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WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court panel had tough questions Wednesday for opponents of the $3.8 billion, four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline who are arguing to keep a temporary stop of construction in place for a small stretch in North Dakota. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit already had stopped ...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A defiant Don Blankenship declared himself an “American political prisoner” on his blog, blaming others for the 2010 mine explosion that killed 29 men and led the former West Virginia coal operator to be imprisoned. The ex-Massey Energy CEO said this week that he plans to distribute 250,000 copies of the 67-page diatribe in booklet form. ...

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Obama administration wants a federal judge to uphold its decision to block oil and gas drilling on land considered sacred to some tribes in the U.S. and Canada, as industry groups warn the government’s move sets a precedent against energy development. Justice Department attorneys urged the judge in court documents filed Monday to reject a ...

Oilprice.com recently reported Bakken oil production was up 3,046 barrels per day in July, despite an overall down trend. The report shows a preliminary total of 13,255 producing wells and a current (September) rig count of 33. This compares to an all-time high of 218 in May 2012. The rig count continues to slowly increase. Oilprice noted that over 98 ...

PAWNEE, Okla. (AP) — A 3.5-magnitude earthquake struck northern Oklahoma on Tuesday morning, hitting the same spot where a record-setting temblor was centered a month ago. The U.S. Geological Survey says Tuesday’s earthquake hit shortly after 4 a.m. with an epicenter about 10 miles northwest of Pawnee, or about 75 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. There are no reports of ...

MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota authorities have issued an arrest warrant accusing a pipeline protester on horseback of charging at a police officer. Mason Redwing, of Fort Thompson, South Dakota, is wanted on felony charges of terrorizing and reckless endangerment in the Sept. 28 incident near St. Anthony. He’s also wanted on a previous warrant for criminal trespass. The ...

As an industrial writer, I run across case studies and case histories for companies I work with all the time. Most of the time I take those with a grain of salt, figuring a company isn’t going to tout a case study when their product didn’t work. So I was intrigued when I was asked to write a story about ...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina regulators are allowing Duke Energy to expand from being the country’s largest electricity company to selling natural gas. Duke Energy Corp. said in a statement Thursday that the North Carolina Utilities Commission has allowed its acquisition of Piedmont Natural Gas Co. The regulatory approval is the last needed for the deal. The transaction is ...

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nobody will flip a switch, and lights aren’t expected to flutter on casino floors when 15 Las Vegas Strip properties start parting ways overnight with NV Energy. MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts will start buying electricity Saturday from private providers on the open market after a yearlong effort to unplug from the state’s dominant electric ...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A company has agreed to pay $27 million in a settlement over violations of biofuel exports. The U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced the settlement with Chemoil, which sells renewable fuel, diesel and oil products from San Francisco. The civil penalty is the largest under the EPA’s fuels program. The agencies said ...