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.
Appeals Court: California Emissions Standards Upheld
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, the nation's two most powerful environmental regulatory agencies, won an important round in federal court last week. But the emissions standards battle may not be over.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
How California Transit Agencies are Addressing Rider Harassment
Safety and harassment are commonly cited reasons passengers, particularly women and girls, avoid public transit.
Significant Investments Needed to Protect LA County Residents From Climate Hazards
A new study estimates that LA County must invest billions of dollars before 2040 to protect residents from extreme heat, increasing precipitation, worsening wildfires, rising sea levels, and climate-induced public health threats.
Federal Rule Raises Cost for Oil and Gas Extraction on Public Lands
An update to federal regulations raises minimum bonding to limit orphaned wells and ensure cleanup costs are covered — but it still may not be enough to mitigate the damages caused by oil and gas drilling.
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