BY Sean Alfano
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, July 20th 2010, 10:26 AM
"The U.S. is no longer the world's biggest user of energy.
It's now China, according to new data released this week.
America had been the biggest consumer of energy for more than 100 years, but China's rapid economic growth in the past 20 years pushed its energy demands beyond those of the U.S.
The change marks "the start of a new age in the history of energy," International Energy Agency chief economist Faith Birol told the Wall Street Journal." More>>>>
The mission of Drilling
Bob Gallagher of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association noted that the state's landowner protection law, which just went into effect July 1, was borne out of cooperation between landowners and energy companies. The result was a balanced, fair bill that protected both sides, he said.
"It does not delay or deny access to mineral resources," Gallagher said.
Gallagher implied that the federal legislation, by contrast, is too one-sided. "It is not a good start. It is not a good finish. It was not written by someone in the field doing the work," he said.
Aside from the split-estate provisions, H.R. 2337 would amend sections of the 2005 Energy Policy Act that accelerated oil and gas drilling on public lands, severely limit the Interior Department's royalty-in-kind program and establish a fee on nonproducing leases. The measure also aims to bolster carbon sequestration studies and require new studies for wind power siting, and it would establish an intra-agency panel to address the effect of warming on federal lands, oceans and federal water infrastructure (E&E Daily, July 16).
Gable is an independent energy and environmental writer in Woodland Park, Colo
The House of Representatives will vote next week. Congressman Udall: Phone 202-225-6190 or 505-984-8950
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