Americas
Canada pledges to toughen oil tanker safety rules
Resources Minister Joe Oliver and Transport Minister Denis Lebel were in Vancouver, British Columbia this week to unveil the latest proposals, which include establishing a panel tasked with recommending further changes to create a so-called "world-class" tanker safety system.
US fuel makers use rail lines to tap Canadian oil
As the fight over the Keystone XL pipeline drags on, US refiners are turning to railroads to bring crude from Canada's oil sands to many refineries along the Gulf of Mexico.
EIA projects rising US domestic oil production
Projected crude production is expected to average 7.3 million bpd in 2013 and 7.9 million bpd in 2014. EIA expects total consumption to rise slightly over the next two years to an average of 18.7 million bpd.
Lubrizol launches global expansion program for chlorinated PVC capacity
The $400 million expansion efforts will provide the company with the necessary manufacturing capabilities to readily supply global demand while positioning its CPVC business for future growth.
Chinese firm ENN to set up natural gas refueling network for US trucks
Chinese private company ENN Group Co. Ltd. plans to set up a network of natural gas refueling stations along US highways for heavy-duty trucks. The company plans to open 50 locations in 2013.
US lawmakers scrutinize role of ethanol credits in gasoline price spike
The price of credits used by refiners to meet federal ethanol blending requirements has risen more than 1,000% in recent weeks. The heightened volatility in this normally sleepy market has raised concerns that it is a factor in the recent rise in the price of gasoline.
Update on US refinery production outages
Unplanned and planned production outages at US refineries, as reported by Dow Jones Newswires.
Chevron in talks with buyers to export Canada LNG
Chevron aims to sign contracts to sell about 60-70% of the gas ahead of the project, the report says. The planned Kitimat plant on Canada's west coast would export shale gas from fields in British Columbia in the form of LNG. The fields hold an estimated 50 trillion cubic feet of gas, according to the report.
LyondellBasell eyes debottlenecks to expand North American ethylene
The company is planning to finish its ethylene projects in North America about two-to-three years earlier than industry competitors building new plants, all at lower costs.
Enterprise unveils Aegis ethane pipeline for US Gulf
As designed, the Aegis pipeline will originate at Enterprise's liquids storage complex in Mont Belvieu, Texas, and have the capacity to transport purity ethane to multiple petrochemical facilities in Texas and Louisiana. The final design, including capacity and delivery points, will be determined later.

- U.S. firms to develop Syria energy masterplan after Trump lifts sanctions 7/18
- Russian seaborne diesel exports for July 1–15 fall 6% month-on-month 7/18
- INEOS invests £30 MM to slash emissions at Hull site by 75% 7/18
- Mitsubishi Chemical Group invests in Licella Holdings, oil conversion technology using supercritical water 7/18
- BASF and Equinor sign 10-yr natural gas supply agreement 7/18
- Oil prices rise after new EU sanctions on Russia 7/18