Compression ignition engines are a big breakthrough—we got to try one | Ars Technica

This looks interesting...a gas engine that operates similar to a diesel engine. It has a lot of moving parts, (no pun intended), but based on the review in the article, it looks like Mazda has a handle on getting it right. The main takeaway appears to be a 20% improvement in efficiency with higher torque. Who doesn't want that?

Compression ignition engines are a big breakthrough—we got to try one | Ars Technica: "Despite rumors to the contrary, the internal combustion engine is far from dead. Recently we've seen several technological advances that will significantly boost the efficiency of gasoline-powered engines. One of these, first reported back in August 2017, is Mazda's breakthrough with compression ignition. On Tuesday, Mazda invited us to its R&D facility in California to learn more about this clever new Skyactiv-X engine, but more importantly we actually got to drive it on the road."

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WAGUESPACK: Spend It Differently This Time Around, And Maybe There Won't Be Another Fiscal Cliff

Louisiana Politics...a phrase that has haunted our state since before I was born. Until we stop the quid pro quo, the the pork barrel deals, the spend-spend-spend attitudes, and more recently, aggressive litigiousness at the state level, we will continue to be at the bottom end of the good lists and the top of the bad lists.

WAGUESPACK: Spend It Differently This Time Around, And Maybe There Won't Be Another Fiscal Cliff: "Not sure if you have noticed or not, but there is something called the fiscal cliff looming in Louisiana. If you haven’t heard of it yet, sit tight, because you will hear a whole lot about it over the next few months. The 2018 crisis will be filled with plenty of drama, finger-pointing and inflammatory rhetoric. Every (former, current and future) politician will say it is the other (former, current and future) politician’s fault for the deficits and lack of agreement on the appropriate mixture of taxes and cuts to fill it. Pull some old Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR) reports or Advocate headlines over the last 40-50 years and you will read a similar version of the same fights. Close your eyes and listen to some old political speeches and legislative debates on the Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) website and you will swear the commentary is filled with the same words used today."

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'Major' Deep Offshore Oil Discovery Made in U.S. Gulf of Mexico | Rigzone

'Major' Deep Offshore Oil Discovery Made in U.S. Gulf of Mexico  | Rigzone: "Chevron Corporation announced Wednesday that a ‘major’ oil discovery has been made at the Ballymore prospect, located deep offshore in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The Ballymore well reached a total measured depth of 29,194 feet and encountered more than 670 feet of net oil pay with ‘excellent’ reservoir and fluid characteristics, Chevron said in a statement on its website. A sidetrack well is currently being drilled to further assess the discovery, which is already deemed commercially viable."

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Maersk Drilling Lays Off Dozens in GOM | Rigzone

Maersk Drilling Lays Off Dozens in GOM  | Rigzone: "Maersk Drilling USA, Inc. is laying off 84 employees who work aboard the Maersk Viking (UDW drillship), located in the Gulf of Mexico, and report directly to the company’s office in Houston, according to data sent to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)."

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News from a job we are involved in.

" Italian oil producer Eni this week began drilling a new well in U.S. waters off the north coast of Alaska, becoming the first company to do so since 2015, federal regulators said on Wednesday.

The oil and gas firm is working from an artificial island in the Beaufort Sea about three miles off Oliktok Point in the Arctic Ocean. The well is expected to run more than 6 miles (10 km) long."

“The Arctic is an important component of the Administration’s national energy strategy, and today’s news is great for America as the United States advances toward energy dominance,” said Interior's Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Joe Balash. “Interior is actively working with a number of Alaska Native partners, who rely on the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas for their subsistence way of life, to ensure a healthy environment for today and future generations.”

Read the full article here and here.

Supreme Court Appears Reluctant in "Oil States vs. Greene Energy"

This is an interesting case. It most likely will not prevail, but could possibly lead to changes in lots of matters handled via non-judicial review in government agencies.

Read the whole article on ArsTechnica: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/11/supreme-court-seems-reluctant-to-blow-up-a-key-weapon-against-patent-trolls/

Aker BP Enters Drilling, Well Alliances with Halliburton, Maersk, Odfjell | Rigzone

Aker BP Enters Drilling, Well Alliances with Halliburton, Maersk, Odfjell  | Rigzone: "Aker BP ASA has entered into separate drilling and well alliance agreements, which both aim to drive ‘continuous improvement’ and create ‘greater value’, according to a company statement. One of the agreements is with Maersk Drilling and Halliburton for jack-ups, and the other is with Odfjell Drilling and Halliburton for semi-submersibles. The agreements are scheduled to last for five years, and there is an option to extend for a further five years."

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