Community & Environment

TotalEnergies Faces Second Lawsuit Over Uganda Oil Projects

The French and Ugandan groups, led by Friends of the Earth France, accuse the energy company of failing to protect people and the environment from its Tilenga oil development and the $3.5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).

Useful Considerations for CO2, Hydrogen Pipeline Operators

(P&GJ) — When a pipeline operator becomes a “common carrier” under Texas law, it is granted the power of eminent domain over private property for public use. Texas law provides two independent sources for common carrier status: Texas Natural Resources Code Section 111 and Texas Business Organizations Code Section 2.105. Common carrier status is critical to pipeline projects in Texas, especially when easements are difficult to obtain.

Adapting ROW Strategies to Sustainability, Public Perception

(P&GJ) — Pipeline infrastructure and operations raise two common concerns among landowners and other public entities: greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and ecosystem disturbance.

TC Energy Shuts Two Compressor Stations on NGTL Due to Alberta Wildfires

TC Energy said it completed the shutdown of two compressor stations on the NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL) System and a gas storage facility on Saturday that were near wildfires in Edson, Alberta.

NET Power, Rice Acquisition Merge to Accelerate Clean Natural Gas Power Generation

(P&GJ) — Occidental's president and CEO, Vicki Hollub, expressed confidence in NET Power's transformative technology, stating that it aligns with Occidental's net-zero ambitions by delivering nearly emissions-free power to their Permian Basin operations and upcoming direct air capture sites.

LNG Developer Venture Global Spars with Customers Over Cargoes

Venture Global LNG, which is building three multibillion-dollar U.S. LNG processing plants, is sparring with two customers of its first project over mechanical failures that have prevented commercial deliveries a year after initial shipments began.

Exxon Mobil Signs Carbon Capture and Storage Deal with Nucor

(P&GJ) — Exxon Mobil will capture up to 800,000 metric tons per year of CO2 from the DRI plant and store the CO2 at an Exxon Mobil-owned facility in Louisiana.

Global Energy Infrastructure Launches Carbon Capture Storage Projects Database

(P&GJ) — Addressing the challenges of climate change requires innovative solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology has emerged as a promising approach to mitigate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from energy-intensive industries and power generation.

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.

US Offers Oil, Gas Drilling Rights in First Auction Since Biden's IRA

Biden's Interior Department had attempted to suspend federal oil and gas leasing to study its environmental and climate impacts, but the Inflation Reduction Act that passed last year requires some oil and gas auctions if federal rights of way are offered for renewable energy projects.

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.

Chemours, TC Energy Partner to Develop Clean Hydrogen Facilities in West Virginia

Chemical maker Chemours Co. said it has partnered with pipeline operator TC Energy Corp. to develop two clean hydrogen production facilities in West Virginia.

Editor’s Notebook: California’s Pipeline, CCUS Quandary

(P&GJ) — California, in laying out a bold clean air initiative, has placed a great deal of emphasis on carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) in an effort to start removing the same amount of carbon from the air as what the state emits by 2045.

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.

California City Can't Enforce Natural Gas Ban, Appeals Court Says

Berkeley, California, cannot ban natural gas hookups in new buildings because a U.S. federal law preempts its rule, a federal appeals court said Monday, siding with a challenge the state's restaurant industry made.

Norway Parliament Asks for CCS Alternative to Decarbonize Major LNG Plant

Norway's parliament on Tuesday told the government to consider an alternative way to cut carbon emissions at Western Europe's largest LNG plant, but stopped short of outright halting a controversial plan to use power from land.

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.

Seven US States Submit Joint Proposal for New Clean Hydrogen Hub in Northeast Region

(P&GJ) — New York, New Jersey, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have submitted a group proposal for its Northeast Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub project to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Hawaiʻi Gas Issues Request for Proposals for Renewable Natural Gas, Renewable Hydrogen

(P&GJ) — Hawaiʻi Gas is seeking proposals from local and national suppliers who can provide up to 65,000 therms of RNG or up to 2,300 kg per day of renewable hydrogen. This request is the equivalent of replacing nearly all of the utility’s synthetic natural gas with RNG.

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.