Environment

U.S. Pipeline Operators Should Prepare for Methane Curbs

The U.S. Department of Transportation's pipeline regulator on Monday sent an advisory to oil and gas pipeline operators directing them to update their inspection and maintenance plans for curbing the release of potent greenhouse gas methane, as part of the Biden administration's broader effort to combat climate change.

Pew Research Poll Shows Majority of U.S. Opposes Phasing Out Fossil Fuels

The Pew Research Center released a new poll which found that nearly two-thirds of the U.S. public opposes phasing out fossil fuels as a means of addressing climate change.

Natural Gas Production in Extreme Weather

During the February freeze event, the wells themselves did not freeze or fail, the ancillary equipment downstream did. This distinction is important, because it can affect the manner in which the natural gas industry seeks to mitigate risks from future freeze events.

Carbon-Neutral or Green LNG: A Pathway Toward Energy Transition

Meeting global targets for climate change mitigation is one of the biggest challenges. Significant emissions are released through the combustion of gas to drive the liquefaction process, while any CO2 detached before entering the plant is frequently emitted into the atmosphere.

Sulfur Removal Solutions for Gas Gathering Systems

Pipelines are considered one of the safest, most reliable, most efficient and economic means of transporting large quantities of natural gas, crude and refined petroleum products. However, sulfur contaminants in the form of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and mercaptans (RSH) pose significant safety, operational, environmental and compliance problems.

Concern Over Wildlife Halts Building of Norway-Poland Gas Link

Concern over the impact on protected mice and bat species has halted construction in Denmark of Baltic Pipe, a pipeline connecting Poland with Norwegian gas fields, Danish grid operator Energinet said on Thursday.

Navigator Expanding Carbon Capture Pipeline Project

The proposed carbon capture pipeline system project seeks to provide biorefineries and others a long-term, economic path to materially reduce their carbon footprint by capturing and transporting CO2 through 1,200 miles of pipeline across five Midwest states to a permanent sequestration site.

Environmentalists Condemn Biden's Backing of Alaska Oil Drilling Project

Climate activists had previously said they were encouraged that upon taking office in January, President Joe Biden signed an order to rejoin the Paris Accord and revoked federal permits for the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

U.S. EPA to Revise Trump Rule in Boost to States' Climate Fight

The Trump administration was focused on fast tracking big energy projects and had set its sights on the Section 401 permitting process because it allowed states to block major pipeline, coal export terminals and other projects they felt would lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

FERC Again Weighs Climate Impacts, Approves NatGas Pipeline Projects

Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioners approved two pipeline projects from Northern Natural Gas Company and Tuscarora Gas Transmission Company, agreeing that their climate impacts should not be significant.

U.S. District Court Orders Dakota Access Oil Pipeline Can Remain Open

The 570,000-bpd pipeline out of North Dakota that travels under a Missouri River reservoir is likely to stay running at least until an environmental review of the line is completed next year.

Oil Drillers and Bitcoin Miners Bond Over Natural Gas

On U.S. oil patches stretching along the Rockies and Great Plains, trailers hitched to trucks back up toward well pads to capture natural gas and convert it on the spot into electricity.

IECA Urges Congress to Give FERC Reliability Oversight on Natural Gas Pipelines

The Industrial Energy Consumers of America (IECA) on Wednesday sent letters to the Senate and House Committees of jurisdiction on physical and cybersecurity of natural gas pipelines.

Extreme Heat Could Cause U.S. Power Shortages This Summer

The organization responsible for North American electric reliability warned energy shortfalls were possible this summer in California, Texas, New England and the Central United States based on above-normal temperature forecasts for much of the region.

Strategies to Minimize Release of Fugitive Emissions

Large pressure faced by oil and gas companies from environmental, social, and governance (ESG) movements is increasing and inarguably being felt across midstream and all other sectors of the energy value chain.

Sapphire Gas Solutions Enters Renewable Natural Gas Market

Sapphire Gas Solutions, a Conroe-based LNG and CNG solutions service company, was recently awarded the transportation and logistics contracts for seven farm-based renewable natural gas operations in central California.

Perspective: Methane Emissions Still Rising Quickly, a New UN Report Warns

As methane emissions are reduced, the world reaps several benefits quickly, for health as well as the climate. In most cases, the benefits of taking action far outweigh the cost – in fact many of them make money.

Army Corps: No Cause to Shut Dakota Pipeline During Review

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it does not believe a judge should order the Dakota Access oil pipeline shut while environmental review continues, according to court filings on Monday.

U.S. Senate OKs Reversal of Trump Rollback of Methane Emissions Rule

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a measure to restore regulation of emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, a move Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called a "big deal" in fighting climate change.

OPAL, NextEra Energy Unit to Build Renewable Gas Facility in Minnesota

The project will be located at a landfill owned by Republic Services Inc, and interconnect with a pipeline owned by Xcel Energy Inc, leading electric and gas utility in the region.

U.S. Senate to Vote on Measure to Reverse Methane Rule Rollbacks

The Senate lead sponsor of the bill said that restoring those rules, which targeted methane leaks from new wells as well as pipelines, capture the "lion's share" of methane emissions.

Colonial Pipeline Increases Estimate of Gasoline Spilled in North Carolina

New data shows the amount of gasoline released in Mecklenburg County’s Oehler Nature Preserve exceeds Colonial Pipeline’s 1.2-million-gallon estimate.

Judge Orders Army Corps Update on Dakota Access Pipeline by May 3

A federal judge ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide an update by May 3 on when it plans to complete an environmental review of the Dakota Access oil pipeline and whether it recommends the line should shut during the review process.

Canada's Trans Mountain Ordered to Suspend Oil Line Expansion to Protect Hummingbird Nests

The Canadian government has ordered Trans Mountain Corp to halt work on a section of its oil pipeline expansion project in Burnaby, British Columbia, for four months to protect hummingbird nests.

Texas February Freeze Cost About $1.6 Billion, Vistra Says

U.S. energy company Vistra Corp boosted the negative impact of winter storm Uri in Texas in February to about $1.6 billion from its prior estimate of $900 million to $1.3 billion.

U.S. Makes ‘Game Changing’ Pledge at Climate Summit to Cut Emissions 50% by 2030

The Biden administration pledged at a U.S. climate summit attended by world leaders to slash U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, a target it hopes will spur other big countries to raise their ambition to combat global warming.

Michigan Regulator to Weigh Climate Impact of Enbridge Oil Line Tunnel

A state of Michigan regulator said on Wednesday it will consider the impact of climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions when deciding whether Enbridge Inc can build an underwater tunnel to rehouse a four-mile (6-km) section of its Line 5 oil pipeline.

Perspective: Oil Execs, Environmentalists Could Support Hydrogen for Climate Solution

Some see hydrogen as a potential substitute for hard-coal coke in making steel. It also offers energy companies a future market using processes they know. It can be liquefied, stored, and transported through existing pipelines and LNG ships, with some modifications.

Dakota Access Argues Pipeline Closure Would Cause 'Economic Shock'

The operators of the DAPL argued to a federal court that the system's shutdown would be even more harmful than previously anticipated, in their final plea to keep the line open after a key permit was scrapped.

Project Canary to Measure Greenhouse Gases from Rio Grande LNG Facility

NextDecade Corporation and Project Canary announced the formation of a joint pilot project for monitoring, reporting, and measurement of the greenhouse gas intensity of LNG to be sold from NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG export facility in Brownsville, Texas.