BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — In the closing months of the Trump administration, energy companies stockpiled enough drilling permits for western public lands to keep pumping oil for years and undercut President-elect Joe Biden’s plans to curb new drilling because of climate change, according to public records and industry analysts. An Associated Press analysis of government data shows the permit stockpiling …

BRYAN, Texas (AP) — A third worker has died of injuries from a Central Texas oil well blowout, the company said Monday. Chesapeake Energy spokesman Gordon Pennoyer said in a statement the company is “deeply saddened” by the worker’s death. Pennoyer did not say when the worker died. The worker was injured in Wednesday’s blowout at a Chesapeake Energy well …

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke said Thursday he’s willing to consider a moratorium on new leases to drill for oil and gas on federal lands as a way to help combat climate change. The Democratic presidential hopeful told reporters while campaigning in Nevada on Thursday the nation needs to rethink how it protects its public lands …

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A judge blocked oil and gas drilling across almost 500 square miles (1,295 sq. kilometers) in Wyoming and said the U.S. government must consider climate change impacts more broadly as it leases huge swaths of public land for energy exploration. The order marks the latest in a string of court rulings over the past decade — …

Arctic offshore production wells approved off Alaska’s coast By DAN JOLING, Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The first oil and gas production wells in federal Arctic waters have been approved by U.S. regulators. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Wednesday announced it issued a conditional permit for the Liberty Project, a proposal by a subsidiary of Houston-based Hilcorp …

Senators: Buffer needed near Chaco national park Two U.S. senators say the area surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park represents the “cultural heart” of Native American tribes from around the Southwest and should be protected from encroaching oil and gas development. Democrats Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico announced legislation Tuesday to withdraw nearly 500 square miles (1,295 …

Judge dismisses historic preservation claim in drilling case By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A U.S. district judge has dismissed claims by environmentalists who argued that the approval of drilling permits violated historic preservation laws because of potential threats to culturally significant sites in northwestern New Mexico. Despite an earlier ruling that signaled the claims had merit, Judge …