oil

Oil production appears to be churning right along in Sidney. But leaders are bracing for a whole lot less oil tax revenue to pay for services that are stretched thin.

Oil companies hope to build the nation's largest oil-by-rail terminal on the Columbia River in Washington. Proponents say it will bring economic growth, but others fear it could mean fiery accidents.

Anti-fracking activists say they're being targeted by law enforcement agencies that work with the oil and gas industries to monitor threats to infrastructure.

The debate over Keystone XL is nothing compared to the battle over the nation's first commercial oil pipeline. It transformed how energy was transported forever — but not without sabotage and threats.

Oklahoma oil is expensive to produce, so the sharp drop in prices has forced many drilling companies to cut jobs. If prices stay low, the pain could spread to the banks that finance the oil industry.

Oil companies are laying off thousands of workers, and firms that provide services to support the industry — from drilling to seismic surveys — have been told they must slash costs to keep working.

The man who runs Libya's national oil company is struggling to resume production amid conflict and falling prices. A functioning oil industry might define whether Libya is a nation or a failed state.

Oil's price slump is hitting some companies hard. But longtime producers, like Texas oilman Tracy Perryman, have been through downturns before — and have learned how to survive lean times.

Oil prices are low because there's too much on the market. That extra oil has to be stored somewhere. A lot of it is sitting on ships at sea, with traders hoping the price will go up soon.