Environment
New Guidelines For Float-Over Installations And Moorings
GL Noble Denton has issued new guidelines for float-over installations and for moorings.
NACE Interview: Integrity Management Solutions For Offshore Pipeline Corrosion
Corrosion of offshore oil and gas pipelines is a critical problem that can lead to catastrophic failure if not properly managed—from the design stage of the pipeline system through ongoing monitoring and maintenance.
Libya, Oil Prices And Drilling In America
My gosh, it’s back……’pain at the pump,’ I mean. This morning I filled up at the neighborhood Exxon station at $3.19 a gallon, a quarter more than I paid the previous week. When I leave today I expect the price will rise to $3.25 with no end in sight unless some brave Libyan soldier decides to pull rank on the colonel by doing what Gaddafi should have done himself long ago, putting a bullet through his diseased brain.
INGAA Board Creates Pipeline Safety Task Force
The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America has formed a new executive-level task force on pipeline safety. Christopher A. Helms, Executive Vice President and Group CEO of NiSource Gas Transmission and Storage, was named Chairman of the new task force.
Enhanced Pipeline Seam Assessment
The ability to use a single inline inspection (ILI) tool in one run to record multiple datasets is becoming increasingly important to pipeline owners and operators as they face a growing need to inspect their assets for a wide variety of defects.
Port Dolphin Energy Gets Key Florida Permits For Deepwater LNG Port
Port Dolphin Energy, LLC received key environmental permits from the State of Florida to allow construction of onsite components for its offshore LNG terminal.
INGAA Locks Horns With PHMSA; Wheels Turning on Hazardous Liquids Program, GHGs
The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) has locked horns with PHMSA over the agency's advisory bulletin on pipeline safety.
PHMSA Calls For Major Work On Trans-Alaska Pipeline
Federal pipeline regulators want the trans-Alaska pipeline operator begin major work to make the 33-year-old, 800-mile line less susceptible to accidents as the amount of oil flowing through it declines, according to an AP report on Feb. 14.
INGAA adopts new pipeline safety guiding principles
On March 1, Interstate Natural Gas Association of America members formally adopted a set of five guiding principles for pipeline safety, renewing the gas-transmission industry’s commitment to safe and reliable pipeline operations.
Feds Probe Fatal Enterprise Products Plant Blast
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating a Feb. 8 fire at a natural gas processing plant in Mont Belvieu, TX that killed one worker. Investigators found the remains of Rick Shaw a day after a fire ignited in what may have been a ruptured pipeline that carried natural gas. The blast occurred at the Enterprise Products plant.
5 Dead In Pa. Natural Gas Explosion
A natural gas explosion rocked a downtown neighborhood in Allentown, PA on Feb. 9, killing five residents, leveling several houses, and causing fires that burned for hours through an entire row of nearby homes.
7th Annual Pipeline Opportunities Conference Focuses On Pipeline Integrity
Many of the energy industry’s leading experts on safety issues will participate in the 7th Annual <a href="/pipeline-opportunities-conference-2011">Pipeline Opportunities Conference</a> on April 19 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Houston.
Gas Advocates Step Back, Look Forward
The Gas Technology Institute (GTI) holds an unusual position in the natural gas industry: although it is a nonprofit, its business plan is based around an intense focus on the market. And although it advocates for natural gas, it’s looking for long-term innovation, not short-term politics.
In Wake of San Bruno, PHMSA Calls Oversight Of IM Programs "Lacking"
A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing March 1-2 in Washington may push Congress to renew failed efforts from last fall to upgrade pipeline safety laws. The hearings will air the NTSB's preliminary findings from the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) pipeline explosion in California in September where seven people were killed.
Deciphering 49 CFR 195.446 Control Room Management Regulations When Choosing A SCADA System
Choosing a SCADA system based only on the human-machine interface (HMI) and a few performance features of the remote terminal unit (RTU) could paint you into an expensive corner when attempting to comply with 49 CFR 195.446. Understanding those regulations and keeping their requirements in mind when evaluating and choosing a SCADA system could save time, money and a lot of headaches.
Capital Prompting Investment In New Technology And Talent
According to a study by BDO USA, LLP, an accounting and consulting organization, capital is flowing back into the oil and gas exploration and processing industry – more than half (56%) of CFOs report their ability to access capital and credit is either the same or better than last year.
Koch Pipeline Employees Complete Year Without Safety Incidents
Koch Pipeline Company, L.P. reported that its employees worked all of 2010 with no minor or significant injuries. “No award or accolade can fully highlight the dedication to safety and the focus on ensuring that every Koch Pipeline employee goes home safely each and every day,” said Kim Penner, company president.
Gas Groups Back State-based Registry Of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids
Leaders of the Natural Gas Supply Association and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America have announced support for a new state-based registry for companies to voluntarily disclose the contents of fluids used during the hydraulic fracturing (“fracing”) process common in the completion of shale gas wells.
Fire Breaks Out At Enterprise Complex In Texas
On Feb. 9, 2011, Enterprise Products Partners L.P. announced that the west storage facility at its Mont Belvieu, TX complex, located approximately 35 miles east of Houston, experienced a fire that broke out on Feb. 8, 2011. UPDATE: A worker originally reported missing during the blaze has been confirmed killed after the fire burned itself out the morning of Feb. 9.
Nearly One-Fifth Of U.S. Coal Fleet Could Retire By 2020
ICF International’s latest Energy Outlook reports that new regulations being developed by the Environmental Protection Agency will affect U.S. energy markets over the next 20 years and projects that nearly 20% of the coal fleet could retire in response to new air, waste, and water regulations over the next 10 years.
Independent Panel Finds Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Environmentally Acceptable
On Dec. 30 Canada’s Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline project received the stamp of approval from an independent panel charged with considering the environmental, social and economic impacts of the proposed 1,200-km line on the Northwest Territories.
INGAA calls Senate pipeline safety authorization bill constructive starting point
A bill introduced Feb. 3 by Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) to reauthorize the Pipeline Safety Act is a “constructive starting point” for renewing the law that ensures the safety of the interstate natural gas pipeline system that delivers almost one quarter of the energy consumed by Americans, said INGAA President and CEO Don Santa.
NTSB Issues 'Urgent' Recommendations In Wake Of San Bruno Explosion
Federal safety officials probing the San Bruno natural gas blast issued several "urgent" recommendations Jan. 3 designed to improve gas pipeline safety. The September blast in the San Francisco suburb killed eight people and destroyed dozens of homes. The National Transportation Safety Board, which issued the recommendations, has not determined the cause of the blast.
SCADA Networking Facilitated Using DNP3
Although malware has, for good reason, recently grabbed the attention when it comes to SCADA security, the other threats have not exactly gone away. Since the Stuxnet worm specifically targeted SCADA systems, that is all the better reason to ensure that vulnerability assessments and implementation measures encompass an even broader range of threats to one’s system.
Legislation Inhibits Petroleum Industry Growth, Forcing Firms To Re-strategize
A study by BDO USA, LLP found that 54% of chief financial officers at oil and gas E&P companies feel “legislative changes” will be the leading factor inhibiting growth of the U.S. oil and gas industry in 2011. In addition, 40% cite “legislative changes” as the greatest financial challenge in the year ahead.
U.S. To Keep Emissions Goal Thanks To Natural Gas
The United States will keep a pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions made in 2009 with help from a domestic boom in natural gas, Washington's lead negotiator said at the U.N. climate talks.
Are Political Games Destroying Domestic Oil & Gas Industry?
Changes announced on Dec. 1 of the administration’s new ruling banning offshore drilling along the East Coast and eastern sector of the Gulf of Mexico for five to seven years only further amplify industry’s questions of what the administration really wants with domestic oil and gas exploration and production companies. The continued changes to the offshore “drill – no drill” and potential changes in onshore production only further the uncertainty of U.S. oil and gas production and the desire to get closer to energy independence.
Construction Of Brazilian Ethanol Pipeline Is Under Way
Construction began on the 530-mile ethanol pipeline Petrobras is building to link Brazil’s main ethanol-producing regions in Minas Gerais and São Paulo to the large consuming centers of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
JV To Provide Oilfield Water Reclamation Services
STW Resources Holding Corp., a water reclamation services company, has formed a joint venture, Water Reclamation Partners, LLC (WRP), with privately held Aqua Verde LLC, to provide water solutions for oil and gas producers, municipalities, and environmental remediation projects.
FERC Investigates Pipeline Rates; PHMSA Rejects INGAA Pleas
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is investigating the possibility that two interstate pipelines are charging unreasonable rates. The FERC opened mid-November investigations of Kinder Morgan Interstate Gas Transmission LLC and Ozark Gas Transmission LLC, a unit of Spectra Energy Partners LP., based on reviews of Form 2 cost of service and revenue information submitted by the companies for 2008 and 2009.
- 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
