Articles by Brian Wingfield and Julian Lee

Oil Tankers Cut Navigation Risks in Strait of Hormuz by Vanishing from Tracking Systems

Oil tanker owners are finding a way to reduce the risks of navigating the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important — and lately most dangerous — energy chokepoint: vanish from global tracking systems. Copying from Iran’s own playbook, at …

Flood of Regulations Coming from Obama Administration

Over the next 12 months, the Obama administration is due to issue regulations governing everything from e-cigarettes to smoke-stack emissions in what experts predict will be a second-term rush to put rules in place before leaving office. “In every administration, …

Shutdown Sidelines Safety Inspectors of Workplaces, Mines, Nursing Homes and More

The partial shutdown of the U.S. government has sidelined thousands of inspectors who monitor everything from air and water pollution to safety hazards at factories and the condition of nursing homes. Federal law requires agencies to retain workers whose jobs …

Crop Insurance Critics, Defenders in Last Push Over Reforms

Critics of the U.S. crop insurance program are calling for cuts to it and other agribusiness subsidies as Congress revamps farm policy. A bipartisan group of lawmakers planned to meet yesterday in Washington to re-examine U.S. farm spending for the …

Report Urges Pressure on Utilities to Protect Electric Grid From Storms

Power companies should be pressed by government to install technologies including smart meters and energy-storage devices to shield the electric grid from more frequent disruptions tied to weather, according to a study. Severe weather, the primary cause of power failures …