OHIO PASSES ONE OF AMERICA’S FIRST GAS CONSERVATION LAWS
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY February 19, 2026 OHIO PASSES ONE OF AMERICA’S FIRST GAS CONSERVATION LAWS On February 19, 1889, the Ohio House of Representatives passed a landmark law aimed at preventing the waste of natural gas and requiring the plugging of abandoned wells during the massive Trenton Field boom in Ohio and Indiana. At […]
PIPELINE FIRE NEAR SOUTH POINT, OHIO
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY February 18, 2026 PIPELINE FIRE NEAR SOUTH POINT, OHIO On February 18, 1996, a 20-inch natural gas pipeline rupture near South Point triggered a massive fireball that burned for hours along the Ohio River corridor. Although no fatalities were reported, the blast forced evacuations and temporarily disrupted regional gas transmission, underscoring […]
ALABAMA’S FIRST MAJOR OILFIELD DISCOVERED
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY February 17, 2026 ALABAMA’S FIRST MAJOR OILFIELD DISCOVERED On February 17, 1944, H. L. Hunt struck oil at the No. 1 Jackson well, uncovering the Gilbertown oilfield — Alabama’s first major commercial oil discovery. After hundreds of failed drilling attempts across the state, this breakthrough in Clarke County produced around 2,000 […]
INTERSTATE OIL COMPACT COMMISSION FORMS
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY February 16, 2026 INTERSTATE OIL COMPACT COMMISSION FORMS On February 16, 1935, representatives from Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas signed the Interstate Compact to Preserve Oil and Gas, creating the Interstate Oil Compact Commission (IOCC) — the first multi-state agreement aimed at regulating oil and gas production and […]
LEDUC NO. 1 IGNITES ALBERTA OIL BOOM
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY February 13, 2026 LEDUC NO. 1 IGNITES ALBERTA OIL BOOM On February 13, 1947, the Leduc No. 1 well struck oil near Edmonton, Alberta, ending decades of unsuccessful drilling in the region. The discovery confirmed the presence of large oil reserves and immediately transformed Alberta into a major player in the […]
NEVADA BECOMES A COMMERCIAL OIL-PRODUCING STATE
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY February 12, 2026 NEVADA BECOMES A COMMERCIAL OIL-PRODUCING STATE On February 12, 1954, Nevada officially entered the ranks of U.S. oil-producing states when Shell Oil Company’s Eagle Springs No. 1 well in Nye County began producing oil in commercially viable quantities. The discovery marked the first successful commercial oil production in […]
EARLY CANADIAN OIL PIONEER DIES IN WELL ACCIDENT
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY February 11, 2026 EARLY CANADIAN OIL PIONEER DIES IN WELL ACCIDENT On February 11, 1863, Hugh Nixon Shaw, one of Canada’s earliest oil producers, died following an accident at one of his wells in Oil Springs, Ontario. Shaw was a key figure in the infancy of Canada’s petroleum industry, helping develop […]
BEACON OIL REFINERY EXPLOSION ROCKS MASSACHUSETTS
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY February 10, 2026 BEACON OIL REFINERY EXPLOSION ROCKS MASSACHUSETTS On February 10, 1928, the Beacon Oil refinery in Everett, Massachusetts was devastated by a massive explosion after small oil stills ignited and triggered a chain reaction across the site. More than 500,000 gallons of oil caught fire, producing explosions so powerful […]
FERC DEREGULATES GAS PIPELINE PRICING
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY February 9, 2026 FERC DEREGULATES GAS PIPELINE PRICING On February 9, 2000, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced policy changes further deregulating the U.S. interstate natural-gas pipeline system. Building on the framework of Order 636, the update temporarily lifted price ceilings on secondary-market trades of short-term pipeline capacity, allowing shippers […]
AMERICA’S FIRST CITY LIGHTS POWERED BY GAS
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY February 5, 2026 AMERICA’S FIRST CITY LIGHTS POWERED BY GAS On February 5, 1817, the Gas Light Company of Baltimore was officially chartered, becoming the first commercial gas-lighting utility in the United States. Using manufactured gas produced from coal, the company introduced city-scale energy distribution at a time when streets and […]