
Energy and Environment News
November 4, 2015
Top Stories
Energy Policy. The White House announced that it plans to continue its review of the Keystone XL pipeline, despite TransCanada’s request for the review to be suspended. The State Department is widely expected to reject the project, furthering the President’s legacy on environmental issues. NY Times
Nuclear. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that U.S. nuclear capacity will likely increase slightly through 2020, despite the scheduled closures of more than 2,000 megawatts (MW)of nuclear generating capacity. Five new reactors under construction in the United States — all in the Southeast — could add as much as 5,000 MW of new capacity over the next five years. EIA
Oil Outlook. According to an internal OPEC report on long-term strategy, the group forecasts that prices will remain under pressure through 2019 unless output among rival producers falls more quickly than expected. The “confidential” report, which supports a view that OPEC is fighting — and winning — a market share battle, assumes that oil prices will eventually rise back to levels last seen before the price decline. Reuters so have everyone else do the work and you keep the market share? hmmm
Climate Change. Nick Butler of the Financial Times discusses the mounting rhetoric surrounding climate change and corporate responsibility, particularly leading up to the UN conference on climate change in two weeks. Butler asserts that a majority industry stakeholders have come to accept that climate change is real, and will probably begin to “define the future” of decarbonization themselves, rather than waiting for policymakers and campaigners to determine it for them. FT