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Natural Gas Powers Past Coal for the First Time Ever - Report

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, power plants are now using more natural gas than coal as sources of electric power:...

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Shell and Chevron Swap Assets

Chevron announced that it is selling its interest in oil basin assets off the Western Australia coast to Shell.  In exchange, Shell is selling to Chevron its stake in assets in a region to the north....

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BP Continues to Divest Assets

With the recent sale of its Carson refinery in California to Track customer Tesoro, BP is close to achieving its goal of selling $38 billion of its assets by the end of next year. BP's North American...

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ExxonMobil and Apache in Talks for More Shale Exploration in Argentina

Argentina's YPF confirmed that ExxonMobil and Apache are considering drilling operations in that country's southern region -- increasing their existing investment.  ExxonMobil runs Track for contractor...

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Shell to Build World's First Carbon Capture and Storage Project for Oil Sands

In an effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the oil sands of Western Canada, Shell will capture over one million tons of carbon dioxide a year with this project. Shell is an enterprise-wide user of...

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Deal with Russia a "Model" to the Rest of the World - ExxonMobil CEO

According to ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, his company's deal with Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft to drill in Siberia is a "model illuminating a path to a better future." Track is the...

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Shell Motiva Executive to Speak at Track Software Event in Beaumont

The Maintenance Execution Focal Point for Shell Motiva Enterprises, Don Greene, in Port Arthur, Texas, will speak to a room full of his peers in the petrochemical, power, pulp & paper, and mining...

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Valero Restarts Two Midwestern Ethanol Plants

Valero announced that they are restarting ethanol plants in Indiana and Nebraska.  Lower corn prices, mixed with high gas prices, created a favorable climate for operating those plants. Valero runs...

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Shell Building World's 1st Floating Liquid Nat Gas Vessel

At a cost of $13 billion and longer than the Empire State building, once completed, 'Prelude' will go after natural gas reserves off the Australian coast. Refineries all over the world, including...

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ExxonMobil to Spend $200MM on Plant Expansions in Louisiana, Will Add 400 Jobs

ExxonMobil announced that they will be investing $200 million in their chemical plants in Baton Rouge and Port Allen, Louisiana, and that the result of the capital project will mean 400 additional jobs...

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Houston Biz Journal Names Track Software as a Best Place to Work -- Again!

Houston Business Journal has named Track Software to its ranking of the "Best Places to Work" in Houston.  For the second year in a row, the company was named for the 10-100 employees category and...

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Coal vs. Natural Gas: It's complicated

The recent increase in cheap, available natural gas doesn't necessarily mean the end of coal production as we know it: http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/09/27/coal-vs-natural-gas-its-...

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Shell Announces New Downstream Director

Shell announced that Ben van Beurden will be the company's new Downstream Director, beginning January 1.  Van Beurden, a resident of the parent company in The Netherlands, currently serves as Executive...

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ExxonMobil Pushes for Less-Poluting Fuels in EU

ExxonMobil is pushing the European Union to have more interconnectedness of its gas markets -- which, ultimately, will result in a smaller carbon footprint at the continent's various power plants:...

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2012 Track User Conference is Here!

This year's annual Track User Conference is finally here -- and it's our biggest one ever!  Attendees representing Track users from four continents have converged on Houston for three days of meetings...

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Track Software Awarded 'Best Places to Work' for 2nd Year in a Row

Three cheers for founder and CEO, Bob Harrell, and the entire Management Controls-Track Software team for receiving the Houston Business Journal's "Best Places to Work" Award for the second consecutive...

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Presentations from 2012 Track User Conference

What's New in 6.2  What's new with 6.2 from tracksoftware Valero 6.2 Upgrade Valero 6.2 Upgrade from tracksoftware Why Track and Contractors Are the Best of Friends Why Track and Contractors Are the...

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INVISTA to Expand Missouri Production Facility

INVISTA is investing $20 million to expand its Peformance Surfaces & Materials business in Missouri in order to grow its nylon carpet fibers operation. Track Software is deployed at INVISTA plants...

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Chevron Purchases 50% Stake in Lithuanian Oil Company

Chevron is stepping up its prospecting for shale oil and gas with the purchase of its stake in Lithuanian-based Investicijos. Track is deployed to manage contractor costs at Chevron refineries in the...

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PBF Refineries Running Again in Wake of Hurricane Sandy

PBF Energy announced that its Paulsboro, New Jersey, and Delaware City, Delaware, refineries have resumed normal operations following disruptions caused by Hurricane Sandy. Both refineries, as well as...

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Monroe Energy, Phillips 66 Emerge Unscathed After Sandy

Two of the largest refineries on the East Coast reported that they are fully operational, despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. Monroe Energy, a subsidiary of Delta Airlines, uses Track...

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Energy Industry Less Than Thrilled With Obama Sequel

The re-election of President Obama didn't exactly warm the hearts of energy executives: http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/11/07/energy-and-environment-leaders-respond-to-obamas-reelection/&n...

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BP To Build $12 Billion LNG Facility in Indonesia

BP announced that it has received approval of the Indonesian government to build a liquid natural gas liquefaction and purification facility in West Papua. BP's North American plants run Track to...

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New Multi-Billion Dollar Bitumen Refinery Going Up in Canada

Phase 1 of North West Upgrading's three-year build on a $5.7-billion bitumen refinery has been given the green light by the Alberta government in Western Canada. North West Upgrading is currently...

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U.S. Will Be the World's Largest Oil Producer Within 5 Years - Report

According to the International Energy Agency, the U.S. will be producing more of the world's oil than any other nation by as early as 2015:...

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Lake Charles, LA Port Project Signs Contracts with BP, Air Products

Lake Charles Clean Energy, the project off the port of Lake Charles, Lousiana, that will be the first of its kind to use gasification technologies to cleanly manufacture products from petroleum coke,...

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Texas is Third Friendliest for Alternative Energies - Report

In its biannual report on the attractiveness of each state toward businesses promoting alternative energies, Ernst & Young ranked Texas as #3.  Only California and Colorado ranked higher:...

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Houston Protesters Arrested - Keystone Pipeline

In an attempt to call attention to perceived threats posed by completion of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline, protesters chained themselves to oil tanker trucks in Houston's Ship Channel:...

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Shell to Power Ships & Trucks with Natural Gas

Due to the abundance of cheap natural gas in the U.S., Shell announced that liquefied natural gas-to-transport projects will increase substantially over the next decade. Shell refineries and chemical...

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PBF Energy IPO Could Be Any Day

The energy giant acquired refineries from Valero and Sunoco in recent years and has built some of the largest market share among U.S. petroleum companies. PBF Energy refineries trust Track for their...

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ExxonMobil and Rosneft to Protect Arctic

ExxonMobil and Russian oil giant Rosneft declared that they would put in place measures to protect the Arctic while jointly exploring for oil and gas. ExxonMobil's plants trust Track for managing...

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Chevron to Spend Big $$ on Upstream Offshore Projects in '13

Chevron is investing over $30 billion in oil and gas exploration projects next year, with a focus on the Gulf, Australia and West Africa. Many of Chevron's refineries worldwide run Track for managing...

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US Oil Production Hits 15-year High

Thanks in large part to the proliferation of 'fracking' technology, domestic oil production has not been this high since 1998:...

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ExxonMobil Forecasts that LNG and Nuclear Energy -- not Coal -- Will Lead the...

ExxonMobil predicts that the world's energy over the next 30 years will be sourced more from natural gas and nuclear power than anything else -- especially in light of the environmental concerns posed...

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ExxonMobil Buys 75% Stake in South African Offshore Company

ExxonMobil will begin oil and natural gas exploration off the coast of South Africa. U.S. refineries run Track to monitor contractor costs:...

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ExxonMobil Expects Canadian Coast to Produce 700 MM Barrels

The Hebron oil field, off Canada's eastern coast, is expected to produce nearly three-quarters of a billion barrels of oil, according to ExxonMobil.  The company is planning to spend $14 billion on the...

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Chevron to Begin Exploration off South China Sea

Chevron announced that it will begin offshore drilling in China in an area covering over 2,000 miles. Chevron refineries in the U.S. manage their contractors costs with Track Software:...

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EPA Chief out; Keystone Pipeline in!

The Obama administration's head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson, announced her resignation last week.  She had been a vocal critic of the completion of the Keystone Pipeline, which...

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Hess Leaves Refining For Good

Hess announced the sale of its final refinery, as well as its pipeline network, in an attempt to focus exclusively on exploration and production:...

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Improved Refining Margins Boost Valero's 4th Quarter Profits

Valero's net income passed the $1 billion mark thanks to improved margins at the company's refineries. Valero's U.S. refineries use Track for all their contractor costs:...

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PBF Energy Takes Delivery of Bakken Oil

Crude oil from the Bakken shale in North Dakota has begun arriving by rail to PBF Energy's refinery outside of Wilmington, Delaware. PBF manages contractor costs by running Track at its refineries:...

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Myths and Truths About Delta Getting into the Refinery Business

There has been much speculation surrounding Delta's purchase of Phillips 66's refinery in Trainer, Pennsylvania, last year.  The refinery, operated by Delta subsidiary Monroe Energy, manages contractor...

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Shell to Invest $1 Billion in Nat Gas Terminal in India

Shell announced that they will be investing $1 billion in the construction of a floating natural gas terminal off the Indian coast. Track's contractor cost management software is installed at Shell...

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Foster Wheeler signs services agreement with Valero Refinery in the UK

Foster Wheeler will provide home office front-end engineering design and detailed engineering design services to support new development and modification projects at the Valero Pembroke Refinery and...

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Refineries expanded, but not constructed

It’s a frequently repeated factoid about the energy industry: No new major refinery has been built in this country in decades. Track’s contractor cost management software is installed at Valero...

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The Problem with Spreadsheets as a Cost-Tracking System

Project cost engineers have built some amazing Excel spreadsheets used to calculate hours and costs and create forecasts for shutdowns, turnarounds, outages, and continuing maintenance. And while...

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Why Track is Best in Class

Reporting progress on projects with vendor-prepared paper timesheets or emails with attached timesheets and spreadsheets is a hassle. Vendors try to capture and report accurate headcount and hours by...

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How Forecaster Delivers 98% Forecast Accuracy

Forecaster, a companion product to our industry-leading contract spend management software, is delivering forecasts that are more than 98 percent accurate, helping managers across a range of industries...

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Integrating Estimates, Commitments and Forecasts

Executing shutdowns, turnarounds and outages on schedule and on the money is all about juggling multiple simultaneous projects composed of thousands of dependent activities. Successfully dealing with...

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MANAGEMENT CONTROLS CEO BOB HARRELL FEATURED BY CHEMICAL WEEK MAGAZINE

An article by Management Controls CEO Bob Harrell on the value of integrating contract spend management and project forecasting tools has been published by Chemical Week magazine. The Problem with...

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