Environment & Safety
Tesoro to pay record US penalty for environmental violations at refineries
Tesoro, an independent US refiner, didn't comply with recordkeeping, reporting, sampling and testing requirements at four refineries producing conventional gasoline, in violation of the Clean Air Act, the EPA said. The agency said the penalty was the largest ever issued for violations like these.
Iran launches cyberattacks on US energy firms
In the latest operations, the Iranian hackers were able to gain access to control-system software that could potentially allow them to manipulate US oil or natural gas pipelines.
US judge dismisses obstruction charge against BP executive over Gulf spill
The blow-out took place in April 2010, resulting in 11 deaths and in the worst offshore oil spill in US history. The executive had said the estimated flow was about 5,000 bpd, but internal BP documents from the time showed the company believed the rate was likely much higher.
Canadian Prime Minister Harper takes Keystone XL lobbying campaign to US
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper took his case for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline to the United States, burnishing Canada's environmental credentials and saying the arguments for the project are "overwhelmingly on the side of approval."
Brazil environment leaders join Petrobras to appeal refinery work stoppage
Petrobras was informed that a federal judge suspended environmental licenses granted by INEA for the refinery under construction in Rio de Janeiro state. The judge ruled that IBAMA had jurisdiction over licensing the project, forcing a halt in construction until IBAMA issued new licenses.
Carbon capture technology becoming cost effective
The Cost Reduction Task Force, which authored the report, found that carbon capture and storage technology could be a viable option for the UK government in meeting its carbon reduction targets. The report estimated that CCS technology could soon generate electricity at a breakeven cost.
Brazil suspends Petrobras environmental licenses for Comperj refinery
Petrobras says it is evaluating all possible measures related to the halt, which would stop work on one of the company's largest projects. The Comperj refinery will have installed capacity to process 165,000 bpd of crude oil when it enters operation in April 2015, with a second phase coming by 2018.
Marathon cleans up diesel spill at Indiana pipeline
Cleanup is currently under way in Indianapolis after about 500 bbl of diesel fuel leaked there from a Marathon Petroleum pipeline last week. The "vast majority" of product has been recovered, and the affected section of pipe has been cut out and sent for testing.
Texas, California top US states for CO2 emissions from energy industry
Nearly half of the Lone Star State's 663 million metric tons of CO2 emissions came from petroleum fuels in 2010, according to a Energy Information Administration report. Coal and natural gas use and operations in the state contributed roughly a quarter each of the rest.
Diesel leaks from Marathon pipeline in Indianapolis
The pipeline wasn't flowing at the time of the leak due to a lull in market demand, Marathon spokesman Shane Pochard said, but it was still pressurized with diesel in it. The company believes the leak occurred slowly over time and wasn't due to a sudden break or external forces.
- KBR to provide technology for mega-scale ammonia plant in Angola 11/25
- Air Liquide strengthens partnership with TotalEnergies through renewable H2 project in France 11/25
- Hexagon collaborates with Microsoft to enhance industrial operations 11/25
- China issues extra crude oil import quota to teapot refineries 11/25
- McDermott achieves ISO 50001 Certification for energy management at four fabrication yards 11/25
- DNV certifies first CO2 storage site in Middle East for ADNOC CCS project 11/25
