May 23 Watch 8:59 Highlighted by hazards, new rules aim to tackle the safety of oil trains By PBS News Hour In North Dakota, nearly a million barrels of crude oil are extracted from the ground each day, and instead of pipelines, most of it is transported by rail. Now, prompted by a series of catastrophic accidents, the Department of Transportation… Continue watching
May 22 DOT issues new rules to minimize disaster when oil trains derail By Stephen Fee Russell Gold, the author of the book, The Boom: How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World, and an energy reporter for the Wall Street Journal, joins the NewsHour's Stephen Fee via Google Hangout to discuss the… Continue reading
May 11 Watch 5:13 Obama administration clears hurdles for drilling off Alaska coast By PBS News Hour The Obama administration has essentially given oil company Royal Dutch Shell the go-ahead to start drilling off the coast of Alaska. Environmental groups have long warned of the dangers of doing so, but estimates show there may be as much… Continue watching
Apr 30 Senators propose that oil companies pay fee to ship oil by train By Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. senators from six states on Thursday proposed that the government charge companies a special fee to ship oil, ethanol and other flammable liquids in older railroad tank cars that have been involved in fiery explosions. The… Continue reading
Apr 22 Watch 6:28 Oklahoma links earthquakes to oil and gas industry wastewater By PBS News Hour There has been a sharp increase in the number of earthquakes in Oklahoma in recent years. Some observers have suggested the rise of oil and gas drilling is responsible. The state’s government, however, hasn’t acknowledged that link until now. Gwen… Continue watching
Feb 27 Fiery train wrecks put pressure on safety standards for oil transport By Joan Lowy, Associated Press The most serious oil train accident killed 47 people and destroyed the town center of Lac Megantic in Quebec, Canada, just across the border from Maine, in 2013. Continue reading
Jan 27 Watch 7:17 As oil prices drop, North Dakota’s booming industry braces for a winter cooldown By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Jan 26 Watch 9:04 Obama proposal to expand protection for Arctic wildlife refuge sparks backlash By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Jan 15 Despite low gas prices, gas tax hike appears unlikely By Joan Lowy, Associated Press With gasoline prices at their lowest in years when the new Congress convened, there had been talk that it might be time to raise federal gas and diesel taxes, which haven't budged in more than 20 years. Continue reading
Dec 15 Denmark stakes claim to oil-rich North Pole By Rebecca Jacobson, Inside Energy On Monday, the European nation delivered an official claim to a United Nations council in New York, part of a the race to own the Arctic that includes Norway, Canada and Russia. Continue reading