Oil Industry

Plugging the Gap: Taxpayers Shoulder the Burden of Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells
Taxpayers, federal agencies, and tribal governments are working to address Arizona's orphaned oil and gas wells, which pose environmental and health risks, while advocates call for greater accountability from oil and gas companies.

Oil Industry Withdraws Ballot Measure, Shifts to Legal Fight Over California Well Restrictions
California's oil industry has withdrawn its ballot measure challenging a law that restricts oil and gas wells near homes and schools, opting to contest the law in court.

Appeals Court: California Emissions Standards Upheld
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, the nation's two most powerful environmental regulatory agencies, won an important round in federal court last week. But the emissions standards battle may not be over.

Do Environmentalists Confuse Oil Production With Oil Demand?
Samantha Gross, the director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at the Brookings Institution, argues that the key to reducing emissions is to do the hard work of reducing oil demand rather than focusing on ending U.S. oil drilling.

The ‘Necessity of Oil and Gas Drilling’
The California Supreme Court on Aug. 3 unanimously overturned a successful 2016 Monterey County ballot measure that banned new oil and gas drilling. According to plaintiff Chevron USA, the justices recognized the ‘necessity of oil and gas drilling.’

Holding Oil Companies Accountable for California's High Fuel Prices
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a first-in-the-nation bill that would penalize California's oil refineries for excessive profits. Will it lower the state's highest-in-the-nation fuel prices?

In Historic Move, L.A. County to Phase Out Oil Wells
The long history of oil extraction in the nation's most populous county is entering its final chapter.

Judge Halts Controversial Alaska Drilling project
The 'Willow' project would pump 600 million gallons of oil and emit 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide in the next 30 years.

Biden Administration's Energy Hypocrisy Exposed
World Oil, an energy publication, slightly annotated a Bloomberg News article to expose the hypocrisy of the Biden administration: curtailing oil production at home while pushing to increase it abroad.

Developer Drops Keystone XL Plans
It's the latest turn of the screw for a project that has depended on the occupant in the White House.

State Legislation Would Make Louisiana a 'Fossil Fuel Sanctuary State'
A Louisiana state legislator who is also the owner of oil company has proposed several laws that would remove regulations for the oil industry, including one that would prevent the local and state regulation of oil and gas companies.

Your Not-So-Friendly Neighborhood Oil Well
Much of California's oil and gas extraction takes place in residential neighborhoods, posing significant health risks to entire communities.

The End of New Hydraulic Fracking Permits in California Would Still be a Half Measure
As part of a series of dramatic environmental announcements in September, Gov. Gavin Newsom has promised to work with legislators to end new hydraulic fracking permits in California.

President's Record on Conservation Criticized
President Trump has weakened protections for 35 million acres of public land, despite repeating his intentions to surpass the model for conservation set by President Teddy Roosevelt.

Gov. Newsom's Phase-out of Oil Production Prompts Backlash in Kern County
Almost 80% of oil extraction in the nation's sixth largest oil-producing state occurs in Kern County. Supervisors see the California governor's climate plan to reduce oil production as a threat to the county's economic well-being.

Just What the Planet Needs: More Oil Production
A surge of oil from four countries—Norway, Guyana, Canada and Brazil—will more than compensate for slowing growth of U.S. oil production. The new sources might cause oil prices to dip to $50 a barrel and slow the transition to electric vehicles.

Summertime Ethanol Restriction Lifted to Help Corn Farmers—But at What Cost?
President Trump made good on his promise last October to lift the E15 ban in time for the summer driving season. Not mentioned by the Des Moines Register are the downsides to allowing the higher ethanol blend to be sold during the summer, e.g., smog.

New Secretary Confirmed at the U.S. Department of the Interior
The politics of the Department of the Interior under the Trump administration aren't likely to change, but new Secretary David Bernhardt is distinguishable from his predecessor thanks to a long history of oil industry lobbying.

Royal Dutch Shell: Big Oil with a Conscience?
Big Oil companies are not all alike. Royal Dutch Shell is the first one to part ways with a major oil industry trade group over differences on climate change. It's also linking executive pay to goals to reduce the company's carbon footprint.

At World Oil Conference, No One Questioned Climate Change Science
During the CERAWeek conference held earlier in Houston, oil companies were not of one mind when it came to the future of their industry, with some saying transportation will be electrified while others maintained oil will continue to dominate.
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