News bites: Fracking spurs water cleanup industry boom

The Houston Chronicle examines an industry that’s benefiting from the nation’s drilling boom: water cleanup.

The common development method called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," leaves plenty of contaminated water to grapple with.

“The oil and gas drilling boom that has sent thousands of workers and rigs into North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Texas now is spurring another gold rush, as companies jockey to clean up the briny, metal-laden water that pours out of wells nationwide,” the paper reports.

CNN reports that China’s “worldwide buying binge for oil and other energy assets is spreading to North and South America.”

Bloomberg checks in on oil prices, which are inching up after declines in recent weeks.

The Wall Street Journal explores what embattled gas giant Chesapeake Energy’s struggles could mean for Oklahoma City, where Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon has poured millions of dollars into the arts and schools and spurred a building boom.