Port Arthur, Texas — A powerful explosion rocked Valero Energy’s massive Port Arthur refinery on the evening of March 23, 2026, triggering a shelter-in-place order, a towering plume of black smoke visible for miles, and immediate operational disruptions at the 435,000-barrel-per-day facility. The blast occurred around 6:30 p.m. CDT. Residents across Port Arthur, Groves, and […]
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As the world grapples with escalating tensions in the Middle East, diesel and fertilizer markets are buckling under unprecedented pressure. A fresh crisis is unfolding in real time, with farmers on the front lines and consumers set to feel the ripple effects at the pump and the grocery store. Australia’s unfolding fuel emergency offers a […]
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In a sign of cautious optimism across the U.S. energy sector, drillers added oil and natural gas rigs for the second consecutive week — the first back-to-back gains since early February — according to the latest Baker Hughes weekly rig count released Friday. The total number of active rotary rigs climbed by two to 553 […]
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California’s refining industry — once the backbone of the West Coast’s fuel supply — stands at a make-or-break moment. With just seven refineries still operating as of March 2026, the state is weeks away from the next wave of closures that will slash capacity by another 17–20%. Phillips 66’s Wilmington complex shut down late 2025; […]
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) opened bids yesterday for the first competitive oil and gas lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (NPR-A) since 2019 — and the results are stunning. Industry submitted 430 bids on 187 tracts covering approximately 1.335 million acres out of the 5.5 million acres offered across more than 600 […]
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This is a fun discussion with John Calce, Founder and Chairman of Element Fuels and America First Refining. This podcast is hosted by Stu Turley, Energy News Beat Host, and David Blackmon is the host of the Energy Impacts Podcast. Don’t kid yourself, with the geopolitical issues around the world right now, this story […]
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Doomberg stops by the Energy Impacts and Energy News Beat podcasts to talk about the Global Oil and Gas Markets Update. Hosted by David Blackmon and Stu Turley, they have a rich history of having way too much fun talking about the energy, oil, and gas markets. 1. Geopolitical Tensions & Iran-US Conflict The transcript […]
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In a stunning intervention that exposes the deepening cracks in Britain’s net-zero dogma, Tara Singh, CEO of RenewableUK – the peak body for the UK wind industry – has publicly urged Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to ramp up North Sea oil and gas production. Writing in The Telegraph on March 16, 2026, Singh called on […]
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Oil is flowing again off the Santa Barbara coast for the first time in over a decade. On Monday, Sable Offshore Corp. restarted the Santa Ynez Pipeline System, sending “black gold” from its Dos Cuadras Field platforms through the onshore network that ends at Pentland Station in Kern County. The move follows President Donald Trump’s […]
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As of March 15, 2026, global oil markets are buzzing with Brent crude prices climbing to $103.82 per barrel, marking a significant milestone above the $100 threshold amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and supply disruptions in key regions like the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude is hovering just below at $99.30, reflecting […]
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