Report: Fire at Texas facility caused by equipment failure

HOUSTON (AP) — A fire at a Houston-area petrochemical storage facility that burned for days in March was accidental and caused by equipment failure at a storage tank, according to a report released Friday by local and federal investigators. The report by the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office and the...

State agency selects Vineyard Wind for offshore wind bid

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has announced the largest purchase of renewable energy in the state's history. Vineyard Wind was selected to provide 14% of the states electricity, 804 megawatts, via offshore wind power, according to the agency. ...

Company lays off miners after hiring them from Blackjewel

HARLAN, Ky. (AP) — A coal producer that purchased multiple Kentucky mines and hired workers from a now-bankrupt company has laid some of the miners off. State Rep. Angie Hatton said miners told her Friday that Kopper Glo, the company that purchased mines from Blackjewel LLC., has idled its mines until at...

Gas line installation frustrates New Jersey businesses

ATLANTIC CITY (AP) — The barbers at La Latina Barber Shop on Atlantic Avenue were sitting in their own swivel chairs Tuesday morning playing games on their phones. The four men had one customer each since the shop opened, said barber David Rodriguez. Roadwork out front had slowed business from walk-in...

Wyoming oil field explosions, fire severely burn 3 workers

CARPENTER, Wyo. (AP) — Explosions and a fire at a Wyoming oil field severely burned three workers. The workers were taken to hospitals in the capital of Cheyenne and across the border in Greeley, Colorado, after the blasts at a compressor station late Thursday, according to Laramie County Fire District No....

Federal national laboratory in Idaho gets supercomputer

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho National Laboratory's third supercomputer arrived in their facility this week to enable researchers to faster simulate new fuels and reactor designs, officials said. The $19.2 million supercomputer includes about 100,000 processors and is named Sawtooth after the Idaho...

OPEC countries, Russia to cut oil output, pushing up prices

The OPEC oil-producing countries and ally Russia said Friday they have agreed to cut crude production, prompting a surge in global crude prices that they hope to sustain into next year. The group decided to cut output by an extra 500,000 barrels a day as they try to support the price of energy and bolster their...

OPEC, Russia agree to cut oil production an extra 500,000 barrels a day to support prices

Polish experts seek evidence in gas blast that killed 8

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Investigators in southern Poland said Friday they are questioning witnesses and gathering evidence in their probe into a gas blast that killed eight members of one family, including four children. Spokeswoman for regional prosecutors Agnieszka Michulec said they suspect damage to a...

New wave of suits linked to BP oil spill hitting courts

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A new wave of lawsuits against BP is hitting the federal courts nearly a decade after the Gulf oil spill. The new litigation is the result of a court ruling that blocks thousands of people from a medical settlement negotiated after the 2010 environmental disaster. It threatens to clog...