Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Rick Perry, energy secretary, authorizes tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
With oil production still sagging after Hurricane Harvey battered the Gulf Coast, Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Thursday said he'll authorize the release of 500,000 barrels from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Published August 31, 2017
Hurricane Harvey will harm energy markets across globe, experts say
As Texas and Louisiana faced the final flurry of punches from Harvey on Wednesday, a second wave of pain is headed for the nation's energy markets in what analysts say will be a disruption that reaches around the world. Published August 30, 2017
Tammy Duckworth calls for FBI probe into Trump adviser Carl Icahn’s push to change ethanol rules
The FBI should investigate whether billionaire Carl Icahn sought to use his status as a special adviser to President Trump to enrich himself, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Democrat, said in a statement Wednesday. Published August 30, 2017
Hurricane Harvey harms energy sector too, say experts
The effects of Hurricane Harvey are being felt across the energy sector, with oil refineries along the Gulf Coast off-line and fuel output dropping dramatically, fueling fears that gas prices could soon spike as a result. Published August 28, 2017
EPA inspector general launches probe of Scott Pruitt’s travel costs
In response to pressure from Democrats and environmental groups, the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general on Monday announced a probe into agency Administrator Scott Pruitt's taxpayer-funded travel to his home state of Oklahoma. Published August 28, 2017
Bears Eats Inter-Tribal Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife prepare for national monument court fight
The Trump administration's plan to shrink at least three major national monuments is headed for a courtroom battle, with environmentalists and tribal groups warning over the weekend that they're readying lawsuits in hope of stopping the move. Published August 27, 2017
Tribes call Interior secretary’s monument recommendations ‘an insult,’ vow lawsuits
Tribal leaders on Friday blasted Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, saying his plan to shrink Utah's Bears Ears National Monument is "an insult" and shows blatant disregard for their concerns. Published August 25, 2017
Ryan Zinke to call for changes to ‘handful’ of monuments, none to be eliminated
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Thursday will call for changes to a "handful" of national monuments but will not recommend that any be fully rescinded. Published August 24, 2017
Natural gas, not Obama regulations, mostly to blame for coal plant closures: Energy Department study
The abundance and low cost of natural gas has been the main driver of coal-fired power plant closures across the country over the past decade, the Energy Department says, placing most of the blame for coal's free fall on energy economics, not Obama-era federal regulations. Published August 24, 2017
Grand Staircase-Escalante monument paring down by Donald Trump to test Antiquities Act
President Bill Clinton's decision in 1996 to create the sprawling Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah was so incredibly controversial that he couldn't even set foot in the state to make the announcement, instead holding a photo-op at the Grand Canyon in neighboring Arizona. Published August 23, 2017
Trump administration’s nuclear energy plans hanging on by a thread
The next generation of U.S. nuclear power, which the Trump administration views as a key part of the nation's energy supply, is hanging on by a thread as two key projects have run into serious trouble and are raising doubts about the viability of new nuclear facilities moving forward. Published August 20, 2017
Brazil may place tariff on U.S. ethanol
U.S. ethanol champions are bracing for the possibility that Brazil, the largest economy in Latin America, could soon land a devastating blow in what increasingly looks like an all-out global trade war over alternative fuels. Published August 16, 2017
Interior Department social media following dominates federal agencies
Amid a host of policy shifts from the Obama to Trump eras, one thing that has remained constant at the Interior Department is its massive online following, driven primarily by daily posts featuring wildlife, scenic landscapes and breathtaking views of the nation's national parks. Published August 15, 2017
Michael Signer, Charlottesville mayor, blames Donald Trump: ‘Look at the campaign he ran’
A day after violence broke out between counter-protesters and white nationalists in his city, Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer on Sunday said President Trump deserves at least some of the blame. Published August 13, 2017
Mike Pompeo, CIA director, says nuclear war with North Korea is not ‘imminent’
Amid escalating tensions with North Korea, CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Sunday that nuclear war is not "imminent." Published August 13, 2017
White House adviser: ‘I condemn white supremacists and racists and white Nazi groups’
A White House adviser on Sunday explicitly condemned white supremacists, going further than President Trump did Saturday on a violent attack on anti-racism counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. Published August 13, 2017
Lindsey Graham, S. Carolina senator: White supremacists ‘believe they have a friend in Donald Trump’
Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday said white supremacists "believe they have a friend in Donald Trump." Published August 13, 2017
Leading Republicans call on Donald Trump to denounce white supremacists after Charlottesville
As the dust settled after Saturday's deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, President Trump was stung by a political backlash from both sides, with leading Republicans condemning what they saw as a tepid response and a failure to call evil by its name. Published August 13, 2017
Neil Chatterjee, former McConnell aide, tapped by Trump to head Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
President Trump on Thursday tapped a former top aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to head the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Published August 10, 2017
EPA scientists leak climate change draft in clash with Trump administration
Environmental resistance inside the Trump administration hit new heights this week as a group of federal scientists leaked a draft of a sweeping climate change report to the press, pushing the study out into the bloodstream before their superiors had the chance to alter or approve it. Published August 8, 2017