Environment & Safety
Nebraska agency completes environment review of Keystone XL pipeline
A new pipeline route curves east of the Sand Hills but would still cross the Ogallala Aquifer, a source of drinking water and irrigation supplies, Friday's report from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality said. The new route also avoids many fragile soils in northern Nebraska and shallow groundwater areas.
Phillips 66, Conoco accused of violating California hazardous waste laws
In a civil lawsuit, the state accused the companies of tampering with leak detection devices, and failing to test secondary containment systems and maintain alarm systems, among other violations. Conoco said the California lawsuit "is [Phillips 66's] issue on which to comment, not ours."
Transocean pays $1.4bn to settle US Gulf oil spill
Transocean was the owner of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that exploded in April 2010, killing 11 workers and triggering the largest offshore spill in US history. It will plead guilty to one criminal misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act for failing to properly monitor the well at the time of the blowout.
Environmental groups to seek suspension of Shell permits in Arctic region
The request comes after a drilling rig owned by Shell broke free of a tug boat late last week and then wedged itself on rocks off Sitkalidak Island. Environmental groups say the accident demonstrates how risky it is for oil companies to operate in the icy, foggy and often stormy conditions near Alaska.
Shell drilling rig accident in Alaska could jeopardize future Arctic oil projects
Shell had said it would invest $5bn to explore for oil and gas in the Arctic, but extreme weather has riddled the project with accidents and missed schedules and could raise the hackles of environmentalists. That in turn might hurt Noble Corp. and others seeking to expand exploration in the region.
Refiners now have a new biofuel option
Biobutanol is coming to market as a gasoline blendstock and can be efficiently made by a range of renewable feedstocks.
HP Brief
Uncertainty looms in EU economyEuropean chemicals output contracted by 2% in 2012 compared with 2011, according to European chemicals group Cefic. By lowering its forecast released in September, the c..
HP Impact: Canadian oil sands GHG emissions scrutinized
IHS has released an update to its 2010 report comparing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fuels made from Canadian oil sands to those from other crude sources. The new analysis found that total ..
HP Associations: Cyber security in the oil sector
The American Petroleum Institute (API) held its 7th annual cyber security conference over two November days in Houston, Texas. Since cyber attacks on industrial targets have grown in frequency and int..
EPA chief Lisa Jackson to step down from US post
Republicans and industry groups often criticized Ms. Jackson, saying her agency's regulations were killing jobs and raising uncertainty for business. A coal industry representative that Ms. Jackson "presided over some of the most expensive and controversial rules in agency history."
- CNOOC completes construction on $2.9-B, 1.8-MMtpy integrated complex in east China 8/22
- bp's Whiting refinery (U.S.) continues to flare days after severe thunderstorm 8/22
- Bachmann introduces latest version M-Target for Simulink 8/22
- U.S. to rule on biofuel waivers, but big oil refiners may need to wait 8/22
- Chinese independent refiner Hongrun buys Canadian, Brazilian crude 8/22
- Ukrainian attack suspends Russian oil flows to Hungary, Slovakia 8/22
