Feature Stories
The Last King of Coal Bob Murray Makes His Stand
December 30, 2015
At 75, Robert E. Murray may be the last of the old-time coal barons. He’s not about to go quietly. At a time when the U.S. coal industry is beset on all sides — by environmentalists, by regulators, by the
Industry Looks to Learn from Detailed Federal Report on Oil and Gas Fatalities
October 9, 2015
A new federal report presents grim details of the deaths of 43 U.S. oil and gas extraction workers during the first half of 2014 by fire, toxic vapors, toppled equipment and other hazards of the high-risk jobs. The bleak accounting
LNG Export Facilities Move Forward in Down Market
October 2, 2015
Later this year, the first facility in the lower 48 states that is designed to export liquefied natural gas should begin shipments from the U.S. Gulf Coast. It’s preparing to do so in a buyer’s market, where oil and natural
Fairmont Supply Establishes New Corporate Headquarters in Washington, Pa
September 30, 2015
Fairmont Supply, which long had a presence in Washington with a large warehouse and distribution center, is now a corporate resident here as well. Fairmont, which until December was a subsidiary of CONSOL Energy Inc., was sold to Tenex Capital
Oil Industry Braces for Obama’s Final Climate Push
September 15, 2015
The oil and gas industry is hunkering down to weather the final stretch of the Obama administration. Industry groups and their backers had hoped President Obama would use his trip last week to Alaska to say something about the need
EPA’s Crumbling Case for New Regulations on Fracking
September 15, 2015
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently rolled out new regulations on methane emissions for oil and gas development. These rules come even as the industry has slashed emissions in recent years, all while natural gas production has skyrocketed. They will
Pennsylvania Examines Options for Cutting Carbon Emissions
August 12, 2015
In the days after President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency announced final rules for cutting the nation’s carbon emissions from power plants, Rob Altenburg, director of the environmental group PennFuture’s Energy Center, did a few quick calculations to determine
Pittsburgh Inks Deal with Department of Energy to Develop Localized Energy Plan, Pa.
July 31, 2015
The city of Pittsburgh on Friday inked a deal with the U.S. Department of Energy to embark on a plan that upends the way energy is produced and consumed locally. The plan could include at least one new heating and
Lower Oil Prices May Trickle Out of Iran Nuclear Deal
July 29, 2015
Oil prices that slumped steeply earlier this year may decline again once a historic deal between the West and Iran allows that country to start pouring more crude into a market already brimming with supply. Many analysts estimate that Iran,
Shale Drillers Become More Efficient in Low Price Environment
July 29, 2015
Despite stubbornly low natural gas prices and an industry-wide downturn, production in the Marcellus Shale, and nationwide, is expected to grow — though at a slower pace than before. And that’s with about 20 fewer rigs on the ground than
