The much-feared border-adjusted corporate tax (BTA), championed by the Republicans in U.S. House of Representatives, could thrust the benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) price higher than North Sea Brent, predicts the ubiquitous analysts at Goldman Sachs. The BTA has been designed to improve the competitiveness and profitability of American manufacturers by taxing imports, while exempting…
By Heather Douglas “Plant turnarounds, also known as shutdowns, are one of the most crucial events in the routine operation of an oil or gas plant. They also have the power to strongly affect a company’s bottom line. A turnaround that goes badly, lasts for too long, or exceeds its budget could result in the…
By Rosemary Bruus “That’s within tolerance.” “Suppliers know every day represents lost production, so everything costs more.” “We are the experts.” “We have been doing business this way for 23 years!” “We don’t understand – how did this happen??” Sound familiar? These are some of the most common excuses boards hear when a capital construction…
By Brent Rathgeber Thanksgiving was a time for family, food, post-season baseball and politics. More than one election has been won (or lost) over holiday table chatter. This year, the table talk in my neighbourhood was all about Energy East The announcement of the pipeline project’s collapse almost seemed to have been timed for maximum…
By Heather Douglas “Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing? Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;…
By Scott Jeffrey When times are good, it’s easy to spend money, to go into debt, because the price of oil is always going to go up, you’ll always pay off your debt, and you’ll be forever growing your company, to the delight of your shareholders and the entire investment community. However, when times are…
