Dr. Lee Schipper shared his insight about the impacts of climate change and carbon policies on the transportation sector during Hart Energy Publishing’s Oct. 6 Webinar.

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Environment and Public Works Committee chair, and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, released a draft bill Sept. 30 designed to form a framework for the Senate’s version of climate change legislation.

Power plants and refineries would face new controls on greenhouse emissions under a newly proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule.

Refining industry experts discussed the impacts of carbon legislation on their sector during Hart Energy Publishing’s Sept. 29 Webinar.

The American Petroleum Institute released a statement from API President Jack Gerard on the draft climate change bill that U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) announced on Sept. 30.

NPRA cites it concerns on the EPA’s proposed changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard. One of the main concerns is that parties obligated to the changes should not be put in a position of being forced to carry deficits forward.

To address the increasing issues developing around alternative fuels and the vehicles that run on them, the International Fuel Quality Center has launched the Alternative Fuels Service (AFS).

Leaders attending the recent Group of 20 economic summit in Pittsburgh agreed to gradually eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, but specifics on how countries should phase out incentives were vague.

While the idea of converting diesel fuel from a liquid to a supercritical state to cut emissions and boost efficiency is not new, Syracuse University researchers believe they may have come upon a better method.

Asset reliability programs and strategies have come and gone in the industry. However, one facility integrity strategy based on predictive analysis is improving upstream exploration and production operations and may help improve refinery facility integrity.

American Petroleum Institute officials signed a letter asking members of the U.S. Congress to rethink three provisions in a proposed chemical facility safety bill.

The California Air Resources Board has voted to levy a carbon fee upon state refiners, utilities and other manufacturers in order to help pay for the state’s global warming law.

The price of the November NYMEX crude futures contract gained 0.7% yesterday to US$70.88 per barrel (/bbl).

U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) analysts project that the monthly U.S. average regular-grade gasoline retail price will fall from US$2.62 per gallon (/gal) in August to an average of $2.44/gal for the last three months of the year.

U.S. refiners are finding it more challenging to tap into domestic crude sources, especially dwindling onshore crude deposits. Offshore crude deposits in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico will also be more challenging to exploit.

An Oct. 1 Hart Webinar, sponsored by Aspen Technologies, showed how BP has increased profitability and reduced complexity with their Fuels Value Chain program. Insights are discussed from a downstream supply chain perspective.

Most future hydrocarbon-based olefins capacity will be based in the Middle East. However, expansion of coal-based petrochemical production beyond 2015, especially in China, will have significant implications for global markets.