State orders two energy firms to prove wells aren't causing North Texas earthquakes

The state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry is ordering an Exxon Mobil Corp. subsidiary and another energy company to prove their wells aren’t responsible for a swarm of earthquakes in North Texas.

On Friday, the Texas Railroad Commission told officials at Fort Worth-based XTO Energy Inc., the Exxon subsidiary, and EnerVest Operating LLC to appear at hearings scheduled for June to explain why their wells near Azle shouldn’t be shut down.

The agency’s order follows findings published…

How a Portland-area company is powering D.C.'s biggest solar system

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s George Washington Carver Center in College Park has officially christened what is believed to be the largest solar power system in Greater Washington.

And a Portland company contributed to the project in a big way.

The four-building campus, home to USDA staff that includes its Agricultural Research Service, is now home to a system that consists of 5,054 solar panels that generate 1.6 megawatts of power. The ground-mounted system was installed on 6.2 acres…

Will Valero beat the first quarter earnings estimate?

Wall Street is buzzing about Valero Energy Corp.’s first quarter earnings release this week as the oil refining and marketing company is expected to report earnings per share of $1.76, an increase from $1.54 a year ago, Forbes reported Friday.

San Antonio-based Valero (NYSE: VLO) is expected to report earnings on Tuesday, April 28. Valero’s consensus estimate has gone up from $1.08 over the past three months, Forbes reported.

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Bravo TV star Fredrik Eklund tells Seattle Windermere brokers authenticity is key

Fredrik Eklund, 37, one of the stars of Bravo TV’s hot show, “Million Dollar Listing,” was in Seattle as part of a nationwide tour for his book, “The Sell: The Secrets of Selling Anything to Anyone.”

As part of that tour, he wowed an audience of 200 Windermere brokers and some of their top clients with his keynote talk at a special broker and client appreciation lunch put on by Windermere in Sodo in Seattle.

“The brokers loved it,” said Jill Jacobi Wood, co-president of Windermere Real…

Tesoro Logistics given consensus ‘buy’ rating from analysts

Tesoro Logistics LP’s units have been assigned an average “buy” recommendation by the dozen ratings firms that are covering the company, The Legacy reported over the weekend.

Nine brokerage firms have assigned a buy rating, one firm issued a strong buy rating and another has assigned a hold rating to the company’s units.

San Antonio-based Tesoro Logistics (NYSE: TLLP) is a master limited partnership that owns pipelines, terminals and storage assets. The company is sponsored by independent…