Palin around: The eco-rundown on Alaska Guv. Sarah Palin, John McCain’s Veep pick.
Posted by Grist at 8:45 AM on 29 Aug 2008, Last updated 10:29 a.m. PDT

GOP presidential candidate John McCain today announced that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will be his running mate in the race against Barack Obama and Joe Biden. McCain’s official announcement of his veep pick declares, “Governor Palin has challenged the influence of the big oil companies while fighting for the development of new energy resources. She leads a state that matters to every one of us — Alaska has significant energy resources and she has been a leader in the fight to make America energy independent.”

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Here are some quick snapshots of Palin’s record on issues related to energy and the environment:

Opposed a statewide ballot initiative to prohibit or restrict new mining operations that could affect salmon in the state’s streams and rivers

Has pushed to build a natural-gas pipeline from Alaska’s North Slope

Got the state legislature to pass a bill to provide each Alaskan $1,200 to help with energy costs

Sued the Interior Department over its decision to list the polar bear as a threatened species

Has proposed eliminating Alaska’s gas tax

Has pushed to open Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling

Has created a committee to forge Alaska’s climate-change strategy, and has made Alaska an observer (but not a member) of the Western Climate Initiative

Opposes a windfall profits tax on oil companies

Was the ethics commissioner of the Alaska Gas and Oil Conservation Commission from 2003 to 2004
Lifelong angler and hunter

Husband is an oil production operator for BP on Alaska’s North Slope

Started Alaska’s Petroleum Systems Integrity Office, an oversight and maintenance agency for the state’s oil and gas equipment, facilities, and infrastructure

Chairs the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multistate panel “that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety and the environment”

Believes intelligent design should be taught along with evolution in science classes

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Quotable quotes from Palin:

When I look every day, the big oil company’s building is right out there next to me, and it’s quite a reminder that we should have mutually beneficial relationships with the oil industry.

Alternative-energy solutions are far from imminent and would require more than 10 years to develop.
I believe in protecting Alaska’s environment through fair enforcement of our environmental laws. Having a clean record on environmental regulation is critical to getting ANWR open and maintaining our fisheries, mining, timber, and tourism industries.
I am not only a champion for Alaska’s fishing industry, but a part of it. My family is proud to be a Bristol Bay fishing family. That’s why, as Governor I will do what’s right for Alaska’s fishing communities. I know the resource must come first in our management decisions. If we manage for abundance, we should have enough fish for all our needs.
We believe that the … decision to list the polar bear was not based on the best scientific and commercial data available.
I am encouraged with [John McCain’s] evolved thinking on offshore drilling, and I think he might come along on ANWR if he sees our 2,000 acres for himself.
I get frustrated with folks from outside Alaska who come up and say, “You shouldn’t develop your resources.”
We have so much potential from tapping our resources here in Alaska. And we can do this with minimum environmental impact. We have a very pro-development president in President Bush, and yet he failed to push for opening up parts of Alaska to drilling through Congress — and a Republican-controlled Congress, I might add.

I thought when we hit $100 a barrel for oil it would have been a psychological barrier that would have caused Congress to reconsider, but they didn’t. Now we are approaching $200 a barrel. It’s nonsense not to tap a safe domestic source of oil. I think Americans need to hold Congress accountable on this one.
A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I’m not one though who would attribute [global warming] to being man-made.
I beg to disagree with any candidate who would say we can’t drill our way out of our problem or that more supply won’t ultimately affect prices. Of course it will affect prices.

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Reactions to the pick.

Obama campaign spokesperson Bill Burton:

Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain’s commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil, and continuing George Bush’s failed economic policies — that’s not the change we need, it’s just more of the same.

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Sierra Club President Carl Pope:

With the pick of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for his running mate, John McCain’s race towards the Bush administration’s failed energy policy is now complete.

John McCain was once willing to stand up to his own party, but now that he is running for President, he supports the same Bush policies and powerful special interests that put us in the grip of the oil companies. One of the last remaining independent policies putting him at odds with Bush was his opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, yet he has now picked a running mate who has opposed holding Big Oil accountable and been dismissive of alternative energy while focusing her work on more oil drilling in a wildlife refuge and off of our coasts.

…

Senator McCain has lost any chance of having a balanced or moderate ticket with this choice and has instead opted for the same, business-as-usual reliance on the outdated oil companies that has been the hallmark of the Bush-Cheney administration. On the third anniversary of the hurricane that knocked loose oil rigs and spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf Coast that is bracing for another hit, McCain is sending a terribly indifferent message by selecting a candidate who only repeats Big Oil’s talking points.

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Friends of the Earth Action President Brent Blackwelder:

Sarah Palin’s record is not extensive — just two years ago she was the mayor of a city of less than 10,000 people — but what her record indicates is troubling. This spring, she opposed the listing of polar bears as a ‘threatened’ species. She supports the brutal aerial hunting of wolves. And she has been a friend of Big Oil, opposing a windfall profits tax on the oil industry that could fund affordable clean energy for more Americans. Palin’s husband works for BP.

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League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski:

Unfortunately, with her support for drilling in the Arctic Refuge and off our coasts, Governor Palin will simply continue the failed policies of the Bush-Cheney Administration and their Big Oil friends — policies that could make us even more dependent on foreign oil.

Governor Palin characterizes McCain’s flip-flop on drilling offshore as a positive step in his transformation from maverick to Big Oil’s best friend. She has implored McCain to change his position against drilling in the Arctic — something she will have plenty of opportunities to pursue as his running mate.

In addition to supporting backward-looking energy policies, Governor Palin has also opposed a crucial clean water initiative, sued the federal government for listing polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and opposed other important wildlife protection measures.

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For story: Palin around
14 Comments by 2:30pm

Palin family values:

Half (?) the family income is from BP, her husband separates the oil from the water up in the oil fields.  A janitorial position?  How much more does he make than the average oil worker because he is the governor’s hubby?
Check the ex-brother-in-law scandal in the family woodpile.  Still under investigation by the state.

 http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog/_ar… …

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Can’t wait to see Palin debating foreign policy and national security with Joe Biden.

 http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

by amazingdrx at 9:01 AM on 29 Aug 2008

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Natural Gas Can Save A Planet:

The most significant achievement is the natural gas pipeline.
Fuel cells consuming natural gas can eliminate the burning problems of hydrocarbons and replace them with natural reactions leaving just water and needed energy.

Sarah Palin may have already saved the world, and was looking good while doing it.

by jabailo at 9:02 AM on 29 Aug 2008

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Palin is scared:

She looks to have stage fright.  The professional cheering section in the crowd doesn’t match McBushies’ wooden delivery.  Go shoot some dice, you anger management challenged gambling addict.

 http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin
by amazingdrx at 9:23 AM on 29 Aug 2008

Could be part of “drill, drill, drill”

They’re pushing the fact that she wants to open up ANWR, Alaska has oil, blah blah blah.  I guess “drill, drill, drill” is the only thing that works for them, so they’ll push, push, push it.

by Jon Rynn at 9:32 AM on 29 Aug 2008

40 billion NG pipeline

To make us energy independent.  More “Pickens” around at oil and gas bribery and GHG climate disaster.

 http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin
by amazingdrx at 9:39 AM on 29 Aug 2008

Jabailo - huh?

Fuel cells consuming natural gas can eliminate the burning problems of hydrocarbons and replace them with natural reactions leaving just water and needed energy.
How exactly does natural gas (even if used in a fuel cell) not qualify as a hydrocarbon?  What are these “natural reactions” of which you speak (even a fuel cell converts CH4 –> CO2 and H2O, in part through reformation and in part electrolytically).  And what mass balance are you using that takes leaves only water and energy from a fuel source that includes carbon?

Natural gas is clearly better than coal from an environmental perspective, but suggesting that it will save the planet is no more accurate than suggesting that giving up hamburgers for bison-burgers makes you a vegetarian.

by Sean Casten at 9:42 AM on 29 Aug 2008
[ Parent ]
A slip up, hehey

She said, “…nuclea…nuke..you..ler weapons”.  Almost said it the right way, but quickly reverted to industrial programming.
Does nuke..you..ler work better in test audiences?  It’s got to be some sort of advertising/brainwashing research study.

Oh now you can shatter that glass ceiling women! So she says.

Get two more supreme court justices appointed who want to put your reproductive rights back into the evangelical taliban era?

 http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

by amazingdrx at 9:47 AM on 29 Aug 2008
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Nuclear:

Nu-kyu-lar is now a recognized but not preferred alternative pronunciation by most dictionaries. I’m not happy about it either, but the day is past when you can smugly point it out as an error.

by KenG at 10:01 AM on 29 Aug 2008

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biden is greener:

biden = useful after the election
palin = disposable candidate
already our landfills are crowded with symbolism. the world wants to know, is palin plastic or cardboard? is she recyclable?

by hapa at 10:10 AM on 29 Aug 2008

I’m with KenG

And lest we get all cranky about it, it bears noting that no one gets upset about the fact that “comfortable” is even more consistently misprounced in the same way (e.g., with a letter swap in the middle).
So if we’re going to get linguistically bent out of shape, let’s not get too comfterbull in our glass house, even if it is nukular powered.

by Sean Casten at 10:11 AM on 29 Aug 2008
[ Parent ]
McCain…

… said he chose her to help fight the special interests in Washington who spend tax dollars on stuff we don’t need or don’t want!
Haaaaahhhhhhahahahahaaaaahahahaa…. McCain… please stop it… you’re killing me!

“That’s not change we can believe in.”

by wiscidea at 10:35 AM on 29 Aug 2008

Uh oh…

Has anyone noticed that Dick Cheney hasn’t been around for a while? Perhaps he found a way to move his brain into a new body.

by wiscidea at 10:37 AM on 29 Aug 2008

A woman for Republican Vice pres:

Conservatives are like molasses. They slow down progressive ideas but in the end embrace them (if they turn out to be good ones). One day they may well have a lesbian VP but I’m not so sure about an atheist one.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts–Protecting the biodiversity of our world
by biodiversivist at 10:45 AM on 29 Aug 2008

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welfare queen:

I get frustrated with folks from outside Alaska who come up and say, “You shouldn’t develop your resources.”
And I get frustrated that Alaskans are such a bunch of federally subsidized freeloaders, getting $2-5+ (depending on the measure) for every $1 they pay. (I come from NJ, one of the biggest sap cash-cow states.)

And I get frustrated that all Alaskans get this fat dividend check from fossil fuels drilled mostly on federal land. Those proceeds belong to all of us.

And I get frustrated at all Westerners who have this attitude of an aggressive beggar - GIMMIE MONEY! NOW! BUT DON’T YOU DARE TELL ME HOW TO LIVE! DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! GO FUCK YOURSELF!

Will somebody tell these yahoos once and for all, federal land does not belong to them. It belongs to the country.

Believes intelligent design should be taught along with evolution in science classes
I hadn’t known before she was one of these.

This kind of Dark Age flat-earthism is empirical evidence that one is just a cretin.

by Russ at 11:05 AM on 29 Aug 2008

Bona Biden: Why Biden is such an important pick for those who care about the climate.
Posted by Joseph Romm (Guest Contributor) on August 25, 2008.

Catastrophic climate change is the primary preventable threat to the health and well-being of all Americans — as readers of this blog already understand and as pretty much everyone else will figure out in the coming years. Keeping total planetary warming as low as possible — ideally below 2°C, which it turn requires keeping atmospheric concentrations of CO2 below 450 ppm — will become the central organizing principle for all U.S. energy, environmental, economic, and international policy over the next two decades, and will almost certainly remain so for the next two centuries.

While this is a long-term problem, “What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment,” as IPCC head Rajendra Pachauri warned last fall. Beating 450 ppm is certainly not politically possible now, as I have argued in a long ongoing series. Indeed, the recent climate debate in the Senate makes it painfully clear that conservatives are prepared to go down with the climate ship.

The current oil drilling “debate” only underscores how hopeless the climate situation is until progressives occupy the White House.

That said, the next president is almost certainly going to pass some sort of climate legislation establishing a cap on greenhouse gas emissions that kicks in around 2015. Again, it won’t be easy to pass a serious bill, but if we had a president who was capable of truly inspiring people and who actually believes in government-led clean energy policies, then I think it will happen.

But — and this is where Biden comes in — even if that legislation is strong enough to put this country on the path towards rapid and deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the entire U.S. effort will certainly fall apart if the next president is not able to negotiate a serious international treaty that encompasses all major emitters.

Yet it has become increasingly clear in recent months that achieving a serious, binding international treaty is even more politically implausible a task than passing serious, binding domestic legislation. And that is because Russia has emerged as a country that is likely to be every bit as much an obstacle as China and the United States currently are.

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The Chinese challenge:

I have written about China extensively already, and no one should underestimate the difficulty of getting them to embrace the necessary reductions in projected emissions and then in absolute emissions.

But everyone I know who knows the country tells me that the Chinese leaders understand that global warming will be catastrophic for them — even if those leaders mistakenly believe they can “go back and solve climate change after they get rich,” which has been the standard procedure for how Western countries dealt with traditional environmental problems. Sadly, that approach won’t work with climate because the climate system almost certainly has tipping points.

Also, the Chinese are capitalists and are already poised to become the leading producer of both solar PV and wind turbines. And they could run their entire country on baseload solar, if they figure out fast enough that it is the renewable with the biggest potential as a primary power source and if they return to their strong energy efficiency policies from decades past.

I cling to the view that Chinese could be brought around if their customers all applied enough pressure to them — assuming of course that those customers, including us, are all prepared to take the necessary measures themselves, which is far from obvious.

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Russian recalcitrance:

But Russia may be even more problematic, and not just because they are more self-destructively nationalistic than China (or us). Russia does not have a good solar resource. But they do have a lot of coal and oil — and they very much want to stake a claim to the rich oil resources in the Arctic.

Moreover, they may (mistakenly) think global warming is good for them. Since it will create a navigable Arctic and open up “currently inaccessible energy resources,” no less an authority than The Economist has written, “warming is likely to make Russia richer rather than poorer.” Sad — but quite untrue, especially since we are on path to far overshoot any degree of warming that could possibly be beneficial to Russia.

Perhaps the most important climatic tipping point is in Russia — the Siberian tundra. If that defrosts, then avoiding the equivalent of 1,000 ppm atmospheric concentrations of CO2 will be all but impossible. After all the tundra contains more carbon than the atmosphere does, and much of it would likely be released as methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Indeed, we have some evidence that may have already started.

Russia does have a staggering amount of wind potential, but it tends to be in the sparsely populated areas. Russia will need to be convinced that some combination of nuclear, wind, and natural gas can provide all the power it needs, but the even harder task will be convincing them not to use all that oil and coal they have.

Indeed, the great challenge for the world in the next three decades is not so much aggressively deploying low carbon technology — although that would not be easy it would certainly be straightforward both technologically and economically.

The great challenge for the world is political — convincing countries (and states) to leave a lot of the cheap fossil fuel resources they have, especially coal, in the ground, and to agree to import low-carbon electricity from other countries (or states).

That will require not merely strong domestic action by the world’s richest country, the one that has admitted by far the most cumulative amount of carbon dioxide. It will also require global leadership by us, the ability to negotiate one-on-one and collectively with every major country in the world. The Democratic team now has onboard someone who not only gets global warming, but who is certainly one of the most qualified people in the country to help lead that effort from the White House, which is where it must be lead from.

And that makes Biden a great vice presidential choice for Obama, the nation, and the world — that and the fact that picking him signals the Democrats might finally put up a strong fight in the face of the hailstorm of lies and disinformation they face every four years.

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This post was created for ClimateProgress.org, a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

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Who’s advising McCain on energy and climate?
Posted by Joseph Romm (Guest Contributor) on 25 Aug 2008.

Greenwire has also published ($ub. req’d) a detailed list of who is advising McCain on energy and environment policies, which I am reprinting below the fold.

By contrast, McCain’s campaign relies on a small group of longtime friends and advisers. Campaign staff would not comment on why their advisory team isn’t as large as Obama’s, but sources say the staff’s size reflects how frequently the Arizona senator departs from the Republican Party line on environment and energy issues.
I know Woolsey, and he is certainly very solid on energy security issues. But he is the exception. Doug Holtz-Eakin is much more typical of the conservatives McCain is likely to find available to fill his administration. Like his boss, he doesn’t believe in clean technologies and he doesn’t believe in government efforts to promote them.

“I’m not sure a McCain EPA would look any different than an Obama EPA,” quipped Brian Kennedy, a former House Republican leadership aide. “He might even bring Carol Browner back.”
That last quote would be laughable if it weren’t part of a targeted campaign of disinformation. Conservatives — including McCain himself — want the media and independents to believe McCain is liberal on the environment. But his voting record makes clear that he is a hard-core conservative, who happens to believe that global warming is almost as serious as scientists.

The GOP bench is exceedingly thin on genuine green Republicans — and none of them are conservatives. Anyway, here is his team:
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McCain’s team:
Doug Holtz-Eakin, the campaign’s economic policy adviser, handles all energy and environmental matters. Holtz-Eakin, 50, met McCain during the senator’s unsuccessful 2000 run for president. Holtz-Eakin was then an economics professor and associate director of the Center for Policy Research in the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. Holtz-Eakin had several roles in the Bush administration during President Bush’s first term. He was chief economist in the White House Council of Economic Advisers from 2001 to 2002. He then became director of the Congressional Budget Office from 2003 to 2005. Holtz-Eakin also served under former President George H.W. Bush as a senior staff economist in the Council of Economic Advisers.
John Raidt is one of McCain’s longest-serving aides and was policy coordinator for McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign. On Capitol Hill, Raidt was McCain’s legislative director from 1993 to 1997 and was staff director for the Senate Commerce Committee. Raidt also worked as a staff member on the 9-11 Commission, which investigated the 2001 terrorist attacks in Washington and New York. Click here to watch Raidt at a panel discussion covered by E&ETV.
James Woolsey, 66, a former CIA director, has been advising McCain on environmental and energy issues since the primary campaign. “I just do what I’m asked,” he said in an April interview. Woolsey said he has known McCain for more than 30 years, dating back to McCain’s job as Senate legislative affairs director for the Navy. Woolsey has served under Democratic and Republican presidents, including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Out of government, his roles include serving as a senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton and as a co-author of the National Commission on Energy Policy report. He has a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a master’s from Oxford University and a law degree from Yale Law School. Click here and here to watch Woolsey’s appearances on OnPoint.
Floyd DesChamps, 45, is a longtime McCain aide for energy and environmental issues on Capitol Hill. “No one else would claim it,” DesChamps joked in a recent interview. DesChamps first joined McCain in 1995 as a fellow and returned two years later for a full-time job on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. DesChamps helped write the global warming cap-and-trade bill McCain introduced with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) in 2001. He updated the bill in 2005 and 2007. DesChamps also handles technology and space issues for McCain. A design engineer by training, DesChamps started his career working on nuclear submarines for Westinghouse Electric Corp. He would later join the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review the use of radioactive materials in medical and industrial devices. DesChamps also worked on nuclear engineering at the Energy Department. He has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Maryland.
Rebecca Jensen Tallent is at the center of outreach from the McCain campaign with other informal energy and environmental advisers. Based in Arlington, Va., Tallent, 29, began her Capitol Hill career in 2001 as a legislative assistant in McCain’s Senate office. She moved to Arizona Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe’s office and then returned to McCain in August 2005 to handle immigration issues and reform of the Army Corps of Engineers. Tallent has a political science degree from Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.

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This post was created for ClimateProgress.org, a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

VIII conferência internacional da Datagro Sobre açúcar e álcool

VIII international Datagro Conference on sugar and alcohol

Neste ano, mais uma vez a DATAGRO realiza a sua VIII conferência internacional da DATAGRO sobre açúcar e álcool nos dias 27 e 28 de outubro de 2008, no Hotel Grand Hyatt São Paulo, à Av. Nações Unidas 13301. Realizada em ambiente agradável, a conferência já se tornou tradicional centro de referência dos principais temas e preocupações do setor para os integrantes de sua cadeia produtiva, proporcionando também ótima oportunidade de networking. O evento contará ainda com ótima infra-estrutura de serviços e tradução simultânea português-inglês-português.

Na edição passada a Conferência Internacional da DATAGRO sobre açúcar e álcool reuniu mais de 530 participantes de 30 países, tendo sido um dos maiores e melhores encontros das maiores autoridades mundiais do setor sucro-alcooleiro. Distinguiu-se promovendo debates e levantando questões de suma importância para o desenvolvimento e crescimento do setor.

Para fazer sua inscrição on-line acesse o site www.conferencia.datagro.com.br ou envie um fax para (0XX11) 4195-6659. Outras informações pelo telefone (0XX11) 4133-3944, com Sr. Alyson.

Again this year, DATAGRO is organizing its VIII international DATAGRO conference on sugar and alcohol on October 27th and 28th, 2008 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel grounds, São Paulo-Brazil.

Held in a pleasant environment, the conference became a traditional center of reference on sugar and alcohol for the production chain members. Also, it provides a good opportunity for networking with the global leaders of these industries. The conference will offer outstanding infrastructure of services and will be available simultaneous translation Portuguese/English/Portuguese.

In the last edition, the international DATAGRO conference on sugar and alcohol attracted more than 530 participants from 30 different countries and was one of the biggest major encounters of the top global authorities in the areas of sugar and alcohol, distinguishing itself by promoting debates and pointing high important questions about the sector growth and development.

Please visit the conference website www.conferencia.datagro.com.br where you will find the conference program, hotel information, and online registration. For more information call us at (5511) 4133-3944 or send a fax to (5511)4195-6659.

Palestrantes Confirmados:
Confirmed Speakers:

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Peter Baron - Diretor Executivo da International Sugar Organization (ISO) - U.K.
Manoel Ortolan - Presidente CANAOESTE - Brasil
Plinio Mario Nastari – Presidente DATAGRO - Brazil
Rui Lacerda Ferraz - Presidente da CRYSTALSEV - Brasil
Manoel Vicente Bertone - Secretário de Produção e Agroenergia, Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA) - Brazil
Dr. Pedro Valls - Professor  Doutor, Fundação Getulio Vargas - Brazil
Guilherme Nastari – DATAGRO - Brazil
Eduardo Pereira Carvalho - ETH Bioenergia - Brazil
Dr. Bruce Babcock - Director, CARD – Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University –  USA
Ingo Kalder - Sugar Division, Cargill Agricola S/A - Brazil
Joseph Schmidhuber - Senior Economist - Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – Italy
Sérgio Trindade - SE2T - EUA
John Mathews - MacQuarie? University - Australia
Charlote Opal - Coordinator, Roundtable on Sustained Biofuels - Switzerland

Presidentes dos Sindicatos das Indústrias do açúcar e do álcool

Anísio Tormena - Paraná
Eduardo Ribeiro Coutinho - Paraíba
José Pessoa de Queiroz Bisneto - Mato Grosso do Sul
Luis Custódio Cotta Martins - Minas Gerais
Marcos Jank - São Paulo
Renato Pontes Cunha - Pernambuco
André Luiz Baptista Lins Rocha – Goiás

The World Values Survey is available at: www.worldvaluessurvey.org www.happyplanetindex.org

Download the reports
Download the Happy Planet report (2006, pdf)
Download the European Happy Planet report (2007, pdf)

See the Global HPI map:  http://www.happyplanetindex.org/map.htm

OFFSHORE MAGAZINE, PennWell Corporation, Tulsa, OK - Offshore magazine, first published in 1954, is a monthly publication recognized as the worldwide leader for covering the key issues and trends relative to offshore technology, oil and gas E&P (Exploration and Production) operations. It is the world’s most highly respected magazine dedicated entirely to the offshore industry, and enjoys the highest and most widely read circulation in its class. Since 1910, The PennWell Petroleum Group has been the industry leader for coverage of and service to the worldwide petroleum industry.

Its foundation magazines are Oil & Gas Journal, Offshore, Oil, Gas & Petrochem Equipment, Oil & Gas Financial Journal, LNG Observer and The Petroleum Buyers Guide. The group also produces targeted e-Newsletters, hosts global conferences and exhibitions, seminars and forums, directories and technical books, print and electronic databases, surveys and maps.

We were introduced to http://www.offshore-mag.com because of our interest in the oil finds in Brazil.

Brazil is now at the top of OFFSHORE interest and they plan an upcoming webcast lecture:

(AkerSolutions Technip)

The Petrobras FPSO Experience: Technology Evolution and Application In the US Gulf of Mexico
Date: August 14, 2008
Time: 2:00 PM EDT 11:00 AM PDT 18:00 GMT
Length: Approximately one hour
Speakers: César Palagi, Walker Ridge Production Asset Manager, Petrobras America Inc.

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According to Bloomberg data, Petrobras is the fourth-most valuable company in the Western Hemisphere, behind Exxon Mobil Corp., General Electric Co., and Microsoft Corp. “We think this is part of a major transformation of Petrobras, which could lead to it becoming a much larger company in terms of production and reserves over the next five to 10 years,” Merrill Lynch analysts wrote.

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Brazil in OPEC?

If confirmed, the Carioca-Sugar Loaf find would vault Brazil into the Top 10 countries for oil reserves, ahead of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) such as Nigeria and Libya. It also would surpass the US, point out oil analysts.

Director Estrella, who is known for conservative forecasts, told Offshore that: “Considering the geologically provable dimensions of the whole pre-salt reservoirs, including Santos, Campos, and Espírito Santo basins, plus other prospects, such as geologically estimated recoverable oil and natural gas in the Tupi accumulation, we may be dealing with recoverable volumes very much larger than the current Brazilian proven reserves.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on several occasions that when Brazil becomes a crude exporter it would like to join OPEC and work to lower oil prices.

Director Estrella pointed to the emergence of a new organization, the National Oil Companies (NOCs), as a forum of exporting and non-exporting countries that meets annually and has a different objective from OPEC: “In my opinion, NOC’s mission, through long-term strategic partnerships, is more interesting for Petrobras and raises the country’s political profile as an uncontestable leader of emerging countries.

I am not in favor of Brazil joining OPEC. New oil producing countries started exporting but did not join OPEC, which in a way is weakening OPEC’s economic and political power.

OPEC is going down the path of political obsolescence.”

While the potential Brazil find could add significant supplies to a global oil market many see as tight, it would likely take the better part of a decade before any of the oil finds its way to consumers. The site will need to be studied further, and many more facilities must be designed, built, and transported before it can start producing oil.

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The OFFSHORE Magazine July 2008 issue (July 7, 2008) includes three articles about Brazil. We give here the references and small parts from these articles:

July 7, 2008
 http://www.offshore-mag.com/display_arti…

Title: “Pre-salt discoveries continue in Brazil. ” (Above is a 6 page article)

by Peter Howard Wertheim, Contributing Editor

Potential for super-giant fields remains to be confirmed in ultra deepwater.

Deep under the Atlantic Ocean, Brazil’s state-controlled Petrobras has made what could prove to be the largest oil discovery in 30 years, and one that would propel the already prospering country into the major league of oil exporters.

The head of Brazil’s upstream regulatory body National Petroleum and Biofuels Agency (ANP), Haroldo Lima, said in April that the find in the Carioca exploration area could contain 33 Bboe, which would make it the world’s fourth-largest field. Lima did not say whether his unofficial estimate was of recoverable reserves or in-place resources and Petrobras did not comment.

Brazil Energy Minister Edison Lobão was quoted as saying on São Paulo’s Estado newswire that he would neither confirm nor deny Lima’s statements. However, he cautioned that any announcement on the extension of oil fields should only be made once the government is certain about the data.

For context, current Brazilian crude oil proven reserves are at 14.4 Bbbl.

Outstanding sequence of discoveries
“This is one of the most impressive oil finds globally in terms of scale,” says David Riedel of New York-based Riedel Research Inc. The deepwater discovery, coming after a similar find announced last year by Petrobras, suggests that the world still has major pools of oil to be found.

For Brazilian analysts, it also casts new doubts on peak oil theory, which postulates that world oil demand will soon outpace supply.

Riedel says uncertainty remains regarding the size of the Carioca discovery on BM-S-9 block, which lays under 2 km (6,562 ft) of water, plus many more kilometers of sand, hard rock, and another 2 km of salt. The exploration area, also called Carioca-Sugar Loaf, is 275 km (171 mi) off the coast of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

“Petrobras is very good at deepwater drilling but this is going to be very complicated stuff to get out of the ground,” he adds.

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July 7, 2008 http://www.offshore-mag.com/display_arti…

Title: “Jubarte field production enhanced with wellbore ESP”. (Above is a 4 page article)

by Marcos Pellegrini, Giovanni Colodette - Petrobras
Ignácio Martinez, Leandro Neves - Baker Hughes Centrilift

1,200-hp subsea system installed.

Through technological advances in ultra deepwater production, the highest horsepower-equipped electric submersible pump (ESP) to date was installed in the 1,400-m (4,593-ft) JUB-6 subsea well in the Jubarte field, offshore Brazil. The system is composed of a 1,200 hp motor and a pump capable of producing over 22,000 b/d of heavy oil (17º API). High flow rates and a longer subsea step-out were the drivers for selecting an ESP system as the artificial lift method for the project. Reliability is one of the main concerns of ESPs, and proper selection of the system for the application was critical for the run life of the equipment.

Operators and service companies are always searching for most cost-effective methods to produce deepwater reserves over the life of the field. Gas lift traditionally has been the preferred artificial lift method in offshore Brazil subsea applications with relatively short step-outs. But when high-flow production of heavy and viscous oil in a long step-out is needed, gas lift is not efficient. Electrical submersible pumping systems are the best option.

Jubarte field: The Jubarte field, in the northern part of the Campos basin, about 80 km (49.7 mi) offshore from the state of Espírito Santo, was discovered in January 2001. An extended well test was performed to evaluate drilling, completion, artificial lift technology, and to verify reserves. Then, Petrobras started Phase 1 production with FPSO P-34. Four wells were planned to produce around 60,000 b/d of oil. Two of the wells are produced using gas lift, the third one is an ESP installation on the seabed, and the fourth is a subsea ESP wellbore installation.

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July 7, 2008 http://www.offshore-mag.com/display_arti…

Drilling zero discharge offshore Brazil in an environmentally sensitive area. (Above is a 3 page article) These drillings are in shallow waters near terrific white sand beaches.

by Perry Morris - El Paso Oil & Gas
Keith Browning, Kevin Redfern - Halliburton

One key element of the El Paso Oil & Gas exploration program offshore Brazil during the recent drilling and completion of the Acai and Cacau exploration wells in the Camamu basin was to ensure compliance with a zero discharge policy. The wells were in a shallow 23 m (75.5 ft) water depth, near shore and 11 km (6.8 mi) from an extremely environmentally sensitive area. Brazilian authorities designated the coastal area as a future recreational development.

Equipment outlay: El Paso contracted Halliburton’s Baroid Surface Solutions services to provide equipment and personnel at the rig site to transport cuttings and drilling waste to a dedicated cuttings barge. To protect the delicate subsea reef environment and the nearby Camamu white sand beaches, El Paso installed booms completely surrounding the Todco 156 rig. The dedicated cuttings barge was moored outside the booms to allow access to the barge for dumping cuttings further out into deepwater. This configuration resulted in a greater distance than normal for cuttings transportation.

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The deepwater oil-finds locations towards the the souther part of Brazil’s coast - the Santos Basin and the Caramba, Sugar Loaf, Carioca, Parati, Tupi and Jupiter discoveries.

Location map of the exploration blocks in Santos basin showing the recent giant and super-giant pre-salt oil and gas discoveries.

The shallow water oil-basins that are close to environmentally sensitive coasts. North of Rio de Janeiro - the Espirito Santo and Camamu basins and the Potiguar basin in the northeast.

The Acai and Cacau exploration wells in the Camamu basin are in a shallow 23 m (75.5 ft) water depth near shore. 

McCain and the Safety of Offshore Drilling

Dennis Knizley looks out on an oil rig beached just off of Dauphin Island, Ala., Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 30, 2005, a day after Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the island and brought the enormous structure a few hundred yards from shore. (AP Photo/Birmingham Post-Herald, Jan-Michael Stump)

 http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail…
By Michael D. Shear, July 23, 2008.

Sen. John McCain says at every campaign stop that offshore oil drilling is safe, playing down the risk of environmental accidents, even when faced with the power of a hurricane.

“I’m aware that off the coast of Louisiana and Texas there are oil rigs, as we well know, and those rigs have survived, very successfully, the impacts of hurricanes, Hurricane Katrina, as far as Louisiana’s concerned,” McCain said at a town hall in Michigan last week.

In an energy speech recently, McCain said that: “As for offshore drilling, it’s safe enough these days that not even Hurricanes Katrina and Rita could cause significant spillage from the battered rigs off the coasts of New Orleans and Houston.”

In fact, Katrina and Hurricane Rita caused damage to oil rigs and storage facilities in the Gulf, according to press reports and government studies.

The hurricanes totally destroyed 113 oil rigs, according to the government’s Minerals Management Service, and damaged 457 pipelines. The resulting oil spills were large enough to be seen from space, according to several reports.

A review by the Houston Chronicle reported that the two storms in the summer of 2005 caused 595 oil spills that released an estimated 9 million gallons of oil into the gulf, much of that from oil storage facilities on the shores. The government said there were a total of 146 small oil spills in federal waters caused by the storms.

A McCain spokesman said the oil rigs destroyed by the firms represented a small percentage of the thousands in the gulf, and noted that a government report concluded that “No shoreline or wildlife impacts were noted from these spills.” He said the senator’s comments about the lack of serious environmental problems were entirely consistent with the facts.

“Senator McCain is exactly right, offshore oil facilities in the Gulf of Mexico stood up astoundingly well to the hurricanes. Of the 4,000 oil facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, relatively few sustained damage. According to the U.S. government’s official report on the effect of Hurricane Rita and Katrina, ‘no shoreline or wildlife impacts were noted from … spills,’” McCain spokesman Taylor Griffin said. McCain advisers also said that government reports say offshore drilling remains very safe, with a a 99.999% safety record.

McCain is pushing his support for offshore oil drilling as a key difference between himself and Sen. Barack Obama, citing the need to do something to bring down the cost of gasoline.

But McCain has also attempted to portray himself as a friend of the environment. He often cites his belief that global warming is a real danger to the planet and that governments must find a way to curb the carbon emissions that are helping to accelerate the damage.

McCain had planned to tour oil rigs off the coast of Louisiana tomorrow as he visited with Gov. Bobby Jindal, a rising political star who is rumored to be on McCain’s short list to be the vice presidential nominee. The campaign canceled the trip late Wednesday, saying the threat of Hurricane Dolly in the Gulf made a helicopter ride to the rig impossible.

It may not have helped things that a 600-foot tanker loaded with oil and a barge collided Wednesday in the Mississippi River in New Orleans, leaving a 12-mile long oil slick in the river and closing a 29-mile stretch of the river.

Television stations reported the stench of diesel fuel wafting across the French Quarter.