-A new congressional report issued today found that the U.S. Chemical Safety Board is in disarray, rendering it unable to finish investigations into major incidents such as the 2010 explosion at Tesoro’s Anacortes, Wash., refinery. According to the report, the board’s “abusive and hostile work environment” has driven away experienced investigators and prolonged chemical accident probes. Reuters notes that CSB’s final report on the Tesoro incident was issued earlier this year.
-Pipeline firm Energy Transfer Equity is closing in on an agreement to purchase Targa Resources Corp., a deal that could be worth more than $15 billion. Via Bloomberg, a deal could be announced next week and could involve publicly traded pipeline firm Regency Energy Partners.
-The violence currently sweeping through Iraq has thus far remained out of reach of most of the country’s oil production, according to analysts at IHS. Via FuelFix, the majority of Iraq’s oil runs through a terminal in the southern part of the country, where its most productive oil fields also lie. The violence has largely taken place in the north. The conflict, however, has already begun to push up global oil prices.
