Cultural Problems which Prevent Progress in the Fracking Debate

China is buying U.S. businesses at a record pace – What will the implications be and will alarm bells ring? “Chinese direct investment in the United States could hit a record high in 2012, according to a new research report released Wednesday. Total Chinese foreign direct investment in the U.S. is on pace to reach at least $8 billion this year, according to the report from research firm Rhodium Group. “ China buying U.S. businesses is a necessary part of correcting global imbalances. Click here to read the full article

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South Sudan and Sudan made headway in resolving oil disputes lingering since January. A peace deal that secured South Sudan’s independence last year called for equal divisions of oil revenue between the two countries. The south in January, however, stopped producing oil after the government in Khartoum started siphoning off oil to settle what it said were outstanding payment issues. Disputes over oil are among the lingering issues left over from the peace deal. U.S. officials declared the oil deal a victory but such optimism in the region is rarely…

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As India’s nationwide power outage last week showed, the country needs new energy resources – fast. And New Delhi sees nuclear power as a shortcut to alleviating its energy shortages, adding to its six current nuclear power plants (NPPs) containing 20 reactors which generate 4,780 megawatts, an additional seven reactors are expected to generate an additional 5,300 megawatts. The poster child for this expansion is the $2.5 billion, Kudankulam NPP in Tamil Nadu state, containing six 1,200 megawatt and two 1,000 megawatt reactors.…

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Suppose I told you there was a form of energy so plentiful it could encourage huge economic growth, a source so plentiful here in the United States that it could truly make America energy independent and vastly enhance our global political influence. That would be good news, right?But suppose I also told you that capturing this energy source means drilling, and smashing the underground rocks with a pressurized mix of water and sand and industrial chemicals, and that the liquid that returns to the surface from this process sometimes contains low…

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There was a clever headline in the satirical newspaper The Onion earlier this week that wouldn’t be so humorous if it wasn’t true.“300 Million Without Electricity In India After Restoration Of Power Grid,” the headline read.The article was referring to the massive power outage across India Tuesday that cut electricity to 670 million citizens, the equivalent of two Americas going dark. Without question, it was the largest blackout in world history.What was so witty about the headline was how it drew attention to another problem…

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A new low-cost, “air-breathing” battery has the capacity to store between eight and 24 hours’ worth of energy.The rechargeable and eco-friendly battery uses the chemical energy generated by the oxidation of iron plates that are exposed to the oxygen in the air—a process similar to rusting.“Iron is cheap and air is free,” says Sri Narayan, professor of chemistry at the University of Southern California (USC). “It’s the future.”Details about the battery were published in the Journal of the Electrochemical…

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Yesterday at around 6.00pm a leak was discovered by workers at Chevrons large oil refinery in Richmond, California. The leak grew in size as workers were evacuated from the site.Ryan Lackay, a 45-year-old employee at a chemical plant next door to the refinery, said that he saw “what looked like a lot of steam coming out of Chevron, way more than usual. I thought they must have blown a boiler. And then all of a sudden it just went whoosh, it ignited.”The fire erupted in the No. 4 crude distillation unit (CDU), sending flames and smoke…

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The US Export-Import Bank has announced that it will invest $2 billion into South African green energy funds. The country has plans to increase its power supply by more than 50,000 MW as it carries out its $127 billion plans to overhaul the national electricity grid.Fred Hochberg, the bank’s president, told reporters that they will sign the agreement “for $2 billion for renewable energy exports from the US to South Africa.” He confirmed that as soon as the deal was fully signed it will go “into effect immediately.”The…

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The Chicago Clean Energy project is a gasification plant which will produce synthetic natural gas from coal and petroleum coke.  The facility will cost about $3 billion and is estimated to create more than $10 billion in economic output for the state of Illinois, 2,000 new jobs, and $1.25 billion in tax revenues.The natural gas produced will equate to about five percent of Illinois’ annual demand, and provide a fuel source to be used in power plants which is 99 percent cleaner than that used in conventional power plants.The project will…

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Back in 2008 Goldman Sachs listed Petrobras’ share price at $60, now-a-days it commands $20 a share, and we expect that price to fall further in the coming days. The Brazilian oil giant just is not what it was.Investors are mostly scared by the simple fact that Petrobras does not exist to make a profit for them, but rather to serve the nation in whatever way the Brazilian government sees fit. Following a multi-billion dollar secondary share offering a few years ago and government intervention capping fuel prices and therefore profit, investors…

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