News Archive: January - February 2003

• January - February 2003
• October - December 2002
• July - September 2002
• April - June 2002
• January - March 2002
• 2001 Archive

EU ministers to grapple with common energy tax plan

BRUSSELS - European Union finance ministers will try yesterday to overcome objections by Italy and adopt common minimum tax levels for energy products in a bid to fight global warming and pollution.

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Drilling starts on Australia's deepest well - AUSTRALIA

MELBOURNE - Australian renewable energy hopeful Geodynamics Ltd (GDY.AX) has started drilling the nation's deepest onshore well as part of its plan to generate electricity from the earth's high core temperatures.

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Questions Beset Bush CO2 Underground Storage Plans - DENVER

Storing carbon dioxide inside coal seams or reservoirs far below the Earth's surface, rather than releasing the gas into the atmosphere, is a tempting prospect. It could reduce the overall emissions of the greenhouse gas most scientists believe is responsible for global warming, without forcing a change in the amount of emissions produced.

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US farm state senators renew ethanol mandate push - USA

WASHINGTON - A group of US farm state senators launched a new effort to pass legislation that would triple the nation's use of ethanol and renewable fuels to 5 billion gallons annually by 2012.

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Ecuador drops ban on pipeline work near forest - ECUADOR

QUITO, Ecuador - Ecuador has restored permission for pipeline builder OCP Ecuador SA to work near a protected forest but will seek compensation for tree damage caused during construction, an official said.

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Senate may vote on ANWR oil drilling in mid-March - USA

WASHINGTON - The Senate is expected to vote mid-March on whether to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling, with supporters hoping to reverse last year's defeat and press the argument that the United States needs to become more energy independent, the chairman of the Senate Energy Committee said this week.

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South Korea says dependency on oil shrinking - SOUTH KOREA

SEOUL - South Korea, the world's fourth biggest oil importer, said yesterday its dependency on oil fell in 2002 to less than 50 percent of its energy mix for the first time in 12 years, as natural gas was used more extensively.

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Impacts of Ocean Noise Called Ill Defined - USA

WASHINGTON - There is a disturbing lack of knowledge about the effects of ocean noise on marine mammals, concludes a new report from the National Research Council. The panel that authored the report says a single federal agency should be put in charge of monitoring and coordinating research of ocean noise to prevent harm to whales, dolphins and other sea creatures.

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Exxon CEO backs mandatory emissions reports - USA

HOUSTON - Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM.N) Chief Executive Lee Raymond said this week companies should be required to report carbon emissions before any rules are created to target cuts in gases blamed for global warming.

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Arctic experts say UN sea treaty could benefit US - USA

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The United States could claim potentially oil-rich territory hundred of miles (km) out into the Arctic Ocean if it signed the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, members of the federal science panel said.

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US lawmakers push for development of hydrogen cars - USA

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. lawmakers unveiled legislation this week to develop hydrogen-powered automobiles and put them in the market within a decade, five years faster than a similar program pushed by the Bush administration.

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Fuel cells promise bright future for platinum - UK

LONDON - Platinum can look forward to a bright future thanks to its use in fuel cells, although the technology is still in its early stages and may not be commercially viable for at least another decade, analysts said.

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US Energy Dept gives details on hydrogen car research - USA

WASHINGTON - The Energy Department said this week that President George W. Bush's plan to spend $1.2 billion of government funds to help develop a hydrogen-fuel car won't all be new money.

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Ecuador suspends pipeline work after trees damaged - ECUADOR

QUITO, Ecuador - Ecuador has suspended work on a $1.3 billion oil pipeline in a swath of pristine forest outside Quito after trees were damaged during construction, officials said.

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US budget amendment raises ire on pipeline issue - USA

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A single sentence slipped into the huge bill authorizing the U.S. federal budget has raised the ire of environmentalists dissatisfied with the way the trans-Alaska oil pipeline is regulated.

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Norway Draugen oilfield leaks oil, far from coast - NORWAY

OSLO - The 200,000 barrels per day Draugen oilfield in the Norwegian Sea is leaking oil but there is no immediate danger that a slick will drift to the coast, operator Shell (RD.AS) (SHEL.L) said this week.

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Tengizchevroil to move village to safer location - RUSSIA

The ChevronTexaco-led Tengizchevroil joint venture that operates Kazakhstan's giant Tengiz Field was told today to move the inhabitants of a village to a safer location. The Sarykamys village is considered too close to the field for health reasons.

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Countries Phase Out Leaded Gasoline - KENYA

NAIROBI - African countries are phasing out lead gasoline in increasing numbers because of the hazards it poses to human health and the environment. Around 90 percent of the world's petrol supplies are now unleaded, but the 10 percent that is still leaded is concentrated in developing countries, especially Africa.

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Continuity to train SE Asian upstream management in HSE - SINGAPORE

Continuity Solutions is to commence a training program for upstream exploration and seismic management personnel based on OGP317 and the UK Health and Safety Executive. The company is beginning the series of HSE courses next month in Beijing and will be offering them each week thereafter through May 7th when they conclude in Tokyo.

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Opinion: Political Will Marks UNEP's 30th Year - KENYA

By Klaus Toepfer - Executive Director United Nations Environment Programme: We do not fully posses the telescope of time to know how the year 2002 will be viewed by future generations. But it is my hope that, when the historians' pencils are sharpened to weigh the impact of the whirlwind of environment related meetings, conferences and summits, they may record that the second year of the new millennium and UNEP's 30th anniversary was a defining moment in the long march towards a more environmentally sound, sustainable, healthier and fairer world.

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