…metallurgy testing, the company said in a statement on Sunday. Early last week, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, who launched an investigation into the oil spill, said the rupture was more than 22 feet long and two inches wide.
Consultant’s flip-flop weakens pollution case against Chevron (FuelFix)
Another player in the long-running, $19 billion pollution lawsuit against Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) in Ecuador has switched sides — and accused former colleagues of hiding the truth. Environmental consultants who used to work for the lawyers suing Chevron now say they ghost-wrote a key court report that estimated the costs of cleaning up a swath of Ecuador’s rain forest tainted by oil production. The report — which pegged the clean-up cost at $27 billion — was supposed to be written by a neutral expert appointed by the court. Instead, the expert was working with the plaintiffs, the consultants say in court filings made public Friday by Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX).
US Natural Gas: Chesapeake Energy targets 330 Mmcfe d by 2013 (Electric Light & Power)
First Solar Receives New Coverage from Analysts at RBC Capital (FSLR) (Mideast Time)
RBC Capital assumed coverage on shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, TheFlyOnTheWall.com reports. The firm issued a sector perform rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. First Solar opened at 37.11 on Thursday. First Solar has a 52-week low of $11.43 and a 52-week high of $41.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is currently $28.57. The company’s market cap is $3.234 billion.
Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM): Earth Shaking News About Natural Gas Fracking (Insider Monkey)
Increased seismic activity in North America and Europe near corridors of hydraulic fracturing has had some worried about the dangers that fracking could be causing. Arkansas even went as far as shutting down fracking in a portion of the state during 2011, after tremors were felt. However, a recent study out of the United Kingdom hopes to dispel some of those worries. The following video provides an overview of the study’s findings and touches on the opinions of a 20-year Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) veteran-turned-Tufts-professor on the issue.
Chevron Slapped With Violation Notice Over Spill (ABC News)
State regulators have slapped Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) with a violation notice over a March fuel spill near a northern Utah bird refuge. The Utah Division of Water Quality is asking Chevron to provide a report on cleanup operations and a response plan for the pipeline rupture that leaked about 21,000 gallons of diesel fuel. The split in the pipeline running between Salt Lake City and Spokane, Wash., spilled diesel at Willard Bay State Park and near the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Division Director Walt Baker said his agency is working with the Attorney General’s Office to ensure Chevron is held accountable for the spill and its impacts.
