All the oil has been cleaned up or has evaporated from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico—well, nearly all of it—while the spill itself seems to have receded into memory, something that transfixed us for months but which is now …
oil
The U.S. Will Be an Oil Giant Again. But It Won’t Be Energy Independent
The IEA predicts that the U.S. will soon become the world’s biggest supplier of crude, thanks to a homegrown boom in production from shale oil. But while more domestic production will help the economy, it won’t ensure that the …
How Countries Like Iraq—Not the U.S.—Will Help Determine Gas Prices to Come
The Presidential candidates love to talk about increasing oil production here in the U.S. But a new report from the International Energy Agency underscores the fact that it will be foreign countries like Iraq that will continue …
Arctic Sea Ice Vanishes — and the Oil Rigs Move In
As Arctic sea ice melts to its lowest level on record, oil companies move in to begin drilling the far north.
54.5 miles per gallon
Why Romney’s Energy Independence Pledge Is Half-Baked
Mitt Romney promises to make the U.S. energy independent by 2020 by increasing domestic oil and gas production. But without dealing with consumption, he’s only tackling half the problem.
It’s Not Just Spills—the Climate Risks of Arctic Drilling
Royal Dutch Shell is set to begin drilling in the Arctic waters off Alaska beginning next month, assuming the Obama Administrations doesn’t hold off on needed permits at the last-minute. (With President Obama fighting for …
The TV Show Dallas Goes Green
In case you thought that the battle between Big Oil and alternative fuel had cooled down, Hollywood has proved that the debate is hot enough to inspire soap opera–style drama. The central conflicts in the new reboot of the TV …
Two Years After the Gulf Oil Spill, Why We Won’t Stop Drilling
It was two years ago today that the Deepwater Horizon—a top-of-the-line offshore drilling rig owned by BP and run by Transocean—experienced a sudden burst of gas from a three-mile long well its crew was drilling in the Gulf …
Nearly Two Years On, Did the BP Oil Spill Have to Happen to BP?
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill seems to divide people into two categories: those who can’t forget, and those who refuse to remember. In the first camp are Gulf Coast residents and environmentalists who say the region still …