Regulation
EPA to Issue Power Plant Rules That Lean on Carbon Capture
The U.S. government may soon require natural gas-fired power plants to install technology to capture carbon emissions, sources said, as President Joe Biden's administration enacts new rules to help decarbonize the power sector in 12 years.
US Energy Department Clamps Down on LNG Export Project Extensions
The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday announced it will change how it approves requests by companies to push back start dates for LNG export projects to get a better picture of true demand for the fuel.
Chad Nationalizes Exxon’s 621-Mile Pipeline as Dispute Over Asset Sale Escalates
Chad has recalled its ambassador to neighboring Cameroon in the latest escalation of a dispute over the sale by Exxon Mobil of its oil assets in both countries to Savannah Energy.
Williams, MPLX, WES DJ Gathering Reach Settlement with EPA, DOJ Over Methane Leaks
The settlements announced by the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency require the three natural gas processors to pay a combined $9.25 million in civil penalties and make about $16 million in improvements at plants and compressor stations.
PG&E Reduces Emissions from Gas Pipelines by More Than 20%
(P&GJ) — PG&E's Gas Operations and Engineering teams took a comprehensive approach to reduce emissions from the natural gas system, including enhancing the leak survey program that now assesses more than 42,000 miles of natural gas distribution pipeline every three years versus the previous every-five-years rotation.
Biden Administration Says Republican Concerns About Oil Reserve Damage Unfounded
The Biden administration said concerns of Republican lawmakers that last year's record drawdown of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve damaged the system's delicate salt caverns were unfounded, a letter seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed.
Official: Louisiana on Track for Carbon Well Permitting by Year-End
Louisiana likely will receive permitting authority over wells designed to capture and store greenhouse gases by the end of the year, U.S. Congressman Garret Graves, who represents a southern section of the state, said on Tuesday.
California City Can't Enforce Natural Gas Ban, Appeals Court Says
Berkeley, California, cannot ban natural gas hookups in new buildings because a U.S. federal law preempts its rule, a federal appeals court said Monday, siding with a challenge the state's restaurant industry made.
Norway Parliament Asks for CCS Alternative to Decarbonize Major LNG Plant
Norway's parliament on Tuesday told the government to consider an alternative way to cut carbon emissions at Western Europe's largest LNG plant, but stopped short of outright halting a controversial plan to use power from land.
Canada Offers $26 Billion Green Tax Credits But Still Trails Behind US Incentives
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has been under pressure to level the playing field with its largest trading partner since Washington passed massive, uncapped incentives for clean energy investments in the Inflation Reduction Act last year.
Biden Administration Greenlights LNG Exports from Alaska Project
The Biden administration on Thursday approved exports of LNG from the Alaska LNG project, a document showed, as the United States competes with Russia to ship natural gas from the Arctic to Asia. The project includes a proposed 807-mile (1,300-km) pipeline to move gas stranded in northern Alaska across the state.
Biden's Subdued Reaction to OPEC+ Cuts Foreshadows Economic Slowdown, Carries Risk
When OPEC+ made a surprise decision earlier this month to cut oil production, President Joe Biden responded with the political equivalent of a shrug – a far cry from his declaration that there would be “consequences” for Saudi Arabia, the de facto head of the oil cartel, when it lowered output in October.
US Plans to Refill Strategic Reserve If Advantageous to Taxpayers This Year
The Biden administration plans to refill the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve soon and hopes to refill it at lower oil prices if it's advantageous to taxpayers during the rest of the year, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Wednesday.
Malaysia's Petronas to Restart Gas Pipeline Operations by Q1 2024
Malaysia's national oil company Petroliam Nasional Berhad aims to restart a gas pipeline currently under force majeure by the first quarter of 2024, a senior company executive said on Wednesday.
Iraq Petitions US Court to Enforce Oil Export Arbitration Award Against Turkey
Iraq has petitioned a U.S. federal court to enforce an arbitration award against Turkey related to Iraqi oil exports through a pipeline to a Turkish port, according to documents filed with the court.
US Cities to Receive Nearly $200 Million to Upgrade Aging, Leaking Natural Gas Pipelines
(P&GJ) — The U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has awarded $196 million in grants to 37 projects spread across 19 states for the modernization of aging natural gas pipelines.
US Official: White House Got 'Heads Up' on OPEC Cut Plans, Disagreed with Move
The Biden administration told Saudi Arabia officials that it disagreed with OPEC’s surprise decision to cut oil production when it was given a ‘heads up’ on the move, John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, told reporters on Monday.
Bid to Pause ConocoPhillips' Alaska Willow Project Fails
A federal judge on Monday rejected a bid by environmentalists to temporarily suspend the U.S. government’s approval of ConocoPhillips' multibillion-dollar oil drilling project in Alaska’s Arctic.
Baghdad, Erbil Sign Deal to Restart Northern Oil Exports
Turkey stopped pumping about 450,000 b/d of Iraqi crude through a pipeline from the Fish-Khabur border area to its Ceyhan port on March 25 after Iraq won an arbitration case.
Mountain Valley Pipeline's West Virginia Water Permit Tossed by Court
A federal appeals court on Monday vacated a water permit needed by developers to restart construction on the Mountain Valley pipeline in West Virginia, marking the latest setback for the $6.2 billion project.
INGAA Chairman Amato Sees Permitting, Workforce Development Among Priorities
(P&GJ) — New INGAA Foundation Chair Paul Amato doesn’t exactly come from the hotbed of the natural gas industry, but in a manner of speaking, he became part of it as soon as possible. During this interview with P&GJ, Amato discusses, among other issues, his first impressions of INGAA, training and retaining younger talent, and keeping an eye on methane reduction and other permitting issues.
SGA’s New Chair Stresses Operational Excellence
(P&GJ) — The new chair of the Southern Gas Association (SGA), Luke Litteken, started his career in natural gas right out of technical college taking a job with Minnegasco (now CenterPoint Energy) in Minnesota as a technician, partly because he enjoys the outdoors. Twenty-five years later, he had the opportunity to move over to Xcel Energy, where he is now the senior vice president of the gas business.
US Could Buy Back Oil for Strategic Reserve Late This Year
The U.S. could start buying back crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve late this year after President Joe Biden last year directed the largest ever sale from the stockpile, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said.
INGAA CEO Applauds US House for Passing the Lower Energy Costs Act
WASHINGTON, DC (P&GJ) — Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) President and CEO Amy Andryszak has issued a statement in support of H.R. 1 - the Lower Energy Costs Act, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote of 225-204.
Mountain Valley Clears Permit Hurdle for 303-Mile Pipeline Project in Virginia
A federal appeals court on Wednesday backed construction authorizations for the $6.2 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline project in Virginia, after finding state regulators thoroughly reviewed the project's environmental impacts.
Army Corps Extends Line 5 Tunnel Review, Delaying Enbridge’s Pipeline Project by 18 Months
Canada's Enbridge Inc. said on Thursday it was "disappointed" by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' decision to extend the federal permitting process for the company's proposed Great Lakes Tunnel that would rehouse its Line 5 oil pipeline underneath the Straits of Mackinac.
FERC Moves Forward on Pipeline Rates, Affiliates
(P&GJ) — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently moved forward with projected policies with gas pipeline implications. But their resolution is a bit up in the air now that former Chairman Richard Glick has left the commission after failing to be reconfirmed by the Senate.
US Energy Secretary Says It Could Take Years to Refill Oil Reserve
It could take years for the United States to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the energy secretary told lawmakers on Thursday, after sales directed by President Joe Biden last year pushed the stockpile to its lowest level since 1983.
Editor’s Notebook: Getting the CO2 Out
(P&GJ) — Navigator Heartland Greenway has voluntarily withdrawn its application for a certificate of authority to build a 250-mile portion of its CO2 pipeline through a part of western Illinois, but the company said it plans to refile soon.
IPC CEO Urges Canada to Offer More Funding to Build Carbon Capture
International Petroleum Corp., the first foreign oil company to sanction a project in Canada's oil sands in more than a decade, could add carbon capture and storage (CCS) to the plant if more government financial incentives become available, its CEO told Reuters.
- Keystone Oil Pipeline Resumes Operations After Temporary Shutdown
- Freeport LNG Plant Runs Near Zero Consumption for Fifth Day
- Biden Administration Buys Oil for Emergency Reserve Above Target Price
- Mexico Seizes Air Liquide's Hydrogen Plant at Pemex Refinery
- Enbridge to Invest $500 Million in Pipeline Assets, Including Expansion of 850-Mile Gray Oak Pipeline
