Energy & Fuel

"In dozens of water-scarce counties where fracking is booming, water use is at or approaching more than a billion gallons a year."

"CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- A South Texas judge has fined Citgo Petroleum more than $2 million after finding it guilty of felony violations of the U.S. Clean Air Act by its Corpus Christi refinery."

"Senator Mary L. Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana, is set to become chairwoman next week of the Senate Energy Committee, a powerful position that gives her jurisdiction over the oil and gas industry that fuels her state’s economy — and which will be a major source of contributions to Ms. Landrieu’s tough re-election campaign this fall."

"A record-number of people lost their power across the region thanks to a significant ice storm and power officials warn it could be days before everyone has their electricity back."

"What does oil independence look like? Those living and working in North Dakota's booming Bakken oil field are seeing first-hand both pros and cons. Photographer Gary Braasch returned from the region with a slice of that life."  The photoessay appeared February 5 in The Daily Climate.
 

"Keystone XL pipeline records are being sought by the Sierra Club in a lawsuit claiming the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has to make public documents related to its review of TransCanada Corp.’s project."

"ON THE DAN RIVER, N.C. — Canoe guide Brian Williams dipped his paddle downstream from where thousands of tons of coal ash has been spewing for days into the Dan River, turning the wooden blade flat to bring up a lump of gray sludge."

"SAN JOSE, Calif.—The attack began just before 1 a.m. on April 16 last year, when someone slipped into an underground vault not far from a busy freeway and cut telephone cables."

"Federal regulators said on Tuesday that they had fined three companies for mislabeling the type of crude oil they were transporting. The penalties — a total of $93,000 — were the first from surprise inspections begun after since a series of accidents in the last year underscored the hazard of transporting highly flammable oil by rail."

"Federal coffers are missing out on what could be billions of dollars in lost revenue due to shoddy accounting work by the office that handles leases for coal mines on public land, according to a report made public today by the investigative arm of Congress."