oil

Falling Oil Prices Make Fracking Less Lucrative

12:35pm November 04, 2014

by Jeff Brady

As oil prices dip, controversial and relatively expensive production methods, like oil sands and fracking, have become less profitable. Some drillers are already cutting back on plans for more wells.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud as the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, listens before a meeting at the Royal Palace in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 11.

World News

Why Does Saudi Arabia Seem So Comfortable With Falling Oil Prices?

10:29am October 31, 2014

by Jackie Northam

Normally, the "central banker of oil" would slow production to push up prices. Not so now. Some say it's a geopolitical tactic aimed at Russia and Iran; others say it's just protecting market share.

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Workers drill for oil in the Bakken shale formation outside Watford City, N.D., an area experiencing an oil boom.

Predictions Of 'Peak Oil' Production Prove Slippery

12:52pm October 18, 2014

by Marilyn Geewax

Just a few years ago, authors were predicting production would soon hit a peak and then decline. But since then, supplies have surged. So are the forecasters now slapping themselves in the head?

National

Fiery Oil-Train Derailments Prompt Calls For Less Flammable Oil

4:58pm October 13, 2014

by Emily Guerin

Trains carrying oil from North Dakota pass through American towns daily — and sometimes they derail and explode. The oil industry is now under pressure to make the oil less volatile before shipping.

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Pump jacks are seen in an oil field over the Monterey Shale formation near Lost Hills, Calif. Much of the U.S. oil industry wants to lift an export ban that followed the 1970s energy crisis.

With U.S. Oil Supply Climbing, Some Call For End To Export Ban

7:15pm September 18, 2014

by Jeff Brady

Much of the U.S. oil industry wants to lift a ban that followed the 1970s energy crisis. But those worried about the possibility of higher gas prices and climate change want to keep the ban in place.

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The oil tanker HS Electra unloads oil from the North Sea at the Portland Pipe Line facility in South Portland, Maine, in 2013.

Maine City Council Votes To Keep Tar Sands Out Of Its Port

12:06pm July 23, 2014

by Susan Sharon

South Portland, Maine, has blocked crude oil from being loaded onto ships at its port. Environmentalists are cheering, but the Portland Montreal Pipeline Corp. says the ban won't hold up in court.

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