DIY Solar Panels Made of Grass That Anyone Can Make
By Tafline Laylin
While Masdar and Suntech and other solar energy projects are laboring under expensive, high-tech materials in order to improve their energy-absorbing capability, MIT researchers in the United States are taking a different approach. They realized that nothing in nature absorbs energy as well as plants, so they have developed a solar technology that combines a small amount of grass (or other agricultural waste), a stabilizing powder made of zinc oxide and titanium oxide, and a glass or metal substrate which mimics the photosynthesis process. Eventually their technology will be so simple that anybody will be able to make their own solar panels for next to nothing.

North Korean Leader Kim Backs Natural-Gas Pipeline
By Henry Meyer
North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong Un, supports an agreement to build a natural-gas pipeline from Russia to South Korea via his communist state, the Russian envoy in Pyongyang said.

UK Gas Curve Signals U.S. LNG Imports
By Oleg Vukmanovic
Forecasts that cheap gas from the United States will one day reshape the global natural gas market are increasingly commonplace. Now the first hard evidence is beginning to emerge.

S. Korea Faces 18-Percent Iranian Oil Cut Guideline
By Lee Chi-dong
South Korea will be forced to slash its oil imports from Iran by at least 18 percent if the U.S. Treasury Department accepts lawmakers’ guidelines on implementing a new Iran sanctions law mainly aimed at curbing its oil sales, sources here said Thursday.

Iraq’s Oil Law May Be Pushed Till End Of 2012
By Kadhim Ajrash and Nayla Razzouk
Iraq’s proposed energy law, intended to spur foreign investment in the world’s fifth-largest holder of oil deposits, will be delayed for the rest of this year due to political divisions, the prime minister’s top adviser said.

Exxon Still Biggest Oil Stock, But No Longer The Best
By Forbes
Exxon Mobil (XOM) has long been the No. 1 destination for investors seeking exposure to the energy sector. It shouldn’t be any longer.

Italian Refineries To Shut Down Over Iran Oil Sanctions
By Press TV
"Some Italian refineries are heavily dependent on Iranian crude and need to secure alternative supplies urgently... or they will run into serious difficulties," said Piero de Simone, director of Italy''s oil industry organization.

Pemex Seeks To Add Conoco, Shell Subsidiaries To Suit
By Laurence Iliff
Mexican oil company Petroleos Mexicanos has filed a motion to add ConocoPhillips and subsidiaries of Royal Dutch Shell PLC to a 2010 suit in U.S. federal court that seeks damages against companies that had allegedly purchased natural-gas condensate that Pemex said was stolen from its operations in northern Mexico.

Once, Men Abused Slaves. Now We Abuse Fossil Fuels
By Jean-François Mouhot
In 2005, while teaching history at a French university, I was struck by the general disbelief among students that rational and sensitive human beings could ever hold others in bondage. Slavery was so obviously evil that slave-holders could only have been barbarians. My students could not entertain the idea that some slave-owners could have been genuinely blind to the harm they were doing.

Refinery Closures Lead to Rising Gas Prices and Job Losses
By Robert Rapier
There have been several announcements in recent months of refinery closures that will likely impact gasoline supplies (and prices) on the East Coast. Some of those closures have been on the East Coast.

In The Head Of U.S. Energy Secretary Chu
By Professor Ferdinand E. Banks
As most observers of the energy scene know, Dr Steven Chu is the Energy Secretary of the United States, a physicist, and a Nobel Laureate.

Rosneft, Gazprom Pump Russian Oil Output To Record
By Vladimir Soldatkin
Oil output from Russia, the world’s biggest producer, hit a record high last month thanks to higher pumping rates at Rosneft and Gazprom.

China Reinforces Energy Supplies
By Yvonne Lee and Aaron Back
Chinese institutions unveiled three separate energy deals in North America and Europe on Thursday that underscore Beijing''s continued interest in foreign assets as it looks for supplies to feed its booming economy.

EPA Won''t Take It -- Nor Should They
By Ken Silverstein
Election year politics always brings out raw emotions. But are the attacks on President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency justified or they are self-serving and an attempt to wrest power?

Nuclear Approvals To Be Resumed At Slower Rate
By Liu Yiyu
China will slow approvals of nuclear projects after the resumption, which is expected to take place this year, according to an industry expert from a national energy think tank.

Falling Solar Prices Good For Climate, Bad For Firms
By Erik Kirschbaum
There is a bright side to the plunge in solar panel prices that has brought down some U.S. and German manufacturers which relied too heavily on subsidies for green energy - solar power costs have fallen faster than anyone thought possible.

The Volt: What Happens When Ideology Gets Ahead of Reality
By Marita Noon
In a May 2007 speech before the Detroit Economic Club, Candidate Obama chastised American automakers for building the wrong cars. While they were building “bigger, faster cars,” “foreign competitors were investing in more fuel-efficient technology.”

Japan Protests China’s Possible East China Sea Gas Drilling
By Mainichi Daily News
Japan protested against China possibly drilling for natural gas in a field in the East China Sea, arguing that the move violates their agreement to jointly develop gas resources in the disputed area, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said Wednesday.

Iran Pipeline To Supply Gas By End Of 2014
By Kalbe Ali
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources was informed on Tuesday that the supply of natural gas through the Iran-Pakistan (IP) pipeline would start by December 2014.

Petrobras Shuts Fifth Most Productive Well
By Lucia Kassai and Peter Millard
Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4), Brazil’s state-controlled oil producer, shut its fifth most productive well after detecting a leak of 160 barrels in deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Oil Industry Sees No Threat From Electric Car
By Tom Bergin
The biggest oil companies in the world have calculated that few, if any, of today’s drivers will see electric cars outnumber gasoline and diesel models in their lifetimes.

Explosion ‘Rocks Syrian Oil Pipeline’
By Eoin O’Cinneide
Fire engulfed a crude oil pipeline in Syria following an explosion on Tuesday, a report has claimed.

New State Law Targets Fracking Industry
By KSAT
David Hill, publisher of the website Colorado Energy News, is launching a new online publication aimed at becoming a clearinghouse for all sides in the debate over development of the nation''s natural-gas resources. Issues include hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a key process in the current drilling boom that''s a target of environmental critics.

Exxon to Keep Its Foot On Gas Pedal
By Tom Fowler
Exxon Mobil Corp., the largest natural-gas producer in the U.S., said it has no intention of curtailing gas production even as analysts predict prices for the fuel could remain at a historically low level through next year.

US Refiners, Union Prepare For Possible Strike
By Fox Business News
Contract negotiations continued for U.S. refiners and the United Steel Workers union Tuesday, with the looming possibility of a strike giving gasoline and diesel prices a slight bump.

Marathon Weighs Pipeline Option
By Gina Chon and Ryan Dezember
Marathon Petroleum Corp. said Wednesday it will explore a corporate structure for its pipeline operations that reduces tax liabilities, in addition to implementing a $2 billion share buyback.

Our Peak Oil Premium
By Thomas Homer-Dixon
Peak oil – it’s history, right?

US Lawmakers Take Next Step On New Iran Sanctions
By CNBC
Lawmakers on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee plan to vote on a new round of sanctions targeting Iran''s energy sector, aimed at choking off funds they suspect Tehran uses to develop nuclear weapons.

Rare Earth Metal Refinery Nears Approval
By Keith Bradsher
The world’s largest refinery for rare earth metals has risen out of the red mud of a coastal swamp here and could soon obtain permission to operate — a step that would help break China’s near monopoly on rare earths but also worsen an emerging glut of some of these strategic minerals.

Unusual Event At U.S. Nuclear Plant Not Threat
By People Daily
U.S. officials said Monday that there is no threat to the public as an "unusual event"occurred at the Exelon nuclear power plant in Byron, Illinois when the facility lost outside power, though diesel generators continue to supply the plant with backup energy.

China Solar Import Surge May Hit U.S. Trade Case
By Cassandra Sweet
The U.S. Department of Commerce said Monday that a late-2011 surge in Chinese solar-panel imports could affect the agency''s pending decision on a dumping complaint filed by SolarWorld AG .

Obama: Meeting US Energy Needs Will Require More Wind Power
By EV Wind
However, it remains to be seen whether Congress will pass an extension to the current Production Tax Credit which is due to expire at the end of this year. The credit has been a major driver to wind energy in the US for seven years.

Extending French Reactors Would Cost Least
By Reuters
France’s EDF expects extending the life of its nuclear plants to cost up to 860 million euros ($1.1 billion) per reactor, making this the cheapest option for providing power to 2040, according to a draft government report leaked to media.

Ninety Seven Percent Is Not What You Think
By Art Horn
I have given many lectures about the myths, misconceptions and outright lies in the global warming arena.

India Defies Sanctions, Won’t Cut Iran Oil Imports
By Erika Kinetz
India has joined China in saying it will not cut back on oil imports from Iran, despite stiff new U.S. and European sanctions designed to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program.

Forget Iran, Iraq Is Threatening Oil Prices
By Steve Hargreaves
The deteriorating situation in Iraq is leading some analysts to worry that the country may not be able to meet its lofty goals for rapidly ramping up oil production.

Rosneft Gets License For Three Oil And Gas Blocks
By Jake Rudnitsky
OAO Rosneft (ROSN), Russia’s largest oil producer, received a license to explore and develop three offshore oil and natural-gas blocks in the Barents Sea.

Exxon Earnings Affected By Refining Slump
By Ed Crooks
ExxonMobil, the largest US oil and gas group by market capitalisation, reported a 2 per cent rise in earnings for the fourth quarter to $9.4bn after tax, as a slump in profits from its refineries and chemicals businesses offset the benefit of the higher oil price.

Anxious Refineries Need Closure
By Liam Denning
Rare is the industry that rallies on news of a bankruptcy. Oil refining is one of them.

Union Tells US Refinery Workers To Prepare For Strike
By CNBC
The United Steelworkers union told U.S. refinery workers to prepare to offer safe and orderly refinery shutdowns prior to a strike that could begin as early as 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, sources familiar with the union''s preparations said on Sunday.

Japan Finds Water Leaks At Stricken Nuclear Plant
By Reuters
Japan’s stricken nuclear power plant has leaked more than 600 litres of water, forcing it to briefly suspend cooling operations at a spent-fuel pond at the weekend, but none is thought to have escaped into the ocean, the plant''s operator and domestic media said.

S. Korea President Lee To Visit Turkey
By CRI
South Korean President Lee Myung- bak will visit Turkey between Feb. 4 and Feb. 7 for a possible nuclear cooperation deal, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News reported Monday.

Rio Tinto Denies Australian Coal Force Majeure Talk
By Platts
Mining group Rio Tinto has not declared force majeure on coal deliveries due to rainfall in Queensland, Australia, contrary to market talk, a company spokesman said Monday.

Coal Comes Cheap But Production Does Not
By Florian Neuhof
Solar is not the only alternative to expensive natural gas, as Dubai looks to the private sector to build a "clean coal" power plant.

BP To Start Jordan Gas Exploration Soon
By Mohammad Tayseer
BP Plc will start drilling exploratory wells at the Risha natural gas deposit in Jordan, near the border with Iraq, to assess reserves in the next few weeks, an Energy Ministry spokesman said.

Exxon Mobil To Keep Japan LNG Business Intact
By Mari Iwata
Exxon Mobil Corp. XOM +0.01% will keep its liquefied natural gas business in Japan intact, a company executive said Monday, after the U.S. oil giant said Sunday it will give up its majority stake in the country’s second-largest oil refiner.

New Report By Agency Lowers Estimates Of Natural Gas
By Ian Urbina
Just how much natural gas is trapped underground in the United States?

Thwarted On US Oil Pipeline, Canada Looks To China
By Canadian Business
The latest chapter in Canada’s quest to become a full-blown oil superpower unfolded this month in a village gym on the British Columbia coast.

Balanced Oil Market Important For Saudi
By Trade Arabia
Having a balanced oil market is important for Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest producer and exporter, the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Saturday, amid mounting uncertainty over Iranian oil supplies due to sanctions.

Underwater Oil Rig Factories Planned To Beat Catastrophies
By Anthony Bond
Oil companies are planning to create huge factories on the sea bed of the Arctic ocean in a bid to prevent extreme weather conditions from hampering their work.

Asians Resist Notion Of Iran Oil Cuts
By RFERL
Several Asian countries are expressing an unwillingness to join the United States and Europe Union in blocking oil imports from Iran in order to pressure Tehran over its disputed nuclear program.

Oil Drilling Increased, API Says
By UPI
The United States, even with an increase in wells in the fourth quarter, can do better in terms of the number of domestic oil wells drilled, a trade group said.

China, Japan Scramble For Oil
By Florence Tan
The shutdown in Sudanese oil supply could drive up already record premiums on spot crude markets as top Sudan customers China and Japan scramble for alternatives even as they weigh the impact on oil flows of international sanctions on Iran.

State of the Union: "All Out, All of the Above Energy"
By Geoffrey Styles
Anyone expecting the announcement of big new energy initiatives in this year''s State of the Union address was disappointed last night.

Obama’s Energy Plan Focuses On Natural Gas
By Andrew Webster
During a speech at a UPS building in Las Vegas, President Obama discussed the future of America''s energy and dependence on foreign oil. And his solution is natural gas.

The End Of Elastic Oil
By Tom Konrad
The last ten years have brought a structural change to the world oil market, with changes in demand increasingly playing a role in maintaining the supply/demand balance. These changes will come at an increasingly onerous cost to our economy unless we take steps to make our demand for oil more flexible.

Energy Tax Breaks Proposed, Despite Waning Support
By Diane Cardwell
Assisted by technological innovation and years of subsidies, the cost of wind and solar power has fallen sharply — so much so that the two industries say that they can sometimes deliver cleaner electricity at prices competitive with power made from fossil fuels.

Iran Sanctions
By Andrés Cala
The European Union this week joined the U.S. strategy of strangling Iranian oil revenue to pressure it into surrendering its defiant nuclear enrichment that Western countries suspect is meant to build a nuclear bomb.

Solar CEOs See Boom In China Will Ease Glut
By Alex Morales and Jacqueline Simmons
China may double its installations of solar panels this year, absorbing excess production that depressed prices and margins in 2011, chief executive officers from two of the industry’s top five manufactures said.

DOE Announces Grants To Study Concentrated Solar Energy Technology
By EV Wind
Chu announced that the DOE will provide up to USD 10 million grants to support the development of more efficient heat transfer fluids to reduce the cost of energy from concentrating solar power (CSP) systems.

Indo-Pak Civil Nuclear Cooperation Possible
By Daily Times
Speakers at a discussion on ‘Pakistan-India: A Security Route to Cooperation’ agreed on Thursday that civil nuclear cooperation is possible between Pakistan and India as long as it is mutually beneficial.

Abu Dhabi To Tap Nat Gas To Meet Fuel Demand
By Steel Guru
Gulf News reported that Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is exploring its unconventional natural gas deposits as the state oil company seeks to boost output of the fuel to meet rising domestic demand.

Supply Depresses Natural Gas Prices
By Boston Globe
The price of natural gas dropped yesterday for the first time in a week after the government said US supplies are still well above what is normal for this time of year.

Anadarko Finds Oil Offshore Brazil
By Karen Eeuwens and Peter Millard
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC), the independent U.S. producer that plans to sell its assets in Brazil, found traces of oil at an offshore well in the country’s most productive basin.

Iran Says It May Cut Off Its Oil Exports To Europe
By Rick Gladstone and J. David Goodman
Iran struck a combative tone Thursday in its confrontation with the West over the nuclear issue, threatening to terminate oil exports to European nations even before their embargo takes effect this summer. But its president also acknowledged that the regimen of punitive sanctions imposed on Iran, which he had long dismissed as insignificant, were hurting ordinary Iranians.

Cuba’s Offshore Oil Drilling Platform Under Intense Scrutiny
By Mimi Whitefield
The Scarabeo 9 is a state-of the-art oil rig leased by a Spanish company, built in China and Singapore, owned by an Italian company and flagged in the Bahamas. But there’s one part of its international pedigree that has some Floridians up in arms: it will be exploring for oil in Cuban waters.

Cuba Oil Project Drilling To Start
By BBC News
Cuba will begin exploratory drilling in search of oil this weekend, when drilling will start on a rig just 100 kilometres from Florida.

India Government To Set Up Solar Firm
By Saurabh Chaturvedi
India is setting up a company with initial capital of 20 billion rupees ($405.6 million) to build federal solar projects and help the country reach a target of 20 gigawatts of solar energy capacity by 2022, a top government official said.

Everything You Know About Peak Oil Is Wrong
By Charles Kenny
At some point in the coming months, the confrontation between the West and Iran over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program may reach a breaking point. Even assuming the two sides manage to avoid full-fledged military conflict, the crisis could still cause significant disruption to the world economy. An embargo against Iranian oil exports, or a move by Iran’s leaders to close the Straits of Hormuz—or both—could send the price of oil soaring and jeopardize the re-election hopes of leaders from Paris to Washington. And as happens with every oil crisis, pundits will insist that the pain we’re feeling is nothing compared to what it will be like when the world finally runs out of black gold.

Accusations Of Delay In Disclosing Volt Fire
By Matthew L. Wald
House Republicans accused the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Wednesday of trying to keep secret a battery fire in a Chevy Volt out of fear of damaging the value of the government’s investment in the car’s manufacturer, General Motors, and jeopardizing President Obama’s re-election prospects.

Renewing War Against Coal
By Intelligencer
President Barack Obama talked a lot about "renewable" energy during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night. But he made it crystal clear he plans to renew his administration’s war against coal while forcing expensive, unrealistic non-alternatives down the throats of Americans.

China Overtakes Japan As World’s Top Coal Importer
By Osamu Tsukimori
China overtook Japan as the world’s top coal importer for the first time in 2011, customs data from the countries showed, partly driven by robust Chinese demand.

Iran To Provide Ethanol Fuel Soon
By ISNA
Iran plans to supply ethanol fuel by the end of Iranian calendar year, March 20, after providing the Euro 4 fuel.

Wind Energy Subsidy May Be Renewed After Election
By Sally Bakewell
The U.S. probably will extend incentives for the wind energy industry regardless of whether President Barack Obama or the Republicans win the election in November, a former adviser to the Senate Finance Committee said.

Uranium Supply Crunch By 2016
By Steel Guru
A nuclear expert gave uranium supply 3 more years at most before it seriously falls behind demand from the nuclear power industry.

FirstEnergy Closing 6 Coal-Fired Power Plants
By Boston Globe
FirstEnergy Corp. said Thursday that new environmental regulations led to a decision to shut down six older, coal-fired power plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, affecting more than 500 employees.

Oil Giants’ Retreat Is Mirrored By The Market
By Rachel Cooper
Ahead of fourth-quarter figures from BP and Royal Dutch Shell early next month, analysts at JP Morgan Cazenove were exercising caution and shaving their earnings-per-share estimates.

India Offers Pak Oil Pipeline
By Pawan Bali
In a major peace initiative, India on Wednesday proposed to build pipelines to Pakistan if it provides long-term guarantees on buying petroleum products. India now has excess refining capacity and is exporting petrol and diesel, among other petroleum products, to various parts of the world, including Europe.

Iran Mulls Pre-empting EU Oil Embargo
BY Benoit Faucon
Iran said Thursday it was considering pre-empting a European Union oil embargo and called on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to intervene against a Saudi pledge to fill the supply gap, as its strongest response to date to the EU ban drove oil prices higher.

La. Oil Officials Dissatisfied With Obama Speech
By CBS News
A day after President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, petroleum industry representatives called Wednesday for a more-aggressive energy development policy, saying the United States could take care of more of its petroleum needs while cutting dependence on unstable foreign oil supplies.

Energy Firms Say Regulations Threaten Future Development
By Jonathan Katz
Mid-market energy industry executives primarily from the oil and gas sector are optimistic about the potential for U.S. energy security but are worried that regulations could jeopardize the availability of those resources, according to a report released Jan. 25 by small and mid-market business lender CIT Group Inc.

Obama Administration Offers Gulf Oil And Gas Lease Sale
By David Jackson
The Obama administration announced today it is putting up nearly 38 million acres in the central Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas lease sales.

Oil Supply As A Strategic Risk
By Justin Gillis
Concerns about the climate have not inspired a lot of action lately on global energy policy. Now two professors are arguing that supply concerns and rising oil prices ought to be enough to get governments moving, even if the climate does not.

Time, Newsweek Bury Keystone
By Michael J. Economides & Peter C Glover
Energy has become a hot button election issue. President Obama’s State of the Union address and his decision to reject TransCanada’s application to build the Keystone pipeline crystallized the fact.

U.S. Nuclear Waste Problem Can Be Managed
By Amy Joi O''Donoghue,
A trio of groups in the nuclear energy industry or policy arena are urging the Obama administration and Congress to take a hard look at waste management reforms, specifically by taking action on recommendations to be released next week.

Chinese Move On Uranium Explorer
By NZ Herald
A Chinese nuclear company has moved a step closer to bidding for Australian uranium explorer Extract Resources but the target says it is still seeking alternative suitors.

S. Korea Has 92 Percent of Nuclear Capacity Online
By Sangim Han
South Korea has 19 nuclear reactors in operation, producing 17,654 megawatts of electric power, or 92 percent of the total capacity, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Another Japanese Nuclear Reactor Suspended
By Times Live
A power plant operator said Wednesday that it had shut down a nuclear reactor in Niigata prefecture, central Japan, for regular checkups, which would leave only four of the nation’s 54 reactors in service.

Russia Unveils Ambitious Coal Industry Program
By Svetlana Kalmykova
By the year 2030 Russia is going to boost its annual coal production to 430 million tons. Alongside other milestone of this long-term program for the development of the coal-mining industry, this was announced by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during his visit to a mining region of Kemerovo in Siberia on Tuesday.

A New Direction For China’s Massive Shale Gas Reserves
By Keith Schaefer
It’s estimated that China holds more natural gas – locked in its huge shale reserve – than the U.S.

US Lures Pakistan With Cheaper Gas Than Iran
By Zafar Bhutta
They may loathe you for being ‘duplicitous’ in the war on terror, but they will gladly sell gas to you – especially if it means you will give up gas from Iran.

India, Pakistan Say Strategy Soon For Gas Import
By Economic Times
India and Pakistan are closer to agreeing on a transit fee and a joint strategy to develop gas fields and import the hydrocarbon via pipeline from the central asian republic of Turkmenistan, oil ministers of the two sides said Wednesday.

South Sudan, Kenya Sign Agreement To Build Oil Pipeline
By Jared Ferrie
South Sudan and Kenya signed a memorandum of understanding to build an oil pipeline to the Kenyan port of Lamu, said Barnaba Marial Benjamin, a spokesman for South Sudan’s government.

EU Imposes Iran Oil Embargo
By Henry Chu and Paul Richter
Europe slapped a boycott on Iranian oil Monday, signaling that the Islamic Republic’s second-largest market is likely to dry up as part of a U.S.-led sanctions campaign that has already inflicted serious damage on Iran’s economy and sharply increased tensions.

Obama Backs Fracking To Create 600,000 Jobs
By Jim Snyder and Katarzyna Klimasinska
President Barack Obama pushed drilling for gas in shale rock and support for cleaner energy sources to boost the economy in his final State of the Union address before facing U.S. voters in November.

Super Fracking & the Next Shale Gale
By Peter C Glover
The shale gas and oil production is the energy story of the last decades; the technological advances of hydraulic fracturing (fracking in the recent vernacular) its chief sub-text.

Cold Fusion: Theory Or Fact?
By Mark Gibbs
If, way back in 1911, I had told you that a newly discovered principle could create a conductor that would carry electricity over any distance with virtually no loss of power you would have said “Fantastic! Amazing! This will change everything!” and you’d have been right … if it had been practical.

Russia Orders Oil Companies To Freeze Gasoline Prices
By Fox Business
Russia’s government has reached an informal agreement with the country’s oil companies to freeze gasoline prices until the spring, the Kommersant daily reported Monday, citing Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko.

After Strong 2011, Coal Prices Declining
By Bruce Siwy
Coal prices are starting to cool, but mining in Somerset County may continue unfettered.

Thar Coal Can Energize Pakistan
By Rubab Mahboob
Energy is considered as lifeline of a country’s socio-economic and human development but its scarcity results in grinding halt to almost every sector of life. Pakistan like other Asian countries is also faced with acute energy shortage, especially of electricity, the main source of energy. The electricity crisis did not emerge overnight because the issue had been prevailing since 2006 following the previous regime’s least interest to address this grave public and country’s problem.

Chinese Company Sinopec Ready To Boost LNG Stake
By Neil Wilson
THE partners in Australia’s biggest coal seam gas project are expected to confirm plans to extend the venture within months after a Chinese company increased its investment.

The Falklands and Other Dangerous Disputed Territories: A Market Solution
By Steve H. Hanke
As soon as “The Iron Lady” hit the silver screen, it brought back remembrances of the Falklands War – a war that officially commenced on 2 April 1982, only three short years after Margaret Thatcher assumed the reins as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Nigeria Needs To Quit Oil Refining Business
By Chege Mbitiru
Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan is treating the country’s corruption- infested and notoriously inefficient oil industry as a voodoo surgeon would a gangrened leg: sprinkling herbs instead of amputating.

3rd Reactor Shut Down In Czech Republic
By Voice of Russia
The third unit of the Czech nuclear power plant "Dukovany" has been shut down for scheduled maintenance and the replacement of nuclear fuel rods, according to the Czech news agency CTK reports citing the press secretary of the Nuclear Power Plant Peter Spilka.

IAEA Begins Review Of Japan’s Nuclear Stress Tests
By Reuters
A team of U.N. nuclear experts on Monday began a review of tests conducted by Japan to prove the safety of its nuclear reactors in the wake of the Fukushima radiation crisis.

Bulgarian Coal Miners Call Off Strike
By Reuters
Workers at Bulgaria’s biggest coal mines on Sunday called off their strike over bonuses and better work conditions which lasted a week and forced the Balkan country to halt electricity exports to its neighbours to avoid power shortages.

OPEC: World Oil Demand To Near 89 MB/D
By Chika Amanze-Nwachuku
The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has said world oil demand would near 89 million barrels a day this year, but warned that the ongoing Europe’s debt crisis could cut global oil consumption.

Fracking In Kan. Pushes Water Permits To New High
By CBS
Even as sections of Kansas struggled with drought last year, oil exploration companies pushed into the state to drill for oil and gas with horizontal hydraulic fracturing, a method that relies on water.

Pipelines Like Keystone Are The Best Transportation
By Rolf Westgard
President Barack Obama has followed his earlier rejection of the $10 billion+ Yucca Mountain nuclear storage project with a rejection of the proposed $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline extension project.

Chesapeake Energy Pulls Back Amid Natural-Gas Glut
By Ben Lefebvre
Chesapeake Energy Corp., a major contributor to the current glut of natural gas in the U.S., said it will reduce drilling activity this year as gas prices have reached a 10-year low.

Japanese Struggle To Protect Their Food Supply
By Martin Fackler
In the fall, as this valley’s rice paddies ripened into a carpet of gold, inspectors came to check for radioactive contamination.

Turkey, Iran Calls On Quick Resumption Of Iranian Nuclear Talks
By Xinhua News
Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers on Thursday called on relevant parties to resume nuclear talks with Iran as soon as possible for regional stability.

New Legal Challenge To UK Nuclear Power Expansion Plans
By Rav Casley Gera
It seems that we’re at a really interesting crossroads in the debate over nuclear power. Large portions of the environmental movement have become more in favour of it in recent years, seeing the risks of another Japan-style meltdown as less than the benefits of more low-carbon energy. In response, those still opposed to nuclear have shifted their argument away from safety and focused on the cost of nuclear, arguing it’s less cost-efficient than simply massively expanding renewables.

India’s Bid For Asian Natural Gas Remains Distant Reality
By Oman Tribune
NEW DELHI Will India’s attempt to obtain natural gas from Turkmenistan to augment its energy security requirements fructify? Political stability in transit countries were key to the realisation of the ambitious $10 billion, 1,700km pipeline project that is envisaged to bring gas from Central Asia to India through Afghanistan and Pakistan, both in throes of political turmoil and civil strife.

Chevron Gas Discovery Boosts LNG Plans
By News
US energy giant Chevron has made another natural gas discovery in Western Australia''s Carnarvon Basin that will boost plans to increase its liquefied natural gas (LNG) production.

U.S. Wary As Oil Rig Arrives To Explore In Cuban Waters
By USA Today
A massive drilling rig arrived Thursday in the warm Gulf waters north of Havana, where it will sink an exploratory well deep into the seabed, launching Cuba''s dreams of striking it rich with offshore oil.

Fossil Fuel Subsidies: A Tour Of The Data
By Duncan Clark
One of the most surprising and alarming issues in the climate and energy arena is the fact that the fossil fuels causing global warming continue to receive substantial government support, making them artificially cheap and encouraging more of them to be consumed. It’s a form of madness that my colleague Damian Carrington put his finger on recently when he wrote that "the house is ablaze and we are throwing bucket after bucket at it – buckets of petrol."

Ukraine Seeks Compromise With IMF
By James Marson
Ukraine’s Finance Minister Valeriy Khoroshkovskiy said Friday he would try to find a "compromise" with the International Monetary Fund to restart much-needed lending, but offered no assurances that Ukraine’s government would raise gas prices for households—a demand of the IMF.

Shell Joins Nova Scotia’s Offshore
By Daily Staff Biz
The return of one of the world’s top five oil and gas companies to Nova Scotia’s offshore will create good jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars of investment, Premier Darrell Dexter announced today.

Texas Oil And Gas Regulator Election Ramps Up
By Deon Daugherty
Quick — can you name one of the three people on the Texas Railroad Commission?

EPA Providing Water To Homes Near PA Fracking Site
By Mark Drajem
The Environmental Protection Agency will deliver water to four families in Dimock, Pennsylvania, where residents say their water has been contaminated during hydraulic fracturing by Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.

Italian Minister Says Reject Nuclear Power, Not Research
By EurActiv
Italians decidedly rejected the use of existing nuclear power plants, but that does not mean abandoning the study and research on atomic energy, said Environment Minister Corrado Clini. Speaking to EurActiv Italy in an exclusive interview, Clini also addressed other issues related to EU environmental policy and cooperation with Brazil in advance of the Rio+20 Earth Summit.

Venture Socialism?
By Robert Rapier
With the recently announced foreclosure of Vinod Khosla venture Range Fuels, followed by the fire sale of Range Fuels’ assets to Vinod Khosla venture LanzaTech, I have been getting a lot of calls from reporters wanting to discuss exactly what happened here.

Pakistan To Export Coal To India Soon
By Dawn
Traders are already making inquiries from the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), which has now an area of 32,213.48 acres on lease from the government for coal-mining. Their estimated reserves total 37.64 million tons and the leases, when fully developed, would yield 3,800 tons of coal per day.

China’s Shenhua To Open Coal Mine In Australia
By Reuters
Shenhua Group Corp Ltd, China’s top coal producer, plans to open a coal mine in Australia, the China Business Daily reported on Thursday.

Keystone Pipeline: How Many Jobs Really At Stake?
By Alain Sherter
President Obama’s move Wednesday to reject a permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline drew fire from supporters of the project, with a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner telling CBS that the decision threatens to "destroy tens of thousands of American jobs."

Obama Rejects High-Stakes Canada Oil Pipeline
By France 24
Obama’s political rivals had given him 60 days to make a decision on whether to approve the $7 billion, 1,700-mile (2,700-kilometer) pipeline route through the Great Plains to Texas, forcing him to choose between environmentalists and industry.

8 States On Board With Natural Gas Vehicle Push
By Boston Globe
Eight states have now signed up in an effort to encourage U.S. automakers to develop affordable vehicles that run on natural gas.

Edano: Japan Bracing For Nuclear-Free Summer
By Mitsuru Obe
The Japanese official overseeing the energy industry said there may be no reactors operating when power demand peaks this summer, as the country struggles with how far and fast to reduce its reliance on nuclear energy.

Americans Cut Consumption In Face Of Record Prices
By Ronald D. White
Today, the U.S. average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is 28.5 cents a gallon higher than it was a year ago, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. In California today, prices are 34.1 cents a gallon higher than those of last year. But if the Martin Luther King Jr.holiday is any guide, the fuel bite today won''t be any worse on American wallets than it was last year.

New Gas Economy Rules Generate Wide Support
By Nick Bunkley
Writing new regulations that will require cars and trucks to have significantly higher fuel economy by 2025 prompted years of fighting among automakers, environmentalists, regulators and consumer groups.

UAE To Set Up Clean Energy Project In Afghanistan
By Haseeb Haider
The UAE will set up two renewable energy projects in Tonga and Afghanistan and will partner with the Development Bank of Japan to invest in solar and wind power projects elsewhere.

Obama Said To Reject Keystone Pipeline
By Kate Andersen Brower and Jim Snyder
The Obama administration will reject TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL oil pipeline and let the company file a revised route that avoids an environmentally sensitive area in Nebraska, according to two people familiar with the decision. The shares fell as much as 4.8 percent.

Vietnam Joins World In Peaceful Use Of Nuclear Power
By People Daily
An international conference on global nuclear power development and security in 2012 was held here Tuesday by the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) in cooperation with the British Embassy in Vietnam and the World Nuclear Association.

Germany’s Nuclear Exit To Cost Trillions
By Christoph Steitz
Siemens expects Germany’s exit from nuclear power to cost the country up to 1.7 trillion euros ($2.15 US trillion) by 2030, the head of its energy business said.

New Study To Probe Corrosiveness Of Canada Oil
By Roberta Rampton
A U.S. safety regulator will look at whether pipelines carrying petroleum from Canada’s oil sands are at greater risk for spills than those carrying other types of crude, and whether any changes are needed to its rules.

Petronas And Shell Sign Oil Recovery Deal
By Today Online
Malaysia plans to launch the world’s biggest offshore enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project that will have a positive impact on the country’s oil reserves, Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Monday.

Miners Strike In Bulgaria Continues
By Sofia Echo
The first three days of the miners strike in the state-owned Mini Maritsa Iztok has cost the company four million leva, the company''s chief executive Evgeni Stoikov told Bulgarian news agency BTA on January 18.

Russia Warns Attack On Iran Could Unleash ‘Chain Reaction’
By Washington Post
A military attack on Iran would trigger a “chain reaction” that destabilizes the world, while new sanctions against Tehran over its disputed nuclear program would “stifle” the Iranian economy and hurt its people, Russia’s foreign minister warned Wednesday.

Essar Oil May Appeal In Tax Case
By Santanu Choudhury and Rakesh Sharma
Essar Oil Ltd. said Wednesday it is considering an appeal against a Supreme Court of India ruling to exclude the private-sector refiner from a program that would have allowed it to defer paying sales tax.

Oil Demand Falling, IEA Warns
By Upstream Online
Oil demand is falling for the first time since the global economic crisis of 2008-2009, the International Energy Agency said.

Bulgaria Bans Chevron From Fracking For Shale
By Carin Hall
In preparation of a full ban on shale gas drilling, Bulgaria cancelled an exploration permit for the unconventional energy source that it had previously granted to Chevron in June due to environmental concerns.

Mitsubishi Heavy Predicts Restart For Japan Reactors
By Chester Dawson
The chief executive of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said he expects Japan''s idled nuclear reactors to restart operations this spring despite widespread safety concerns among the Japanese public, and that the domestic backlash against nuclear technology won''t affect overseas demand.

CBS News: Obama’s 11 More Solyndras
By Wynton Hall
In the wake of Peter Schweizer’s explosive revelation that 80 percent of the Department of Energy’s $20.5 billion in green energy loans went to President Barack Obama’s fundraisers and donors, CBS News is now reporting that the Obama Administration spent billions of taxpayer dollars on 11 more Solyndra-style loans to so-called green energy companies that have since gone bankrupt or are facing serious financial difficulty.

Exxon’s New Projects To Pump Up The Volume
By Forbes
Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest oil company, has seen its production decline over the past few quarters which has been more than compensated by rising oil prices.

The Covert ‘War’ In Iran
By Peter C Glover and Michael J. Economides
The assassination of another Iranian nuclear scientist on the streets of Tehran immediately cast suspicion on the obvious and usual suspects, the Israeli Mossad and America’s CIA.

Capsized Ship Stirs Environmental Fears
By NY Times
With an estimated 2,380 metric tons of fuel on board, the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship is “an ecological time bomb,” the mayor of the Tuscan island of Giglio says. The waters are treasured by divers. A Dutch salvage vessel is expected to start removing the ship’s fuel within days; the process could take two to four weeks. [The Guardian]

Solar PV Is Competitive In The Middle East
By Sara Ver-Bruggen
Solar photovoltaic electricity is competitive with conventional fossil fuel-based electricity generation, particularly for peak demand during the middle of the day, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), according to a new report.

Inflation Falls In World’s Top Oil Exporter
By Yousef Gamal El-Din
Inflation in the world’s top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has slowed to a four-year low of 5 percent in 2011, despite a significant ramp-up in government spending in the wake of the Arab Spring.

Valero Energy To Invest In Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
By Energy Business Review
Crude oil refiner Valero Energy has unveiled plans to invest $50m in a cellulosic ethanol plant which will be located in the US state of Michigan.

Norway Awards 60 New Oil Production Licenses
By Kjetil Malkenes Hovland
Norway has awarded 60 new production licenses to 42 oil companies in the "biggest ever" award in so-called predefined areas, Energy Minister Ola Borten Moe said Tuesday.

India Won’t Seek U.S. Waiver On Iran Sanctions
By Rakesh Sharma and Saurabh Chaturvedi
India won’t seek a waiver of U.S. sanctions on Iran and continues to buy crude oil from the country, Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said Tuesday.

Niger To Pursue Nuclear Plans Despite Fukushima
By Reuters
Niger will push ahead with a plan to develop civilian nuclear energy in partnership with other West African peers despite recent accidents including Fukushima, the country’s president said on Monday.

Sinopec, Aramco To Build Oil Refinery In Saudi Arabia
By 21 CBH
China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (600028.SH, 0386.HK), known as Sinopec Group, has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco to build an oil refinery in the Middle Eastern country.

Explosion Rocks Chevron’s Oil Rig In Bayelsa
By Osa Okhomina
A strange explosion yesterday rocked an oil rig belonging to Chevron Nigeria Limited located close to the Sangana Community of Brass Local Government area of Bayelsa State jus as the development led to the mysterious disappearance of two persons identified as expatriate workers.

U.S. Presses South Korea To Reduce Oil
By Choe Sang-Hun
A senior American diplomat urged South Korea on Tuesday to reduce its imports of Iranian crude oil as the United States continued to seek support from major Asian economies to increase pressure on Tehran to halt its nuclear program.

Oman Promises More Oil To Korea
By Chosun
Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said has promised to help Korea out with crude oil if prices soar in the aftermath of U.S. sanctions against Iran. He made the promise to Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik during his official visit to the Omani capital of Muscat on Saturday.

China’s hunger for gas fuels hostile bid
By Leslie Hook
At first blush China Gas, a small company that distributes natural gas in Chinese cities, would seem unlikely to end up at the centre of a hostile takeover battle that has pitted a giant Chinese state-owned oil company against a diverse range of small investors, including energy companies from Korea, India and Oman.

Why Oil Prices Will Stay High
By Fareed Zakaria
The next time you pay $3.50 dollars for a gallon of gas, stop and think about a basic rule of economics. When demand is low and supply is strong, prices should fall. Right?

US, China, Iran Oil: Not Quite Eye To Eye
By Leslie Hook
When US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner travelled to Beijing this week, the US embassy initially struck a note of cautious optimism: China is open to cooperating with the US vis-à-vis Iran, officials said.

Ukraine Says Won’t Sell Gas Pipelines To Russia
By Reuters
Ukraine will not sell its gas pipeline network to Russia in exchange for supplies of cheaper gas, Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Boiko said on Friday, ruling out a solution long suggested by Moscow.

Mozambique Protest Blocks Coal Train Line
By AFP
About 500 protesters in Mozambique this week blocked a coal railway line in a dispute over housing with the Brazilian mining company Vale, police said Thursday.

Pengassan To Shut Gas, Oil Production On Sunday
By Taiwo Ogunmola
Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) yesterday said it has decided to shut oil and gas production with effect from Sunday, if the federal government failed to yield to the popular agitation by Nigerians for its unprecedented approach to fuel subsidy removal.

Denbury To Sell Non-Core Oil Assets
By CBS News
Denbury Resources Inc. said Thursday that it agreed to sell oil assets in Mississippi and Louisiana to privately held Petro Harvester Oil and Gas for $155 million.

Oil India Said To Study Possible Purchase Of Cove Energy
By Rakteem Katakey and George Smith Alexander
Oil India Ltd. (OINL), India’s second- biggest state-owned energy explorer, is considering a possible purchase of Cove Energy Plc (COV), which has assets in east Africa, said two people with knowledge of the matter.

EU Iran Oil Embargo Timing Still In Question
By Frances Robinson
A European Union embargo on Iranian oil could be enacted after a six-month grace period under one of the options being considered, but there is still no consensus on the matter, Brussels diplomats said Friday.

Error Margins: Forecasting Energy Demand
By Platts
Long-term energy demand forecasts have always been as much art as science.

Beware the Next Oil Choke: Iranian Lessons for Venezuela
By Andrés Cala
Oil prices are soaring while the economy flat-lines in anticipation that Europe will next week join the US in choking Iranian oil revenue. Tehran in response is saber-rattling and threatening to close off the Strait of Hormuz.

Fear Over Fuel Prices Justified
By Gregg Laskoski
What’s going on with gasoline prices?

Which Are Better: Electric Cars Or Natural Gas Vehicles?
By Michael Kanellos
The debate has raged for years in alternative transportation. Electric vehicle (EV) advocates claim that the steady improvement in battery technology, the pervasiveness of the grid, and software and services to enable things like high-speed charging will make electrification of at least some portion of the transportation market inevitable.

Please Sir Will You Buy My Oil?
By Phil Flynn
Forget all that talk of weak demand, the dynamics of the oil market are a bit more complex.

Greenpeace Makes Meal Out Of The Rena
By Warwick Rasmussen
For the past four months the cargo ship Rena has stuck around like an unwanted guest.

Vestas Cuts Over 2,000 Jobs After Profit Evaporates
By John Acher and Shida Chayesteh
Danish wind turbine maker Vestas (VWS.CO) will cut 2,335 jobs in a bid to restore profitability after rising costs wiped out its 2011 earnings.

India To Talk To France, US For Nuclear Reactors
By MSN
India will hold technical discussions with France and the US for sourcing reactors, said a senior Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL) official Wednesday.

China To Retrieve More Natural Gas
By Zhou Yan
China’s output of natural gas is expected to increase by 11 percent in 2012 to reach 113 billion cubic meters, the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation said on Wednesday.

Solar Stocks Rise On Surging German Installs
By Businessweek
Solar companies climbed this week on optimism that stronger-than-expected demand at the end of 2011 will continue this year.

Ecuadorian State Oil Firm Boosts Reserves With 3 Finds
By LAHT
Ecuadorian state oil company Petroecuador announced the discovery of 18 million barrels of reserves at three Amazon wells, saying they will partly compensate for crude that has been consumed.

Company Cautions Against Linking Well, Ohio Quakes
By CBS News
Boos, applause and the occasional outburst marked a gathering of about 500 Ohio residents seeking explanations for a series of earthquakes that has hit their area since deep injection drilling came to town.

Nigeria Oil Union Threatens Oil And Gas Shutdown
By Washington Post
A major union representing Nigerian oil workers said Thursday it would shut down all production Sunday as part of a nationwide strike now paralyzing a country vital to U.S. oil supplies.

Japan Wants To Keep Importing Iranian Crude
By Mari Iwata
Japan wants to keep importing crude oil from Iran despite rising pressure from the U.S., its key ally, to cooperate in strengthening sanctions over the Islamic Republic''s uranium enrichment program.

Petroleum Prices Set Records in 2011
By Geoffrey Styles
Without much fanfare, the Energy Information Agency of the US Department of Energy released a report on 2011 energy commodity prices yesterday. It confirmed that crude oil and key petroleum products set annually averaged price records last year.

Should We Freak Out About Fracking-Induced Earthquakes?
By Christopher Helman
After a handful of earthquakes in Mahoning County, most recently on New Year’s Eve, Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources shut down five deep wells used by natural gas drillers to dispose of chemical-laden gunk recovered from natural gas fracking operations. The quakes, biggest of which measured 4 on the Richter scale, coincided with injections into the wells, pretty much ruling out coincidence.

Doomsday Clock Moved Closer To Midnight
By Doyle Rice
Citing ongoing threats from nuclear proliferation, climate change, and the need to find sustainable and safe sources of energy, scientists moved the "Doomsday Clock" one minute closer to midnight on Tuesday.

Oil Companies Still Eye Norwegian Acreage
By Kjetil Malkenes Hovland
Statoil, ExxonMobil and Shell are among seven oil companies that have paid NOK54 million each to buy seismic data from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, enabling them to map the resources of controversial, but promising areas outside of Lofoten, Vesteraalen and Senja in northern Norway.

A Fine For Not Using A Biofuel That Doesn’t Exist
By Matthew L. Wald
When the companies that supply motor fuel close the books on 2011, they will pay about $6.8 million in penalties to the Treasury because they failed to mix a special type of biofuel into their gasoline and diesel as required by law.

China Airlines Won’t Pay EU Carbon Tax
By Alison Leung and Harry Suhartono
China’s airlines will refuse to pay any charges under the European Union’s new carbon trading scheme, while other Asia Pacific carriers, already battling a weak travel market, are likely to pass on the extra cost to passengers.

U.S. Plans 32 Oil, Gas Onshore Lease Sales
By UPI
The dozens of onshore oil and gas lease sales planned in the United States for 2012 highlight a commitment to energy security, an official said.

Chance For Qatar In US Gas Glut
By Florian Neuhof
Qatar Petroleum (QP) could reconfigure its US import terminal to export gas in a bid to cash in on the US supply glut arising from the shale gas revolution, says one of Qatar’s prime ministers.

Peak Oil Can Fuel A Change For The Better
By Samuel Alexander
The advent of peak oil means we should prepare for a downscaling of our highly energy and resource-intensive lifestyles.

Cyclone Toward Australia Intensifies
By Robb M. Stewart
Oil producers and mining companies were battening down ahead of a tropical cyclone headed for the coast of Western Australia’s iron-ore-rich Pilbara region, with ports shutting down and ordering ships to anchor at sea.

US Satisfied With Cuban Oil Platform Safety
By AFP
US safety inspectors say an oil platform managed by the Spanish company Repsol for the Cuban government meets their safety standards.

N. Dakota Surpasses OPEC Member Ecuador In Oil Production
By Joe Carroll
North Dakota oil production surged 42 percent to 510,000 barrels a day in November, exceeding the output of OPEC member Ecuador, as energy explorers accelerated drilling in the Bakken Shale formation.

Saudi Oil Output Nearing Capacity Limit
By Amena Bakr and Reem Shamseddine
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is nearing its comfortable operational production limits and may struggle to do much to make up for shortages that arise from new sanctions imposed on Iran by the West, Gulf-based sources said.

Russia Concerned About Iran’s Uranium Enrichment
By CBS News
Russia expressed regret and concern Tuesday about Iran’s launch of an underground uranium enrichment facility, but urged all parties involved in the nuclear standoff with Tehran to avoid hasty moves.

Brazil Is Eager To Ship Ethanol North
By Star Tribune
"We’ve been waiting for this news for more than 30 years," crows Marcos Jank, president of the Brazilian sugar-cane growers'' trade association.

Delay For UAE Crude Oil Pipeline
By Florian Neuhof
A pipeline that will allow Abu Dhabi’s oil exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz is facing a six-month delay. The disclosure by a Federal Government minister comes amid growing diplomatic tension over the strategic waterway that carries a third of the world’s seaborne crude supplies.

Venezuela Doesn’t Intend To Make Additional Payments To Exxon
By Washington Post
Venezuela’s oil minister said the government doesn’t intend to make additional payments to Exxon Mobil Corp. beyond about $255 million that it agreed to pay in a recent arbitration award.

Alternative-Fuel Cars Flood Auto Show
By Nick Bunkley BUNKLEY
In the race to claim ever-higher fuel-economy numbers and keep up with government regulations, automakers are rolling out hybrids and electric cars aplenty at this week’s Detroit auto show.

Geithner Urges China to Support Tougher Iran Sanctions
By CNBC
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is making Washington’s case for stricter sanctions on Iran during a visit this week to China, the largest consumer of Iranian oil.

Iran Tension Will Keep Oil Prices High
By Shai Ahmed
The tensions over Iran and threats from the West to apply sanctions on Iranian oil will see crude prices facing more of an upside risk in the near future, a commodities analyst told CNBC.