Environment
Mexico Energy Regulator Gives Natural Gas 'Clean' Label, Drawing Criticism
A move by Mexico's energy regulator to declare some natural gas-fired power as "clean" drew criticism from environmental groups that say the change will not help the country reach its clean energy targets.
Alaska LNG Project Clears Legal Challenge, Advances 800-Mile Gas Pipeline
A U.S. appeals court has rejected a lawsuit filed by environmental groups that challenged the federal approvals required for a $39 billion project aimed at transporting natural gas across Alaska, starting from the North Slope. According to a spokesperson, construction on the 800-mile pipeline and related infrastructure has not yet commenced.
Biden Administration Clears Mountain Valley Pipeline for Progress Through Jefferson National Forest
(P&GJ) — The Department of Agriculture's Forest Service issued a record of decision Monday afternoon, allowing the Mountain Valley Pipeline project to cut through a 3.5-mile stretch of the Jefferson National Forest along the West Virginia-Virginia border. The determination clears the way for the project — which is 94% complete but has been mired in a lengthy permitting process for years — to finish construction.
Democratic US Senator Manchin Says He Will Oppose All EPA Nominees
Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said on Wednesday he would oppose all nominees for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posts until President Joe Biden's administration halts what he described as its "radical climate agenda."
Biden's EPA Proposes Crackdown on Power Plant Carbon Emissions
The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled a sweeping plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. power industry, one of the biggest steps so far in its effort to decarbonize the economy to fight climate change.
Pipeline Operator Kinder Morgan Begins Commercial Operations at Renewable Fuels Logistics Hub
(P&GJ) — Kinder Morgan Inc. has announced the commercial in-service of its renewable feedstock storage and logistics hub project with Neste, a leading provider of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel.
Pipeline Operator Enbridge’s Board Rejects Resolution to Fully Report Indirect Emissions
Shareholders of North American pipeline operator Enbridge Inc. rejected on Wednesday a small investor's resolution to ask the company to annually report all the indirect greenhouse gas emissions of the oil and gas it handles.
Louisiana's Carbon Well Permitting Application Heads to Federal Register
Louisiana's application to obtain enforcement authority over carbon capture wells has gone to the Federal Register for public comment, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday, a key step in receiving "so-called" primacy and speeding up the permitting process.
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.
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.
Blue Hydrogen Emerges as Key to Transition Future
(P&GJ) — The energy sector is undergoing a transformation, with a growing focus on cleaner energy sources and technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a more sustainable future.
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.
Kinder Morgan's California Renewable Diesel Hubs Begin Commercial Operations
(P&GJ) — Kinder Morgan Inc. has begun full commercial operation of its Southern and Northern California renewable diesel (RD) hub projects, the company said on April 3. RD is an alternative fuel that allows trucks, trains and any equipment that uses diesel to operate with significantly lower life-cycle emissions.
Pipeline Operator Enbridge Expected to Enter Carbon-Capture Cement Partnership
Pipeline operator Enbridge and German firm Heidelberg are expected to enter a partnership to develop a facility to capture carbon emissions from cement production.
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.
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.
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.
Virginia Natural Gas Receives Approval for Renewable Natural Gas Pilot Program
(P&GJ) — The five-year pilot program will allow for the production and delivery of RNG into Virginia Natural Gas' pipeline system and support the procurement of both RNG and next-generation natural gas.
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.
TotalEnergies' Bet on Gas Means No Big Emissions Cut by 2030
French oil major TotalEnergies forecasts its overall greenhouse gas emissions will not see a big reduction by 2030 given it wants to grow its gas business, executives said in an update on its climate strategy on Tuesday.
Insight: Huge Phillips 66 Biofuels Project Will Test the Industry’s Green Promises
In the oldest refining town in the American West, Phillips 66 is promising a greener future as it moves to halt crude-oil processing and build a massive renewable diesel plant.
Green Groups Sue Biden Administration Over Approval of Alaska Willow Oil Project
Six environmental groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday over the Biden administration's approval of ConocoPhillips' Willow oil and gas project in Alaska, which they claimed could be a stepping stone to more development in an ecologically sensitive region.
Pembina Pipeline, Haisla Nation Receive Approval to Construct Pipeline for Cedar LNG Project
The Haisla Nation and Pembina Pipeline Corp., partners in the development of the proposed Cedar LNG project, have announced that Cedar LNG has received its Environmental Assessment Certificate for the construction of a pipeline that will connect the project into the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
US Carbon Pipeline Faces Setback as Residents Refuse to Cede Land Rights
Navigator CO2 Ventures’ proposed carbon pipeline project in the U.S. Midwest is struggling to secure a site to store millions of tons of greenhouse gas it hopes to collect from the region’s ethanol plants, as residents refuse to give up land rights over fears the underground reservoirs could leak, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.
Ecopetrol: Colombia Oil Pipeline Attack Causes Environmental Damage
An attack on an oil pipeline near a refinery in the Colombian city of Barrancabermeja has led to environmental damage but caused no injuries, majority state-owned oil company Ecopetrol said.
Biden Administration Works on 'Green' Natural Gas as US Vies for Top LNG Spot
The Biden administration is holding talks with global energy companies and foreign officials in an effort to set standards for certified natural gas, a form of the fuel that producers market as climate friendly.
French Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against TotalEnergies Over Uganda Pipeline Project
Under the case filed in 2019, six French and Ugandan activist groups had accused the company of not doing all it could to protect people and the environment from the Tilenga oil development and the $3.5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline.
Mexico's Pemex Increased Gas Flaring at Top Field, Despite Pledge to Stop
In January, an estimated 1.3 billion cubic feet of gas were burned from four flares at the Papan and Perdiz plants meant to process gas from Ixachi, satellite data shows, up from 1 billion cubic feet in November when the promise was made.
Say ‘Aloha’ to New Trend of Hydrogen Blending with Hawaii Gas
(P&GJ) — While most of the naphtha is converted to methane, some hydrogen is produced in the steam reformer process, resulting in hydrogen concentrations of up to 10% to 15%. As natural gas utilities around the world look to hydrogen as a potential solution to decarbonization, the decades of experience Hawaii Gas already has with a hydrogen blend provide an insightful study into the performance of equipment using hydrogen blends.
- Mexican President: Billionaire Slim Interested in Pemex Natural Gas Project
- Freeport LNG Sues Three Contractors Over Defects at Texas Plant
- Energy Transfer Adds 6,000 Miles of Pipeline with $3.25 Billion WTG Midstream Acquisition
- FERC Approves Transco's Texas to Louisiana Gas Pipeline Project
- Williams Says Court Rules in Its Favor in Pipeline Dispute with Energy Transfer
- U.S. to Buy 4.5 Million Barrels of Oil to Replenish Strategic Petroleum Reserve
- Kurdish Oil Smuggling to Iran Flourishes
- U.S. Court Overturns Alaska Oil Lease Sale, Halting Energy Development
- Second Gas Pipeline Rupture in Texas’ Reeves County Raises Environmental Concerns
- Williams Begins Louisiana Pipeline Construction Despite Ongoing Legal Dispute with Energy Transfer
