Rory Johnston

Latest articles from Rory

• White House Delays Keystone XL Decision Until Nebraska Legal Challenge Settled

  Published 22 April 2014 | viewed 10,471 times

  The Keystone XL pipeline, already one of the most politicized and delayed pipelines in history, has hit another roadblock.On April 18, the Obama administration announced…

• Israel and Egypt: A Natural [Gas] Match

  Published 16 April 2014 | viewed 8,794 times

  Israel’s newfound natural gas wealth is moving the country from energy importer to potential exporter, altering the energy balance of the region in the process.…

• China Drills Into the “Roof of the World” to Help Alleviate Foreign Dependence

  Published 08 April 2014 | viewed 20,027 times

  From copper to iron to oil, China is the world’s leading importer of almost every raw mineral. Wary of the risks this dependence brings, Beijing…

• Exxon Responds to Carbon Asset Risk Concerns

  Published 02 April 2014 | viewed 8,159 times

  Last week I wrote about the emerging investor language of “Carbon Asset Risk” and ExxonMobil’s agreement to publish its plans to deal with the risk…

• The Emerging Investor Language of “Carbon Asset Risk”

  Published 25 March 2014 | viewed 10,764 times

  Last Thursday, ExxonMobil agreed to publish its plans to assess the risks climate change pose to its business model, making it the first oil and…

• New Technology Meets An Ancient Foe In Alberta

  Published 18 March 2014 | viewed 5,536 times

  New technologies have revolutionized the oil industry but they also seem to have created a bizarre vulnerability. A new chart released Monday by ARC Financial,…

• No, Washington Does Not Have a Nat Gas Weapon Against Moscow

  Published 11 March 2014 | viewed 12,251 times

  After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its occupation of Crimea, many in the West wondered what could be done to oppose Moscow. Complicating matters, Europe…

• How the Situation in Crimea Could Cause Oil Prices to Fall

  Published 04 March 2014 | viewed 15,513 times

  Moscow’s aggression in Crimea has markets in a panic and bulls predicting continued increases in the price of oil should tensions endure. Nonetheless, there is…

• New Report Finds Oil Sands Production Costs Below U.S. Tight Oil

  Published 03 March 2014 | viewed 41,310 times

  Canada’s oil sands are often thought of as one of the world’s most expensive, marginal sources of crude. That may not be the case, however,…

• The Problem With Condensates

  Published 18 February 2014 | viewed 39,655 times

  Propelled by the boom in oil sands and tight oil production, condensates, an ultra-light oil, are emerging as an ever more important element of the…

• Egypt’s Precarious Energy Position

  Published 11 February 2014 | viewed 12,964 times

  Egypt faces a serious energy crunch in securing the required petroleum and natural gas imports to meet expected summer requirements, Egyptian Oil Minister Sherif Ismail…

• New Study Finds Oil Sands Pollutants Underestimated by Official Estimates

  Published 04 February 2014 | viewed 20,611 times

  The emission levels of some pollutants from the Athabasca oil sands may be higher than previous official estimates, according to researchers at the University of…

• Can Italy Double Its Oil Production?

  Published 22 January 2014 | viewed 28,275 times

  Beneath the ancient groves of Italy’s Basilicata region lies something more valuable to modern Italy than olives—oil.  The region represents the “instep” of Italy’s iconic…

• DOT-111 Safety Major Issue in Crude-By-Rail Debate

  Published 14 January 2014 | viewed 12,883 times

  Experts from the Canadian rail industry, regulators, and representatives from all levels of government met in Ottawa on Monday to discuss the increasing number of…

• Brazil’s Energy Sector Faces Considerable Challenges Going Forward

  Published 07 January 2014 | viewed 15,239 times

  Brazil has been touted as Latin America’s budding oil powerhouse, with the International Energy Agency predicting that the country will account for one-third of global…

• Albertan Bitumen Heading for the Great Lakes

  Published 31 December 2013 | viewed 7,766 times

  It is no secret that oil transportation infrastructure in North America is strained and Albertan oil is having a difficult time getting to market. Pipeline…

• Capturing Carbon to Enhance Oil Recovery

  Published 28 December 2013 | viewed 239,847 times

  Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology has long been considered a middle-ground approach to climate change mitigation. It allows for the continued burning of fossil…

• Energy Secretary Signals Support for Revisiting U.S. Crude Export Ban

  Published 16 December 2013 | viewed 11,672 times

  U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, speaking to the Platts Global Energy Outlook Forum in New York on Thursday, said that it might be time for…

• Libyan Finances Squeezed as Protesters Continue To Plague Oil Industry

  Published 11 December 2013 | viewed 17,046 times

  Protests aimed at Libya’s oil sector have cost the country more than $7 billion since they began this past summer, according to statements by Oil…

• Supply Considerations Key As OPEC Members Head To Vienna

  Published 03 December 2013 | viewed 10,759 times

  The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is preparing to convene this week in Vienna for its final quota-setting meeting of the year. Potential tension…