If $100 a barrel wasn’t enough to make a shale driller money, imagine what a price 40 percent lower is doing. Not good. According to a Bloomberg Business report, debt is becoming a dangerous burden for an increasing number of players in the U.S. shale boom. “The question is, how long do they have that… Keep reading →
The Dow Jones industrial average rose into positive territory for the year after a difficult stretch for the market last week.”Traders welcomed a government report showing that consumer spending and incomes rose in February. Another report hinted at strong start to the spring buying season.Energy stocks were among the biggest gainers, bucking a slide in… Keep reading →
Gasoline prices have been falling steadily for months. Now a gallon may be purchased for substantially less than three dollars in many regions of the country. That’s welcome news for consumers, but environmentalists, regulators and first responders have been asking whether there are risks associated with this happy development that may not be obvious and which should be addressed.
Benchmark crude oil price declines may threaten domestic producers’ continued production growth. On January 5, 2015, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report — drawing from the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (GSCI) — showing that energy commodity prices recorded the largest declines in 2014 compared to non-energy commodities. Notably, the GSCI’s energy component… Keep reading →
The continued increase in rail transportation of U.S. crude oil reflects rising production, which reached 8.5 million bbl/d in June 2014, the highest since July 1986. On December 24, 2014, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report showing that the amount of U.S. crude oil and refined petroleum products transported by rail increased by… Keep reading →
Oil and gas development in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana has not impacted shallow water resources, according to a new study. However, the age of the groundwater sampled and the sample locations indicate additional research should be conducted to fully evaluate energy production impact on regional water resources. The study was published… Keep reading →
A judge found Continental Resources CEO Harold Hamm owes nearly $1 billion to his wife as a result of their lengthy divorce settlement, one of the largest in US history. Hamm, former Mitt Romney energy adviser, gets to keep his 253 million shares of Continental stock valued at $13.7 billion. He must pay his now… Keep reading →
For a stark on-the-ground report from Williston, North Dakota – widely considered the hub of Bakken Shale oil & gas development – read this story written by Brooklyn-based freelance journalist Laura Gottesdiener. The piece provides a glimpse inside the North American oil & gas production boom that often gets lost in the maze of production… Keep reading →
Courtesy of Aries Residence Suites
Bakken crude producers and midstream transportation companies already experience transportation woes related to inadequate pipeline infrastructure, railroad capacity, tank car supply, rail accidents, and new regulations. But they also increasingly face a new problem: lawsuits. In September alone, the Sierra Club, one of the largest environmental organizations in the United States, filed two lawsuits challenging different aspects of crude-by-rail transportation. First, on the national level, the Sierra Club seeks to stop the transportation of crude oil in allegedly outdated and unsafe tank cars. And second, at the state level, the Sierra Club accuses a local agency of illegally permitting a rail-to-truck facility.
