Americas
Fire erupts at Chevron refinery near San Francisco, forces unit closures
In a Tuesday statement, Chevron said the main fire - which began at 6:15 p.m. local time on Monday - had been extinguished. All employees and contractors are safely accounted for, though three employees sustained minor injuries and were treated on site. Chevron has yet to speculate on the cause.
Praxair, nexAir to merge southeast US gas assets
Praxair will contribute eight branches of its packaged gas distribution business in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee and acquire an equity stake in the combined business, which will have sales of approximately $150 million.
EIA raises 2012 price forecasts for crude oil, fuels
The Energy Information Administration projected the price of West Texas Intermediate crude, the US benchmark, will average $93.90/bbl in 2012, up from $92.83/bbl predicted in July. Retail gasoline prices were forecast to average $3.53/gal this year, up from $3.49/gal in the July estimate.
Enbridge to restart US oil pipeline after agreeing to safety measures
In approving the restart on Monday, the US Transportation Department said Enbridge had repaired its Line 14 pipeline and had agreed to future safety measures. Enbridge's pipeline leaked about 1,200 barrels of oil on July 27 near Grand Marsh, Wisconsin.
PdVSA still eyeing northeast Brazil refinery venture
Petrobras representatives reportedly met last week with their counterparts in Venezuela. The Brazil company's CEO reiterated a November 2012 deadline for Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PdVSA, to secure loan guarantees for its 40% stake in the $15 billion Abreu e Lima refinery project.
HollyFrontier assesses Tulsa refinery fire damage
A spokeswoman said the fire was in the Tulsa East facility's diesel hydrotreater, a unit that removes contaminants from the diesel stream. She said the fire was contained by the refinery's fire staff and is now out. She declined to say whether the refinery was still operating, however.
CF buys Viterra stake in Canadian fertilizer complex
By gaining full control of the complex, CF says it will have an additional 425,000 tpy of ammonia capacity and 275,000 tons of urea. “This acquisition is a low-risk expansion of our nitrogen supply capability, as we have operated the complex for over 35 years,” said Stephen R. Wilson, CEO of CF.
Canadian energy regulator to audit pipeline safety practices of Enbridge
Canada's National Energy Board is reviewing the Calgary pipeline company's management practices and safety record. The audits come after the US National Transportation Board released last month a report critical of Enbridge's handling of a 2010 crude oil spill in Marshall, Michigan.
US lawmakers ask EPA to cut production mandate for corn-based ethanol
As a result of the drought, “corn prices have risen dramatically over the past few weeks and are likely to remain at record highs,” the lawmakers said in a letter to be sent to the Environmental Protection Agency. The letter follows a petition filed earlier this week by the US livestock industry.
US Senate group OKs biodiesel tax credit extension
The biodiesel tax incentive was first implemented in 2005 and also expired in 2010. After it was reinstated last year, the biodiesel industry grew rapidly, the NBB trade group said, setting a new production record of nearly 1.1 billion gallons and supporting more than 39,000 jobs.
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