oil and natural gas

Houston oil and gas companies are working to bring production in the Gulf of Mexico back online after a pair of storms hit the region.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells exist in the United States. About a third were plugged with cement to prevent leaks. Most haven’t been plugged at all.

Approvals for companies to drill for oil and gas on U.S. public lands are on pace this year to reach their highest level since George W. Bush was president, underscoring President Joe Biden's reluctance to more forcefully curb petroleum production in the face of industry and Republican resistance.

A massive fire that broke out on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico on Friday is raising questions about the safety of underwater pipelines.

The deadly blast happened around 4 p.m. Monday at an Atmos Energy facility in Collin County near Farmersville, about 35 miles northeast of Dallas. Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said the explosion appeared to be an accident but he invited the FBI to assist in the investigation.

“Reveal” looked into the health effects of natural gas wells across areas that are in close proximity to a disproportionate number of children of color.

The agency was put in charge of pipeline cybersecurity when it was formed, but experts say it lacks funding and support for the job. The Colonial Pipeline hack made the issue even more pressing.

The order follows a ransomware attack on a company that operates a pipeline that provides nearly half of the gasoline and jet fuel for the East Coast.

Colonial Pipeline says it has "initiated the restart" of operations at the pipeline affected by a cyberattack as a wave of panic-buying empties out many gas stations across the Southeast.

In a major shift, Louisiana officials are making a plan to ramp up clean energy. Gov. John Bel Edwards says the state must reduce the emissions fueling increasingly destructive extreme weather.

Natural gas was in short supply during the blackouts and could be sold at a premium. With no market controls, gas increased hundreds of times its normal value.

One Texas lawmaker proposed a 25% tax to deter the practice. But producers want time to build the infrastructure to capture and sell the gas.