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At least five people were rushed to the hospital with burns after a “major gas line explosion” at the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office gun range, a department official said. The blast occurred about 2:30 p.m. behind the range in an area under construction, said Lt. John Zanoni. The injured did not include Sheriff’s Office employees, he said. No firearms were involved in the explosion. Fresno Fire Department spokesman Pete Martinez said witnesses reported a “ball of fire” that burned multiple people.

(10-24) 18:52 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A major Pacific Gas and Electric Co. gas transmission line serving the Bay Area ruptured during a pressure test Monday south of Bakersfield, just as the company was planning to boost gas levels on the pipeline to meet winter demand. The 34-inch transmission line that runs from the Arizona border to Milpitas failed during a spike test at 9 a.m., blowing a crater in an alfalfa field near the town of Weedpatch (Kern County), PG&E officials said. The line is one of two parallel transmission pipes that run to a major PG&E terminal in...

Oklahoma bomb teams removed what is believed to be an Improvised Explosive Device from a gas line in Okfuskee, a small town about 30 miles east of Oklahoma City, authorities said.

Legislative opponents of Trans-Canada Corp.'s state-backed natural gas pipeline project stripped much of the money Gov. Sean Parnell has sought for the state's role in pushing it forward from the budget adopted by the House Finance Committee on Tuesday. Finance Co-chair Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, acknowledged that it was a "substantial reduction" but said money could be provided later and was not an attack on the pipeline. Parnell said he would continue to seek the money that was cut. House Democrats who had backed the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act under which Trans-Canada had won state support criticized the cuts as an...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, March 18 (Reuters) Amid economic jitters and worries about diminished investor interest in a massive North Slope natural gas pipeline, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Wednesday defended her efforts to secure the mega-project that has been pursued for decades and that has been a centerpiece of her political career. Palin said her administration's competitive-bidding process, under a law called the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, or AGIA, has produced concrete results. "There had been no progress in the decades of talks and dreams and backroom deals and everything else in terms of hoping for some kind of natural gas...

Stefan Markovic slipped and stumbled on Belgrade’s icy streets and cursed both the Russians and the Ukrainians for the bad air he’s breathing. “Those damned Soviets!” he shouted. “First they destroyed us with their communism. Now they create more misery. They even poisoned the air we breathe.” A thick cloak of smog choked the capitals of Serbia, Bosnia and Hungary this week as residents and businesses resorted to burning oil, wood and coal — anything that might help them ward off the midwinter chill amid a natural gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine that has cut off supplies to Europe.

Multiple explosions are being reported at a south Texas gas pipeline. Authorities say some people are injured. How the explosions happened isn't immediately clear. Authorities are working to cordon off the area and put out a fire. The explosions were reported near McCook, a town near the U.S. Mexico border.

MOSCOW, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Serbian leaders were to sign a big energy deal with Russia on Friday, giving Moscow control of the Serbian oil monopoly and the right to route a major European gas pipeline through Serbian territory. The deal, which has sparked fears in the West that Serbia is mortgaging its energy future to the Kremlin, was to be inked nine days ahead of a runoff presidential contest in Serbia between a pro-Western and a pro-Moscow candidate. Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered Belgrade strong support in its campaign to oppose independence for the Serbian province of Kosovo,...