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Energy bill in limbo? Steven Chu turns to Facebook
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The Obama administration really, really doesn't want the fight over health care to steal attention from energy and climate legislation. Energy Secretary Steven Chu just launched a Facebook page to keep climate change front and center.
Chu's Facebook page has a lot of the usual trappings -- he's a big fan of "Casablanca" and Yogi Berra quotes -- though his photo album includes snapshots with folks a little more famous (and powerful) than most. From the "About Me" section: "At the Department of Energy, we are carrying out President Obama's ambitious agenda to invest in alternative and renewable energy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and create millions of new jobs."
But when it comes to making the administration's case on why aggressive action to tackle climate change is necessary now, there's not that much new. Chu includes some video clips and a brief post arguing that the United States and China need to cooperate on global warming.
Given that Democrats are still well short of the 60 votes they need in the Senate to pass energy and climate legislation, Chu might need to round up some new friends on Capitol Hill -- and we're not talking about Facebook friends.
WALL STREET JOURNAL
Big California oil find
Occidental Petroleum Corp. said it had discovered a major new oil field in one of California's oldest oil-producing regions. The Los Angeles company said this week it believes the field contains the equivalent of 150 million to 250 million barrels of oil and gas, which Occidental Chairman and Chief Executive Ray Irani called "the largest new oil and gas discovery made in California in more than 35 years."
Occidental owns an 80 percent stake in the field. The find could add as much as 6.7 percent to the company's oil and gas reserves. Chevron Corp. owns the rest.
WALL STREET JOURNAL
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