Archives for January 2016

David Holt: Time to speak up for offshore drilling

January 25, 2016 by Justin Williams

Greenville Online | Monday, January 25, 2016 | David Holt

When you look at the basic components of producing food, they all require energy.

“And quite frankly, a lot of it,” says Cathy Novinger, executive director of the Palmetto Agribusiness Council in South Carolina. “It has got to be affordable, and it has got to be available. If you are growing rice, it can be up to 40 percent of the production cost.”

Novinger’s comments, which were made at Consumer Energy Alliance’s recent Atlantic Energy Forum in Columbia, illustrate how energy touches our everyday lives in ways we don’t see, from the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the cars we drive, to the shampoo we use, the medication we consume, and the carpet we walk on.

It is why we need more of it if we’re to continue a domestic energy revolution that is not only producing greater quantities of electricity, but also mass-producing jobs, economic growth, government revenue, and lower prices for utility bills, gasoline, and consumer goods.

In order to do that, we’ll need to develop a responsible yet effective long-term, all-of-the-above energy policy that utilizes every onshore and offshore resource available to us, including fossil fuels, nuclear, solar, wind, and biofuels.

For South Carolina, that includes energy resources in the Atlantic Ocean.

Read the full op-ed here.

NOIA President Randall Luthi Interviewed In Bloomberg BNA Story

January 22, 2016 by Justin Williams

Bloomberg BNA | Thursday, January 21, 2016 | Alan Kovski

NOIA President Randall Luthi was interviewed for part of the Thursday Bloomberg BNA column, "Obama's Last Year May Be Tough For Oil, Gas." Written by Alan Kovski, the story appeared in Bloomberg's Energy and Climate Report. The article highlights concerns the oil and gas industry have with a looming deluge of regulations that the Obama Administration may unleash in 2016. Following is an excerpt from the article:

Oil companies are awaiting the rest of the policy. Among other things, the year could see more delays or even a moratorium on oil and gas leasing on federal onshore lands and a slimmed-down, restrictive five-year plan for offshore leasing.

“It's at the White House level that those decisions are going to be made,” Randall Luthi, president of the National Ocean Industries Association, told Bloomberg BNA. “Those are going to be political decisions.”

Obama may want to cement a legacy through last-year regulations, a prospect that especially worries the oil industry because of the president's emphasis on the dangers of climate change.

You can read the full article here.

Luthi: Regulations should not impede the industry’s growth and recovery

January 21, 2016 by Justin Williams

Offshore | Thursday, January 14, 2016 | Randall Luthi

In the year ahead, we may witness pivotal change in Washington, D.C. While the current administration pushes out the final planks of its agenda to cement the Obama legacy, candidates for the next administration will spend 2016 trying to convince voters that they are the best choice to lead the nation. For some, 2016 ushers in the end of an era; for others, it brings the dawn of a new one. For the offshore oil and natural gas industry, 2016 may be a year in which survival is considered a victory.

Barring a sudden disruption of the world’s oil supply or an unexpected surge in the Asian economy, global oil production levels will likely keep oil prices low for much of 2016. Producers and service companies in the US Gulf of Mexico pared back in 2015; 2016 could bring more of the same. The offshore industry will also see a slew of regulations being pushed through at the end of the Obama administration.

President Obama has made it clear that his remaining actions, including his regulatory agenda, will filter through the prism of climate change. Unfortunately, many of the administration’s core supporters see fossil fuels as the primary target in the war to reduce greenhouse gases. The rejection of the Keystone Pipeline; the cancellation of two proposed oil and gas lease sales off the coast of Alaska; and the refusal to grant extensions to companies needing extra time to explore inArctic waters are clear indicators that the development of oil and gas will not be seen as a priority in 2016. Those demanding that oil and natural gas be left in the ground clearly have the president’s ear, particularly when it concerns new exploration and production.

Read the full editorial here.

NOIA President Randall Luthi Interviewed In Platts Oilgram News

January 21, 2016 by Justin Williams

Platts Oilgram News | Monday, January 18, 2016

NOIA President Randall Luthi appeared on Monday's “Fuel for Thought” column of Platts’ Oilgram News. Written by Platts’ chief editor Gary Gentile, the article focuses on the role of Congressional caucuses, such as the Atlantic Offshore Energy Caucus, and how they impact energy issues. Following is an excerpt from the article:

Randall Luthi, the president of the National Ocean Industries Association, has presented to several such groups, including the Atlantic Offshore Energy Caucus. The group was formed last
year to “to advance policies that explore and expand energy production in the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.”

While the members who formed the caucus are already sold on the idea of energy development, Luthi said talking to them can help spread accurate information to other legislators.

“It’s impossible to reach every member of the hill on every issue,” Luthi said. “Our job is to educate members of congress about our issues, to share with them the information we know. You
want to make sure the information is consistent. Then you also have given them information to go talk to their colleagues about.”

You can read the full article here.

Craig Karges

January 14, 2016 by Justin Williams

Illusionist/Mentalist

Craig Karges is truly extraordinary! The “extraordinist” is an award-winning entertainer, a nationally recognized speaker and an author. Karges has made over five thousand appearances in twenty-two countries on four continents and in all fifty states. Craig Karges combines the art of magic with the science of psychology and the power of intuition to create the impression that nothing is impossible. Tables float, minds are read, metal bends and your imagination is challenged because you won’t believe your eyes! Dennis Miller, comedian and media personality, put it this way after seeing Karges perform, “This weirds me out!”

Audiences may be mystified when it comes to understanding how Craig Karges accomplishes what he does on stage but his popularity is no mystery at all.From the entertainment oriented Tonight Show to the news oriented CNN, Craig Karges has made over forty national television appearances. You’ve also seen him on Headline News, Fox News Channel, CNBC, E! Entertainment Television, Lifetime Television, Wisdom Television and even SOAPnet! The extraordinist has also starred in two, one-hour television specials. The sheer number and diversity of Karges’ television appearances is indicative of his widespread popularity.

Even Craig Karges’ peers find his work fascinating. He was named the top performer in his field worldwide by the international Psychic Entertainers Association. The National Speakers Association (NSA) honored him with the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation and the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame Award.

Craig Karges says that he does not possess supernatural powers, nor does he claim to perform as a psychic or a magician. While he acknowledges that he is an entertainer, and showmanship plays a role in what he does, he insists that he does not prearrange anything with members of the audience. Skeptical? The extraordinist offers $100,000, payable to charity, if anyone can prove he uses stooges or confederates from the audience to accomplish his demonstrations.

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