" firm. Upon graduating from Texas A&M in 2013 with a degree in Construction Science, Nick joined the family construction business. Within 4 years, Nick generated and managed nearly $50 million in revenue with increased growth across all market verticals including high profile strategic accounts such as British Petroleum (BP), Bechtel, Noble Energy, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), University of Houston and General Electric (GE). Since late 2017, Nick has led i.e. Smart Systems as CEO to unify their vision to focus on earning their client's trust by delivering results that bring both immediate and long-term value. For more information about Nick Colvin and i.e. Smart Systems: https://iesmartsystems.com/ CEO Blindspots® Podcast Host: Birgit Kamps. Birgit was speaking five languages by the age of 10, and lived in five countries with her Dutch parents prior to becoming an American citizen. Birgit's professional experience includes starting and selling an “Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Private Company” and a “Best Company to Work for in Texas”, and serving as a Board Member with various companies. In addition, Birgit is the President of Hire Universe LLC, and the host of the CEO Blindspots® Podcast which was recognized by Spotify for having the “biggest listener growth” in the USA by 733%;https://www.ceoblindspots.com/

This is a Valentines Day special interview the my HUSBAND, Zach Pendleton! We talk about...  Leaving comfort and making career transitions;  What it's been like for Zach to support an entrepreneur the last 8+ years;  Now his own perspective since transitioning into the entrepreneurial space;  The biggest challenges we face as entrepreneurs;  And more!  About Zach Pendleton Zach has spent his career in the energy industry, building and leading teams in Finance, Operations, Strategy, and Project Management. Prior to founding FCM Carbon Solutions, Zach served in numerous leadership roles within Noble Energy, ultimately serving as Head of Asset Development for Noble Energy in Colorado. In conjunction with his traditional energy background, Zach also spearheaded Noble Energy's carbon management initiatives in Colorado. The knowledge gained through his work led Zach to identify a practical need for near-term carbon emissions solutions in the industrial sector and FCM was founded to address these needs. Zach was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He received a BBA in Finance & Accounting from the University of Colorado-Boulder and currently serves as a member of the Colorado School of Mines CCUS Task Force. Zach is a 4th generation energy pioneer that believes everyone should share in affordable energy, a strong economy, and a clean environment. Connect with Zach LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-pendleton-15a11a92/

On October 1, 2021 an oil pipeline that was likely struck by a cargo ship's anchor leaked tens of thousands of gallons of oil into the ocean and onto the beaches of Orange County, CA. In this episode, examine how the oil spill happened by listening to testimony provided to both the U.S. Congress and the California State Senate, and learn about the disturbing lack of policing that is taking place under the sea. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Background Sources Articles and Documents Nicole Charky. April 7, 2021. “LA City Council Urges Newsom To Close Playa Del Rey Oil Storage.” Patch. Nicole Charky. March 23, 2021. “Is It Time To Shut Down The Playa Del Rey Oil Storage Facility?” Patch. U.S. Government Accountability Office. Offshore Oil and Gas: Updated Regulations Needed to Improve Pipeline Oversight and Decommissioning. GAO-21-293. Jen's Highlighted PDF Heal the Bay. June 24, 2015 . “Confirmed: L.A. Tar Balls Linked to Santa Barbara Spill.” planetexperts.com Heal the Bay. August 20, 2012. “What Are Those Black Clumps on the Beach?” Sarah S. Elkind. June 1, 2012. “Oil in the City: The Fall and Rise of Oil Drilling in Los Angeles.” The Journal of American History, Volume 99, Issue 1. Tom Fowler. February 21, 2012. “U.S., Mexico Sign Deal on Oil Drilling in Gulf.“ The Wall Street Journal. APPEL News Staff. May 10, 2011. “Academy Case Study: The Deepwater Horizon Accident Lessons for NASA.” APPEL News, Volume 4, Issue 1. Offshore Technology. “Projects: Macondo Prospect, Gulf of Mexico.” Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. November 23, 1970. Treaty to Resolve Pending Boundary Differences and Maintain the Rio Grande and Colorado River as the International Boundary. Open Secrets Profiles Rep. Yvette Herrell - New Mexico District 02 Rep. Paul Gosar - Arizona District 04 Rep. Bruce Westerman - Arkansas District 04 Rep. Katie Porter - California District 45 Rep. Pete Stauber - Minnesota District 08 Images Playa del Ray in the 1920s 2021 Huntington Bay Oil Spill Image 1. CA State Senate: Natural Resources and Water Committee Informational Hearing Southern California Oil Spill: Preparation response, ongoing risks, and potential solutions. 2021Huntington Bay Oil Spill Image 2 CA State Senate: Natural Resources and Water Committee Informational Hearing Southern California Oil Spill: Preparation response, ongoing risks, and potential solutions. Mileage of Decommissioned Pipelines Removed Relative to Those Left in Place. GAO Analysis of Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Data, GAO-21-293. Potential Effects of Currents on Pipeline Leak Identification. GAO-21-293. Hearings Southern California Oil Spill: Preparation response, ongoing risks, and potential solutions California State Senate: Natural Resources and Water Committee Thursday, October 28, 2021 Witnesses: Chuck Bonham Head of California Department of Fishing and Wildlife Tom Cullen Administrator of OSPR (Offshore Spill Prevention and Response) Kim Carr Mayor Pro Tem, City of Huntington Beach Brian Nowicki California Climate Policy Director at the Center for Biological Diversity Pete Stauffer Environmental Director for the Surfrider Foundation Jennifer Lucchesi State Lands Commission Clips 3:44 Senator Henry Stern: But the pipeline that runs to Amplify and Beta Offshore's platform is the source of the oil production that runs through the pipeline in question. That pipeline is in federal jurisdiction but it brings that produced oil onshore into the state waters and eventually on state lands. 21:05 Chuck Bonham: What we now know is about four and a half miles offshore, so in federal waters, there's a pipeline that runs from one platform, which is a collection of three platforms operated by a company called Beta Offshore, owned by a company called Amplify Energy. That last platform, Ellie, has a pipeline which delivers the product 17.7 miles inland, where the pipe comes on shore just below the Queen Mary more or less, to land based infrastructure. That pipe had a rupture in it. And we now know based on visual and diver and other evidentiary efforts, that about 4000 feet of that pipeline was moved about 105 feet off of center. And in that stretch is about a 13 inch horizontal, almost like a hairline fracture. If you could imagine a bone break in a pipe, which is, I think, about 13 inches in diameter, concrete on the outside and metal on the inside. That's the likely source of the leak. 22:25 Chuck Bonham: From the very beginning moments, all of us involved assumed a worse case. At that moment in time we had a planning number of a spill of about 3,134 Barrels which is 131,000 gallons rounding as a maximum worst case. 30:59 Chuck Bonham: A month later we now think the likely spill number is 24,696 gallons 41:13 Chuck Bonham: Fortunately given the size of the spill, there were not as many wildlife casualties as could have occurred during a higher migration cycle. 1:25:47 Mayor Kim Carr: So starting off on Saturday, October 2, it's been brought up that yes, we did have a very large air show happening that day. About 1.5 million people were on the beach that day to see the Pacific Air Show. And around nine o'clock that morning, there were city personnel that heard an announcement on VHF channel 16 by the Coast Guard of a possible oil spill in the area, but nothing very specific. At that time, no major details, it wasn't anything to really worry about. By 10:30 in the morning, the Coast Guard had advised us that the spill was larger than originally thought. However, we didn't have a whole lot of information as to where the location of the spill was nor of the scope of the situation. By 11 o'clock that same day, the Coast Guard had announced that it was now going to be a major spill, and that the incident management team was being activated. 1:28:00 Mayor Kim Carr: At two o'clock, the Coast Guard had advised us that the oil spill would not be reaching the shores of Huntington Beach until Monday, October 4. And again, we didn't have a whole lot of information as to where the spill was. We knew it was off our coast, but we didn't know exactly where or exactly how large the spill was. But then interestingly enough, just a half hour later, we started to receive messages that there were boats that were experiencing oil damage just outside of the air show flight box. And so that became a concern for our city. So then we activated our fire crews, our hazmat team, or the oil spill response trailer and started to do the mitigation efforts. Then this is where it gets to be very, very interesting. At 2:45 the city was notified by the Newport Beach rescue vessel that there were private contractors conducting oil spill cleanups outside of the air show flight box. 1:32:42 Mayor Kim Carr: What we could have done better, what would have been an opportunity was perhaps if the Coast Guard had some sort of awareness, the night before or when that nine o'clock notification came through, we could have been even more proactive because as I said before, every hour during these crises matters. 1:34:00 Mayor Kim Carr: The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve was spared. The Talbert Marsh does have oil damage and again looking back, if we could have had maybe a few more hours notice, we probably could have mitigated that damage even more than what we did. 1:43:17 Brian Nowicki: Like all of you, we at the Center for Biological Diversity are heartbroken by every oil and seabird and are alarmed at the miles of marshes and coastline that will be poisoned for years by this bill. We're angry that yet again, the oil industry has proven its inability to contain its toxic pollution. The structure of pipeline funding to beach proves yet again, that every piece of fossil fuel infrastructure is yet another disaster waiting to happen. And there is a lot of that infrastructure in California. It's increasingly old, outdated in disrepair and poorly located, like the 40 year old pipeline that gave us this most recent spill, all of which makes it increasingly dangerous. Looking beyond the nine oil platforms and islands in state water, there are 23 platforms in federal waters off California. But the fact that those 23 platforms are a little farther from shore should not give us much comfort. First, because oil spills from those operations still end up in our water, our beaches and our wildlife. But also as we've heard today, further from shore also means longer stretches of aging and dangerously vulnerable infrastructure, like the 17 mile long pipeline we're discussing today are clean, reliable federal regulations to protect us from oil spills in federal waters. Federal regulators continue to prove that they are perfectly willing to allow those platforms to continue operating to the last drop of oil despite the mounting dangers of decaying infrastructure well beyond its intended lifespan, outdated drilling plans, numerous violations and insufficient bonds to pay for decommissioning. 1:45:15 Brian Nowicki: But I want to be clear that this is not a problem unique to offshore platforms. At the exact same time that 10s of thousands of gallons of oil were rolling up onto beaches and marshes in Orange County, there was an oil spill in Kern County that is now approaching 5 million gallons of fluid, a mixture of crude oil, toxic wastewater, that includes 600,000 gallons of crude. In fact, in just the last few years, there have been many oil spills in California greater than the spill off Huntington Beach. In the Cymric field alone there were three huge spills in 2019 at 550,000 gallons, 836,000 and 1.2 million gallons respectively. 159,000 in Midway in 2019, 250,000 at McKittrick in 2020. There is another ongoing spill at a separator plant in Cymric that has been leaking since 2003 and has reportedly released as much as 84 million gallons of fluid to date. Now these numbers reflect total combined volumes of crude and produced water and mud, which constitute a toxic mix. As state agencies have testified before this legislature in the past, these dangerous onshore oil operations have contaminated groundwater, land, and wildlife. 1:46:32 Brian Nowicki: After more than 150 years of the oil industry drilling at will in California, the oil is gone and the bottom of the barrel that's left is harder and more dangerous to extract. There's also some of the most carbon polluting crude in the world. With the easy stuff taken, the oil industry is in decline in California, with production down 68% since 1985. The only question is how much more damage will this dying industry do on its way out? 1:49:10 Pete Stauffer: Now with the oil deposit seen as far south as the Mexico border, there are concerns that San Diego wetlands are also being impacted. Moreover, while birds, fish and marine mammals have been the most visibly impacted, the full scale of the ecological damage will take some time to become clear. In the week since the spill event, the oil slick has transformed into an incalculable number of tar balls in the ocean, while tar balls typically float, they can also find their way into underwater sediment or near shore habitats where their impacts on ecological health and wildlife may persist for years or even decades. 1:52:51 Pete Stauffer: According to the federal government there have been at least 44 oil spills since 1969 that have each released more than 10,000 barrels of oil into US waters 2:02:36 Mayor Kim Carr: Just to give you an idea of how much TOT we do receive in Huntington Beach, we receive about $16 million a year. We don't receive anything from those offshore platforms, nothing. And as far as the drilling that we currently have here in Huntington Beach, it's less than $700,000 a year. 2:05:54 Brian Nowicki: What I can't say though, for sure is that it's going to take longer than one season to see what the full impacts are to the local wildlife. And of course, it is wetlands and marshes that often are the most difficult and take the longest to recover from the sorts of impacts. 2:21:11 Jennifer Lucchesi: In 1921, the legislature created the first tidelands oil and gas leasing program. The existing offshore leases the commission is responsible for managing today were issued over a 30 year period between 1938 and 1968. Importantly, I want to highlight a specific act in 1995. The Cunningham shell Act, which serves as a foundational law for the existing legacy oil and gas leases the commission currently manages. Importantly, this Act required the commission to issue oil and gas leases for term not based on years, but for so long as oil and gas is produced in paying quantities. Essentially, this means that Alessi can produce oil and gas pursuant to their state lease indefinitely as long as it is economic for them to do so. 2:58:13 Jennifer Lucchesi: For pipelines that are solely within state waters and under lease with the State Lands Commission, we require the pipelines to be externally and internally inspected annually. And we have engineers on staff that review those inspections and consult with the fire marshal as well with our federal partners on any type of remedial action that needs to happen based on the results of those inspections. For those pipelines that cross both federal and state waters our authority is more limited because the federal government's regulatory authority takes precedence. And PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) is the primary federal agency that regulates those interstate pipelines. They require inspections externally and internally every two years. And that's what this pipeline at issue was subjected to, the platform Elly pipeline. 03:01:20 Senator Dave Min: Let's say you have a pipe and the lease term ends. What powers do you have? What are the considerations you have to follow either statutory or contractually to renew those permits, issue a new permit? Or alternatively, do you have any leeway contractually, statutorily to end those permits prematurely and say, you know, we don't think that, you know, the upkeep is appropriate, you're violating certain provisions, we're just gonna take away your permit prematurely. Do you have any leeway like that? So I'm just trying to get a sense of your flexibility, both in issuing new right of way permits, but also yanking away existing permits. Jennifer Lucchesi: Certainly. So I can give an example of our lease compliance and enforcement actions most recently, with a pipeline that served platforms Hogan and Houchin in the Santa Barbara Channel. Those are two federal platforms in federal waters, that pipeline that served those platforms did cross into state waters and connected on shore. That pipeline lessee of ours was not compliant with our lease terms and the commission took action to terminate those leases based on non compliance and default in breach of the lease terms. And essentially, that did terminate production on those two federal platforms. And they are part of the eight federal platforms that BOEM just announced they were going to be looking at as part of a programmatic EIS for decommissioning. The Commission does not have the authority to unilaterally terminate an existing valid lease absent any evidence of a breach or non compliance SOUTHERN CA OIL LEAK: INVESTIGATING THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS ON COMMUNITIES, BUSINESSES, AND ENVIRONMENT House Committee On Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and the Subcommittee October 18, 2021 Witnesses: Dr. Michael H. Ziccardi Director, Oiled Wildlife Care Network Executive Director, One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis Scott Breneman Commercial Fishing, Retail Market, and Restaurant Owner Newport Beach, CA Vipe Desai Founding Member, Business Alliance for Protecting the Pacific Coast Dr. David L. Valentine Norris Presidential Chair, Earth Science Professor of Marine Science, UC Santa Barbara Clips 15:44 Rep. Katie Porter: As of October 10, workers had recovered 250,000 pounds of oily debris and 14 barrels full of tar balls from the Orange County shorelines. That is a small fraction, though, of the oil that was released, most of which is being distributed in the ocean, making its way into the food chain or falling to the ocean floor. Some of that oil is now heading south. And we will not learn the long term consequences on the environment for many years to come. 17:39 Rep. Katie Porter: The witnesses here with us today will reveal a different kind of subsidy for oil and gas companies, an involuntary subsidy that occurs when the community bears the costs of oil drilling's pollution. When a locally owned business like Mr Brennaman that has been in the family for four generations loses tens of thousands of dollars because of the leak. That's his subsidies to oil and gas. When a hotel loses its bookings overnight. That's its subsidy for oil and gas. When the fragile decades-long effort to recover a species under the Endangered Species Act is finally showing progress, but an oil spill puts it all at risk. That's a cost of oil and gas to these subsidies and so many others are the reasons that oil wells like the ones behind this leak are still active. Getting rid of the subsidies is the first step to get rid of the problem. 27:52 Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA): We know that the spill was not reported by the responsible oil company until the next day, despite the company's knowledge. We also know that Orange County residents recognize that there was a problem in part due to the smell caused by this bill and actually reported it before the oil company did so, clearly something wrong with that. 28:35 Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA): In my congressional district, which is just the south of here, the spill shutdown businesses and beaches in Dana Point in San Clemente. Tarballs that are likely caused by the spill have also been found as far south in my district as Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas and Del Mar in San Diego County. 29:03 Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA): It'll come as no surprise that more than $2 billion in wages and $4 billion in gross domestic product are generated by Orange County's ocean and marine economy, including tourism. So we have a lot to lose every time there's a spill, not just to our beaches but to our economy. 39:30 Dr. Michael H. Ziccardi: In Birds, the primary issue we are concerned mostly about are the acute effects due to hypothermia. If you think of feathers almost as a dry suit in animals, if oil gets on that dry suit, it creates a hole that allows cold water to seep next to the skin. Birds can get very cold in the environment and start to waste away, they have to come ashore to stay warm, but they can no longer eat. So these birds actually can waste away in a matter of days unless proactive capture occurs. There can also be chronic effects in animals as well due to printing of oil off of the feathers or ingestion in their food items. Those chronic effects can include, in essence, effects on every organ system in an animal's body from reproductive effects liver, kidney, respiratory tracts, depending on the dose and the exposure and the toxin itself. 42:50 Scott Breneman: We were fishing on Friday, October 1, and we were coming in the harbor and I detected a distinct odor of oil and it was about midnight we're heading in. Kind of search around the boat. I thought maybe it was a spill on the boat or a hose broke. I went in the engine room, searched all the hatches where I keep all my extra fluids and everything, didn't find anything. Come the next day the press released that there was an actual oil spill, and my fish sales and my fish market, once that was released, they dropped drastically down, 90% this past few weeks since it was released. I've seen the same effect -- my family's been fishing for four generations and in the 90s my dad went through the oil spill that was off Seal Beach, in our fish market, the same exact response from the public scared, worried the products contaminated. A huge ripple effect all the way up to the wholesalers I deal with outside of Orange County there. They had concerns from their customers, their restaurants. And to rebuild that business when it happened in the 90s, I watched my dad struggle for months to get back to back to where it was and it's...I'm seeing the same exact thing happen here. A couple of days after the oil spill they had closed Newport Harbor. And so my boat was actually trapped inside of the harbor so I wasn't even able to go service my accounts. And it's just been, to tell you the truth, a very difficult couple of weeks and I'm not sure how long this is going to last. I'm not sure how the public's going to respond to it long term if there's still going to have some fear that the fish is contaminated. 46:20 Vipe Desai: In fact between 2007 and 2018 there were over 7000 oil spills in federal waters, an average of about two every day. 46:50 Vipe Desai: The first impact came from the much anticipated Pacific Air Show. As oil began to wash ashore, beaches were deemed unsafe for activity. On Saturday October 2nd, 1.5 million visitors saw the show from Huntington Beach, but the show's triumphant conclusion on Sunday was cancelled with little fanfare. Cancellations hit hotels and resorts almost immediately and their surrounding retail and restaurants suffered. Wing Lam, co-founder of Wahoo's Fish tacos, informed me that the Saturday before the oil spill felt like a busy summer day. But the following day, once word got out about the spill, it was a ghost town. In addition, as the spill moved south, their locations in Laguna Beach and San Clemente started to feel the impacts. Bobby Abdel, owner of Jack's Surfboards, had a similarly bleak weekend. He told me that once the oil spill was announced customer traffic plummeted. Their stores are facing a stockpile of unsold inventory from the US Open of Surfing and the Pacific Air Show. All nine of Jack's Surfboards locations were impacted in some form or another because of the spill. Later in the week, I received a call from a colleague, Wendy Marshall, a full time hard working mother of two who shared with me that her upcoming Airbnb reservations, a form of income to help her offset college tuition costs for her children, had mostly been cancelled. From Dana Point though dolphin and whale capital of the world and the first whale Heritage Site in the Americas. Giselle Anderson from local business Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari shared losses from trips and bookings into November could be down as much as 74% because of the oil spill. 52:15 Dr. David L. Valentine: I want to invoke my privilege as a university professor to start with a little bit of a history lesson. Many people think that the largest spill in US history occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. This is not correct. The largest spill in US history occurred in California. It was not the October 2021 spill that we're here to talk about today. Nor was it the 2015 refugio beach pipeline rupture on the gaviota coast. It was not the 2007 Cosco, Busan spill and San Francisco Bay. And it was not the 1997 platform Irene pipeline rupture of Annenberg Air Force Base. It was not the 1990 American traders spill off the coast of Huntington Beach. It was not the 1969 platform, an oil spill off of Santa Barbara, the one that helped spawn the environmental movement. Nor was it the sinking of the SS Montebello, an oil freighter that was hit by a Japanese torpedo off the coast of Cambria and World War Two. It was called the Lakeview Gusher. It occurred in Kern County, and it's estimated to have released around 380 million gallons of oil over an 18 month period starting in 1910. And I tell you this bit of California history because it punctuates five important points. First, oil production carries inherent risk. Second, California has suffered more than its fair share of spills. Third, the size of a spill is only one factor in determining its impact. Fourth, responsiveness and context matter. And fifth, every spill is different and that includes the impacts. 54:24 Dr. David L. Valentine: For the current spill, I have honed in on three key modes of exposure that concern me most: floating oil slicks that can impact organisms living at or near the sea surface, coastline areas such as wetlands where oil can accumulate and persist, and the sea floor, where oil can easily hide from view but may still pose longer term risks. Among these three, the fate of impacts of submerged oil is especially relevant to California, is the least well understood, and requires additional research effort. 59:40 Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA): So recently I asked the Department of Interior about the specific kinds of subsidies that Beta Operating received. Beta is a subsidiary of Amplify Energy, and that's the company that owns the platforms and the pipelines that leaked off our coast. It turns out that they got nearly $20 million from the federal government, specifically because the oil wells are at the end of their lives and are not producing much oil, which makes them less profitable. So taxpayers are being asked to pay to encourage oil production in the Pacific Ocean by giving oil companies millions of dollars to do it. 1:00:39 Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA): Beta operating is in line to get another $11 million to drill for new wells off the coast because that $11 million is needed, in their words, “to make production economic.” So taxpayers are being asked to pay Beta to drill new wells. That means wells that would otherwise not be drilled without our taxpayer subsidy. 01:02:52 Dr. Michael H. Ziccardi: What we have found, during and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, is that dolphins can be significantly impacted by oil, primarily through inhalation of the fumes at the surface and ingestion of the oil substances themselves. What we found is that it affects their immune system, it affects their reproductive tract, and it affects their gastrointestinal tract, so very significant changes. And that's information that is just now starting to come out in the publications from the Deepwater Horizon incident. 1:06:51 Vipe Desai: Had this oil spill moved north, it would have impacted two of the busiest ports in the nation, which account for billions of dollars of goods flowing in and out of both ports of LA and Long Beach. And that would have had an even larger impact to other communities across the US. 1:08:21 Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA): The annual oil production off the coast of California is about 1/3 of what our nation produces in a single day. So it really is a drop in the bucket when you consider the overwhelming potential for economic damage for environmental damage, the risks simply aren't worth it. 1:09:34 Vipe Desai: California's ocean economy generates $54.3 billion in revenue and supports 654,000 jobs. 1:25:15 Dr. David L. Valentine: In Orange County, the areas that I would look at most closely as being especially vulnerable on the environmental side would be the wetland environments. Places like Talbert Marsh where oil can surge in with the tide. And it can get trapped in those environments and it can get stuck and it won't come back out when the tide recedes. Those are especially vulnerable because they're these rich, diverse ecosystems. They provide a whole host of different services, whether it's flyways, or fisheries, or in keeping the nutrient levels moderated in coastal waters. And that oil can stick there and it can have a long term impact. And furthermore, cleanup in those cases can be very difficult because getting into a marsh and trying to clean it up manually can cause as much damage as oil can cause. 1:26:24 Dr. David L. Valentine: And then the other environment that I worry a lot about is the environment we can't see, that is what's going on under the surface of the ocean. And in that case, we can have oil that comes ashore and then gets pulled back offshore but is now denser because it's accumulated sand and other mineral matter. And that can be sticking around in the coastal ocean. We don't really understand how much of that there is or exactly where it goes. And that concerns me. 1:29:18 Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA): But Dr. Valentine, how concerned Do you think California should be that companies that own the offshore platforms, wells and pipelines might go bankrupt and pass decommissioning costs on to taxpayers? Dr. David L. Valentine: I think that we need to be very concerned. And this is not just a hypothetical, this is already happening. There are two instances that I can tell you about that I've been involved with personally. The first stems from the pipeline 901 rupture, also known as the Refugio, a big oil spill that happened in 2015. When that pipeline ruptured, it prevented oil from being further produced from platform Holley, off the coast of Santa Barbara just a few miles from my home. That platform when it was completely shut in, all 30 wells, was unable to produce any oil and the company, a small operator, went bankrupt. And then shortly thereafter, they went bankrupt again. And this time, they just gave up and they did something called quit claiming their lease back to the state of California. Meaning that the plugin abandonment and property commissioning fell into the lap of the State of California in that case, and that is an ongoing, ongoing saga. The second example I would give you is in Summerland. In 1896, the first offshore oil wells in this country were drilled from piers in Summerland. Those have been leaking over the years. And as recently as last year, there were three leaky oil wells coming up in Summerland. The state of California has found money to try alternative plug in abandonment strategies because anything traditional is not going to work on something that is 125 some odd years old. So that would be the second example where this is now falling into the taxpayers lap yet again. IMPACTS OF ABANDONED OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE NEED FOR STRONGER FEDERAL OVERSIGHT House Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. October 14, 2021 Witnesses: Dr. Donald Boesch Professor and President Emeritus, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Dr. Greg Stunz Endowed Chair for Fisheries and Ocean Health, and Professor of Marine Biology Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies Texas A&M University Robert Schuwerk Executive Director, North America Office Carbon Tracker Initiative Ms. Jacqueline Savitz Chief Policy Officer, Oceana Clips 10:34 Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN): I can certainly provide a summary of things that will help keep energy prices down: issue onshore and offshore lease sales; reinstate the Presidential permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline; renew our commitment to exporting American energy, instead of importing foreign energy; reform a broken permitting process; and stop burdening domestic producers. 16:08 Dr. Donald Boesch: Oil and gas production from wells in less than 1000 feet of water declined as fuels discovered in the 80s and even earlier were depleted. Crude oil production in these relatively shallow waters declined by over 90% both in the Gulf and and in Southern California. Natural gas production in the OCS, which mainly came from the shallow water wells, declined by 80%. Offshore fossil energy production is now dominated in the deep water off the Gulf of Mexico, up to 7500 feet deep. Deepwater production grew by 38% just over the last 10 years since the Deepwater Horizon disaster. 17:05 Dr. Donald Boesch: Since the lifting of the crude oil export ban in 2016, last year there was 78% more crude oil exported from Gulf terminals, exported overseas, than actually produced in the US OCS and three times as much natural gas exported, than produced offshore. 18:06 Dr. Donald Boesch: So, the depletion of shallow water gas has left this legacy of old wells and declining resources and the infrastructure requires decommissioning and removal. Much of this infrastructure is not operated by the original leaseholders, but by smaller companies with lesser assets and technical and operational capacity. 18:40 Dr. Donald Boesch: Off Southern California there are 23 platforms in federal waters, eight of which are soon facing decommissioning. In the Gulf, on the other hand, there are 18,162 platforms and about 1000 of them will probably be decommissioned within this decade. 19:46 Dr. Donald Boesch: According to the GAO, as you pointed out, there are 600 miles of active pipelines in federal waters of the Gulf, and 18,000 miles of abandoned plant pipelines. The GAO found the Department of the Interior lacks a robust process for addressing the environmental and safety risk and ensuring clean up and burial standards are met. And also monitoring the long term fate of these, these pipelines. 20:54 Dr. Donald Boesch: At recent rates of production of oil and gas, the Gulf's crude oil oil reserves will be exhausted in only six or seven years. That is the proven reserves. Even with the undiscovered and economically recoverable oil that BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) estimates in the central and western Gulf, we would run out of oil about mid century. So unless some miracle allows us to capture all of the greenhouse gases that would be released, we really can't do that and achieve net zero emissions, whether it be by resource depletion, governmental or corporate policy, or investor and stockholder decisions. Offshore oil and gas production is likely to see it see a steep decline. So the greenhouse gas emissions pathway that we follow and how we deal with the legacy and remaining infrastructure will both play out over the next decade or two. 25:16 Dr. Greg Stuntz: In fact, these decades old structures hold tremendous amounts of fish biomass and our major economic drivers. A central question is, how do these structures perform in relation to mother nature or natural habitat and I'm pleased to report that in every parameter we use to measure that success. These artificial reefs produce at least as well are often better than the natural habitat. We observe higher densities of fish, faster growth and even similar output. Thus, by all measures, these data show artificial reefs are functioning at least equivalent on a per capita basis to enhance our marine resources. 28:54 Rob Schuwerk: When a company installs a platform and drills well, it creates an ARO, an obligation to reclaim that infrastructure when production ends. This costs money. But companies aren't required to get financial assurance for the full estimated costs today. Money to plug in active wells today comes from cash flows from oil and gas production. But what happens when that stops? The International Energy Agency sees peak oil and gas demand as early as 2025. This will make it harder to pay for decommissioning from future cash flows. Decommissioning is costly. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) data indicate that offshore AROs could range from $35 to over $50 billion while financial assurance requirements are about $3.47 billion. That is less than 10% of expected liability. The GAO believes these figures may actually underestimate the true costs of retiring the remaining deepwater infrastructure. 30:05 Rob Schuwerk: Only about a third of the unplug wells in the Gulf of Mexico have shown any production in the last 12 months. Why haven't the other two thirds already been retired? Because of uncertainty as to when to close and poor incentives. Infrastructure should be decommissioned when it's no longer useful. But the regulator has difficulty making that determination. This uncertainty explains why BSEE waits five years after a well becomes inactive to deem it no longer useful for operations with years more allowed for decommissioning. These delays increase the risk that operators will become unable to pay or simply disappear. We've seen this already with a variety of companies including Amplify Energy's predecessor Beta Dinoco off California and Fieldwood recently with Mexico. 30:55 Rob Schuwerk: There's also a problem of misaligned economic incentives. As it is virtually costless to keep wells unplugged, companies have no incentive to timely plug them. AROs are like an unsecured, interest free balloon loan from the government with no date of maturity. There's little incentive to save for repayment because operators bear no carrying cost and no risk in the case of default. If the ARO loan carried interest payments commensurate with the underlying non performance risk, producers would be incentivized to decommission non economic assets. The solution is simple, require financial assurance equivalent to the full cost of carrying out all decommissioning obligations. This could take the form of a surety bond, a sinking fund or some other form of restricted cash equivalent. If wells are still economic to operate, considering the carrying cost of financial assurance, the operator will continue production, if not they'll plug. In either case, the public is protected from these costs. 32:11 Rob Schuwerk: A key risk here is operator bankruptcy that causes liabilities to be passed on to others. And we could see this in the recent Fieldwood bankruptcy. Fieldwood was formed in 2012 and in 2013 acquired shallow water properties from Apache Corporation. It went through chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018, and then undeterred, acquired additional deepwater platforms from Noble Energy. Fieldwood returned to bankruptcy in 2020. It characterized the decommissioning costs it shared with Apache as among the company's most significant liabilities. The bankruptcy plan created new companies to receive and decommission certain idle offshore assets. If they failed, prior operators and lessors would have to pay. Several large oil and gas companies objected to this proposal. They were concerned that if Fieldwood couldn't pay they would. Ultimately the plan was proved. The case illustrates a few key dynamics. First, if bankrupt companies cannot pay, others, including taxpayers, will. How much of the possibly $50 billion in offshore decommissioning liability is held by companies that are only a dragged anchor, a hurricane a leaking pipeline or oil price shock away from default? And second, as detailed in my written testimony, private companies who face liability risks understand them better than the government does. When they transfer wells, they demand financial protections that are in fact greater than what the government requires today. 36:02 Jacqueline Savitz: Supplemental bonds are necessary to protect taxpayers from the risk of spills but BOEM is overusing the waiver provisions that allow a financial strength test to waive requirements for supplemental bonds. BOEM regulations require that lessees furnish a relatively small general bond and while BOEM has discretion to acquire supplemental bonds, it generally waives those. General bonds that lessees are required to furnish don't come close to covering the cost of decommissioning and haven't been updated since 1993. Since that year, the cost of decommissioning has gone up in part because development has moved into deeper waters, only about 10% of offshore oil production in the Gulf was in deepwater in 1993. But by 2014, that figure rose to 80%. Regulations need to be updated to ensure the federal government and taxpayers are not left picking up the tab on decommissioning. According to GAO, only 8% of decommissioning liabilities in the Gulf of Mexico were covered by bonds or other financial assurance mechanisms, with the other 92% waived or simply unaccounted for. 38:06 Jacqueline Savitz: BSEE does not conduct oversight over decommissioning activities underway and it does not inspect decommissioned pipelines so the Bureau can't ensure that the industry has complied with required environmental mitigation. 38:17 Jacqueline Savitz: Leak detection technologies that the oil and gas industry touts as safer have not been proven to prevent major leaks. All pipelines in the Pacific region are reportedly equipped with advanced leak detection equipment. Though two weeks ago we saw exactly what can happen even with the so-called “Best Technology.” 42:00 Dr. Donald Boesch: In Hurricane Ida, all of a sudden appeared an oil slick, and it lasted for several days. And apparently it was traced to an abandoned pipeline that had not been fully cleared of all the residual oil in it so that all that oil leaked out during that incident. 47:59 Dr. Donald Boesch: One of the challenges though, is that this older infrastructure is not operating in the same standards and with the same capacity of those of the major oil companies that have to do that. So for example, when I noted that they detected this methane being leaked, they didn't detect it from the new offshore deepwater platforms which have all the right technology. It's in the older infrastructure that they're seeing. 54:14 Rob Schuwerk: There's actually one thing that exists offshore, joint and several liability, that only exists in certain jurisdictions onshore. So in some ways the situation onshore is worse. Because in some states like California you can go after prior operators if the current operator cannot pay, but in many jurisdictions you cannot. And our research has found that there is about $280 billion in onshore liability, and somewhere around 1% of that is covered by financial assurance bonds so, there is definitely an issue onshore rather than offshore. 55:04 Rob Schuwerk: The issue is just really giving them a financial incentive to be able to decommission. And that means they have to confront the cost of decommissioning and internalize that into their decision on whether continuing to produce from a well is economic or not. And so that means they need to have some kind of financial insurance in place that represents the actual cost. That could be a surety bond where they go to an insurer that acts as a guarantor for that amount. It could be a sinking fund, like we have in the context of nuclear where they go start putting money aside at the beginning, and it grows over time to be sufficient to plug the well at the end of its useful life. And there could be other forms of restricted cash that they maintain on the balance sheet for the benefit of these liabilities. 1:15:38 Jacqueline Savitz: Remember, there is no shortage of offshore oil and gas opportunity for the oil industry. The oil industry is sitting on so many, nearly 8.5 million acres of unused or non producing leases, 75% of the total lease acreage in public waters. They're sitting on it and not using it. So even if we ended all new leasing, it would not end offshore production. 1:22:35 Rob Schuwerk: Typically what we'll see as well to do companies will transfer these assets into other entities that have less financial means and wherewithal to actually conduct the cleanup. Rep. Katie Porter: So they're moving once they've taken the money, they've made the profit, then they're giving away they're basically transferring away the unprofitable, difficult, expensive part of this, which is the decommissioning portion. And they're transferring that. Are they transferring that to big healthy companies? Rob Schuwerk: No, often they're transferring it to companies that didn't exist even just prior to the transfer. Rep. Katie Porter: You mean a shell company? Rob Schuwerk: Yes. Rep. Katie Porter: Like an entity created just for the purpose of pushing off the cost of doing business so that you don't have to pay it even though you've got all the upside. Are you saying that this is what oil and gas companies do? Rob Schuwerk: We've seen this, yes. Rep. Katie Porter: And how does the law facilitate this? Rob Schuwerk: Well, I suppose on a couple of levels. On the one hand, there's very little oversight of the transfer. And so there's very little restriction from a regulatory standpoint, this is true, offshore and also onshore. So we see this behavior in both places. And then secondary to that there are actions that companies can take in bankruptcy that can effectively pass these liabilities on to taxpayers eventually and so some of it is to be able to use that event, the new company goes bankrupt. 1:25:01 Rob Schuwerk: Certainly no private actor would do what the federal government does, which is not have a security for these risks. MISUSE OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND CORPORATE WELFARE IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY House Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations May 19, 2021 Witnesses: Laura Zachary Co-Director, Apogee Economics & Policy Tim Stretton Policy Analyst, Project on Government Oversight (POGO) Clips 27:10 Laura Zachary: There have long been calls for fiscal reforms to the federal oil and gas program. Compared to how states managed oil and gas leasing, the federal government forgoes at least a third of the revenue that could have been captured for taxpayers 27:25 Laura Zachary: On January 27 of this year, the Biden administration signed Executive Order 14008 that pauses issuing new federal oil and gas leases. And importantly, the language implies a temporary pause, only on issuing new leases, not on issuing drilling permits. This is a critical distinction for what the impacts of a pause could be. Very importantly, federal permitting data confirms that to date, there has been no pause on issuing drilling permits for both onshore and offshore. And in fact, since the pause began, Department of Interior has approved drilling permits at rates in line with past administrations. 37:08 Tim Stretton: Because taxpayers own resources such as oil and gas that are extracted from public lands, the government is legally required to collect royalties for the resources produced from leases on these lands. Project on Government Oversight's investigations into the federal government's oversight of the oil, gas and mining industries have uncovered widespread corruption that allows industry to cheat U.S. taxpayers out of billions of dollars worth of potential income. Given the amount of money at stake and the oil and gas industry's history of deliberately concealing the value of the resources they've extracted with the intent of underpaying royalties, the government should be particularly vigilant in ensuring companies pay their fair share for the resources they extract. 46:28 Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR): We are here today for the majority's attempt, which I believe is more of a publicity stunt to criticize the oil and gas industry than to talk about real facts and data. The playbook is a simple one: recycled talking points to vilify the industry and to paint a distorted picture of so-called good versus evil. I'm sure that we'll hear more about corporate subsidies that aren't. We'll hear about unfair royalty rates that aren't and we'll hear many other meme worthy talking points that fail the logic test. 47:35_ Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR): What we're -really talking about today is an industry that provides reliable and affordable energy to our nation. This isan industry that contributes to almost 10 million jobs and plays a vital role in our daily lives. In fact, we cannot conduct virtual hearings like this without the fossil fuel industry. And of course, when myself and my colleagues travel to Washington, DC, we rely on this industry to fly or to drive here. 49:33 Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR): But they ignore the real world consequences of demonizing this industry. The results are devastating job loss and the loss of public education funding to name just a few. 54:05 Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN): I also had a roundtable discussion and learned how New Mexico schools received nearly $1.4 billion in funding from oil and gas just last year. 55:08 Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA): Mr. Stretton, how long has your organization been conducting oversight of oil and gas production on federal lands? Tim Stretton: For decades, I mean, we started doing this work in the early 90s. And actually, some of our earliest work in the space was uncovering in excess of a billion dollars in unpaid royalties to your home state of California. Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA): And you mentioned, what are some of the patterns? You've been doing this for decades? What are some of the patterns that you observe over time? Tim Stretton: The oil and gas industry working with each other to really undervalue the resources they were selling, fraudulently telling the government the value of those resources, which left billions of dollars in unpaid revenue going to the federal government. 1:01:09 Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ): There are some people who have made environmentalism a religion. Rather than focus on solutions that can make lives better for people, some would prefer to vilify an industry that provides immeasurable benefits to people's livelihood in the function of modern day society. 1:04:21 Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ): The other side looks at globalism, you know this environmental movement globally. So it makes more sense to me at least and folks I come from that we produce it cleaner more efficiently than anybody else in the world. And so that geopolitical application, if you're an environmentalist, you would want more American clean oil and gas out there versus Russian dirty or Chinese dirty gas. 02:37:23 Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT): In January state education superintendents in Wyoming, Miami, North Dakota, Alaska, and Utah submitted a letter to President Biden outlining their concerns with the administration's oil and gas ban which has reduced funding used to educate our rising generation. 02:43:35 Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-NM): I'm glad to be able to highlight the true success story of the oil and gas industry in my home state of New Mexico. To put it simply, the oil and gas industry is the economic backbone of New Mexico and has been for decades. The industry employs 134,000 People statewide and provides over a billion dollars each year to fund our public education. 02:44:30 Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-NM): Many of my Democratic colleagues have stated that green energy jobs can replace the loss of traditional energy jobs, like the 134,000 Oil and Gas jobs in my state. Many also say that we need to be transitioning to a completely carbon free energy grid. Can you tell me and the committee why both of those ideas are completely fantasy? Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Doğu Akdeniz'de Türkiye ve KKTC'nin deniz yetki alanları ile kesişen GKRY'nin sözde 1, 2, 8 ve 9 No'lu parsellerinde 8 ülke ortak tatbikat düzenledi. ABD, Fransa, İsrail, İngiltere, Yunanistan, Güney Kıbrıs Rum Yönetimi, İtalya ve Mısır'a ait savaş gemilerinin ve uçakların katıldığı ve bu yıl sekizincisi düzenlenen "Nemesis" tatbikatında, 6 dev enerji şirketinin temsicileri de yer aldı. ABD'li ExxonMobil, Chevron ve Noble Energy ile Fransız Total, İtalyan Eni ve İngiliz British Petroleum şirketinin temsilcilerinin izlediği tatbikatta, gemi ve sondaj platformlarının güvenliğinin sağlanmasına odaklanıldı. Nemesis 2021'de arama-kurtarma, tıbbi tahliye operasyonları, denizde sızıntı ve kirliliğin temizlenmesi gibi faaliyetlerin yanında Güney Kıbrıs güçlerinin “teröristlerin” eline geçen bir sondaj platformunu kurtarma senaryosu da tatbik edildi. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tonguc/message

每日英語跟讀Podcast，就在http://www.15mins.today/daily-shadowing 精選詞彙 VOCAB Podcast，就在https://www.15mins.today/vocab 語音直播 15mins Live Podcast, 就在https://www.15mins.today/15mins-live-podcast 文法練習 In-TENSE Podcast，就在https://www.15mins.today/in-tense 歡迎到官網用email訂閱我們節目更新通知。   Topic: More Power Lines or Rooftop Solar Panels: The Fight Over Energy's Future   The nation is facing once-in-a-generation choices about how energy ought to be delivered to homes, businesses and electric cars — decisions that could shape the course of climate change and determine how the United States copes with wildfires, heat waves and other extreme weather linked to global warming. 關於能源如何輸送到住家、企業和電動車，美國正面臨一個世代一次的抉擇，這個決定可能形塑氣候變遷進程，並決定美國如何應付與全球暖化有關的野火、熱浪和其他極端天氣。 On one side, large electric utilities and President Joe Biden want to build thousands of miles of power lines to move electricity created by distant wind turbines and solar farms to cities and suburbs. On the other, some environmental organizations and community groups are pushing for greater investment in rooftop solar panels, batteries and local wind turbines. 一方面，大型電力公司和總統拜登想要鋪設數千哩的電線，將遠方風力渦輪機和太陽能電場製造的電力運送到城市和郊區。另一方面，一些環境組織和社區團體正推動更多投資於屋頂太陽能板、電池以及在地風力渦輪機。 Biden has secured $73 billion for thousands of miles of new power lines in an infrastructure proposal he and senators from both parties agreed to in June. That deal includes the creation of a Grid Development Authority to speed up approvals for transmission lines. 拜登和兩黨參議員今年6月同意的基礎建設方案中，他已取得用來鋪設數千哩新電線所需的730億美元。這項方案包括成立「電網開發局」，以加速批准傳輸線鋪設。 Most energy experts agree that the United States must improve its aging electric grids, especially after millions of Texans spent days freezing this winter when the state's electricity system faltered. 大多數能源專家同意，美國必須改善老化的電網，特別在上個冬天德州電力系統不穩，導致數百萬德州人受凍數天之後。 The option supported by Biden and some large energy companies would replace coal and natural gas power plants with large wind and solar farms hundreds of miles from cities, requiring lots of new power lines. Such integration would strengthen the control that the utility industry and Wall Street have over the grid. 這個獲拜登和一些大型能源公司支持的方案，將用距離都市數百哩的大型風電和太陽能電場，取代燃煤和天然氣發電廠，需要大量新電線。這類整合將強化公用事業和華爾街對電網的控制。 “You've got to have a big national plan to make sure the power gets from where it is generated to where the need is,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said. 「你得有一個全國性的大計畫，確保電力能從它產生的地方運送到需要的地方。」能源部長格蘭霍姆說。 But many of Biden's liberal allies argue that solar panels, batteries and other local energy sources should be emphasized because they would be more resilient and could be built more quickly. 但許多拜登的自由派盟友主張，應該著重太陽能板、電池及其他在地能源來源，因為它們更耐用，建置速度更快。 “We need to build the electricity transmission and distribution system for the grid of the future and not that of the past,” said Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, a nonprofit based in Chicago. “Solar energy plus storage is as transformative to the electric sector as wireless services were to the telecommunications sector.” 「我們需要為未來的電網打造電力傳輸和配送系統，而非過去的電網。」以芝加哥為據點的非營利組織「環境法律與政策中心」執行主任霍華．藍納說，「太陽能加上儲存裝置對電力事業的轉型性，一如無線網路之於電信事業」。 In all probability, there will be a mix of solutions that include more transmission lines and rooftop solar panels. What combination emerges will depend on deals made in Congress but also skirmishes playing out across the country. 最終很可能會有個綜合性方案，包含更多傳輸線和屋頂太陽能板。至於何種組合會出線，取決於國會達成的方案以及全國各地的爭論。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5672857   Next Article   Topic : California Is Trying to Jump-Start the Hydrogen Economy   Since President George W. Bush fueled a minivan with hydrogen 15 years ago, the promise of cars and trucks powered by the fuel has come up mostly empty. 15年前，時任美國總統的小布希為一輛廂型休旅車加上氫燃料，發展氫能小客車和貨車的美好期盼迄今卻大抵落空。 That hydrogen pump, in Washington, closed long ago. But in California, the beginnings of a hydrogen economy may finally be dawning after many fits and starts. 華府的那座加氫站早已停用，然而在加州，氫經濟在幾經周折之後，可能真的要起步了。 Dozens of hydrogen buses are lumbering down city streets, while more and larger fueling stations are appearing from San Diego to San Francisco, financed by the state and the federal government. With the costs of producing and shipping hydrogen coming down, California is setting ambitious goals to phase out vehicles that run on fossil fuels in favor of batteries and hydrogen. 在州政府和聯邦出資之下，從聖地牙哥到舊金山，數十輛氫動力公車緩緩行駛於城市街道，更多且更大的加氫站也一一出現。由於氫製造和運輸的成本下降，加州立定遠大目標，要逐步淘汰化石燃料車，轉向電動車和氫能車。 Some energy executives said they expect investment in hydrogen to accelerate under President-elect Joe Biden, who made climate change a big part of his campaign and proposed a $2 trillion plan to tackle the problem. 一些能源業高管預期，對氫能的投資會在總統當選人拜登上台後加速成長。拜登以遏制氣候變遷為重要政見，並提出一項2兆美元的因應計畫。 A recent McKinsey & Co. study estimated that the hydrogen economy could generate $140 billion in annual revenue by 2030 and support 700,000 jobs. The study projected that hydrogen could meet 14% of total American energy demand by 2050. 管理顧問公司麥肯錫最近在一份研究中估計，到2030年時，氫經濟每年能創造1400億美元營收，支撐70萬個工作機會。這份研究預測，到2050年，氫將能滿足全美14%的能源需求。 The use of hydrogen, the lightest and most abundant substance in the universe, is still in its infancy, and California is determined to be its cradle in the United States.The state now has roughly 40 fueling stations, with dozens more under construction. While those numbers are tiny compared with the 10,000 gasoline stations across the state, officials have high hopes. 氫是宇宙中最輕且最豐富的物質，人類利用氫能還在初始階段，而加州決心成為美國氫能利用的搖籃。加州目前約有40個加氫站，還有數十個在興建中。雖然加氫站數量與全加州一萬個加油站相比微不足道，但官員仍滿懷希望。 With about 7,500 hydrogen vehicles on the road, an aggressive state program of incentives and subsidies from cap-and-trade dollars envisions 50,000 hydrogen light-duty vehicles by mid-decade and a network of 1,000 hydrogen stations by 2030. 目前加州約有7500輛氫能車上路，州政府積極利用取自「總量管制與排放交易」的財源來進行補貼和獎勵，希望達到2025年左右有5萬輛輕型氫能車上路，2030年有1000個加氫站的目標。 Hydrogen-powered vehicles are similar to electric cars. But unlike electric cars, which have large batteries, these cars have hydrogen tanks and fuel cells that turn the gas into electricity. The cars refuel and accelerate quickly, and they can go for several hundred miles on a full tank. They emit only water vapor, which makes them appealing to California cities that are trying to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. 氫能車類似電動車，不同的是，電動車的電池很大，氫能車則有氫氣儲存槽和把氫氣轉換成電力的燃料電池。氫能車補充燃料和加速都很快，氫氣槽加滿後能跑幾百哩。氫能車只會釋出蒸氣，對於努力減少汙染和溫室氣體排放量的加州很有吸引力。 “Almost any objective analysis for getting to zero emissions includes hydrogen,” said Jack Brouwer, director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine. 爾灣加州大學國家燃料電池研究中心主任傑克‧布勞爾說：「幾乎所有關於如何達到零排放的客觀分析都會提到氫。」Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5106534   Next Article   Topic: Israel's Energy Dilemma: More Natural Gas Than It Can Use or Export   For decades, Israel was an energy-starved country surrounded by hostile, oil-rich neighbors. 數十年來，以色列一直是能源緊缺的國家，被敵對且富藏石油的鄰國環繞。 Now it has a different problem. Thanks to major offshore discoveries over the past decade, it has more natural gas than it can use or readily export. 如今，以色列面對的問題已然不同。由於過去十年來以色列在近海發現大量天然氣，以色列擁有的天然氣已比國內用量和願意出口的份量還多。 Having plenty of gas is hardly a burden, and it offers a cleaner-burning alternative to Israel's longtime power sources. But it presents challenges for a country that wants to extract geopolitical and economic benefits from a rare energy windfall, including building better relations with its neighbors and Europe. 天然氣儲量豐富難說是個負擔，而且讓以色列在依靠已久的電力來源之外，多了一個更乾淨的燃氣選項。不過，擁有大量天然氣也對以色列構成挑戰，以色列想藉由這罕見的意外發現的能源，獲取地緣政治和經濟利益，包括與鄰國和歐洲改善關係。 Part of the problem is timing. Just as Israel prepares to produce and export large amounts of gas, the United States, Australia, Qatar and Russia are flooding the market with cheap gas. The other is math: Israel's 8.5 million people use in a year less than 1% of the gas that has been found in the country's waters. 問題之一是時機。就在以色列準備生產大量天然氣並出口時，美國、澳洲、卡達和俄國都把廉價天然氣傾銷到市場上。另一個問題是供需，以色列人口850萬，一年用掉的份量不到海域已探明儲量的1%。 “We have a surplus of gas,” Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said in an interview. “Israeli waters are swimming in gas, and what we have discovered is only the beginning.” 以色列能源部長史坦尼茲受訪時說：「我們有多餘的天然氣，以色列海域滿是天然氣，而且我們探明的只是一小部分。」 Noble Energy, a Houston-based company that made its first discovery of gas in Israel in 1999, has found more than 30 trillion cubic feet of gas off the country's coast over the past decade. Some experts say new discoveries could double that. 諾伯爾能源公司總部設在美國德州休士頓，1999年發現以色列的天然氣，是這家公司首次，過去十年來在以色列近海發現的天然氣超過30兆立方英尺。一些專家說，接下來發現的量可能兩倍於此。 As a result, Israel is phasing out diesel and coal-fired electricity, replacing it mostly with gas-fired generation and some solar power. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet is considering banning the import of gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2030 and gradually switching to vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas or electricity. 自然而然，以色列逐步淘汰燃燒柴油與燃煤發電，取而代之的主要是燃氣發電，還有一些太陽能。總理內唐亞胡內閣考慮從2030年起，禁止進口汽油與柴油車，並逐步改用壓縮天然氣汽車或電動車。 Israel is also stepping up exports to neighbors like Jordan and Egypt. There are even plans to supply gas to a power plant in the West Bank for Palestinian customers. 以色列還加強把天然氣出口到約旦和埃及等鄰國，甚至打算把天然氣供應給約旦河西岸一家發電廠，讓巴勒斯坦客戶使用。 Yet these efforts will make only a dent in the country's reserves. 不過，這些舉動對解決以色列天然氣儲量豐富的問題只略有幫助。 “We want to export,” said Jacob Nagel, former head of Israel's National Security Council. “The question is: How much will it cost? Is it possible? How much time will it take?” 以色列國家安全會議前主席內格爾說：「我們是想把天然氣出口，問題是，成本有多高？可行嗎？要花多少時間？」 For decades, Israel depended on Russia and other sources for fuel, while its industries and homes relied on coal and oil power plants that blanketed its cities with smog. 數十年來，以色列靠俄國等國家取得能源，工業和民生用電則仰賴燃煤和燃油，使城市煙霧彌漫。 The switch to gas has helped clear the air in cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa that have converted diesel-fueled plants.Israel's biggest coal plant — in Hadera, a coastal city — will be converted over the next three years, cutting national coal consumption by 30%. Officials say they expect to eliminate coal use in 11 years. 改用天然氣使特拉維夫、海法等城市空氣變得清新。特拉維夫和海法已將柴油火力發電廠轉換成燃氣電廠。以色列最大燃煤電廠在濱海城市哈德拉，將在三年內轉換為燃氣電廠，能使全國煤炭消耗量減少三成。官員說，希望能在11年內淘汰煤電。Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/343671/web/#2L-15341939L

Ranchers are true stewards of the land and have been caring for their resources and livestock from the beginning. However, there is more that can be done and we have been hearing the words regenerative agriculture for some time now.  In this episode, Steve Rhines and Hugh Aljoe with the Noble Research Institute share their knowledge and experience with regenerative ranching practices. They explain what it is, why it will be a huge part of ranching now and in the future, and what it looks like for different producers.  Listen on your favorite podcast app and find a link to the transcript and all other episodes on https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ Video: https://youtu.be/wu7AXP8HAZM Transcript: {Intro Music}.   Shaye Koester  0:08   Hey, hey it's Shaye Koester and I'm your host for the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast where we foster innovation and enthusiasm in the ranching industry through sharing the stories and practices of different ranchers and beef industry leaders. Be sure to be a greater part of this podcast and become involved on my social media pages. Follow cattleconvos on Instagram, Facebook and tik tok or Shaye Koester on LinkedIn to join the conversations around the challenges we face as ranchers and how we can overcome them. You can also find more information about this podcast, all my episodes and how to partner with me on this show, by going to my website, casualcattleconversations.com. With that, thanks for tuning in, and let's see who our guests is today.    Red Angus Association of America  1:09   Profit. Repeat. With Red Angus genetics.  Red Angus bulls generate repeated profits for commercial cow-calf producers.  Year after year, despite unpredictable market conditions, cattle producers see increased return on investment for their Red Angus-sired calves. These cattle excel both in the feed yard and on the rail.   Calves sired by Red Angus bulls are eligible to be enrolled in the Feeder Calf Certification Program and wear the yellow tag verifying age, source and genetics.  Increase your profit potential with Red Angus genetics.  Visit RedAngus.org for more information on enrolling your calves in Red Angus value-added programs.   Shaye Koester  1:39   Alrighty folks, thank you for tuning in again today. It's great to have you on here again. If you're a new listener, welcome to the show. Today we are going to be discussing regenerative ranching. So I brought on two experts from the Noble Research Institute in Oklahoma. Today, visiting with me on the show is Steven Rhines, and Hugh Aljoe. These two individuals truly possess the background, knowledge and experience to explain what regenerative ranching is and why it's important to your operation, whether that is that relates to profitability, the ability to pass your land down to the next generation, or really just looking at your soil health and quality right now. This is a topic that I truly believe is important and we always need to continue improving our stewardship. We are already great stewards of the land, but we can always continue to improve. I think these two individuals do a tremendous job of explaining the topic of regenerative agriculture and providing some tips and advice on what practices you can look at maybe implementing now and how they will impact your operation. So with that, let's get on with the episode.    Steve Rhines  2:01   Hi Shaye, how are you?    Shaye Koester  3:11   Oh, I can't complain. I'm doing pretty good.    Steve Rhines  3:14   It's good to see you again.    Shaye Koester  3:15   Yeah, it's been a couple years.    Hi, Hugh. Thanks for hopping on. I'm Shaye. It's nice to meet you. I appreciate you joining me for this.    Hugh Aljoe  3:24   Oh, you bet. Glad to do it. Glad to do it.    Shaye Koester  3:28   Well, with that would one of you or both of you please provide a brief background on the history of Noble Research Institute.   Steve Rhines  3:38   I'd be happy to do that. Noble Research Institute is 75 years old this year. We were formed in 1945 by an oilman philanthropist by the name of Lloyd Noble. He had grown up in this part of the country, and he had seen the consequences of manmade disaster. So we mined the earth pretty extensively, using cotton, as as a monoculture with doing very little to put back into the land. And the idea was land was so cheap. And honestly, it probably wasn't a regular practice at the time, you just took what you needed. And Ardmore the town that we're located in was one of the largest cotton-producing centers in the world for a short period of time. Probably what would happen is the combination of weather will so we're at the tail end of the dustbowl, at this time, and the kind of combination of how we manage the land resulted in a lot of degradative and abandoned land. So people would just move on to something because land was so cheap, and it was really easy for them to stake. About 25 miles from here. They discovered one of the largest domestic findings of oil, and Mr. Noble was a part of that and so he gained his wealth not by inheriting it, but actually working for it and creating two companies by the name of Noble Energy, and Noble Corp. and recently noble energy was just acquired by Chevron, which is one of his legacy companies. But when he started the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, which was named after his father, originally, he set it up for the sole purpose of working with farmers and ranchers to build up the soil. And so they started with doing very simple things like a soil test, to give you the information on what to add back after a growing season, and after harvest, and so, we've progressed on for 75 years, we've done a variety of different things in between. We have always worked with farmers and ranchers, we have always conducted research in one form or another. And we've always effectively tried to work and educate producers on mass, but we've usually done it in a much smaller footprint like Southern Oklahoma and North Texas. In 2019, I took over this position after being here about 18 years. And so we began having a conversation with the board, having a conversation internally, looking at what we should be doing. And what we decided to do is transition into regenerative ranching, which would focus on what Mr. Noble asked us to do when he started us. It also the idea that we should be a national organization and not limited in a geographic footprint. So this board of ours, which still represents probably three quarters, either direct descendants or their spouses have been incredibly engaged throughout this process are committed to following the founders direction. And what we've we've done is, is begin to transition into regenerative ranching.   Shaye Koester  6:47   Well, that is awesome. And thank you for offering that history. So now on a more personal scale, would each of you offer insight on what your backgrounds' in agriculture are?   Hugh Aljoe  7:01   All right. Well, my background is, ya know, I grew up in West Texas on a family farm, I went to A&M and got a couple of degrees there and was hired right out of school to work for an international businessman running a cattle operation in East Texas. I did that for 10 years. We did you know a lot of say intensive rotational grazing, tried to try to be as progressive as we could with you know, with the land as well as trying to try to run as many cattle as you could just because the businessman, that was one of his objectives. So you know, we were able to grow the operation to about 1400 cows. From there, I was hired here as a pasture range consultant 25 years ago, been here ever since. I'm primarily working with people on pasture and range issues. In particular, grazing management has been kind of my forte. The last few years, I've been the director of the producer relations, which is our consulting efforts as well as overseeing the range operations here at Noble.    Shaye Koester  8:10   Well, awesome, thank you. How about you, Steve,   Steve Rhines  8:13   Not quite as extensive. I grew up on a very small cow-calf operation. By small I mean, probably a dozen mama cows. My grandfather had upwards of the high 80s. The challenge was, I didn't really care for the state of Oklahoma or cattle when I was a kid and I thought a lot of good opportunities go. I saw myself being in a city and being an engineer. And, that's what I chased in school. So I went to school to become a mechanical engineer and work in the aerospace industry, went on to law school, and then found myself in Ardmore, Oklahoma. So as fate would have it, it's not my choice. It was somebody else's choice and we wound up here and fell in love again with the state. I couldn't be happier to be involved with farming and ranching and cattle production. So it was an underlying calling, which I just didn't appreciate for the better part of my life.   Shaye Koester  9:11   Well, I'm glad you had the chance to come back and live that out then. So with that regenerative ag is it's a buzzword and there's a lot that can fall into it. So how would you describe regenerative agriculture within the ranching space?   Hugh Aljoe  9:31   Well you know if we look at regenerative ranching, which is the term that we've coined because our focus is going to be around grazing lands, this would be the process of restoring degraded grazing lands using practices based on ecological principles. And what we really want to be able to do is take some of the practices that we've known to be part of what we'd consider good stewardship and apply them more intentionally in order to focus on restoring you know, the ecological process. Particularly the water cycle, the mineral cycle, energy cycle as well as community dynamics, just being sure that we're helping Mother Nature do what she does really well. So what do some of these practices look like, you know, surprisingly to some people is that they look a whole lot like what we're doing when we're trying to apply good, you know, good land stewardship to begin with, we're actually planning for rest and recovery of our pasture land or grasses to grow up before they're actually grazed. Providing the recovery that the plants need, so that we get more photosynthetic activity and, as a result get more biological activity below the surface. Because as the roots grow, so do the associations with the organisms in the soil, in able to be no-till some of the cover crops that we're looking at as diverse mixtures, planting into areas that would have been cropland that have been grazed year after year, trying to minimize the need, reduce drastically the need for things like fertilizer and pesticide, and what we're seeing is we can increase our stock density and grazing affects, you know, a lot of those things we consider problems sort of disappear. They're taking care of them as we're going through our proper management. Those are some examples. Anything else you'd like to add?   Steve Rhines  11:27   No. I think simply, one of the things that we've looked at is making soil a partner in our operation, I think a lot of times, we just use it to either hold the animals up, or serve as a medium for plants to grow. But it's actually thinking a little bit about how we manage that as the entire system as he talked about. So I've got nothing further to add.   Shaye Koester  11:47   So when we look at ranching on the business side, what are the main benefits there that ranchers see from adopting some of these practices,   Hugh Aljoe  11:57   The main benefit that producers have when they begin adopting these practices, is that one, they have reduced the need for some of the inputs that they routinely apply such as chemicals and fertilizer. They also find that, that they begin to work with Mother Nature. You are actually working and using whatever is provided grazing for us, in many instances, trampling some of the materials in order to actually feed organisms within the soil, things that that most people haven't up to this point really considered animals that we need to be feeding. You know, and those organisms within the soil, really begin to add the biology and add to the biology, improving those ecosystem processes that we spoke of early on. I think that's the biggest benefit too is that another benefit is that you also because you're not putting these inputs, you're seeing an extreme reduction in some of the costs that they've used to support their operations. And they're not losing very much of the production, in most cases, whatever they might have seen early on is recovered within a very short period of time.   Shaye Koester  13:04   Well, thank you for sharing that. Steve, do you have anything else to add?   Steve Rhines  13:09   I think one of the interesting things is a lot of the pastures look a little different than what they might otherwise look like. In this part of the country look at monoculture. Bermuda grass is our primary warm-season grass, and tend to what you see here is a little bit of a different mix as we actually worked to incorporate forbs legumes into the pasture. And so and my father is one of them. He'll talk about the weediness and how is he going to manage the weeds and what you see in this managed grazing setup, is you intensely graze smaller paddocks and you actually suppress a lot of the weed problems, because the animals find them into their diet, and so they aren't selective anymore, which is exactly the way I eat at a buffet. I'm not allowed to do that anymore. I'm forced in one capacity or another to graze everything equally and as a consequence, a lot of the activities that we've otherwise known becomes unnecessary as Hugh was mentioning.   Shaye Koester  14:08   Okay, so overall, when we're talking ROI, would you say it's there for these practices?   Hugh Aljoe  14:15   Most definitely, I mean, that's, that's what were some of the questions is, what's the cost on the infrastructure, and really refers to make good use of what you already have. That's where we need to start when most people should start to buy themselves just a little bit of time understanding and trying to learn what regenerative ranching is about. Understand the ecosystem processes as well as the soil health principles. What are we really trying to use and once you get a little practice at applying grazing management, maybe using cover crops to some degree, you really begin to get a feel for what you're trying to accomplish. At that point, then you can come in with a plan in order to phase in what you need to, so it's not as if it's an, what I would call them,  extreme inconvenience or financial burden in order to get started.    Shaye Koester  15:08   Go ahead, Steve,   Steve Rhines  15:09   I will add the idea that that that is really one of the focal points of our research at the Noble Research Institute is to begin to look at these economic issues. We have roughly 14,000 acres worth of land that's, that's located in the southernmost part of Oklahoma. That's only one geographic reference. It's got a lot of different soil types, it's got a lot of different production value. But the idea is what we need to begin to do is across a larger footprint, do this research to begin to answer a lot of the questions that you just posed. There are different mechanisms. Some people are going to go all in, and that's going to have a certain perhaps infrastructure valuation that they need to be able to put in whether it's water, or portable water, what are those different options? That's what noble needs to be able to do. Historically, we've done this in conventional agriculture is we take a little bit of that risk away from the producer by doing some of that research and then demonstrating on our own lands, we're going to continue to do that as we go forward in this direction.   Shaye Koester  16:12   Awesome. Well, so Hugh mentioned, you know, producers need to kind of do some research and figure out, you know, what might work best for their operation and gain a better understanding of what regenerative ranching really is? Where can they go for this information, and these contact points to make sure they're getting the right information?   Hugh Aljoe  16:32   Well, as we look, look out there, here at Noble what we're looking at is trying to find people that have been in the regenerative ranching circles and learning from them to begin with. Then also in a very short period of time, we're hoping to be able to transfer a lot of that information through our own internet, our own website, and our own educational venues. There are entities such as Understanding Ag, the savory and Holistic Management organizations, Ranching for Profit and so these are some of the leaders within the regenerative ranching community that we're gleaning from, and we're happy to be learning from them as well.   Shaye Koester  17:10   Well, thank you for sharing that. So when we look at producers, as they start to implement these practices, as you've worked with producers, or seen some of their operations, what are some of the challenges they may initially face.   Hugh Aljoe  17:28   One of the big challenges is making sure that they have a good partner to guide them through, you know, the steps that are going to be necessary in order to have early success, We want to make sure that people have the opportunity to have early wins and if you're partnering with the right people, it makes it really easy. But you know, we want to be able to serve as guides, to those entities and where we've had people that have had the success, that's where they come back. So it's been the most rewarding for me is where to get started, how to start using the resources that they already have. It doesn't mean that for most people, if you see it every day, he may not understand or value what you really have. And when you've got somebody on the outside coming in, and making suggestions, then they have the buy in order to take it and run it. Rather thoughts through us, we provide a little bit of critique and do they implement their, their thoughts and our suggestions or recommendations.   Shaye Koester  18:26   Thank you.    Steve Rhines  18:27   I think another part of that, too, is as that as this grows, it's going to be critically important and it's an extension of what Hugh was mentioning just then it's going to be important to connect each Farmer and Rancher to a like community. We know farmers and ranchers. They're social people. They like to engage, whether it's over at the coffee shop or the donut shop, or if it's a church, you'd like to share what you're doing, you'd like to get that other idea, maybe it's just looking across the fence. But we think that that's a critical piece of this as we go forward is to be able to put these communities together and they can't be we know for a fact that they cannot stretch over large geographies, because of the differences in operations, the difference in soil, the difference in the climate. So the challenge becomes is building these networks close to home so you can relate to your neighbor and what they're going through and see it in your own operation.   Shaye Koester  19:28   Well, absolutely, you know, it is very valuable to have those people who are close to you kind of seeing some things, seeing some of the things but also having an outside look at your own place too. What would you say the future of ranching looks like then with these regenerative practices?   Steve Rhines  19:49   Well, we hope our goal is we get a new toolkit for where we're going to go I mean, we know for a fact. So before the call started you and I talked a little bit about working with Dr. Tom field at the University of Nebraska. He was an integral part of our discussions as we strategically planned and where should Noble fit and how does it relate to its history. One of the projects he asked for, that we asked him to do is to look into what's gonna compromise the viability of ranching in the United States as we look into the future. And he really came up with three points, and they're not magic to them. They're just once you hear them, you're like, yeah, I get that. And that's basically, soil productivity in the face of climate variability. The nation's or the producers level of debt, it's at an all-time high, it stretches across all agricultural sectors, it's not limited to ranching it, it is unbelievable. I believe it was in 2015 when we began to exceed $400 billion and it's only grown since 2015. And then the last, this lack of a pipeline, into the future of new people coming into ranching, coming into agriculture, to support this heritage industry for the United States. So if you begin to look at those three areas, any one of them is completely overwhelming, all three of them together is amazing. And so what our role is, is to begin to figure out, how is it that we can connect those dots begin to come up with a set of tools to manage the climate variability and soil productivity, to work on the economics of any operations to ensure that someone who wants to stay on the land can. But there's a second story to that, if I only make enough to get by year to year, what's the first thing I go after, and that's long-term thinking. So we know regenerative ranching, regenerative agriculture requires a long time, a long thought process, a long term planning process, we can't have operations live month to month, year to year, because they can't do that long term planning. And then that last piece really looks at that next generation. And it's the generation that's currently in university, it's also probably that next generation that that sets behind where you are in your own progress. And, and that is a generation that may have a connection to the land, but they also need to be thinking about ranching, or agriculture in a new light. And so as we see these new, and I hate to call them trends, because I think they're starting to eclipse trends, but localized food, knowing where my food comes from being comfortable with the idea that I not only know where it was raised but maybe where it was processed. And so as we get into those ideas, can we build an agricultural system behind that to support and help alleviate these three obstacles to the future of ranching viability?   Shaye Koester  23:02   Well, that was amazing to hear. And thank you for sharing that there was so much I value in that statement, especially when you do look at the long-term picture. And yes, making sure that we as producers are doing everything we can when we get to have a fully traceable product within the United States. So with that, you two have done a very good job answering all the questions I had, do you have anything else you would like to add? Whether that's about regenerative ranching, ranching in general or Noble?   Steve Rhines  23:35   I would just say that, and Hugh touched on it earlier. We don't pretend to believe that we're the only ones in this space. Just like agriculture, and just like I would, for the most part, I would say the nonprofit world that that Noble belongs to. It's an unbelievably generous space. And so we've worked really closely with Understanding Ag, Dr. Alan Williams, Gabe Brown, Doug Peterson, Shane, and a lot of those folks have poured into the Noble Research Institute and its employees that to help bring us along. We're also working with savory we're also working with Ranching for Profit. These people have really been the pioneers and in this space, and so we believe that we can complement them. There's a lot of things that Noble can do. A lot of the questions you raised are critical questions to the future of regenerative ranching. And that's the economics. That's the practices built on principles. And then mostly it's farmer and rancher education. We know for a fact that it's going to be a bit of a challenge because many of us grew up in a certain mindset on what ranching looks like, what my pasture should look like, what I do in May of every year, some of those are really big challenges to overcome but the burden is on Noble and these other organizations to continue to work ahead and help answer these questions for farmers and ranchers. Because for the most part, what we're working for is the underlying land. And a lot of people ask the question initially when we were making this transition, but the idea of how big is the grazing land challenge in the United States, 655 million acres, it's the single largest land use of anything in the United States. So when we talk about water quality, water quantity, almost every raindrop passes at one point or another across rangeland. So if we're not doing everything we can to sustain its health bring its health up, then we're missing an opportunity there with the waterside, new markets with regard to carbon, we're not going to explore those, but we should be incredibly versed and how that impacts farmers and ranchers in everything that we're doing, whether it is how you tend to the soil, or ultimately how you measure your progress is going to lend itself to that potential revenue source for farmers and ranchers in the future.   Hugh Aljoe  26:09   I think you know, when you look at Noble Research Institute, you know, research is in our name, you know, we are here to answer the producer questions. And that's what our objective is using our resources in order to make sure that we're always answering the questions that producers might have, helping them move toward a better, more regenerative state, as early and as quickly as possible. And through that, with financial soundness at the same time.   Shaye Koester  26:36   Well, thank you very much. I really appreciate everything you both had to offer and taking the time out of your day to be on the show.    Steve Rhines  26:44   Thank you.    Hugh Aljoe  26:45   It's been a pleasure. Thank you very much.    Shaye Koester  26:47   And that's a wrap on that one, folks. Thank you, again, for tuning in. If you got something out of this podcast episode that really hit home for you, or you maybe you have a deeper question that wasn't covered, please go drop that in the comment section of my social media posts. There's a post for this episode, as well as a post before it was published. And there will be a post a couple days after as well. So any of those options, please go drop that question or comment about the episode so that we can have a conversation about it, as well as bringing in the rest of my fans to see what we all think about that as we work to combat some of the challenges that we faced with ranching, or maybe trying to open each other's minds to new ideas and new methods. With that, thank you to Steven and Hugh, for sharing your stories and your expertise on this show. I know I really appreciated it. It really got my mind turning about maybe some things to change or what does the future of ranching really look like? So with that, thank you again, and thank you for listening, and I hope to catch you on the next one.    Red Angus Association of America  28:03   Profit. Repeat. With Red Angus genetics.  Red Angus, the industry's most-favored female, generates repeated profits for commercial cow-calf producers.  Independent research from a decade of data collection showed Red Angus-sired heifers commanded sixty-six dollars per head more than females of other breed types.  That's nearly five-thousand, three hundred dollars on a single load of replacement heifers. A true boost to profits on your operation!  Why are Red Angus females the most-favored? Their strong maternal characteristics and quiet dispositions top the list. They are also productive, low maintenance and efficient. In short, they do their job and do it well.  Visit RedAngus.org for more information on the industry's most-favored female.   Transcribed by https://otter.ai Resources:  https://redangus.org/   https://www.noble.org/about/?utm_term=%2Bnoble%20%2Bresearch%20%2Binstitute&utm_campaign=National+-+Consumer&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=7474336878&hsa_cam=10697792127&hsa_grp=106343093935&hsa_ad=454272569887&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-934911811908&hsa_kw=%2Bnoble%20%2Bresearch%20%2Binstitute&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=CjwKCAjwybyJBhBwEiwAvz4G7_mDkbwg-s5QPFhVGlfw_rY6I3HyyFSmJYZuLRT5aL5-ozPDThJ2sRoCoeoQAvD_BwE   Audio: https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/episodes Partner: https://forms.gle/VnkrkbfB3m4MFgip7 Patron: https://patron.podbean.com/casualcattleconversations Website: casualcattleconversations.com Cowboss Conversations: https://www.podbean.com/premium-podcast/cowbossconversations

Originally aired on March 3rd, 2021. This week on Insight Out, we're talking to Susan Cunningham, former executive VP at Noble Energy and current board member to several companies in the energy space.

Originally aired on July 22nd, 2020. The question on everyone's mind for Assaad is "What's going on with the first major M&A deal since the pandemic- Chevron and Noble Energy?" This episode is the first of an ongoing series where we will cover and dissect the latest mergers and acquisitions in the energy industry.

Equatorial Guinea is the third-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past few years, the government has been attracting investors to develop offshore natural gas resources. The country is home to unexploited gas reserves off the coast of Bioko Island. There is Alen gas field gas development project. First gas flow was in February 2021. The project is operated by Noble Energy. The company was acquired by Chevron in October 2020.

Aux États-Unis, la pandémie de Covid-19 pousse le secteur pétrolier, très affecté par la baisse des cours de l’or noir, à se consolider, avec un boom des fusions-acquisitions chez les producteurs de pétrole de schiste. Le ralentissement économique mondial, conséquence directe de la crise du Covid-19, a fortement fragilisé les producteurs d’or noir aux États-Unis, et plus particulièrement ceux de pétrole de schiste. La chute de la demande a provoqué une baisse des prix et de nombreuses entreprises du secteur sont dans le rouge et très endettées. En effet, ces dernières années, les producteurs de pétrole de schiste, surtout ceux de taille moyenne ont beaucoup emprunté pour pouvoir accroître leur activité. Cela a d’ailleurs permis aux États-Unis de devenir le premier producteur mondial d’or noir. Aujourd’hui, même si le cours du baril s’est stabilisé autour de 40 dollars sur les marchés, il ne permet pas aux producteurs de retrouver leur rentabilité d’avant crise. Fusions-acquisitions en série Dans ce contexte, plusieurs ont fait faillite, d’autres sont devenus la proie de plus grands qu’eux. Dernière opération en date : la compagnie pétrolière américaine Pioneer Natural Resources a annoncé en début de semaine son intention de racheter sa concurrente Parsley Energy pour 4,5 milliards de dollars. Une annonce qui arrive au lendemain d’une autre opération importante. Conoco Phillips a confirmé son intention de racheter Concho Resources, le géant américain de l’exploitation du pétrole de schiste. Montant de l’opération : 9,3 milliards de dollars. Le bal a été ouvert cet été avec l’achat de Noble Energy par Chevron, numéro deux du pétrole américain. L’objectif de ces fusions-acquisitions est de réduire les coûts de production et de mieux résister à la volatilité des cours. Mais c’est aussi l’occasion, comme à chaque période de crise, pour les grandes entreprises de faire de bonnes affaires en rachetant leurs concurrentes.

On this episode of Round the Rotary, Josh Hegg (Reservoir Engineer Manager: Permian Basin/Eagle Ford for Noble Energy) visits with us and tells us how he went from playing baseball at New Mexico State as a Chemical Engineer to switching to Colorado School of Mines and going after his Petroleum Engineer degree. He discusses what brought him to focus on his strengths and pick Reservoir Engineer as his main focus as it provided him with the big picture of operations. He goes into how his mentors in his previous roles has shaped him and challenged him to be where he is at today. He also discusses how being a mentor and lifting your team up and showcasing their work over his has helped his team achieve the results he strives for. He's excited for the future of the Oil & Gas industry and believes technology will drastically reshape to how we operate in our industry. He leaves us with the advice: focus on what you can control and stay active and utilize available tools to help you stay on top of your game.

In this week's episode, Sapienta Economics Director Fiona Mullen talks about the commercial aspects of natural gas with the East Mediterranean Editor of Middle East Economic Survey (MEES), Peter Stevenson. The recent bid by US energy giant Chevron to buy out Noble Energy - the lead company in the Cyprus Aphrodite and Israeli Leviathan and Tamar fields - has been challenged by the activist investor, Elliott Management. What is the difference between the two companies and what would either company's ownership mean for East Med gas development prospects?

In this week’s episode of the Periodical Podcast, your hosts Kevin and Tavis discuss how E&P mergers and acquisitions tend to strengthen physical positioning and induce an expanded asset portfolio, but often come with extra baggage in the form of outstanding debt. By investigating Occidental Petroleum’s acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum where the outstanding debt left the oil major struggling to keep their head above water, a prediction can be made regarding Chevron’s new acquisition of Noble Energy on whether or not the merger will be successful.

In this episode, in association with the EIC, the war of words has continued in the helicopter space with another contract going to fiercely competitive Babcock. While the company has remained silent about its winning ways, others vying for contracts have been less restrained. Babcock, if you're reading this, give Mark a call to explain.  Meanwhile, in Australia, a work commission has found in favour of a refinery worker who was sacked after his wife remixed a famous video of Hitler in his bunker with BP. While none of the EVOL team are lawyers, we do caution against comparing one's employer to a fascist dictator in his dying days.  Chevron set out its reasoning behind its acquisition of Noble Energy this week. The buyer's attention was first drawn to a stake in Israel's Leviathan field. While US companies have focused increasingly on domestic shale opportunities over the last few years, they may be starting to consider international properties that actually generate cash flow – albeit at a higher risk premium. Energy Voice helps organisations understand the geopolitical, economic and financial factors that underpin market events, and give you a view on what's coming over the horizon. As a listener to this podcast, you can get a free trial of energyvoice.com, giving you two weeks of unrestricted access to the latest crucial news and insight. The trial is entirely without obligation – we don't want your credit card, and there's no auto-enrolment at the end. 

In this episode of The Crude Report, a podcast series on global oil markets, we discuss Chevron’s $13bn acquisition of Noble Energy and what we’ve heard from other US oil companies regarding future M&A. Argus Americas Crude Deputy Editor Amanda Smith and Reporter Alex Endress outline Chevron and Noble’s seemingly complementary businesses and highlight what other US oil company CEOs have said regarding future M&A opportunities. 

Chevron’s $5 billion acquisition of Noble Energy got the oil and gas sector’s M&A juices flowing after one of the slowest periods for deals in recent memory. But it’s not likely to kick off a wave. On this week’s podcast, Energy Intelligence experts discuss how this deal fits in to Chevron’s broader strategy and what it might say about the industry’s current mindset when evaluating M&A today. Hosted by: Noah Brenner, Executive Editor, Operations, Abhi Rajendran, Director, Research and Advisory and Luke Johnson, Deputy Editor, Energy Intelligence Finance

Feel free to reach out with any questions or comments at theenergyweekly.com. Have a great week, thanks again. I always appreciate positive reviews if you listen via Apple Podcast, but the best way you can help the podcast grow is to send the podcast to friends, family and coworkers. Thanks for tuning in this week!

Chevron agreed on July 20, 2020, to acquire Noble Energy for $5 billion, or $10.38 per share. The announcement comes a bit more than a year after Chevron’s unsuccessful bid for Anadarko Petroleum, and will increase Chevron’s upstream presence in Global Gas and North America unconventionals. We discuss with IHS Markit experts the deal’s implications for the sector, and whether it signals a resurgence in Upstream M&A going forward.

“M&A has started to pick up. You saw a deal announced with Chevron buying Noble. We would expect to see more of those,” James West, senior managing director of Evercore ISI, says. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hartenergy/support

Markets rallied Monday. Plus, Chevron scoops up Noble Energy, Morgan Stanley’s climate change plan, and 17k Southwest employees sign up for buyouts, voluntary leave.

Today, Chris looks at how Jeff Bezos’ net worth is going up like an elevator and fortunes being repaired in US shale. **Topics discussed:** 1. The billionaire-abolishment debate returns with Bezos’ net worth rising 2. Chevron acquires Noble... Today, Chris looks at how Jeff Bezos’ net worth is going up like an elevator and fortunes being repaired in US shale. Topics discussed: The billionaire-abolishment debate returns with Bezos’ net worth rising Chevron acquires Noble Energy in shale fightback Links mentioned in this episode: invstr.com/billionaires-what-are-they-good-for invstr.com/shale-looks-up-not-down

Carl Quintanilla and Jim Cramer discuss the surge in coronavirus cases across the U.S. A busy data morning on possible vaccines as Pfizer-BioNTech’s potential coronavirus vaccine shows promise after releasing additional data. Plus, Oxford University’s coronavirus vaccine with AstraZeneca showing positive immune responses in its early trial. Shares of Moderna in focus after J.P. Morgan downgraded the drug maker’s stock to “neutral” from “overweight” in a valuation call, given the stock’s nearly fivefold gain year-to-date. Facebook CEO Zuckerberg says he has no deal with President Trump in an interview with Axios. Zuckerberg saying, "I’ve heard this speculation, too, so let me be clear: There's no deal of any kind… Actually, the whole idea of a deal is pretty ridiculous. I do speak with the president from time to time, just like I spoke with our last president and political leaders around the world.” Plus, Chevron CEO Michael Wirth, joins Jim and Carl to discuss his company’s $5 billion dollar deal with Noble Energy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chevron buys Noble Energy in an all-stock deal worth more than $12 billion. eBay reportedly closes in on a deal to sell its classified ads business, but what will the final price tag be? Do investors have an opportunity with “affordable luxury” brands like Tapestry and EssilorLuxottica? Bill Barker analyzes those stories and discusses the long-awaited Opening Day for Major League Baseball.

Stocks rise; oil deal is first since pandemic started; egg demand jumps

C’est la première fusion de taille depuis le début de l’année dans l’industrie pétrolière. Le géant américain Chevron rachète Noble Energy, une compagnie indépendante américaine mise à mal par la crise du Covid-19. L’heure des bonnes affaires a sonné pour les compagnies pétrolières américaines les plus solides, telles que Chevron. La major basée en Californie est valorisée à 163 milliards de dollars. Elle a conservé un équilibre financier robuste malgré la crise du Covid-19 qui a fait chuter les prix du pétrole américain en dessous de zéro en avril dernier. C’est le bon moment pour faire l’acquisition d’une autre société plus fragile, comme Noble Energy. La compagnie indépendante basée à Houston a fait beaucoup de découvertes au cours des vingt dernières années, mais elle est endettée. Chevron la rachète pour 5 milliards de dollars, 13 milliards de dollars si l’on inclut sa dette. Actifs stratégiques aux États-Unis, en Méditerranée orientale et en Afrique Chevron augmente ainsi ses réserves dans des zones stratégiques. D’abord le bassin de Denver, dans le Colorado, et le bassin permien au Texas et au Nouveau-Mexique, là où le pétrole de schiste américain est le plus rentable à produire étant donné la géologie, à l’origine du miracle pétrolier américain. Noble est aussi présente dans le gaz, avec le gisement le plus important de Méditerranée orientale, Leviathan, qui a commencé à produire l’an dernier au large d’Israël. Enfin le géant américain Chevron met la main sur le pétrole et le gaz du bassin de Douala, au large de la Guinée Équatoriale et du Cameroun. Une augmentation de 18% des réserves prouvées de Chevron, pour un prix moyen équivalent à 5 dollars le baril. Une affaire, puisque même déprimé, le baril se vend 40 dollars aujourd’hui. Revanche après l’échec du rachat d’Anadarko La major américaine se console ainsi d’avoir manqué le rachat d’Anadarko et de ses actifs de premier plan dans le bassin permien et en Afrique, l’an dernier. Occidental Petroleum l’avait emporté, pour un prix autrement plus élevé, 38 milliards de dollars. Mais le pétrole valait aussi près de deux fois plus cher.

Chevron to buy Noble Energy in $13B stock and debt deal Chevron has agreed to buy hydrocarbon exploration firm, Noble Energy, for 13-billion dollars, including debt. The acquisition marks the oil and gas industry's first major deal since the coronavirus pandemic sent oil prices plunging. It comes more than a year after Chevron pulled-out of a bidding war with Occidental Petroleum to buy Anadarko. Synairgen shares skyrocket on COVID-19 treatment hopes Shares in Synairgen jumped as much as 400-percent, after the pharmaceutical company said the trial of its experimental COVID-19 drug showed positive results. The firm said the drug - called SNG 001 - lowered the risk of developing severe forms of the illness by 79-percent, compared to a placebo. The results of the study are still awaiting peer review and publication. Renault's first-half sales fall 35% to 1.25M vehicles Renault has reported a sharp drop in vehicle sales in the first half of the year, as pandemic-related measures hammered demand for cars. The French automaker sold around 1-point-25 million vehicles in the first six months, down 35-percent from a year ago. But the company says it saw a recovery in the European market in June after lockdowns were lifted.

We were able to sit down with Olivier Thierry, Chief Marketing Officer, Quorum Software, Dan Genovese, Director, Consulting Services, EnerCom and Stu Turley, Director and Publisher 360. While the meeting was held following the social distancing guide lines over a Zoom conference call. We had an expert driven discussion that could solve huge business processes for almost any size oil company. Olivier guides us through the solutions they are currently  implementing in large corporations. The investors and the market conditions are demanding to lower CapEx and improve efficiencies, and the Quorum team has many large success stories.  Some of their clients include: Cheveron, OXY, AltaGas, Third Coast Midstream, Devon, Enbridge, EQT, Noble Energy, and Keyera. Stay to the end of the interview, we offer our personal opinions, and a solution to the oil crisis. This solution would protect our oil and gas industry, which is a major national security concern. (Hint: The North American Petroleum Exporting Countries (NAPEC). We recommend to also to include South America. This would balance against the Russia - Saudi and OPEC problems causing the world oil crisis.

Douglas Gimple sits down with Blake Haxton to discuss the current state of the Oil industry. Blake Haxton has been a member of the Diamond Hill team since 2016 and covers both energy and airlines at the firm. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and also is a graduate of the Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University. Blake has also passed all three levels of the CFA Program. This material is for informational purposes and is prepared by Diamond Hill Capital Management. The opinions expressed are as of the date of publication and are subject to change. These opinions are not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results, or investment advice. Reliance upon this information is at the sole discretion of the listener. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal. As of August 31, 2019, Diamond Hill owned shares of Noble Energy.

In this episode, Justin sits with Alex Cernoch to discuss his journey in the Oil and Gas Industry to his current role as Senior Drilling Engineer at Noble Energy. Reach out to Alex and learn more about Noble Energy. The Sunday Scaries Podcast: http://www.sunday-scaries.com/  KTX Fit Website: https://.ktx.fit Leave a Review Enjoy listening? Support the show by leaving a review in iTunes. Sign Up and Win Click here to sign up to win a mini projector from Tendeka! Monthly Happy Hour Oil & Gas Global Network is hosting a happy hour on April 30th, from 6-9 PM. This month's happy hour is brought to you by Cresa, HEB and Karbach Brewery. Cresa's Oil & Gas Practice Group provides occupier-only corporate real estate consulting to companies associated with the oil and gas industry, providing superior service and unique insight throughout the world's exploration areas. With a collective team experience of over 150 years and more than 10 million square feet of completed assignments, Cresa's agile team can help guide companies ranging from start-ups to super majors in all of their real estate needs, advising clients from site selection and acquisition through workplace strategy, construction and logistics analysis. Learn more at www.cresa.com. Karbach- OGGN's official drink sponsor. Bringing you Texas-brewed beer! Find out about their beer here. H-E-B- OGGN's official food sponsor. Find out more here. OGGN is always accepting Happy Hour sponsors.  If you would like to get your company in front of our large young, professional audience, reach out to our Project Coordinator, Julie McLelland by e-mail. OGGN Announcements We are excited to announce we are launching a brand new podcast, Permian Perspective sponsored by BHGE. Join us for a launch party and kick-off to the Permian Basin Happy Hours! The launch party will be on April 23rd, 6 PM at Midland Beer Gardens. RSVP here! Upcoming Events 2019 SPE-GCS Annual Golf Tournament When: April 8th, 2019 Where: Houston, TX Dress: Casual The annual SPE-GCS Golf Tournament is in its 46th year, and is one of the SPE Gulf Coast Section's most important fundraisers. Come out to the beautiful courses of Kingwood and Deerwood Country Clubs and enjoy a great day of golf in support of scholarships for young engineers embarking on the adventure of an oilfield career – not to mention the wonderful food provided out on the course by our fabulous oilfield cook teams! Houston Professional Petroleum Data Expo When: April 9-10th, 2019 Where: Houston, TX Dress: Business to business casual Join us for two days of learning, engaging and connecting with others in our industry. Attend presentations, interactive activities, discussions and more on our five stages and learn from our Sponsors and Exhibitors about the latest in Petroleum Data. More Oil and Gas Global Network Podcasts Oil and Gas This Week Podcast | Oil and Gas HS&E Podcast | Oil and Gas Startups Podcast Engage with Oil and Gas Global Network LinkedIn Group | Facebook | modalpoint | Lean Oilfield | WellHub Connect with Justin Gautier LinkedIn | Twitter | E-Mail | Oil and Gas Global Network Permian Drilling and Fluffy Dusters with Senior Drilling Engineer Alex Cernoch on Oil and Gas Onshore - OGOS015

Wesley Dopkins Product Evangelist at ELO Digital Office joins Kevin Craine to discuss how organizations are planning for and implementing systems that make a difference in the age of digital transformation, and what Wesley sees as the most important innovations and opportunities in IIM today. Also, Rich Tolbert, Director of Enterprise eContent and Records Management for Noble Energy joins us as part of our continuing I Am AIIM series of interviews to discuss IIM in the the oil and gas industry. 

In this episode, Justin sits with Alex Cernoch to discuss his journey in the Oil and Gas Industry to his current role as Senior Drilling Engineer at Noble Energy. Reach out to Alex and learn more about Noble Energy. The Sunday Scaries Podcast: http://www.sunday-scaries.com/  KTX Fit Website: https://.ktx.fit Leave a Review Enjoy listening? Support the show by leaving a review in iTunes. Sign Up and Win Click here to sign up to win a mini projector from Tendeka! Monthly Happy Hour Oil & Gas Global Network is hosting a happy hour on April 30th, from 6-9 PM. This month's happy hour is brought to you by Cresa, HEB and Karbach Brewery. Cresa’s Oil & Gas Practice Group provides occupier-only corporate real estate consulting to companies associated with the oil and gas industry, providing superior service and unique insight throughout the world’s exploration areas. With a collective team experience of over 150 years and more than 10 million square feet of completed assignments, Cresa’s agile team can help guide companies ranging from start-ups to super majors in all of their real estate needs, advising clients from site selection and acquisition through workplace strategy, construction and logistics analysis. Learn more at www.cresa.com. Karbach- OGGN's official drink sponsor. Bringing you Texas-brewed beer! Find out about their beer here. H-E-B- OGGN's official food sponsor. Find out more here. OGGN is always accepting Happy Hour sponsors.  If you would like to get your company in front of our large young, professional audience, reach out to our Project Coordinator, Julie McLelland by e-mail. OGGN Announcements We are excited to announce we are launching a brand new podcast, Permian Perspective sponsored by BHGE. Join us for a launch party and kick-off to the Permian Basin Happy Hours! The launch party will be on April 23rd, 6 PM at Midland Beer Gardens. RSVP here! Upcoming Events 2019 SPE-GCS Annual Golf Tournament When: April 8th, 2019 Where: Houston, TX Dress: Casual The annual SPE-GCS Golf Tournament is in its 46th year, and is one of the SPE Gulf Coast Section’s most important fundraisers. Come out to the beautiful courses of Kingwood and Deerwood Country Clubs and enjoy a great day of golf in support of scholarships for young engineers embarking on the adventure of an oilfield career – not to mention the wonderful food provided out on the course by our fabulous oilfield cook teams! Houston Professional Petroleum Data Expo When: April 9-10th, 2019 Where: Houston, TX Dress: Business to business casual Join us for two days of learning, engaging and connecting with others in our industry. Attend presentations, interactive activities, discussions and more on our five stages and learn from our Sponsors and Exhibitors about the latest in Petroleum Data. More Oil and Gas Global Network Podcasts Oil and Gas This Week Podcast | Oil and Gas HS&E Podcast | Oil and Gas Startups Podcast Engage with Oil and Gas Global Network LinkedIn Group | Facebook | modalpoint | Lean Oilfield | WellHub Connect with Justin Gautier LinkedIn | Twitter | E-Mail | Oil and Gas Global Network Permian Drilling and Fluffy Dusters with Senior Drilling Engineer Alex Cernoch on Oil and Gas Onshore - OGOS015

Digging Deeper with Susan Cunningham, advisor for Darcy Partners, formerly Executive Vice President for Noble Energy and 2018-2019 AAPG-AAPG Foundation Distinguished Lecturer. https://www.aapg.org/podcast/episode/articleid/51857

1. Allarme in America2. Gas israelo-americano in Egitto: qui prodest?15 miliardi di dollari: questa la cifra in ballo di una bozza di accordo pubblicato a febbraio di quest'anno, per l'esportazione di gas israeliano da qui ai prossimi dieci anni a favore di una compagnia egiziana. Protagonisti: da una parte, la israeliana Delek Drilling, che gestisce i giacimenti Tamar e Leviathan - scoperti nel 2009/2010 - assieme alla texana Noble Energy e che controlla l'unico gasdotto fra Israele ed Egitto; dall'altra l'egiziana Dolphinus Holdings. Tel Aviv affretta le trattative. Ma Il Cairo ha una fornitura sufficiente per la domanda interna. Lo confermano gli esperti sia israeliani che egiziani. In più c’è la recente scoperta nel Sinai (con l’apporto dell’ENI; di nuovi giacimenti dopo quello di Zohr del 2015, già funzionante da dicembre dell'anno scorso. Cipro e Libano hanno scoperto giacimenti off-shore. Insomma, Tel Aviv rischia di riempirsi di tonnellate di gas invenduto dopo avere investito 3.75 miliardi di dollari nel progetto Leviathan, oltre ai 200 milioni investiti dagli azionisti nel gasdotto. Al Sisi sembra più interessato per ragioni politiche che economiche. Sul piatto, oltre a quelli commerciali, ci sono delicati equilibri politici e militari. 3. Putin-Trump: la nuova strategia verso i rifugiati sirianiFra gli argomenti toccati da Trump e Putin nella conferenza stampa congiunta dopo il summit di Helsinky, anche la questione dei rifugiati siriani. I due hanno concordato di lavorare assieme per far rientrare in patria milioni di rifugiati che si trovano attualmente in Libano o in Turchia. "Non dovremmo aspettare che si muovano verso destinazioni europee" ha affermato il leader del Cremlino "bisogna creare le condizioni per il loro ritorno". Mosca vuol fare un favore all’Unione Europea mentre decide di mantenere le sanzioni alla Russia. Il successo di Putin nel summit con Trump offre alla Russia la possibilità di mostrare un volto benigno. Il ministro della difesa russo Shoigu aveva accusato Washington, qualche giorno di "non aver speso un centesimo per la popolazione civile siriana".4.Londra vuole conquistare il mercato aereo militareLa Gran Bretagna giura di assumere un ruolo guida nella produzione di cacciabombardieri di sesta generazione, con il nuovo prototipo Tempest. Presentato dal Ministro della Difesa Gavin Williamson alla Fiera Aereonautica internazionale di Farnborough, si caratterizza per due motori gemelli, la capacita' di portare missili ipersonici e di controllare flotte di droni. Alta tecnologia cyber per rilanciare l’industria bellica, lesionata dall’incognita Brexit. Da non trascurare che un anno fa la Gran Bretagna è stata espulsa, da Francia e Germania, dal progetto di costruzione dell'Eurofighter. Tuttavia molte incertezze sono all’orizzonte. Ci vorranno sei anni prima di vedere prove concrete.

1. Allarme in America2. Gas israelo-americano in Egitto: qui prodest?15 miliardi di dollari: questa la cifra in ballo di una bozza di accordo pubblicato a febbraio di quest'anno, per l'esportazione di gas israeliano da qui ai prossimi dieci anni a favore di una compagnia egiziana. Protagonisti: da una parte, la israeliana Delek Drilling, che gestisce i giacimenti Tamar e Leviathan - scoperti nel 2009/2010 - assieme alla texana Noble Energy e che controlla l'unico gasdotto fra Israele ed Egitto; dall'altra l'egiziana Dolphinus Holdings. Tel Aviv affretta le trattative. Ma Il Cairo ha una fornitura sufficiente per la domanda interna. Lo confermano gli esperti sia israeliani che egiziani. In più c’è la recente scoperta nel Sinai (con l’apporto dell’ENI; di nuovi giacimenti dopo quello di Zohr del 2015, già funzionante da dicembre dell'anno scorso. Cipro e Libano hanno scoperto giacimenti off-shore. Insomma, Tel Aviv rischia di riempirsi di tonnellate di gas invenduto dopo avere investito 3.75 miliardi di dollari nel progetto Leviathan, oltre ai 200 milioni investiti dagli azionisti nel gasdotto. Al Sisi sembra più interessato per ragioni politiche che economiche. Sul piatto, oltre a quelli commerciali, ci sono delicati equilibri politici e militari. 3. Putin-Trump: la nuova strategia verso i rifugiati sirianiFra gli argomenti toccati da Trump e Putin nella conferenza stampa congiunta dopo il summit di Helsinky, anche la questione dei rifugiati siriani. I due hanno concordato di lavorare assieme per far rientrare in patria milioni di rifugiati che si trovano attualmente in Libano o in Turchia. "Non dovremmo aspettare che si muovano verso destinazioni europee" ha affermato il leader del Cremlino "bisogna creare le condizioni per il loro ritorno". Mosca vuol fare un favore all’Unione Europea mentre decide di mantenere le sanzioni alla Russia. Il successo di Putin nel summit con Trump offre alla Russia la possibilità di mostrare un volto benigno. Il ministro della difesa russo Shoigu aveva accusato Washington, qualche giorno di "non aver speso un centesimo per la popolazione civile siriana".4.Londra vuole conquistare il mercato aereo militareLa Gran Bretagna giura di assumere un ruolo guida nella produzione di cacciabombardieri di sesta generazione, con il nuovo prototipo Tempest. Presentato dal Ministro della Difesa Gavin Williamson alla Fiera Aereonautica internazionale di Farnborough, si caratterizza per due motori gemelli, la capacita' di portare missili ipersonici e di controllare flotte di droni. Alta tecnologia cyber per rilanciare l’industria bellica, lesionata dall’incognita Brexit. Da non trascurare che un anno fa la Gran Bretagna è stata espulsa, da Francia e Germania, dal progetto di costruzione dell'Eurofighter. Tuttavia molte incertezze sono all’orizzonte. Ci vorranno sei anni prima di vedere prove concrete.

For Laura Love of GroundFloor Media, transforming a business starts with strategic communication. She likes to think of her and her team as storytellers, and how they tell a company or an organization’s story depends on the audiences they want to reach and the tools that they have in their arsenal.  They can tell that story through video, by talking to the media, or by putting that CEO on a panel and having them tell the rest of the world what they do. The point is to make the impact and create brand awareness for the company. On the flip side of that, a big part of their agency is focused on crisis and issues management, which means keeping a company out of the news, or minimizing the impact of something that could be perceived as something negative that they have to face. Laura shares her thoughts on how they handle everything, from media relations to thought leadership to crisis and issues management. Listen to the podcast: Laura Love GroundFloor Media Founder, Synthesizing Strategic Communications, Digital & Social Media Strategy, Crisis Communication & Reputation Management We’re incredibly fortunate. We have Laura Love who’s a guest on the podcast. She is the Founder of (https://meetatct.com/) . Laura, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for having me. Tell us a little bit about your business and who you serve. GroundFloor Media is a strategic communications company that I started sixteen years ago in my basement in Boulder, Colorado. On that side of the agency, we handle everything from media relations to thought leadership to crisis and issues management. Our clients range from everyone from Children’s Hospital of Colorado to Noble Energy to Tennyson Center for Children. Our sister agency is an agency that we started about a year and a half ago, and the name of that agency is CenterTable. That’s the digital arm of what we do on the communications side. I’m familiar little bit with some of the entities that you described. We have some level of common ground. Both of us have spent a little time back in Tennessee. You at Vandy and me as a wannabe Vandy yet at the time. Segueing a little bit and looking about what you do within your agency, and folks get confused when they hear about what you do. When you’re working with a client, what types of things do you bring to the table for your client that moves their needle or causes a transformation for their business? It’s funny that I’ve been doing this for a long time now and my parents still don’t know what I do. What we like to say is that we’re storytellers. How we tell a company or an organization’s story depends on the audiences they want to reach and the tools that they have in their arsenal. If a company comes to us, they have a challenge. They want to launch a new product. We can tell that story through video; we can tell it by talking to the media, we can tell it by putting that CEO on a panel and having them tell the rest of the world what they do. The tools that we have to help shape that story and share it have grown since even I started the agency sixteen years ago. The point is to make the impact and create brand awareness for our company. On the flip side of that, a big part of our agency is focused on crisis and issues management. Sometimes, it’s keeping a company out of the news, or minimizing the impact of something that could be perceived as something negative that they have to face. I think about a typical business owner, and most business owners are looking for more clients, more revenue. What’s the most common question, desire or misunderstanding that you hear from a new customer to your firm? Our favorite one used to be, “How soon can you get us on Oprah?” That’s usually when we exit stage left. The misconception is that public relations equal sales and that isn’t always the case. It certainly can help,...

Fieldwood Energy uses prepack to cut debt by USD 525m, acquire Noble Energy deepwater assets by Debtwire Radio

In this episode, Paige sits with JoAnn Meyer to discuss her journey in the Oil and Gas Industry from the very beginning of her career as a Roustabout, to her current role as the Founder of Previse Consulting. A Petroleum Engineer, JoAnn has spent almost three decades with major and large independent exploration and producing companies, managing high profile projects and upstream field operations. Reach out to JoAnn by e-mail and learn more about Previse Consulting. Bulwark has a Winner! Matt Layman, GIS Analyst at Noble Energy, you're this week's winner! Congratulations and enjoy! Sign Up and Win! For a chance to win a $200 gift card from The Capital Grille, visit www.bulwark.com/podcast, enter your information every week and listen to see if you're the next to get that steak dinner! On the Road 2017 Travel Sponsors Lee Hect Harrison are the global experts in talent management currently helping over 75% of the Fortune 500 oil and gas companies simplify the complexity of leadership and workforce transformation. Totaland, the World's Most Advanced Field Land Management System: The Landman's Virtual Office. Oil and Gas Global Network Podcasts Oil and Gas Global Network | Oil and Gas This Week Podcast | Oil and Gas HS&E Podcast Engage with Oil and Gas Global Network LinkedIn Group | Facebook Connect with Paige Paige Wilson | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | E-Mail | Oil and Gas Global Network

Another episode of the Cameron-Brooks Podcast!  In this episode, I interview Joe Dowdy, former Army Helicopter Pilot, and now a Senior Financial Analyst with Noble Energy.  Joe shares his keys to making a successful military to business transition, and why he waited to get his MBA after the military while working at Noble Energy. Just a heads up, Joe is smart person.  Some of his finance explanations are pretty heady, but hang with the podcast as he offers a lot of great advice. Joel Junker

Adm. Ami Ayalon, Adm. Shaul Chorev, Seth Cropsey, Doug Feith and Adm. Gary Roughead discuss the Commission on the Eastern Mediterranean's report.

Adm. Ami Ayalon, Adm. Shaul Chorev, Seth Cropsey, Doug Feith and Adm. Gary Roughead discuss the Commission on the Eastern Mediterranean's report.

Environmentalists bring a comedy of errors to Boston Harbor LNG prices, Kinder Morgan invents CO2 oil recovery, and Pokemon are on earth! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW Bulwark Has A Winner! Matt Laymen, GIS Analyst at Noble Energy.

Since May, thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to protest what they are calling "the gas robbery": the government deal with multinational Noble Energy and the Israeli Delek Group which protesters claim monopolises the companies' control of Israel's natural gas. In this podcast, NIF's Kalela Lancaster speaks to Alon Visser, one of the leaders of the protests, about how they are linked to the social protests of 2011 and how the gas deal has become a big issue for Israeli democracy.

This week we saw two big buys with Noble Energy buying Rosetta Resources and Williams Companies buying out its subsidiary. Is this a signal that the merger and acquisition wave might actually happen? Taylor Muckerman and Tyler Crowe break down these deals and give some insight as to why the merger wave is taking so long and how these deals could shape the future landscape. 

Wayfair.com is growing, but Wall Street seems unimpressed. Noble Energy buys Rosetta Resources for $3.7 billion, but only one stock rises on the news.  Plus we dip into the Fool Mailbag to discuss REIT investing and how quickly driverless semi-trucks will destroy us all.

Options Oddities 45: NBL, COH, GT Unusual Activity for October 13, 2014: Bears on a roll in Noble Energy, Inc. (NBL) Buy-write trading in Coach Inc (COH) Big call purchase in Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (GT)

This episode highlights the bills that passed the House of Representatives in March, including a bill that allows toxic mountaintop removal waste to be dumped in streams, a bill that skips environmental reviews for new nuclear power plants, a bill that wasn't meant to become law but could screw over every government employee if it did, a bill that prevents the government from managing water rights, multiple bills to chip away at ObamaCare, and more. Bills Presented in This Episode Every one of these bills passed the House of Representatives in March, 2014 and is now awaiting action in the Senate. HR 311: “Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act” FUELS Act Sponsored by Rep. Eric “Rick” Crawford of Arkansas Relaxes the EPA rule that requires farms install spill prevention equipment if they store oil on their properties. This bill became law as part of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act, although with different numbers. The previous law said that a farm would need to install spill prevention equipment if they stored more than 1,320 gallons of oil on their property and would have to have that equipment inspected and certified by an engineer if they stored more than 10,000 gallons of oil. The new law says that the farm must get oil spill prevention equipment if they store more than 6,000 gallons of oil on their property and must have that equipment inspected and certified by an engineer if they have over 20,000 gallons of oil. H.R. 311 would have allowed farms to store up to 42,000 gallons of oil before they would have to have oil spill prevention equipment installed and certified by and engineer. The author of H.R. 311 was Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas; he has taken over $278,000 from the crop production and basic processing industry. H.R. 938: United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 Sponsored by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida Would add Israel to a list of countries that gets approved faster for weapons shipments from the United States. Title II: Takes a $2 million a year grant program for renewable energy research and development and shifts its money towards natural gas. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's top contributor is the "Pro-Israel" lobby, which has given her over $893,000. The bill passed 410-1. Additional Information: Analysis: Israeli natural gas fields hold big promise for Noble Energy, Reuters, February 10, 2014. HR 1459: Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act Sponsored by Rob Bishop of Utah Changes the rules for creating a National Monument. Requires environmental reviews of proposed National Monuments. The President can only create one National Monument per state per term; any additional National Monument declarations must be created by Congress. Rep. Rob Bishop’s campaign’s top contributing industry for the upcoming election is the oil and gas industry, which has given him $22,000. In total, the oil and gas industry has given Rep. Rob Bishop over $150,000. Another industry that benefits from this bill is real estate, Rep. Rob Bishop's fourth most generous contributing industry, which has given him over $100,000. This bill had the closest vote of the month, passing 222-201. HR 1814: Equitable Access to Health and Care Act (EACH Act) Sponsored by Aaron Schock of Illinois On Monday, June 30, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations can pick and choose what is included in their employee’s health coverage, so long as they say that that coverage is against the owners' religion. This ruling means that H.R. 1814 would have far wider implications than originally intended if it were to become law. HR 1814 let’s people get out of buying health insurance entirely if they say their “sincerely held religious beliefs” say they can’t get medical care. If someone went to the doctor that year voluntarily, the exemption would be nullified. There’s no penalty for lying. After the Supreme Court decision, if H.R. 1814 were to become law, corporations might be able to get out of providing for their employees by claiming that doing so is against their religion. The bill passed overwhelmingly in March, without a recorded vote, but it's future now looks bleak in the Senate. H.R. 2641: Responsibly and Professionally Invigorating Development Act (RAPID Act) Sponsored by Rep. Tom Marino of Pennsylvania Prohibits more than one environmental impact statement and one environmental assessment per project. Allows the company applying for a permit to conduct that environmental review. Lets the Federal government, at the company’s request, accept an environmental analysis that was prepared under State laws; the State laws have to be “substantially equivalent to NEPA” - not entirely, meaning that the Federal government can accept environmental studies that are not as stringent as NEPA. The Federal government can use the environmental analysis of a completely different but similar project in “geographical proximity” that was prepared within the last five years. “Geographical proximity” is not defined. All project reviews must be done at the same time. If other agencies are supposed to be involved in the environmental study process. they will have 30 days to respond to the lead agency or forever hold their peace. The other agencies won’t be allowed to participate or even submit comments if they didn’t respond in those first 30 days. Once a project schedule has been created, the lead agency is not allowed to respond to or include any NEPA document, comment, or new information that was submitted outside the time allotted for environmental analysis in the schedule. Sets time limits for environmental impact statements and public comment periods. If the lead agency doesn’t meet these deadlines, the permit is deemed approved. The permit can not be reversed by any agency or the courts. Bars judicial review of Federal permits, with a few narrow exceptions Representatives Quoted in This Segment (in order of appearance): Rep. Tom Marino of Pennsylvania Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas HR 2824: Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America Sponsored by Bill Johnson of Ohio Forces the States to comply with a rule that allows the waste from mountaintop removal for coal mining operations to be dumped into rivers and streams. The rule was implemented in the last days of the Bush Administration and was recently thrown out by the courts because it didn't comply with the Endangered Species Act. Bill Johnson, the author of this gift to the coal industry, has taken over $200,000 from the mining industry. The bill passed 229-192. Representatives Quoted in This Segment (in order of appearance): Rep. Rush Holt of New Jersey Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio Rep. Alan Lowenthal of California HR 3189: Water Rights Protection Act Sponsored by Rep. Scott Tipton of Colorado This bill prohibits the Federal government from requiring companies operating on public land to turn over their water rights as a part of their lease renewals. The bill was written to settle a dispute over a Forest Service directive that would have required ski resorts operating on public land to turn over their water rights to the government in order to keep operating on public land. The Forest Service had already retracted that directive at the time this bill passed. The bill however, would prohibit the entire Department of Agriculture and the entire Department of the Interior from requiring the relinquishment of water rights as part of a permit to operate on public land, meaning the bill would effect far more than just ski resorts. The bill passed 238-174. No Republicans voted against it. Witnesses quoted from the House Natural Resources Committee's Subcommittee on Water and Power's hearing from October 10, 2013 (in order of appearance): Tony Willardson, Executive Director of the Western States Water Council David Corbin, Vice President of the Aspen Skiing Company Glenn Porzak, Attorney for the National Ski Areas Association Representatives Quoted in This Segment (in order of appearance): Rep. Grace Napolitano of California HR 3826: Electricity Security and Affordability Act Sponsored by Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky The EPA will be not be allowed to enact any standard on fossil fuel powered electric utilities that regulates emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and a few other gases unless at least 6 utilities have already been meeting the standard for over a year; no results of demonstration projects can be included. Prohibits some specific proposed EPA rules from ever going into effect. Rules enacted by the EPA to set emission standards on fossil fuel utilities can’t go into effect until Congress passes a Federal law to set the enactment date. Ed Whitfield’s second highest contributor over the course of his career has been electric utilities; he’s taken over $614,000 from them. Electric utilities are his top contributor for the upcoming 2014 election; he’s taken over $157,000 and counting for this election alone. Ed Whitfield has also taken almost half a million over the course of his career from the oil and gas industry, over $100,000 of that for this upcoming election. The bill passed 229-183. HR 4015: SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 Sponsored by Michael Burgess of Texas This bill repeals the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) method of paying doctors who treat Medicare patients. The SGR rate ties the doctors' payments to the growth of the economy, which has short changed the doctors as medical costs have risen and the economy has remained flat. In it’s place, HR 4015 establishes what they call a “merit-based incentive payment system” that would come into effect on January 1, 2018. It creates a complicated system of scoring doctors based on their performance. Section 10, however, waives the tax penalty for not buying health insurance until 2019. This provision will kill the bill in the Senate. The bill passed 238-181. No Republicans voted against it. HR 4118: SIMPLE Fairness Act Sponsored by Rep. Lynn Jenkins of Kansas Delays the tax penalty assessed if you fail to buy health insurance for one year. The Congressional Budget Office determined that the result will be that one million fewer Americans sign up for health insurance over the next few years, with half of those being poor people eligible for Federal subsidies. The government would save a few billion over the next ten years, therefore, by not giving health insurance to poor people. Rep. Lynn Jenkins top five contributing industries include both health professionals and insurance. She’s taken over $300,000 from both. Representatives Quoted in This Segment (in order of appearance): Rep. Lynn Jenkins of Kansas Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington HR 4138: ENFORCE the Law Act of 2014 Sponsored by Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina Allows the House of Representatives, the Senate, or the Congress as a whole to to “bring civil action” against another part of the government if Congress doesn’t think that part of the government is “faithfully executing the law” Allows either part of Congress to sue over the actions of the Executive branch, any department or agency or “any other officer or employee” of the United States for formal or informal policies, practices or procedures. Before Congress can file these civil suits, Congress needs to pass a resolution. After the lawsuit is filed in a district court, the rules are that the lawsuit will be heard by a three-judge court and their decision can only be appealed directly to the Supreme Court. This bill was presented as a solution to the "problem" of an Executive Branch that refuses to enforce the law. This bill, however, is so broadly and carelessly written that it appears to allow Congress to sue any part of the government, individual employees included, if Congress determines they have not "faithfully executed the law." [caption id="attachment_1453" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Stars of the "President Obama Sucks" montage[/caption] The only clear winners if this bill became law are the lawyers who would get to argue these civil cases. The author of the bill, Rep. Trey Gowdy, is a lawyer. Trey Gowdy’s most generous contributing industry are lawyers and law firms, which have given him over $188,000 during his two terms in Congress. The bill passed 233-181, with the support of every, single Republican. It stands no chance in the Senate. Representatives Quoted in This Segment (in order of appearance): Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia Rep. Martha Roby of Alabama Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina Rep. Richard Nugent of Florida Rep. Ted Poe of Texas Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts Ignored Subpoena Rep. Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania informed the House of Representatives that he is not going to comply with a subpoena. It's not clear exactly what the subpoena was for but he has been under Federal investigation for various improprieties since 2007. Additional Information: Pennsylvania Rep. Chaka Fattah vows to fight federal subpoena, Washington Times, March 13, 2014. Music Presented in This Episode March of the Pigs by A Thousand Suns (found on Music Alley by mevio) Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)