Articles by Liz Hampton

Colorado Oil Regulator Rejects Plan to Drill Near Homes

The state of Colorado’s oil regulator this week rejected a request by Occidental Petroleum Corp. to drill new oil and gas wells roughly 800 feet away from homes, in a test of a new rule that sets a wide berth …

Latest Quake in Top Texas Oilfield to Hike Scrutiny of Drilling Waste Injections

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake that rattled the Permian basin in Texas on Monday night is likely to add pressure on oil producers in the region to slow or stop underground wastewater injections that regulators believe may cause the tremors. The …

Neighbors Sue Exxon Over Homes Damaged by Texas Refinery Fire

Exxon Mobil Corp. said on Monday its Baytown, Texas, refinery continued to operate at reduced rates following a fire on Dec. 23, and the unit involved remained shut down. The company has not yet determined the cause of the fire, …

As Louisiana Port Rebuilds After Hurricane Ida, Loss of Wetlands Seen as Threat

On Louisiana’s south coast, in a key port servicing the U.S. offshore oil industry, a huge shipyard sits idle and in tatters. Where parts of the nine-bay terminal’s roof once hung, only a tangle of twisted metal beams is now …

Fire at Hurricane-Hit Louisiana Chemical Plant Contained

A chlorine chemical fire that erupted last Thursday, triggering shelter-in-place orders and closing roadways in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, has been brought under control, the plant’s owner said on Friday. KIK Custom Products said the site is secured and …

Fire Burns at Hurricane-Hit Louisiana Chemical Plant

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards on Thursday asked residents in three southwestern communities to stay indoors with windows and doors shut as a plume rose from a chemical fire at a Biolab plant in an area hit by Hurricane Laura. …

Oil Firms Slam Brakes on Return-to-Work as Texas Virus Cases Soar

U.S. energy companies slammed the brakes on returning staff to their Houston offices as COVID-19 cases soared and top hospitals warned they could soon run out of beds for the most severely ill patients. A record number of new illnesses …

Daughter of Worked Killed in Texas Oil Well Blast Sues Chesapeake Energy, Other Firms

Chesapeake Energy Corp. and three oilfield service firms were sued by the daughter of a worker who suffered fatal injuries when a Texas oil well exploded in flames in late January. The wrongful death suit seeks at least $1 million …

Alaska Grand Jury Indicts GE’s Baker Hughes for Exposing Workers to Toxic Chemicals

A grand jury in Alaska this week indicted General Electric’s Baker Hughes, two of its subsidiaries and an employee, for 25 felony charges of assault relating to toxic chemical releases at a construction site, according to authorities. The indictment charges …

Criminal Investigation of NiSource Launched Over Massachusetts Gas Explosions

Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation of utility company NiSource Inc over gas explosions and fires in three Massachusetts communities that killed one person and injured at least 21 others in September, the company disclosed on Thursday. Grand jury …