Energy and the Environment: Latest Financial Topics from Forbes Magazine

Here is the latest Energy News from Forbes Magazine.

Emerging Markets Draw Solar Developers
The risks are higher, but so are the returns.

U.S. Dependence On Foreign Oil Hits 30-Year Low
Oil & gas have been the dominant source of energy for more than a century. From the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s, America?s dependence on the Middle East and other foreign sources to meet its energy needs was rising. Over the past seven years, the U.S. has become much more energy independent. Get the facts in this article as we look at U.S. production, consumption, and net petroleum imports from 1949 through 2014!

Elon Musk

United Continental Needs To Prove It Isn’t Cheap For A Reason After Activist Settlement
The activists at United Continental easily won the day when it came to board change. These moves may point the airline in the right direction, but they are no panacea for its industry-worst valuation.

America’s Best Airlines 2015

Another Way Tesla Is ‘Different’: Model X Bugs Suggest It’s Using Customers As Beta Testers
A lot of people think that Tesla is the future of the auto industry, but the rampant complaints about problems with the Model X suggest it would’ve been better off taking the old-fashioned approach to pre-production quality control that General Motors is using right now with the Chevrolet Bolt EV.

How 5 Turbines Will Power Block Island, RI
Deepwater Wind is bringing offshore wind farms to America, and CEO Jeff Grybowski has big plans to expand beyond the Block Island site. In just a few years, Deepwater Wind will be responsible for over 100 offshore turbines that will provide power to

Is America’s First Offshore Wind Farm A Real Revolution Or Just Another Green Boondoggle?
Manna From Heaven: How D.E. Shaw and a politically connected attorney persuaded Rhode Island to build America’s first-ever offshore wind farm–and a risk-free money machine.

The World’s Biggest Wind Farms

Did Big Energy Just Make Us Safer From Terrorism Or Cyber Attacks On The U.S. Electrical Grid?
A cyber attack targeting America?s electric grid could be an epic disaster, but a new cooperative called Grid Assurance will make us safer.

Backed Into A Corner – Friendless Beijing Seeks Moscow’s Support In South China Sea
China is seeking Russian support in the disputed and increasingly volatile South China Sea , even though Russia is not a claimant in the body of water. However, it is a permanent member of the UN Security Council as is China.

The 93 Global Billionaires In Oil And Energy, 2016

Russia Under Putin — The Third Time Around

Saudi Prince Sets Back Putin’s Middle East Agenda At Doha
The Doha “oil freeze” talks ended with the worst possible outcome—not in terms of the oil market but for regional geopolitics and Russia-Saudi relations. If Saudi Arabia sent a message to Iran by scuttling talks, it also sent a message to Russia about the price of its support for Iran and Syria. Riyadh also drew a figurative line in the sand regarding Moscow’s role in the oil freeze talks and reminded the Kremlin that it alone remained the final arbitrator of OPEC oil policy.The breakdown in Doha talks is a loss of face (and loss of trust) for Russia, a setback for its regional geopolitical ambitions, and a spoiler in its relations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies. Rather than retreating to mitigate its risk exposure, the Kremlin will likely double down in support of Iran and reinforce its military presence in Syria—which provides it with greater power projection capabilities in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean. Saudi’s rising young prince may discover that Riyahd’s oil market strategy has limited utility in restraining Putin’s regional geopolitical ambitions.

Exxon And Climate Change: Are State Prosecutors Overly Expansionist?
Lots of news lately on how some U.S. attorneys general have, well, been political — hardly a surprise, given their long-lasting nickname: “Aspiring Governors.” The most recent case is that about 17 such officials have been meeting with environmental activists to craft a plan to cut Exxon Mobil Corp. down to size. Last week’s episode of “AGs Know Best” took a dramatic turn when some emails were discovered through the Freedom of Information Act — ones that showed a formal meeting took place among the state AGs with an environmental lawyer and a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists to single out the oil giant about what it may have known about climate change dating back to 1980. For Exxon’s part, it says that the information it had 36 years ago was not conclusive. But it quickly adds that today a lot more is known — and that climate change is real and that everyone needs to do their part. As for the AGs, they say that they routinely consult guidance from interested parties and that nothing nefarious happened when they met on March 29th with activists. How did all this come to light? The Energy & Environment Legal Institute, which is a free-market think tank with ties to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, obtained emails through the Freedom of Information Act that prove such meetings took place. The institute then shared those notes with Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, which allegedly asked the activists not to talk about the meeting. “These emails strongly suggest the financial motive for AGs to pursue their political opponents, not content with merely silencing and scaring away support for those who dare disagree with their extreme global warming agenda,” said Craig Richardson, E&E Legal’s Executive Director, in a statement.

Keystone XL Still Matters
Today marks the six year anniversary for TransCanada’s application for a presidential permit to build the remaining portion of the Keystone Pipeline system, better known as Keystone XL.

Failure In Doha: Naimi Overruled As Saudis Double Down on Market Share Strategy
By JIM KRANE

Conflict In The Caucasus: Nagorno-Karabakh
Eimear O?Casey and Charles Hecker discuss the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, its wider geopolitical implications, and its potential impact on the global business environment.

Tesla Model 3 Competitors

The World’s Biggest Public Energy Companies 2016

Morgan Stanley Profits Plunge 54% As Energy Slump, Rising Volatility Pummel Trading Results
As trading revenues plunge, wealth management is becoming an increasingly important business for Morgan Stanley.

The Top 10 Investment Banks To Work For

Strength of Permian Assets Loud and Clear at 22nd Annual OGIS
Last week in midtown Manhattan, The Independent Petroleum Association of America hosted the 22nd annual Oil & Gas Investment Symposia. In addition to a couple of fantastic industry keynotes (one of which was presented by our own CEO Allen Gilmer), the heads of many premiere E&P companies had an opportunity to present their current investment and operational outlook to members of the investment community.

Energy And The 2016 Presidential Candidates
With the New York Primary elections just a day away, it is enlightening to hear what each candidate thinks about the controversial issues surrounding energy and power. Energy is far more important to our future, our economy and our national interest than immigrant walls or bathroom gender tests. Of the five presidential candidates, two believe in some form of “all-of-the-above” strategy as we ramp down fossil fuels, particularly coal. The other three candidates don’t have a well-reasoned energy policy and rely more on the ideology of their base voters, both left and right.

Failure In The Doha Oil Talks Sets The Scene For Wholesale Political And Market Drama
Now for some real pain in the oil industry.

Failure At Doha Represents A Buying Opportunity
Failure in Doha may give investors a second chance at buying oil companies at a discount.

Doha Deadlock: Oil Producers Meeting Collapses In Predictable Disagreement
A meeting of ministers from the world’s largest oil producing countries ended in Doha, Qatar without an agreement on how to tackle chronic oversupply, as Saudi Arabia and Iran refused to budge from their respective positions of not moving without the other.

Does Tesla’s Claim For Environmental Friendliness Stand Up?
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk talked “sustainability” and “CO2 reduction” at the reveal of the Model 3 prototype, but it seems lifetime carbon dioxide from electric cars is actually not much different from conventional internal combustion engines. Until most electricity is generated by clean, renewable sources, claims electric cars are saving the planet are hollow.

When ETF’s Diverge From Their Benchmarks
VIX vs TVIX

Fossil Fuels’ Value Not Imperiled By Climate Change
Fossil fuel reserve values are far more affected by market conditions than climate change policies.

Burned By The Sun: SunEdison Braces For Bankruptcy, But Why?
SunEdison, the world’s largest renewable energy developer based in St. Louis, is reportedly bracing for bankruptcy.

Who Got Rich This Week: Pipeline Billionaires Benefit Big From Rebounding Energy Prices
Rebounding oil prices lead to big gains in wealth for two pipeline billionaires.

How 200 Japanese High School Students Became Fukushima Fallout Scientists
Scientific article titles are often the antithesis of news’ maxim of keeping it short and simple.

Will Utilities Become Software Developers?
Utilities are in a pinch these days.

Bankruptcy: Goodrich Petroleum Files Chapter 11 With Restructuring Agreement In Hand
Goodrich Petroleum has filed for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, implementing the terms of its previously announced restructuring support agreement with the majority of its second-lien noteholders.

Nigerian Loan Deal With China Highlights Need To Diversify Sources Of Government Revenue
A $6 billion loan deal with China is part of Nigeria’s plans to increase spending on public works projects as a means of kickstarting growth amid its worst economic crisis in decades.

Top 10 Sources Of U.S. Crude Oil Imports In 2015

What America’s 25 Most Profitable Companies Pay In Taxes

What America’s Most Profitable Companies Pay In Taxes, And What Washington Spends It On
American companies pay $350 billion in income taxes and $1.5 trillion in personal taxes out of total IRS receipts of $3.2 trillion. Here’s the share paid by the most profitable companies, and what Uncle Sam is spending the proceeds on.

Bernie Sanders’ Energy Policy: Import A Lot More Oil
It’s easy to be against a policy when you don’t understand how it actually impacts your life. Bernie Sanders has said multiple times that he would ban hydraulic fracturing, but he has never really addressed what the results of such a ban might be. Let’s take a look.

Binge Bankers: 6 Men Who Built “Too Big To Fail” Banks