Blog

How to Influence International Energy Policy (Reimagine Energy Policy: Part 4 of 4) [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 36]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On October 10, 2016
  • 0 Comments
Before his nation discovered petroleum, its president idled the power plants whenever he traveled abroad.  The people were left in the dark, suffering from their leader’s absence.  A boy once asked about the blackouts, and the president’s retort—“This is my house, and I can turn off the lights if I want”—reveals the mindset of entrenched leaders.  […]
Read More

International Shale Gas & Climate Change (Reimagine Energy Policy: Part 3 of 4) [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 35]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On October 3, 2016
  • 0 Comments
“The U.S. leads the world in reducing carbon emissions for the most recent 5- and 10-year periods. Over the past 5 years U.S. carbon dioxide emissions have fallen by 270 million tons.” – Forbes Spinning windmills and glistening solar panels—that’s what we envision when we read about CO2 reduction. Shale gas does not usually come to mind. […]
Read More

Proposal for an Omnibus Energy Act (Reimagine Energy Policy: Part 2 of 4) [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 34]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On September 28, 2016
  • 0 Comments
While the nation’s population has doubled in the last half century, the amount of federal regulation has grown by 1,700%.  Forbes estimates that “‘more than 1 million restrictions in the Code of Federal Regulations are either duplicative, have costly unintended consequences, are obsolete or perform poorly.’”  America’s energy industry lives with this burden, too.  New […]
Read More

Genius Grants for Energy Innovation (Reimagine Energy Policy: Part 1 of 4) [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 33]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On September 14, 2016
  • 0 Comments
Energy policy used to be an area where Democrats and Republicans found common ground. That’s not true anymore. The parties’ energy platforms are polarized by climate change. Democrats call for America to be “be running entirely on clean energy by mid-century,” proposing carbon taxes to reach that goal. Republicans “oppose any carbon tax,” arguing that […]
Read More

Side-by-Side Comparison of Democratic and Republican Energy Policies [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 32]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On August 30, 2016
  • 0 Comments
The platforms for both American political parties dedicate several pages to energy policy. This language was drafted by committees of party leaders, approved by the presidential candidates, and then adopted at their national conventions. In the table below, I have juxtaposed the words of the parties’ platforms for six energy policies: (1) climate change/energy sources; […]
Read More

What Boy Scouts Can Teach the Energy Industry [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 31]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On August 19, 2016
  • 1 Comments
Over the last thirty years, participation in Boy Scouts has declined by ~50%.  My children now have many more options. Back in the eighties, we stalked real coyotes and rattlesnakes through the brush—not imaginary Pokémon. While scouting was certainly entertaining, it also taught me important lessons.  One in particular often comes to mind—incrementalism.  It’s also […]
Read More

The Democrats’ Bold New Energy Platform: Zero Fossil Fuels [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 30]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On July 25, 2016
  • 0 Comments
“America must be running entirely on clean energy by mid-century” – 2016 Democratic Party platform Delegates to the Democratic Party’s national convention released their new platform on July 21st. Its energy policy spans several pages and ranks as the sixth most important issue for the party—ahead of education (7th), health care (8th), and national security […]
Read More

Brexit’s Impact on the Energy Industry [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 28]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On July 1, 2016
  • 0 Comments
  • brexit
“Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods . . . [but] there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe.” – Boris Johnson, former Mayor of London and supporter of Brexit The British people shocked the world when they […]
Read More

Niger Delta Avengers: Inspired by Marvel Comics? [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 27]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On June 7, 2016
  • 0 Comments
  • Avengers
“To the International Oil Companies and Indigenous Oil Companies, it’s going to be bloody. Your facilities and personnel will bear the brunt of our fury.” – The Niger Delta Avengers Nigeria’s oil output has plummeted in recent months, falling to about 1.5 million barrels per day. What’s the cause of this decline? It’s the Avengers […]
Read More

The Republican Party’s Energy Platform [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 26]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On May 18, 2016
  • 0 Comments
  • Republican Energy Platform
I was a delegate to last week’s State Republican Convention in Dallas, which adopted a new platform for the party.  Each of the platform’s 266 positions was individually voted on by the entire convention.  Interestingly, the Chairman of the Platform Committee was former State Representative Wayne Christian, who is running for Texas’ Railroad Commission (the […]
Read More