ENERGY (MSM)

Vapor cloud from Exxon refinery in California triggers alarm

By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The unexplained release of a large vapor cloud on Friday from an Exxon Mobil Corp refinery near Los Angeles prompted authorities to sound public safety sirens, but no toxic fumes were detected and no one was hurt, a fire official said. The mishap was reported around sunset in Torrance, California, at a refinery that had been largely shut down since an explosion and

Vapor cloud from Exxon refinery in California triggers alarm

By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The unexplained release of a large vapor cloud on Friday from an Exxon Mobil Corp refinery near Los Angeles prompted authorities to sound public safety sirens, but no toxic fumes were detected and no one was hurt, a fire official said. The mishap was reported around sunset in Torrance, California, at a refinery that had been largely shut down since an explosion and

Oregon denies ex-governor's request for defense money amid criminal probe

Oregon Governor Kate Brown has denied a request from her predecessor John Kitzhaber for help paying the fallen Democrat’s legal bills amid an ongoing federal criminal corruption investigation, her office said on Friday. Kitzhaber resigned in February amid allegations that his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes, used her role in his office for personal gain. The allegations snowballed in the days before he stepped down as media reported that Hayes received $118,000

Chevron hit with $195 million tax bill after Australian ruling

Chevron is facing a $195-million bill after an Australian court ruled Friday the energy giant had minimised tax through a loan scheme, in a case that could have implications for other multinationals. The decision comes amid an international push, including in Australia, to crack down on global firms using complex structures to lower their tax burden. The Federal Court ruled that $2.45 billion in loans from Chevron’s US branch to

EPA mine spill was preventable, points to broader problem

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Investigators are blaming the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a 3 million-gallon wastewater spill from a Colorado gold mine, saying an agency cleanup crew rushed its work, failed to consider the complex engineering involved and ended up triggering the very blowout it hoped to avoid.

Colorado mine wastewater spill caused by EPA was preventable: report

By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) – The release of 3 million gallons (11 million liters) of toxic wastewater from a defunct southwestern Colorado gold mine that was triggered by the Environmental Protection Agency was preventable, a government review of the spill concluded on Thursday. A 132-page report conducted by engineers with the U.S Bureau of Reclamation said the Aug. 5 blowout from the Gold King Mine above Silverton, Colorado, was

APNewsBreak: EPA mine spill could have been prevented

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Government investigators squarely blamed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Thursday for a 3 million gallon wastewater spill from a Colorado gold mine, saying an EPA cleanup crew rushed its work and failed to consider the complex engineering involved, triggering the very blowout it hoped to avoid.

Polls show muddled outlook for Polish government after election

By Pawel Sobczak and Wiktor Szary WARSAW (Reuters) – Two new polls in Poland on Thursday showed diverging trends in the popularity of the frontrunning, nationalist-minded opposition before the Oct. 25 parliamentary election, heightening uncertainty about the shape of the next government and Warsaw’s ties with EU neighbors. Both surveys pointed to the eurosceptic, conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) winning the ballot with more than 30 percent of votes,

Apple to build more solar projects in China, green its suppliers

By Valerie Volcovici and Julia Love WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple announced Wednesday it will build 200 megawatts of solar energy projects in China and work with local suppliers to source more renewable energy, its latest moves to green its Chinese supply chain amid criticism that its local partners are heavy polluters. In addition to bringing on an additional 200 MW in northern, eastern and southern China, the tech giant

Obama targets nation's heroin problem in West Virginia trip

President Barack Obama highlighted a growing U.S. heroin problem on a trip on Wednesday to West Virginia, which has been economically battered by a shrinking coal industry, and which has the highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the country. Democratic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin traveled with Obama and warned that many listening to the president would blame the state’s heroin problem on Obama’s energy policy, which mandates a