News

LA County approves commercial ethanol plant (AP)

A proposal to build the nation's first commercial ethanol production plant using yard trimmings, paper, wheat straws and other green wastes was approved Wednesday by Los Angeles County officials.

XTO Energy shares fall as oil slides (AP)

Shares of XTO Energy Inc., which acquires and develops oil and natural gas properties in the U.S., fell in Wednesday midday trading, a day after the company reported a 30 percent profit increase, but also said it will boost capital spending and issue 26 million shares to finance acquisitions and repay debt.

Fate of Alaska gas pipeline with state Senate (AP)

The fate of a multibillion dollar pipeline that could unlock 4.5 billion cubic feet of North Slope gas reserves daily and power North American homes and businesses for decades now rests in the hands of 20 Alaska state senators.

Mirant shares touch 18-month low after downgrade (AP)

Shares of Mirant Corp. touched an 18-month low Wednesday after an analyst downgraded the power plant owner, citing concern about the company's use of coal.

Petroflow Energy Ltd. Announces Limited Financial Exposure to SemGroup, L.P. Filing under Chapter 11 (Business Wire)

CALGARY, Alberta----PETROFLOW ENERGY LTD. announces that it has a potential exposure to SemCrude, L.P. and SemGas, L.P., subsidiaries of SemGroup, L.P. , relating to the marketing of a portion of the Company's crude oil, liquids and natural gas production.

ConocoPhillips 2Q profit soars (AP)

Record crude prices helped oil giant ConocoPhillips' second-quarter profit climb 13 percent from adjusted results a year ago, beginning what is expected to be a string of robust earnings announcements from major oil companies.

MarkWest Energy Partners Announces Release Date for Second Quarter 2008 Financial Results (Business Wire)

DENVER----MarkWest Energy Partners, L.P. will announce second quarter 2008 financial results after market close on Monday, August 11, 2008.

Outlook roundup: Costco, Aflac (AP)

Costco Wholesale Corp. said Wednesday that its earnings for the current quarter will be lower than expected as it delays raising prices on items from food to patio sets amid soaring energy costs that have accelerated in recent weeks.

DPL Reports Second Quarter Earnings of $0.41 per Share (Business Wire)

DAYTON, Ohio----DPL Inc. today reported second quarter earnings from continuing operations of $0.41 per share, compared to $0.45 per share for the same period in 2007. For the six months ended June 30, 2008, earnings from continuing operations were $1.07 per share compared to $0.88 in 2007.

Creditors say fraud possible in SemGroup collapse (Reuters)

A group of SemGroup LP creditors on Wednesday raised the prospect that unauthorized energy trading may have caused the $3.2 billion loss that sank the 12th-biggest privately held U.S. company.

Stocks advance following sharp drop in oil prices (AP)

Stocks advanced for the second straight session Wednesday as another decline in oil prices and several upbeat profit reports eased some of Wall Street's concerns about the economy.

Wall Street rises on oil drop, housing plan optimism (Reuters)

Stocks rose on Wednesday as financial shares climbed on optimism about a rescue plan for mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and as the price of oil fell.

Agriculture futures fall on CBOT; livestock mixed (AP)

Agriculture futures traded lower Wednesday on the Chicago Board of Trade. Wheat for September delivery fell 13.5 cents to $7.8325 a bushel; December corn lost 1.75 cents to $5.905 a bushel; December oats slipped 2 cents to $4.03 a bushel; November soybeans dropped 25 cents to $13.84 a bushel.

Summary Box: Commodities slump lower on crude drop (AP)

COMMODITIES KEEP FALLING: Commodities prices sold off for a second day Wednesday, as another big drop in crude prices led traders to dump alternative investments like gold, corn and soybeans.

UGI's Broad Mountain Project to Generate Green Power (Business Wire)

VALLEY FORGE, Pa.----UGI Corporation announced today that one of its subsidiaries will soon be generating nearly 11 megawatts of electricity using recovered landfill methane gas. The Broad Mountain project is located at a Hegins, PA landfill owned and operated by Commonwealth Environmental Systems, L.P.

Commodities turn lower for 2nd day on crude drop (AP)

Commodities extended their slide Wednesday as crude oil fell below $125 a barrel, dragging down gold, soybeans, wheat and other hard assets as traders shifted money into equities.

DWS Global Commodities Stock Fund, Inc. Authorizes Share Repurchase Program (Business Wire)

NEW YORK----DWS Global Commodities Stock Fund, Inc. announced today that the Fund’s Board of Directors has authorized an open-market share repurchase program. Effective upon notice to Fund shareholders in the Fund’s Annual Report to Stockholders, the Fund may purchase an aggregate of up to 20% of the Fund’s outstanding shares of common stock in open-market transactions over a twelve month period.

Oil drops below $125 for 1st time in over 6 weeks (AP)

Oil prices shed nearly $4 Wednesday, tumbling below $125 a barrel for the first time since early June on growing fears that high prices and the weak economy are destroying demand.

Peabody Energy 2Q earnings more than double (AP)

Coal miner Peabody Energy Corp. said Wednesday its second-quarter profit more than doubled, beating Wall Street's expectations as the miner benefited from higher shipments, soaring global prices and tighter coal supplies worldwide.

ExxonMobil Chemical's Santoprene TPV 85TL Bonds with Metal to Simplify Automotive Weatherseal Fabrication (Business Wire)

HOUSTON----ExxonMobil Chemical’s Santoprene™ thermoplastic vulcanizate 8291-85TL bonds directly to metal to simplify weatherseal fabrication. This grade is suitable for virtually any automotive weatherseal application where metal and TPV surfaces can be joined in a co-extrusion process.