Author: GTD Group (Page 13 of 23)

First of all, I want to thank many of you for your support and encouragement! As was recently announced, I am pleased to share with you that my book “America Needs America’s Energy: Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan” has been named as one of ten finalists under the category of political science for Book of the Year Award by Foreword Reviews. The winners will be announced in Chicago on June 28th at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference.

Also, thank you to Western Oklahoma and Elk City followers of the Facebook Page- America Needs America’s Energy. Of the over 5000 followers as of this writing, Elk City stands at number 4 in most supporters. The top ten cities by the number of followers are: 1. Oklahoma City, 2. Edmond, 3. New York City, 4. Elk City, 5. Los Angeles, 6. Chicago, 7. Houston, 8. Atlanta, 9. Brooklyn, NY, and 10. Las Vegas, NV. Tulsa is number 12.

As Elk City and Western Oklahoma citizens are very aware of, the oil and gas industry is boosting the economy by providing jobs. The energy industry is an important economic driver for this Nation and that message needs to be told across the country as we “Create Together the People’s Energy Plan”.

For the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry, i.e. oil and gas extraction/drilling development, employment has increased by over 60 percent or nearly 194,000 jobs during 2001 to 2011. The upstream energy sector makes up approximately one-fourth of the total oil and gas related employment.

What has contributed to the increase in employment? Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have served in great measure to the increase in employment.

Employment in 2012 nationwide shows a differing trend between upstream and the US economy. Upstream employment is continuing to increase, averaging 24 percent higher compared with the 2008 US economic impact.

Upstream employment has increased over two times in many states with the largest increase in North Dakota and Pennsylvania. With the activity in the Bakkan trend, North Dakota has gone from 1,500 jobs in 2001 to close to 10,000 jobs in 2011. In Pennsylvania, upstream employment jumped from 3,500 jobs in 2001 to over 17,500 jobs in 2011.

During the 2001 to 2011 timeframe, upstream employment results were: Oklahoma adding 22,600 jobs, Colorado adding 14,900 jobs, Wyoming adding 6,400 jobs and New Mexico adding 5,400 jobs.

The overall oil and gas onshore industry sector efforts resulted in US GDP of $321 billion in 2010. It is estimated that federal, state taxes, royalty payments, leases bonuses and other payments totaled $69 billion in 2010. The Oklahoma energy industry has accounted for over 50 billion dollars of Oklahoma’s State Product.

The Oklahoma energy workforce has provided over the last several years, nearly $1 billion in gross production taxes alone.

By 2015, IHS CERA forecasts that shale and other unconventional resources will be responsible for 2.5 million jobs, increasing to 3 million by 2020.

Bottom-line, U. S. Energy Independence Means Jobs, Security and Economic Development.
America Needs America’s Energy!

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peopleseenergyplan.com Facebook: America Needs America’s Energy, with 5000 supporters and counting. — America Needs America’s Energy: Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan!

Today, oil provides more than 96 percent of the fuel for the US transportation fleet. Despite the recent increase in our oil reserves, America remains heavily dependent on crude oil imports. From January 2011 to October 2011, America was the world’s largest importer of crude oil, taking in 2.7 billion barrels of oil worth roughly $280 billion. In 2010 the US imported approximately 11.8 million barrels of petroleum per day, which accounted for almost half of the petroleum consumed in the country.

The average American consumer has no idea of the immense number of items they use that are petroleum-based products, including CD players, dentures, insect repellant, and running shoes, to name but a few. To transport oil to the manufacturers of these products requires a huge infrastructure.

The antiquated state of the US infrastructure is another important reason why the Keystone XL Pipeline project is so crucial to our energy security. “Resistance to the completion of Canada’s Keystone XL pipeline could deny US consumers access to a voluminous supply of oil and the jobs that would attend its creation and operation,” asserted Kenneth P. Green of the American Enterprise Institute.

Oil Pros:
1) Oil has high heating value,
2) Gasoline and petroleum products are easily accessible by consumers,
3) Oil is used in thousands of everyday products, 4) Oil is easily distributed.

Oil Cons:
1) Burning oil releases extra carbon dioxide,
2) Oil carries geopolitical risk to its supply and demand,
3) Oil is now harder to find, thus more expensive,
4) Used oil is difficult to clean and recycle.

In 2008, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, broke ground in his book, Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less, noting “America is suffering from an artificial energy crisis that is also a dangerous national security crisis—artificial, because America is gifted with enormous reserves of energy.” What do you think?

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peopleseenergyplan.com
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Men and women have greatly sacrificed over the years so that we could have energy to drive our cars, watch television, listen to the radio, and provide us energy security. In The Secret of Sherwood Forest, authors Guy H. Woodward and Grace Steele Woodward reveal how during World War II, oilmen fought the war by following the drill bit, pipeline, test tube, and refinery plants wherever they led throughout the world:

“Some fought the war in the frozen North at the Arctic Circle, other in the steaming, insect-infested jungles of the tropics. Others flew the hump over the Himalayas with fuel for our Chinese allies. Some spent their days and nights in the laboratories with their crucibles and test tubes. Many served their seven-day weeks as governmental aides in performing the many administrative duties demanded by total war. Thanks to a farseeing and wise nation that had refused to burden its oil industry with crushing controls by rigid laws, rules, and regulations, but had on the contrary, encouraged the men engaged in the hazardous business of finding and producing oil. Because of this policy, followed by more than twenty-five years, the United States reserves were sufficient to sustain a growing, healthy economy in time of peace and now furnished security and the ingredients of victory in time of war.”

Today, men and women continue to sacrifice for our energy needs, even though we have not had a strategic energy plan in place for sixty years. Fortunately, the increase in potential oil reserves in the US has risen dramatically over the last few years.

The increase in our oil reserves is due in part to the Bakken Play in North Dakota. During the winter, the cold climate in the Bakken makes it a difficult place to live. Yet men and women working there are committed to a strong energy future for America.

Energy companies in the Bakken and other places around the country are trying to survive, but they are burdened with rigid laws, rules and regulations. Reasonable regulations are welcome in the energy industry, burdensome regulations are very costly to business and consumers in our country.

As of 2012, the oil rig count in the US surpassed the natural gas rig count, approximately 1200 oil rigs to 800 natural gas rigs. To put this in perspective, in 1981 the total oil and gas rig count in the US reached 4530 then fell to a low of 488 in 1999.

Thanks to the men and women in the oil patch, we are presently finding ourselves with an abundance of natural gas and oil in this country!!

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peopleseenergyplan.com
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US oil and gas producers are concerned about current problems which can be caused by the Endangered Species Act.

Recently, the industry has been addressing the Lesser Prairie Chicken (LPC) which is being considered to be classified as endangered. The bird’s range area includes parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. Including the LPC, the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service has more than 250 species determinations pending under a settlement agreement as reported by the Kansas Oil & Gas Association.

The industry supports environmental preservation. However, the industry is challenging the process by which there are the classifications of “endangered”. Should the lesser prairie chicken (LPC) be listed as threatened or endangered a large area will be impacted, in fact, an area totaling 18 million acres. The costs and staffing associated with this would add a burden to the production equation.

A large portion of the area regarding LPC is currently being developed for oil and gas or under plans for development. The industry has been very proactive to protect the environment. The situation is very similar to the proposed listing of the sagebrush lizard located in Texas and New in 2011.

Environmental preservation is needed. The elimination of unnecessary regulations is also a must.

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peopleseenergyplan.com Facebook: America Needs America’s Energy, America Needs America’s Energy: Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan!

Most federal hydroelectric (hydropower) projects are constructed and operated by either the U. S. Corps of Engineers or the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation. Electric power from hydroelectric projects is marketed by the federal government’s power marketing administration (Booneville, Southwestern, Southeastern, Western Area, and Alaska). Most non-federal hydroelectric projects are regulated and licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

At present, hydroelectric plants contribute about 7 percent of total electric power generated in this country. Water flowing through the dams spins turbine blades that are connected to generators. The power produced is sent to homes and businesses. Most hydroelectric power plants have a dam and a reservoir because the process utilizes a large quantity of water. The EIA reports that China is currently the largest producer of hydroelectricity, followed by Canada, Brazil, and the U. S.

Hydroelectric Pros: 1. Hydroelectric is the most widely used form of renewable energy.
2. Hydroelectric is independent of fossil fuels. 3. The operational costs involved in hydroelectric are low.

Hydroelectric Cons:
1. Hydroelectric power generation requires a large reservoir.
2. The location of hydroelectric power can be a challenge because of the area needed to construct a huge reservoir.
3. Droughts can impact hydroelectric generation.

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peopleseenergyplan.com
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A recent article that I wrote was entitled, “The FutureGen Project”. In that article I mentioned that I had first heard about The FutureGen Project a few years ago when my company and I were asked to coordinate a meeting with leaders from Oklahoma and Texas at Sarkeys Energy Center, University of Oklahoma, to discuss opportunities of the project for our region. At that time, Texas was putting together a proposal for the FutureGen Project to be located within its boundaries.

The FutureGen Project , a $1 billion-plus government-industry project, was proposed to make the most of coal as a plentiful fuel. Essentially, the goal was to provide a first-of-its kind clean power plant, with a target completion date of 2012. The goal was for this highly energy-efficient, coal-supplied power plant to produce near zero emissions. The question still to be answered: what happens to the toxic wastes composed of ash, sulphur dioxide and mercury?

It is important to note that the FutureGen project was specifically focused on electric power generation not to be confused with coal to liquids such as was first developed by what is known as Fischer Tropsch technology developed in Germany in the 20s and used as a transportation fuel. Also, the Project is not to be confused with coal to gas technology such as the U. S. Synthetic Fuels Corp. efforts for transportation which did not come to fruition.

The FutureGen 2.0 would be a first of its kind near zero emissions power plant. What does that really mean? The program involves upgrading the designated plant with oxy-combustion technology to capture more than 90 percent of the plant’s carbon emissions. The CO2 would be transported and permanently stored underground at the nearby storage site. Bottom-line it is a storage site.

Though I believe and emphasize that we should look at all forms of energy, the articles that I present to you will hopefully assist in determining what you believe that our energy future should be. I want to keep you informed of what the government and Administration are proposing whether I agree with their proposals or not.

From Nixon to Obama, we have been told time and again that an energy policy is in the works and a national energy plan is on the way. It is my belief that as consumers of energy, we must drive the process, evaluating how we can best leverage our natural resources, here at home to ensure long-term energy independence and security. Therefore, the book, www.peoplesenergyplan.com

Although FutureGen appeared to be on hold as of early 2012, US Secretary of Energy Chu remained committed to the FutureGen project as an American energy solution. He stated, “This investment in the world’s first commercial-scale oxy-combustion power plant will help to open up the over $300 billion market for coal unit repowering and position the country as a leader in an important part of the global clean energy economy.” With that said, there are questions to be answered as mentioned above.
Since a quarter of the world’s coal reserves are in the U. S. it has long been considered a major natural resource for America’s energy future. Coal is currently mined in twenty-six states. Most of the coal is mined for the use of generating electricity. The opposition to coal is that it is not a viable option because of the environmental pollution it produces. Therefore, the private-public project: FutureGen.

Coal Pros:
1) The U. S. has over a two-hundred year supply of coal.
2) Coal can be transformed into liquid or gas for transportation.
3) A large amount of electricity can be produced using coal at a low price.
4) Coal is relatively cheap in comparison to other energy alternatives.

Coal Cons:
1) Transforming coal to a liquid is a very expensive process.
2) CO2 sequestration is needed.
3) Coal burning produces a large amount of pollution, acid rain and carbon dioxide.

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peopleseenergyplan.com
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At the beginning of 2013, The Production Tax Credit for wind energy was extended through the end of the year through the American Taxpayer Relief Act. The credit gives a tax break of 2.2 cents for every kilowatt-hour of energy produced by wind.

It is reported that the continuation of tax credit saves over 35,000 plus jobs and maintains over 500 manufacturers.

The Energy Information Administration reports that worldwide wind power generation exceeded 200 billion kilowatt hours in 2008, which was equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of over 18 million average households in the US. One 1.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbine can produce electricity for about 400 homes annually. Denmark gets 20 percent of its energy from wind. At this time, Germany has more wind turbines than any other country. In 2010, China passed the US in newly installed and total wind power capacity.

In order to launch wind energy in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce funded the Oklahoma Wind Power Initiative which conducted a study to develop a resource map using information from a network of weather stations in the state. With the use of the network’s high-resolution data, terrain, and geographical data, this study assisted companies—and attracted investors—in properly assessing the value of Oklahoma’s wind resources.

Each form of energy has its pros and cons. Though wind turbines alter the scenic view and can be loud, wind energy is clean, produces no pollution, and can, and is revitalizing rural economies.

Senator Udall of Colorado who has been a strong supporter of the tax credit stated that it “gives manufacturers throughout North America the signal that they need to create jobs, make capital investments in the US, and ensure that wind energy remains a strong part of our national energy strategy.”

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peopleseenergyplan.com Facebook: America Needs America’s Energy. — America Needs America’s Energy: Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan!