Free Republic

A dam in south central Minnesota failed Monday morning - leading to fears of flooding for at least 45,000 residents in the valley below. Citizens in low-lying areas of the Minnesota River Valley have now been told to evacuate - as officials continue to monitor whether the Rapidan Dam will fully give in. The 114-year-old dam on the Blue Earth River is about 90 miles southwest of Minneapolis. Aerial footage shows a house just a few feet away from the tributary being completely engulfed by the floodwaters. It was later revealed an Xcel Energy substation located at the dam was...

Plunging drilling costs have sparked an explosion of production out of the Permian Basin of West Texas. In fact, Texas is pumping so much oil that it will surpass OPEC members Iran and Iraq next year, HSBC predicted in a recent report. If it were a country, Texas would be the world’s No. 3 oil producer, behind only Russia and Saudi Arabia, the investment bank said. “It’s remarkable. The Permian is nothing less than a blessing for the global economy,” said Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group, a consulting firm… “The industry cracked the code on fracking,” said McNally....