An oil leak from a rail car spilled an estimated 1,000 gallons of crude oil and went undetected for nearly 44 hours before being discovered at the Port Arthur Terminal in South Texas. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is investigating the leak reported by Pasadena-based USD Group reported by the Beaumont Enterprise. Click here …
Oklahoma lawsuit leads to more federal oil and gas leases
Some 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico will be opened to oil and gas exploration as the Biden administration follows a federal judge’s order stemming from a lawsuit filed by Oklahoma and a dozen other states. The opening could also lead to potentially hundreds of thousands more on shore as the administration …
1% loss recorded by US oil in Tuesday’s trading
Two days after Hurricane Ida battered the Gulf Coast and forced a shutdown of U.S. Gulf refineries, oil prices dropped on Tuesday. It was the first monthly loss since March as West Texas Intermediate crude slipped 1% or 71 cents to finish the day at $68.50. Global benchmark Brent crude futures for October, due …
New Mexico regulators consider future of coal-fired power plant
The Public Regulation Commission in New Mexico started hearing arguments on Public Service Co. of New Mexico’s plan to transfer its share of a coal-fired power plant to a Navajo Nation energy company. Environmentalists are opposed to the proposal, claiming it would only prolong the life of the plant and run counter to New …
Energy news in brief
** New Orleans-based utility Entergy Corp. said that 207 transmission lines covering more than 2,000 miles were knocked down by Hurricane Ida’s wrath, and that the approximately 900,000 customers who do not have power in Louisiana and Mississippi may have to wait roughly three weeks for restoration. ** Enerplus Corporation announced that it has entered …
Oklahoma and 5 other states accounted for over half of primary energy produced in 2019
Oklahoma was one of the top six primary energy-producing states in the U.S. in 2019 according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The EIA said the others were Texas, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, West Virginia and North Dakota. In all, the six states accounted for 55 quadrillion British thermal units or 55% of all the …
House Democrats target oil and gas industry
Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee plan a crackdown on the oil and gas industry as part of President Biden’s efforts to reform the federal oil and gas leasing program. They put the industry in their bullseye. The Washington Examiner reports their blueprint includes raising costs on producers and imposing stricter regulatory requirements. …
Bankruptcy leads to 500 lost jobs at Basic Energy
The Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Fort Worth-based Basic Energy Services will lead to a loss of nearly 500 jobs in Texas. The figure was supplied in a filing with the state’s workforce commission as Basic Energy works through financial restructuring that includes asset sales reported Reuters. The job cut includes 120 in Tarrant County …
Oil and gas operators assess hurricane damage
Damage assessments are well underway by oil and gas pipeline operators along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Ida hit major energy hubs as a Category 4 storm on Sunday. Reuters reported crews were mobilized by Enbridge as the firm also temporarily suspended contracts under force majeure on two offshore pipelines. Click here for Reuters.
Biden administration takes small step to resume land lease auctions
Seeking to comply with a federal judge’s ruling in a lawsuit filed by Oklahoma and nearly a dozen other states, the Biden administration on Tuesday unveiled more than 16,500 acres it plans to auction to oil and gas drillers. The ruling was from a Louisiana U.S. District Court judge where the lawsuit was filed …
