Recent Posts
A funny idea of what “back in business” means
We all know that production of oil and natural gas has soared in the United States over the last few years. But there’s one place where production actually has dropped: on federal lands. A new government report reveals that production from federal lands – including coastal waters – reached a ten-year low in 2012.
Investing in the American workforce of the future
On Friday, ExxonMobil announced a $500,000 grant to underwrite a technology job-training program in the greater Houston area that will help develop the workers to staff a rapidly expanding petrochemical industry. This comes just a few months after prospects for a “major workforce shortage” were discussed at the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers annual meeting.
Stop the presses! Big Oil pays the Biggest Taxes!
Regular readers of this blog know that ExxonMobil and other energy industry companies pay a lot in taxes. But not everybody understands this basic point, particularly politicians who want to target us with even higher levies. So it was nice to see growing recognition of the tax burden shouldered by the oil and gas industry in The New York Times recently.
Not your grandfather’s chemical regulations
We often hear that partisan politics have gridlocked Washington. But last week a bipartisan group of senators reached agreement to break a legislative deadlock on chemical safety reform. The result is a bill which is receiving positive reviews from industry as well as environmental groups.