North America

Draft Environmental Study on Dakota Access Pipeline Expected in Fall

A U.S. court last year ordered the federal government to undertake a more intensive environmental study of the pipeline's route under a lake that straddles the border of North Dakota and South Dakota.

Trans Mountain Seeks Last-Minute Route Deviation on Pipeline Expansion

The Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project has asked Canadian regulators for a route deviation on a 1.3-km (0.8 mile) section of pipeline in British Columbia, months before the 600,000 barrel per day project is due to start shipping crude.

Trudeau Stands by Trans Mountain Expansion as Strong Investment Amid Challenges

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday he was confident the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion was a solid investment and that interest is high among Indigenous groups who want to buy a share of the pipeline.

Tropical Storm Harold Reduces Gas Flows at Cheniere's Corpus Christi LNG Export Plant

The amount of natural gas flowing to U.S. energy company Cheniere Energy's Corpus Christi LNG export plant in Texas was on track to decline on Wednesday, a day after Tropical Storm Harold hit South Texas.

Key Hearing for 2,000-Mile Carbon Capture Pipeline Begins in Iowa

Iowa residents living along the route of the U.S.'s largest proposed carbon capture and storage (CCS) pipeline told state regulators they were worried about possible ruptures and land takings at the start of a hearing that will determine the fate of the project.

Clearfork Midstream Expands Haynesville Gas System, Adds New Pipelines Across Louisiana and Texas

(P&GJ) — These expansions represent a system-wide capacity increase of approximately 65% since Clearfork’s acquisition of the assets in February 2022. In addition, the company has expanded its North Louisiana gathering footprint to the east and west, and is in construction on new gathering pipe further west into Panola County, Texas.

Fidelis New Energy to Develop Carbon Neutral Hydrogen Facility in West Virginia

(P&GJ) — Fidelis New Energy has made the strategic decision to establish its inaugural net-zero carbon hydrogen production facility, featuring FidelisH2 proprietary technologies, along with a data center campus and a greenhouse system in Mason County, West Virginia.

Asian Buyers May Seek U.S. LNG If Australia Worker Disputes Worsen, Analysts Say

Major Asian buyers of LNG could seek U.S. cargoes in the coming weeks if worker-related disputes at key LNG facilities in Australia escalate, analysts said, as electricity demand continues surge due to warm weather.

Cheniere Energy Strikes LNG Supply Deal with BASF

Cheniere Energy said on Tuesday it would supply 0.8 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG to Germany's BASF.

China’s LNG Buyers Expand Trading After Adding More US, Qatari Contracts

China's LNG gas importers are starting up or expanding trading desks in London and Singapore to better manage their growing and diversified supply portfolios in an increasingly volatile global market.

Pipeline Operator Trans Mountain Says British Columbia Fires Pose No Risk to Its Operations

Canadian oil pipeline system operator Trans Mountain said on Sunday that the British Columbia wildfires posed no risk to its pipeline operations or its expansion project.

Energy Transfer Seeks New LNG Export License After Extension Denied

Pipeline operator Energy Transfer on Friday requested a new and expedited export license for its proposed Lake Charles LNG plant in Louisiana, according to a filing with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Bakken Success Boosts Need for Gas Capture Innovations

(P&GJ) — While one of North Dakota’s top energy officials, Justin Kringstad, readily leads the cheers for his state’s success with industry in curbing the economic and environmentally harmful practice of flaring associated gas at well sites.

US Natural Gas Groups Oppose Federal Plan to Eliminate Methane Leaks

U.S. natural gas trade groups on Wednesday opposed federal pipeline regulators' proposed methane leak detection rules to address the climate-change crisis. The gas associations said extensive changes needed to be made to PHMSA’s proposal for it to be technically and economically feasible.

Kinder Morgan's Tennessee Gas Pipeline Issues Force Majeure Amidst Fire Incident

Kinder Morgan unit Tennessee Gas Pipeline on Friday declared force majeure due to an explosion and fire caused by equipment failure at a compressor station near Centerville in Hickman County.

Deep Sky, Svante Partner to Study Carbon Storage Feasibility in Southern Quebec, Canada

(P&GJ) — Canadian carbon removal developer, Deep Sky, has joined forces with carbon capture and removal solutions provider Svante Technologies Inc. to evaluate the feasibility of sequestering CO2 in Southern Quebec.

FTC Approves EQT's Deal to Buy THQ Appalachia

EQT Corp., the biggest U.S. natural gas producer, has received the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's approval to buy THQ Appalachia and associated infrastructure. The proposed deal is valued at $5.2 billion.

Energy Transfer to Buy Crestwood in $7.1 Billion Pipeline Deal

The $7.1 billion deal will see Energy Transfer add about 2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of gas-gathering capacity, 1.4 Bcf/d of gas-processing capacity and 340,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude-gathering capacity.

EIA: U.S. Natural Gas Pipeline Exports to Mexico Set a Monthly High in June 2023

(P&GJ) — U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico averaged a record 6.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) for June 2023, which is 0.1 Bcf/d greater than the previous record set in June 2021, according to data from Wood Mackenzie.

Mexico’s Ambitious LNG Export Goals Rely on US Pipeline Imports

(P&GJ) — If Mexico follows through with construction of all its proposed liquified natural gas export projects, it will become the fourth-largest LNG shipper in the world. Unlike the other countries in that Top 4 list, however, it would be the only one that imports most of the natural gas it ultimately ships.

Montana Judge Rules State Policies Must Consider Climate Change in Fossil Fuel Projects

Montana is violating the rights of young people with policies that prohibit the state from considering climate change effects when it reviews coal mining, natural gas extraction and other fossil fuel projects, a state judge said Monday.

Natural Gas Producer Chesapeake to Complete Eagle Ford Basin Exit with Silverbow Deal

Chesapeake said last year it viewed the Eagle Ford acreage as no longer core to its strategy and would focus on the gas-rich Marcellus and Haynesville shale formations.

Permian Operators Look to Carry the Load

(P&GJ) — Midstream projects in the region continue more-or-less undeterred with more than 8 Bcf/d of pipeline capacity planned or under construction from the Permian and Haynesville basins as operators lock in on expanding LNG export markets on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coasts.

US Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to Mountain Valley Pipeline

A U.S. appeals court on Friday rejected a challenge to federal approvals for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, in a decision that likely ends legal fights over the construction of the $6.6 billion natural gas project led by Equitrans Midstream.

Haynesville Riding LNG Wave to Gulf Coast

(P&GJ) — With the primary driver of U.S. natural gas demand growth continuing to be LNG exports, the bottlenecked pipeline takeaway capacity in the gas-rich Marcellus Shale has left the Haynesville shale, along with the Permian Basin, as the two regions with the most consistent midstream growth.

Top US Shale Firms Slightly Raise Oil Output, Struggle for Significant Growth

Favoring earnings over higher production has helped U.S. companies deliver strong profits with modest volume increases. The OPEC producer group's cuts have helped keep prices above $70 a barrel for most of the year.

Editor’s Notebook: Is Rerouting Line 5 the Best Option?

(P&GJ) — In a ruling that could be interpreted as a split decision, a U.S. District Court judge has told Enbridge it can continue to operate its Line 5 pipeline through an indigenous people’s territory but must relocate a portion of the line by 2026.

Vision RNG, Meridian Waste Launch Landfill Gas to Renewable Natural Gas Project in Missouri

(P&GJ) — Vision RNG has announced that its Landfill Gas to Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) project at Meridian Waste’s Eagle Ridge Landfill in Bowling Green, Missouri is now fully operational.

Canada Looking to Sell Trans Mountain Pipeline Stake to Indigenous Groups

Canada is looking to sell a stake in the Trans Mountain oil pipeline to indigenous groups through a special-purpose vehicle that will allow individual communities to buy into the enterprise, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.

Challenges to Biden's Carbon Plan Emerge from U.S. Power Sector

Edison Electric Institute has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for revisions of the proposed power plant standards, which hinge on the widespread commercial availability of carbon capture and storage and low-emissions green hydrogen, adding the agency's vision was "not legally or technically sound."