MIDLAND

The federal environment agency says it will continue flyovers of the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico until Aug. 15 using infrared cameras to survey oil and gas operations.

Up in Smoke BBQ closed its Midland location after the 2020 bust, but has resurfaced three hours east, in Early, with new meat market.

Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam was back on top of an LPGA Tour leaderboard Wednesday, teaming with Madelene Sagstrom in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. “It is different because it’s a team format,” Sorenstam said. The 51-year-old Sorenstam is making her second LPGA Tour start of the year and only her third since retiring after the 2008 season.

Scores, highlights and more from the Texas League baseball series between the Corpus Christi Hooks and Midland RockHounds at Whataburger Field.

It is the latest example of how Texas Democrats are on edge over the administration’s approach to high gas prices.

As rumors swirl about the origins of the crisis, West Texas parents turn to one another for help.

Gov. Greg Abbott said all of Texas shares Uvalde's grief. Grieving gun violence has become increasingly commonplace in the Lone Star State.

The Texas A&M Forest Service posted a video on May 18 of the Mesquite Heat Fire, showing a large blaze and heavy winds blowing plumes of smoke across the area.

The 139-year old Scharbauer Ranch now boasts a meat market and barbecue joint, setting up a symbolic—and delicious—relationship.

The release of the 1950 census allows us to see the first time America's three baby-boom presidents were recorded — or, at least, it should.

Labor shortages, supply chain issues, hesitant financial backers and a frosty relationship with the Biden administration have limited how much Texas oil and gas companies are ramping up production.

Labor shortages, supply chain issues, hesitant financial backers and a frosty relationship with the Biden administration have limited how much Texas oil and gas companies are ramping up production.

Court documents say she shows no remorse.

Authorities are trying to determine why a pickup truck crossed into the opposite lane on a darkened, two-lane West Texas highway before colliding head-on with a van, killing nine people including six New Mexico college students and a golf coach.

Authorities say the person fatally shot last week by a sheriff’s deputy at a West Texas apartment complex was a 14-year-old boy.

A West Texas oilfield company and a company executive have been indicted in the 2019 poisonous gas deaths of a worker and his wife.

Clarissa Aery, of Kerrville, approached the Kerrville Independent School District board of trustees at its regular meeting Monday with a reading from several books that are available in KISD libraries.

A West Texas man has pleaded guilty to hate-crime charges relating to an attack on an Asian family at a warehouse store.

Five employees at a Texas private school have been arrested on a felony charge after authorities accused of them of failing to report the alleged sexual assault of a student on campus.

Five employees at a Texas private school have been arrested on a felony charge after authorities accused of them of failing to report the alleged sexual assault of a student on campus. The five employees at Midland Christian School were arrested Wednesday on a felony charge of failure to report with intent to conceal neglect or abuse, the Midland Reporter-Telegram reported.

One of the five candidates for the Republican Texas Railroad Commission nomination has been killed in a traffic crash while traveling from a West Texas campaign appearance.

The surge in seismic activity from increased underground pressure is shaking the West Texas ground and rattling longtime residents.

As Texas universities and colleges begin a fifth semester during the COVID-19 pandemic, many students say they are struggling with uncertainty and an indifference toward school and the future.

According to FilterBuy, current levels of inflation have caused alarm in part because the...

When a homeowner shot and killed a police officer in Midland, the court case that followed pitted two core Texas values against each other.

A West Texas man has been acquitted of murder in the 2019 fatal shooting of a police officer who was shot while checking a security alarm at the man's home.

A West Texas man was acquitted of murder Wednesday in the 2019 fatal shooting of a police officer who was shot while checking a security alarm at the man’s home. A Midland County jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before finding David Wilson not guilty of murder in the death of Midland police Officer Nathan Heidelberg. Wilson’s attorneys had told jurors that he didn’t know Heidelberg was a police officer, mistook him for an intruder and shot him in self-defense in the predawn hours of March 5, 2019.

Members of the Chin ethnic group have found good jobs in the oil fields, and many are voting Republican.

A growing group of laborers is trailing hurricanes and wildfires the way farmworkers follow crops, contracting for big disaster-recovery firms, and facing exploitation, injury, and death.

After high-profile clashes with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a fellow Republican, Seliger suspects members of his own party are trying to oust him.

These fall fields of dreams across the state feature everything from train rides and corn mazes to campfires and pumpkin smashing.

The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo will be held Feb. 10-27 at the AT&T Center and Freeman Coliseum fairgrounds.

Texas-based ConocoPhillips bought Shell’s Permian Basin assets for $9.5 billion, its second major purchase in the oil-rich area over the last year.

Even as some Texas schools hadn’t yet started the school year, the number of positive COVID-19 student cases statewide reported last week surpassed the peak...

There have been 20,256 reported cases among students across the state since the school year began.

A look at this week's Double-A Central series between the Corpus Christi Hooks and Frisco RoughRiders.

A look at this week's Double-A Central series between the Corpus Christi Hooks and Midland RockHounds.

Scores and highlights from the series between the Corpus Christi Hooks and Midland RockHounds

What to know about the Hooks series against the Amarillo Sod Poodles at Hodgetown in Amarillo.

In a story published May 22, 2021, The Associated Press reported that Vector Fleet Management submitted fraudulent invoices to Midland County.

A man reported missing at the Guadalupe River was found dead on Wednesday, according to the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office.

The 2021 Corpus Christi Hooks schedule.

To Mike Anger in Midland, Michigan, a $100 round-trip airline flight and $260 for five nights at a Las Vegas hotel made it too easy to say yes. Las Vegas has been almost elbow-to-elbow lately with pandemic-weary tourists looking for excitement and entertainment, after casinos rose from 35% to 50% occupancy March 15 under state health guidelines. Capacity limits in Las Vegas casinos drop again Saturday — allowing 80% occupancy — while person-to-person distancing goes from 6 feet (1.8 meters) to 3 feet (0.9 meters).

Attorneys who inspected two emergency housing sites for migrant children in Texas also reported limited or non-existing recreational and educational services.

Attorneys who inspected two emergency housing sites for migrant children in Texas also reported limited or non-existing recreational and educational services.

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas’ environmental regulator on Friday barred most uses of the water at an oilfield camp converted into a holding center for immigrant teenagers, raising alarms about the safety of more than 400 youths detained there. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said running water at the Midland camp could be used only to flush toilets or wash clothes because officials aren't sure whether the water is safe. AdThe Midland camp did not have an active permit with TCEQ for a public water system, according to the agency’s online records. Texas Sen. Kel Seliger said Friday that water on site is drawn from a well that the company drilled without getting a TCEQ permit. Hopefully not oilfield pollutants, but they don’t know.”It's unclear whether TCEQ has tested the water or whether any hazardous chemicals have been found.

A surge of migrants on the Southwest border has the Biden administration on the defensive. President Joe Biden’s administration has been sharply criticized for its response to a surge in crossings of unaccompanied immigrant children. “I feel like I have to wait and try again.”The Biden administration is not expelling immigrant children unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian. But Pfluger and other Midland officials said the Biden administration wasn’t answering their questions or giving them assurance that officials would keep the surrounding community safe. HHS opened the Midland site without notifying some top local officials who say many of their questions aren't being answered.

Analysts estimate the total volume of oil lost to Texas' production freeze at anywhere between 18 million and 40 million barrels and roughly one-fifth of U.S. refining capacity was shut in. "The Texas storm helps Saudi and its partners tremendously because it accelerates the path to inventory normalization," Peter Sutherland, president of Houston-based energy investment firm Henrietta Resources. "It's not just positive sentiment; the roughly 40 million barrels lost due to the storm help tighten the market." OPEC expected to increase productionThe inventory drawdown continues a trend that's seeing oil prices steadily rise from their historic pandemic-induced lows nearly a year ago. "U.S. crude oil exports will fall in coming weeks and this provides support for international grades — again supportive for oil producers."

Energy prices jumped Tuesday as a deep freeze in the South boosted demand for fuel and hampered production. "Frigid temps and speculators caught short are dramatically moving futures prices higher." Ultimately, there just wasn't enough supply, forcing power companies to turn to the open market to buy electricity. "Weather is severe enough to curtail supply when demand is near all-time high levels," RBC analysts said in a note. West Texas Intermediate crude futures, the U.S. oil benchmark, advanced 58 cents, or 0.98%, to settle at $60.05 per barrel.

Cattle shelters from the cold wind on the side of a pump jack array Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021 in Midland, Texas. WTI crude futures rose 62 cents, or 1%, to $60.09 a barrel Monday. The jump brings WTI crude futures up about 24% so far in 2021. The latest pop in the energy market came as cold weather racked portions of the U.S. and fostered demand for power and fuel while simultaneously threatening to hamstring production in Texas. "Winter storm and arctic blast of cold weather that is making its way south to Houston may have some severe impacts on the oil industry," oil analyst Andy Lipow wrote over the weekend.

2 1 of 2 Courtesy NWS Facebook Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Kathy Adams Clark / Kathy Adams Clark/KAC Productions Show More Show LessAn interesting sight was spotted by individuals in Midland, Texas of a cloud known as "Hole Punch" cloud or "Fallstreaks" Tuesday afternoon. The cloud received its name due to the resemblance of a circular gap in the middle of a cloudy sky and giving the appearance of cloud streaks falling from the center. This is a rare phenomenon that can be explained with science.

Governments across the world must significantly scale up climate adaptation measures to avoid major economic damage from global warming, according to the fifth edition of the UN Environment Programme Adaptation Gap report. Nations must put half of all global climate financing towards adaptation in the next year in order to avoid the worst impact of climate change, according to the report published on Thursday. The world is still on track for temperatures to rise over 3 degrees Celsius, or 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit, this century. "The hard truth is that climate change is upon us," Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP, said in a statement. The report also called for governments prioritize climate change in their Covid-19 economic recovery plans, including a shift away from fossil fuels and toward investing in green technologies and restoring ecosystems.

(AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar)MIDLAND, Texas – A West Texas flower shop owner who posted a video on Facebook bragging about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office being broken into during the U.S. Capitol riot last week was arrested Wednesday, federal officials said. The Midland Reporter-Telegram reports that Cudd and Rosa appeared Wednesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Griffin in Midland. “She did not break into Nancy Pelosi’s office," Flanary said. “She didn’t go anywhere inside or near it.”“We’re pretty confident that the cameras will show she was only in the public portions of the Capitol,” Flanary said. A mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building last week following a rally the president held.

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana File)Texans who were involved in Wednesday’s siege upon on the U.S. Capitol were not shy about it on their own social media accounts. Texans among the mob who stormed the Capitol included a former mayoral candidate, a real estate agent, a lawyer and a Bexar County sheriff’s deputy. Videos Cudd posted on her own Facebook have gone viral. A lieutenant with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is under investigation after she posted photos of the incident on her Facebook.

The battleground states whose presidential election results are being challenged by Texas at the Supreme Court urged the justices on Thursday not to take up the case. Those states — Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia — have all certified their election results, with Democrat Joe Biden defeating President Donald Trump. Pennsylvania in its brief called Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's long-shot bid to overturn other states' elections "legally indefensible" and "an affront to principles of constitutional democracy." Dana Nessel, the attorney general of Michigan, told the court in her state's brief to reject Texas' case outright. Seventeen states that Trump won in the popular vote further fueled those views Wednesday, when they filed a brief to the Supreme Court in support of Texas' case.

MIDLAND, Texas – The city council in Midland on Monday declined to approve ordinances related to enforcing Texas’ mask mandate. Monday’s decision came amid a spike in the number of coronavirus cases in Texas. In El Paso, officials have been asking Abbott for support for a curfew in the county as mortuaries are being overwhelmed due to COVID-19 deaths. El Paso has recorded a steep incline in COVID-19 cases and deaths over the last few weeks. On Monday, El Paso recorded 328 new coronavirus cases and seven new deaths, bringing the active case count to more than 36,000 and the death toll to 862.

Federal authorities charged six men for allegedly plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Seven other men known to be members or associates of the militia group Wolverine Watchmen were charged under Michigan's anti-terrorism law. The FBI later heard the men and others talking about attacking the Michigan state Capitol and using Molotov cocktails to destroy police vehicles. Those defendants were arrested on Wednesday night, according to Andrew Birge, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan. Hate groups heard the president's words, not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry, as a call to action."

But law enforcement authorities said Jerry Gardner, of Cedar Park, didn’t give up easily. Gardner was involved in a violent series of encounters, beginning at a gas station in Midland, where the carjacking occurred Friday night, the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said. Gardner then struck a customer who tried to intervene in the carjacking before taking off on Interstate 10. Gardner then ran toward a Kendall County deputy and the suspect was shocked with a Taser, the KCSO said. After a brief struggle, he was arrested and taken to the Kerr County Jail, where he is being held on bonds from six charges totaling $528,500.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed presidential permits for energy development during a tour of the Double Eagle Energy oil rig in Midland on Wednesday. Carlos Barria/REUTERSPresident Donald Trump sought to give a morale boost to the beleaguered Texas energy industry during a visit Wednesday to the Permian Basian, while also rallying oil-and-gas workers against Democrats ahead of the November election. "We were very close to losing a very powerful, great industry," Trump said, "and now we're back and we're just gonna keep expanding." While Texas officials welcomed Trump to Texas by endorsing his "support of Texas energy producers, the industry across the state has been harshly disrupted in 2020. The trip was Trump's 16th visit to Texas as president but first to the Midland-Odessa area, a Republican stronghold.

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will shift his focus to American energy dominance during a stop in Texas later this week that will include his first visit to an oil rig. During the stop Wednesday at Double Eagle Energy in the west Texas city of Midland, Trump will discuss how the U.S. is achieving energy dominance by cutting regulations, simplifying permitting and encouraging private investment in energy infrastructure, the White House said. While in Texas, Trump will raise money for the Republican Party and his reelection campaign at a fundraising luncheon with supporters in nearby Odessa. It will be Trumps 16th visit as president to Texas, the White House said. The White House said Trump has taken steps to help the energy industry recover after the coronavirus outbreak caused demand for energy and prices to plummet as people stayed home to avoid becoming infected.

FILE - In this May 29, 2020 file photo, two cars are flipped over after major flood damage, in Sanford, Mich. Sanford village, with a population of 859, is pulling together after the devastation of two dam failures in May. Volunteers are still clearing muck and providing supplies to those whose homes were destroyed since there's no telling when major state and federal help will come. Although state or federal government aid would be a huge help, Ricards said Sanford could not wait. We celebrated birthday parties, their graduations, anything you can think of there.The goal is to keep people in the village, Cole said. I think its better just to help than to sit back and wait" for state or federal funding, Cole said.

When police stopped a Texas man for an alleged traffic violation, the confrontation turned tense, videos of the incident show. He stayed in the car for over five minutes before exiting, according to timestamped police bodycam video. Moments later, Anders can be seen on bodycam video dropping to his knees to lie down on the front lawn. At one point, Anders' 90-year-old grandmother appears in police bodycam video in an attempt to defuse the situation. In police bodycam video, officers can be seen and heard telling Anders to place his legs in the car while explaining why he was pulled over.

click image Facebook / HTeaOIn a sweet tea-dominated state, Texas-based HTeaO is aiming to broaden our thirst-quenching horizons.The Midland-headquartered chain which brags that its locations offer more than 500 possible combinations of fresh-brewed tea has opened its first San Antonio outlet, located at 22127 Bulverde Road.While a planned March grand opening had to be postponed thanks, coronavirus CEO Justin Howe told the Express-News that the turnout for a May 22 "safe opening" was phenomenal. "HTeaO's menu offers sweet and unsweet flavors, including fruit- and herb-forward options such as Wild Raspberry, Sweet Blueberry Green and Sweet Mint. Thirsty customers also have the option to add two ounces of fresh fruit, including strawberries and blueberries, for 75 cents. Citrus slices are free, and the shops sells a range of sizes from small cups to a gallon.HTeaO uses a specific purification process for its water and ice, equipping each of its 16 locations with a dedicated water plant.While the current menu offers basic mixable base flavors, Howe told thecustomers in each market tend to develop local secret menus, creating area-specific combinations.Knowing SA's love for hometown flavors, we're guessing the local outlet will have its own set of puro favorites in no time.

Anders is accused of rolling through a stop sign in the West Texas city and continuing to drive to his grandmother's home instead of pulling over immediately for police.Video of the May 16 arrest shows officers training pistols at Anders while he lies face down on the front lawn. Anders, later charged with a felony charge of evading arrest, can be heard shouting that he's scared and begging officers to lower their weapons. "Why would he talk to you when you've got a gun out?" "In the clip, Anders' grandmother, leaning on a cane and wearing a pink housecoat, can be seen approaching the young man and telling the officers to leave him alone. Family members rush to aid her.Initially, the city of Midland refused to release police body and dashboard camera footage of the incident, according to a report from Marfa Public Radio .

The Tittabawassee River flows past the Dow plant and eventually meets the Saginaw River, which continues into Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay. That 50-mile stretch is tainted with dioxins highly toxic compounds that researchers say can damage reproductive and immune systems and cause cancer. Damage from the flood three years ago was minimal and required only minor repairs, EPA's regional office in Chicago said. Dioxins are byproducts of some of the hundreds of chemicals manufactured over the years at the Dow plant, which began operating in 1897. Environmentalists said they were concerned about releases of pollutants aside from dioxins, although Dow said there had been none.

President Donald Trump, who was in Michigan to visit a Ford production plant, signed an emergency declaration authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts. In Midland, 61 people spent Wednesday night and Thursday morning in temporary shelters, according to city spokeswoman Selina Tisdale. That number mostly the elderly and families dwindled throughout Thursday as floodwaters receded and some residents were able to return home, she said. Much of the area remained underwater, including in Midland, the headquarters of Dow Chemical Co. And floodwaters continued to threaten downstream communities. And my hats off to Midland.Other area residents returned to their homes to find heavy damage.

Dow said the ponds held only water, and it has detected no chemical releases from the plant in Midland where the company was founded, though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said state officials would evaluate the plant when theyre able. Once the flooding recedes, Dow will be required to assess the Superfund site contaminated with dioxins the company dumped in the last century to determine if any contamination was released, the EPA said.

The failure of two dams in Michigan driven by heavy rainfall late Tuesday has brought record-setting flooding to nearby communities as thousands of residents evacuate their homes. The collapse of the Edenville Dam and the Sanford Dam, about 140 miles north of Detroit, has released floodwaters that have inundated houses and business along the Tittabawassee River and prompted the National Weather Service to issue a rare flash-flood emergency. The Tittabawassee River, which has already reached a record height of nearly 35 feet as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday and continues to rise rapidly, is forecast to crest 38 feet by 8 p.m. tonight, according to the National Weather Service. Gretchen Whitmer issued an emergency declaration for the state and warned that downtown Midland could be under approximately 9 feet of water on Wednesday. "This is one of those nightmare scenarios that meteorologists hope never happen," Meteorologist Eric Holthaus wrote in a tweet.

Chevron warned on Friday that results will remain depressed as long as oil prices stay low, and said it was further cutting its 2020 capital spending plan. In the same quarter a year earlier, the oil giant earned $1.39 per share on $35.20 billion in revenue. Production at the nation's second-largest oil company rose 6% year over year to reach a record high of 3.24 million barrels per day of net oil-equivalent production. But looking forward, the company said lower oil prices will have a significant impact. "Financial results in future periods are expected to be depressed as long as current market conditions persist," the company said.

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the tax refunds. Residents in Midland, Texas, received the most money back from Uncle Sam when they filed their 2018 tax returns: an average refund check of $3,800, according to MagnifyMoney.com. "It would seem to be the case that they are overpaying on federal income taxes," said Chris Horymski, senior research analyst at MagnifyMoney. For instance, the combined state and average local sales tax rate is 8.19%, ranking the Lone Star state 12th in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation. Further, homeowners residing there pay a mean effective property tax rate of 1.67% sixth in the nation, the Tax Foundation found.

But traders cautioned that this collapse into negative territory was not reflective of the true reality in the beaten-up oil market. The price of the nearest oil futures contract, which expires Tuesday, detached from later month futures contracts, which continued to trade above $20 per barrel. This negative price has never happened before for an oil futures contract. "Right now we don't see any near-term relief for this oil market we remain really concerned for the outlook on oil near-term," she added. This could be why there's a steeper fall in the May futures contract compared to the June contract.

IHS Markit (INFO) The financial information provider reported quarterly profit of 66 cents per share, 2 cents a share above estimates. Twitter (TWTR) Twitter withdrew its guidance, as ad sales decline due to the coronavirus outbreak. Amazon.com (AMZN) Amazon suspended more than 3,900 selling accounts on its U.S. platform for violating its fair pricing policies. Mondelez (MDLZ) Mondelez will increase hourly wages by $2 and also pay a $125 weekly bonus for sales representatives. Perrigo (PRGO) Perrigo was upgraded to "overweight" from "neutral" at JPMorgan Chase, which thinks the drug maker will benefit from increased demand for flu treatments.

The majority of the lineup for this year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was released Thursday and it includes big names in country and pop. The rodeo will run from March 3-22, just weeks after the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, which runs Feb. 6-23. Here in the Alamo City, Cody Johnson, Midland, Chris Young and Brad Paisley will also play for the San Antonio rodeo. Other San Antonio rodeo performers include ZZ Top, Aaron Watson and Sammy Hagar and the Circle. Here’s the full lineup for the 2020 San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo:

A oil rigger at the Schlumberger field prepares pipes in Midland, Texas on December 16, 2008. Oil prices edged lower on Thursday ahead of a key OPEC meeting where members are expected to weigh deeper output cuts in an effort to prop up prices and prevent a glut next year. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meets on Thursday in Vienna followed by a meeting with Russia and other producers, a group known as OPEC+, on Friday. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 21 cents, or 0.34%, to $58.23 a barrel. The OPEC+ group has been curbing output since 2017 to counter surging production from the United States, which is now the world's biggest oil producer thanks to a rapid growth in shale oil output.

(Reuters) - One person was seriously injured in a Midland, Texas, explosion and fire on Thursday involving several storage tanks and a truck used in oilfield operations, according to a hospital spokeswoman and local media reports. Midland Memorial Hospital received one patient, who was in critical condition after the blast, hospital public relations manager Tasa Richardson said. Firefighters first responded to the blaze in Southeast Midland at about 10:30 a.m. CST (1630 GMT), CBS7 news reported. A firefighter truck also caught fire after fuel spilled onto the ground and spread the blaze, it reported. Midland, Texas, is one of the most active oil producing areas in the United States.

(Reuters) - Midland, Texas, firefighters responded to an explosion and fire on Thursday involving several storage tanks and a truck used in oilfield operations, local media reported. One worker at the facility has been injured in connection with the blaze, which firefighters first responded to at about 10:30 a.m. CST (1630 GMT), CBS7 news reported. A firefighter truck also caught fire after fuel spilled onto the ground and spread the blaze, it reported. Midland, Texas is one of the most active oil producing areas in the United States. It lays claim to a part of the Permian basin, the largest U.S. shale basin.

The Dow Chemical logo is shown on a building in downtown Midland, home of the Dow Chemical Company corporate headquarters, December 10, 2015 in Midland, Michigan. Recent news reports have indicated a possible merger between Dow and DuPont.(CNN) - An explosion at a Dow chemical plant in Plaquemine, Louisiana, created a loud noise but left no injuries and has not posed a threat to the public at this time, according to Iberville Parish Council. Chemical plant Dow Louisiana Operations reported that a vessel ruptured on site this morning and a loud noise was heard in the community. "There are no injuries on site, and we are currently conducting air monitoring," Dow Louisiana Operations said in a statement on Facebook. During our initial assessment there does not appear to be any off-site impact other than the noise."

Workers extracting oil from oil wells in the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas on May 1, 2018. An increase in production from the U.S. and OPEC has offset any remaining upside potential for oil prices, according to one analyst, with crude futures on track to register a weekly loss. U.S. oil production surged by almost 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August, government data published Thursday showed, hitting a record of 12.4 million. Meanwhile, a Reuters survey on OPEC production showed production rose by 690,000 bpd in October. "This latest ramp up in OPEC and U.S. supply extinguished any remaining pockets of upside potential," Stephen Brennock, oil analyst at PVM Oil Associates, said in a research note published Friday.