A bizarre phenomenon appeared this past Halloween with the onset of some sort of clown-fueled hysteria. A certain subset of bored teenagers realized that loitering in clown costumes could really creep people out. Like any other YouTube-fueled weirdness, the fad quickly spread and North America was soon inundated with punks in full clown regalia, peeking out from behind trees at passing cars in as disturbing a manner as possible. The fad slowed when the jumpier segment of the population began [Read more]
Natural gas glut headlines are wildly off base
The BOE Report recently ran an article originating from a major news service about natural gas storage levels entitled “ U.S. Gas Glut May have Grown 10 Times More than it Usually Does." Anyone who reads energy news gets inured to dumb stories, but reading this one – particularly the headline – was like passing a kidney stone wrapped in barbwire. It’s not as if the article simply had a poor forecast or some other subjective slant; there is plenty of room for opinions and even crazy ones often [Read more]
The “Keep Fossil Fuels in the Ground” Initiative – finally, bad science we can live with
There is a growing environmental movement called “Keep fossil fuels in the ground” based on a report by, I don’t know, some silly environmental group. Their thesis is that in order to save the climate (their inexplicable phrase, not mine – the climate can’t be “saved”, it will always be a climate even if temperatures go up 50 degrees) 80 percent of fossil fuels need to remain in the ground. Finally, common ground to work from. Although the article itself is remarkably stupid (per senior [Read more]
The random Trump card – it won’t be business as usual, and it might turn out good, depending on what he blows up
It’s hard to comprehend what just happened with the US election, and it is quite likely that Donald Trump is having trouble comprehending what he’s gotten himself into. We all know it’s going to be a bizarre four years, but will they be bizarre in terms of things getting done in government that we’re not used to, or will it be bizarre like what would happen if 5 year olds designed a shopping mall? And, since we are discussing this on the world’s finest energy website, what does it mean for [Read more]
Give them what they want – it’s time for a winter without pipelines
A handful of environmental activists recently clambered over some fences and shut down multiple oil sands pipelines in a concerted attack. The participants even stopped to pose for pictures, raising their arms in celebration and grinning like the world’s stupidest hick posing with a freshly-killed trophy rat, visions of Facebook glory clearly evident on their proud little faces. I stared at the pictures, willing a jet of crude oil to emit from a broken valve and coat them like gravy, to no [Read more]
ExxonMobil and Venezuela navigate the media with guile and shredded bravado, respectively (of course)
Just how wrong can an expert be? That sounds like a fairly stupid hypothetical question; obviously they can be exactly wrong, particularly when it comes to things like forecasts. These are proved right or wrong by time,and of course most of them will be wrong. The purpose here is to look at some statements that are beyond simple forecasts, to look at a few recent prognoses offered by some of the world’s most senior oil executives that, on the face of it, seem inescapably half-witted. In [Read more]
Pipeline companies’ feeble communications efforts: no wonder nothing gets built
A pleasant aspect of writing for the BOE Report is the exposure to some truly interesting and thoughtful people. A necessary condition for getting the most of these interactions is to look past the preconceived notions that always leap to mind when reading a bombastic email. Sometimes stupid comments are just stupid comments, but often they are not at all, and the only way to find out is to pay close attention to what’s being said. Or, more importantly sometimes, what is missing. I recently [Read more]
Stop protesting and be thankful: cheap energy has brought us pretty much everything, including the capacity for green energy
It's Thanksgiving season in Canada, and soon in the US, and it’s time to show some gratitude. It's time to reflect on how we live, all the things we are able to do, and how that all happens. This isn’t just about energy, it’s about effort and building and creating. And it’s about recognizing that we owe respect to those that provide so much of what we take for granted. Examples are not hard to find, both economic and not. Someone somewhere spends his time writing a song that may lift the mood [Read more]
Could a new technology power a green revolution overnight? Be careful what you wish for
There are people who lie awake at night worried about the temperature of the earth and who despise fossil fuels with a touchingly hysterical passion, convinced that continual burning of hydrocarbons will doom the planet. Nothing would thrill them more than to hear news that a new type of battery (or cold fusion, or whatever) has been unveiled that actually works and would instantly revolutionize energy usage. Visions of emission-free power sources dance through their heads like images of Olivia [Read more]
Rewarding management for production growth can be a disaster in waiting
Recently, the BOE Report published an article that flagged a considerable problem for some sections of the oil patch – a misalignment of incentives that rewards the wrong behavior. In this instance, the problem is oil production growth, which is sometimes being rewarded at the exact time it should be discouraged. In an era of low or falling commodity prices, there should be an extreme emphasis on the health of the company rather than accelerating a problem, but sadly that’s not much on display. [Read more]
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