Environment

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.

FERC’s Pipeline, LNG Project Evaluations Looking at EJ

(P&GJ) — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is devoting an increasing amount of attention and staff resources to the evaluation of impacts of interstate natural gas pipeline and LNG terminal projects on environmental justice (EJ) communities (that is, communities with disproportionately large minority and low-income populations).

ESG & Innovation: API Looks at Species, Habitat Conservation

(P&GJ) — The American Petroleum Institute (API) published a first-edition document focused on species and habitat conservation for onshore natural gas and oil production facilities that will help boost the industry’s existing practices to enhance environmental performance.

Tokyo Gas Cuts Shareholder Returns to Invest in Decarbonization

Japan's Tokyo Gas will cut shareholder returns from the next financial year and use freed up funds to invest in technology to slash its carbon emissions, the company said on Wednesday. The company will pay out 40% of profits from the current 50% from the next financial year, it said.

Damaged Line Triggers Natural Gas Leak in College Station, Texas

(P&GJ) — At around 4:00 p.m. on Monday, the Texas Avenue and Richards Street neighborhood was the scene of a gas leak that the College Station Fire Department and College Station Police attempted to contain.

EPA Sets Soot Pollution Rule, Kinder Morgan Warns of Hefty Costs

The U.S. environmental regulator said it sent the White House its final plan to slash interstate smog and soot pollution from the power sector. Pipeline operator Kinder Morgan warned the plan would cost an estimated $4.1 billion in upgrades and retrofits to about 950 engines along its pipelines, which carry about 40% of the natural gas consumed in the U.S.

U.S. Treasury to Open Advanced Energy Tax Credit Applications on May 31

The U.S. Treasury said on Monday it will open applications on May 31 for $4 billion worth of new tax credits for advanced energy manufacturing and decarbonization projects, with $1.6 billion of those required to be in communities hit by closures of coal mines or coal-fired power plants.