Mexican President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) proposed a ban on fracking last month, which would prevent the country from tapping its potentially vast shale resources. Despite Mexico's rising natural gas demand and increasing dependence on natural gas imports, the country's shale reserves so far have not figured into its energy reform.
The big picture: While a shale ban might have long-term effects on Mexico's economy,it's unlikely to do so during AMLO's term, which is limited to six years. Because of structural barriers to shale extraction that would nevertheless persist in that timespan, even a complete ban on fracking wouldn't significantly impact the Mexican energy sector.
When Elon Musk on Friday night ended his Tesla buyout pursuit, it was the most predictable part of this slapdash saga. And, like with some of Musk's earlier moves, it created new questions for securities regulators.
The big picture: There should no longer be doubt that Musk lied when he claimed to have "funding secured."
The late Sen. John McCain explored and embraced science on global warming and co-authored early versions of cap-and-trade legislation, working across the aisle.
Flashback:Via Bloomberg BNA, "When McCain won the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2008 to face off against Obama, it was the first time both candidates for the presidency backed legislation to cap U.S. emissions."
Shares of Tesla fell as much as 4% in early trading on Monday, after CEO Elon Musk’s Friday announcement that he would not take the electric car company private.
Between the lines: Tesla is already under some pressure from shareholders to ramp up production of its base Model 3. And, Reuters reports, some securities lawyers think the abandonment of the plan to take the company private will make Musk's legal drama worse. As an analyst at Barclays puts it, "the cracks in credibility" may limit the potential for Tesla's stock to rise.
Elon Musk and Tesla offer a gripping corporate tale and coveted electric cars, but when it comes to climate change, they are a rather minor subplot.
Why it matters: Numerous other factors and technologies influence whether electric cars are actually green. And no matter how green they are, they’re still just one, relatively small part of a many-sided, global problem.
The latest episode of the Experts Only podcast from CleanCapital is an interesting chat with Nancy Pfund, a veteran investor in clean energy companies.
The big picture: The interview ranges from her background in the industry to opportunities for applying advanced grid technologies in Africa.
