Oil drilling in Gulf safer, but concerns linger, report says
A new National Academy of Science study says that 13 years after a massive BP oil spill fouled the Gulf of Mexico, regulators and industry have reduced some risks in deep water exploration in the gulf but some troublesome safety issues persist.
![Trump policy that weakened wild bird protections is revoked](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/ib0dKaoJxXVHYW8nHm55MYsQzY8=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/NUVMTRJ6EZFTHD7MGVBJR7F2GY.jpg)
Trump policy that weakened wild bird protections is revoked
The Biden administration on Monday, March 8, 2021, reversed a policy imposed under former President Donald Trump that drastically weakened the government's power to enforce a century-old law that protects most U.S. bird species. โ The Biden administration on Monday reversed a policy imposed under former President Donald Trump that drastically weakened the government's power to enforce a century-old law that protects most U.S. bird species. A federal judge in New York in August struck down the Trump administration's legal rationale for changing how the bird treaty was enforced. The migratory bird policy was among dozens of Trump-era environmental actions Biden ordered reconsidered on his first day in office. The 1918 migratory bird treaty came after many U.S. bird populations had been decimated by hunting and poaching โ much of it for feathers for womenโs hats.
![Suit: Feds ignore risk of huge spills to endangered species](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/3Oerj06GQEmQ4xFa9vCp3Aix3OE=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/WLOB2XH44JDRJJS2QUQFXCJP3I.jpg)
Suit: Feds ignore risk of huge spills to endangered species
Environmental groups have asked a federal court to toss out the government's assessment of oil and gas activity's likely effects on endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico. A lawsuit filed Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, says the report doesnt consider the likelihood of another catastrophic oil spill like BP's Deepwater Horizon spill of 2010. He predicted the litigation will be lengthy because both the report and suit cover a huge area and many species. It will be largely a battle of experts, he said, but allegations about ignoring large spills are a strength of the suit. The suit said NOAA underestimated the largest spill likely.
![Shell plans to cut up to 9,000 jobs as oil demand slumps](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/BCIIkV427Yp4_RzFlZJ4nlHWUmQ=/1600x1069/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/KXEACXIMBZCGBB3XRP3RWV4IBE.jpg)
Shell plans to cut up to 9,000 jobs as oil demand slumps
LONDON โ Energy producer Royal Dutch Shell said Wednesday it's planning to cut between 7,000 and 9,000 jobs worldwide by the end of 2022 following a collapse in demand for oil and a subsequent slide in prices during the coronavirus pandemic. Overall, it said it expects the cost-cutting measures to secure annual cost savings of between $2 billion and $2.5 billion by 2022. โWe have to be a simpler, more streamlined, more competitive organization that is more nimble and able to respond to customers," Ben van Beurden, the company's chief executive, said. โTo be more nimble, we have to remove a certain amount of organizational complexity.โIn June, rival BP said it was cutting around 10,000 jobs from its workforce to cope with the impact of the virus. Shell also said that it expects third-quarter production to be between 2.15 million and 2.25 million barrels of oil equivalent a day, and that daily production levels have been impacted by between 60,000 and 70,000 barrels because of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.
![$215M in BP oil spill money to restore Louisiana marshes](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/4IgoV6DRphpHBgCBl5mmc7aX5b8=/1600x1027/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/RZ2VBBUWNBDADOPFINMXTCY44I.jpg)
$215M in BP oil spill money to restore Louisiana marshes
โ Louisiana will get nearly $215 million in BP oil spill money for two projects planned to restore more than 4,600 acres of marsh and other habitat in the New Orleans area, Gov. The money is from BPโs $8.8 billion settlement for natural resources damage caused by the blowout that killed 11 men and spewed more than 100 million gallons (380 million liters) of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, leaving long-lasting effects. โThe Mississippi River created our parish and the many historic ridges of our landscape,โ said Plaquemines Parish President Kirk Lepine. It was based partly on the judgeโs estimate that the 87-day Deepwater Horizon spill spewed nearly 134 million gallons (507 million liters) of crude into the Gulf โ enough to fill the U.S. Capitol rotunda 13 times. Federal experts estimated the total at more than 176 million gallons (666 million liters), while BP estimated 102 million gallons (386 million liters).
![$205M in BP spill money for Louisiana coastal restoration](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/n64g86fmkCG1CKWc03D2e-N1Jis=/1600x1027/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/GMSJCL7RJFABZGK7MVOK6L2LZI.jpg)
$205M in BP spill money for Louisiana coastal restoration
Louisiana is getting another $205 million in BP oil spill money to restore its coast. The marsh project will expand marsh created below the Jean Lafitte area known as The Pen. The four oyster projects include $10.1 million to spread limestone for 200-acre (80-hectare) public oyster reefs. Two will be in the Grand Banks area of the Mississippi Sound, Terrebonne Parishs Sister Lake Public Oyster Seed Reservation. The hatchery estimates its production is at least 500 million oyster larvae a year.
![Germany finalizing plan to phase out coal energy](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/UlpqaqD9fniASkwqdjruHvDgfUk=/1600x991/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/IB2NWLV42VFHXGWJF3UIEJ73QA.jpg)
Germany finalizing plan to phase out coal energy
FILE-In this Jan. 16, 2020 file photo an uniper coal-fired power plant and BP refinery steam beside a wind generator in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)BERLIN Germany's parliament was preparing Friday to pass new legislation finalizing the country's long-awaited phase-out of coal as an energy source, over objections from environmental groups the plan is not ambitious enough. Both houses of parliament were to vote on the roadmap that envisions the phase-out of coal between now and 2038. Germany is already phasing out nuclear power and the government envisions greater reliance on renewable energy as well as hydrogen and natural gas in the future. Greenpeace, which planned to protest the parliamentary vote, has said the plan does more to appease the energy companies than to protect the environment.
![BP sells petrochemicals arm to Ineos for $5 billion](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/-rPE9vpY_CIX_k6n3gY3irFIIVg=/1600x1105/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/A4Y4WYVWTBHKDLEKJVDZ7U6KCA.jpg)
BP sells petrochemicals arm to Ineos for $5 billion
LONDON Oil and gas company BP has sold its global petrochemicals business to Ineos for $5 billion, part of its plan to shift activities to renewable sources of energy. The company said in a statement Monday that the overlap of the petrochemicals business with the rest of the company is limited and that it takes considerable capital to grow these businesses. Petrochemicals are derived from oil and gas production and used to make industrial products like plastics or paints, among other things. Ineos will pay BP a deposit of $400 million and a further $3.6 billion on completion. An additional $1 billion will be deferred and paid in instalments next year.
![Energy producer BP takes $17.5 billion hit as demand slides](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/BtIwPWZ8bIybwC3eWSxccUMxVR0=/1600x1105/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/OEFXSXIDH5GOFNK2YJK6GWNWIM.jpg)
Energy producer BP takes $17.5 billion hit as demand slides
LONDON Energy company BP is writing off as much as $17.5 billion from its oil and gas assets and will review its plans to develop oil wells as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates its goal of decreasing its reliance on fossil fuels. The company pledged in February to become a net-zero company by 2050, but the pandemic has forced them to re-consider their assumptions once more. We are also reviewing our development plans,'' Looney said. Supply of oil and gas was particularly high when the outbreak began, creating a perfect storm for the industry. With storage facilities filling up, the U.S. price of oil went below zero in April for the first time ever.
![BP to cut 10,000 jobs worldwide amid virus pandemic](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/BatZ5Nu8OVi8t1C7BxS3wUWxhwk=/1600x1064/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ZO76ZEW4FVGQRFSVROAQ6K2NAE.jpg)
BP to cut 10,000 jobs worldwide amid virus pandemic
LONDON Energy company BP says that its global workforce will be trimmed by 10,000 jobs amid the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief Executive Bernard Looney said Monday that the roles will be office-based and come mostly this year. The companys current global workforce is 70,000. The global energy industry has been hit hard during the pandemic as the widespread limits on business, travel and public life reduced the need for oil, gas and other fuels. With storage facilities filling up, the U.S. price of oil went below zero in April for the first time ever.