The government is set today to auction offshore drilling leases in the western Gulf of Mexico — the first such sale since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Early details suggest there is plenty of pent-up industry demand for the offshore tracts that are up for grabs.  More »

The House on Tuesday passed legislation that sets up a showdown with the Obama administration over the Keystone XL oil pipeline by tying a plan to speed up the project’s approval to a tax- cut extension the president favors.  More »

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has criticized the Obama administration’s handling of offshore drilling but said he was newly optimistic after meeting with the industry’s top regulator on Tuesday.  More »

The House on Tuesday passed legislation that would tether the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline to a payroll tax cut, without the support of some congressional Democrats who back both plans.  More »

Top Senate Democrats today flatly rejected Republicans’ attempts to attach provisions rolling back energy and environmental regulations to spending and tax bills.  More »

The House is slated to force a showdown with the White House over the controversial Keystone XL pipeline today, by voting on legislation that would speed up the project’s approval and renew a payroll tax cut the Obama administration favors.  More »

The oil and gas industry’s biggest trade group is criticizing a government report that linked hydraulic fracturing with possible groundwater contamination in Wyoming.  More »

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska says she plans to introduce a bill to give some power plants more time to comply with a proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule for reducing mercury and other toxic air emissions. She says she’s concerned the rule would pose a threat to electric grid reliability, a claim the EPA has long denied.  More »

As many as 37,000 jobs tied to the U.S. wind industry could be lost if Congress doesn’t renew a renewable energy tax credit before it expires next year, according to a report issued today.  More »

Natural gas-powered utilities are taking credit for shaving $62 off the electricity bills for customers enrolled in their energy efficiency programs.  More »

A new EPA report that blames hydraulic fracturing for possibly contaminating Wyoming drinking water is providing fresh ammunition to environmentalists and policymakers who want to stiffen regulation of the technique credited with allowing the U.S. to unlock a 100-year supply of natural gas.  More »

House and Senate leaders said yesterday they had reached an agreement on legislation to reauthorize and strengthen pipeline safety programs through fiscal 2015.  More »