Capitol Crude: The US Energy Policy Podcast

On this week's episode of Capitol Crude, Platts senior editor Brian Scheid discusses the disappointing launch of the US condensate export market and how it's similar to the 1984 NBA Draft. Carlton Dole with Green Lake Fuels and Platts editor James Bambino join Brian to discuss how narrow crude...

The oil industry is rife with controversial topics, but the "third rail" of US energy politics is the Jones Act, which spells out shipping standards for goods (including oil) transported by water between American ports. Platts senior editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid dive into how the Jones Act...

This week on Capitol Crude, Platts senior editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid compare the ongoing negotiations over Iran's nuclear program with trashy reality television. With a little help from Kevin Book at ClearView Energy Partners, Herman and Brian explain what high stakes global...

Platts senior editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid go ringside for the big fight over the oil industry between the Obama administration and the Alaska congressional delegation, led by Senator Lisa Murkowski. The administration recently angered Alaska lawmakers by designating portions of the state...

US crude-by-rail rules have not been updated in decades, and recent train accidents have rattled communities across North America. Platts senior editor Herman Wang takes a deep dive into efforts to revamp the rules, including from the Department of Transportation, which last summer unveiled its...

In this week's Capitol Crude, Platts senior editor Herman Wang gets Serial (and serious) about the Renewable Fuel Standard and the battle between the biofuels and oil industries. When will the Environmental Protection Agency finalize the 2014 rule? What volume of biofuels will it mandate? And...

Can you choose your own US export adventure if you choose your own name? Self-classifying and self-proclaiming can be a tricky business, but when it comes to condensates, the US Commerce Department appears to be encouraging companies to decide for themselves whether their product is eligible for...

On the first Capitol Crude of 2015, Platts senior editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid take a cue from Marty McFly and look to the future of 2015. Tune in to hear their personal policy predictions as they tackle the big questions of the US oil industry: Will Keystone XL get approved? Will Shell...

Ever feel like you're living the same scenario over and over and over again? On this week's episode of Capitol Crude, Platts senior editors Brian Scheid and Herman Wang talk with Platts Energy Week host Bill Loveless about how crude oil prices and policy are a lot like "Groundhog Day." The...

North Dakota oil producers are finding themselves in a tough spot, caught between calls for stabilizing crude for transportation safety and mandates to cut down on natural gas flaring in the Bakken. As Platts senior oil editors Brian Scheid and Herman Wang explain, with the help of some Barbra...

Global oil benchmarks fell nearly 20 percent in November after OPEC maintained its output targets, and now there are lingering questions about the long-term effects of OPEC's decision on US policy and oil prices. Platts senior oil editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid explain how as companies...

On this week's Capitol Crude, Platts senior editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid talk about the late nights, early mornings and crowded press conferences at the latest OPEC meeting in Vienna, where confirmation that the group would simply roll over its 30 million b/d crude oil output ceiling...

On this week's Capitol Crude, Platts senior editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid talk about how Friday's decision to punt the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard into next year was a lot like Reebok's disastrous Dan vs. Dave campaign ahead of the 1992 Olympics. Listen as they break down...

It's a story at the heart of US-Russia relations: A once-beloved American underdog versus an egomaniacal Russian tyrant. Is it the plot of a Rocky movie, or the current political status of the countries, which involves jabs at the oil and natural gas industries? This week, Platts senior editors...

From Mad Men to Seinfeld to Roseanne, we've all seen TV shows where different actors have played the same part from season to season. Platts senior editors Brian Scheid and Herman Wang look at the impact a Republican controlled Senate and an expanded Republican House majority will have on crude oil...

On this week's Capitol Crude podcast, Platts senior editors Brian Scheid and Herman Wang talk about why US condensate exports are like a box of chocolates. How much processed condensate will the US be exporting and where will it end up? Check back every Monday for the latest analysis of US oil...

On this week's Capitol Crude podcast, Platts senior editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid ask if the hundreds of millions of barrels of crude oil stashed away by the US government may indicate a hoarding problem. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, hidden away in Louisiana and Texas, was born of...

What does a plan by Saudi Arabia have to do with bad basketball? This week, on Capitol Crude, Platts senior editors Brian Scheid and Herman Wang compare the OPEC powerhouse's possible plan to assert its leading role in the world oil market to the strategy by the Philadelphia 76ers to lose games...

Platts senior editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid answer US crude policy questions submitted from listeners. Will the first Alaskan crude export in a decade push a change in US export policy? What's the deal with the Jones Act and who's pushing for an exemption to it? How are plunging...

Platts senior editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid launch a new dating show for crude-by-rail regulations on this week's Capitol Crude. Can the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration find anything to like in the companies and trade groups that are jostling for favor as a new rule is...

On this week's Capitol Crude, Platts senior editors Brian Scheid and Herman Wang look at what advanced baseball statistics can tell us about US crude oil production data. Sabermetrics led to a statistical revolution in Major League Baseball; are new production metrics on domestic production needed...

On this week's Capitol Crude, Platts senior editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid look at the ongoing fight over the Renewable Fuel Standard and compare it to the central conflict within history's most famous vampire romance teen literature, Twilight. Indeed, the US Environmental Protection Agency's...

On this week's Capitol Crude, Platts senior editors Brian Scheid and Herman Wang compare the ongoing campaign to allow exports of US crude oil to some of the most successful beer marketing campaigns. Despite a glut of US crude and domestic refining constraints, lawmakers are slow to act on...

On this week's Capitol Crude, Platts senior editors Brian Scheid and Herman Wang explain how the US Congress is looking to lay the groundwork for future crude oil policy, meaning it's a perfect time to start paying attention to it, despite its reputation for being stuck in a cycle of dead-end...

This week, Brian Scheid and Herman Wang play a couple of rounds of Name That Crude in an attempt to figure out the exact qualities of Bakken crude, a question that the North Dakota Industrial Commission will review during a hearing September 23.Then the Platts senior oil news reporters review the...