Free Republic

More than 500 service stations across Australia are now without one or more types of fuel, according to the federal government, despite fuel continuing to flow into the country. In a state-by-state update before federal parliament on Tuesday, March 24, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said that New South Wales had the highest number of affected sites, with at least 289 service stations without either diesel or petrol, including 164 out of diesel specifically. In Victoria, 162 service stations had run out of one or more fuel types, with Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio telling ABC Radio...

As other Asian economies race to conserve energy, China has huge reserves of oil and gas as well as alternative energy sources like wind and solar China, the world’s second-largest economy, appears to be in a very different position to much of the continent. Its energy system has “significant buffers”, Michal Meidan, the head of China energy research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, an independent research institute, explained in a recent paper – from huge reserves of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to a robust domestic supply, including alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar. Iran...

The U.S. military devastated the military installations on Kharg Island, Iran’s major oil transport facility, but left the oil infrastructure alone. President Trump threatened to blow up the oil facilities, too: “The United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump said in a statement Friday evening, referring to an island in the Persian Gulf where most of Iran’s oil is processed. “I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should...

Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf channel that carries 20 percent of the world’s oil, according to U.S. officials, an effort that could further complicate American efforts to restart shipping there. While the U.S. military said it had destroyed larger Iranian naval vessels that could be used to quickly lay mines in the strait, Iran began using smaller boats for the operation on Thursday, according to a U.S. official briefed on the intelligence.

The Pentagon and National Security Council significantly underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to US military strikes while planning the ongoing operation, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. President Donald Trump’s national security team failed to fully account for the potential consequences of what some officials have described as a worst-case scenario now facing the administration, the sources said. And now it may be weeks before the administration’s efforts to alleviate the intensifying economic fallout take hold, officials said Thursday, including high-risk naval escorts of oil tankers through the strait that the Pentagon...

President Donald Trump announced that the “interim authorities” in charge of Venezuela would be giving between 30 and 50 million “Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil” to the United States. In a post on Truth Social, Trump explained that the oil would “be sold at its Market Price,” and that Trump would ensure the money from the sales would be “used to benefit the people of Venezuela” and the U.S. “I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States...

Turkish Energy Minister, Alparslan Bayraktar said on Monday that Turkey intends to seal an energy exploration agreement with Syria in 2026 to assess possible offshore energy resources along the Syrian coast.In an interview with Turkish digital news platform GDH on Monday, Bayraktar said that Ankara and Damascus had already signed a general framework agreement on energy cooperation earlier this year."We plan to sign a specific offshore deal in 2026," he said. "After signing the deal, we may conduct seismic research to see what the field offers us".Bayraktar cautioned that the agreement does not necessarily mean Turkey would carry out drilling...

Federal agents have arrested Utah oil magnate James Lael Jensen, his wife Kelly Anne Jensen, and two of their sons, Maxwell Sterling Jensen (aka “Max”) and Zachary Golden Jensen, in connection with a sprawling $300 MILLION smuggling and money laundering conspiracy tied to Mexican criminal organizations. Court records reveal that all four members of the Jensen family were arrested on Wednesday, April 23 — with sons Max and Zachary taken into custody in the Rio Grande Valley, while James and Kelly Jensen were apprehended at their 26,893-square-foot mansion in Sandy, Utah, reportedly worth over $9.1 million. The arrest was carried...

U.S. intelligence chiefs ordered agencies to tighten surveillance on Greenland, the first tangible step toward President Donald Trump’s oft-stated goal of bringing the Arctic island under American control, sources leaked to The Wall Street Journal. The directive instructed the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Security Administration (NSA) and the CIA to identify Greenlandic and Danish figures who might back U.S. objectives and to gauge public sentiment toward American resource extraction, the outlet reported Tuesday. Its emergence triggered immediate pushback from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who accused unnamed officials of leaking in order to thwart the administration. “The Wall...

The head of the largest independent oil producer in the Permian Basin predicts US shale production has peaked and will likely decline from here as oil prices hover near four-year lows."We have a very good view of what the US looks like. And right now that's a business that's slowing dramatically and likely declining in terms of production," Diamondback Energy (FANG) CEO Travis Stice said during the company's earnings call on Tuesday morning.Stice, who is slated to step down and become executive chairman later this month, issued a shareholder letter on Monday in which he pointed to declining crew count...

As the Line gigaproject continues to grow in the Saudi desert, some new construction details have been announced that highlight the mind-boggling challenge of turning a huge tract of rugged landscape into a futuristic megacity, including its reported use of one fifth of the entire world's currently available steel.To recap, the Line is the key part of Saudi Arabia's Neom project, which is itself part of a larger push to transform the country's predominantly oil-based economy into a tourism-focused one as fossil fuel use is inevitably reduced in the coming years.The plan is for the Line to eventually have a...

Oil prices barely moved on Tuesday as investors weighed the impact of U.S. tariffs on countries buying oil and gas from Venezuela against the effect of tariffs on industries such as automobiles on the global economy and oil demand. Brent crude futures were up 1 cent at $73.01 a barrel by 0121 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 1 cent to $69.12. Both benchmarks gained more than 1 per cent on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on countries importing oil and gas from Venezuela. "Investors fear Trump's various tariffs could slow the...

Nvidia, the world’s undisputed leader in chipmaking, says it will invest hundreds of billions of dollars over the next four years on its U.S.-based manufacturing operations — part of the manufacturing renaissance under President Donald J. Trump as he solidifies the U.S. as the global leader in artificial intelligence.“Having the support of an administration who cares about the success of this industry and not allowing energy to be an obstacle is a phenomenal result for AI in the U.S.,” said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.Here’s what they’re saying:Axios: “It’s another win for President Trump’s push to increase U.S. manufacturing, with a...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has committed to a 10-year, $1.4 trillion “investment framework” in the U.S., the White House announced Friday. The new framework “will substantially increase the UAE’s existing investments in the U.S. economy in AI infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, and American manufacturing,” according to the administration. The UAE committed to the investments after President Trump hosted the UAE’s national security adviser, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, and the heads of major UAE sovereign wealth funds and corporations for a meeting in the Oval Office earlier this week. Among the investments under the framework, the UAE investment fund ADQ and...

Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is taking immediate steps to unleash Alaska’s untapped natural resource potential and support President Donald J. Trump’s vision of American Energy Dominance. Under the Secretary’s leadership, the Bureau of Land Management will pursue steps to expand opportunities for exploration and development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The BLM will also work towards partial revocation of public land withdrawals that will help solidify the path forward for the proposed Ambler Road and Alaska Liquified Natural Gas Pipeline projects. “It’s time for the...

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — As Californians grapple with the aftermath of devastating wildfires, a pressing question looms: Who will bear the financial burden of rebuilding the Los Angeles area? While some point to politicians, others are calling for fossil fuel producers to be held accountable. Christina Scaringe, California Climate Policy Director for the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute based in Sacramento, said they are working on a climate superfund bill aimed at holding major fossil fuel companies responsible for their climate impacts.... ...Scaringe emphasized that the bill is about fairness and affordability for Californians. ....The proposed climate superfund...

The first season of the Paramount+ series Landman has turned out to be a very surprising hit. Not merely because of the incredible acting by Billy Bob Thornton as the landman Tommy Norton, or by Jon Hamm as Monty Miller the oil company CEO, but also surprisingly because it has been giving the audience economic lessons, told in an entertaining manner, on the importance of the petroleum industry. The final episode of the season, although quite thrilling in its development (no spoilers here) was equally as impressive for what it revealed about the oil business starting with the opener of...

Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life is one of cinema’s most enduring classics, a sentimental yet profound exploration of how one person’s contributions ripple through a community. The story’s alternate timeline, where George Bailey never existed, paints a grim picture of what life would be like without his sacrifices. Inspired by this tale, let’s imagine an alternate reality of a different sort—a world where fossil fuels never existed. Could we, like George’s Bedford Falls, find ourselves in a global Pottersville? Let’s explore how the absence of fossil fuels might affect the very fabric of our lives, from economic systems to...

Most Americans don’t understand the risks of renewable energy or view traditional energy sources like oil and gas as essential to their livelihoods, a new poll found, as a Republican trifecta in Washington prepares to pass an extensive energy agenda early next year. As many as 57% of US voters are not aware that the “United States is at an elevated risk of energy shortfalls,” compared to 43% who were well privy to elevated risks of energy shortages, according to a poll from the American Energy Institute exclusively shared with The Post. About two-thirds of US grids have been vulnerable...

The Enemies of Food FreedomIn every war, there is necessarily an enemy force, and the war on our food supply is no exception. My previous article addressed the ongoing attacks on farmers across the globe. In today’s article, we will look at some of the culprits behind this agenda. For anyone who delved into the entities behind the tyrannical Covid policies, many names on the list below will seem quite familiar.Bayer/MonsantoBayer merged with Monsanto in 2018, combining the companies responsible for Agent Orange and pioneering chemical warfare. In 1999, Monsanto’s CEO Robert Shapiro bragged that the company planned to control...