-The United Steelworkers union filed an unfair labor practices complaint against LyondellBasell, accusing the company of prematurely declaring an impasse in contract talks after the union rejected its “last, best and final” offer. Union representative Jim Lefton said in a statement LyondellBasell used the declaration to bully its workers into accepting a “substandard contract” that allows the company to work its employees “to the point of exhaustion.” LyondellBasell said it would impose its latest offer April 20 if rejected by the union. Workers have been on strike at LyondellBasell’s Houston refinery since Feb. 1.
-Texas authorities are considering shutting down two wastewater injection wells owned by XTO Energy and EnerVest Operating that were recently linked to earthquakes near Fort Worth. Via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Texas Railroad Commission will conduct a hearing in June in which the companies will have to explain why their permits should not be canceled. A study by Southern Methodist University claimed 27 earthquakes near Azle and Reno, Texas, in 2013 and 2014 were caused by injection wells.
-Colorado has joined North Dakota and Wyoming in a lawsuit that challenges the Obama Administration’s authority to regulate fracking. Via the Denver Business Journal, energy firms must obtain a permit from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission whether they’re operating on federal or private lands. The federal Bureau of Land Management last month issued new safety and environmental regulations for fracking on federal lands.
-Orders for new railway tank cars dropped 70% between the fourth quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015 as shale oil production fell, the Wall Street Journal reports. New regulations requiring stronger cars to ship oil could, however, stimulate the market as buyers opt for new tank cars instead of retrofitting older cars.
-Mary Trost has been named plant manager at Dakota Prairie Refining, a new 20,000-barrel-per-day diesel refinery in Dickinson, N.D., set to start up this year. Via the Oil & Gas Journal, Trost most recently served as operations manager at BP’s Cherry Point Refinery in Blaine, Wash. Dakota Prairie Refining is a joint venture between Calumet Specialty Products Partners and MDU Resources.
