Amy Sisk

Gas and oil companies pay royalties to millions of American landowners. But a growing number accuse energy companies of cheating them out of their fair share.

The shale oil boom attracted thousands of oil workers to North Dakota, sending the population of some small towns soaring. In response, communities built up infrastructure projects — new wastewater facilities, schools, etc. But now they're facing hundreds of millions of dollars of debt that will take decades to pay off, not to mention continued uncertainty over whether they've built too much as they watch the boom-bust cycle of the oil patch.

As renewables make up a bigger share of the nation's energy grid, some worry about blackouts when the wind doesn't blow. But grid operators say they're getting better at balancing energy resources.

Law enforcement in North Dakota arrested more than 140 on private land owned by the pipeline company. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe wants to prevent the pipeline from running under the Missouri River.

An Obama administration decision to suspend construction on a controversial oil pipeline in North Dakota is a game changer for efforts to protect tribal lands, officials say.

The Obama administration is halting construction on the pipeline after concerns were raised by a nearby Native American tribe. A federal judge previously ruled construction could proceed.