Here are some of the stories we’ve been following this week.

By Carl Wycoff Dakota Access Pipe Line. CC BY 2.0.

  • The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program was recently extended, thanks to a Continuing Resolution passed by Congress. The program was included in a federal budget that was approved through January 19, 2018.
  • Minimum wage earners in Arizona will be receiving an additional $.50 an hour beginning next year. The minimum wage will increase to $10.50 in 2018 and $11 an hour the following year.
  • More than 800 million barrels of shale oil were produced by the southern United States this year, breaking a record set in 1973.
  • Porter Ranch, California, was the site of a large methane gas leak in 2015 that forced residents from their homes. While that leak was eventually stopped, residents have reported many more gas leaks, including two in December.
  • A 145-year-old steel mill in Pennsylvania could also soon be the site of hydraulic fracturing operations. An oil and gas company plans to submit a drilling permit application early next year.
  • Connecticut is the eighth state to join a lawsuit suing the Environmental Protection Agency to force it to control pollution from power plants.
  • A coal ash basin pipe has been a cause of concern for Duke Energy for 40 years, according to newly released documents. Engineers were worried the pipe could leak into nearby water sources.
  • Energy Transfer Partners, a pipeline developer on the Dakota Access Pipeline project, must submit an oil spill response plan in four months to show that they are complying with all regulations.
  • Pittsburgh’s largest brownfield site will soon be home to research and technology companies ready to open in 2019. The site will receive $15 million in tax credits to help the project.