Reuters The Trump administration on Thursday will offer the oil and gas industry a final chance to secure federal acreage before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who has pledged to ban new drilling on public lands. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will auction 37 parcels on 6,851 acres in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas through the online
Reuters NEW YORK – The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court this week for an extension to respond to a petition from oil refiners requesting that the court review a decision that cast doubt on a program exempting refiners from biofuel blending obligations. The government’s request would push their response deadline to Dec. 14 from Nov. 12, according to
Reuters WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is seeking to ease a severe cash crunch in the drilling industry by raising loan limits available under a coronavirus stimulus package and by barring lenders from discriminating against drillers, according to Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette. The measures come as oil and gas companies working in shale basins from Texas to Wyoming struggle to
From The Houston Chronicle Houston’s Citgo Petroleum is under attack on multiple fronts. Creditors for its parent company want to seize its refineries. It’s at the center of a fight for control over Venezuela. The Justice Department is investigating it and its parent company’s role in an alleged foreign bribery scheme. And its facing mounting pressure to do something about
From The Houston Chronicle In a victory for Venezuela’s opposition government, a U.S. judge confirmed Citgo Petroleum’s board of directors appointed by Juan Guaido, squashing socialist leader Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to regain control over the Houston oil refiner. On Wednesday a Delaware judge issued a final order approving the Guaido board, who have been effectively leading Citgo since the opposition
From Reuters Two U.S. shale producers have challenged an energy pipeline operator’s proposed surcharge for the Trump administration’s 25% tariff on imported steel, raising the stakes for pipeline builders facing higher construction costs. The United States imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum last year to shield U.S. producers from overseas competition. U.S. energy industry trade groups have warned the
From The Houston Chronicle An Iranian supertanker with $130 million worth of light crude oil that the U.S. suspects is tied to a sanctioned organization left Gibraltar and was heading east into the Mediterranean Sea on Monday, with its next destination reported to be Greece. The Iran-flagged Adrian Darya 1, previously named Grace 1, set course for Kalamata, Greece, with
From The Houston Chronicle CITGO’s board of directors has appointed former Venezuelan oil executive Carlos Jorda as CEO of the embattled Houston refining company. In a statement released on Wednesday morning, the company’s board reported that the year-long search for a new CEO ended Jorda being selected for a role. A fomer executive with the Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., or
From The Houston Chronicle Iran expects an oil tanker seized by the U.K. in the Strait of Gibraltar in July will be released soon, the semi-official Fars News agency reported Tuesday, a move that could help to ease concerns about the safety of shipping routes in the Middle East. “Official and unofficial documents have been exchanged to resolve the matter
From Reuters The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday unveiled a proposal that would curb state powers to block pipelines and other energy projects, as part of the Trump administration’s effort to boost domestic oil, gas and coal development. The move, swiftly criticized by an organization representing progressive states, comes four months after President Donald Trump ordered the EPA here
From Reuters China imported Iranian crude oil in July for the second month since a U.S. sanctions waiver ended, according to research from three data firms, with one estimate showing some oil entered tanks holding the country’s strategic reserves. According to the firms, which track tanker movements, between 4.4 million and 11 million barrels of Iranian crude were discharged into
From The Houston Chronicle A bevy of right-wing groups are asking the Trump administration not to intercede on behalf of the Venezuelan opposition government to keep Citgo Petroleum from being seized and auctioned. The Houston-based refiner Citgo is owned by Venezuela’s state oil company, and it’s considered a valuable asset to help Venezuela rebuild if there’s regime change in favor
