Some rural US communities that grew dramatically as nearby unconventional oil and gas resources were developed are facing unexpected problems since commodity prices plunged and producers scaled operations back, two Duke University researchers told a Washington audience. Source: News

Republican committee members and several witnesses leveled some of the strongest criticism yet of the US Department of the Interior’s proposed 2017-22 Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas program at a May 19 US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. Source: News

Sometimes, it pays to fight tokenism with tokenism. US lawmakers serious about energy should defend a feature of bills passed by the House last year and the Senate last month that some will want to discard in a race for reconciliation, worried about a presidential veto. Source: News

Brand identity and brand loyalty is essential for businesses to survive and succeed in their respective industries. Restaurants, clothing, gas stations, and technology all hope to thrive on their brand or trademark to keep ahead of the competition. Source: News

Controversy over marketing of last year’s nuclear deal has revived senseless assertions that Iran has no moderates. Source: News

A comprehensive environmental analysis of 23 offshore oil and gas platforms operating on the US Outer Continental Shelf off Southern California found no significant impact from the use of well stimulation treatments there, the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management jointly reported. Source: News

The overall US rig count heads into the Memorial Day weekend unchanged compared with the week-ago total, a sign that the US drilling segment could finally be stabilizing. Source: News

Mubadala Petroleum and Occidental Petroleum Corp. have withdrawn from Tatweer Petroleum, a joint venture formed in 2009 to redevelop Bahrain oil field, according to press reports. Source: News

Mid-Con Energy Partners LP, Dallas, through its wholly owned subsidiary Mid-Con Energy Properties LLC, reported that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell oil and natural gas assets in the Hugoton area for $18 million. The assets are being acquired by an undisclosed and unaffiliated buyer. Source: News

US retail gasoline prices averaged $2.32/gal on May 23, a 47¢/gal drop from the same time last year, and the lowest average price just before the Memorial Day holiday weekend since 2009, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Source: News