DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The tiny, energy-rich Arab nation of Qatar announced on Monday it will withdraw from OPEC in January, mixing its aspirations to increase production outside of the cartel's constraints with the politics of slighting the Saudi-dominated group amid the kingdom's boycott of Doha. The surprise announcement from Qatar's minister of state for energy affairs, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, again throws into question the role of the cartel after needing non-members to push [Read more]
U.S. judge blocks construction of $10-billion Keystone XL pipeline
GREAT FALLS, Mont. - A U.S. federal judge in Montana has blocked construction of the $10-billion Keystone XL pipeline to allow more time to study the project's potential environmental impact. The Great Falls Tribune reports U.S. District Judge Brian Morris' order on Thursday came as Calgary-based TransCanada was preparing to build the first stages of the oil pipeline in northern Montana. Environmental groups had sued TransCanada and the U.S. Department of State in federal court [Read more]
Oregon governor joins other states in offshore drilling ban
SALEM, Ore. - Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued an executive order Thursday blocking offshore drilling, joining several other states trying to shield themselves from the Trump administration's plan to drill for oil and gas off the U.S. coast. The order directs state agencies to protect Oregon's coastal economy by preventing activities associated with offshore oil and gas drilling. It comes as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to expand offshore drilling and has scrapped an [Read more]
Lawsuit filed over highway shutdown during pipeline protest
BISMARCK, N.D. - Two members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and a reservation priest are suing over a five-month shutdown of a North Dakota highway during protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline, saying the closure violated their and others' constitutional rights. The lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court seeks unspecified monetary damages from the state, Morton County and TigerSwan, a North Carolina-based company that oversaw private security for the Texas-based pipeline [Read more]
Emails show California agency’s cozy ties to gas tax backers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - As the political battle to overturn California's gas tax increase intensified, the state transportation agency co-ordinated frequently with the public affairs firm working to block the repeal on behalf of unions, construction companies and local government groups, emails obtained by The Associated Press show. The California State Transportation Agency and Sacramento-based Bicker, Castillo & Fairbanks organized news conferences and other efforts to promote legislation [Read more]
Refinery near national park avoids potential big roadblock
BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota regulators decided Wednesday that they don't have authority to wade into a dispute over the site of an oil refinery being developed near Theodore Roosevelt National Park, eliminating a potential big roadblock for the $800 million project. The 3-0 vote by the Public Service Commission was based on a technicality in state law and came after an administrative law judge told the group its hands were tied. It's unlikely to end debate over whether the Davis [Read more]
Environmentalists ask U.S. regulators to reconsider Enbridge pipeline project
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Environmental and Indigenous groups asked Minnesota regulators on Tuesday to reconsider their approval of Enbridge Energy's plans to replace its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota. The groups, including the Sierra Club, Youth Climate Intervenors, Friends of the Headwaters and Honor the Earth, filed their requests with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Opponents contend the line does not meet permit criteria. In June, the [Read more]
California urges Trump to drop plan for weaker fuel standard
FRESNO, Calif. - California officials demanded Monday that the Trump administration back off a plan to weaken national fuel economy standards aimed at reducing car emissions and saving people money at the pump, saying the proposed rollback would damage people's health and exacerbate climate change. Looming over the administration's proposal is the possibility that the state, which has become a key leader on climate change as Trump has moved to dismantle Obama-era environmental rules, [Read more]
TransCanada to start Keystone XL construction in 2019
LINCOLN, Neb. - The developer of the Keystone XL oil pipeline plans to start construction next year, after a U.S. State Department review ordered by a federal judge concluded that major environmental damage from a leak is unlikely and could quickly be mitigated, a company spokesman said Monday. TransCanada spokesman Matthew John said the company remains committed to moving ahead with the project following years of reviews from federal and state regulators. The company has already started [Read more]
U.S. economy keeps growing even with rising oil prices
DALLAS - America's rediscovered prowess in oil production is shaking up old notions about the impact of higher crude prices on the U.S. economy. It has long been conventional wisdom that rising oil prices hurt the economy by forcing consumers to spend more on gasoline and heating their homes, leaving less for other things. Presumably that kind of run-up would slow the U.S. economy. Instead, the economy grew at its fastest rate in nearly four years during the April-through-June [Read more]
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