'We are in a war against truth and humanity. Fortunately our message of truth and who is behind the curtain pulling the strings is finally getting to people worldwide. In free societies it is not the place of corporations or governments to run economies. That only occurs in socialist, fascist, communist or corporatist societies. The premise of government control in cooperation with corporations is what we witnessed in totalitarian societies in Europe in the 1930s and unfortunately it is happening again.'
More likely ...looking back, the intent was to say 'truth and humanity' are in a war against 'government control in cooperation with corporations is what we witnessed in totalitarian societies in Europe in the 1930s and unfortunately it is happening again.'
At the time (just prior to the November 2010 elections) in 'Better to be hyper-vigilant than blindsided!' we stated: '...make no mistake... there are going to be attempts by the opposition to insight civil unrest for reasons later discussed in this post. Do not assume there are NOT plants in the crowds.'
'A real or perceived (staged) national emergency (economic collapse, oil spill, power grid failure, or general chaos resulting from one or more of these things) to justify an imposition of Martial law by definition as depicted at the end of this post, would change the ball game indefinitely. If imposed by any justification before November 2010 an Executive Order by America's 'Commander in Chief' would change the rules of the game for all Americans and halt November elections leaving current runaway government agendas unstoppable.' as posted in 'Better to be hyper-vigilant than blindsided!' was referring to events taking place prior to the elections; then we said;
'2010 is a dangerous year on many fronts. There has been speculation by many for months, that preparations for a state of emergency and 'executive order and declaration of martial law have been underway in anticipation of civil unrest.'
...And Here We Are ...2011
Turning the corner into 2011 and only a couple of days into March ...now morphed into an unprecedented global scene ...with added intensity and the exception of the November elections ...looking more like reality, everything from 2010 remains on the table.
'In a recent discussion with Charlie Rose regarding the deteriorating global climate and environmental condition, Bill McKibben author of his newly released book 'Eaarth', made a comment of which the same could be said regarding Israel and the Middle East;
'At some point, ... it will be too late for effective political action. ... there reaches a point where it won’t matter who’s president and it won’t matter how devoted Congress is, the damage will be out of control.'
Events in the Middle East and Libya
Do not underestimate the power behind near supernatural movement in Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Tunisia and of course Libya sending shock waves throughout the world.
Not found in US mainstream media ...as US and NATO warships and personnel move into the region and the global community apply sanctions against Libya, Russia cites potential international law violations if the United States attempts to take any action against Libya on its own.
In keeping Russia's own interest in having a level playing field in the international community while working out agreements in recently formalized relations and pending European missile defense details, perhaps lingering mistrust of intentions by United States and NATO compels statement for the record; 'The decision to use foreign military forces in Libya is the sole responsibility of the UN Security Council, said Russia's permanent representative to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin.
Sounding more like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or 'reverend' Wright ...Farrakhan Says Mideast Uprisings Will Come to Americas Door holding Obama on his statements to Middle East leaders regarding violence against protesters:
That timing of the movement and momentum in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and throughout Islamic nations aid the cause of his Islamic revolution in America;
That Americans will continue to be caught up in politics, division and lack of strategic focus;
...and that when their 'revolution' in America begins ...Obama will not take action against them to affect a 'bloodless' takeover of America.
...the second, probably the least of his concerns.
Economy
Despite Ben Bernanke's March 2011 assessment on the economy ...oil and US gasoline prices are soaring, stock markets dropping, more unemployment and bank foreclosures at some major financial institutions being stopped, Ben Bernanke Warns Rising Oil Prices A Threat To U.S. Forbes
Again, do not underestimate what is happening. Its better to be hyper-vigilant than blindsided.
Like 2010, but with less speculation in an unraveling world (as much predicted in 2010 is now reality) ...any one of these and other events taking place (with promises of more to come) will topple an already fragile global economy as rapidly as the changes taking place in The Middle East.
Though many Americans will still be caught up in political drama ...following Glenn Beck or another professional politician or political party as the next hope for saving the world ...while keeping up with the lives of Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan and the next American Idle...
...the world stage as foretold by ancient prophets is set, rehearsals are complete and the snare ...'like a thief in the night' ready to spring ...whether you are ready or not.
Its All About Choice
Everyone on the planet has personal responsibility in determining how and where they deal with current events and where they find themselves at the end of it all.
The joke is going to be on those who insist on looking for answers in all the wrong places or believe they already have the answers.
Many events we are witnessing are deceptive by design ...not as they appear to be.
The Endrun Project is NOT for entertainment ...rather, dedicated to helping supporters understand and successfully navigate through coming events in the months ahead with added perspective.
Tonight: If you've been a regular viewer of Glenn's TV program or a radio listener for the last several years, you know that he has been warning us about the perfect storm for quite a while now. The perfect storm occurs when all of the forces in the world who want to take America and capitalism down come together and hit us at the exact same time. You have the extremists, communists, Iran and others all out to get us at a time when we are so vulnerable and broken due to factors like our borders, debt, energy and financial crises, the war and even political correctness. What, if anything, can we do?
On TV, Glenn warned of a recent report from a Pentagon affiliate that warned of possible financial terrorism takeing place on the U.S. The report broke out three different phases:
The first phase was a speculative run-up in oil prices that generated as much as $2 trillion of excess wealth for oil-producing nations, filling the coffers of Sovereign Wealth Funds, especially those that follow Shariah Compliant Finance.
The second phase appears to have begun in 2008 with a series of bear raids targeting U.S. financial services firms that appeared to be systemically significant [such as Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers]. … This created a system-wide crisis, caused the collapse of the credit markets, and nearly collapsed the global financial system.
The risk of a Phase Three has quickly emerged, suggesting a potential direct economic attack on the U.S. Treasury and U.S. dollar. Such an event has already been discussed by finance ministers in major emerging market nations such as China and Russia as well as Iran and the Arab states. A focused effort to collapse the dollar by dumping Treasury bonds has grave implications including the possibility of a downgrading of U.S. debt forcing rapidly rising interest rates and a collapse of the American economy. In short, a bear raid against the U.S.financial system remains possible and may even be likely. [Emphasis added]
These items add to a growing list of elements in a “Perfect Storm” including revolution, rising oil prices, protests, the border, domestic radicals and more that Glenn fears are rapidly building to a fundamental change in the western way of life. People who want to collapse our society are seeing an opportunity, and Glenn will talk more about this tomorrow.
Glenn also talked about a new chant full of Socialist rhetoric that is being taught in schools.
Finally, Glenn talked about this Pakistani man who was recently assassinated. Why is this so important?
Links to stories and information used in tonight’s program:
1. Why Dollar’s Reign Is Near An End “For decades, the dollar has served as the world’s main reserve currency, but, argues Barry Eichengreen, it will soon have to share that role. Here’s why and what it will mean for international markets and companies.” http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110301-714544.html 2. George Soros: rocketing oil price is a bubble
5. Federal Reserve chief warns GOP: Don’t hold debt-ceiling vote hostage
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke approves of plans to bring federal deficits under control, but he tells senators not to link such a move to a coming vote on raising the debt ceiling.
The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline rose 1.2 cents Wednesday to $3.387, according to a daily survey from motorist group AAA. Prices have jumped 23.6 cents over the past eight days.
GAS PRICES RISING
From Feb. 21 – Feb. 28
From Feb. 28 – March 1
From March 1 – today
WIKILEAKS TIMELINE **THE DATES BELOW ARE OF THE FIRST TIME WIKILEAKS RELEASED A DAMAGING REPORT ABOUT THE COUNTRY. THEY HAVE SINCE RELEASED ADDITIONAL DOCS ON EACH**
TUNISIA
June 2008: One of the U.S. government cables released by WikiLeaks exposed the corruption of Tunisia’s President’s family, its reach into business in the country, and ability to transcend the rule of law. President Ben Ali’s family was called “The Family” throughout the leak. The government attempted to block access to WikiLeaks earlier this month. (Business Insider)
January 14, 2011: Riots force Pres. Zine al Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country after 23 years of power
EGYPT
July 2008: The consequence of invading Iraq was to strengthen the hand of Iran, concluded a key U.S. ally in a 2008 meeting with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), according to a State Department cable obtained and released by WikiLeaks. Mubarak openly spoke of such ties in the meeting with Kerry. Mubarak said that he could not publicly oppose Iran for fear of “sabotage and Iranian terrorism.” He said Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism is “well-known but I cannot say it publicly. It would create a dangerous situation.” (Huff Po)
Dec. 2008: US diplomatic memos released by WikiLeaks this month show previously unknown friction with Egypt over military assistance and strategy (AP)
Jan 25 2011: Rioting begins
Feb. 11, 2011: After 18 days of protest, Mubarak steps down
LIBYA **LAST WEEK WIKILEAKS RELEASED A CABLE ON LIBYA Nov 2010?
(Reuters, Feb. 24, 2011)
Libya placed billions of dollars at U.S. banks: WikiLeaks
Libya’s secretive sovereign wealth fund has $32 billion in cash with several U.S. banks each managing up to $500 million, and it has primary investments in London, a confidential diplomatic cable shows. The cable, obtained by WikiLeaks and revealing the details of a January meeting between the head of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) and the U.S. ambassador in Tripoli
YEMEN **ON THE BRINK
Sept. 15, 2009: The cables expose for the first time the true scale of America’s covert military involvement in the Arab world’s poorest nation amid deep concern in Washington that it has become the haven for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. Workers at Yemen’s Sana’a International airport Workers at Yemen’s Sana’a International airport, where the US fears poor security will not be able to stop al-Qaida using it as a launch pad for terrorist attacks(The Guardian)
Only a few short months ago, (Yemeni President) Saleh was sitting snugly on a substantial pile of U.S. military aid as a result of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the most active arm of the organization, having carried out near daily attacks in the country and threatened deadly missions on American turf.
Afraid that U.S. troops on the ground could create a second Afghanistan, the Pentagon started pumping money into the Yemeni army in the hope it would crush the al-Qaeda threat. Saudi Arabia followed suit, afraid that instability in its southern neighbor could seep across the border to target Saudi oil production. Saleh, already fighting rebels in the north and a separatist movement in the south, knew he could rely on Yemen’s volatility to garner the dollars he needed to pay off tribal foes and keep himself in power
SAUDI ARABIA **ON MONDAY WIKILEAKS RELEASED A 1996 CABLE ON THE ROYAL FAMILY’S WEALTH**
(Reuters, 2/28/11) Special Report: U.S. cables detail Saudi royal welfare program
Besides the huge monthly stipends that every Saudi royal receives, the cables detail various money-making schemes some royals have used to finance their lavish lifestyles over the years. Among them: siphoning off money from “off-budget” programs controlled by senior princes,sponsoring expatriate workers who then pay a small monthly fee to their royal patron and, simply, “borrowing from the banks, and not paying them back.”
As long ago as 1996, U.S. officials noted that such unrestrained behavior could fuel a backlash against the Saudi elite. In the assessment of the U.S. embassy in Riyadh in a cable from that year, “of the priority issues the country faces, getting a grip on royal family excesses is at the top.”
Nov. 2010: The Guardian said some cables showed King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia repeatedly urging the United States to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear program. The newspaper also said officials in Jordan and Bahrain have openly called for Iran’s nuclear program to be stopped by any means and that leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt referred to Iran “as ‘evil,’ an ‘existential threat’ and a power that ‘is going to take us to war,’” The Guardian said
Oil’s rally has raised concerns that higher energy costs will damp economic growth and crimp global demand for copper.
“Copper is used in housing, cars, manufactured goods and demand for that type of stuff will drop as consumers clamp on spending to adjust for higher gasoline prices,” said Matt Zeman, head of trading at Kingsview Financial in Chicago.
Despite Wednesday’s decline, copper prices remain near record highs of $4.6375 a pound, set Feb. 14. Prices for the red metal are up almost 35% from last year as analysts forecast global demand to outpace mine supply this year.
HOLDER “MY PEOPLE” SOT
When you compare what people endured in the South in the 60s to try to get the right to vote for African Americans, to compare what people subjected to that with what happened in Philadelphia, which was inappropriate // in those terms I think does a great disservice to people who put their lives on the line for my people
HOLDER SISTER-IN-LAW SOT
My wife’s sister integrated the University of Alabama – and George Wallace stood in the door and said that she as a state resident could not attend // To compare that kind of courage, that kind of action and to say the Black Panther incident, wrong though it might be, somehow is greater in magnitude or is of greater concern to us historically, I think just flies in the face of history and the facts.
HOLDER DOJ RACE SOT
The allegations, that somehow someway , this Justice Department does things on the basis of race is simply false. // Anybody who makes that contention is not telling the truth, is not familiar with the facts, or has a political agenda.
GLENN RACE CARD SOT, 1/6
Let me predict the future. The progressives are becoming increasingly desperate // And the progressives still have a couple of pieces out on the table, you know, for the transformational puzzle that they’re putting together
GLENN RACE CARD ON IMMIGRATION SOT, 1/6
Whether it passes or not is going to be irrelevant, quite frankly, to these people. It is exactly what they need. What is in the bill? It doesn’t matter. The issue will be racism. The progressives must reactivate their far left base.
PENTAGON STUDY: ‘08 FINANCIAL CRISIS MAY HAVE INCLUDED WORK OF FINANICAL TERRORISTS
It seems those Pentagon economic “war games” we reported on in December may have been a very good idea.
That’s because it was revealed yesterday that a Pentagon contractor report suggests the U.S. may have been, and may currently be, the victim of financial terrorism. As the Washington Timessays, the 2008 economic crisis may have included “financial subversion carried out by unknown parties, such as terrorists or hostile nations … covertly using vulnerabilities in the U.S. financial system.”
The report was authored by financial analyst Kevin D. Freeman in 2009, and is called “Economic Warfare: Risks and Responses.”
“There is sufficient justification to question whether outside forces triggered, capitalized upon or magnified the economic difficulties of 2008,” the report says, explaining that those domestic economic factors would have caused a “normal downturn” but not the “near collapse” of the global economic system that took place.
Suspects include financial enemies in Middle Eastern states, Islamic terrorists, hostile members of the Chinese military, or government and organized crime groups in Russia, Venezuela or Iran. Chinese military officials publicly have suggested using economic warfare against the U.S.
“The new battle space is the economy,” Freeman told the Times. “We spend hundreds of billions of dollars on weapons systems each year. But a relatively small amount of money focused against our financial markets through leveraged derivatives or cyber efforts can result in trillions of dollars in losses. And, the perpetrators can remain undiscovered.
“This is the equivalent of box cutters on an airplane.”
So who does Freeman think could be responsible? The answer may not surprise you: Islamic terrorists, Russia, and China.
That possibility seems to be supported by news reported late last year that the Pentagon has been “war gaming” for a financial attack since early 2009 — and many of those scenarios have focused on China.
According to Freeman’s new report, the attack has three stages, two of which may have already been implemented:
The first phase was a speculative run-up in oil prices that generated as much as $2 trillion of excess wealth for oil-producing nations, filling the coffers of Sovereign Wealth Funds, especially those that follow Shariah Compliant Finance.
The second phase appears to have begun in 2008 with a series of bear raids targeting U.S. financial services firms that appeared to be systemically significant [such as Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers]. … This created a system-wide crisis, caused the collapse of the credit markets, and nearly collapsed the global financial system.
The risk of a Phase Three has quickly emerged, suggesting a potential direct economic attack on the U.S. Treasury and U.S. dollar. Such an event has already been discussed by finance ministers in major emerging market nations such as China and Russia as well as Iran and the Arab states. A focused effort to collapse the dollar by dumping Treasury bonds has grave implications including the possibility of a downgrading of U.S. debt forcing rapidly rising interest rates and a collapse of the American economy. In short, a bear raid against the U.S.financial system remains possible and may even be likely. [Emphasis added]
“We have taken on massive public debt as the government was the only party who could access capital markets in late 2008 and early 2009,” Freeman told the Times regarding phase three, which has put the U.S. dollar’s global reserve currency status at risk.
“This is the ‘end game’ if the goal is to destroy America,” he added, noting that in his view China’s military “has been advocating the potential for an economic attack on the U.S. for 12 years or longer as evidenced by the publication of the book Unrestricted Warfare in 1999.”
According to the Times, Freeman’s suggestion has been largely ignored by the government, and there are many who don’t agree with his scenario. But while Freeman says at this point he’s only saying financial terrorism is a possible factor, ignoring that possibility is a mistake.
“The preponderance of evidence that cannot be easily dismissed demands a thorough and immediate study be commenced,” the report says. “Ignoring the likelihood of this very real threat ensures a catastrophic event.”
Update: Read the entire report from the Washington Times. Unfortunately this article has been removed?!? Am still digging around on this one, but China seems to have its hands all over this one along with the usual suspects.
As we’ve reported, controversial UK Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary has called on Muslims to “rise to implement the Shari’ah in America,” starting with a planned demonstration in front of the White House on Thursday.
Choudary’s “call for revolution” is being organized and advertised by Shariah4America, a group calling for the “Islamic demolition of the Statue of Liberty” and a remodeling of the White House into a “White Masjid.”
According to the group’s website, the Statue of Liberty “elevates the command of man over the command of God” and public veneration of the statue amounts to idol worship strictly prohibited by Islam. “This has forced sincere Muslims to develop realistic plans that will aid in the removal of the Statue of Liberty.
“Due to the scale of the task at hand, it is highly likely that rigorous safety checks will need to be employed before the demolition of the Statue of Liberty can commence; thus as a temporary measure, it is proposed that a large burkha is used to cover the statue, thereby shielding this horrendous eye sore from public view as well as sending a strong message to its French creators,” the site reads. (h/t Weasel Zippers)
(Images: Shariah4America)
Of course, the gigantic burkha is only a temporary solution. Shariah4America goes on to describe “plans” to detonate Lady Liberty with dynamite and build a minaret in her place. “Demolition of the Statue of Liberty is due to begin soon,” the site says. “Explosive charges will be used and so all visitors are advised to steer clear of the building site.” (Is it not against some sort of law to publicly announce you’re going to blow up a major tourist attraction?)
It’s unclear how working to usher in Shariah law impacts architecture, but the group also plans to refashion the White House:
These cartoonish plans beg the question: Is this “Shariah4America” movement forreal?
“Burqa” is spelled wrong. The site suggests convicted pedophiles be impaled on the tip of the Washington Monument.
Could the “Shariah4America” site merely be a spoof of Choudary’s Islam4UK group, using Thursday’s march to satirically dupe people?
On the other hand, Choudary links to the Shariah4America site from his own website, AnjemChoudary.com, in a post about Thursday’s demonstration.
On tonight’s TV show, Glenn touched on a variety of subjects. First, he addressed the rallies across the country over the weekend. He focused on Van Jones’s “American Dream” movement, and pointed out how socialist groups played a major role in organizing the protests.
He also talked about the rally in DC, currently planned for Thursday, which will feature radical Muslim clerics calling for Sharia law in America. Read more here.
Glenn emphasized that despite people like Van Jones and other progressives speaking with what sounds like noble intentions, in reality they want to fundamentally change the western way of life.
Links to stories and information used in tonight’s program:
Libya Oil Chief: Production Down 50 Percent, 2/28/11
Libya’s oil chief said Monday that production had been cut by around 50 percent, and argued it was “safe” for foreign oil workers to return after a mass exodus sparked by Moammar Gadhafi’s increasingly violent campaign to retain control of the country.
Libya produces about 1.6 million barrels per day of crude oil, and about 85 percent of its exports are Europe-bound.
Here are some helpful stats for coverage today, from the Energy Information Administration:
Libya holds 44 billion barrels of oil reserves. That is the most in Africa, dwarfing the 37.2 billion barrels in Nigeria and far ahead of a country like Egypt, which held just 3.7 billion barrels
Interestingly, oil production isn’t that big. It peaked at 3 million barrels in the 1960s and hasn’t come back. The state-owned oil company is scheduled to reach those levels again by 2017.
Libya is a big worldwide supplier, mostly to Europe. Thirty-two percent of oil is exported to Italy, while 14% goes to Germany. Ten percent goes to China and 5% comes here to the U.S.
We imported about 80,000 barrels a day from Libya in 2009. The most was 2007, when we imported 117,000 barrels a day.
Libya’s reserves represent 3.24% of the worldwide supply. That makes it the planet’s ninth-largest source of reserves.
For U.S. consumers, higher oil prices most directly affect drivers and truckers, who devour the vast majority of U.S. petroleum products. U.S. pump prices for regular gasoline jumped 4 cents a gallon overnight, to $3.23, an eight-cent increase in the past week and 55 cents more than a year ago
The price of crude oil has surged since Libyans began a revolt against leader Moammar Gaddafi last week, although it has been climbing for most of the past year. Goldman Sachs analysts warned in a report that Libya’s unrest created “significant upside risk” and reduced the ability of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to respond to further supply disruptions.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Gas prices have increased 17 cents a gallon in the past week. And analysts expect prices to continue higher, following a sharp rise in the price of crude oil.
The national average price for a gallon of regular gas rose 4.6 cents to $3.33, motorist group AAA said Saturday. That marks the fourth day in a row that prices have risen, and brings the national average to the highest level since October 2008.
The spike in oil last week could translate to an increase in gas prices of 37 cents per gallon in the coming weeks, according Moody’s Analytics economist Chris Lafakis. He estimates that for every $1 increase in the price of oil, retail gas prices typically rise 2.5 cents a gallon.
(CNSNews.com) – A new study <//www.northerneconomics.com/OCS/National> says drilling on Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) could make Alaska the eighth largest oil resource province in the world — ahead of Nigeria, Libya, Russia and Norway.
The report — by the consulting firm Northern Economics and the University of Alaska-Anchorage’s Institute of Social and Economic Research — says that developing Alaska’s OCS could produce almost 10 billion barrels of oil and 15 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, create around 55,000 new jobs and produce $145 billion in new payroll nationally, generating a total of $193 billion in government revenue through the year 2057.
Libya usually ships 1.3 million barrels per day. To partially make up for that shortfall, Saudi Arabia has already increased its production by 700,000 barrels per day, to more than 9 million bpd, Reuters reported today <http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/25/markets-energy-nymex-idUSN2524362320110225> . Saudi officials, who are taking steps to ward off domestic unrest, have stated that they could pump 12 million bpd.
“I don’t think they have the capacity to do 12 million,” Pickens told GlobalPost. “I’d be surprised if they have the capacity to do 10 million.”
If Pickens is correct, that would mean that Saudi Arabia is producing at near maximum capacity. “They’re the only ones who could make up the production shortfall,” Pickens said. “We’ve got to be crazy to bet on Saudi Arabia for everything
Pickens based his skepticism over Saudi Arabia’s capacity claims on the country’s inability to pump additional oil from its aging fields prior to the financial crisis, as prices soared to record highs. He stressed that no one can say for sure what Saudi Arabia’s capacity is, due to the lack of transparency in the world’s biggest oil exporter. “They won’t let you audit the reserves, and you don’t really know what the production level is.”
Pickens warned that Saudi Arabia essentially has the power to set world energy prices, and states that they haven’t yet stated at what level they intend to do so. “There’s a big energy table, we don’t have a chair there. We’re out in the hall and [the Saudis] come out and tell you what you’re going to pay for it.”
He points out that China has far greater control over its oil supply than the U.S. does, importing 5 million bpd from fields that it either owns or controls via debt deals. “They have an energy plan,” he said. “The U.S. has no energy plan.”
China consumed an estimated 8.3 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of oil in 2009, up nearly 500 million bbl/d from year earlier levels. During that same year, China produced an estimated 4.0 million bbl/d of total oil liquids, of which 96 percent was crude oil.
China’s net oil imports reached about 4.3 million bbl/d in 2009, making it the second-largest net oil importer in the world behind the United States and for the first time surpassing Japan’s imports.
EIA forecasts that China’s oil consumption will continue to grow during 2010 and 2011, with oil demand reaching almost 9.6 million bbl/d in 2011. This anticipated growth of over 1.2 million bbl/d between 2009 and 2011 represents about 37 percent of projected world oil demand growth during the 2-year period according to the September 2010 Short-Term Energy Outlook.
By contrast, China’s oil production is forecast to rise by about 150 thousand bbl/d to nearly 4.2 million bbl/d in 2011.
OAO Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil producer, and state-run pipeline operator OAO Transneft willsell China 15 million metric tons (110 million barrels) a year for 20 years through the East Siberia Pacific Ocean pipeline, known as ESPO, after China provided the companies $25 billion in oil-backed loans to finance construction and development of deposits.
Russia currently supplies crude to China by rail and shipped 1.06 million tons in November, making it the Asian country’s seventh-largest supplier, according to Chinese customs statistics on Bloomberg.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin <http://topics.bloomberg.com/vladimir-putin/> has said the $26 billion project will diversify the delivery of Russia’s natural resources beyond Europe <http://topics.bloomberg.com/europe/> . Russia also hopes the pipeline will unlock millions of barrels of resources trapped in remote deposits along its path.
The ESPO pipeline <http://www.transneft.ru/projects/project/?zpID=4248> when completed in 2014 will span about 4,700 kilometers (2,900 miles), longer than the distance from London<http://topics.bloomberg.com/london/> to Tehran. It will carry oil from Taishet, beyond the west Siberian basin where most of Russia’s oil is produced, to Russia’s Pacific port of Kozmino.
The Trans-Asian gas pipeline cost $6.7bn to buildand is the first out of the Caspian region that runs east, linking Turkmenistan’s massive gas basin with China’s west-east gas pipeline. Now Turkmen gas can be sent as far as Shanghai and Hong Kong. The pipeline will carry up to 40 billion cubic metres (bcm) by 2013 – accounting for almost half of China’s gas needs.
The Turkmen gas pipeline follows on the heels of a new Kazakh oil pipeline to China that rounds out the new eastward-looking energy transport infrastructure. The first phase of the Kazakh oil pipeline went into operation in July last year; a second phase will link Kazakhstan’s rich Caspian oil resources to China.
Federal District Judge Martin Feldman today gave President Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar 30 days to act on five applications seeking permits to drill in the Gulf of Mexico submitted months ago by a Louisiana firm
Feldman had strong words for Obama and Salazar, noting that “the government is under a duty to act by either granting or denying a permit application within a reasonable time. Not acting at all is not a lawful option.”
He added that “to discharge the Secretary’s oversight responsibility, without any time-sensitive obligation to do so, as the government now starkly urges, unmasks the fiction of transparency in government.”
To the government’s excuse that regulation became more complicated and time-consuming in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Feldman was equally unmoved: “Perhaps it is reasonable for permit applicants to wait more than two weeks in a necessarily more closely regulated environment. Delays of four months and more in the permitting process, however, are unreasonable, unacceptable, and unjustified by the evidence before the Court,” he said.
The revised moratorium would allow some drilling rigs to resume operating under certain conditions. To qualify, the rig’s owners must prove that they have adequate plans in place to quickly shut down an out-of-control well, that the blowout preventers atop the wells it drills have passed rigorous new tests, and that sufficient cleanup resources are on hand in case of a spill. Industry officials said it would be difficult to meet those conditions quickly, which could threaten thousands of jobs.
One protester killed by security forces in Omani town of Sohar, while Bahrain stages peaceful demonstration and Saudi intellectuals call on king to relinquish many powers
Winds of Change 2011: Calm Before The Storm
