October 2017, Vol. 244, No. 10

PHMSA Drue Pearce was named deputy administrator for the federal Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Pearce was a state senator for Alaska and federal coordinator for the Alaskan Natural Gas Transportation Projects. She was director of gove..

“The worst thing about this is that you know people are going to die.” Mid-afternoon on Aug. 25 and I was talking to our managing editor Mike Reed as we prepared to go home. Hurricane Harvey was approaching Houston. Everyone’s nerves were on edge. We knew we were going to get hit and hit hard, tho..

Since its completion in May 1977, the Alyeska Pipeline, which crosses three mountain ranges along with 34 rivers and streams, has transported over 17 billion barrels of crude oil from Prudhoe Bay en route to the Valdez Marine terminal. Now celebrating four decades of existence – a full decade longe..

The industry has implemented a new materials traceability standard, ASTM F2897, that asset manufacturers are using to mark assets with standardized barcodes. In response to this standard, Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) has been working with vendor LocusView on a solution that leverages ne..

Strategic outreach can help companies overcome opposition to pipeline construction projects.

The presence of residual stress in components should not be overlooked, even though it may not be as apparent and quantifiable as primary loads. While residual stress is often responsible for over-conservatism of a design, it can also be considered a major “unknown” contributing factor during a fail..

Drones are helping make pipeline inspections and monitoring simpler.

The Internet of Things can help improve pipeline inspections.

The world’s pipelines are vital energy corridors which link oil and gas fields to customers. At one large end of the spectrum, the 760-mile (1,222-km) Nordstream1 natural gas pipeline is the longest subsea pipeline in the world with an annual capacity of 55 Bcm. There is also the West-East Gas Pipe..

I t seems that hardly a week goes by without some new announced barrier to the construction of pipelines to allow Canadian oil to flow to markets other than the glutted United States. The National Energy Board (NEB) recently issued a news release announcing the topics to be considered in its assess..

In part 2 of Pipeline & Gas Journal's Midyear International Report, pipeline construction project trends are discussed.

Historically, the world trade of gas has been dominated by piped gas with first-ever commercial LNG cargo being delivered to the UK from Algeria in 1964. The growth of the fuel was steady, but accelerated when Qatar entered the supply market with huge LNG trains almost 10 years ago. Recent developm..

The agenda is rapidly filling for the 14th Annual Pipeline Opportunities Conference on April 3, 2018 at the Omni Galleria in Houston. The one-day conference is focused on new construction opportunities in North America as well as expert analyses of the drivers moving the industry forward. The confe..

A single-pixel camera can help identify methane leaks in real-time during pipeline inspections.

When Southern California Gas Co. technician Jeff Catton pulled his truck into the cul de sac near a two-story residence, he was already thinking about what might lie ahead. A seven-year employee at SoCalGas, Catton was responding to what many might consider a routine call – an elderly couple in the..

According to recent estimates for 2025, Mexico’s demand for natural gas will double Pemex’s production in 2012. Current domestic market conditions suggest the production growth rate will have to increase by 2.9% per year to meet that demand. This is why the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) has ..

The domestic boom in oil and gas production has helped the U.S. increase energy independence in the past decade, but the benefits have come with environmental challenges. Among those are increased risks of hazardous chemical spills and methane gas leaks, which contribute to climate change by trappin..

Nonconformance reports can help companies learn from failed pipeline inspections.

EIA recently released State Energy Data System estimates for net energy supply, which provide data on each state’s total primary energy production and consumption. Wyoming, Texas, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and North Dakota ranked as the top five net suppliers of energy in 2015. Overall, 12 states..

An in-depth look at worldwide pipeline construction projects, as featured in our October 2017 issue.

An overview of the latest news related to pipeline regulations, as featured in our October 2017 issue.

BP Moves Forward with IPO for U.S. Pipeline Assets BP announced on Sept. 11 that BP Midstream Partners LP, a wholly owned, indirect subsidiary, filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering. The announcement comes after BP sai..

Natural Gas to Become Primary Energy Source by 2035 Oil and gas will be crucial components of the world’s energy future, according to DNV GL’s forecast of the energy transition. While renewable energy will grow its share of the energy mix, oil and gas will account for 44% of world energy supply in ..

Tribes Argue Dakota Access Created Own Problems Native American tribes maintained in last-minute court filings that the Dakota Access oil pipeline developer has overstated the potential adverse effects of a shutdown. Standing Rock Sioux attorney Jan Hasselman also argued that Energy Transfer Partne..

Public works managers across the nation have welcomed the use of keyhole coring: a less-costly, safer and less-disruptive approach to underground roadway and sidewalk utility repairs than traditional, large excavation techniques. Last month Ditch Witch®, a Charles Machine Works Company, announced it..

When Mike Heckl was a director of operations for Crestwood Midstream, the company established itself in the West Virginia Appalachian Basin by purchasing an area of development from a major upstream firm with a large acreage in the Ohio and West Virginia Marcellus/Utica Shale fields. They had alread..

Pipeline and energy companies are safety-conscious for good reason. Fewer accidents mean fewer delays, higher worker morale, lower insurance costs and avoidance of OSHA fines. Ensuring that workers do only jobs they’re trained for is one of the most critical steps in a safety program. An untrained ..

An overview of new technological developments that can be used on pipeline construction projects, as featured in our October 2017 issue.