Judge gives U.S. three weeks to detail Dakota Access pipeline options

  The latest development in the fight against the Dakota Access crude oil pipeline in North Dakota comes from a federal judge who has given the Army Corps of Engineers three weeks to detail options about resolving a permit issue.   The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last month voided an easement …

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Oil companies start to take back crude from U.S. emergency reserve

  At the height of the oil crisis, some energy production companies rented storage space from the U.S. government’s emergency stockpile in order to handle the glut of crude oil. But now those same companies are starting to withdraw their crude from the storage sites. Reuters reported that since Aug. 1, the companies have taken …

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NGL Energy Partners LP reports $34 million quarterly loss

  Tulsa’s NGL ENergy Partners LP reported on Monday it loss nearly $34 million in the first quarter of its fiscal 2021, far below the $9 million in income it made a year earlier. The company said its adjusted EBITDA was $91 million, down from the $103.7 million reported in the first quarter of fiscal …

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Oil ends higher in Monday’s trading

  Optimistic remarks about worldwide crude demand from  Saudi Aramco’s CEO plus news that Iraq intends to cut production gave oil futures a shot in the army in Monday’s trading as futures ended the day higher. West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery rose 72 cents or 1.8% to settle at $41.94 a barrel in …

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Oklahoma’s oil and gas employment falls to 2005 levels

  As more and more oil and gas rigs were put into storage, the Oklahoma Energy Index contracted again last month as employment and rig activity continue to fall. Payroll employment of exploration and production companies fell to just over 34,000 jobs, a level of employment last seen in 2005. At the same time, Oklahoma …

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Railway fight to before Oklahoma regulatory judge

  Oral arguments will be heard Wednesday before an Oklahoma Corporation Commission Administrative Law Judge in the efforts of the city of Moore to force the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway to pay for an underpass. The Corporation Commission will hold a special meeting at 10:30 a.m. but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there will …

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Gasoline becomes cheaper in Oklahoma

  Oklahomans are paying 2 cents less per gallon of gas this week at an average of $1.86, the fourth lowest in the country, according to AAA Oklahoma. Slight volatility was enough to drive the national average down a penny from last Monday to $2.17. Today’s average is two cents less than last month and 49 cents cheaper than a year …

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Oklahoma Representatives try to get their say in another COVID-19 relief package

  As Congress wrestles with another possible COVID-19 relief package, some Oklahomans in Congress are pushing their projects even as President Trump took things into his own hands over the weekend when Democrat leadership in the House couldn’t reach a compromise on how much aid should be given by the government. For instance, Rep. Frank …

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Energy news in brief

** A stranded Japanese-owned oil tanker, sailing under the Panamanian flag, has breached and is flooding waters of the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius with fuel. The MV Wakashio ran aground on July 25 and cracks have since emerged in the hull after strong winds battered the ship. Some of its 4,000-ton load has …

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New Wyoming law allows wind turbine blades in coal mine pits

  A new law in Wyoming allows wind energy companies to dispose of old wind turbine blades in former coal mine pits. The decommissioned wind turbine blades can be used as backfill material in reclaiming surface coal mine sites. But the Casper Star-Tribune reports first the state needs to set the rules. Wyoming environmental regulators …

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