U.S. LNG Exports Could Ensure European Energy Security
The ongoing crisis in Ukraine is a flashpoint for European and American leaders to reinforce energy security in Europe and redouble efforts to decrease Europe’s dependence on Russian natural gas. Russia provides nearly one-third of Europe’s annual natural gas demand which totaled 18.7 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) in 2013. Ukraine is also the major conduit for natural gas to Western Europe as 50% percent of Russia’s natural gas exports transits pipelines which traverse Ukraine.
Thanks to new technologies such as hydraulic fracturing, the United States has become the largest natural gas producer in the world, with more than it needs for the foreseeable future. The United States is therefore in a prime position to assist Europe to diversify its energy supply. The White House recently acknowledged this point in a joint EU-US statement on March 26th. Several U.S. energy producers are also lined up to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Elections Approaching, Senate Dems Push For Approval Of Keystone Pipeline
Last week, nearly a dozen Democratic U.S. senators took a bold and extraordinary step by joining together demanding President Obama to approve the Keystone pipeline by a specific deadline.
The letter concludes, “We ask that you bring this entire process to an end no later than May 31, 2014, and that your final decision be the right one, finding that the Keystone XL pipeline is in the national interest.”
Flames Quickly Engulfed California Truck-Bus Crash A “tremendous fire” that quickly engulfed a bus of high-school students in a Northern California freeway wreck, killing 10 and severely burning many others, left officials grappling with the horrific nature of the crash as they tried to determine its cause.
Five students were among the dead in the head-on collision between the bus and a FedEx tractor trailer Thursday evening. Another 34 people were injured in the crash on…
The global accident rate for airline flights in 2013 was the lowest on record, according to an international standard-setting group, underscoring a steady improvement in airline safety despite recent attention on the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines 3786.KU 0.00% Flight 370.