Government Finds New Ways to Delay Domestic Energy Production

17 Aug 2012, 12:05 PM PDT post a comment

Now, as the State Department closes the latest of these public comment periods ? this one asking Americans what the scope of its newest environmental review of the project should be ? we are about to start this entire process all over again. The delays and forced route changes that TransCanada has been forced to endure have added more than a billion dollars to the cost of the project, suspended tens of thousands of high paying jobs, delayed relief at the pump for millions of American drivers and prevented the project from pumping more than $20 billion into the U.S. economy.

Unfortunately, TransCanada is hardly the lone victim of regulatory strangulation by the federal government.

For example, Shell has been waging the same type of struggle with its plans to explore offshore Alaska since 2004 and, despite more than seven years of ?process? and more than $4 billion invested in the project, has not yet been able to drill a single exploration well. Given the complexity of the federal permitting system and the entrenched opposition Keystone XL?s unfortunate, multi-year regulatory challenges are not exceptional. In fact, this may be the new norm.

Both Keystone XL and Shell?s Alaskan OCS plans have undergone more scrutiny, more delays and more political hyperbole than ever witnessed for these types of project. This is a very troubling development, particularly for American energy consumers who depend on industry efforts to expand and improve our nation?s energy supply.

The President?s decision to reject Keystone XL?s application for a permit back in January, despite the fact that the Department of State has affirmed that Keystone XL would be the safest pipeline ever constructed, was a political move meant to allay environmentalists until after the election.? After suffering significant blowback from labor groups and the majority of Americans who support the project, the President enthusiastically endorsed TransCanada?s plan to move forward with construction of the southern half of the pipeline from Cushing, OK to the Gulf Coast and has pledged to run an ?expeditious? review of the northern half of the project.

In Alaska, the story is even more complicated.? In 2005 and 2008, the federal government sold Shell leases in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, respectively, under good faith that the company would be able to develop the areas.? In 2007, a federal court prevented Shell from drilling exploratory wells in the Beaufort Sea due to a lawsuit by environmental groups claiming that the federal government?s approval process was flawed.? Shell experienced d?j? vu in 2009 and 2011 when baseless lawsuits ? aimed not at the substance of Shell?s program ? stopped the project from moving forward.? Despite years of insisting that it was moving as quickly as possible to move the project forward, it was not until this year that the administration has stepped in to uphold Shell?s plans ? seven years into this affair. Of course, the immediate response by the environmental groups was to sue the government on the taxpayer?s dime.

Similar to the safety precautions and additions to that TransCanada has taken with the Keystone XL project, Shell has developed one of the largest, most comprehensive and technically advanced oil spill prevention and response capabilities ever mounted. The federal government has affirmed that ?[Shell?s] exploration activities will be conducted under the closest oversight and most rigorous safety standards every implemented.?? Unfortunately, this level of scrutiny will not be enough to prevent opposition groups from pursuing the same public scare tactics and same legal challenges to block Shell?s program in future years.

The economic impacts are staggering. Keystone XL will support 20,000 jobs directly and 100,000 jobs indirectly, drive $20 billion into the U.S. economy, and supply millions of American with 700,000 barrels of affordable, reliable North American oil daily. Offshore Alaskan energy development will create more than 54,000 jobs nationwide, generate $300 billion in revenue for the U.S. Treasury and supply Americans with 700,000 barrels of domestic oil daily over the forty-year life of Arctic production.

We sincerely hope that Keystone XL does not endure further delays and end up being a seven-year permitting saga like Shell?s Alaska venture. This standard would be devastating to American consumers for generations and would act as a serious deterrent to any company looking to develop oil and natural gas resources in the United States. If we are serious about expanding private investment and increasing energy development in America?s future, we cannot allow this pattern of delay to continue. ?


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BigGovernment/~3/zMwgUxHL-AU/government-finds-new-ways-to-delay-domestic-energy-production

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Clashes erupt near Damascus military airport, watchdog says

The Syrian army clashed with rebels near the main military airport in Damascus and shelled the northern hub of Aleppo, a watchdog said, as the country braced for protests after Friday Muslim prayers.

The fresh violence was reported after a day which saw 180 people killed across the country, the majority of them civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Observatory also reported that the bodies of 65 unidentified people were found in Qatana, a town southwest of Damascus, without providing further details about the dead.

Fighting erupted between regime forces and rebel fighters near Mazzeh military airport on the western outskirts of the capital, according to the Observatory which has a network of activists on the ground.

According to the Syrian Revolution General Council opposition faction, fighting also raged through the night and into the morning in a string of southern neighborhoods of Damascus.

"The sound of shelling and clashes hardly stopped, as helicopters and tanks shelled the area at random, and hysteria broke out [among residents]," the SRGC said.

The Britain-based Observatory also reported clashes on the highway between Damascus and the southern province of Daraa, where it said two boys were killed in an army ambush.

It further reported that several southern districts and outlying areas were shelled by the army, while combat helicopters bombarded a green area near the upscale western neighbourhood of Mazzeh, where shooting broke out Wednesday near the prime minister's office.

In the embattled northern city of Aleppo, which has emerged as the key battleground in the escalating conflict, several rebel-held districts came under bombardment by government forces.

Outside Aleppo, the army reportedly regained control of the town of Al-Tal, which the opposition Syrian National Council described on Tuesday as a "disaster area" after nearly a week of shelling.

Elsewhere, five civilians were killed in army gunfire and a rebel died in clashes in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor along with four soldiers, bringing Friday's initial toll to 12 killed, the Observatory said.

Meanwhile, activists called for Friday demonstrations under the slogan "If our Free Army is united, victory is assured.?

More than 23,000 people have died in Syria since the revolt against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad broke out in March 2011, according to the Observatory, while the UN puts the toll at around 17,000.

It is impossible to independently verify death counts out of Syria.

-AFP

For the latest developments on Syria, follow @NOW_Syria on Twitter or click here.

Source: http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=428690

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Kichler Outdoor Lights Delivers Beautiful Design and style Accents ...

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Source: http://www.usolympicshops.com/kichler-outdoor-lights-delivers-beautiful-design-and-style-accents-on-your-patio-garden-or-yard/

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'We're NASA and We Know It' video spoofs JPL Mars team. How cool is that?

'We're NASA and We Know It' is a slickly produced rap video that mocks, and celebrates, the landing of the Mars rover Curiosity and the 'outside-the-box' team at JPL that made it happen.

By Pete Spotts,?Staff writer / August 16, 2012

In this photo taken Thursday, Aug. 9, Bobak Ferdowsi, a flight director for the Mars Curiosity rover, is seen at his workstation at NASA's JPL in Pasadena, Calif. Known to the Twitterverse and the president of the United States as 'Mohawk Guy,' Ferdowski could be the changing face of NASA and all of geekdom.

Damian Dovarganes/AP

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The folks at JPL have arrived. No, not just because the NASA center's best and brightest put the Mars rover Curiosity flawlessly on the surface of the Red Planet. But because they looked so cool doing it. So cool, in fact, that there is now a rap video on youtube lampooning their performance: "We're NASA and We Know It."

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The video is a tongue-in-cheek high-five to the group in pale-blue polo shirts who sat in mission control on a southern California foothill the evening of Aug. 5, watching as helplessly as the rest of the world as Curiosity entered its final "seven minutes of terror" en route to the surface of Mars.

The slickly produced video features?what looks to be seven 20-somethings ? including a bikini-clad woman with a?box over her head. If there's any message in there at all, it might be something like: If you want to do some really cool stuff in space, and you've got the smarts, and you don't want to wait until you're about to collect Social Security to play a key role, then Jet Propulsion Laboratory is the place to be.

OK, a bit overstated, but look at the mix of faces in that control room ? the real one, not the cute video version ? or the hair styles. When was the last time you saw a red-and-blue-tinted Mohawk hairstyle poking above a console in Houston? Or the official pass-around of the peanut jars?to mark the end of a key part of a mission? And where else within the NASA network would a set of wheels be designed to leave a?research center's?initials ??in Morse Code ? in the dust as a rover rolls along the surface of another planet?

Yes, spaceflight is risky. And it uses very expensive hardware. But somehow the folks at JPL have managed to find ways to blend the discipline and focus required for space exploration with?creativity and whimsy. At best, it leads?to a unique twist on landing a craft on Mars. At a minimum, it can break the tension that builds after long hours of?worrying about unknowns as a team strives to meet a launch opportunity that comes around but once every 26 months.

And when the Big Event?approaches, which center is going to produce a slick, sweaty-palms video to prepare the public for Curiosity's seven minutes of terror? Or cook up a deal with Microsoft to develop an Xbox game that allows the player, using a generous amount of body English, to guide the rover through those seven minutes ? and with additional, more-involved video games under consideration? Yep, that's JPL.

What accounts for the difference between JPL and NASA's other centers?

Gentry Lee, the center's chief engineer for solar system exploration, sums it up:

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/6YUKo62Psu4/We-re-NASA-and-We-Know-It-video-spoofs-JPL-Mars-team.-How-cool-is-that

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Rafael Nadal pulls out of US Open with knee injury

FILE - This Sept. 12, 2011 file photo shows Rafael Nadal of Spain reacting during the championship match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. Nadal has withdrawn from the 2012 U.S. Open tournament. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

FILE - This Sept. 12, 2011 file photo shows Rafael Nadal of Spain reacting during the championship match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. Nadal has withdrawn from the 2012 U.S. Open tournament. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

FILE - This Aug. 30, 2011 file photo shows Rafael Nadal, of Spain, serving to Andrey Golubev, of Kazakhstan, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. The U.S. Open says that Nadal has withdrawn from the last Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year because of injury. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

FILE - This Sept. 13, 2010 file photo shows Rafael Nadal, of Spain, holding the championship trophy after defeating Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, to win the men's championship match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. The U.S. Open says that Nadal has withdrawn from the last Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year because of injury. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

FILE - This Sept. 10, 2011 file photo shows fans watching Rafael Nadal of Spain play Andy Murray of Britain as the sun sets over the New York City skyline during a semifinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. The U.S. Open says that Nadal has withdrawn from the last Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year because of injury. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

(AP) ? Rafael Nadal's Grand Slam count will stay stuck at 11 for now, sidetracked by another knee problem.

The third-ranked Spaniard withdrew from the U.S. Open on Wednesday. Tendinitis has kept him out of action since his stunning loss at Wimbledon in late June.

The injury already forced him out of the London Olympics, where he was supposed to defend his title and carry Spain's flag in the opening ceremony.

"I am very sad to announce that I am not ready to play the US Open in NY. Thanks to my fans for their support and specially, the new yorkers," Nadal wrote on his Twitter account.

Nadal is still only 26, but the withdrawals raise questions about the future of a player who has had recurring knee problems in the past.

His 11 Grand Slam titles include a record seven on the red clay of the French Open, yet his hard-charging, hard-hitting style of play takes a toll on his body, particularly his knees.

Roger Federer, in contrast, has played in every Grand Slam tournament since the start of 2000, a streak of 51 in a row.

In 2009, Nadal missed Wimbledon because of aching knees shortly after falling in the round of 16 at the French Open ? the only time in eight appearances he hasn't won at Roland Garros. He was just the second men's champion in 35 years to decline to defend his title at the All England Club.

But Nadal eventually came back stronger than ever from that layoff. After failing to reach the final at the 2009 U.S. Open and 2010 Australian Open, he won the French to start a run of three straight major titles, capped by completing the career Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows.

Nadal's absence immediately leaves a trio of heavy favorites at the last Grand Slam event of the year: defending champion Novak Djokovic; five-time U.S. Open winner and currently top-ranked Federer; and 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Andy Murray, who won the gold medal in singles at the London Games by beating Federer in the final.

"It's obviously a shame. I like Rafa a lot as a friend," Murray said after winning at the Western & Southern Open outside Cincinnati. "Yeah, I'm disappointed for him. But I think for tennis and also a major competition, it's a huge benefit when you have the top players playing.

"It's obviously tough for him. He's had trouble with his knees in the past. So I hope he can rest, he doesn't come back too early, and gets them fixed so he can get back to playing his best tennis."

Nadal lost in the U.S. Open final to Djokovic last year, part of a stretch of three straight defeats to the Serb in championship matches at major tournaments. But he seemed to be closing the gap, and at Roland Garros in June, he beat Djokovic in the final for his record seventh title there.

"My excitement is always the same when I am approaching any Grand Slam. Obviously it's the biggest tournaments we have in sport," Djokovic said after winning his match at Cincinnati. "Yes, the fact is that tennis is going to lose a little bit because of Rafa not being there and playing, because he's somebody that has made a history of this sport. We all know how good he is and how popular he is."

The good times didn't last long for Nadal after his historic win at the French. On June 28, he was upset by 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon. He hasn't played since.

Shortly after that loss, Nadal canceled a scheduled charity match against Djokovic in Spain, citing tendon problems in his left knee. He also pulled out of the hard-court warm-up tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati.

The two-week U.S. Open begins play Aug. 27.

"Rafa has informed us that he will not be ready to compete at the U.S. Open this year and has withdrawn from the tournament," tournament director David Brewer said in a statement issued Wednesday. "We hope to see him back on the court soon and look forward to his return to New York next year."

___

AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich in Washington and AP Sports Writer Joe Kay in Mason, Ohio, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Rachel Cohen at https://twitter.com/rachelcohenap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-08-15-US%20Open-Nadal%20Withdraws/id-9f0925f314df408493729aed63931add

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Think It's Hot? The Swiss Just Hit 5.5 Trillion Degrees

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Think It's Hot? The Swiss Just Hit 5.5 Trillion Degrees
In light of this summer's record high temperatures, we find perspective on really hot temperatures. In an experiment, scientists at Europe's CERN laboratory claim to have achieved the highest temperature ever produced by humans ? about 5.5 trillion degrees. Audie Cornish and Melissa Block have more.

Source: NPR
Posted on: Wednesday, Aug 15, 2012, 8:07am
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/122614/Think_It_s_Hot__The_Swiss_Just_Hit_____Trillion_Degrees

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Standard Chartered reaches $340 million settlement over Iran

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Standard Chartered Plc will pay $340 million to New York's bank regulator over transactions linked to Iran, in a speedily arranged deal likely to cheer its shareholders.

The deal with New York Superintendent of Financial Services Benjamin Lawsky still left the British bank facing a separate probe of Iran-linked transactions by other U.S. authorities.

The agreement on Tuesday capped a week of transatlantic tension and a furor over why a state agency had upstaged the other authorities.

The resolution also averted a hearing on Wednesday at which the bank had been called to demonstrate why its license to do business in New York should not be revoked.

Ian Gordon, an analyst at Investec Securities in London, said that the risk of further regulatory costs "appear sufficiently contained" to allow the bank's shares to build on a rally from their lows after Lawsky brought his case last week.

"Standard Chartered's management team have conducted themselves admirably in the face of extreme provocation," Gordon said.

The bank's shares rose 2.74 percent to close at 1,370 pence on Tuesday, before Lawsky's announcement.

Lawsky on August 6 said Standard Chartered had hidden Iran-linked transactions with a total value of $250 billion, calling it a "rogue institution" for breaking U.S. sanctions laws.

Lawsky's order came like a bolt from the blue, the bank said, hitting its share price and bringing top executives hurrying back to London from vacation. Bank of England Governor Mervyn King said that Lawsky was out of step with other U.S. authorities. And Standard Chartered Chief Executive Peter Sands strongly denied the allegations, saying illegal transactions totaled less than $14 million.

In his announcement on Tuesday, Lawsky said the bank had "agreed that the conduct at issue involved transactions of at least $250 billion."

Standard Chartered confirmed that the two sides had reached an agreement, including the payment of $340 million, and said detailed terms would be concluded soon.

"It was a pragmatic decision in the beset interest of shareholders and customers," a spokesman for the bank said.

In addition to the civil penalty, Lawsky said the bank agreed to an outside monitor for at least two years who would check on money-laundering risk controls in its New York branch.

Lawsky's aggressive stance heightened his public profile just months after his agency, the Department of Financial Services, was created out of the state's banking and insurance regulators.

Within minutes of Lawsky's announcement, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo lauded the "effectiveness and leadership" of the new agency.

"New York needed a tough and fair regulator for the banking and insurance industries to protect consumers and investors," Cuomo said. "This state and nation are still paying the price for a failed regulatory system and that must not happen again."

But Lawsky has also drawn fire by jumping ahead of a two-year probe into Standard Chartered by the U.S. Treasury, the Federal Reserve, the Justice Department, and New York prosecutors.

As negotiations with Lawsky progressed last week and this week, the bank held separate talks with other authorities. It had hoped to land a deal on both fronts, but Lawsky's solo announcement Tuesday made clear that had not happened.

Underscoring a continuing divide between Lawsky and the other authorities, the Treasury Department issued a short statement saying only that it would keep pursuing its own inquiry and settlement with Standard Chartered.

"Treasury will continue working with our state and federal partners to hold Standard Chartered accountable for any sanctionable activity that may have occurred," it said.

The U.S. Federal Reserve said it "continues to work with the other agencies on a comprehensive resolution."

The Justice Department defended its record in fighting money laundering and said it was working with its regulatory and other partners "to determine what actions might be appropriate in this matter." The Manhattan district attorney's office declined to comment.

In the end, Lawsky's office won a settlement that was on par with fines paid by a handful of other banks that had improperly done business with sanctioned states such as Iran and Cuba. In 2010, Barclays Plc paid $298 million to settle a joint probe with federal and New York authorities.

Lloyds Banking Group and Credit Suisse Group have previously agreed to pay settlements of $350 million and $536 million, respectively. ING Bank NV paid a settlement of $619 million. HSBC Holdings Plc currently is under investigation by U.S. law enforcement, according to bank regulatory filings.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld and Carrick Mollenkamp; Additional reporting by Matt Scuffham, Aruna Viswanatha and Rachelle Younglai; Writing by Eddie Evans, editing by Bernard Orr)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/standard-chartered-ceo-takes-charge-iran-probe-talks-101144709--finance.html

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