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Environment & Safety

HP Impact: Dilbit poses no extra pipeline risk

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

Diluted bitumen (dilbit) has no greater likelihood of accidental pipeline release than other crude oils, says a new report from the National Research Council. The report found that diluted bitumen has..

HP Impact: Canada takes steps to enhance its pipeline system

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources recently announced the government’s plan to further enhance the country’s pipeline system by requiring companies operating major pipelines to have..

HP Impact: OAS report examines cyber security trends in the Americas

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

The Organization of American States (OAS) has released a report analyzing Latin American and Caribbean cyber security trends and government responses. Prepared in collaboration with the company Trend ..

Dropped tools are a dangerous problem

Total Safety: Schueppert, S.

Explosions, car wrecks and workplace violence: these are events that grab headlines. What is interesting, however, is that the most mundane things are often the most dangerous. In the realm of hydroca..

Williams eyes April 2014 restart for fire-damaged olefins plant in Louisiana

While the plant is offline, Williams has been able to resume expansion construction activities across the majority of the plant outside of the incident area. Based on the initial damage assessment, Williams is engaged in the engineering, procurement and demolition of impacted equipment to repair the facility.

Venezuela takes heavy oil upgrader offline after fire

A fire at the 180,000 bpd Petrocedeno heavy oil upgrader forced workers to take the facility's distillation unit offline. The reason behind the fire was a gas leak whose cause is yet to be evaluated.

Halliburton destroyed Deepwater Horizon evidence

The government says Halliburton, which was a contractor involved in drilling the oil well, destroyed computer simulations it performed in the months after the accident. Those simulations didn't bear out Halliburton's contention that BP erred by not following its advice on using certain equipment.

US oil, shale gas pioneer George Mitchell dies at 94

George Mitchell helped develop new technology for hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, which he used to tap oil & gas at the Barnett Shale in North Texas during the 1980s and 1990s.

Gas leak blocked, fire going out at Gulf of Mexico rig

A natural-gas-fueled fire that has been burning at the well since Tuesday night has been reduced to a small flame, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said in a statement. The rig was evacuated Tuesday morning after the well it was drilling blew out.

US launches antitrust investigation into pressure-pumping industry

Baker Hughes said it received a Civil Investigative Demand from the Justice Department under the Antitrust Civil Process Act. The request sought information relating to the US pressure-pumping market beginning May 29, 2011. Additional details about the scope of the investigation were not available.