Latest Energy Headlines
All the headlines from our Energy Topic Page, ordered by recency.
New Rail Oil Tank Car Safety Standards Expected This Month
Jan 10 2014 // U.S. officials have promised to issue within weeks new safety standards for the kind of tank cars involved in a spate of fiery derailments in recent months, a lawmaker said on Thursday. Rail cars carrying crude oil out of...
Pressure Mounts to Improve Oil-Rail Safety; Older Tank Cars in Canada Crash
Jan 10 2014 // Political pressure to quickly improve the safety of crude oil rail shipments intensified in Washington on Thursday, while Canadian officials said two of the cars involved in the latest fiery derailment were of an older...
Oil and Gas Fire as Canada Train Derails after Emergency Brakes Activated
Jan 8 2014 // A Canadian National Railway train carrying crude oil and propane derailed and caught fire after the emergency brakes were activated, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada said on Wednesday. TSB spokesman John...
India Refiners Delay Iran Oil Imports on Failure to Get Reinsurance
Jan 8 2014 // Indian Oil Corp. and two other state- run refiners said they will defer resuming purchases of Iranian crude by at least three months, having failed to get reinsurance for shipments after Europe said it would relax a...
U.S. Sen. Schumer Seeks to Turn Up Heat on Railcar Safety
Jan 7 2014 // U.S. Senator Charles Schumer on Monday called for an overhaul of old rail tank cars used to carry crude oil after a spate of explosive derailments over the past year. The New York Democrat joined a growing number of...
Appeals Court to Fast-Track BP’s Bid to Halt Gulf Oil Spill Payments
Jan 3 2014 // BP Plc’s bid to block economic-loss payments tied to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill unless the claims can be directly linked to the disaster won fast-track consideration by an appeals court. The London-based...
North Dakota Train Fire Restarts Oil Transport Safety Debate
Jan 2 2014 // The derailment and fire that led to the evacuation of a North Dakota town has renewed the debate over whether it’s safer to ship oil by rail or pipeline as the U.S. completes a review of the Keystone XL...
Crude Oil Train in North Dakota Catches Fire After Derailing
Dec 31 2013 // A BNSF Railway Co. train carrying oil caught fire after a collision with railcars in North Dakota, causing a series of explosions that prompted police to urge local residents to evacuate the area. There were no injuries to...
Judge Rejects BP Complaint Over Proof of Economic Losses from Gulf Oil Spill
Dec 27 2013 // BP Plc lost a bid to require businesses to provide proof their economic losses were caused by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill under a $9.2 billion settlement over the disaster. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New...
Geological Society: Kansas Earthquake, Oil Production Might Be Related
Dec 23 2013 // The Kansas Geological Society is investigating whether a recent earthquake in southern Kansas might have been caused by oil production practices in the area. But KGS interim director Rex Buchanan said it might be difficult...
Hearing: Which Court Should Hear Louisiana Coastal Lawsuit ?
Dec 20 2013 // A legal tug-of-war continues in a Louisiana state levee board’s lawsuit against 97 oil, gas and pipeline companies over the erosion of wetlands. The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East wants U.S....
Utah, Chevron Agree On $5.35M Fuel Spill Settlement
Dec 18 2013 // Utah officials say they’ve come to a tentative $5.35 million settlement with Chevron after a pipeline leaked about 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel in northern Utah earlier this year. Chevron officials did not...
BP Seeks Halt to Oil Spill Payments to Seafood Firms, Alleges Attorney Fraud
Dec 18 2013 // BP Plc asked a U.S. judge to stop payments in the $2.3 billion seafood-industry portion of its settlement over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill pending an investigation of fraud claims against a plaintiffs’...
Guidance System Shows Promise of Safer Landings for Gulf Rig Pilots
Dec 16 2013 // Imagine zooming from 200 feet in the sky onto a small green circle in the middle of a vast, dark ocean. Louisiana helicopter pilots do it daily, carrying workers to and from offshore oil rigs. It often takes more than two...
Canada Considers Requiring Emergency Response Plans for Rail Oil Shipments
Dec 16 2013 // Canada is considering classifying crude oil as a higher-risk, dangerous product, requiring emergency response plans for shipment by rail following a train accident that leveled the heart of a Quebec town in July, a...
Drilling Boom Leaves Some Neighbors with Damages, Depressed House Values
Dec 12 2013 // When Gary Gless bought his sleek, modernist house in Los Angeles in 2002, he thought he had hit a “gold mine.” The world’s largest inner-city park – featuring a lush, 18-hole golf course – was...
Anadarko, BP Seek Reversal of Oil Spill Clean Water Act Ruling
Dec 5 2013 // Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and BP Plc asked an appeals court to throw out a judge’s finding that both companies were liable under the U.S. Clean Water Act for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. U.S. District Judge Carl...
Local Gas Drilling Laws Get a Key Airing in Ohio
Dec 3 2013 // A closely watched lawsuit in Ohio is asking a question that’s burning in cities and towns throughout shale country: Can regulations in states eager for the jobs and tax revenues that come with gas and oil drilling...
BP Wins Appeal Over Some Gulf Oil Spill Claim Payments
Dec 3 2013 // BP Plc won a legal reprieve in its effort to avoid payments to those whose losses were not traceable to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, potentially sparing the oil company of extra costs. BP had agreed in 2012 to make...
Schinnerer Launches Energy Program on Admitted Basis in Eight States
Dec 2 2013 // Underwriting manager Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. is now offering its energy program on an admitted basis in Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. The program provides a...