Community & Environment
Enbridge Line 3 Stalled Once Again
Enbridge Energy's plan to replace an aging crude oil pipeline that runs through northern Minnesota hit another obstacle Tuesday when two state agencies said they would hold up approval of the project's permits until problems with its environmental review are resolved.
Canadian Government Likely to Approve Trans Mountain Expansion
Canada looks set to approve a hotly-debated plan to expand an oil pipeline this week, people familiar with the process told Reuters.
Natural Gas Champions and Constructive Dialogue
Although rich in energy resources, the United States has increasingly adopted a viewpoint that fossil fuel should be eliminated from the clean energy solution. The industry has been singularly targeted, grouping all fossil fuel into the same category, as a destructive influence in climate change.
Colorado: Litmus Test for Oil, Gas Development’s Future
A glimpse at what is ahead for the oil and natural gas industry politically played out in the first quarter of 2019 in Colorado, a state long recognized for its ability to balance energy development, economics and the environment.
Court Lifts Injunction Blocking Keystone XL Pipeline
An appeals court has lifted a judge's injunction that blocked construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the U.S., but the developer has said it's too late to begin work this year and environmental groups vowed to keep fighting it.
Enbridge Seeks Michigan Court Ruling on Line 5 Pipeline Deal
Enbridge said will go to court after failing to strike a deal with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on building an oil pipeline tunnel beneath the channel that connects Lakes Huron and Michigan.
Natural Gas Flaring in Permian Hits Record High in Q1
Natural gas flaring and venting in the top U.S. oil field reached an all-time high in the first quarter of the year due to the lack of pipelines, at a time of increased focus on environmental concerns about methane emissions.
U.S. Asks Supreme Court for More Time on Atlantic Coast Appeal
The U.S. Solicitor General asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to extend the time the government has to file a petition in an appeal of a circuit court decision preventing Dominion Energy Inc from building the Atlantic Coast natural gas pipeline across the Appalachian Trail in Virginia.
Texas May Stiffen Penalties for Pipeline Damage
Lawmakers in Texas are considering a bill that would stiffen penalties for damaging or trespassing around oil and gas operations despite opposition from environmental groups who say it would quell peaceful protests and overly criminalize offenses.
Trump Administration Will Complete New Keystone XL Environmental Review
U.S. government attorneys say the Trump administration plans to finish a new environmental review of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada even if a federal appeals court throws out a lawsuit that blocked the project.
New INGAA Report Highlights Importance of Natural Gas to a Lower-Carbon Economy
Natural gas will remain a significant contributor to the energy portfolio and to economic growth in the United States over the next two decades, playing a key role in meeting low-carbon goals, a new study commissioned by the INGAA Foundation finds.
Lawmaker's 'Nazi' Remark over Pipeline Fight Draws Criticism
A Pennsylvania state lawmaker protesting a natural gas liquids pipeline project in her neighborhood has apologized for saying "Nazis were just doing their jobs too" and drawing a comparison to pipeline workers.
Plains All American fined $3.3M for California Oil Spill
Plains All American Pipeline was fined nearly $3.35 million for a 2015 California coastal oil spill caused by the rupture of a corroded pipeline.
Michigan Governor Open to Possible Line 5 Tunnel Construction
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday that she's open to allowing construction of an oil transport tunnel beneath the channel where Lakes Huron and Michigan meet, despite previously halting work on a tunnel plan developed by her predecessor.
Colombia's Ecopetrol Working to Contain Spills from Pipeline Attacks
Colombia's state-run oil company Ecopetrol said it is working to contain two oil spills from its Cano Limon pipeline, which was damaged by bomb attacks on the weekend.
CEA Report Details Potential of Piceance, Uinta Basins
The CEA has released a detailed report on “Natural Gas Markets for the Western States and Tribal Nations,” explaining how the abundant natural gas resources in the Piceance and Unita basins in Colorado and Utah can bring significant economic and environmental growth the region with the approval of more production and infrastructure expansion.
API-AOPL Annual Report Shows Liquids Pipeline Incidents Down Significantly
The American Petroleum Institute (API), in coordination with the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL) has released the 2019 API-AOPL Liquids Pipeline Performance Report, which details a 20% decrease in liquids pipeline incidents impacting people or the environment over the last five years despite increases in both pipeline mileage and barrels delivered.
Perspective: Impact of Trump’s Executive Orders Unclear
The executive orders signed Wednesday by President Trump are intended to make it easier for companies to build oil and gas pipelines, but experts aren’t sure yet if they will achieve their goal.
Trump Signs Orders to Ease Pipeline Approval, Construction
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed executive orders intended to ease permitting and construction of pipelines and other energy infrastructure – an action that quickly drew the praise of industry organizations.
Police: 1 Dead, 15 Injured in North Carolina Gas Explosion
A gas explosion that partially collapsed a North Carolina building and set it ablaze Wednesday morning killed one person and injured more than a dozen others, police said.
Pipeline Opponents Ask Judge to Strike Down Trump Keystone XL Permit
Opponents of the long-stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline asked a federal court Friday in a lawsuit to declare President Donald Trump acted illegally when he issued a new permit for the project in a bid to get around an earlier court ruling.
Sunoco Settles Mariner East 1 Case with Pennsylvania PUC
Energy Transfer's Sunoco Pipeline subsidiary has reached a $200,000 settlement agreement with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) over an 840-gallon ethane and propane leak from Mariner East 1 pipeline in 2017.
Beyond the Tribal Effect: Steps to Successful Permitting on Native American Lands
The playing field of environmental permitting can be complicated, exhaustive, and time consuming. Among the most challenging rules and regulations for the energy industry are those which were designed to uphold national obligations to tribal nations.
Mass. Budgets Statewide Review of Natural Gas Systems
Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a spending bill that funds a statewide examination of Massachusetts’ natural gas distribution system. The review was ordered after the Sept. 13 gas explosions that killed one person, injured 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of buildings in the Merrimack Valley.
Trump Signs New Permission for Keystone XL Pipeline
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed a new permission for TransCanada Corp to build the long-delayed Keystone pipeline for imports of Canadian oil, replacing his previous permits in a fresh attempt to get around the blocking of the $8 billion project by a court in Montana.
Con Edison Halts Gas Hookups, Citing Interstate Pipeline Constraints
Consolidated Edison Inc said it will impose a moratorium on new natural gas service in parts of New York's Westchester County to protect system reliability due to limited space on interstate pipelines to the region.
Unwanted Night Moves
Whenever the subject of internal corrosion in pipelines comes up, it rekindles some unpleasant memories from my extensive time as a pipeline company spokesperson. Being part of an emergency response team for over 12 years was rewarding in many ways, but there was always an uneasy feeling when the phone would ring in the middle of the night.
SGA’s Chapman Promotes Clean Energy Future
P&GJ recently sat down with Adrian Chapman to discuss his new role as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Southern Gas Association, and the outlook for SGA and the energy industry.
PHMSA and Advisory Group Finalizing New Safety Program
A Voluntary Information Sharing (VIS) advisory group, working with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), voted to recommend a new, industry-wide safety reporting program in which employees, in a “no-fear” environment, would report pipeline operational and infrastructure risks and hazards. Reports would be “de-identified” and centralized. The goal is that potential problems would be found and corrected before they worsened, possibly becoming emergency situations.
NACE International Roundtable: Corrosion Management for Pipeline Integrity
To explain the value of corrosion management systems (CMS), how they work, and what programs and platforms are available to help organizations improve corrosion control programs, three experts in oil and gas pipeline corrosion management share their knowledge and experience with CMS. They are Michael Ames, Chapman Engineering; Gerry Koch, DNV GL; and David Kroon, Aegion Corporation.
- Armed Drones Attack Oil Pumping Stations on Saudi Pipeline
- Phillips 66, Plains Sanction $2.5 Billion Red Oak Pipeline System
- Occidental Petroleum Submits $57 Billion Bid for Anadarko, Topping Offer From Chevron
- $1.6 Billion Liberty Pipeline Construction to Proceed Under Phillips 66, Bridger JV
- National Grid Halts New Gas Service Until Williams Pipeline Approved
- Pipeline Hydro Test Pressure Determination
- Trans Mountain Pipeline Gets Boost From Provincial Court Ruling
- Minnesota Court Rejects Environmental Assessment for Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline
- Phillips 66, Plains Sanction $2.5 Billion Red Oak Pipeline System
- Russia's Transneft says Druzhba Pipeline to Resume on July 1
