WASHINGTON (AP) — Falling auto production fueled a broader decline in U.S. industrial output in May, a potentially worrying sign that manufacturers face economic challenges. The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that industrial output — which includes factories, mines and utilities — dropped 0.4 percent from April. The decline reversed the 0.6 percent gain seen between April and March, an improvement ...
Read More »Author Archives: Ben Karkela
Scientists: Drop Arctic from plans for offshore drilling
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Nearly 400 scientists have signed a letter urging President Obama to eliminate the possibility of Arctic offshore drilling in the near future by taking the Arctic Ocean out of the next federal offshore lease sale plan. The scientists include Jane Lubchenco, Obama’s former administrator of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, now a researcher and teacher ...
Read More »New York grants offer $12 million for gas station generators
MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — New York state is providing $12 million in grants for the installation of permanent emergency generators at downstate gas stations. A statement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the generators are needed to provide back-up power following major storms. Hundreds of gas stations were without power and customers waited on long lines for weeks at stations that ...
Read More »Leaders ask Oregon, Washington governors to ban oil-by-train
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland and Multnomah County leaders on Tuesday urged the governors of Oregon and Washington to push Congress for a permanent ban on oil-by-rail in the wake of a fiery train derailment along the Columbia River. The June 3 derailment in the town of Mosier showed transporting oil by train is dangerous and unnecessary and should be ...
Read More »US stocks bounce back as mining and consumer companies rise
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rising Wednesday morning after a four-day losing streak. Mining companies and consumer stocks are making some of the largest gains. Energy companies are falling as the price of oil continues to slide. KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average rose 53 points, or 0.3 percent, to 17,728 as of 9:52 a.m. Eastern time. ...
Read More »University of Wyoming trustees to hear plan on budget cuts
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees was scheduled to discuss Wednesday how the state’s only public four-year university will cut more than $40 million from its budget over the next two years. New UW President Laurie Nichols will present the trustees with her plan to start cutting the budget, beginning July 1. The state has ...
Read More »New Mexico settles with Texas well operator
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico oilfield regulators have reached a settlement agreement with a Texas well operator in response to spills of oily salt water at the company’s waste-water injection sites and oil wells. The New Mexico Oil Conservation Division confirmed Tuesday the agreement with Siana Operating of Midland, Texas, that outlines a timeline for cleaning up the ...
Read More »2015 Louisiana economy slows as government, services shrink
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New figures show Louisiana’s economy slowed in 2015, but expanding refineries and chemical plants kept growth alive despite low oil prices, a shrinking private service sector and lower government activity. Gross domestic product numbers released Tuesday by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis try to measure all the economic output of each state. Louisiana’s economy grew ...
Read More »Eagle Ford shale to benefit from $3.6B pipeline projects
Eagle Ford shale producers are benefiting from Mexico’s need for more electricity. Mexico’s state-owned Federal Electricity Commission recently awarded $3.6 billion in pipeline projects to TransCanada, Spectra Energy and others. The projects will transport shale gas from Texas to Mexico to help meet the country’s growing electricity needs. For decades, Mexico’s electric power infrastructure has been hampered by inefficiency and ...
Read More »Gas prices spiking in Ohio as summer road trip season begins
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio motorists have probably noticed already that that the cheap gas prices from earlier this year are now but a distant and pleasant memory. The auto club AAA says pump prices are on the rise in Ohio, thanks to a confluence of factors that include refinery issues, pipeline delivery disruptions and higher crude oil prices. As ...
Read More »