Best Federal Judicial Center Podcasts (2024)

1
Give More Power to the People - Soaring Power Needs Drive Gas Demand in Virginia and Carolinas 13:07

1d ago13:07

13:07

The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and planned expansions to it and the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line (Transco) system are providing utilities, data centers and others in Virginia and the Carolinas with enhanced access to Marcellus/Utica-sourced natural gas — and man, will they need it! Plans for new generating capacity between Washington, DC and …

1
My Guy - Guyana's Growing Crude Output Increasingly Finding Homes Among West Coast Refiners 10:51

1d ago10:51

10:51

Guyana’s crude oil production is surging, a trend that is expected to continue through the rest of the decade, and with no domestic refining industry its exports are booming. Shipments of Guyana’s medium-density, sweet-ish crude to the U.S. have ramped up and are increasingly making their way to the West Coast, which relies on imports given its lac…

1
The Great Compromise - Federal Bill Would Streamline Energy Project Permitting, Judicial Review 13:36

5d ago13:36

13:36

The permitting process for energy projects can drag on for years, resulting in multiple state and federal hurdles, environmental studies and judicial reviews. This is true not only of traditional energy projects involving oil and gas but also renewables like wind and solar and long-distance transmission, which are seen as key elements of the energy…

1
Shake It Off - Amid M&A Frenzy, Some E&Ps Pause to Sell Non-Core Assets As Others Seek 'Bolt-Ons' 11:40

1d ago11:40

11:40

There’s been a frenzy of M&A activity in the Permian Basin the past couple of years, and in recent months many of the acquiring E&Ps have reviewed their expanded base of assets, determined which acreage, wells and future well sites are core to their business going forward, and initiated the process of divesting the rest. At the same time, others — …

1
Enter Sandman - Atlas Energy Brings an Innovative Sand Solution to the Permian Basin 9:37

1d ago9:37

9:37

A first-of-its-kind frac sand logistics solution set to debut in the Permian Basin later this year may help transform the way proppant is delivered to support hydraulic fracturing operations there. If it works as advertised, it will represent another advance in the streamlining of oil and gas production in the U.S.’s most prolific shale play. In to…

1
Hello, Goodbye - New England Hopes New Life for Everett LNG Will Help Ease Reliability Concerns, Despite Mystic's Closure 11:30

7d ago11:30

11:30

The 1,413-MW Mystic Generating Station, a longtime workhorse for New England, shut its doors for good May 31. Located in Charlestown, MA, on the north side of Boston, Mystic is adjacent to the Everett LNG terminal, which supplied 100% of Mystic’s natural gas for several decades. The power plant’s closure meant the Everett terminal might also be his…

1
Coming Around Again - Permian Produced Water Posing Challenges and Offering Opportunities 11:48

1d ago11:48

11:48

Crude-oil-focused wells in the Permian generate massive volumes of produced water, and E&Ps have made tremendous strides in dealing with it. Most important, a growing share of that water is being recycled for use in new well completions. But challenges remain. Deep disposal wells — a popular option for handling produced water — can spur seismic eve…

1
A Whole New World - 'Certified' Natural Gas With Lower Methane Intensity Takes Center Stage 11:37

12d ago11:37

11:37

Even as many countries and companies around the world continue to ramp up their use of wind and solar power and explore the potential for a variety of renewable, low-carbon and no-carbon fuels, there’s a growing acknowledgment that natural gas — imperfect as it may be from a climate perspective — will remain a significant part of the global energy …

1
I Love a PIANO - Tight U.S. Octane Supplies Can Play a Role in Summer Gasoline Price Spikes 14:09

5d ago14:09

14:09

Some U.S. refiners report lower-than-market gasoline profit margins in the summer, which are often attributed to summer volatility specifications. But that is not always the primary issue; rather, some refiners have trouble generating enough octane-barrels due to the strong demand during the summer months, which can help drive price spikes. In toda…

1
Episode 40: The Value of Intelligent Failure 30:06

6d ago30:06

30:06

Professor and author Amy Edmondson’s recent research says that intelligent failures in organizations help us adapt, improve and innovate – as individuals and teams. Leaders who recognize, value and even celebrate failures for the learning opportunities they present, encourage organizational innovation and improvement.Dr. Edmondson is the Novartis P…

1
Break My Stride - Guyana In Line To Become Major Crude Oil Supplier, But Obstacles Remain 13:05

6d ago13:05

13:05

Guyana’s rise as a crude oil producer in recent years can only be described as meteoric. If forecasts from some of the most respected international agencies pan out, the South American country’s output may soon rival some of the world’s biggest offshore producers. But the developments there are not without some controversy: they’re the centerpiece …

1
Are You Ready for a Dogfight - Gulf Coast Export Terminals Vie for NGL and Crude Oil Market Share 14:07

7d ago14:07

14:07

Over the past decade, the only significant growth market for U.S. crude oil and NGLs has been exports, with over 90% departing from the Gulf Coast. Exports via Gulf of Mexico ports have surged from about 1 MMb/d in 2016 to over 6 MMb/d last year. Great news for PADD 3 export facilities, right? Well, it’s not that simple. The distribution of barrels…

1
The Ties That Bind - Crane Emerges as Pivotal Hub in the Permian's Evolving Oil Connectivity 12:31

8d ago12:31

12:31

Crane, TX, entered the 20th century with a population of only 51 people but a staggering 21,400 cattle and sheep, reflecting its ranching roots. Established as a railway station along the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway (KCM&O) in 1911, Crane initially relied on ranching and the railroad industry. However, the discovery of oil in the Permian B…

1
Big City Stripper - Diversified Energy Co. Plots Growth Through Culling, Harvesting Mature Gas Wells 15:51

11d ago15:51

15:51

The term “exploration and production company” has been widely used for only four or five decades, but the activities it represents have a history that dates back to the first oil well drilled by Edwin Drake in Titusville, PA, in 1859. Ever since that world-changing event, discovering and developing new sources of oil and gas has remained the indust…

1
Uranium Fever - Small Modular Reactors Could Be Part of Nuclear Revival, But Hurdles Remain 17:40

13d ago17:40

17:40

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the best way to meet the expected increases in U.S. power demand, driven in part by manufacturing growth and the rapid development of large-scale data centers. That has spurred a renewed interest among regulators, industry leaders and the general public in nuclear power. But while traditional reactors a…

1
Smarter Than You - AI, Data Center Power Demand and the Implications for Natural Gas 12:47

14d ago12:47

12:47

Data center power demand is soaring as AI — artificial intelligence — rapidly expands across all sorts of applications. That statement is certainly the top buzz factor in today’s energy markets. These facilities need 24x7, super-reliable power, and there’s only one power generation fuel that has any hope of keeping up with the demand surge: natural…

1
Double (H) or Nothing - Could More NGL Pipeline Capacity Help Break the Bakken's Production-Growth Logjam? 10:49

15d ago10:49

10:49

Crude-oil-focused production in the Bakken still hasn’t fully recovered from its pre-COVID high, partly because the western North Dakota shale play continues to face takeaway constraints, especially for natural gas and NGLs. A couple of NGL pipeline projects in the works will certainly help, but will they be enough to enable the Bakken’s increasing…

1
You Crack Me Up - Refiners Increasingly Relying on Hydrocracking Capacity As Fuel Demand Shifts 16:20

18d ago16:20

16:20

More than a decade ago, several U.S. refiners brought new hydrocracking capacity online, wagering that rising demand for middle distillates made such major investments necessary. They were good bets. Demand for jet fuel is expected to continue to grow, and while diesel demand is seen as relatively flat in the U.S. over the next few years, it will c…

1
An Awful Thing to Waste – The Push to Consume More Natural Gas Close to Where It’s Produced 13:20

27d ago13:20

13:20

There are two primary drivers for consuming more natural gas close to where it emerges from production wells. One is to eliminate routine gas flaring, which is wasteful and environmentally detrimental, and the other — especially true in takeaway-constrained plays like the Permian — is to add value to gas that otherwise would be sold downstream at s…

1
Save It for Later - In Catalyst Recycling, Refiners Weigh Environmental, Profit Incentives Against Risk of Change 13:42

20d ago13:42

13:42

In a refinery, crude oil is first distilled, which separates it into light, medium and heavy fractions. After that, refiners start performing chemical reactions to change the oil’s molecules from their natural form into those needed in modern fuels. But the catalysts used in that process aren’t only expensive, they essentially end up as hazardous w…

1
Running Up That Hill - Three-Pronged Plan to Refill SPR Comes With Challenges Beyond Price 13:28

28d ago13:28

13:28

The Biden administration has been on a mission for more than a year to restock the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which was tapped at unprecedented levels in an effort to keep crude oil and refined product prices under control after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 disrupted energy flows globally. But if returning all of the released …

1
Southern Cross - Production and Export Gains Drive Agua Dulce Gas Hub's Expanding Role 13:44

22d ago13:44

13:44

Every day, more than 7.5 Bcf of natural gas flows through the Agua Dulce Hub region in South Texas — 1.7 times the volume five years ago. And the hub’s growth is just beginning. By 2030, flows may well top 11.5 Bcf/d as gas production ramps up in the Permian and the Eagle Ford, pipeline exports to Mexico increase, and new LNG export capacity comes …

1
Slow Your Roll - How a Slower Energy Transition Might Impact Oil Producers, Refiners and Consumers 15:27

23d ago15:27

15:27

The last few years have been filled with often-spirited debate about the global energy transition and the move away from fossil fuels to fully embrace renewables and alternatives to keep the lights on, fuel vehicles and power the world’s economy. But there are a growing number of signs that a swift shift from petroleum is not realistic, which has i…

1
Keep This Party Going - More LNG Export Projects Vying for Startup on Canada's West Coast 14:49

26d ago14:49

14:49

Shipping large volumes of LNG from Canada’s West Coast across the Pacific Ocean to gas-hungry markets in Asia has been a dream nearly two decades in the making. After a great deal of work and patience, three projects have moved into the construction phase, with the most advanced — LNG Canada — on the cusp of accepting its first test-gas volumes, wi…

1
Moneytalks - Texas Energy Fund Seeks to Speed Development of New Gas-Fired Power Plants 13:38

1M ago13:38

13:38

Power generation is one of the leading consumers of natural gas in Texas — every month last year, generators in the state used between 4 Bcf/d and 8 Bcf/d, on average, with the volumes peaking (as you would expect) in August, when air conditioning and a friend with a pool are must-haves. But as we’ve seen, the Texas power grid is often stressed to …

1
(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right of Way - Legal Battles Could Hinder Feedgas for New LNG Terminals 13:15

28d ago13:15

13:15

U.S. LNG export capacity is poised to grow tremendously over the next few years, mostly near the Texas/Louisiana border. The gas-focused Haynesville Shale in northwestern Louisiana and northeastern Texas is a prime source of additional supply for those new and expanded terminals. But plans for new north-to-south pipelines to deliver incremental gas…

1
It Won't Be Like This For Long - Will New Crude Export Terminals Spur Another Permian Pipeline? 14:00

1M ago14:00

14:00

For a few years now, crude oil shippers out of the Permian have enjoyed a surplus in pipeline takeaway capacity thanks to a slew of new pipes that came online just as COVID crushed demand, prices and production. But Permian production has recovered, and the takeaway situation is changing for some routes. For example, the pipelines from West Texas t…

1
Just One Look - After a Good Bit of Tire-Kicking, Devon Energy Finally Finds ‘The One’ 12:28

30d ago12:28

12:28

There’s been a frenetic scramble among oil and gas producers through the early 2020s to acquire top-tier acreage and production assets they think they will need to survive and thrive. Some of those acquisitions are still being done through smaller deals such as acreage swaps, but the expansion mode of choice for most has been big-time M&A, which in…

1
I Want Your Wax - Uinta's Prolific Waxy Crude Drives SM Energy/Northern O&G Purchase of XCL 12:43

1M ago12:43

12:43

The Uinta Basin is no Permian when it comes to drilling activity and production volumes, but the folks behind what may be the biggest M&A deal in Uinta history say the oil-production economics in parts of the quirky-as-heck play in northeastern Utah compare very favorably with the best of the Permian’s Delaware and Midland basins. And where else wi…

1
The Times They Are a-Changin' - EU Methane Regs to Begin Impacting U.S. Natural Gas Producers 13:08

1M ago13:08

13:08

Three phenomena — the European Union’s laser focus on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the EU’s now-significant reliance on LNG from the U.S., and the impending startup of new LNG export terminals along the Gulf Coast — are converging, with potentially significant implications for gas producers and LNG exporters alike. Starting next year, U…

1
Keep This Party Going - An Update on Canada's West Coast LNG Export Projects 13:20

1M ago13:20

13:20

Developers have been kicking around plans for LNG exports from British Columbia (BC), Canada’s westernmost province, for more than a decade, with more than 20 projects on the drawing board at one point. That long list has been whittled down to just three that have reached the point of final investment decision (FID) — a hard plan to proceed to cons…

1
Keep on Loving You - LOOP Retains Its Niche Amid Proposed Offshore Crude Export Terminals 12:41

1M ago12:41

12:41

As four proposed crude export terminals off the coast of Texas navigate the long and winding regulatory path toward potential construction, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) already does what they want to do. It’s the sole Gulf Coast terminal that can fully load Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) bound for global markets. LOOP started as an imp…

1
Homegrown - EOG's Focus on Organic Growth Stands Out Amid E&P Consolidation Wave 16:37

1M ago16:37

16:37

While many larger E&Ps have been growing bigger through massive, headline-grabbing acquisitions, EOG Resources — by market cap, the second-largest non-integrated U.S. producer — has been expanding for a quarter century now by focusing on the stealthy exploration and development of new resource plays. The results of EOG’s long-standing strategy have…

1
Change is Going to Come - U.S. Oil, Gas and NGL Markets Face Challenges and Opportunities 14:37

1M ago14:37

14:37

Back in the early 2010s, U.S. crude oil and NGL exports were minimal and LNG exports were non-existent, but there were omens that the U.S. would soon regain its status as an energy production juggernaut. Now the U.S. is a critically important global supplier of oil, gas and NGLs, with exports crucial to managing supply and demand as infrastructure …

1
Big Wave - A Tsunami of New LNG Export Capacity Is Coming, With Broad Implications For Gas Markets 12:02

1M ago12:02

12:02

The U.S. Gulf Coast is poised to experience another big wave of new LNG export capacity, and this time it will be joined by new capacity coming online in both Mexico and Canada. The more than 13 Bcf/d of incremental natural gas demand from North American LNG projects starting up over the next five years will have significant effects on U.S. and Can…

1
Getting Closer, Encore Edition - A Drill Down Report on Four Projects Vying to be Next Deepwater Export Terminal 10:41

1M ago10:41

10:41

The four deepwater crude oil export projects under development along the U.S. Gulf Coast are getting closer to receiving their regulatory go-aheads after years of planning and millions of dollars spent. In fact, Enterprise’s Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) received its license in April. These projects have sparked commercial and wider market interest …

1
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - On-Purpose Propylene Doesn't Come Easy 13:34

1M ago13:34

13:34

Fast-rising NGL supplies during the early years of the Shale Era fueled excitement about the potential for new petrochemical plants in the U.S., especially ethane-only crackers to make ethylene and other byproducts, along with propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plants to make propylene. While 11 new ethane-fed crackers have come online in the U.S. since…

1
Stop! In the Name of Love - Supreme Court Throws Out 'Chevron Deference,' Upends Regulatory Law 13:51

1M ago13:51

13:51

That the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron Deference, a key foundation of modern administrative law for 40 years, in its June 28 ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (Loper Bright) was no surprise, although it does not make it any less disruptive. The order follows a steady drumbeat of Supreme Court decisions issued during this term an…

1
Basket Case - The Strange Relationship Between Mont Belvieu and Conway NGLs 16:47

2M ago16:47

16:47

Mont Belvieu, TX and Conway, KS, are the two most significant U.S. hubs for NGL trading, storage and fractionation, with the much bigger Mont Belvieu hub primarily serving Gulf Coast and export demand, while the smaller Conway hub is focused on Midwest/Great Plains demand, especially for propane. The pricing dynamics between the two hubs are a key …

1
Canal Street Blues - Low Panama Canal Water Levels Mean Big Headaches for LNG Exporters 14:41

2M ago14:41

14:41

The Panama Canal expansion completed in June 2016 was expected to allow much larger LNG tankers to move product from Sabine Pass LNG and other Gulf Coast export terminals through the canal to Asian and Latin American customers. But water levels at Gatun Lake, which provides the fresh water needed to operate the canal’s locks, have been well below n…

1
I Want to Pay You Back - E&Ps Sustain Sector-Leading Dividend Yields Despite Lower Cash Flows 18:12

2M ago18:12

18:12

After thoroughly alienating their investor base over more than two decades of boom-and-bust cycles, U.S. E&Ps won investors back in the early 2020s by radically transforming themselves from high-risk to high-yield vehicles. Fueled by surging crude oil and natural gas prices in 2022, producers generated massive free cash flows — and spectacular shar…

1
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow - Light Louisiana Sweet Hasn't Lost Its Mojo, But Headwinds May Be Coming 11:28

2M ago11:28

11:28

The Light Louisiana Sweet (LLS) crude market has evolved in recent years, due largely to the reversal of the Capline pipeline as well as limited production growth from the offshore fields that contribute to the LLS market. Yet the LLS premium against other U.S. grades remains strong, a sign that refiners aren’t ready to give up on it just yet, give…

1
Manic Monday - Energy Transfer's Acquisition of WTG Midstream No Longer Includes BANGL Stake 10:46

2M ago10:46

10:46

Energy Transfer’s plan to buy WTG Midstream, a West Texas-based and private equity-backed natural gas gatherer and processor, just got a bit less expensive — and not quite so comprehensive. Energy Transfer will still acquire WTG’s network of more than 6,000 miles of gas pipelines, eight processing plants and more, but WTG’s 20% stake in the joint-v…

1
She Ran Calling Wildfire - Acquisitions Propel WildFire Energy to a Leading Position in the Eagle Ford 12:34

2M ago12:34

12:34

No doubt about it, most of the headline-grabbing oil and gas M&A activity lately has involved large, publicly owned producers gobbling up other good-sized E&Ps, lock, stock and barrel. But there are other ways to increase scale and improve operational efficiency, as evidenced by privately held WildFire Energy’s bolt-on acquisition frenzy in the rel…

1
Adaptation - With Changes on the Horizon, Nederland/Beaumont Export Hub Increasing Focus On NGLs 12:46

2M ago12:46

12:46

The Nederland/Beaumont crude oil hub has been somewhat overshadowed recently by other Gulf Coast crude export hubs despite hosting America’s largest refinery, a handful of export terminals and pipeline links to the prolific Permian Basin. But while plans to build one or more deepwater crude export terminals could mean big changes for the Gulf Coast…

1
The Waiting - As EPA Bottleneck Grows, CCS Approvals Pick Up Steam in States With Well Primacy 13:59

2M ago13:59

13:59

Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August 2022 was intended to unleash a wave of clean-energy initiatives, from hydrogen and renewable fuels to electric vehicles and large-scale carbon-capture projects, all part of the Biden administration’s plans to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and move the U.S. closer to a net-zero economy. …

1
Never Been Any Reason, Encore Edition - Why Oil, Gas and NGL Infrastructure Investment is Soaring While Production Growth is Flat 15:00

2M ago15:00

15:00

There’s never been any reason to question the drivers for energy infrastructure development — until now. Historically, the drivers were almost always “supply-push.” The Shale Revolution brought on increasing production volumes that needed to be moved to market, and midstreamers — backed by producer commitments — responded with the infrastructure to…

1
Getting Closer - A Drill Down Report on Four Projects Vying to be Next Deepwater Export Terminal 10:41

2M ago10:41

10:41

The four deepwater crude oil export projects under development along the U.S. Gulf Coast are getting closer to receiving their regulatory go-aheads after years of planning and millions of dollars spent. In fact, Enterprise’s Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) received its license in April. These projects have sparked commercial and wider market interest …

1
Underground - An Update on 'Sweetening' High-H2S, High-CO2 Associated Gas in the Permian 12:31

2M ago12:31

12:31

Some of the most prolific, crude-oil-saturated rock in the Permian’s Delaware Basin and Central Platform comes with a nasty complication — namely, associated gas with very high levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2). But rather than walking away from all those potential barrels, one midstream company saw the treatment of high-H2S…

1
Save It For Later - Catalyst Recycling Gains as Refiners Focus on Profitability, Environmental Performance 12:20

2M ago12:20

12:20

Refinery distillation units separate crude oil into light, medium and heavy fractions. After that, refiners start performing chemical reactions using catalysts — materials that accelerate chemical reactions — to change the oil’s natural molecules into the forms needed in modern fuels. In recent years, refiners have stepped up their efforts to recyc…

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