Chemicals/Petroleum
Feds Blame Two BP Workers For 2010 BP Oil Disaster
November 19, 2012 4:18 pm | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal indictment last week charged Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine with manslaughter, accusing them of botching a crucial safety test. But a defense attorney claims the two BP well site leaders are scapegoats, given that other government probes have concluded the disaster resulted from a complex web of mistakes and a corporate culture that placed profits ahead of safety.
Workers Safe After Texas Chemical Plant Fire
November 19, 2012 8:32 am | News | CommentsAll workers are accounted for and safe after a chemical plant near Dallas erupted in flames. The fire started at the Nexeo Solutions plant in Garland about 3:30 p.m. Friday. Nexeo spokeswoman Christina Reynolds says all 41 workers who were at the plant then are safe.
4 Hurt, 2 Missing In Gulf Rig Fire
November 16, 2012 1:45 pm | News | CommentsAn explosion and fire ripped through a Gulf oil platform Friday as workers used a cutting torch, sending four people to a hospital with burns and leaving two missing in waters off Louisiana. Coast Guard Capt. Ed Cubanski told a news conference in New Orleans the well was not producing at the time and no oil was leaking.
Exxon Mobil To Investigate Cause Of Oil Mist
November 16, 2012 11:49 am | News | CommentsExxon Mobil Corp. has agreed to investigate the cause of an oil-mist release at a northern Illinois refinery last month and develop a plan to ensure it doesn't happen again. The oil mist was accidentally released from the coker unit at the company's Channahon Township refinery on Oct. 19 and fell onto homes, farms and a creek within a four-mile radius.
Oil Industry Group Urges Obama To OK Pipeline
November 15, 2012 12:23 pm | News | CommentsThe fight over a proposed pipeline to transport crude oil from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries is picking up again as groups urge President Barack Obama to either approve or reject the pipeline. The American Petroleum Institute held a conference call with reporters Thursday to emphasize the virtues of the Keystone XL pipeline that TransCanada wants to build.
BP To Pay $4.5B For Gulf Oil Spill
November 15, 2012 9:58 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsBP said Thursday that it will pay $4.5 billion in a settlement with the U.S. government over the massive 2010 oil spill and will plead guilty to felony counts related to the deaths of 11 workers and lying to Congress. The figure includes nearly $1.3 billion in criminal fines — the largest such penalty ever — along with payments to several government entities.
Canada Views U.S. Oil Boom As Wakeup Call
November 13, 2012 1:30 pm | by Rob Gillies, Associated Press | News | CommentsCanada's Natural Resources minister said a report that says the U.S. will become the world's largest oil producer by the end of the decade should serve as a wakeup call that dramatically illustrates the need for Canada to diversify its energy exports.
BP, AAR Settle Disputes From TNK-BP
November 13, 2012 11:18 am | News | CommentsBritish oil company BP and its Russian partner AAR say they have settled all disputes between them as both prepare to sell their stakes in their lucrative but contentious joint venture, TNK-BP. Both have agreed to sell their positions to the Russian state-controlled oil company Rosneft.
2 Oil Companies Pay $35M In MTBE Suit
November 8, 2012 10:11 am | News | CommentsNew Hampshire's attorney general says two oil companies are paying the state a total of $35 million to settle pending claims from a lawsuit alleging that they added MTBE to gasoline, knowing that it would contaminate ground water supplies. The state, which sued the companies and others in 2003, contends they knew they were supplying a product with unique hazards.
OPEC Sees Coal Use Increasing
November 8, 2012 9:15 am | News | CommentsOPEC says that fossil fuels will remain the main energy source in the coming decades with coal's share growing and oil's falling. In its annual World Oil Outlook, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries also projects that a barrel of benchmark crude will cost $155 by 2035, compared with under $100 now.
Burned Refinery Using Corrosion-Resistant Pipes
November 8, 2012 8:35 am | News | CommentsChevron Corp. says it will use corrosion-resistant pipes at the San Francisco Bay area fuel refinery damaged in an August fire. The petroleum giant says in a letter released on Wednesday that thinning and corrosion in refinery pipes apparently caused the blaze in its crude unit No. 4.
Oil Falls As Global Economic Worries Resurface
November 7, 2012 11:01 am | News | CommentsNow that the U.S. presidential election is decided, the oil market is back to worrying about the global economy. Benchmark oil fell $2.67, or 3 percent, to $86.04 per barrel Wednesday in New York. It rose 3.5 percent Tuesday, ahead of President Obama's re-election.
Dow Chemical To Support Sandy Relief Efforts
November 7, 2012 10:58 am | News | CommentsThe Midland-based chemical giant plans a $100,000 donation to the American Red Cross National Disaster Fund; $150,000 in grants to local Red Cross chapters and human services providers in areas where Dow has facilities; and implementation of an employee matching gift program of up to $100,000.
9 Hurt In Texas City Chemical Leak
October 25, 2012 9:25 am | News | CommentsOfficials say nine people have been hurt in a chemical tank leak that restricted outdoor activities in a Southeast Texas city for hours. Emergency authorities in Texas City lifted the shelter-in-place order shortly after 5 a.m. Thursday in a storage tank spill involving hydrochloric acid.
PolyOne To Buy Spartech Corp.
October 25, 2012 8:38 am | News | CommentsChemical company PolyOne Corp. reported an 11 percent increase in its third-quarter net income on Wednesday and disclosed it has agreed to buy plastics products maker Spartech Corp. for $246 million in stock and cash. PolyOne makes resins used in plastic pipe and other products, and said the earnings increase reflected an improved product mix.
Dow Chemical To Cut 2,400 Jobs, Close 20 Plants
October 23, 2012 6:49 pm | News | CommentsThe Dow Chemical Co. will eliminate about 2,400 jobs and close roughly 20 manufacturing facilities as part of a restructuring plan aimed at coping with slowing economic growth in Europe and elsewhere. The manufacturing giant said Tuesday that the job cuts amount to 5 percent of the company's workforce worldwide.
U.S. May Soon Become World's Top Oil Producer
October 23, 2012 1:49 pm | by Jonathan Fahey, AP Energy Writer | News | CommentsU.S. oil output is surging so fast that the United States could soon overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest producer. Driven by high prices and new drilling methods, U.S. production of crude and other liquid hydrocarbons is on track to rise 7 percent this year to an average of 10.9 million barrels per day.
DuPont To Cut 1,500 Jobs
October 23, 2012 8:19 am | by Randall Chase, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsChemical maker the DuPont Co. will cut 1,500 jobs and take other steps to increase competitiveness after a third quarter in which earnings fell sharply. The company reported net income of $10 million Tuesday, or a penny per share, compared with $452 million, or 48 cents per share, for the same period last year.
Russia's Rosneft Buys Out TNK-BP
October 22, 2012 8:35 am | News | CommentsRussian oil giant Rosneft said Monday it is buying TNK-BP, the joint venture between AAR, a group of Russian oil oligarchs, and BP, the British the energy company. BP said it had agreed to sell its 50 percent stake in TNK-BP to Rosneft for $17.1 billion in cash and a 12.84 percent stake in the Russian oil group.
Gasoline Prices Begin To Slide
October 18, 2012 11:52 am | News | CommentsThe national average retail price has fallen for ten straight days and is now $3.74 per gallon. That's 13 cents below the fall peak of $3.87 reached on Sept. 14, although still higher than ever for this time of year. Gasoline prices typically decline in the fall as refiners switch to cheaper fuel blends and drivers take a break from road trips.
DuPont Opens Michigan Innovation Center
October 18, 2012 11:44 am | News | CommentsChemical giant DuPont Co. is opening an innovation center in suburban Detroit that's aimed at speeding the introduction of new products for the automotive industry. The Wilmington, Del.-based company's facility opened Thursday. It is DuPont's eighth-such center and is located at its Automotive Development Center in Troy.
Akzo Nobel Posts $3.11B Loss In 3Q
October 18, 2012 8:47 am | by Toby Sterling, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsWith its new CEO on an extended sick leave, Dutch chemicals conglomerate Akzo Nobel NV reported Thursdsay a $3.11 billion loss in the third quarter after taking a massive impairment charge on its home paints business. Akzo Nobel said the business's growth potential is simply less than it had hoped, particularly in its biggest market, Europe.
Texas Landowners Take A Stand Against Big Oil
October 17, 2012 8:19 am | by Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press | News | CommentsNearly half the steel TransCanada is using is not American-made and the company won't promise to use local workers exclusively; it can't guarantee the oil will remain in the United States. To fight back, insulted Texas landowners are filing dozens of lawsuits, threatening to further delay a project that has already encountered many obstacles.
Ecolab Buys Champion Technologies In $2.2B Deal
October 12, 2012 8:15 am | News | CommentsCleaning, food safety and pest-control services company Ecolab is buying the specialty chemical company Champion Technologies in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $2.2 billion. Ecolab Chairman and CEO Douglas Baker Jr. says that the transaction will help expand its geographic reach and enhance its technology offerings.
Crude Oil Supplies Up By 1.7M Barrels
October 11, 2012 11:46 am | News | CommentsThe nation's crude oil supplies increased last week, the government said Wednesday. Crude supplies grew by 1.7 million barrels, or 0.5 percent, to 366.4 million barrels, which is 8.5 percent above year-ago levels, the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report.
