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NRP to Buy Oil and Gas Interests for About $35.3M
June 17, 2013 10:53 am | CommentsNatural Resource Partners LP said Monday that it reached a deal to buy non-operated working interests in producing oil and gas properties in North Dakota and Montana from Abraxas Petroleum Corp. for about $35.3 million in cash. The acquisition consists of about 13,500 net acres with an estimated average working interest of 11 percent in the Bakken and Three Forks play.
Nine Lawsuits Filed for Unpaid Work at Mines
June 17, 2013 10:34 am | by DYLAN LOVAN, Associated Press | CommentsJim Justice's coal operations in Appalachia are struggling as business owners have filed at least nine lawsuits since late 2011 claiming they are not being paid for work at Justice mines. Still others say they are owed money but haven't yet sued.
Hoboken, NJ Embraces Electric Grid Pilot Program
June 14, 2013 9:15 am | CommentsThe city of Hoboken has agreed to be the guinea pig for a federal and state program to fortify its electrical system against storms like Superstorm Sandy. Mayor Dawn Zimmer announced the agreement Thursday with the federal Department of Energy, state Board of Public Utilities, PSE&G and Sandia National Laboratories.
Blast at La. Plant kills 1, Injures More Than 70
June 14, 2013 9:12 am | by STACEY PLAISANCE, Associated Press | CommentsLouisiana's health department said 77 people were treated at hospitals and 51 of those had been released by Thursday evening following an explosion at a petrochemical plant in Geismar. Hospitals reported that workers mostly had burns, cardiac and respiratory issues, and bruises.
Grocers Allege Potato Group Inflated Spud Prices
June 14, 2013 9:04 am | by JOHN MILLER, Associated Press | CommentsA battle between grocers and potato growers has been silently hitting shoppers' pocketbooks, according to a U.S. wholesaler accusing America's spud farmers of driving up prices while spying on farmers with satellites and aircraft fly-overs to enforce strict limits on how many tubers they can grow.
Record $11M Fine for Illegal California Gold Mine
June 14, 2013 9:02 am | by DON THOMPSON, Associated Press | CommentsState regulators imposed a record $11 million fine Thursday on the operators of a renegade gold mine in the Sierra foothills east of Sacramento. The board also plans to seek a court injunction to halt mining while it sues over the property owners' repeated failure to correct regulatory violations.
Enerflex Closes Casper Gas Plant, Lays Off Workers
June 14, 2013 9:00 am | CommentsA Canadian company announced Thursday that it's closing a natural gas compression and processing plant in Casper and laying off dozens of workers. Enerflex Ltd., based in Calgary, Canada, announced Thursday it is closing its Casper plant because of shifting demand in the U.S. gas markets.
NRC Seeking Answers: Corrosion at NC Nuke Plant Missed During Inspection
June 14, 2013 8:54 am | by EMERY P. DALESIO, AP Business Writer | CommentsAn outside contractor hired to look for flaws in a Duke Energy nuclear reactor near Raleigh last year missed a quarter-inch spot of corrosion and cracking near the reactor core that forced a full shutdown last month after new eyes reviewing year-old data found the problem, federal regulators said Thursday.
La. State Police: Explosion at Chemical Plant
June 13, 2013 12:00 pm | CommentsLouisiana State Police say a reported explosion has started a fire at a chemical plant.Capt. Doug Cain says the fire broke out Thursday morning at The Williams Companies Inc. plant in the town of Geismar. The plant makes highly flammable gases that are basic building blocks in the petrochemical industry.
EU Presents Post-Fukushima Nuclear Safety Rules
June 13, 2013 10:46 am | CommentsThe European Commission is proposing tougher nuclear safety rules, amid international debate about the future of nuclear energy and how to secure aging plants. Stress tests on European nuclear plants prompted by the 2011 disaster at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant showed that almost all of them needed safety improvements.
NRC to Outline Findings at NC's Harris Nuke Plant
June 13, 2013 10:45 am | CommentsFederal nuclear regulators are telling the public about their special inspection of a North Carolina nuclear power plant that was forced to shut down for more than three weeks due to a quarter-inch spot of trouble near the reactor core.
'Pink Slime' Lawsuit Heads Back to State Court
June 13, 2013 10:43 am | by DIRK LAMMERS, Associated Press | CommentsA federal judge on Wednesday moved a South Dakota beef processing company's defamation lawsuit against ABC News back to state court. Beef Products Inc. sued American Broadcasting Companies Inc. and ABC News Inc. for defamation in September over its coverage of a meat product the company calls lean, finely textured beef but that critics dubbed "pink slime."
Deal Lets Duke Energy Raise Rates $200M a Year
June 13, 2013 10:41 am | by EMERY P. DALESIO, AP Business Writer | CommentsDuke Energy Corp. said Wednesday it is willing to take less than half of the rate increase it sought in February for electricity customers in western North Carolina under a deal with a state regulatory division responsible for representing consumers.
Idaho Farmers Sue Monsanto Over GMO Wheat
June 13, 2013 10:40 am | by REBECCA BOONE, Associated Press | CommentsIdaho farmers filed a federal lawsuit contending that Monsanto's development of Roundup Ready wheat resulted in increased production costs and lowered prices because the genetically engineered wheat is likely to infiltrate the non-genetically engineered wheat supply.
FEMA Denies Aid for Texas Fertilizer Plant Blast
June 13, 2013 10:38 am | by RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Associated Press | CommentsThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is refusing to provide additional money to help rebuild the small Texas town where a deadly fertilizer plant explosion leveled numerous homes and a school, and killed 15 people. FEMA said the explosion "is not of the severity and magnitude that warrants a major disaster declaration."
