May 2018, Vol. 245, No. 5

The Marcellus-Utica has an estimated quadrillion cubic feet of natural gas, but markets and infrastructure must be developed to leverage this potential.

Unsuccessful efforts to convince President Trump to halt planned tariffs on China came only a week after the energy industry protested his decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports – a decision widely regarded as counterproductive to the North American pipeline sector.

Protective tariffs occasionally have played a role in U.S. policy, but always with a less-than-desirable result going back to the late 1820s and marking the start of the nation’s Great Depression in 1930 with the now historic Smoot-Hawley Act.

Natural gas utilities must compete for digital-savvy customers who've grown accustomed to instant information and expect more from service providers. Customer-focused natural gas utilities who partner with innovative companies to provide value-added products and services will be successful.

Growing U.S. oil and gas production will require billions of dollars in projects that require permit approvals from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Understanding and working with the Corps can help companies avoid construction delays for pipelines and marine export facilities.

Jon Peters, a former high school baseball phenom, explains how lessons he learned during his playing days have helped him forge a successful career in the oil and gas industry.

By being aware of all regulatory requirements and implementing a few best practices, companies can construct pipelines while maintaining environmental compliance.

About 300 industry professionals learned about current challenges facing pipeline projects and best practices for addressing them during the 14th annual Pipeline Opportunities Conference.

IntelliView Technologies' Dual Camera Analytic Module, an intelligent imaging and alerting system which combines the capabilities of advanced visualizing sensors and artificial intelligence, is helping Enbridge better detect pipeline leaks in real time.

In an interview with P&GJ, Conservation Fund CEO Larry Selzer explains the organization's unique, dual-purpose mission to work with business and government to bring environmental protection and economic vitality together.

Targa Resources entered a long-term, fee-based agreements for natural gas gathering and processing services in the Delaware Basin and for downstream transportation, fractionation and other related services.

Finland approved the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline through the nation’s economic zone, the Finnish government and Russian gas exporter Gazprom said.

Energean Oil & Gas’ Board of Directors voted to go forward with the $1.6 billion Karish & Tanin Development Project, located off the Israeli coast.

Liberty Utilities hired two consulting firms to evaluate the Granite Bridge infrastructure project in New Hampshire. Analysis Group will perform the economic evaluation of the proposed project, while VHB take the lead the lead on environmental permitting.

Tellurian subsidiary Permian Global Access Pipeline LLC (PGAP) is holding a non-binding open season for a proposed 42-inch interstate natural gas pipeline connecting the Permian Basin in Texas to Southwest Louisiana.

Williams Partners placed into service the facilities constructed as part of Phase 2 of the Garden State Expansion Project, an expansion of the Transco pipeline system designed to deliver 180,000 dekatherms a day of additional natural gas capacity to New Jersey Natural Gas.

Mid-Continent WestTex’s Joyce 200 MMcf/d cryogenic gas processing unit has been completed on schedule, according to contractor KPE. The plant is located in Rankin, Texas, in the Permian Basin.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton said he will veto a bill that would kick start construction of a crude oil pipeline replacement across northern Minnesota.

Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality announced that it has approved erosion, sediment and storm water control plans for the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

EPIC Y Grade Pipeline placed Phase 1 of its 650-mile NGL pipeline, which connects DLK Black River Midstream’s processing plant in Eddy County, N.M., and Delaware Basin Midstream’s terminal in Orla County, Texas, in service.

TransCanada placed its Northwest Mainline Loop-Boundary Lake pipeline in service, completing the final section of its 2017 Expansion Program on the NOVA Gas Transmission (NGTL) System, a natural gas pipeline system in Western Canada that includes about15,110 miles (24,320 km) of pipeline and associated facilities.

A federal commission denied a request from developers of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline to continue cutting down trees along the project’s route beyond an initial deadline designed to protect birds and bats.

An overview of recent global oil and gas pipeline news.

CRC-Evans Pipeline International, Inc. (CRC-Evans) announces the promotion of Kevin Allen to president, Onshore West, replacing Brian Laing who will move to a chief advisor role for the company. Replacing Allen in his former role of director of sales, Onshore West is Andy Neuberger, who comes to CRC-Evans with more than 19 years of experience in the oil and gas industry.

WPX Energy announced Valerie M. Williams was elected to the company’s board of directors.

Brian Tienzo will step down as chief financial officer (CFO) of Golar LNG Limited and take the position of CEO at Golar LNG Partners. Graham Robjohns will replace Tienzo as CFO.

SpotSee logistics company hired Jan Van Niekerk as vice president of engineering and innovation.

Honeywell UOP announced Bipin Vora will be inducted to the National Academy of Engineering at its annual ceremony in Washington in September.

Michel Marchand is the new vice president of Case Construction Equipment for North America, replacing Scott Harris who took a similar role at Case IH.

Michael Scott joined Well-Centric as a new business development manager to assist with the well integrity technology portfolio and expansion in global markets, notably the U.S., Middle East and Asia.

Subsea services business Kreuz Subsea hired Pradeep Verma as chief commercial officer and Marek Kaminski as director of marine assets.

Hi-Crush Partners announced Scott J. Preston will assume the role of chief operating officer.

Cenovus Energy appointed Jonathan McKenzie as the company’s next chief financial officer. He will replace Ivor Ruste who retired April 30.

Civil engineer Firat Sever has been tabbed to head the expanding Pipeline Division at QuakeWrap.

Helmerich & Payne appointed Mark W. Smith as chief financial officer to succeed Juan Pablo Tardio upon his retirement on June 30.

Albert Johnson was named executive vice president of Business Development at Dallas-based JupiterMLP.

Plains All American (PAA) promoted Jeremy Goebel to the new role of senior group vice president in a succession-planning move. Chris R. Chandler replaces Goebel as senior vice president, Strategic Planning and Acquisitions, following more than 20 years at Phillips 66, most recently as general manager of Corporate Strategy.

Pipeline construction company WHC Energy Services unanimously elected Kevin Fox as CEO.

Energy XXI Gulf Coast appointed Gabriel L. Ellisor as a member of its board.

Smart Sand acquired the rights to operate a unit train capable transloading terminal in Van Hook, N.D., to service the Bakken formation.

Nicor Gas, the largest natural gas distribution company in Illinois, has chosen Sensus as the technology provider for its meter modernization program.

Alliance Pipeline announced Enbridge and Pembina Pipeline, each of which owns either directly or through affiliates, 50% of Alliance, have decided to convert the operation and administration of Alliance Pipeline into an owner-operator model.

Prometheus Energy completed a four-month winter peaking service to augment National Grid’s distribution network in Rhode Island.

Concho Resources will buy West Texas rival RSP Permian for $9.5 billion in a merger creating the largest shale driller in the Permian.

Partners Group, a private markets investment manager, acting on behalf of OPTrust, a Canadian pension fund, agreed to acquire a 50% joint control stake in Superior Pipeline Company.

Buckeye Partners announced an $80 million expansion of the Chicago Complex, its key logistics hub in the Midwest.

C-Innovation, an affiliate of Edison Chouest Offshore, secured a three-year contract with BP Exploration & Production, the largest energy investor in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

Brazos Midstream Holdings entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Delaware Basin subsidiary companies to North Haven Infrastructure Partners II and related funds for $1.75 billion in cash.

KP Engineering, an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) solutions company, announced the on-schedule, on-budget completion of the Joyce 200 MMscf/d cryogenic gas processing unit for Targa Pipeline Mid-Continent WestTex.

BiSN took home the Innovator Award and Great Company Award at this year’s Offshore Achievement Awards (OAA). Winners were announced at an awards ceremony on March 22 in Aberdeen, Scotland.

The American Gas Association (AGA) and its president and CEO, Dave McCurdy, announced that he will retire from the association in February 2019.

The American Public Gas Association (APGA) submitted a letter to the California State Assembly Committee on Natural Resources in opposition to legislation in California that would require all buildings in the state to be “electric ready” beginning in 2022.

An overview of recent U.S. oil and gas pipeline regulatory updates.

Those in the oil and gas industry would be wise to learn from the story of fellow industry professional and former high school baseball phenom, Jon Peters.

Optum Energy Solutions' Flow Optimizer helps a midstream company cost-effectively increase flow rates on a crude oil pipeline in the Permian Basin.

Electric actuator manufacturer AUMA launched explosion-proof, variable-speed valve actuators for use in potentially hazardous environment.

ControlAir, a manufacturer of pneumatic and electro-pneumatic controls, offers 316L stainless steel housings to ensure resistance to corrosive environments.

Flow-Cal released its Enterprise Version 10.0, which introduces the next generation user interface (UI) and the first phase of enhancements to aide upstream and midstream companies in meeting new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) compliance requirements.

Alliance Sensors Group, a division of H.G. Schaevitz, expanded its linear position sensor line with the LHA-19-R series AC-LVDTs (linear variable differential transformers).

Sensit Technologies released the Gasless Leak Trainer (GLT), designed to meet the hands-on training needs for gas emergencies and hazardous leak investigations.

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions launched a metal end cap seal engineered for high-temperature, high-pressure (HTHP) wellhead, tubing and casing hanger sealing environments, which combines the pressure and extrusion resistance of a metal-to-metal bonded component with the flexibility of an elastomer.

Because of the broad language of the Texas Citizens Participation Act, passed in 2011, energy companies in Texas are having a tougher time winning lawsuits concerning non-compete clauses and the stealing of trade secrets.