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Justin Mikulka

After $60 Billion Offer from Exxon, Pioneer CEO Changes His Tune on US Oil Industry

After $60 Billion Offer from Exxon, Pioneer CEO Changes His Tune on US Oil Industry

Scott Sheffield is one of the most financially successful shale oil and gas CEOs in America. And while he owes this personal wealth in part to producing a lot of oil, it also has helped that he knows how to “talk his book.” Like Exxon CEO Darren Wood, who is

Exxon’s $20 Billion Fraud Lawsuit Continues

Exxon’s $20 Billion Fraud Lawsuit Continues

“No one I knew in the organization thought this was possible; the pressure to deliver on Woods’ promise to the market permeated the organization.”

We ARE Having the Wrong Debate on LNG Exports

We ARE Having the Wrong Debate on LNG Exports

Have you seen the latest messaging from the oil and gas industry public relations machine on LNG exports? At Heatmap we are told that if we want to know if LNG is bad or good that, “The answer depends on where it’s going and what it’s replacing.” Which

Peak US Oil Production Looms as the Domestic Shale Boom Ends

Peak US Oil Production Looms as the Domestic Shale Boom Ends

It appears that the U.S. fracking boom is ending far earlier than many industry experts and CEOs predicted.

The Economic Case for ‘Blue Hydrogen’ Is Getting Worse. Cue the Lobbyists.

The Economic Case for ‘Blue Hydrogen’ Is Getting Worse. Cue the Lobbyists.

The push to sell “blue hydrogen” as a clean energy fuel — which experts have called a misleading rebrand of fossil fuels — hit another setback this month. Climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 are bringing new economic headwinds to the gas-derived hydrogen fuel’s prospects. However, many companies

Oil and Gas’s Pivot to Blue Hydrogen Is Falling Through

Oil and Gas’s Pivot to Blue Hydrogen Is Falling Through

By Justin Mikulka. Originally published on July 30, 2022 at The Intercept. THE OIL AND GAS industry’s plan to convince the world to switch from natural gas to hydrogen made from natural gas is being upended by an unexpected cause: economics. As the climate emergency has gotten more and

Russia-Ukraine War Is Another Reason to Break Free of Dirty Steel, but U.S. Companies Still Chase Profits Over Green Future

Russia-Ukraine War Is Another Reason to Break Free of Dirty Steel, but U.S. Companies Still Chase Profits Over Green Future

This article originally appeared in the Intercept. THE WAR IN Ukraine has threatened a vital component of the U.S. industrial base: steel production. Over the weekend, reports surfaced that a large steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine, had become one of the last holdouts for Ukrainian troops in the besieged