oil

Corps to study long-term uses of Missouri River water, hold public meetings

Véronique LaCapra — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:05:23 +0000

Updated Tuesday, Aug. 21, to add comments from South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley. Originally posted Aug. 20.

What does an oil and gas boom in North Dakota have to do with Missouri River reservoirs?

Hydrofracturing – the process that gets new wells up and running – takes lots of water.

McCaskill continues fight to end oil subsidies

Joseph Leahy — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:36:01 +0000

Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill is renewing her call to end tax breaks for major US oil companies. Speaking at a gas station in downtown St. Louis Wednesday, the Democrat said the subsidies have done nothing to reduce gas prices across the country.

"I do not think that what we give them now has resulted in any break at the pump," McCaskill said. "I think that is evidenced by the prices that we see around St. Louis and around Missouri in terms of gas prices."

A bill to end the subsidies failed in the Senate last week.

Missouri governor backs plans for new oil pipeline

The Associated Press and Kelsey Proud — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:16:52 +0000

Gov. Jay Nixon is endorsing plans for new oil pipeline that would cut across Missouri.

Nixon said Tuesday that his administration would work to approve whatever permits are necessary for Enbridge (U.S.) Inc. to build a 600-mile pipeline from Flanagan, Ill., to Cushing, Okla. The company is in the early stages of the project but hopes to begin construction in the middle of next year.

Revolutionary oil skimmer nets $1 million X Prize

KRCU and Jacob McCleland — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:07:53 +0000

A breakthrough in oil cleanup technology allows crews to skim spilled oil off the water's surface at a much faster rate. The new device wasn't developed by Exxon, BP or any of the major oil companies — it's the work of Elastec/American Marine, based in Illinois. And the design won the company a rich award from the X Prize Foundation.

Oil is attracted to plastic. And water is not. That, in essence, is the basis of Elastec's new skimmer.

It's huge, about the size of a large U-Haul truck. And it looks something like a giant abacus.

Illinois EPA holds public meetings in Roxana to discuss oil refinery contamination

Véronique LaCapra — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 04:52:56 +0000

The Illinois EPA held public meetings in Roxana on Tuesday to discuss what Shell Oil is doing to address historic contamination from the Wood River Refinery.

A consultant for Shell has found high levels of cancer-causing benzene and other toxic petroleum products in Roxana’s groundwater.

Chris Cahnovsky of the Illinois EPA says toxic, potentially explosive vapors have also been detected in the soils under several homes.