womanofthehills
womanofthehills's JournalBiden Is Walking a Tightrope as the World Clamors for US Oil and Gas
It’s a delicate balance. As one of the world’s top producers of oil and natural gas, the US is facing calls from its allies in Europe and around the globe to help ease an energy crisis inflamed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But with just weeks to go before the midterm elections, it’s also under pressure to help Americans hit by price gains for everything from gasoline to food.
The Biden administration is “being very careful to reassure European allies that we are going to continue supplying energy,” says Kevin Book, managing director of research firm ClearView Energy Partners LLC. “They’re also being very careful not to make it seem like American energy is going to other countries” and to prove they’re shielding US consumers. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-12/biden-walks-fine-line-to-keep-gas-prices-low-before-midterms
Gazprom Ready to Ship Gas Via Shelved Nord Stream 2 Pipeline
Gazprom PJSC told European gas customers that part of the damaged Nord Stream network could still transport fuel -- but only on the new pipeline that Germany ditched in February in protest at Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was set to go into operation earlier this year when Germany pulled the plug on the project just before Russia’s invasion. The pipeline, which was set to double the capacity of Nord Stream, had been sanctioned by the U.S. and faced strong opposition in parts of Europe, forcing Germany to eventually give up on the project.
After the suspected sabotage of the network last week in a series of explosions, Gazprom said on Monday three of the lines were affected and one wasn’t. The gas giant has lowered pressure on the unaffected line B of Nord Stream 2 to inspect the link for damage and potential leaks, it said in a statement on its Telegram account.
Any start of Nord Stream 2 would require approval from the EU and is unlikely as tensions between the Kremlin and the West https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-03/gazprom-ready-to-ship-gas-via-shelved-nord-stream-2-pipeline?leadSource=uverify%20wall
OPEC will cut production by 2 million barrels a day, likely sending gas and oil prices back up
The OPEC+ alliance announced Wednesday that it will cut oil production by 2 million barrels a day, a move that's likely to send gas prices higher again after a year of tumult at the pump.
In its statement announcing the cuts, the OPEC+ alliance cited the "uncertainty that surrounds the global economic and oil market outlooks.”
It represents the largest cut in production since the start of the pandemic.
In a statement, the Biden administration said it was disappointed in the decision, calling it “shortsighted” in light of global energy prices already lifted higher by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/opec-announces-will-cut-production-2-million-barrels-day-move-likely-s-rcna50808
How the EPA's lax regulation of dangerous pesticides is hurting public health and the US economy
As a direct result of the EPA’s laissez-faire regulatory approach, in 2019 the U.S. used over 70 agricultural pesticides that were banned in the European Union, amounting to 322 million pounds used each year.[8] That means over a quarter of all U.S. agricultural pesticide use was from pesticides that all EU member states have prohibited. And with more recent bans on pesticides like chlorothalonil and the EU’s new farm-to-fork strategy which aims to cut pesticide use in half by 2030, that regulatory disparity is growing significantly by the year.
It is not just Europe that is embracing these prohibitions. The U.S. uses 26 and 40 million pounds of pesticides that Brazil and China have banned or are phasing out, respectively.[11] India is currently considering banning 27 highly hazardous pesticides, like atrazine, 2,4-D, and acephate, which the U.S. uses over 100 million pounds of each year.[12] [13] Atrazine is a known endocrine disruptor linked to fertility problems[14] [15]; 2,4-D is associated with certain cancers and birth defects in children[16] [17]; and acephate is a known neurotoxin in the same class of chemicals as those developed for use as nerve agents in World War II.[18]. https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-the-epas-lax-regulation-of-dangerous-pesticides-is-hurting-public-health-and-the-us-economy/
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: New Mexico
Current location: New Mexico
Member since: Tue Apr 12, 2005, 11:15 PM
Number of posts: 8,703