oil Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Developer Abandons Keystone XL Pipeline Project, Ending Decade-Long Battle

By NPR News June 11, 2021

A storage yard is seen in Montana for pipe that was to be used in the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The developer has now canceled the controversial project. Al Nash/Bureau of Land Management via AP

The company behind the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline said Wednesday it's officially terminating the project. TC Energy already had suspended construction in January when President Biden revoked a key cross-border presidential permit. The announcement ends a more than decade-long battle that came to signify the debate over whether fossil fuels should be left in the Read More

Hold That Drill: Why Wall Street Wants Energy Companies To Pump Less Oil, Not More

By NPR News March 6, 2021

Oil pump jacks operate at dusk in Long Beach, Calif., on April 21, 2020. After getting burned by the oil industry's previous boom-and-bust cycles, Wall Street now wants energy companies to pump less crude, not more. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

Oil prices have risen sharply over the last few months. Normally, that's a recipe for a drilling frenzy from U.S. oil producers. But something strange is happening, or rather, not happening.Read More

OPEC And Allies Keep Oil Production Steady As Saudi Arabia Urges ‘Caution’

By NPR News March 4, 2021

A pumpjack operates in the desert oil fields in southern Bahrain on April 22, 2020. Bahrain and other members of the OPEC+ alliance decided Thursday to keep output largely unchanged as they hope to push crude prices even higher after a recent rally. CREDIT: Mazen Mahdi/AFP via Getty Images

OPEC and its allies said Thursday they are keeping oil production largely steady, even as crude prices stage a remarkable recovery, betting that a restrained approach will lay the groundwork for prices to climb even more.Read More

Order From President Biden Blocks Keystone XL Pipeline

By NPR News January 20, 2021

A 2014 file photo of the White River in South Dakota near where the Keystone XL pipeline would have passed. President Biden plans to block the pipeline in one of his first acts of office. Andrew Burton/Getty Images

As part of his ambitious plan to address climate change, President Biden is revoking a key, cross-border presidential permit needed to finish the controversial Keystone XL pipelineRead More

It Wasn’t Just The Pandemic: Oil’s Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Year

By NPR News January 3, 2021

Hurricane Laura sends large waves crashing on a beach in Cameron, La., on Aug. 26 as an offshore oil rig appears in the distance. The most active hurricane season on record was just one of many challenges facing the oil industry this year — aside from the attention-grabbing crisis of the pandemic. CREDIT: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Set aside the pandemic. Ignore the collapse in demand. Forget about the time oil prices went negative. Look at everything else that happened this year, and — Well. Oil still had a pretty terrible year.Read More

After Decades-Long Push, It’s Not Clear Who Will Bid In Arctic Refuge Oil Lease Sale

By NPR News January 2, 2021

A polar bear with cubs in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 2014. Barcroft Media/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Just two weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office, the Trump administration is trying to lock-in oil and gas drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with a hastily scheduled and controversial lease sale. But despite the high stakes, uncertainty looms over how much oil is actually trapped under the million acres of tundra up for leasing, and how much Read More

Train Carrying Crude Oil Derails, Catches Fire In Whatcom County Near Canadian Border

By NWPB News December 22, 2020

Fire crews respond to the scene of a derailed train in the city of Custer, Washington, in Whatcom County on Tuesday, December 22, 2020. A BNSF spokesperson said seven train cars derailed and two caught fire. CREDIT: Washington Dept. of Ecology

A train carrying crude oil derailed and caught fire in Whatcom County Tuesday morning, prompting officials to evacuate all nearby residents and businesses for several hours.Read More

Trump Administration Rushes To Lock In Arctic Wildlife Refuge Drilling Before Biden’s Term

By NPR News December 3, 2020

Caribou from the Porcupine Caribou Herd migrate onto the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. The refuge has long been eyed for oil exploration. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/AP

The Jan. 6 auction was set before the end of the comment and nominations period. If leases are finalized before Joe Biden takes office, they could be difficult to revoke.Read More

Oil Industry, Accustomed To Booms And Busts, Is Rocked By Pandemic

By NPR News July 16, 2020

Pump jacks operate at dusk near Loco Hills in Eddy County, New Mexico, on April 23. U.S. oil producers are grappling with prolonged low oil prices and the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic. CREDIT: Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images

When the price of oil crashes, oil companies often merge and big oil gets even bigger. So this crisis could be an opportunity for companies, but it comes with a tremendous amount of uncertainty. Read More

Court Rules Dakota Access Pipeline Must Be Emptied Temporarily For Environmental Review

By NPR News July 6, 2020

Members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and its supporters, shown here during a demonstration in 2017, have opposed the Dakota Access Pipeline for years. CREDIT: Alex Wong/Getty Images

A federal judge has ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to produce a full environmental review. Until then, oil must stop flowing through the controversial pipeline.Read More

As EPA Steps Back, States Face Wave Of Requests For Environmental Leniency

By NPR News June 9, 2020

Companies across the country say the pandemic is interfering with their ability to comply with laws that protect the public from pollution. The federal government is not keeping track of requests for regulatory leniency during the pandemic. CREDIT: DKAR Images/Tetra images /Getty Images

The EPA does not require companies to notify federal regulators if the pandemic interferes with pollution monitoring or reporting. That leaves states alone on the front lines of pollution control.Read More

Trump Administration Says Washington State Overstepped With Oil Train Law

By NWPB News May 13, 2020

Smoke billows from a Union Pacific train that derailed near Mosier, Ore., in the Columbia River Gorge. on June 3, 2016.

The Trump administration on Monday moved to block a Washington state law that imposed safety restrictions on oil shipments by rail following a string of explosive accidents.Read More

10 Years After BP Deepwater Horizon Spill: Oil Drilled Deeper; Rules Relaxed

By NWPB News April 20, 2020

Oil in the Gulf of Mexico as the Deepwater Horizon oil rig burns

Ten years after an oil rig explosion killed 11 workers and unleashed an environmental nightmare in the Gulf of Mexico, companies are drilling in deeper and deeper waters, where payoffs can be huge but risks are greater than ever.Read More

Oil Prices, Stocks Plunge After Saudi Arabia Stuns World With Massive Discounts

By NPR News March 9, 2020

Oil prices and stock indexes were in freefall Sunday after Saudi Arabia announced a stunning discount in oil prices — of $6 to $8 per barrel — to its customers in Asia, the United States and Europe.Read More

Canadian Court Clears The Way For Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion; First Nations Opposed

By NPR News February 10, 2020

The expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline has seen significant opposition, such as this camp set up by demonstrators in Vancouver, Canada, in 2018. CREDIT: Jeremy Hainsworth/AP

The Trans Mountain expansion, which would add more than 600 miles to the pipeline and increase its capacity from 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000, has been mired in controversy and legal battles since Canada's cabinet first approved the project in 2016.Read More

U.S. To Deploy More Troops To Saudi Arabia And UAE In Response To Oil Field Attacks

By PBS Newshour September 21, 2019

This image provided on Sunday by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows a prestrike overview at Saudi Aramco's Khurais oil field in Buqayq, Saudi Arabia. U.S. government/Digital Globe via AP

The Pentagon on Friday announced it will deploy additional U.S. troops and missile defense equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as President Donald Trump has at least for now put off any immediate military strike on Iran in response to the attack on the Saudi oil industry.Read More

Refinery Explosions Raise New Warnings About Deadly Chemical

By NPR News July 19, 2019

Flames and smoke emerge from the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery in Philadelphia on June 21. Experts say the explosions could have been far more devastating if deadly hydrogen fluoride had been released. CREDIT: Matt Rourke/AP

Chemical experts say recent refinery explosions could have been far more devastating if deadly hydrogen fluoride was released. Some are calling for a ban on the chemical.Read More

U.S. Department Of Interior Moves To Roll Back Offshore Drilling Safety Regulations

By NPR News May 4, 2019

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig is seen here in July 2010, shortly before the Macondo well was capped after spilling oil for 87 days. The Trump administration has proposed revisions to Obama-era rules that aimed to prevent similar disasters. Dave Martin/Associated Press

The Interior secretary touted the revised rules as eliminating "unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining safety." But environmental groups said the move demonstrates oil industry influence.Read More

President Trump’s Push For ‘Energy Dominance’ Boosts Drilling On Public Lands

By NWPB News November 26, 2018

Environmental groups say the expansion of oil and gas drilling on public land could harm habitat for pronghorn antelope and sage grouse. CREDIT: Cooper McKim/Wyoming Public Media

Analysts say a perfect storm is making Wyoming, the country's largest coal state, more favorable for oil and gas. Higher oil prices are certainly one factor, says Carl Larry, who advises oil and gas companies with the financial consulting firm Refinitiv in Houston.Read More

Oil Prices Hit A New Low This Year. That Could Be A Bad Thing

By NPR News November 24, 2018

The recent drop in oil prices has raised concerns about the international economy, as well as domestic growth in the United States. CREDIT: Charlie Riedel/AP

Oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Black Friday, the lowest price in a year. While President Trump credits Saudi Arabia for what he says amounts to a "tax cut," the reality is more complicated.Read More

Canadian Judge Halts Tar Sands Pipeline, Citing Impacts To Puget Sound Orcas

By John Ryan August 31, 2018

Canadian federal judge Eleanor Dawson said that regulators failed to consider the pipeline's potential impacts of increased shipping on Southern resident killer whales. CREDIT: CANDICE EMMONS / NOAA FISHERIES/NORTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER

A Canadian federal judge has halted construction of a pipeline that would have sent more oil tankers through Washington waters.Read More

Washington Tribes Vow To Fight Canadian Pipeline With ‘Brothers And Sisters In The North’

By John Ryan May 30, 2018

A member of Puget Sound's Swinomish tribe participating in a ceremonial salmon blessing. Northwest tribes hold vigils along the Columbia River to pray for the return of salmon. CREDIT: KUOW PHOTO/KATIE CAMPBELL

The government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that it is buying the pipeline from Texas-based Kinder Morgan. The pipeline, built in 1953, currently carries 300,000 barrels of heavy tar sands oil daily from Alberta to British Columbia and refineries in Washington state.Read More