Environment
The Name Of The Game Is Still Pipelines
Tonight I’d like to cover several topics important to all of us. Projections for increased production of natural gas and crude oil, transportation of said commodities to the marketplace, climate change and politics.
FERC Gas-Electric Information Sharing Order Draws Complaints
Two separate challenges have been made to FERC's Order 787 issued in November. It allowed interstate pipelines and electric utilities to share non-public operational information to promote reliable service or operational planning on either the public utility’s or pipeline’s system.
What's in State's Keystone XL oil pipeline report
WASHINGTON (AP) — A report issued by the State Department Friday raised no major environmental objections to the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada. The 1,179-mile pipeline would travel through Montana and South Dakota to a hub in Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines to carry more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day to refineries in Texas.
Keystone XL oil pipeline clears significant hurdle
WASHINGTON (AP) — The long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada moved a significant step toward completion Friday as the U.S. State Department raised no major environmental objections to its construction. The finding is likely to be welcomed by Republicans and some oil- and gas-producing states but is sure to further rankle environmentalists already at odds with President Barack Obama over his energy policy.
Natural Gas Big Winner In Presidents State Of Union Speech
President Obama placed far less emphasis on energy policy Tuesday night than he had in any of his four previous State of the Union speeches, offering neither any surprises nor any comment on the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Technologies Measuring Methane Emissions Tested In Field Experiments
A new collaborative science program is pioneering the development of ultra-sensitive methane-sensing technology, following a field experiment at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Rocky Mountain Oil Testing Center (RMOTC), 35 miles north of Casper, WY.
Chevron Suspends Shale Gas Exploration In Romania
Chevron was forced to suspend exploration for shale gas in northeastern Romania after hundreds of anti-fracking protesters tore down fences.
Obama Names Cheryl LaFleur Acting Chairman Of FERC
“I would like to thank President Obama for this opportunity,” Cheryl A. LaFleur, newly named Acting Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said.
Building Americas Natural Gas Highway
In late November, Lowe’s Cos. Inc., the home improvement chain, announced it would join the growing list of major trucking fleets switching to natural gas instead of diesel fuel. Walmart, UPS and FedEx are already making the move to natural gas in some trucking routes, raising the prospect that America’s natural gas highway (ANGH) could gain sufficient momentum. Clean Energy has announced its commitment to ANGH, which it says will include 150 LNG fueling stations by next year.
North Slope Gas Pipeline Challenge: Goldilocks Effect of Permafrost
A tricky challenge for moving Alaska’s North Slope natural gas to market is designing a pipe that will remain safely buried for decades in hundreds of miles of chilled earth, permafrost and discontinuous permafrost.
Editor's Notebook: Flaring Problems
There is much I like about the oil and gas business. One I especially like is the industry’s innate ability to solve some of the most pressing technological problems that any business faces, though perhaps with some foresight, this might not have been necessary. That’s something I don’t like.
Crossing Invisible Rivers: Seasonal Floods And The Risk Of Pipeline Exposure
The hydrological regime in the Brazilian northeast is variable. There have been in the past many cases of pipeline exposure due to huge seasonal water flow in places where, during dry periods, it’s impossible to even identify the existence of a river. The Petrobras Reabilitações do Nordeste (REAB) Project aimed to analyze a 15-year-old natural gas pipeline network in northeastern Brazil and intervene wherever the operational conditions were considered unsatisfactory. The main points of attention were river crossings.
Israel On The Cusp Of An Energy Revolution
Israel is facing a quandary these days, one that nearly every country in the world wishes it had.
Canadas U.S. Ambassador On Pipelines, Climate Change And Why Canada (And Its Exports) Cant Be Stopped
With the continued lack of resolution to the Keystone XL approval question, the swift change in U.S. fossil energy production rates, and the boom in unconventional sources of energy, the last few years have changed long-standing patterns of energy trade between the United States and Canada. The issues are momentous in their own right, but the U.S.-Canadian relationship is more than special: it forms the world’s largest bilateral energy market. U.S. Energy Information Administration figures account for 3 million barrels of oil and petroleum products and 11 Tcf/d of natural gas crossing the border in 2011. The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa estimates that it is a $100 billion annual partnership.
Sun-Canadian Restarts Ontario Pipeline
Sun-Canadian Pipe Line restarted its pipeline in Sarnia, Ontario following approval by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) that provides public safety services on behalf of the government of Ontario.
Transmission Companies Push For Easing Class Location Reach And Requirements
Gas transmission companies are trying to convince federal regulators to use integrity management guidelines to determine when pipe needs to be replaced outside high consequence areas (HCAs). The 2011 pipeline safety law requires the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to decide whether an expansion of the integrity management (IM) program beyond HCAs would eliminate the need for the class location system.
Natural Gas Odorization Monitoring For Safety And Consistency
In the fracking era, natural gas is playing an increasingly important role in domestic energy markets. The continuing surge in natural gas production from the boon of shale reserves will come hand-in-hand with a greater investment in gas logistics, including distribution networks, process efficiency and environmental regulation. One of the most important current areas of improvement is the odorization of natural gas, a critical safety measure, which allows humans to detect gas leaks by smell.
The Spectrum Disconnect At The FCC
Which of the following statements best reflects the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) view of spectrum requirements in the energy industry?
LDCs Continue To Upgrade The Nations Gas Distribution Network
The LDC remains the backbone of the nation’s natural gas distribution network. Natural gas utilities serve more than 71 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across the nation that is delivered through a 2.4-million-mile underground delivery system with an outstanding safety record.
Meeting The Energy Sustainability Challenge
Our world is rapidly changing at an unprecedented pace, and the 21st century poses many challenges – food, water, education, poverty and war to name but a few. Faced with all of these, it is important that we not overlook the fact that one key challenge – meeting the global demand for energy sustainability – will be fundamental to meeting all other challenges.
Editor's Notebook: CNG With A View
GRAND CANYON – It’s just a couple days after the INGAA Foundation meeting in Scottsdale and Janet and I are extending our Arizona excursion with a few days in Grand Canyon sandwiched between stops in Sedona. The conference has filled my head with happy thoughts of natural gas, the environmentally friendly fuel now rewriting the history of energy in this country.
Canadian Trade Organization Speaks Out On Enbridges Line 9B Reversal
With the National Energy Board continuing its hearings on Enbridge's proposal to reverse the flow of Line 9B, TDT Crews Ltd. is urging Ontarians to support the project because of the economic benefits and job opportunities the project would bring to Ontario workers.
Crimson Executive Brings A Tinkerer’s Bent To Midstream
From a little boy peppered with Band-Aids, the result of weekend mishaps from driving go-carts he’d build in the family’s garage, Larry Alexander went on to use his tenacity for design to build two highly successful companies.
Cost Of Regulation Lessens With Coordination Among Agencies
The value of governmental regulation cannot be denied. In addition to numerous safety and environmental benefits, it provides a benchmark for maintaining safety and stability during the completion of field work – be it new infrastructure integration or maintenance and repair.
Low Natural Gas Prices Create Jobs, Spur Economic Growth Across Country
The American Gas Association, founded in 1918, represents more than 200 local energy companies that deliver natural gas throughout the United States. There are more than 71 million residential, commercial and industrial natural gas customers in the U.S., of which 92% – more than 65 million customers – receive their gas from AGA members. Today, natural gas meets almost one-fourth of the United States' energy needs.
Pipelines Prove Safer Than Road Or Rail
The Keystone XL is intended to transport oil from Canada to U.S. refiners on the Gulf of Mexico. The administration’s decision to delay approval for the construction of TransCanada’s proposed pipeline was based, in part, on concerns over the safety and reliability of oil pipelines. In announcing his decision, President Barack Obama called for a full assessment of “the pipeline’s impact, especially the health and safety of the American people.”
IHS Study On Keystone: No Impact On Greenhouse Gas
The Keystone XL pipeline would cause “no material impact” on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S., according to a new IHS study.
New Standard Serves As Testbed For Change
DNV’s latest revision to Offshore Standard for Submarine Pipeline Systems, DNV-OS-F101, will be the pilot for a new approach to rule development, competence management, communication and application.
Risk Modeling Considerations For Low Hoop Stress Pipelines
Conventional wisdom tells us that pipelines operating at a sufficiently low hoop stress are immune to failing in a rupture mode and can only fail in a leak mode. In general, that’s true. However, a recent study found that some pipelines that are operating below 30% specified minimum yield stress (SMYS) have an increased chance of low-stress ruptures and subsequent failures under certain conditions – namely select low- and high-frequency electric resistance welded (ERW) pipes with seam weld corrosion.
Editor's Notebook: The Long Tail
Say, did you hear the one about the oil pipeline crew that was digging a trench when they spotted the dinosaur tail? No tall tale here. This is one of the stories that makes you appreciate being in the pipeline business. It proves that whether you’re the operator or the contractor, you care about something more than just money. You care the about the world around you as well as those that came before us, even if it was 70 million years ago.
- Phillips 66 to Shut LA Oil Refinery, Ending Major Gasoline Output Amid Supply Concerns
- FERC Sides with Williams in Texas-Louisiana Pipeline Dispute with Energy Transfer
- U.S. Appeals Court Blocks Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Pipeline Permits
- ConocoPhillips Eyes Sale of $1 Billion Permian Assets Amid Marathon Acquisition
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure
- U.S. Appeals Court Blocks Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Pipeline Permits
- Malaysia’s Oil Exports to China Surge Amid Broader Import Decline
- U.S. LNG Export Growth Faces Uncertainty as Trump’s Tariff Proposal Looms, Analysts Say
- Marathon Oil to Lay Off Over 500 Texas Workers Ahead of ConocoPhillips Merger
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure
