Topic: Gulf of Mexico

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Fortune 500: Top 10 companies in 2013

Fortune has released its annual list of the largest corporations in the United States, and there were a few notable changes in this year’s group. Here are the Top 10.
Five energy challenges for Venezuela

With the passing of Hugo Chávez, the issue of what Venezuela chooses to do with its oil moves to center stage for the energy industry – and for environmentalists. Here are five energy challenges that Venezuela will have to face.
4 smart ways to rebuild after superstorm Sandy

Early estimates of the damage from superstorm Sandy are staggering. In the days ahead, once people's immediate needs are met, we must focus on rebuilding. It is increasingly clear that rebuilding efforts must consider the following four points.
Briefing
Obama vs. Romney 101: 7 ways they differ on energy issues

Both President Obama and Mitt Romney claim to want to expand America’s access to conventional fuels and green energy. But their energy plans have very different flavors.
Briefing
Mexico's high-stakes presidential vote: 4 questions answered

The next Mexican president will inherit a country torn by drug violence. Tackling deep-seated democratic and economic challenges is key to progress.

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Humongous Asian shrimp invading US waters, say scientists

Giant tiger shrimp may spell trouble for native shrimp species, scientists worry.
The Race for What's Left

It's not just oil and gas, warns Michael T. Klare in this first-rate wake-up call. Planet Earth is now in danger of running out of just about everything.
First BP oil spill arrest: Why put the squeeze on a mid-level engineer?

The first criminal charges brought in the 2010 BP oil spill – against Kurt Mix, a former BP engineer – show that the government still seeks the answer to an essential question in the spill’s aftermath: Did BP tell the truth about what it knew about the size of the spill? At stake are billions in fines.
Unresponsive Cessna: What caused the plane crash?

Unresponsive Cessna: Could the cause of the crash of the unresponsive Cessna 421 be the same as the Payne Stewart Learjet crash in 1999?
Gulf oil spill: Two years later, safety lessons ignored

In its rush to pump more oil, America is ignoring the key lesson of the Gulf oil spill two years ago. Complex drilling, wherever it occurs, comes with unknowable risks.
BP oil spill settlement: Justice for 100,000 Gulf Coast victims?

The estimated total cost of the settlement will be about $7.8 billion, which makes it one of the largest class-action settlements in US history. The BP oil spill settlement was filed Wednesday.
BP settles with private plantiffs over Gulf oil spill

The multinational corporation said Wednesday it will pay out $7.8 billion from the $20 billion trust it set up after the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
As Midwest storm bears down, forecasters use more urgent voice in tornado warnings

The National Weather Service is testing phrases like 'catastrophic' and 'unsurvivable' to describe looming storm systems in a bid to engage Americans’ survival instincts. Saturday's tornado-bearing storm was called 'high-end' and 'life-threatening.'
Mysterious Gulf oil sheen: Where did it come from?

Scientists can't yet determine where the 10-mile stretch of oil sheen found Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico originated, but they have ways of finding out. Shell oil is investigating.
Coast Guard checks 10-mile oil sheen near Shell oil wells in Gulf

Shares in Royal Dutch Shell PLC fell in European trading early Thursday after it reported a 'light sheen' of oil about 1 mile long and 10 miles wide in the general area of two of its production platforms in the oil and gas prospects called Mars and Ursa.
Will SpaceX build a new launch pad in Texas?

The company known as SpaceX is considering building a rocket launch pad in the area near Brownsville, Texas.
Mexico and US trade accusations on border violence

President Obama and Mexico's President Felipe Calderon traded barbs after a three-party meeting that included Canada.
The Monitor's View: Mexico presidential campaign: Off to a good start

The two frontrunners in the Mexican presidential campaign now talk of reforming the state oil monopoly, Pemex. It's a sign of Mexico's hopeful future, despite the drug wars.
Why gasoline could be in short supply this summer on East Coast

If Sunoco shutters a big oil refinery in Pennsylvania, gasoline to make up for the lost supply will need to be shipped to the East Coast from the Gulf coast or from Europe – and it will be a logistical nightmare to get it there.
Newt Gingrich: $50 per photo as campaign struggles

Newt Gingrich is now charging $50 to take a photo with him in order to raise campaign funds, reports the National Journal. The Gingrich campaign is now $1.6 million in debt.
President Algae? Obama not green enough, say environmentalists

President Obama has blocked the Keystone pipeline, backed biofuels, and prioritizes the earth over people, say GOP presidential candidates. Environmentalists say Obama is a big disappointment. Who's right?
Obama's energy policy takes center stage as $4 gas prices loom

Obama's energy policy will be the subject of the president's three-stop tour starting Wednesday. He wants to deflect criticism that he's not doing enough to fight rising gas prices.
Flood warnings for Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri

Heavy rains and flooding are forecast to continue in eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, and western Missouri, says the National Weather Service.
Spring into summer: Unseasonable heat helps pave way for violent weather

Spring is just beginning, but in many parts of the country it already feels like summer. As a storm moves into especially warm humid air in the center of the country, Texas is under the gun for violent storms.
Warm spring, more tornadoes? Meteorologists raise red flags.

An unusually balmy spring plus cold fronts are a formula for stronger thunderstorms and tornadoes, as hard-hit communities strive to be more resilient.
The Circle Bastiat The Pentagon is a gas guzzler

The Pentagon spent $17.3 billion on oil in 2011, a 26 percent increase from 2010. This despite the Pentagon's public efforts to "go green."
Gas prices fact check: Six ideas in Congress, but can they work?

Soaring gas prices have also shown a consistent and significant ability to push members of Congress over the deep end. Here's the experts' take on 6 ideas floating through Congress.
With BP oil spill billions at stake, why did Gulf fishermen suddenly settle?

News that 100,000 fishermen and oil spill workers settled with BP for $7.8 billion rather than going to trial suggests a lesson from the Valdez spill: Drawn-out litigation can become its own tragedy.
BP settles spill claims for $7.8 billion. Will victims take it?

BP settlement of worst US offshore oil spill involves 100,000 claims by fishermen, cleanup workers, and others. The $7.8 billion settlement is in addition to a $20 billion BP compensation fund.
Katrina in the Midwest: Tornado-struck town begins road to recovery

Harrisburg, Ill., hit by a tornado Wednesday, was spared by the massive storm system that spawned tornadoes across the East Friday. Instead, it started the process of healing.