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Energy Outlook.  According to the International Energy Agency, it could take three to five years for increased production of Iranian oil to significantly increase world supplies and have an impact on prices.   While Iranian officials claim that they could quickly add as much as one million barrels a day to the world’s supply once sanctions are lifted, IEA officials counter that the nation will require Western technology, additional funding, and time to ramp up production.  WSJ

Energy Policy. The Obama administration will soon propose a new rule to tighten standards for drilling from deep-water oil and gas rigs.  The rules — which largely stem from the 2010 explosion in the Gulf of Mexico — will impose tougher standards for blowout preventers, which are built to shut down wells during emergencies.  WSJ

Energy Outlook.  Nick Butler of the Financial Times writes that the EU is gaining momentum toward an “internal energy market” that creates a “new level of policymaking” above independent nations.   While some see no harm in national differentiation of energy policy, Butler counters that it may undermine the state’s ability to price-in externalities — particularly related to the impact of carbon emissions — and mostly ignores key trade links with other parts of the world. FT

Oil.  Peter Waldman of Bloomberg Business discusses Saudi Arabia’s strategy to defend market share and, more importantly, stimulate demand for its oil by opting not to cut production last fall.  Waldman notes that while the U.S. has long been concerned about “security of supply”, Saudi Arabia has been concerned about “security of demand” — particularly in light of recent energy efficiency developments, an international movement toward a climate accord, world urbanization, and the country’s substantial reliance on revenues from oil exports.   Bloomberg

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Energy Policy.  Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced today that although Iran is committed to reaching a nuclear deal within the specified three month time frame, its leaders will extend negotiations if the deal does not meet their criteria by that deadline.  Furthermore, he stated that none of the progress made so far guarantees that Iran will continue negotiations to a final deal.  WSJ

Energy Outlook.  Peter Kelly-Detwiler writes that corporate buyers and other groups such as colleges and universities are increasingly entering into long term purchase power agreements in order to circumvent the short-term volatility of the global commodity market and secure their electric consumption costs at a fixed price.  Larger companies with the available capital are moving from purchasing renewable energy credits to actually buying the electrons themselves — and Kelly-Detwiler predicts that mid-level companies will soon begin to follow suit.  Forbes

Energy Outlook.  China is building ski slopes outside of Beijing in a bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics there; while its bid states that the environmental impact of the Games would be “ecofriendly,” scientists worry that the artificial development will be ecologically unsustainable given how water-stressed the environment is there.  Conservationists have also expressed concern over Beijing’s plans to build Olympic ski resorts in its national parks if it wins the bid, which could be damaging to a formerly protected natural reserve.  NY Times

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Energy Outlook.  President Obama is meeting with Caribbean leaders today in efforts to reaffirm American influence in the region, as well as press the leaders to pursue alternative energy solutions that would loosen Caribbean reliance on oil from Venezuela — a country with which the U.S. has recently had strained relations.  American officials say they are eager to work with Caribbean partners in order to demonstrate commitment to a region that they concede has often felt “ignored” by the United States.  NY Times

Energy Policy.  Today Iran’s supreme leader stated that he is pessimistic about completing the framework nuclear deal reached last week between the Tehran government and other world powers.  While he didn’t entirely rule out the possibility that an accord could be reached by June 30, his comments reflect the wariness that he and other Iranian hard-liners have expressed over any deal with the U.S. and other Western powers.  WSJ

Oil.  Anticipating a recovery in the price of crude oil, the largest independent producer of oil and natural gas said it would substantially increase the number of rigs on crucial U.S. shale acreage in 2017.  This rig forecast represents a strong sign that producers believe in the long-term viability of drilling for shale oil, despite sharp scale backs over the past year.  NY Times

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Energy Outlook.  Two large European oil majors have announced a merger in efforts to offset the negative downturn in oil prices by cutting overlapping costs.  Nick Butler of the Financial Times discusses the expected restructuring of the oil and gas industry in years ahead, noting that consolidation is likely across many different types of companies — large and small, within the U.S. shale industry, and even in the state-owned sector.  FT

Oil.  Saudi Arabia increased its crude output to 10.3 million barrels a day in March, signaling unexpected strong demand from its customers.  The kingdom’s oil minister Ali Al-Naimi announced that production will continue at this level going forward, suggesting that the country is determined to ride out the price slide without making any cuts in output as the market rebalances.  WSJ

Energy Outlook.  According to the Energy Department’s short-term energy forecast, motorists will pay the lowest prices in gas this summer since 2009 — $2.45 a gallon from April through September, compared with $3.59 a gallon over the same period last year.  The forecast also anticipates that the average American household will spend $700 less on gasoline in 2015 compared to 2014 — savings which will especially benefit lower-income consumers that spend a relatively higher percentage of their incomes on energy.  NY Times

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Energy Policy.  Israel has strengthened its efforts to persuade the U.S. and other world powers not to sign a final nuclear deal with Iran until the terms are dramatically changed.  While the current deal requires Iran to eliminate approximately two-thirds of its installed centrifuges,  Israel sees Iran’s nuclear program as a threat to its national security and wants the program completely dismantled.  FT

Energy Outlook.  According to a report by the Rocky Mountain Institute, utility sales in the U.S. Northeast may be cut in half — by as much as $34.8 billion — by 2030 as customers increasingly turn toward alternatives to traditional utility-supplied electricity.  Solar rooftop systems could particularly drive this drop, as they are likely to continue rising in popularity amid falling panel costs and new leasing programs that offer installation with no upfront customer payment.  Bloomberg

Oil.  Senators from Washington State have spearheaded a legislative effort to address the skyrocketing number of crude oil train wrecks and explosions occurring over the last two years.  The proposed legislation sets new rail standards that require improvement to train cars such as thermal protection, full-height head shields, shells more than half an inch thick, pressure relief valves, and electronically pneumatic brakes.  Forbes

Energy Policy.  The Obama administration has launched a broad public initiative to demonstrate that inaction on climate change will be hazardous to communities, specifically to public health.  For example, the President and top White House advisors have recently made announcements and held round-table discussions stressing that climate change is a present threat whose repercussions extend far beyond injuries from extreme weather calamities, and will likely also result in more asthma attacks, heat-related deaths, and allergens in the air. WSJ