27. July 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The Republican controlled House passed a bill that would require the Obama administration to approve or deny a permit for an oil sands pipeline by November 1st.  The bill passed the House with a vote of 279-147.  The Canadian pipeline would provide 700,00 barrels of crude oil a day.   

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/26/us-house-keystone-deadline-idUSTRE76P7GX20110726?feedType=RSS&feedName=GCA-GreenBusiness&rpc=43

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Infrastructure, Congress, Trade, Economy, International, Presidential, Republican, Regulatory, Democrat, Business, Energy, Environment, Politics, General, Administrative | No Comments »

22. March 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, is expected to issue more oil and gas deep water drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico.  The drilling permits may be issued within the next week.  In addition, some offshore leases that were effected by the five month drilling ban will be extended.  Geopolitical risk has moved crude oil above the $100 a barrel mark and that may be a factor in the decision to issue more drilling permits.  

To read a related Wall Street Journal article, please click here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704461304576216563662728054.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

James Sutliff

Posted in Congress, Infrastructure, Economy, Presidential, Regulatory, Politics, Business, Energy, General, Administrative | No Comments »

16. March 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The Drudge Report is a premier site that provides coverage of business, politics, and world events.  The Drudge Report has valuable links to sites and articles in an easy to read format. 

To visit The Drudge Report, please click here:

http://www.drudgereport.com/

James Sutliff

Posted in Governor, Federal Reserve, Congress, Tax, Republican, Infrastructure, Trade, Dodd-Frank, Presidential, RNC, Economy, Regulatory, Real Estate, Election, Energy, Democrat, DC, Business, Environment, Estate Tax, Politics, Healthcare, General, Fundraising, Administrative | No Comments »

13. February 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Maryland is considering a bill that would require the purchase of electricity from offshore wind farms.  The Maryland Offshore Wind Act of 2011 set the stage for utilities to purchase between 400 and 600 megawatts from offshore wind farms for at least a 20 year period.  The Department of the Interior has identified four areas as potential sites for wind farms.  The locations are off the coastlines of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-11/maryland-passes-legislation-that-may-boost-offshore-wind-energy.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Infrastructure, Economy, Regulatory, General, Energy, Environment, Business | No Comments »

11. February 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

 The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill released some of their findings to the House Committee on Transportaion and Infrastructure.  One finding addresses the need for stricter oversight of drilling by receiving $200 million in funding from the oil industry.  The result would cost the oil industry between 7 and 12 cents a barrel.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-11/oil-industry-urged-to-pay-200-million-for-drilling-oversight.html

James Sutliff

Posted in Infrastructure, Economy, Tax, Regulatory, Energy, Environment, Business | No Comments »

8. February 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Senate Democrats are attempting to eliminate tax breaks for the oil industry.  In a recent letter, Senate Democratic leaders asked House Speaker Boehner to remove tax breaks for the oil industry to help cut spending.  The letter was signed by Senate Democrats that included Reid, Schumer, and Durbin.  The move seems to be mostly political and is not likely to result in any significant change in tax breaks.  The Democrats had control of Congress and the White House for two years without eliminating the tax breaks that are referenced in the letter.

To read a related article in The Hill, please click here:

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/142747-top-dems-call-on-gop-to-eliminate-oil-industry-tax-breaks

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Congress, Tax, Infrastructure, Trade, Presidential, Economy, Republican, Regulatory, Democrat, Business, Election, Energy, Politics, General, Administrative | No Comments »

21. January 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Democratic Congressman Christopher Murphy has announced that he will run for the Senate seat held by Joe Lieberman.  Murphy stated that the race could require upwards of $10 million in fundraising.  Democrat Susan Bysiewicz has also declared for the Senate seat.  On the Republican side, Linda McMahon is considering another run for the Senate in 2012.  McMahon spent over $50 million in the 2010 race and will be a self-funded candidate if she chooses to run again in 2012.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/Chris-Murphy-Ten-Million-202623-1.html

Jim Sutliff

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23. December 2010 by Jim Sutliff.

The Obama administration is expected to approve the expansion of an existing Canadian pipeline.  The pipeline expansion will increase the amount of oil imported from Canada’s oil sands by over 300,000 barrels a day.  Keystone, the pipeline expansion project, will create hundreds of American jobs and provide the oil sands with worldwide distribution capabilities.

To read a related CNN article, please click here:

http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/23/news/economy/oil_sands_pipeline/index.htm

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Trade, International, Infrastructure, Energy, Business, Democrat, Administrative | No Comments »

5. November 2010 by Jim Sutliff.

A recent Business In The Beltway article on Forbes discusses the priorities of the new Congress.  Republican victories in the House and Senate have changed the political landscape and are likely to shift policies on tax.  Tax will almost certainly be the top priority of the Republican House.  Democrats still have the edge in the Senate but the agenda is likely to be dictated by Republicans. 

To read the Forbes article, please click here:

http://blogs.forbes.com/brianwingfield/2010/11/03/republicans-win-big-first-order-of-business-taxes/

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Republican, Regulatory, Tax, Congress, Economy, Trade, Politics, Healthcare, Democrat, Business, Election, Energy, General, Estate Tax, Administrative | No Comments »

19. August 2010 by Jim Sutliff.

A recent Forbes article discusses the wide range of propsed taxes that may be waiting for individuals and the business community.  Election year politics may soften the tax hikes with Democrats attempting to win back voters.  Republicans are expected to oppose most tax increases by Congress. 

To read the Forbes article, please click here:

http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/16/estate-tax-oil-carried-interest-business-washington-tax-hikes.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Healthcare, Politics, Regulatory, Tax, General, Estate Tax, Business, DC, Election, Energy, Administrative | No Comments »

21. June 2010 by Jim Sutliff.

Roll Call Policy Briefings are an invaluable resource that provides in depth information on specific topics.  The transportation and energy report states that it looks at roads, rails, and alternative fuels.     

To visit the Transportation & Energy Briefing, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/policybriefings/transportationenergy.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Regulatory, General, Energy, Business, Administrative | No Comments »

13. June 2010 by Jim Sutliff.

The administration is pushing for a jobs bill which will require almost $50 billion dollars.  Increased taxes on buyout funds managers and an increased levy on oil companies are part of the plan. 

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a0nxraWvl33w&pos=8

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Regulatory, Tax, General, Energy, Business, Administrative | No Comments »

10. June 2010 by Jim Sutliff.

 Real Clear Politics has news, analysis and opinions about politics and world events.  RCP is a great recource for information on politics and elections.  Real Clear Politics has an Election 2010 breakdown which offers multiple polls on several key races. 

To visit the Real Clear Politics site, please click here:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Politics, Real Estate, Tax, Healthcare, Environment, DC, Election, Energy, Business | No Comments »

2. June 2010 by Jim Sutliff.

The Gulf oil spill has led to discussions on relating to the rolling back of tax breaks for oil companies.  The well is estimated to be leaking between 12,000 and 15,000 barrels a day.  There is more than enough blame to go around in this catastrophe.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aAQ5__zufzTM&pos=9

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Regulatory, Tax, Environment, Energy, DC, Business | No Comments »

30. May 2010 by Jim Sutliff.

After three days, the Top Kill method has failed and BP is already discussing alternative methods.  The oil and natural gas leak is one of the worst in history and plugging the well at a depth of 5,000 is very difficult at best.  A  relief well is expected to be a permanent solution to the leak but it won’t be ready until August.

To read a Wall Street Journal article, please click here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704254004575274433337222768.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEADNewsCollection

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Regulatory, Environment, Energy, Business | No Comments »