From
To
AP
President Donald Trump has granted a key approval to a major new pipeline that would move oil from Canada into the central U.S. The three-foot-wide Bridger Pipeline Expansion would carry up to 550,000 barrels of oil a day from the Canadian border with Montana down through eastern Montana and Wyoming, where it would link up with another pipeline. More state and federal approvals are needed before Casper, Wyoming-based Bridger Pipeline begins construction. Company officials expect to start next year. The pipeline is two-thirds the size of the better-known Keystone XL pipeline that Trump approved in his previous administration and that President Joe Biden canceled upon taking office.
AP
As the Iran war enters its third month, consumers are paying for its disruption of worldwide energy production. There have been big swings in the oil market, but prices surged overnight on worries that the war will affect the flow of crude oil for a long time. Gasoline prices have been climbing, and some of the most immediate economic pain is at the pump. But drivers aren’t the only ones affected. Nearly everything else that’s bought and sold must travel from where it’s produced. Many companies warn there’s more to come: the cost of fuel and of materials derived from petroleum could drive up prices for food and household items.
AP
Richland County in Ohio has a solar power ban on the ballot. Last July, the county's Republican commissioners banned utility-scale wind and solar developments in most townships. This move follows a 2021 state law allowing local bans on such projects. Local citizens have launched a referendum to challenge the ban, gathering enough signatures to put it to a vote. Supporters of the ban argue it preserves farmland, while opponents see it as government overreach. The referendum has drawn significant attention and funding from both Republican interests and national environmental groups. The outcome could impact future solar projects in the area.
AP
Loran Shallenberger, vice president of regenerative energy and agrivoltaics at Silicon Ranch, clears weeds out from under solar panels Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at a farm in Christiana, Tenn. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
AP
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)
AP
Iran's supreme leader says the Islamic Republic will protect its nuclear and missile capabilities as a national asset. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei made the statement Thursday, likely drawing a hard line as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks a wider deal. Khamenei insists Americans belong “at the bottom” of the Persian Gulf. His remarks come as Iran's oil industry faces a U.S. Navy blockade. Meanwhile, Brent crude prices have surged. The U.S. and Iran are in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, impacting oil and gas exports. Iran's proposal would delay nuclear program negotiations.
AP
Even as Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the Islamic Republic increasingly finds itself squeezed by an American blockade threatening its oil industry. The situation isn’t as dire as President Donald Trump recently described, colorfully suggesting pipelines could start exploding within days. However, experts suggest Iran already has begun dialing back its production of oil. Within about two weeks, some say, Iran will face harder choices about what to do, including whether to shut down some of its aging wells. Analysts say they may not be able to come back online easily — if at all.
AP
The price of Brent crude oil surges past $125 a barrel as worries brew over an escalation in the Iran war.
AP
Surveys show China's factory activity expanded for a second month in April. The National Bureau of Statistics said Thursday that the official manufacturing purchasing managers index slipped slightly to 50.3 from 50.4 in March on a scale of 0 to 100 where a reading above 50 indicates expansion. However, a private survey showed manufacturing activity rising to 52.2 from 50.8 in March. That was better than expected. Analysts say higher oil prices due to the war with Iran have not yet weighed on Chinese industrial activity. Elevated global oil prices are driving up global demand for green technology, benefiting China as it dominates the sector.
AP
Democrats investigate as Trump OKs almost $2 billion in taxpayer money to end offshore wind projects
The Trump administration is spending nearly $2 billion to get energy companies to walk away from U.S. offshore wind projects. Now Democrats in Congress are investigating. The Republican administration adopted its strategy after federal courts thwarted President Donald Trump’s efforts to stop offshore wind development through executive action. House Democrats are now demanding information about the first and the largest of the three agreements that have been announced. A French company is getting $1 billion if it invests the money in fossil fuel projects instead. That's essentially a refund of the company's leases for projects off North Carolina and New York.