Latest Oil Gas Headlines
All the headlines from our Oil Gas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Issues Final Oil Train Safety Rules
Jul 31 2015 // The Obama administration on Wednesday released a new regulation intended to prevent explosive rail disasters such as the 2013 oil train derailment that killed 47 people and destroyed part of Lac-Megantic, Quebec. The new...
Transport Company Updates Public on West Virginia Oil Train Crash Cleanup
Jul 27 2015 // CSX is continuing to closely monitor the environmental impact of a fiery oil-train derailment in southern West Virginia, a spokeswoman said last week. The company held a public informational meeting that drew a sparse...
Oklahoma Town OKs Rules Restricting Oil, Gas Drilling in City
Jul 23 2015 // Leaders in Stillwater, Okla., approved new rules for oil and gas drilling within the city to the disappointment of industry representatives. A.J. Ferate, vice president of regulatory affairs at the Oklahoma Independent...
Arkansas Utility Objects to Planned Exxon Oil Pipeline Spill Settlement
Jul 20 2015 // An Arkansas water utility has expressed objection to the Justice Department’s proposed settlement with Exxon Mobil over a 2013 pipeline spill in the Mayflower neighborhood. Central Arkansas Water’s opposition...
Mississippi City Settles Oil Spill Claims with BP for $4.9M
Jul 10 2015 // The city of Biloxi, Miss., is accepting $4.9 million from BP as part of a group settlement of local government claims for economic losses caused by the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Last week, BP and five...
Texas Mutual Pays $4M-Plus Dividend to Texas Oil & Gas Assoc. Group
Jul 6 2015 // Austin-based Texas Mutual Insurance Co., a policyholder-owned company, announced it awarded a dividend of $4,019,352 to the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) safety group. The dividend was earned based on the group...
BP Settlement Doesn’t Cover Claims by Insurers, Banks, Casinos and Others
Jul 5 2015 // BP Plc’s record $18.7 billion settlement ended government claims over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, leaving numerous smaller private lawsuits to be mopped up. While investors, residents and businesses that...
BP to Pay $18.7B Over 18 Years to Settle Spill Claims with 5 States, U.S.
Jul 2 2015 // BP Plc has agreed to a preliminary deal in which it will pay a record $18.7 billion to settle claims by five Gulf states and the U.S. government for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the worst oil spill in the...
Oklahoma Supreme Court: Oil Firms Can Be Sued over Quakes
Jul 1 2015 // New Dominion LLC can be sued by an Oklahoma woman injured when her fireplace fell on her during an earthquake that she blames on disposal wells tied to fracking. The June 30 ruling by the Oklahoma Supreme Court reversed a...
Supreme Court Rejects BP, Anadarko Appeal of Gulf Spill Fines
Jun 29 2015 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected bids by BP Plc and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. to avoid penalties under federal pollution law in connection with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The high court left in place a June...
Spike in Oklahoma Quakes an Energy ‘Game Changer’
Jun 25 2015 // A spike in earthquakes across Oklahoma is forcing the state’s energy regulator to urgently consider tougher restrictions on drilling activity, a spokesman said, calling it a “game changer.” From June 17...
Denton, Texas Officials Repeal Voter-Approved Fracking Ban
Jun 19 2015 // Leaders of a North Texas university town that was the first in the state to ban hydraulic fracturing repealed the voter-approved measure early on June 17, sounding a tone of capitulation to the state’s powerful oil...
Hijacked Orkim Harmony Oil Tanker Released by Pirates Who Escape
Jun 19 2015 // The hijacked oil tanker Orkim Harmony has been released by pirates, who fled in the ship’s rescue boat, Malaysian navy and maritime officials said on Friday. The Orkim Harmony, hijacked on June 11 off the Malaysian...
Update: Malaysian Navy Makes Contact With Pirates on Hijacked Oil Tanker
Jun 18 2015 // A Malaysian naval vessel has made contact with the pirates onboard hijacked tanker Orkim Harmony and is trying to persuade them to surrender, a maritime official said on Thursday. The tanker as of noon (0400 GMT) was in...
Court Delays Ruling on 2013 Quebec Oil Train Crash Settlement
Jun 18 2015 // A Quebec judge reserved his decision on Wednesday on whether to grant a motion that would clear the way for a settlement between victims of the 2013 Lac-Megantic oil train disaster and dozens of companies and individuals...
Tropical Storm Bill Makes Landfall in Texas with 60 MPH Winds
Jun 16 2015 // Tropical Storm Bill came ashore on the Texas mainland this morning near Seadrift, packing heavy rains that will drop as much as 10 inches along the coast. Bill’s winds were 60 miles (97 kilometers) per hour, up from...
Shell: Insurers May Be Reluctant to Underwrite Carbon Capture Projects
Jun 12 2015 // Projects to capture carbon emissions from power plants and store them permanently underground face “large risk premiums” from insurers because the technology is so new, Royal Dutch Shell plc...
2014 Houston Ship Channel Collision, Spill Blamed on Tugboat
Jun 11 2015 // A tugboat captain’s decision to try to beat a cargo ship into the Houston Ship Channel is the probable cause of a 2014 collision that spilled 168,000 gallons of oil that drifted up to 200 miles down the Texas Gulf...
EPA Finds Little Evidence Fracking Contaminates Drinking Water
Jun 5 2015 // Fracking for shale oil and gas has not led to widespread pollution of drinking water, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency draft report said on Thursday, although it warned some drilling activities could potentially...
Stand-Alone Pollution Insurance Undersold in the Oil Patch
Jun 3 2015 // While stand-alone pollution insurance coverage for energy risks is available in the marketplace, more often than not those who need it the most may be unaware it is available or decide not to purchase it. That creates a...
