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February 4, 2013 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise News for the oil and natural gas industry   Top Story    API continues advocacy after election The American Petroleum Institute's post-election ad campaign targeting what it calls "job-killing energy taxes" shows that the group was unfazed by the 2012 election results, observers say. The idea of the campaign, which uses a mix of media and includes grass-roots organizing, is to start from the ground up, said Jack Gerard, API's president and CEO. "[One] of the things we've changed about the way we do our work at API is, we're going to the people. The Congress is a lagging indicator. The Congress responds to the voters," he said. Roll Call (free content) (2/3)      Keep your crews safe and rigs running with Check-6. The Check-6 Well Control CAT™ keeps your crews' training up-to-date through interactive courseware, knowledge and skills assessment, and simulation training. The Well Control CAT is portable, interactive, and built upon a centralized LMS. More experience in less time means increased proficiency, improved rig safety, and greater profitability. Learn More   Industry News  CRS issues new report about Gulf oil spill A report by the Congressional Research Service documents the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, including BP's cleanup expenditures and response operations. There were about 47,000 response workers and 7,000 vessels in the Gulf region at the height of the response, while as of last month, only 935 workers remained. More than 60 related congressional hearings were held and more than 150 bills proposed, the report added. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) (2/1)      Report measures air pollution from Pa. shale industry About 4% of the air pollution from Pennsylvania's industrial facilities in 2011 came from the shale natural gas industry, according to a report from the state's Department of Environmental Protection. Drillers produced 16,542 tons of nitrogen oxide in 2011 compared with 142,749 tons from power plants, the report found. "[E]ven if you are only focused on emissions from drilling and fracking, it's still a very small number when compared to other manmade emissions," said Andrew Paterson, the Marcellus Shale Coalition's vice president of technical and regulatory affairs. SeattlePI.com/The Associated Press (2/1)      Other News Baker Hughes: Oil, gas rigs in operation rose by 11 last week The Charlotte Observer (N.C.)/The Associated Press (2/1)   Exploration & Production  Halliburton promotes environmentally friendly fracking fluid Halliburton has developed CleanStim, a non-toxic fluid for use in hydraulic fracturing. This is part of the oil and natural gas industry's efforts to allay environmental concerns associated with the drilling technique. CleanStim offers "an extra margin of safety to people, animals and the environment in the unlikely occurrence of an incident," according to the company. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (2/3)      Official: EIA needs more time to learn true potential of shale plays The U.S. will need a few more years to determine the true potential of the country's shale oil and natural gas formations, an Energy Information Administration official said. "The key component here is the uncertainty with regards to productivity of these tight oil wells," said A. Michael Schaal, the agency's director for petroleum, natural gas and biofuels analysis. SNL Financial (free content) (2/1)        Refining & Marketing  BP closes sale of Texas refinery to Marathon for $2.4 billion BP has finalized the $2.4 billion sale of its refinery in Texas City, Texas, and other associated properties to Marathon Petroleum. American City Business Journals (2/1)        Policy Watch  Sen. Murkowski introduces broad U.S. energy policy plan Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has introduced an energy policy plan that includes drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and opening the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia to leasing. The lawmaker's "Energy 20/20" blueprint also seeks to reverse the Department of the Interior's proposal to ban drilling on about 50% of the National Petroleum-Reserve Alaska. Anchorage Daily News (Alaska) (free registration) (2/2)      Sen. Begich's bill would allow Alaska to collect offshore royalties Alaska would have a share of offshore oil and natural gas royalties under legislation proposed by Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska. "My bill not only encourages increased and responsible development of Alaska’s energy resources but also makes sure our communities benefit directly from oil and gas being produced in our own state," Begich said. FuelFix.com (2/1)      Chu announces resignation Energy Secretary Steven Chu will resign this year, leaving office in the next month or so. "Serving the country as Secretary of Energy, and working alongside such an extraordinary team of people at the Department, has been the greatest privilege of my life. While the job has had many challenges, it has been an exciting time for the Department, the country, and for me personally," Chu said. The Hill/E2 Wire blog (2/1)      Stalling on Keystone XL ruling unnecessary, Rep. Terry says Republican House lawmakers this week will discuss how to expedite the approval of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline, said Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb. An administration official has said that a ruling on the project won't occur until June or later. "This is just a transparent attempt to avoid making a decision," Terry said. Omaha World-Herald (Neb.) (2/2)        API News  International Trade and Customs Conference Announced The 2013 International Trade and Customs Conference, March 17 to 19, will be held in Galveston, Texas. Up-to-date information on what is happening with customs, border protection, and international trade in the areas of duty drawback, imports, exports and foreign trade zones will be presented. 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