Feature Stories
Leader of EPA Speaks at Oil and Gas Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa.
October 30, 2018
The acting administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told a conference of oil and gas executives Wednesday morning that he is leading a “new EPA” that will focus on deregulation and a streamlined permitting process. President Donald Trump in
New York’s Climate Lawsuit Against Exxon Isn’t What You Think
October 30, 2018
New York’s lawsuit against ExxonMobil for allegedly misleading investors of the risks of global warming isn’t what one would think. What started into an investigation into Exxon’s alleged attempts to “cover up” or downplay global warming has morphed into a
Brian Jeffries: Proposition 112 is a Job Killer that Will Harm Colorado
September 27, 2018
Proposition 112 is designed to eliminate the future of oil and gas in Colorado. The setback requirements in Proposition 112 will prevent new oil and gas activity on over 94 percent of the non-federal surface land of Colorado’s top five
Reforming the Culture of Science at EPA
September 17, 2018
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is fundamentally transforming itself under President Donald Trump’s direction, from a department producing and funding politicized science to one instilling sound scientific standards for research that should produce results improving the environment and protecting
Jim Rankin Settles in for First Year as President of South Dakota School of Mines
September 10, 2018
President Jim Rankin didn’t drive his motorcycle to work one morning last week due to rain, but he’s otherwise settled into his new role as president of a college in western South Dakota. “It’s always fun to come back,” said
Mining Innovation Aims to Turn Utah Sands Into an Oil Patch
August 23, 2018
Utah is a yawn amid the drilling frenzy that has upended the energy picture in recent years. It accounts for just one of every 100 barrels of oil produced nationwide. But a couple of executives who have spent decades hunting
Montana’s Enormous Mineral Potential Ready to Be Unleashed
July 17, 2018
Our country has a great abundance of mineral resources used to manufacture goods of all kinds. For weapons systems and consumer electronics, the value alone is estimated at $6.2 trillion; however, because cumbersome regulations and permitting processes hamper mining, we
A Storm is Brewing for U.S. Oil Exports
July 16, 2018
Two geopolitical developments in recent weeks — U.S. sanctions on Iran and the escalating U.S.-Chinese trade war — are set to reshuffle the U.S. oil flows to the world’s fastest-growing oil market, Asia. On the one hand, the United States
China and U.S. Plan Massive Petrochemical Hub in West Virginia
June 25, 2018
The biggest energy project you’ve never heard of commonly goes by the acronym ASTH — the Appalachian Storage and Trading Hub. This massive petrochemical hub in West Virginia and Pennsylvania would be the largest infrastructure in the region’s history, consisting
Carbon Capture for Fracking is Common Theme Emerging Among States on Clean Coal Policy
May 3, 2018
North Dakota’s energy industry can thank the state legislature’s foresight and tax code for its nation-leading push on clean coal technology. The state, which has the most shale oil in the upper Midwest, wants to be able to use carbon
