2016 AAPG-ACE Website. We love the design!

Have you been following #ACE2016? This week AAPG had its Annual Convention and Exposition, and SEPM is hosting their annual meeting there concurrently. You can see what happened by searching the hashtag #ACE2016 on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. AGI's current President, and Texas State Geologist, Scott Tinker, was recognized for his outstanding leadership (we couldn't agree more!). There are also pictures of the networking reception co-hosted by AWG and SEG, in addition to AAPG. As always, we love to see the pictures from the Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) competition and the field trips exploring the geology of the Calgary area.

CHOW 2016 includes a panel on changing offshore energy portfolios

Inspired by recent milestones in domestic offshore wind energy and persistently low oil and gas prices, Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW 2016) included a panel on potential changes to U.S. offshore energy portfolios.

Hearing highlights implications of Supreme Court stay of the Clean Power Plan

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court stay of the President’s Clean Power Plan (CPP).

What is coalbed methane?

Most coal has some methane (the main component of natural gas) trapped inside it. This methane is produced during the coal formation process and gets trapped on the surface of the coal in tiny pores and fractures.¹ Many coalbeds also contain large amounts of water; the pressure from this water keeps the methane in place. Coalbed methane is extracted by pumping out the water, which lowers the pressure, allowing the gas to detach from the coal surface and flow out into the well.¹

What is produced water?

Produced water is naturally occurring water that comes out of the ground along with oil and gas

RFF and Duke University hold seminar on impacts of oil and gas development on local governments and communities

Resources for the Future (RFF) and Duke University co-hosted a seminar on how oil and gas development impacts local governments and communities, highlighting several recently released reports.

AES holds briefing on offshore energy in the United States

The Advances in Earth Science Coalition (AES), a consortium of professional geoscience societies and federal agencies, held a briefing on offshore energy (oil, gas, and wind) in the United States.

KY and WV tapping into new hydroelectric power

Along the Ohio River in Kentucky and West Virginia, 4 dams originally built for passage of large ships in the 1960s and 70s are being retrofitted for hydroelectricity production.

Offshore Energy

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Background:

Offshore energy is a huge and growing resource:

About 18 percent of U.S. oil and natural gas is produced offshore and production is growing. Globally, the offshore provides 30 percent of oil and natural gas.
Offshore wind is also a growing source of electricity, especially in Europe. The U.S. has significant offshore wind power potential, but no commercial wind facilities are in development [2017 update: the first offshore wind project in the United States went live in December 2016 off the coast of Rhode Island].

Ongoing technological advancements assure all these resources will continue to grow while addressing heightened environmental concerns.

Our speakers are:

Buford Pollett, Assistant Professor of Energy Law, University of Tulsa | Slides Video
Eric van Oort, Professor of Petroleum Engineering, University of Texas at Austin | Slides Video
James Bennett, U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management | Slides Video