Industry

Background

Tracking the players in the ever-growing energy and environmental world.

Latest Posts

Follow this topic

April 27, 2012

Texas Judge Will Reconsider Tax Break For Oil and Gas Industry

Travis County District Judge John Dietz is reportedly “reconsidering” a recent decision that could cost the state of Texas billions in tax revenue. Ruling in favor of the drilling company Southwest Royalties a few weeks ago, Judge Dietz found that oil and gas equipment used for exploring and completing wells should not be subject to sales tax, because it qualifies for […]

What Chesapeake’s Woes Mean for Natural Gas: A Q&A With Arthur Berman

What does the bad news for the fracking giant mean for the natural gas industry at large?

April 26, 2012

It’s the End for Chesapeake CEO’s Lucrative Perk

An unconventional and controversial perk for the head of a fracking giant will come to an end. Aubrey McClendon, the eccentric CEO of Chesapeake Energy, which fracks for natural gas in the Barnett Shale of Texas and other parts of the country, will no longer get a stake of every well the natural gas giant drills. He […]

April 25, 2012

High Roller Wells Cited for ‘Serious Violations’ After Pearsall Explosion

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), a division of the Department of Labor, has issued citations for ten “serious safety violations” to High Roller Wells, Inc., a company that owns a disposal well in Pearsall, Texas, some 50 miles southwest of San Antonio in the Eagle Ford Shale. As we reported earlier this year, a […]

Orphans of the Oil Fields: The Cost of Abandoned Wells

Scattered across the oil and gas fields of Texas where fortunes have been won and sometimes lost, there are at least 7,869 abandoned wells. They’re called “orphans.”

April 24, 2012

Two Years After Spill, Feds Arrest Former Texas BP Engineer

The first criminal charges in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill were filed today by the Department of Justice, two years after the disaster began. Former BP engineer Kurt Mix was arrested today and charged with two counts of obstruction of justice for “intentionally destroying evidence,” according to the Department. The former engineer is from Katy, Texas. […]

What’s Behind Energy in America: Q&A with Yul Kwon of ‘America Revealed’

We all use electricity – but what systems are in place to make sure it’s there when we need it? How does the whole grid work in the first place? Those are questions examined in the latest episode of a new series on PBS called America Revealed, which aims to peel back the layers of […]

April 23, 2012

Eyes of the Spill: The Deepwater Horizon Disaster in Photos

It’s been two years since the explosion that marked the beginning of the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The accident at a BP oil rig took 11 lives, and the oil spill afterwards leaked over two hundred million gallons of oil. It was the largest ocean oil spill in history. In the slideshow above, you can […]

April 20, 2012

Taking a Closer Look at Texas’ New Radioactive Waste Dump

Photo by Flickr user neilh205/Creative Commons It’s taken ten years to approve and build, resulted in three resignations from the state’s environmental agency, and is the subject of an alleged cover-up. It’s the new radioactive waste dump in rural Andrews County, not far from the New Mexico border. Today StateImpact Texas intern David Barer has an […]

The BP Blowout, 2 Years Later: Lessons Learned and Hopefully Not Forgotten

The blowout at the BP rig was more than just a spill. It was a disaster.

About StateImpact

StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives.
Learn More »

Economy

Oklahoma