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May 3, 2012

News for American Chemistry

Top Story

Dooley: Ohio needs energy-focused regulations to preserve shale-gas boom
Ohio hosts a high number of plastics and chemical producers because of the state's location and vast reserves of natural gas, writes American Chemistry Council President and CEO Cal Dooley. However, in order for the state to maximize the value of such resources, lawmakers must formulate regulations that will encourage natural gas developments while enforcing environmental safeguards; at the federal level, both Congress and the Obama administration must work to adopt a comprehensive energy policy, Dooley writes. The Hill (5/2)

Policy Watch

Ohio needs proper rules for oil, gas drilling, governor says
Ohio needs to implement rules that address safety issues surrounding oil and natural gas drilling activities, particularly hydraulic fracturing, said Gov. John Kasich. "If you try to jam this down people's throats, you'll fail," Kasich said during an energy conference in the state. Oil and gas rules shouldn't go "overboard or underboard," he said. American City Business Journals/Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Biz Insider blog (5/2)

Ohio's shale-gas boom fuels manufacturing renaissance: The shale natural gas boom in Ohio is leading to various industrial developments in the state, such as the resurgence of steel mills and the revitalization of refineries, that may result in a regional "energy belt," industry officials said during an energy summit. Marathon Petroleum, for example, is benefiting from the supply of natural gas from the state's liquids-rich shale, as the company's Ohio facilities have been able to cut back on their consumption of crude from the U.S. Gulf Coast. IndustryWeek (5/2)

Interior is close to releasing fracking rules, execs say
The Department of the Interior will release its new hydraulic fracturing regulations this week, industry officials said. The rules are expected to contain measures on chemical disclosure, well integrity and management of fracking-wastewater runoff. The Hill/E2 Wire blog (5/2)

N.C. report urges safety measures for fracking operations
North Carolina's Department of Environment and Natural Resources released a report indicating that hydraulic fracturing can be safely carried out in the state despite environmental fears. The report presents various safety proposals, including urging the state to fund additional environmental assessments before allowing natural gas firms to start their drilling operations. The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) (5/2)

Research & Innovation

ACC to implement updates to Responsible Care initiative
The American Chemistry Council is set to introduce four code updates to its Responsible Care program involving product and process safety, energy management, and reporting metrics. "This will help to enhance the communication of what Responsible Care is achieving. It is what is going to empower the consumer-facing organizations to make the right decisions to ensure they can respond to their customers in a way that will give them confidence in the safety of the products that we are putting in the marketplace," said ACC President and CEO Cal Dooley. Chemical Week (subscription required) (5/2)

U.S. is reaping energy benefits of advances in fracking technology
Recent advances in hydraulic fracturing technology have helped make the U.S. one of the biggest natural gas producers in the world -- leading natural gas to supply about 25% of the country's electricity needs, writes Bonner Cohen, a senior fellow with the National Center for Public Policy Research. As a result, shale-rich states are actively developing rules to guide natural gas drilling. "Innovation and intelligent state regulation of fracking are already starting to put some glitter back into the Rust Belt. ... Human ingenuity, and the prosperity it brings, might yet lead the United States to energy independence," Cohen adds. The Hill (5/2)

Dow Chemical, Solazyme advance development of insulating fluids
Dow Chemical has reached a commercial offtake deal with Solazyme that advances the two firms' joint effort in developing biobased dielectric insulating fluids. The financial terms of the deal were not released. Chemical Week (subscription required) (5/2)

Leadership & Management

Is your company experiencing a C-suite sprawl?
Across America, C-suites are getting bigger as companies shift from a tight-knit team of all-purpose senior managers to a broader team of specialized C-level executives with clearly delineated skills and responsibilities. That requires careful monitoring from the CEO to prevent turf wars and broader strategic disruption, argues Columbia researcher Maria Guadalupe. "Specialization and general administration are both important, but the firm's strategy matters," she notes. Columbia Business School/Ideas At Work blog (4/30)

Effective leadership starts with self-reliance
Self-awareness, selflessness and leading by example are the three key traits to succeeding as a self-reliant leader, writes Jan Rutherford. "[S]elf-reliant leadership is dependent on achieving a balance between independence and the interdependence of working with others to accelerate your own personal growth and development," writes Rutherford, drawing on conclusions from a recent white paper by Nick Petrie. Self-reliant leadership is not self-centered, but is instead led by collective leadership. ThoughtLeaders blog (5/2)