Tuesday, May 5, 2026

MPLX files with U.S. to expand Ozark pipeline expansion project

From Reuters: MPLX LP filed a petition with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Wednesday seeking permission to expand Ozark Pipeline, which carries crude oil from Cushing, Oklahoma to Wood River, Illinois. MPLX expects the commission to act by May 10, and the additional capacity could be available in the second quarter of 2018. On Monday, an MPLX subsidiary agreed

Enbridge, Spectra Energy to settle charges merger would harm competition – FTC

From Reuters: Energy infrastructure firms Enbridge Inc and Spectra Energy Corp have agreed to settle charges their merger would hurt competition in the market for gas pipeline transportation in three areas off the Louisiana coast, the Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday. The FTC said the firms agreed to resolve the charges by adopting a consent decree that would require

Houston midstream companies poised for growth on industry optimism

From Houston Business Journal: Now that the oil industry is out of 2016, several companies are closing the book on the year with their fourth-quarter releases and looking ahead with more optimism to 2017. And even though many companies in the oil sector are clinging to lighter business models earned in the downturn in the form of reduced costs and

Eurozone Survival: the Coming Vote That Will Resonate Beyond France

From Stratfor The eurozone could soon face a test of survival. The currency union’s fate could hinge on the results of the presidential election in France, the eurozone’s second-largest economy. French voters head to the polls in the two-round presidential election on April 23 and May 7, and a victory by National Front candidate Marine Le Pen would almost certainly

Enbridge Energy Closes $2 Billion Bakken Pipeline Deal

From Houston Business Journal: Houston-based Enbridge Energy Partners LP (NYSE: EEP) has closed on a $2 billion deal to jointly acquire interest in the Bakken Access pipeline system. The Bakken Access system includes the much-contested Dakota Access Pipeline and the Energy Transfer Crude Oil pipeline. Dakota Access recently received the final easement it needed for Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners LP

We’re Drilling Ourselves Out of a Job

From the New York Times MIDLAND, Tex. — In the land where oil jobs were once a guaranteed road to security for blue-collar workers, Eustasio Velazquez’s career has been upended by technology. For 10 years, he laid cables for service companies doing seismic testing in the search for the next big gusher. Then, powerful computer hardware and software replaced cables with wireless