Crude oil prices climbed 66¢ on the New York market to settle at $38.50/bbl on Mar. 11 after a few positive reports on the world oil supply possibly showing signs of lessening. Light, sweet crude prices ended the week up 7.2%, marking their fourth consecutive weekly gain. Source: News

A study compiled by the American Statistical Association (ASA) found that statistics is one of the fastest-growing degrees currently in the US. High demand for statisticians in the consumer products, healthcare, technology, government and manufacturing areas of the economy, however, might not be met despite the rise in statistics degrees. Source: News

State-owned Ecopetrol SA has postponed further activities related to a more than $3-billion project designed to modernize and increase crude processing capacity to 300,000 b/d at its 250,000-b/d Barrancabermeja refinery in Santander, Colombia. Source: News

The overall weekly US rig count is now at its lowest point in Baker Hughes Inc. data that begins in the 1940s, and perhaps since the infancy of US oil and gas industry in the mid-19th century. Source: News

Cutbank Ridge Partnership (CRP), a venture of Encana Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp. subsidiary Cutbank Dawson Gas Resources Ltd., has approved Veresen Midstream LP’s plan to expand natural gas processing capacity in the Dawson Creek area of northeastern British Columbia’s Montney resource play. Source: News

Expansion of plans to regulate methane from oil and gas facilities should be viewed in the context of other initiatives by the administration of Barack Obama. Source: News

Williams Partners LP expects to begin construction in May on its Hillabee natural gas pipeline expansion project, recently approved by the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The first phase of the project is expected to go into service in May 2017. Source: News

Athabasca Oil Corp. (AOC), Calgary, said bitumen production from its Hangingstone 1 steam-assisted gravity drainage oil sands project in Alberta has reached 8,000 b/d and is on track to reach design capacity of 12,000 b/d in this year’s fourth quarter. Source: News

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. said it will appeal a federal court award of $4.24 million to two families who said hydraulic fracturing of two wells by the company in Dimock Township, Pa., contaminated their well water. Source: News

LBC Rotterdam BV, a division of LBC Tank Terminals Holding Netherlands BV, has let a contract to Engicon nv (Geldof), Harelbeke, Belgium, to provide engineering and construction services for all mechanical aspects of a project to expand storage capacity for petroleum products and chemicals at LBC’s terminal in the Port of Rotterdam. Source: News