Former Banker Pleads Guilty to Role in Laundering Embezzled PDVSA Funds
A former executive with Swiss bank Julius Baer pleaded guilty on Wednesday for his role in a billion-dollar scheme to launder money embezzled from the Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA, the U.S.
U.S. EPA Chief Pruitt Resigns
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, who pleased President Donald Trump by rolling back environmental regulations but came under fire for travel and security expenses and a condo arrangement…
Russian hackers penetrated Vermont electric utility
A code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by the Obama administration has been detected within the system of a Vermont electric utility, The Washington Post reported on Friday…
Trump Taps Congressman Zinke as Interior Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen first-term Republican U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana, a former Navy SEAL commander, as his interior secretary, a senior transition official said on Tuesday.
US Blocks N.Dakota Pipeline Construction after Court Allows It to Proceed
The U.S. Army Department will not allow construction of a crude oil pipeline to proceed on Army Corps land near a lake in North Dakota until it can review past decisions relating to the site…
Obama Concerned About Venezuela's Economy
U.S. President Barack Obama, in an interview that aired on Monday, voiced concern about the struggling Venezuelan economy and said he did not want to see the country fail despite the…
White House readying overhaul of fossil fuel program
The Obama administration is preparing to announce as soon as Friday an overhaul of how the nation manages coal development on federal land, according to government and conservationist sources…
White House Delays Imposing new Sanctions on Iran
The White House has delayed imposing new financial sanctions on Iran over its ballistic-missile program, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. On Wednesday, the Journal, citing U.S.
White House Does Not Back US House Bill to Repeal Oil Export Ban
The White House said on Tuesday it does not support a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal the 40-year-old ban on exports of crude oil. "This is a policy decision that is made over at the Commerce Department…
California Lawmakers Scale Back Environmental Proposals
California lawmakers on Friday were poised to end their legislative session with dramatically scaled back ambitions for combating climate change and fixing the state's roads. Among…
Second Major California Beach to Reopen after May Oil Spill
The second of two major California beaches that were closed after a ruptured pipeline spewed some 2,400 barrels of crude oil will be reopened next week, state parks officials said on Friday.
Seattle Police Dismantle Anti-Shell Protest Tent
Seattle activists say police have dismantled a tent on Monday used as a staging area to organize local protests over Royal Dutch Shell Plc's use of the city's port as a home base for…
Seattle Flotilla Protests Shell's Arctic Drilling Plans
Hundreds of activists in kayaks and small boats fanned out on a Seattle bay on Saturday to protest plans by Royal Dutch Shell to resume oil exploration in the Arctic and keep two of…
California Gas Pipeline Explosion, Fire injure 15
A construction crew on Friday accidentally ruptured a natural gas transmission line in Fresno, California, sparking an explosion and fire that injured up to 15 people, four of them critically, officials said.
U.S. Offshore Oil Drilling Rule Planned
The United States is planning to impose a major new regulation on offshore oil and gas drilling to try to prevent the kind of explosions that caused the catastrophic BP Plc oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico…
US State Dept. Still Reviewing Keystone Pipeline
The U.S. State Department is still reviewing TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline project, White House senior adviser Brian Deese told reporters on Thursday. Deese declined to give a…
FAA Exemptions for Commercial Drone Use
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday it had granted exemptions to four companies to use drones commercially for aerial surveying, construction site monitoring and oil rig flare stack inspections.
US see Credible Prospect of Nuclear deal with Iran
The White House said on Friday there was a "credible prospect for a comprehensive deal" with Iran over its nuclear program that made it necessary to extend talks with Western powers another four months.
White House: Baiji Oil Refinery Remains in Iraqi Govt. Control
The White House said on Thursday that Iraq's largest oil refinery in the northern town of Baiji remained in control of the government of Iraq despite advances in the region by militants…
China Army Chief: Disputed Rig Operating in Chinese Waters
Chinese military chief General Fang Fenghui said on Thursday the drilling rig that has provoked riots in Vietnam is operating in China's territorial waters and will continue conducting its operations despite the violence.
