STUFF

Indonesia's ability to afford its fuel subsidies to be tested as oil prices rise. Govt under pressure to keep budget deficit from ballooning, reverse growing trade deficit.

DOE launched "Better Buildings, Better Plants" program in '10. Helps US comps analyze, reduce energy use. Joining comp makes pledge to reduce energy intensity 25% over 10 yrs. DOE helps. 118 comps now. 1,400 manufacturing facilities involved - 6% of US energy footprint. Avg 3.15% improvement in '12. GM improved its energy intensity 13% since joining.

~$2.4T oil industry capital expenditures '94-'04 increased world oil production 12Mb/d. $2.4T spent '05-'10 oil production lost 200Kb/d.

BP asked judge to temporarily stop claims paid out as biz econ losses, calling many "fictitious", "absurd".

Glut of ethanol threatening to push up pump prices: oil experts. Other expert: "more like oil comps trying to create a little hysteria to support notion that RFS is broken". Refiners have been furiously trading eth credits - RINs (Renewable ID #'s) - to meet federal enviro mandates. Up over 10x since Jan to over $1. Large refiners spent $100-300M each for credits in '12 when prices were 4 cents. Premium gas going up faster than lower octane. ~1/3 this year's car models require premium. Refiners might seek to export gas to avoid eth requirements. Using eth once was cheap way to increase octane for premium fuel (eth octane 113). But refiners have reached limit of amount they can blend.