Michael Biesecker

Associated Press
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The Hidden Costs of Standing Still
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The Hidden Costs of Standing Still
August 12, 2026
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Cable Manufacturer Prysmian Announces $1.2B Investment Across Three States
August 12, 2026
Dms Engine Facility Rendering
Defense Maritime to Expand Marine Engine Production in Virginia
August 12, 2026
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AI Didn’t Replace Your Engineers. So What Did It Do?
August 12, 2026
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The 40-year-old El Faro sank in 15,000 feet of water after losing propulsion and getting caught in Hurricane Joaquin just days before the Coast Guard planned to send the ship's owner a message about the new designation. All 33 people aboard died.
Safety
El Faro Sank Just Before Safety Inspections
Nanotech Stock Image
Product Development
Nano Materials & Water Splitting
A building at 432 Park Avenue is reflected in another skyscraper in Manhattan, New York, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. The last few years have seen the rise of the supertall, a building standing more than 300 meters high. New technologies have allowed the buildings to have footprints no more than the width of a brownstone or two, a far cry from the massive city block an older building like the Empire State Building requires.
Product Development
Super-Skinny Skyscrapers
Practical AI Lessons and Strategies
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Practical AI Lessons and Strategies
More from Michael Biesecker
The 2026 AI-Powered Financial Analysis Handbook
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The 2026 AI-Powered Financial Analysis Handbook
Several actions you can take right now to win with AI.
August 12, 2026
A flare burns off methane and other hydrocarbons as oil pumpjacks operate in the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. Massive amounts of methane are venting into the atmosphere from oil and gas operations across the Permian Basin, new aerial surveys show. The emission endanger U.S. targets for curbing climate change.
Safety
Massive Methane Leaks Speed Up Climate Change
There's now nearly three times as much methane in the air than there was before industrial times. The year 2021 saw the worst single increase ever.
July 28, 2022
Workers in protective suits walk by as dead marine life washed off on a beach after an oil spill in Newport Beach, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021.
Safety
California Pipeline Likely Damaged Up to a Year Before Spill
Investigators will pore over a year of data on ship movements near the area of the break.
October 11, 2021
The Rotterdam Express is seen at the Port of Oakland, Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021 in Oakland, Calif. The Rotterdam Express, a massive cargo ship made a series of unusual movements while anchored in the closest spot to a Southern California oil pipeline that ruptured and sent crude washing up on beaches, according to data collected by a marine navigation service.
Safety
Investigators Board Ship Anchored Near Oil Pipeline
The ship made a series of unusual movements while anchored in a spot closest to the pipeline break.
October 7, 2021
In a satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies, an oil slick is shown on Sept. 2, 2021 south of Port Fourchon, La. The U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday, Sept. 4, that cleanup crews are responding to a sizable oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico following Hurricane Ida.
Safety
After Ida Oil Spill, Divers Put Containment Dome on Pipeline
The ruptured pipeline is the likely source of an 11-mile-long oil slick.
September 8, 2021
Photos captured by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aircraft Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021 and reviewed by The Associated Press show a miles long black slick floating in the Gulf of Mexico near a large rig marked with the name Enterprise Offshore Drilling.
Safety
Photos Show Black Slick in Water Near Oil Rig after Ida
State and federal regulators said they had been unable to reach the stricken area.
September 2, 2021
Precinct captain Carl Voss of Des Moines displays the Iowa Democratic Party caucus reporting app on his phone outside of the Iowa Democratic Party headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020.
Product Development
Maker Behind Glitchy Caucus App
The start-up's founders presented themselves as gurus of campaigning in the digital era.
February 5, 2020
In this May 20, 2019, file photo, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, left, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry share a joke during their meeting in Kiev, Ukraine.
Supply Chain
Perry Supporters Win Huge Gas Deal in Ukraine
Two supporters of Energy Secretary Rick Perry secured a lucrative oil and gas deal from the Ukrainian government after Perry proposed one of the men as an adviser to the country's new president.
November 11, 2019
Epa
Regulation
CA Looks to Preserve Clout
The administration's move to stop California from setting its own emission standards would undermine it's ability to convince automakers to make more environmentally-friendly vehicles.
September 19, 2019
This Feb. 14, 2019, photo released by Caltrans District 3 shows a 7-mile back up on the South bound Interstate 5, as it reopens to traffic in Maxwell in Colusa County, Calif. The Trump administration is poised revoke California’s authority to set auto mileage standards, asserting that only the federal government has the power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy.
Regulation
EPA Slammed for MPG Plan
Top California officials and environmental groups pledged legal action to stop the rollback.
September 18, 2019
This booking image provided by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in Birmingham, Ala, shows Trey Glenn. Glenn, the Trump administration’s top environmental official for the Southeast has been arrested on multiple state ethics violations in Alabama related to an illegal scheme to help a coal company avoid paying for a costly toxic waste cleanup. Glenn was booked into a county jail in Birmingham on Thursday, Nov. 15, before being released on a $30,000 bond.
Regulation
EPA Official Arrested
He was arrested for a scheme to help a coal company avoid paying for a costly toxic waste cleanup.
November 16, 2018
In this Sept. 19, 2018, photo released by Cape Fear River Watch, heavy rains from Hurricane Florence erode and breach a coal ash landfill at the L.V. Sutton Power Station in Wilmington, N.C. The landfill under construction at the site ruptured over the weekend, spilling enough material to fill 180 dump trucks. Coal ash contains arsenic, mercury and other toxic metals.
Safety
Floodwaters Inundate NC Power Plant
Company employees notified state regulators that the lake at the L.V. Sutton Power Station was at the highest alert level under its emergency action plan.
September 21, 2018
A wastewater treatment plant is inundated from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Marion, S.C., Monday, Sept. 17, 2018.
Safety
Floods Likely to Result in Contamination
Conditions are so bad that inspectors have been unable to visit the hardest hit areas or collect samples of the floodwater for lab testing.
September 20, 2018
A hog farm is inundated with floodwaters from Hurricane Florence near Trenton, N.C., Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018.
Operations
NC Flooding Claims 3.4M Poultry, 5,500 Hogs
Sixteen North Carolina rivers were at major flood stage Tuesday, with an additional three forecasted to peak by Thursday.
September 19, 2018
In this June 23, 2014 file photo, the dried-up bed of an inactive coal ash pond is seen at Duke Energy's Sutton plant in Wilmington, N.C. Duke Energy says heavy rains from Florence have caused a slope to collapse at a coal ash landfill at a closed power station near the North Carolina coast. Duke spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said Saturday night, Sept. 15, 2018, that about 2,000 cubic yards of ash have been displaced at the L. V. Sutton Power Station outside Wilmington.
Operations
Florence Rains Cause Collapse at NC Coal Ash Landfill
About 2,000 cubic yards of ash were displaced. That's enough ash to fill 180 dump trucks.
September 17, 2018