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BP CEO: Oil collapse could repeat 1980s with years of low prices

Fuel Fix: The CEO of BP says crude prices will likely settle in at low levels because the surging U.S. oil production that sent markets into a tailspin isn`t going to ease up overnight, leaving the company with no choice but to work quickly to adjust to $48 oil. And oil prices might stay that low for a while, he said. “We see (U.S. production) continuing to increase at least through the summer, even though rigs are falling very fast,” BP CEO Bob Dudley said during a conference call with investors and...

Train Explosions Prompt Companies to Upgrade Oil Tankers Voluntarily

Fuel Fix: Oil companies are rolling ahead of federal regulators to replace old tank cars following a series of fiery accidents involving crude-carrying trains. Canadian refiner Irving Oil and San Antonio-based Tesoro Corp. have pledged to replace older crude tankers in their fleet, after the aging DOT-111 models built before 2011 were deemed prone to rupture. Phillips 66 has said all of its crude-carrying tankers meet current standards and San Antonio`s Valero Energy Corp. said all of the railcars it...

Keystone Public Comments Rushing in to State Dept

Fuel Fix: Members of the public have filed more than 3,500 comments voicing their opinions on Keystone XL, just a week after the feds — once again — solicited input on the controversial pipeline. The process likely will set off another battle between supporters and opponents of the project to win the comments numbers game. The new round opened Feb. 5, days after the State Department released its long-awaited final environmental impact statement. Through Wednesday afternoon, the public had submitted 3,514...

Southern Keystone oil shipments begin January

Fuel Fix: TransCanada expects to begin shipping oil on the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline on Jan. 22, the company said Tuesday. The notices went out late Monday, TransCanada spokesman Shawn Howard said in an email. “This is another important milestone for TransCanada, our shippers and the refiners on the U.S. Gulf Coast who have been waiting for this product to arrive,” Howard said. “Providing this notice gives our customers time to ensure that they have the appropriate volumes of oil to move into...

Canada: Keystone for climate: Could Obama craft a horse trade?

Fuel Fix: President Barack Obama`s pledge to combat climate change - even as his administration weighs a verdict on the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline - has some analysts buzzing about a possible horse trade. The possible deal could go down like this: First, Obama`s EPA proposes greenhouse gas emission standards for existing power plants, to the delight of environmentalists who note that the largest single stationary source of pollution is from coal-fired facilities already in use. Then, the...

Oil and Gas Pipeline Demand to Surge Through 2016

Fuel Fix: A surge in demand for pipelines and other oil and natural gas infrastructure will sweep the United States for the next four years, driven by growth in the nation’s newest energy corridors, according to researchers at The Freedonia Group. Pipeline capacity in the Bakken Shale in North Dakota and Montana will lead the pack, more than doubling by 2016, the research firm forecast. Freedonia also projected the Keystone XL pipeline will win federal approval, further driving infrastructure growth. In...

Americans support Keystone XL pipeline, poll says

Fuel Fix: Americans who have heard about the Keystone XL pipeline overwhelmingly support the proposal to carry Canadian oil across the United States to Gulf Coast refineries, according to a Pew Research poll released Thursday. Among those who knew about the pipeline, 66 percent said the federal government should approve the project. The poll found only 23 percent opposed it. The Obama Administration rejected TransCanada`s application to build the controversial pipeline last month, saying a February deadline...