Regulation

The Pipeline Safety Trust called it the most sweeping initiative since the federal pipeline safety code’s creation in 1970.

In a landmark decision, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that produced water from oil and gas operations belongs to the mineral estate unless expressly reserved by the surface owner. The ruling provides clarity for upstream producers and water midstream operators while reshaping future lease negotiations in Texas.

The American Petroleum Institute’s new 18LCM standard establishes a structured approach to equipment life cycle management across oil and gas operations. By ensuring traceability from manufacturing to decommissioning, API 18LCM helps operators improve safety, extend equipment life, and reduce costs.

In this month’s Editor’s Notebook, Editor-in-Chief Michael Reed examines the latest legal turn for Enbridge’s Line 5 after an appellate court ruling sent the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, where observers expect a more favorable outcome for the pipeline.

Contributing Editor Stephen Barlas examines how PHMSA is pursuing regulatory changes that could ease pipeline safety requirements. The agency has issued three advance notices of proposed rulemaking as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to reduce compliance burdens on the energy sector.

With Congress repealing the methane emissions tax, the EPA is now weighing changes to two key methane-related regulations for gas pipelines—emissions reporting and control requirements—amid legal pressure from industry groups like API.

PHMSA has issued a new advisory bulletin encouraging pipeline operators to adopt formal safety management systems, citing ongoing accidents and stalled progress among smaller operators despite high adoption rates across the industry.

Despite political shifts and changes in federal energy policy, hydrogen’s growing role in oil, gas, and industrial sectors positions it for long-term success. Industry experts argue that affordability, reliability, availability, and safety—not politics—will define hydrogen’s future.

California regulators are developing a plan to close the Aliso Canyon gas storage site, years after the nation’s worst methane leak. What does it mean for energy storage and the future of gas?

As President Trump’s administration signals support for domestic energy, midstream leaders in the Marcellus and Appalachian region push for permitting reform, expanded pipeline infrastructure, and policy changes to drive oil and gas growth.

A gas pipeline between Malta and Italy has become one of the EU’s most contentious energy projects — with ties to scandal, climate backlash, and high-stakes political pressure. What’s really behind the Melita pipeline debate?

The Trump administration appears to be more interested in energizing the federal pipeline safety regulator than the Biden administration ever was.

In this month's Editor's Notebook, Editor-in-Chief Michael Reed unpacks how federal regulators stepped in to take control of Missouri’s natural gas pipeline safety enforcement after years of inadequate penalties, and what it means for the Show-Me State’s residents, utilities and lawmakers.

The sale of KPC was approved in 2023, under the country’s privatization program targeting at least 11 state-owned enterprises due to what the government said was “inadequate capital for investments and working capital due to dwindling government resources to invest in those entities.”

In 2007, the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) released a Notice of Preliminary Rule Making (NPRM), known as the Control Room Management (CRM) rule. Since the CRM rule went into full effect in 2012, pipeline operators have seen significant transformation in the control room operation.