The return of the refinery: after several decades without any new refineries, two plans are moving forward in Texas.
David Hunn reports on plans for a new refinery in Pecos County, Texas—if completed, it would be the first new refinery in decades.
"MMEX Resources Corp., a company that used to explore and produce oil and gas, closed on Friday on 126 acres in Pecos County near Fort Stockton for construction of a 15-acre, 10,000 barrel-per-day crude distillation plant," according to Hunn. "The distillation plant is just the first phase of MMEX’s plans to build a larger-scale, $450 million, 50,000-barrel-per-day refinery on the site. The company plans to buy 350 acres adjacent to the first 126 for the larger refinery."
The company hopes to file this week for environmental permits. MMEX isn't the only company looking to expand the oil industry's footprint in the state. Jordan Blum reported in December that Raven Petroleum has similar plans for a location east of Laredo.
FULL STORY: MMEX closes on acreage for new Texas refinery, first in decades
Royal Dutch Shell: Big Oil with a Conscience?
Big Oil companies are not all alike. Royal Dutch Shell is the first one to part ways with a major oil industry trade group over differences on climate change. It's also linking executive pay to goals to reduce the company's carbon footprint.
Who's Advocating Rolling Back Fuel Economy Standards?
Conventional thinking is that the auto industry, wanting to sell more fuel-gulping SUVs, are pushing for weaker fuel economy standards, but Hiroko Tabuchi, climate reporter for The New York Times, exposes Big Oil's stealth campaign.
Plugging the Gap: Taxpayers Shoulder the Burden of Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells
Taxpayers, federal agencies, and tribal governments are working to address Arizona's orphaned oil and gas wells, which pose environmental and health risks, while advocates call for greater accountability from oil and gas companies.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.
Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”
Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)