Chemicals/Petroleum
Report: U.S. Diesel Car Registrations Increase 24 Pct.
April 26, 2013 9:48 am | by Diesel Technology Forum | News | CommentsClean diesel car registrations increased by 24.3 percent in the U.S. from 2010 through 2012 following similar trends of double-digit diesel car sale increases throughout the country, according to new data compiled for the Diesel Technology Forum.
BASF To Cut 500 Jobs At Chemicals Business
April 23, 2013 12:17 pm | News | CommentsChemicals and oil company BASF say it is cutting 500 jobs by the end of 2015 at its specialized chemicals business. The company says the division is facing a changed business environment in some of its market segments, with new competitors and standardization requirements.
Honeywell To Acquire RAE Systems For $340M
April 23, 2013 12:13 pm | News | CommentsMinneapolis-based Honeywell, which makes products ranging from aircraft systems to automotive parts and chemicals, said the acquisition will complement its existing business and expand its expertise and its geographic footprint, particularly in high-growth countries like China.
Drop In Gas Prices Benefits Drivers, Economy
April 22, 2013 2:13 pm | by Jonathan Fahey, AP Energy Writer | News | CommentsThe price of oil is being driven lower by rising global supplies and lower-than-expected demand in the world's two largest economies, the United States and China. As oil and gasoline become more affordable, the economy benefits because goods become less expensive to transport.
Safety Rules Limited For Small Fertilizer Plants
April 22, 2013 8:05 am | by Jack Gillum and Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press | News | CommentsSmall fertilizer plants nationwide fall under the purview of several government agencies, each with a specific concern and none required to coordinate with others on what they have found. The small distributors — there are as many of 1,150 in Texas alone — are part of a regulatory system that focuses on large installations and industries.
410 Pigs, 122 Dogs Found Dead In China
April 17, 2013 8:40 am | News | CommentsLocal authorities say chemical factories in the area have been ordered to suspend production. The chief of Yanshi city's propaganda office says the deaths are suspected to be related to the factories. Authorities say the deaths have nothing to do with the bird flu virus that recently spread to humans.
Conn. Bill Requires Labeling Of BPA
April 16, 2013 1:47 pm | News | CommentsThe legislative proposal builds on current state law, which prohibits the manufacture, sale, or distribution in Connecticut of certain products containing bisphenol-A. The list includes reusable food or beverage containers, plastic containers or jars that hold infant formula or baby food, and thermal or cash register receipt paper.
BP Faces $1B Lawsuit For Texas Refinery Gas Leak
April 16, 2013 1:21 pm | News | CommentsMore than 470 people are suing BP for $1 billion, saying they became sick due to a 15-day gas leak at its refinery in Texas City.The Galveston County Daily News reports that BP says mercaptan leaked from a storage tank in November 2011.
BP Manager Testifies At Trial Over Gulf Oil Spill
April 15, 2013 2:03 pm | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsA BP team leader who supervised managers on the rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 says he was frustrated by last-minute changes to the drilling project but didn't have any safety concerns before the deadly blast. John Guide was the first witness to testify Monday as a trial over the disaster entered its eighth week.
Union Workers Rally In Support Of Pipeline Project
April 10, 2013 2:24 pm | by Justin Juozapavicius, Associated Press | News | CommentsOrganizers of the rally backing Calgary-based TransCanada's Keystone XL Pipeline said the project would allow the U.S. to tap a key energy source in North America instead of sending its money overseas to import millions of barrels of oil every day.
Canada: Pipeline Rejection Would Mar Relations
April 10, 2013 10:54 am | by Rob Gillies, Associated Press | News | CommentsPremier Alison Redford said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that the issue would keep coming up. Redford is in Washington for her fourth trip to lobby on behalf of a pipeline that Canada sees as critical to its economic well -being.
Chevron CEO Gets $3.5M Cash Bonus For 2012
April 3, 2013 7:47 am | News | CommentsChevron Corp. says Chairman and CEO John Watson will get a $3.5 million cash bonus for the oil company's big profit in 2012. It also said Tuesday that directors approved a $100,000 raise for Watson, boosting his annual salary to $1.8 million. Four other executives will get bonuses of up to $2.2 million and raises.
Oil Falls After Exxon Shuts Pipeline
April 2, 2013 8:17 am | News | CommentsThe price of oil fell Monday as Exxon shut a pipeline that carries oil out of the Midwest and a report showed a cooling of U.S. manufacturing activity. Benchmark oil for May delivery fell 16 cents to close at $97.07 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was the first decline since March 21, but the price was up from a low of $95.92 in the morning.
Whirlpool Sued In Ohio's Child Cancer Cluster Case
March 29, 2013 8:02 am | News | CommentsLawyers in Ohio filed a $750 million class action lawsuit Thursday against Whirlpool Corp. that's related to a child cancer cluster between Toledo and Cleveland. The lawsuit attempts to link Whirlpool and others to the cancer cluster, though the families of the children who've been diagnosed with cancer aren't involved.
Beavers Help Contain Fuel Spill
March 28, 2013 10:33 am | by Annie Knox, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe beavers' dam blocked a hefty portion of diesel from rolling onto the bay, though it's uncertain exactly how much, officials said. Three of the beavers were rescued earlier this week, and three more that were rescued Tuesday night are being cared for under a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah program.
Judge Sides With Wyoming In Fracking Chemical Suit
March 25, 2013 2:01 pm | by Mead Gruver, Associated Press | News | CommentsA judge in Casper has sided with the state of Wyoming and ruled against environmentalists who sought to make public the lists of ingredients that go into hydraulic fracturing fluids. Environmental groups had requested the ingredient lists from the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
BP Announces $8B Share Buyback
March 22, 2013 10:08 am | News | CommentsOil company BP says it will buy back $8 billion in shares after completing a complex deal for TNK-BP. BP invested $8 billion in cash, shares and assets when it formed TNK-BP in 2003 and received a total of $19 billion in dividends over the next decade.
Beekeepers Sue EPA To Ban Pesticide
March 21, 2013 9:28 pm | by Gosia Wozniacka, Associated Press | News | CommentsIn the suit, filed by the Center for Food Safety in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, the group asks the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to suspend the use of insecticides clothianidin and thiamethoxam — known as "neonicotinoids," a class of chemicals that act on the central nervous system of insects.
Drivers Face High Gas Prices Despite U.S. Oil Boom
March 21, 2013 1:30 pm | by Jonathan Fahey, AP Energy Writer | News | CommentsThe U.S. is increasing its oil production faster than ever and U.S. drivers are guzzling less gas. But you'd never know it from the price at the pump. The national average price of gasoline is $3.69 per gallon and it is forecast to creep higher and could approach $4 by May.
Keystone Fears Resonate Along New England Pipeline
March 18, 2013 1:24 pm | by Wilson Ring, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Canadian energy industry insists it has no plans to reverse the flow of a pipeline that carries crude oil from Maine to Montreal, but that has done little to reassure New England towns that oppose the idea and the 18 members of Congress asking for a full environmental review.
Ore. Bill Would Phase Out Chemicals Toxic To Kids
March 18, 2013 8:32 am | by Jeff Barnard, AP Environmental Writer | News | CommentsThe bi-partisan bill is patterned after a law in Washington state. Based on the experience of past failures to ban harmful chemicals from everyday items like baby bottles and food cans, environmentalists and child advocates also are supporting the measure as a longer, market-driven view.
Suit Accuses EPA Of Ignoring Harmful Pesticides
March 15, 2013 1:54 pm | News | CommentsArguments are expected Friday in a lawsuit alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has allowed the use of hundreds of pesticides despite evidence of harmful effects on more than 200 endangered and threatened species. Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero is scheduled to hear arguments focusing on motions filed by the EPA and the pesticide industry to dismiss the 2011 lawsuit.
Court: Group Can Sue Over Soap Chemical
March 15, 2013 1:52 pm | News | CommentsA New York federal appeals court says environmental activists can try to prove that a chemical found in some soaps is potentially dangerous. On Friday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Manhattan reinstated a lawsuit by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The group had sued the Food and Drug Administration to force it to finalize its regulation of triclosan.
Obama: Keystone XL Pipeline Not Major Jobs Creator
March 14, 2013 1:10 pm | by Matthew Daly, Associated Press | News | CommentsJobs numbers and other benefits touted by supporters of the Keystone XL oil pipeline are probably exaggerated, President Barack Obama told House Republicans on Wednesday, according to lawmakers who attended the closed-door meeting. But Obama did not rule out a decision to approve the $7 billion pipeline, according to participants.
Latching Drum Lids Make Drum Access Easy
March 13, 2013 3:29 pm | Products | CommentsIdeal for both product dispensing and waste collection areas, the Lids feature a Nitrile gasket and locking mechanism that reduces vapor emissions and seals the lid so drum contents stay secure. A removable hinge pin allows the Lid to be removed without loosening the band to facilitate container dumping.
