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Alaska Gov.Takes Salazar to Court Over Offshore Moratorium; Get This, Salazar Flack DeniesSuch a Moratorium Exists (!) TheAP (9/9) reports, "The state claimed Thursday that the Interior Departmentillegally halted offshore drilling in Arctic waters, even though the departmentsaid there's no such moratorium in place. Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said InteriorSecretary Ken Salazar illegally imposed a moratorium because he failed toconsult with state officials, did not consider the economic effects...

TheWorm Turns: US Agency Loaned Mexican Gov't More than $1 Billion Last Year toHelp State-Run Company Develop Energy Offshore - And More in the Offing ThisYear. CNS News (9/8) reports, "TheU.S. Export-Import Bank, an independent federal agency, loaned more than $1billion to the Mexican state oil company PEMEX in 2009 to support the company'soil drilling in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The bank has another $1 billion inloans in the pipeline for 2010, unless Congress objects. On May 27, after...

Obama's PiggyBank: As Economy Continues to Struggle, White House Looks Increase Taxes on Oiland Gas Industry to Fund Second Stimulus Package. TheHill (9.6) reports, "President Obama Monday called for an upfrontinvestment of $50 billion to improve roads, railways and runways as part of alarger six-year strategy to update the nation's aging infrastructure. Obamaannounced the strategy at the Milwaukee Laborfest in Wisconsin hosted by theAFL-CIO and Milwaukee Area Labor Council and was joined by...

Shameless.Nike/WVU Football Introduce Uniform to Honor 29 Miners That Passed on April 5;Greenies Pressure Nike to Change Design on Bases That Uniform "Promotes"Mountain Top Mining. The AP (9.2) reports, "After angry environmentalists objected to a Nikepromotional ad for a new West Virginia University football uniform, theathletic apparel giant said Thursday it will modify a graphic depicting amountaintop removal mine. Nike issued a statement through the university,repeating what the school had...

Fearthe Feld: Obama Request for Courts to Toss Out Challenge to Its Always Illegal,and Now Increasingly Unpopular, Offshore Ban Denied by Judge Feldman. WallStreet Journal (9/1) reports, "The federal judge who struck down the Obamaadministration's initial six-month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling onWednesday dealt the government another blow. U.S. District Court Judge MartinFeldman denied the government's request to throw out a suit challenging thedrilling halt that had been filed by...

Thank You, Sen.Murkowski for Your Service to the Last Frontier and the Nation. AnchorageDaily News (8.31) reports, "Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Tuesday nightconceded the Republican primary election to Joe Miller, the tea party backedchallenger who maintained his Election Day lead after thousands of additionalabsentee and other ballots were counted through the day. Miller said Murkowskicalled him early this evening to say she was conceding. "I thanked her forthe hard-fought contest and...

TrustUs, You Won't Feel a Thing: EPA Chief Characterizes UpcomingCommand-and-Control Carbon Criminalization Rules over Entire US Economy as "ModestIn Scope." TheHill (8/30) reports, "EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said over the weekendthat upcoming climate regulations are modest in scope, comments that come amidCapitol Hill efforts to scuttle the rules, EPA is set to begin regulatinggreenhouse gases from power plants and other large emissions sources in 2011,but vows to phase in the...

Savethe Possums: Enviros Play Dead in Weekend Feature in the Wash Post - Say They'reDown and Out, But Influx of Lots MoreCash Could Change All That. WashingtonPost (8/29) reports, "On Thursday, some of the country's most respectedenvironmental groups - in the midst of their biggest political fight in twodecades - sent a group of activists to Milwaukee with a message. We're losing.A year ago, these groups seemed to be at the peak of their influence, needingonly the Senate's approval for a...

EtTu, Grumet? Fmr. Obama Energy Advisor Drops Heavy Political Ordnance on WhiteHouse in Form of New Report Calling for Obama Offshore Ban to Be Lifted.Bloomberg (8/26) reports, "President Barack Obama's moratorium on deep-water drilling isno longer needed because new rules reduce the risk of an uncontrolled spill,according to a report for a panel investigating BP Plc's blowout. Rules issuedin June by the Interior Department "provide an adequate margin of safety toresponsibly allow the...

Rockin'Bakken: Innovative Technology, Leadership of Folks from Whiting, Others,Helping Transform North Dakota's Economy - So Much So that Even NPR Is Smitten. NPR(8/25) reports, "JEFF BRADY: Head out to the wheat fields south of Stanley, andthe peace and quiet folks around here value is interrupted.  Whiting Petroleum owns this talldrilling rig and plans to drill about 400 wells in the region. It can take 20days to drill just one, according to the company's Blaine Hoffman.  Mr. BLAINE...