KiOR ships first production of wood chip-based diesel
The Pasadena, Texas company announced Monday that it’s production of diesel from pine wood chips at a plant in Columbus, Miss. has reached commercial scale. More »
Oil-rich area may not get tax windfall
If South Texas’ oil-producing counties thought this was the year they finally would tap deep reserves of state funding for the crumbling roads, lack of housing and increased water demands brought on by their energy boom, they might want to think again. More »
From orbit to drill bit, NASA exes bring deep understanding of risk
When the shuttle program ended with the last flight of Atlantis in 2011, thousands of workers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center hoped that their skills would transfer over to Houston’s booming energy business. More »
Some companies don’t wait for lightning to strike
Lightning strikes are the most common cause of accidents involving storage tanks at refineries and petrochemical plants, according to a study in the Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries. More »
BP withheld data from rig crew in Gulf disaster, expert says
The crew on the rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was “trying to get it right,” a Transocean drilling expert testified Monday. But, he added, BP withheld critical information from them. More »
BP seeks injunction over Gulf oil spill settlement dispute
BP wants an injunction to prevent the administrator handling claims under a class-action settlement reached with victims of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill from paying inflated or fictitious claims that could cost the British oil giant billions of dollars. More »
Gas export debate heats up over economic benefits
A report highlighting the higher economic benefits of using American natural gas to make things rather than selling it overseas has drawn heated criticism from export backers. More »
Higher natural gas prices boost oil field services demand
Onshore oil field service activity is picking up again after a difficult 2012, when exceptionally low natural gas prices and a warm winter gutted the demand for natural gas. More »
Worker burned in La Porte plant fire sues company
An electrician who was burned in a La Porte chemical plant fire last week has filed a lawsuit that offers more details about the incident that sent him to the hospital and black plumes of smoke billowing from the facility. More »
Energy storage technology to surge worldwide
The market services required to store electricity is expected to grow tenfold in the next ten years, as energy storage technology starts to become available around the globe, a market research report said Friday morning. More »
BHP hits the road with Eagle Ford jobs fair
BHP Billiton Petroleum will hold several jobs fairs throughout South Texas in early April. Get the times and locations here. More »
Interior Dept. allows BP to bid on Gulf leases, with conditions
The Interior Department will allow BP to bid in next week’s Gulf of Mexico lease sale, despite its suspension from obtaining new federal contracts. More »
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