Volume 13 Issue 1
February 7, 2022 – February 13, 2022
Riti Bhandarkar ‘23 | Zihan Lin ‘23 | Sunay Joshi ‘24 | Wilder Crosier '25 | Andrew Ji '25
January 25, 2022 | Energy.gov | U.S. Department of Energy
On January 25, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approved the release of 13.4 million barrels of crude oil from their Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Enacted in response to the 1973 oil embargo, SPR is a collection of four underground storage caverns in Texas and Louisiana. The DOE exchanged these barrels to seven large energy companies on contracts that each company would return the amount received, as well as additional oil as interest. The exchange occurred in response to ever-increasing oil prices in America. Rising prices at the pump are indicative of Americans’ increased energy consumption coming out of the pandemic, as well as continued challenges with fuel supply chains around the world. –WC
‘More money than ever’: gas companies made almost $1m in donations to Labor and Liberals
February 1, 2022 | Guardian Energy | Royce Kurmelovs
Labors, Liberals, and Nationals, the three major political parties in Australia, received nearly a total of million dollars of donation from eight oil and gas companies. These companies are behind the largest gas projects in the country. Senior campaign manager Shani Tager at 350.org, the organization that generated the analysis, explains that the donation is a sign of community opposition for developing their projects. Despite pushback from communities, the companies are receiving the government support they bought for their agenda. Efforts to stifle fossil fuel exploitation are facing more difficulties as gas and oil companies continue to find ways to circumvent regulations. - ZL
As Virginia GOP targets clean energy, advocates hope Senate wall holds
February 2, 2022 | Energy News Network | Elizabeth McGowan
The newly-elected Republican governor of Virginia, along with a state House majority, are expected to launch attacks to roll back recent legislation in support of clean energy. 20 plus measures have already been circulating the legislature targeting pieces of green legislation, including Clean Cars, Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and the Virginia Clean Economy Act. The Democratic-controlled Senate are expected to prevent such assaults, and it is expected that “attacks on landmark laws… will be dead on arrival in the Senate”, says the deputy director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, Lee Francis. In response to the new bills, corporations, conservation nonprofits, and local universities signed and delivered a letter to lawmakers urging the upholding of green laws.- AJ
Where Is There More Lithium to Power Cars and Phones? Beneath a California Lake.
February 5, 2022 | The Wall Street Journal | Alistair MacDonald and Jim Carlton
Energy companies are planning to begin geothermal lithium extraction in the Salton Sea in Calipatria, California. The US currently imports most of its lithium, but geothermal lithium could radically change that. The companies, which include one owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc., plan to begin operations soon, with some stating 2024 as the official start date. Some also plan to hire from the surrounding Calipatria community, which suffers from high unemployment. However, the technique is so far untested, and a number of Native American groups have protested the fact that operations are taking place so close to their ancestral sites. - SJ
