By Mark Drajem Bloomberg News Alaska’s government proposed investing its own cash in an assessment of oil reserves in the U.S. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, seeking to prod the federal government to consider drilling in the protected area. With the Interior Department working on a management plan for the area, Republican Governor Sean Parnell’s administration [...]  More »

You wouldn’t know it from the oil industry’s angry reaction, but the Obama administration’s latest plan to tighten standards for drilling on public lands gives more ground to the private sector at the expense of environmentalists who pushed for tougher protections. Analysts said that’s a fresh sign that the Obama administration supports shale gas development and the payoff that comes from increased domestic energy production.  More »

The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled a new plan to tighten standards for drilling on public lands and force companies to reveal the chemicals they use in the process, after making significant concessions to the oil industry.  More »

The across-the-board cuts to federal spending will translate to fewer oil and gas drilling leases — and some $150 million in lost government revenue — congressional Democrats warned Wednesday.  More »

Two federal agencies are laying the foundation for wind turbines in the Gulf of Mexico, by launching a study of the effects seismic research poses on whales and fish in the region.  More »

Federal regulators are on track to propose new standards for boosting the reliability and performance of emergency devices safeguarding offshore wells later this year — but that doesn’t mean the industry will have to comply overnight.  More »

When Interior Secretary Sally Jewell worked in the oil patch three decades ago, she was a pioneer who put up with a nearly all-male work force and Hustler pin-ups at drill sites. While overt sexism may have left the oilfield in the 32 years since, there still aren’t a lot of women in it. Ditto for people of color. “The industry has some work to do,” Jewell said.  More »

Industry experts told members of Congress the Interior Department’s potential regulations to hydraulic fracturing –  fracking —  on federal lands is a threat to jobs and energy security and an effort they consider “duplicative.” Texas Rep. Bill Flores, who has been an ardent opponent of proposals to increase federal oversight of hydraulic fracturing, said regulations should be  Read More  More »

During a closed-door meeting with oil industry leaders on the sidelines of the Offshore Technology Conference, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell pleaded for cooperation and a little understanding, as federal drilling regulators aim to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology.  More »

Private businesses aren’t the only ones searching for talent at the Offshore Technology Conference. Federal regulators also are recruiting engineers and would-be inspectors to join their ranks.  More »

The nation’s top offshore drilling regulators will visit the Offshore Technology Conference on Wednesday to tour the massive exhibit floor where more than 2,000 companies have their wares on display. The newly sworn-in interior secretary, Sally Jewell, will make an appearance, alongside Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement director James Watson and Tommy Beaudreau, the head of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.  More »

U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell visited Ensco’s semi-submersible drilling rig and Chevron’s Blind Faith production platform in the Gulf of Mexico Friday — the kind of facilities that were off limits to women when Jewell worked for Mobil Oil three decades ago.  More »