The United States is the largest producer of nuclear power in the world, solely responsible for about one-third of global output. As of today, the U.S. has 96 operating commercial nuclear reactors in 57 power plants across 28 states. However, while that fleet remains highly productive, the domestic nuclear sector is rapidly aging out. All but two of the nation’s nuclear reactors are Gen II models, meaning they were constructed before the year 2000. The average reactor age in the United States is 44, when the vast majority of those reactors…

The world is undergoing a transformation driven by the exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI)—a pace of change unprecedented in human history. Consequently, many people fear massive unemployment, along with other implications that could affect their livelihoods and quality of life. Is this truly the case? Yes—or perhaps not entirely. The purpose of this short article is to explore the potential benefits of AI and its implications for human society. It is still too early to fully assess the potential benefits of AI, but they…

The Bureau of Land Management wants to cut the permitting time for some oil and gas projects in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve to as little as 60 days, according to a Friday press release. The proposed rule would replace separate case-by-case reviews for qualifying production sites with a standardized process covering common, repeatable activities that BLM says have already been studied extensively. Rights-of-way and some drilling permit applications meeting predetermined criteria could receive decisions within 60 days. The National…

Ukraine’s top sanctions official says he remains optimistic about prospects for a sweeping Russia sanctions bill in the US Congress despite growing uncertainty over when the House of Representatives will take it up, as lawmakers face a sharply shortened legislative calendar ahead of the November elections. Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s sanctions commissioner, spent this week in Washington meeting lawmakers and congressional staff as Kyiv presses Congress to advance the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia…

Citadel is shopping for U.S. oil production assets, including a previous bid for WildFire Energy before Magnolia Oil & Gas agreed to buy the Eagle Ford producer for $4.06 billion. Reuters reported Friday that the hedge fund and commodities trader has held talks with several private-equity owners of oil-weighted exploration and production companies in recent weeks. WildFire would have given Citadel roughly 53,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of production, about 70% of it oil, plus 810,000 net acres in South Texas. Magnolia ultimately won…

The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States stayed the same this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday, with the total rig count in the US staying at 588, up 51 from this same time last year. The number of active oil rigs rose by 2, reaching 449 during the latest reporting period, according to the data. This is 35 above this same time last year. The number of gas rigs fell by 2 to 130, which is 12 more than this time last year. Miscellaneous rigs stayed the same at 9. The latest EIA…

China and its crude oil buying behavior in the spring and summer have stabilized global oil markets as Beijing, not OPEC, is calling the shots now, according to Igor Sechin, chief executive of Russia’s biggest oil producer Rosneft. China has strengthened its position of the ultimate swing buyer on the global market and has taken the initiative from OPEC, said the executive, who is considered to be a close ally of Vladimir Putin and who has been a long-time critic of OPEC. “China has successfully turned from a major consumer and importer…

Diesel prices and refining cracks surge as tightening middle distillate supplies push Brent toward $95. Friday, September 04, 2026 Refined products have been the main driver of rising oil prices, particularly diesel as the outlook for global middle distillate supply continues to deteriorate into late 2026. With US diesel prices soaring to an all-time high, middle distillate cracks alone are now higher than outright crude prices. ICE Brent is poised to end the week with a 6% weekly gain, trending around $95 per barrel, with no real short-term downside…