Latest Energy Headlines

All the headlines from our Energy Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Analysis: It’s Not the Whole Texas Economy, But Energy Is a Critical Piece

Apr 22 2020 // If it lasts, this week’s plunge in oil prices could hit the Texas economy in ways that make it much harder for state and local governments to help the state’s residents. It’s part of a double whammy on...

10 Years Later: Oil Drilled Deeper; Rules Relaxed After BP Oil Spill

Apr 20 2020 // Ten years after an oil rig explosion killed 11 workers and unleashed an environmental nightmare in the Gulf of Mexico, companies are drilling in deeper and deeper waters, where payoffs can be huge but risks are greater...

Coronavirus Confirmed on Offshore Oil Platforms in Gulf

Apr 17 2020 // The new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has been confirmed in more than two dozen people working on oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard said. While an offshore rig might seem like an unlikely place for...

Rising Sea Levels Could Double Extreme Flooding Events on Coastline, Report States

Apr 16 2020 // “Sea-level rise will radically redefine the coastline of the 21st century.” That’s from a new study that shows rising sea levels could lead to extreme flooding events in some U.S. coastal areas doubling...

Regulator: Thousands of Oil Wells Idled in North Dakota

Apr 16 2020 // A top state oil regulator estimates that North Dakota producers have idled thousands of wells — amounting to more than a quarter of the oil wells in the state — as the U.S. oil industry crashed during the coronavirus...

Texas’ Oil and Gas Regulators Not Ready to Cut Production

Apr 15 2020 // Facing a steep drop in oil demand with much of the world staying home to practice social distancing, more than 55 energy executives, analysts and critics appeared one after another Tuesday at a video meeting of the Texas...

Railroads Resist Oil Companies’ Demands for Storage in Rail Cars Citing Safety Concerns

Apr 13 2020 // Railroads are clamping down on rising demand from oil companies to store crude in rail cars due to safety concerns, sources said, even as the number of places available to stockpile oil is rapidly dwindling. Oil demand is...

Explosion at North Carolina Fuel Plant Damages Nearby Homes; No Serious Injuries

Apr 9 2020 // An explosion at a hydrogen fuel plant in North Carolina has damaged nearby homes but left workers without any serious injuries. News outlets report that the explosion occurred at the OneH2 Inc. hydrogen fuel facility in...

Regulators Mull Reversing $462M Increase in PG&E’s California Wildfire Fines

Apr 1 2020 // California power regulators are weighing a recommendation to back off plans to fine Pacific Gas and Electric an additional $462 million for igniting a series of Northern California 2018 deadly wildfires rather than risk...

As Demand Sinks Amid Pandemic, Texas Shale Producers Ask State to Cut Oil Output

Apr 1 2020 // Two Texas oil companies with large footprints in the West Texas oil patch have sent a letter to state regulators formally requesting an emergency meeting to consider reducing oil production as demand for oil around the...

Oil Industry Seeks Easing of Environmental Regulation During Pandemic

Mar 26 2020 // The Environmental Protection Agency said this week that it’s reviewing a request from the oil and gas industry to ease enforcement of hazardous air and water pollution and other regulatory issues during the...

Overturned Tanker Yields Large Oil Spill Near California Dam, Cleanup Needed

Mar 25 2020 // A tanker truck overturned down an embankment, spilling up to 6,000 gallons of crude oil into a river that flows into a dam and reservoir near the city of Santa Maria, authorities said. The driver was no injured and the...

Pipeline Owner Agrees to Pay $60M in 2015 California Spill

Mar 16 2020 // The owner of an oil pipeline that spewed thousands of barrels of crude oil onto Southern California beaches in 2015 will pay $60 million to to settle allegations that it violated safety laws, the U.S. Environmental...

Fire Kills Five People at Petronas-Aramco Oil Refinery in Malaysia

Mar 16 2020 // A fire killed five people at an oil refining complex in southern Malaysia owned by Petronas and Saudi Aramco, forcing the closure of the facility that was set to begin full commercial operations this year. It was the...

California Public Utilities Commission Fines PG&E $2.1B over Wildfires

Mar 9 2020 // The California Public Utilities Commission issued an administrative law judge decision imposing $2.137 billion in penalties against Pacific Gas and Electric Company for the utility’s role in the catastrophic 2017 and...

One U.S. State May Look at Insurers’ Fossil Fuel Investments and Underwriting to Combat Climate Change

Mar 5 2020 // A Connecticut lawmaker has plans for a bill that not only calls for the state to look at which insurers have fossil fuel investments – a growing trend among government entities as of late – but also which ones are...

Tokio Marine HCC to Buy MGA GCube, Renewable Energy Specialist

Mar 5 2020 // Tokio Marine HCC has agreed to snatch up GCube, a managing general agent with a focus on renewable energy risks. The deal is expected to close in the 2020 second quarter, pending the usual regulatory approval process and...

Popular Climate Change Mitigation, Clean Energy Financing Plan Has Its Fans and Foes

Mar 4 2020 // A decade ago, if a Floridian wanted extra cash to replace a roof, install solar panels or a brand new air conditioner, the most common choice was a bank loan. But for the last few years, homeowners also have had a...

California Public Utilities Commission Fines PG&E $2.1B over Wildfires

Feb 28 2020 // The California Public Utilities Commission has issued an administrative law judge decision imposing $2.137 billion in penalties against Pacific Gas and Electric Company for the utility’s role in the catastrophic 2017...

Coronavirus Fears Drive Up Credit Risk for Gulf Crude Exporters

Feb 25 2020 // The cost of insuring against sovereign debt defaults by Gulf Arab states has risen in recent days as markets price the risk the coronavirus outbreak represents for the crude export-dependent region. Conventional spreads on...