OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Road trip!

By Ben Geman - 07/12/12 05:59 PM ET

State of Play: The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing Friday in Oklahoma, titled "America’s Energy Future Part I: A Review of Unnecessary and Burdensome Regulations," that’s sure to feature criticisms of White House energy policies that are common on Capitol Hill.

t’s “Part I” because on Saturday the panel will hold another session in North Dakota, where oil production is booming, titled “A Blueprint for Domestic Energy Production.”

The Friday hearing at the University of Central Oklahoma will include the state’s secretary of energy, oil industry executives and others.

Click here for more on the hearings.

NEWS BITES:

Report finds US lagging on efficiency

The Los Angeles Times unwraps a new study showing that the U.S. is not faring especially well on energy efficiency. From their piece:

In the U.S. — land of the gas-guzzler SUV and 24/7 air conditioning — energy efficiency isn’t known as a strong suit. The country’s power management efforts are so poor that a new report ranks it near the bottom of the pack of major economies.

On a list of a dozen countries, which together account for 63% of global energy consumption, the U.S.' efficiency efforts are ranked in lowly ninth place. With a score of 47 out of 100, the U.S. outpaces only Brazil, Canada and Russia, according to the report from the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, known as ACEEE.

Energy Dept. announces natural-gas vehicle projects

The Energy Department is awarding $30 million for 13 research projects “to find new ways of harnessing America’s abundant natural gas supplies for cars and trucks and expand the use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel.”

Information about the specific projects, which are funded through the department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, is available here.

A potash-oil détente?

The Associated Press reports from New Mexico:

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Thursday introduced a proposal that could effectively end a decades-long squabble over development of oil and natural gas in an area that makes up the nation's greatest potash reserve.

Oil and gas developers and the companies going after potash — the key ingredient in fertilizers — have been locked in a series of legal disputes over development of the resources for years. The concern has centered on contamination of the resources and mining safety.

...

Salazar's draft order would establish a program for identifying areas where development can happen safely. Buffer zones would be established to allow oil and gas drillers to go after the fossil fuels without compromising potash deposits.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Check out these stories that ran on E2-Wire Thursday ...

— Left-right group quietly weighs carbon tax proposals
— Natural-gas boom could isolate US on climate change
— Oil reps blast Obama, champion Romney at DC event
— House votes to streamline federal mining permit process
— Energy Dept. defends loan guarantees, attacks ‘No More Solyndras’ bill