Exclusive: $4 gas could return as soon as May, GasBuddy projects | CNN Business

Gas prices will probably be significantly cheaper overall next year. Yet the national average could still climb back above the $4-a-gallon threshold as soon as May, according to GasBuddy projections shared exclusively with CNN.

Source: Exclusive: $4 gas could return as soon as May, GasBuddy projects | CNN Business

US provides Chevron limited authorization to pump oil in Venezuela after reaching humanitarian agreement | CNN Politics

The US has granted Chevron limited authorization to resume pumping oil from Venezuela following the announcement Saturday that the Venezuelan government and the opposition group have reached an agreement on humanitarian relief and will continue to negotiate for a solution to the country’s chronic economic and political crisis, including a focus on the 2024 elections.

Source: US provides Chevron limited authorization to pump oil in Venezuela after reaching humanitarian agreement | CNN Politics

Sheetz Offering $1.99 Per Gallon Gas For Thanksgiving Holiday

 

SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA — Sheetz is lowering the price of unleaded 88 gas to $1.99 per gallon for the next week, the convenience store chain announced Monday.

The price is only available at the 368 Sheetz stores that offer unleaded 88. Sheetz operates 642 stores in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland.

Only vehicles from 2001 and newer can use the blend.

Source: Sheetz Offering $1.99 Per Gallon Gas For Thanksgiving Holiday

Embattled British Prime Minister Liz Truss warned she has hours to save her job | CNN

LondonCNN — 

Liz Truss is fighting to save her job as Britain’s prime minister after more of her own lawmakers called for her to quit, incensed by a shambolic parliamentary vote and the resignation of her home secretary late on Wednesday.

Truss’s government has “12 hours” to “turn the ship around,” Conservative lawmaker Simon Hoare said on Thursday, after a vote on whether to ban controversial fracking for shale gas descended into chaos.

Lawmakers reported that aides for Truss manhandled MPs into the voting lobby to force them to vote against the ban. The government initially presented the vote as a confidence motion in Truss’s government, but confusion remains about whether it was. A Downing Street spokesperson said on Thursday that Conservative lawmakers who didn’t participate in Wednesday evening’s vote will face disciplinary action, PA Media said.

Source: Embattled British Prime Minister Liz Truss warned she has hours to save her job | CNN

Pittsburgh-based Driller Blames Government for Higher Natural Gas Prices – News-Talk 1480 WHBC

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (News Talk 1480 WHBC) – Remember just a few years back when we believed concern about high natural gas bills was in the rear-view mirror?

Unless you’re locked into a decent fixed rate for your natural gas supply costs, you’re starting to see some of the highest gas bills you’ve seen in years.

And the CEO of the Pittsburgh-based EQT Corporation with wells in Belmont County and other Ohio counties says restrictive government policies are the only reason prices have jumped up.

Toby Rice says he’s willing to drill at supply prices two-thirds lower than present, but the pipeline infrastructure doesn’t support it.

Source: Pittsburgh-based Driller Blames Government for Higher Natural Gas Prices – News-Talk 1480 WHBC

Biden to release 15M barrels from oil reserve, more possible

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will announce the release of 15 million barrels of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve Wednesday as part of a response to recent production cuts announced by OPEC+ nations, and he will say more drawdowns are possible this winter, as his administration rushes to be seen as pulling out all the stops ahead of next month’s midterm elections.

Biden will deliver remarks Wednesday to announce the drawdown from the strategic reserve, senior administration officials said Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to outline Biden’s plans. It completes the release of 180 million barrels authorized by Biden in March that was initially supposed to occur over six months. That has sent the strategic reserve to its lowest level since 1984 in what the administration called a “bridge” until domestic production could be increased. The reserve now contains roughly 400 million barrels of oil.

Source: Biden to release 15M barrels from oil reserve, more possible

Gas prices continue to climb: Up 3 cents in Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning

Prices are expected to continue to climb in the days ahead.

AAA said they expect the price of gas in Pittsburgh to average more than $4.00 per gallon again soon.

That news comes after oil-producing nations announced they’ll be slashing the amount of oil they deliver to the global economy.

Demand has also been increasing recently.

Source: Gas prices continue to climb: Up 3 cents in Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning

Gas prices: $3.59 on Route 30 in North Versailles, North Huntingdon

While the average price in the Pittsburgh area remains around $4 per gallon, a small stretch of gas stations along Route 30 is lowering the bar.

Three locations along Route 30 in North Huntingdon and North Versailles are offering gas at $3.59 per gallon, 40 cents cheaper than the regional average. The lower prices are a trend in recent months according to folks in the area.

“I travel two hours to work and I definitely get my gas here,” said Sheri Zuick, of North Huntingdon. “It’s so much cheaper here.”

A number of gas stations along Route 30 in North Huntingdon are below the regional average.

“It’s strange,” said Jay Griffen, of Irwin. “Some people I work with that work in the city make it a point during their lunch break to buy gas here.”

According to AAA, gas prices in the region remain about 70 cents per gallon higher than this time a year ago. Prices have dropped in recent months nationwide.

Source: Gas prices: $3.59 on Route 30 in North Versailles, North Huntingdon

Gas prices hit new record high | The Hill

 

 

Gas prices hit a new record high on Sunday, climbing to a national average of $5.01 for a gallon of gas, according to AAA.

The average spiked about 16 cents from last week as summer rolled in and Americans started driving more for vacations, trips and outings.

Americans have watched prices at the pump soar since 2021 and then accelerate this year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Now, gas prices have shattered records. In California, the average for a gallon of gas climbed to $6.43 on Sunday, the highest in the country.

Even states with typically lower averages, such as Texas and Mississippi, are seeing gas prices inch past $4.50 per gallon.

The latest record comes after inflation hit a 40-year high in May, driven by increases in government spending during the pandemic, international turmoil, disrupted supply chains and increased consumer demand in a period of post-COVID-19 restrictions.

Source: Gas prices hit new record high | The Hill

Biden administration cancels Alaska oil and gas lease sale – CBS News

The Biden administration has canceled one of the most high-profile oil and gas lease opportunities pending before the Interior Department. The decision, which halts the potential to drill for oil in over 1 million acres in the Cook Inlet in Alaska, comes at a challenging political moment, when gas prices are hitting painful new highs.

In a statement shared first with CBS News, the Department of the Interior cited a “lack of industry interest in leasing in the area” for the decision to “not move forward” with the Cook Inlet lease sale. The department also halted two leases under consideration for the Gulf of Mexico region because of “conflicting court rulings that impacted work on these proposed lease sales.”

Federal law requires the Department of the Interior to stick to a five-year leasing plan for auctioning offshore leases. The administration had until the end of the current five-year plan — set to expire at the end of next month — to complete these lease sales.

Source: Biden administration cancels Alaska oil and gas lease sale – CBS News

U.S. producers reluctant to drill more oil, despite sky-high gas prices – CBS News

Consumers battered by sky-high gasoline prices shouldn’t expect relief from the oil industry anytime soon.

The price of crude oil has been steadily rising since the start of last year. It hit $100 a barrel in March after Russia invaded Ukraine — the first time in 12 years it breached three digits.

Source: U.S. producers reluctant to drill more oil, despite sky-high gas prices – CBS News

How gas prices have changed in Pittsburgh in the last week | State | indianagazette.com

Gas prices leveled out this week well above the $4 mark as rideshare giants Uber and Lyft announced temporary fuel surcharges to offset record-high prices at pumps across the country. Drivers will receive 100% of those charges.

The price of oil also temporarily reversed its upward trajectory, dipping below $100 per barrel on Tuesday, March 15, according to Brent Crude. Crude oil prices fell by roughly 20% since last week, driven largely be fears of reduced demand amid China’s COVID-19 lockdowns in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

Oil prices stayed below the $100 per barrel threshold until Thursday morning, when Russia again ramped up attacks against Ukraine. The International Energy Agency reported on Wednesday that, beginning in April, roughly 3 million barrels a day of Russian oil supply could be eliminated from global markets due to Western sanctions and other international players distancing themselves from Russia.

Stacker compiled statistics on gas prices in Pittsburgh, PA metro area using data from AAA. Gas prices are as of March 17. State gas tax data is from World Population Review.

Pittsburgh by the numbers

– Current price: $4.31

— Pennsylvania average: $4.37

— Pennsylvania gas tax: $0.59 per gallon (#1 highest among all states)

– Week change: -$0.04 (-0.9%)

– Year change: +$1.25 (+40.8%)

– Historical expensive gas price: $4.35 (3/10/22)

Metros with the most expensive gas

#1. San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles, CA: $5.96

#2. Napa, CA: $5.93

#3. San Francisco, CA: $5.90

Metros with the least expensive gas

#1. Lawton, OK: $3.65

#2. Amarillo, TX: $3.67

#3. Joplin, MO: $3.69

States with the highest gas tax per gallon

#1. Pennsylvania: $0.59

#2. California: $0.53

#3. Washington: $0.52

States with the lowest gas tax per gallon

#1. Alaska: $0.0895

#2. Hawaii: $0.16

#3. Virginia: $0.162

Source: How gas prices have changed in Pittsburgh in the last week | State | indianagazette.com

Delivery drivers in Pittsburgh area feeling pain at the pump

Rising gas prices are having an immediate impact on the bottom line for businesses that rely on deliveries.

Tom Luscombe is the third-generation owner of Greensburg Floral. He told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that more than 90% of his business comes from deliveries throughout Westmoreland County.

“There is no budget for it,” Luscombe said. “As the prices go up daily, it affects the flowers coming in and the flowers going out.”

Luscombe said the shop changed its business model during the pandemic and now has less staff, which means more hours for everyone else. He said increased fuel costs will ultimately trickle down to customers, but he’s hoping better days are ahead.

“Hang in there and pray. That’s what we’re doing,” Luscombe said.

Gas prices in the Pittsburgh area went up nearly 50 cents per gallon for regular in the past week. For delivery drivers, it’s an added cost of doing business.

“It just cost me $96 to fill up and before it was in the $60-70 range,” delivery driver Rich O’Neal said.

O’Neal is a retired police officer who now delivers for apps such as Roadie and Shipt.

“The rate they are paying me isn’t going up, but the rate I’m paying to do this sure is,” O’Neal said. “It’s going to reach a point where it’s not cost-effective to do this anymore.”

Source: Delivery drivers in Pittsburgh area feeling pain at the pump

Gas prices surge in the Pittsburgh area and nationwide

AAA reports gas prices surged in the Pittsburgh area, up 12 cents from Wednesday to Thursday.

That put the average for a gallon of regular unleaded in Pittsburgh at $3.82.

Across Pennsylvania, the average was up eight cents to $3.87.

And nationwide, the average for a gallon of regular unleaded was up seven cents to $3.72.

The price increases come despite a positive recent headline related to oil availability.

The International Energy Agency announced Tuesday that it would release 60 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves.

Source: Gas prices surge in the Pittsburgh area and nationwide

Oil giant BP reports highest profit in 8 years on soaring commodity prices

KEY POINTS
  • “It has been another good quarter for the company,” BP CEO Bernard Looney told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Tuesday.
  • A surge in global gas markets through the final months of 2021, coupled with an oil price rally to seven-year highs, has seen the world’s largest fossil fuel giants rake in bumper revenues.
  • It comes at a time when millions of U.K. households are facing a record-breaking increase in their energy bills amid a cost of living crisis.

Source: Oil giant BP reports highest profit in 8 years on soaring commodity prices

U.S., other nations to release oil from reserves to lower gas prices

The U.S. will release 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to combat climbing gas prices.

  • The U.S. will release 50 million barrels of crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the White House said Tuesday.
  • The move is a coordinated effort between energy-consuming nations including China and Japan to combat the rapid rise in energy prices.
  • Prior to Tuesday’s announcement the Biden administration repeatedly said that it was looking at the tools at its disposal as prices at the pump hover around a seven-year high.

Source: U.S., other nations to release oil from reserves to lower gas prices

Cargo ship snaps in two off Japan’s coast, 21 crew members rescued – CBS News

A fuel leak from the ship has spread around 15 miles, but the extent of any environmental impact was unclear.

A cargo ship ran aground and broke into two off northern Japan, the coast guard said Thursday, with the crew of the Panama-flagged vessel taken to safety. Aerial images showed the separated stern of the Crimson Polaris tipped upwards and the other part of the stricken boat listing into the sea.

A fuel leak from the ship has spread around 15 miles, a coastguard spokesman told AFP, but the extent of any environmental impact was unclear.

Source: Cargo ship snaps in two off Japan’s coast, 21 crew members rescued – CBS News

Greenland halts new oil exploration to combat climate change and focus on sustainable development – CBS News

The country’s agriculture minister said the government “takes climate change seriously.”

Greenland has suspended all new oil and gas exploration, the country’s government announced Thursday. Government officials said they believe the “price of oil extraction is too high,” citing both economic considerations and the fight against climate change.

“This step has been taken for the sake of our nature, for the sake of our fisheries, for the sake of our tourism industry, and to focus our business on sustainable potentials,” the government, called Naalakkersuisut, said in a statement.

Source: Greenland halts new oil exploration to combat climate change and focus on sustainable development – CBS News

TC Energy wants Biden administration to pay it $15 billion for blocking the Keystone XL pipeline – CNN

New York (CNN Business)TC Energy Corporation, the company that developed the Keystone XL pipeline project, is seeking to recover more than $15 billion in damages from the United States, claiming the US government breached its free trade obligations when it revoked the permit for the project.

The energy company announced in June that it is pulling the plug on the controversial Keystone pipeline project after the Biden administration revoked the permit on the president’s first day in the White House. The announcement ended more than a decade of controversy over the pipeline, marking a win for environmentalists who argued the project would worsen the climate crisis.
To recover economic damages from the project’s cancellation, TC Energy (TRP) on Friday filed a Notice of Intent with the US State Department to initiate a legacy NAFTA claim under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the company said in a statement.
When the permit cancellation was announced, TC Energy warned that it would “directly lead to the layoff of thousands of union workers.”
The project, which aimed to carry oil from the tar sands of Canada into the United States, has been the subject of controversy for years, igniting conversations about environmental, political and social justice issues. The end of the Keystone XL project could push environmentalists to pressure Biden to end other projects, including Line 3 and the Dakota Access pipeline.

Source: TC Energy wants Biden administration to pay it $15 billion for blocking the Keystone XL pipeline – CNN

Southern California Gas Prices At Highest Since July Of 2015 – CBS Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Gas prices in Los Angeles County are at their highest level since July of 2015.

AAA and the Oil Price Information Service says the average price for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County is now at $4.285, nearly 10 cents higher than a month ago. In Orange County, the same gallon of gas is at $4.239.

Gas prices typically rise as summer travel ramps up and California phases in its higher-cost summer blend. Demand may be even higher this year due to a pent-up desire to hit the road after more than a year of lockdowns and travel restrictions.

Source: Southern California Gas Prices At Highest Since July Of 2015 – CBS Los Angeles

Keystone XL-Quashing Activists Demand Biden Block Other Pipelines – Bloomberg

Environmentalists emboldened by this week’s defeat of Keystone XL are pressuring President Joe Biden to revoke permits for other oil and gas pipelines, warning their votes depend on the administration blocking fossil fuel infrastructure.

“If you need and want us — as I know the Biden team does — to come out in stronger numbers for 2022, then you have to do right by our community,” Jane Kleeb, the president of Bold Alliance, who spent more than a decade battling TC Energy Corp.’s Keystone XL, said in a call with reporters Friday. “You have to stand up to these big oil and fracked-gas pipelines and say ‘no more.’”

Pipelines have been a focal point in the fight against climate change, putting leaders such as Biden and Canada’s Justin Trudeau in a tough spot as they pledge to help cut global carbon dioxide emissions at a Group of Seven summit in the U.K. The U.S. is the world’s biggest producer and consumer of oil, and it’s still unclear how plans to wean Americans off gasoline will pan out. Canada holds the world’s third-largest crude reserves and its economy benefits enormously from their development.

Source: Keystone XL-Quashing Activists Demand Biden Block Other Pipelines – Bloomberg

Keystone XL Pipeline Project Is Canceled – The New York Times

The embattled project to carry oil from Canada to Nebraska had been on life support since President Biden’s first day in office and stalled by legal battles for years before that.

The Canadian pipeline company that had long sought to build the Keystone XL pipeline announced Wednesday that it had terminated the embattled project, which would have carried petroleum from Canadian tar sands to Nebraska.

The announcement was the death knell for a project that had been on life support since President Biden’s first day in office and had been stalled by legal battles for years before that, despite support from the Trump administration.

On the day he was inaugurated, Mr. Biden, who has vowed to make tackling climate change a centerpiece of his administration, rescinded the construction permit for the pipeline, which developers had sought to build for over a decade. That same day, TC Energy, the company behind the project, said it was suspending work on the line.

On Wednesday, the company wrote in a statement that it “will continue to coordinate with regulators, stakeholders and Indigenous groups to meet its environmental and regulatory commitments and ensure a safe termination of and exit from the project.”

Source: Keystone XL Pipeline Project Is Canceled – The New York Times

Ship Sinking Off Sri Lanka May Become A Lasting Disaster : NPR

A sinking cargo ship off the coast of Sri Lanka is causing an environmental disaster for the country that looks set to have long-term effects.

The X-Press Pearl caught fire on May 20 and burned for two weeks, but the fire appears to have mostly burned out. The crew was evacuated. The ship is now partially sitting on the seabed with its front settling down slowly.

Its cargo is the concern: The ship was carrying dangerous chemicals, including 25 tons of nitric acid and 350 tons of fuel oil. The ship’s operator says oil has not spilled so far. But what’s already having an impact on beaches nearby are the 78 metric tons of plastic called nurdles — the raw material used to make most types of plastic products.

Wave after wave of plastic pellets are washing ashore. The ship is about 5 miles from the nearest beach.

Source: Ship Sinking Off Sri Lanka May Become A Lasting Disaster : NPR

Biden suspends oil-drilling leases in Alaska’s Arctic refuge

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday suspended oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reversing a drilling program approved by the Trump administration and reviving a political fight over a remote region that is home to polar bears and other wildlife — and a rich reserve of oil.

The Interior Department order follows a temporary moratorium on oil and gas lease activities imposed by President Joe Biden on his first day in office. Biden’s Jan. 20 executive order suggested a new environmental review was needed to address possible legal flaws in a drilling program approved by the Trump administration under a 2017 law enacted by Congress.

After conducting a required review, Interior said it “identified defects in the underlying record of decision supporting the leases, including the lack of analysis of a reasonable range of alternatives” required under the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental law.

The remote, 19.6 million-acre refuge is home to polar bears, caribou, snowy owls and other wildlife, including migrating birds from six continents. Republicans and the oil industry have long been trying to open up the oil-rich refuge, which is considered sacred by the Indigenous Gwich’in, for drilling. Democrats, environmental groups and some Alaska Native tribes have been trying to block it.

Source: Biden suspends oil-drilling leases in Alaska’s Arctic refuge

NC gas shortage update: More than half of NC gas stations without fuel as Colonial Pipeline returns to ‘normal’ operations – ABC11 Raleigh-Durham

RALEIGH (WTVD) — The state has seen a minor change in the number of gas stations regaining fuel in the last day, according to GasBuddy which is now reporting 50.1 percent of North Carolina stations are without gas.

North Carolina has hovered somewhere in the upper 50s since Sunday — an improvement from the past couple of days.

Both Durham and Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools made a return to the classrooms Monday after having to cancel in-person learning due to the shortage Friday.

On Monday, Colonial Pipeline reiterated that the supply chain will take some time to catch up since the pipeline system restart last Wednesday. The company said operations are back to normal.

Experts say the Colonial Pipeline hack didn’t cause the shortage. Instead, it was the panic-buying that happened in response.

State officials continue to discourage panic-buying. They say people rushing out to fill up all their vehicles and topping off their tanks despite not really needing it was a major reason for all the gas station outages in the first place.

GasBuddy says data shows “the epicenter of restoration efforts appears to be North Carolina at the present time.”

Source: NC gas shortage update: More than half of NC gas stations without fuel as Colonial Pipeline returns to ‘normal’ operations – ABC11 Raleigh-Durham

Inflation, Gas Shortage Highlight Peril That Could Threaten Biden’s Agenda : NPR

President Biden continues to get good marks for his handling of the most pressing issue of the day — the coronavirus pandemic. He also remains on average above 50% for his handling of the economy, which is closely tied to COVID-19.

But as things start to open up more and get back to normal — with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new mask guidance for fully vaccinated people leading the way — there are crises or potential crises looming on the horizon.

For a couple of months, it’s been clear that Americans have less confidence in the president’s handling of immigration, for example. There has been a surge of migrants, including unaccompanied minors, at the southern U.S. border, and the Biden administration has struggled to respond.

This week, some new things got added to Biden’s plate, including inflation, a run on gas and renewed fighting in the Middle East between Israel and Palestinians. They threaten to derail an agenda that has so far, for the most part, stayed on the tracks.

Source: Inflation, Gas Shortage Highlight Peril That Could Threaten Biden’s Agenda : NPR

US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack – BBC News

The US acts to keep fuel flowing after its largest pipeline was hit by a ransomware cyber-attack.

The Colonial Pipeline carries 2.5 million barrels a day – 45% of the East Coast’s supply of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel.

It was completely knocked offline by a cyber-criminal gang on Friday and is still working to restore service.

The emergency status relaxes rules on fuel being transported by road.

Source: US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack – BBC News

Report shows natural gas fracking didn’t produce promised jobs to Pa. and Appalachia | News | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper

While still recovering from the Great Recession of 2008-2009, natural gas drilling — aka fracking — appeared in the Pittsburgh region and claimed to be able to offer economic relief. One of the first major energy players to move into the Pittsburgh region and greater Appalachia was Range Resources. The Texas-based oil and gas company claimed that fracking would lead to economic benefits beyond just those made from extracting natural gas.

In an October 2012 commercial, Range Resources claimed Pittsburgh is the place “where manufacturing will become American again” and ends with the tagline, “Drilling is just the beginning.” Those manufacturing gains never materialized, and the Pittsburgh region has lost several thousand manufacturing jobs since 2012.

And according to a new report from the Ohio River Valley Institute, that was just one of several failed economic promises natural gas companies made to the Pittsburgh area, Appalachia, and the Marcellus and Utica Shale region.

Source: Report shows natural gas fracking didn’t produce promised jobs to Pa. and Appalachia | News | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper

Mauritius oil spill: Cargo ship has split in two – CNN

(CNN)A ship that has leaked tons of oil off the coast of Mauritius has split apart, authorities said on Saturday.

“At around 4.30 pm, a major detachment of the vessel’s forward section was observed,” the National Crisis Committee of Mauritius said in statement.
The Japanese-owned ship, MV Wakashio, ran aground at Pointe d’Esny in late July and began leaking tons of oil into a pristine Indian Ocean lagoon last week.
A massive clean-up operation involving thousands of local volunteers had been underway. But a crack inside the hull of the ship expanded earlier this week, according to the ship’s operator Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, a Japanese company.

Source: Mauritius oil spill: Cargo ship has split in two – CNN

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