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Crude oil prices are down, but oil companies' profits are doing just fine

Apr 28, 2023
They're making less on crude, more on refining it.
Exxon’s refinery business helped lead the company to its most profitable first quarter ever. But that’s the exception since the pandemic started three years ago.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Big oil had one of its biggest years ever in 2022

Jan 3, 2023
Both Exxon Mobil and Chevron reported their most profitable quarters of all time during the calendar year. Sustaining that growth is more complicated.
Chevron posted its most profitable quarter of all time after the war in Ukraine broke out.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

There's a new website publishing news stories in Texas. It's run by Chevron.

Aug 22, 2022
Chevron has been upfront about producing the site, but there are concerns it may be the only source of news for some in the area.
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Can oil companies use their extra money to ease pain at the pump? It's complicated.

Apr 12, 2022
It'll take more than political policy to lower prices.
 Prices for gas at an Exxon gas station on Capitol Hill are seen in Washington, DC. The cost of gasoline continues to rise across the globe and in the United States due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and continued inflation associated with the global pandemic.
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

What kind of problems can abandoned oil wells leave behind?

Nov 9, 2021
One Texas rancher still trying to find out whether a leak from a decommissioned oil well is a sign of other problems on her land.
Ashley Watt stands on her family cattle ranch in Crane County, Texas.
Mitch Borden/Marfa Public Radio

Oil companies are expected to report a good quarter. So what'll they do with the profits?

Jul 30, 2021
Usually they'd plow them back into drilling new wells. But right now, that's not what investors want.
A general view of an Exxon Mobil refinery in Rotterdam, Netherlands in April 2020. Exxon-Mobil and Chevron report their earnings on Friday to optimistic investors.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos via Getty Images

After defeats in the courtroom and boardroom, is Big Oil at a climate tipping point?

May 27, 2021
Climate activists won seats on Chevron and Exxon's boards, and Shell lost in court. Changes must be big to protect the environment.
Climate activists are advancing in the U.S. But to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, big changes will be required in an energy-hungry world.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Chevron buys Noble Energy, a sign that oil's not dead

Jul 20, 2020
Oil has risen to roughly $40 a barrel after plummeting in April. With prices holding steady, big oil companies are likely to pounce on smaller ones.
Chevron recently launched a "news" website in the Permian Basin in Texas, complete with local stories about puppies followed by advertisements for the oil giant.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

What the Chevron-Anadarko deal means for Permian shale

Apr 12, 2019
Will there be other deals like it?
Chevron recently launched a "news" website in the Permian Basin in Texas, complete with local stories about puppies followed by advertisements for the oil giant.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A turnaround for oil companies?

Feb 1, 2019
Some investors are optimistic that Big Oil has been able to ride out the plummeting prices of late last year.