greeningofoil.com

MSI Minute – March 2010

3/19/2010 – MSI Communications

Bill Streever is best known as the author of Cold: Adventures in the World’s Frozen Places, but he’s also an ecologist and the environmental studies program director for BP Alaska. Streever told online magazine Greening of Oil that working for an oil company allows him to “make a difference and influence company policy from within, more so than working from the outside.” Read the original story here.

Streever has also become a favorite talking head on national media due to this winter’s severe weather around the nation.

Brandon L Southall

3/18/2010 -  SEA Blog

I thought I would bring to the attention of SEA-bloggers the existence of a new online resource dealing with increasing the efficiency and cleanliness of energy, with some but not complete emphasis on conventional oil and gas resources.  It is called the "Greening of Oil" and can be found at: http://www.greeningofoil.com/ 

I have found some interesting discussions and issues presented there and it seems reasonably well-balanced.  Apparently it is supported by a diversity of sources, including industry interests as well as environmental groups.

Read SEA Blog here.

Blogging the business of energy with Tom Fowler

2/5/2010 - Houston Chronicle News Watch: Energy

As more communities with gas drilling in their backyards start to worry about what's in the fluids used to crack open shale formations, some companies are taking steps to make those waters cleaner. Devon Energy is leading the way, according to the folks at Greening of Oil:

Devon Energy said it has been able to recycle a small percentage of the nearly 4 million gallons of wastewater produced per well in North Texas' Barnett Shale.

Read the full article.

Ken Edelstein

2/3/2010 - Mother Nature Network

As MNN blogger Jim Motavalli notes, Greening of Oil magazine may be a good thing. It’s an industry-based online publication dedicated to reporting “what is being done to make natural gas, oil and coal more earth-friendly energy sources during what is expected to be a decades-long shift to cleaner and cleaner power.”

So Greening of Oil’s mission may indeed represent progress, because so much of the fossil fuels industry is in a denial about the shift. And the journalism itself seems credible. More...

The Mirror

1/26/2010 - University of Northern Colorado

Magazines and newspapers dedicated to specific topics advocate addressing an issue important to the staff and audience they cater to. Although sometimes it may seem like biased reporting is afoot, using print media writing or news writing is still an effective way to construct a report — regardless of technological advances in broadcast.

Even though newspapers are dying and magazine ad revenue is falling, as well, online publications detailing the story with facts not surfaced by brief recorded segments inform audiences much more effectively.

This is evident in last Tuesday’s launch of the new online magazine Greening of Oil, a publication dedicated to educating the public and oil companies about cleaning up oil and making it an earth-friendly fuel.

Read the full article.

Auto Analysis by Jim Henry & Jim Motavalli

1/22/2010 - BNET

Every year, the U.S. uses 100 quadrillion BTUs of energy, and despite inroads by renewables like wind and solar, 83 quadrillion BTUs still comes from fossil fuels. More...

Organization dedicated to identifying barriers to clean energy

1/20/2010 - Oil Industry International

No one would like to consider their job to be an oxymoron, essentially a contradiction in terms. More...

Assignment 2020, Climate Change, Energy, Environment

1/20/2010 - Mother Jones

First, it was "green coal." Now oil is apparently going green too. More...

Alternative fuel views, daily news and insights

1/19/2010 - Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute

Ready or not, the holidays are now out of the way and we get to shift our attention back to Congressional antics. More...

Blogging the business of energy with Tom Fowler

1/15/2010 - Houston Chronicle News Watch: Energy

Considering how little of our energy comes from renewable sources, there are ample online news and opinion sources that look at 'green energy.' More...

2/10/2010 - What a bunch of crap.  Aren't you aware that global warming and all the hoopla over CO2, etc. has been thoroughly discredited and shown to be both a fraud and a hoax? More...

1/18/2010 - I'm an avid Petroleum News reader and just visited the site of your newest publication, the Greening of Oil. More...

WAVE GLIDERS FOR SPILL RESEARCH ... BP's deployed a new device to monitor water quality in response to the Gulf oil spill. The Wave Glider is controlled by satellite, is powered by the sun and moves by wave action - no motor, no fuel, no propeller. Sensors send a steady stream of data regarding the water's quality in a particular location, within the month marine mammal recording capabilities will be added to track the vocality of whales in the area. The developers, Liquid Robotics, say this is a big step for ongoing research activity.

More...

NATIONAL MEDIA NONSENSE ... That's how Alaska Dispatch's Craig Medred classifies the ever-increasing interest the national media has with anything having to do with the state. From Medred: "sometimes these days it seems the national media -- lamestream and otherwise -- has gone more mama grizzly than mama grizzly Sarah Palin herownself what with all the huffing, slobbering, ground stomping and unthinking charges." It's a must read for anyone looking to increase their intake of witty, appropriately-directed cynicism. More...

GULF WORKERS FIGHT ... Gulf residents are asking Congress to lift the moratorium and to not raise taxes on U.S. energy companies. U.S. Energy Jobs, a project of the American Energy Alliance, cites a recent study released by Louisiana State University professor Dr. Joseph Mason, which states that the six month moratorium will cost the Gulf region more than 8,000 jobs and more than $2.1 billion in economic activity, "and if the moratorium is extended – the consequences could be much, much worse." Where do you stand? More...

SOLAR APPLE TREES ... Taiwan-based solar panel manufacturer, Greendix, is becoming famous for its solar panel creativity. Released just this June was a solar football (soccer ball) that's actually functional. Designed to be used by the visually impaired, the ball has built in audio and motion detectors to alert players that the ball is near them. But I think they've topped it! Conceptually at least, albeit not as selfless. Greendix recently introduced the solar powered apple tree. More...

PICKENS GOES FOR GAS ... T. Boone Pickens has launched the first of five whiteboard video presentations, all outlining the role natural gas can play in achieving Obama's campaign pledge to cut all imports of oil from the Middle East in 10 years. The features outline what Pickens sees as reality, like cutting OPEC dependency in half by modifying 8 million 18-wheelers to run on natural gas, saving $100 billion. The first video can be seen here, and if you haven't checked out the 'PickensPlan' do so now, 1.6 million have already joined his army. Let me know what you think. More...

CO2 EMISSIONS STABLE ... A key finding in a report conducted by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency shows that there was no growth in global CO2 emissions in 2009 from fossil fuel use, cement production and chemicals production for the first time since 1992. Serious? And to top it off, CO2 emissions emitted by the U.S. oil and natural gas industry dropped by more than 48 million metric tons from 2007 to 2008 thanks in part to investments in low-carbon technologies, according to a report from the American Petroleum Institute. More...

RAIN BOOT CELL CHARGERS ... European telecom firm Orange has developed a pair of iconic waterproof Wellington boots that are able to keep the wearer's cell phone charged. The "Power Wellies" have been launched just in time for the huge Glastonbury Festival at the end of June, because Orange is a top sponsor, naturally. It will take about 12 hours of stomping around to get an hour's charge, so the boots are more of a novelty item than one of real function, but the concept is indeed interesting. More...

WIND POWER IN ALASKA ... On the heels of "The Business of Clean Energy in Alaska" conference last week, sister publication Petroleum News will have some 'hot' wind power coverage in the June 27 edition. Freelance reporter and Green blogger for the New York Times, Stefan Milkowski, talked to local wind power experts about financing, access and Alaska's future opportunities, while veteran reporter Kristin Nelson provides updates on Alaska’s newest wind installation in Kodiak. More...

ECO-SEX ... Yep! Green is everywhere, including your bedroom, if you so wish. Author Stefanie Iris Weiss has ‘gone there’ with "Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable". From the product description on Amazon: "renew your passion for the environment while you recharge your love life—with green sex toys, low-impact lingerie, fair-trade condoms, bamboo bed linens, conflict-free diamonds, and much more." Okay, I know it's screaming 'gimmick' but More...

AUDI SAVES FUEL ... In Germany Wednesday Audi demonstrated its "travolution" technology that enables cars to communicate with traffic signals using wireless LANs and UMTS links so drivers can better time the lights and reduce fuel consumption. The technology uses an adaptive algorithm to tell the driver at what speed they need to drive in order to miss a red light, or hopefully, make a green light. Alternatively, drivers can set their car on adaptive cruise-control and the car automatically adjust speeds for them. More...

ENVIRONMENTALISTS TO BLAME FOR SPILL? ... Charles Krauthammer, a controversial Washington Post columnist, recently addressed the blame game being played out in regards to the Gulf spill and his take may not sit will with everyone, but is it worth consideration as we proceed with policy and regulatory changes? More...

BP FAKED OUT BY TWIT ... BP has enough to worry about, like dealing with a massive oil spill, do we really need to create additional distractions? A new Twitter account making fun of the company's oil spill efforts has gained popularity online. The fake BP Twitter account launched last week and has already attracted nearly 40,000 followers, far outdistancing the follower count of BP's real Twitter stream, which has about 5,600 followers. More...

MINI NUCLEAR REACTORS ... Manufacturers of refrigerator-sized nuclear reactors will seek approval from U.S. authorities within a year to help supply the world’s growing electricity demand. The minis would power a small factory or town too remote for traditional utility grid connections. So far, no manufacturer has sought certification for any small reactor, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Formal approvals would probably take three to five years, the same as for bigger reactors, said Scott Burnell, a spokesman for the commission. More...

ENERGY STUDENTS CLEAN UP ... MIT has selected the winner of its annual Clean Energy Prize. A team from Stanford University called C3Nano collected $200,000 and serious bragging rights for coming up with a cheap, flexible photovoltaic electrode. I'll admit, the product lost me. More...

THE NEW CO2 RECORD ... In 2009 energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the US dropped 7 percent, a new record since the start of U.S. Energy Information Administration's comprehensive record of annual energy data that began in 1949. More...

NEW POLAR BEAR IN TOLEDO ... A male polar bear cub born in December at the Toledo Zoo finally has a name! The zoo announced that the cub born Dec. 3 will be called Siku, which means "ice" in the Alaskan Inupiaq language. The name was suggested by fourth-grader Isaiah Rexford of Harold Kaveolook School in Kaktovik. The zoo worked with the World Wildlife Fund, Polar Bears International and the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management to collect the name suggestions. Get all of Siku's photos, videos and updates here. More...

ENERGY SUMMIT TALKS HOT NEW TECH ... A Bristol Herald Courier reporter said amid heated U.S. energy policy discussions, the Southwest Virginia Technology Council highlighted five promising technologies during its third annual Energy Technology Summit. These included thorium, Hydrocoal, fly ash, aneutronic fusion and sunshine advances. More...

 SOMETIMES READING WHAT OUR READERS SAY … Sometimes reading what Greening of Oil readers have to say about our articles is as interesting as the articles they comment on. We’ve had some well-informed, thoughtful observations over the past few weeks, some of which I have shared with you. But this week I am going to treat you to the humorous, emotional or simply unusual remarks from our readers. More...

Anchorage, Alaska—July 29, 2010—Greening of Oil at www.greeningofoil.com has begun work on its annual print edition, a slick, full-color, perfect bound, magazine that will be released in January.

“The timing for a proactive, independent report on what industry is doing right couldn’t be better,” said Kay Cashman, Greening of Oil’s publisher and executive editor.

A science-based publication, Greening of Oil’s print magazine will mirror its online counterpart by reporting on what is being done to make hydrocarbons more earth-friendly during what is expected to be a decades-long shift to cleaner and cleaner power—a future that will likely include fossil fuels. It will contain the best of the online version and more—and be available online in pdf and html formats as well. More...

Yesterday, we emailed you a report about an article we had just posted on www.greeningofoil.com that was a reprint from our sister publication Petroleum News. The lead sentence in the article, “State of Alaska culprit in 1989 spill” said that if Exxon had received an open burn permit from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation in a timely manner, “almost all” of the 11 million gallons of spilled crude oil could have been incinerated before a storm hit on the evening of Sunday, March 26.

That’s not the case. DEC blew the opportunity to destroy a “significant” amount of the oil that killed thousands of birds and animals and oiled 1,300 miles of pristine shoreline, but not “almost all the oil.” More...

Petroleum News article points to another culprit in 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill

Greening of Oil’s sister publication, Petroleum News, ran an article in its July 18 edition that points to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation under the Cowper administration in 1989 as being the chief reason the 11-million-gallon oil spill by the Exxon Valdez tanker was so devastating to Prince William Sound’s environment and wildlife.

It is a story that has not been adequately told, mainly because Exxon’s people on the ground in Alaska at the time were not allowed to talk to the press.

Petroleum News finally convinced one of them to go on the record. More...

Anchorage, Alaska — July 14, 2010 — Greening of Oil recently introduced a weekly report on shale gas by freelance energy journalist Eric Lidji.

The Anchorage-based international online publication said the Shale Report chronicles the environmental problems and technological solutions that arise as the United States attempts to develop its most rapidly expanding energy play: shale gas. More...

Georgia professor’s technology could be a game-changer for oil sands

Reducing water use in the bitumen extraction project has been the subject of numerous research projects. Solvents are an option, but so far none are working well on all fronts —recoverability of the bitumen, cost and environmental impact.

Ben de Mayo, Ph.D., of the University of West Georgia, came up with an idea from his work at a potato chip company in the 1960s, where he devised a way to make low fat potato chips. More...

Join Qatari engineer Abdulla AlMisnad on his voyage to Antarctica with polar explorer Robert Swan’s 2041 team; photos and daily logs in English and Arabic

Anchorage, Alaska—March 2, 2010—Students, age 10 to 100, are invited to join Qatari engineer Abdulla AlMisnad on his two-week voyage to Antarctica with polar explorer Robert Swan’s 2041 expedition, starting March 5 on Greening of Oil’s Web site. 

Abdulla will write a daily log of his adventures in Arabic (under construction) and English (ready to view) on Greening of Oil’s Antarctica expedition blog site More...

Magazine publishes synopses, links to papers that address any aspect of oil, natural gas, coal and alternative power

Anchorage, Alaska—Feb. 16, 2010—Greening of Oil magazine publishes synopses and links to graduate and final project papers that address an aspect of the energy industry.

The online magazine’s energy writers and scientists review all submissions and publish those that most effectively analyze and communicate a topic of relevance to the evolving energy sector. More...

Author of “Cold,” a New York Times bestseller praised by environmentalists, wants to see more biologists work for industry

Anchorage, Alaska—Feb. 10, 2010—Why is ecologist Bill Streever, author of the New York Times bestseller “Cold: Adventures in the World’s Frozen Places,” working for Big Oil?

Because he is making a difference. More...

Greening of Oil series focuses on CCS as global demand for emission cuts intensifies

Anchorage, Alaska – Feb. 3, 2010 – Veteran journalist Rose Ragsdale is online magazine Greening of Oil’s resident mining authority.

A longtime Alaska reporter and editor, Ragsdale is the editor-in-chief of North of 60 Mining News and a regular freelance contributor for Petroleum News. All three publications are owned by parent company Petroleum Newspapers of Alaska. More...

Online publication tracks the environmental footprint of the energy industry

Anchorage, Alaska - Jan. 14, 2010 - Anchorage-based Petroleum News has launched a new, international online magazine at www.greeningofoil.com. More...